THE BBC has offered £30,000 and an apology to the Muslim Council of Britain following remarks made on Question Time by former Daily Telegraph editor Charles Moore.
Charles Moore
During a debate in March about Islamic protests which marred a soldiers’ homecoming parade in Luton, Moore, a panellist on the programme, accused the Muslim organisation of failing to condemn attacks on soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Moore went on to claim that the MCB thought it was a “good thing” to kill troops.
The broadcaster was then threatened with legal action over his comments.
Faced with the threat of a writ, the BBC – in a cowardly act of dhimmitude – made an offer of “amends” and an apology on the Question Time website. But this has been rejected and the MCB is demanding an apology on air.
According to this report, the Corporation’s offer to pay out will raise eyebrows in Whitehall, where ministers have refused to settle a similar defamation claim over a letter written by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears.
A BBC insider said the move has also angered Mr Moore, who was not consulted over the legal response to the complaint or even informed that an offer to settle had been made.
The MCB’s leadership described Mr Moore’s claims as a “total lie”.
MCB Secretary General Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari said:
These kinds of statements are very damaging, and we received many complaints from our Muslim supporters who said they were extremely offended by the comments.
In fact when a British man called Ken Bigley was kidnapped in Iraq, we sent envoys there to plead for his release. This is accusing us of encouraging terrorism abroad.
The BBC offered its settlement amid fears that the Corporation had libelled Dr Abdul Bari even though he was not mentioned by name.
A BBC spokesman said:
Question Time always has lively and wide-ranging debate. On occasion this results in unfairness to individuals who aren’t there to put their point of view and this is one of those occasions.
The separate row between the MCB’s deputy Secretary General Dr Daud Abdullah and Miss Blears centres on a document relating to the recent conflict in Gaza which was signed by Dr Abdullah.
In March, Miss Blears interpreted the document as justifying attacks on the Royal Navy and wrote to the Guardian to explain her concerns.
A solicitor’s letter was sent on behalf of Dr Daud Abdullah demanding she pay £75,000 by last month or face full legal proceedings. But she refused to do so and no further correspondence has been received.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
May 30th, 2009 at 11:26 am
As rationalists we need to look at the evidence
Has The Muslim Council of Britain implied that it is a good thing for troops to be killed?
If so then Moore is within his rights to say so and the BBC are fools to pay out
If not then there perhaps on shaky ground –However the MCB are big cry babies and need to grow up
As i mentioned the other day get ready for the "eastenders fatwa" in June when the BBC air a story about a gay muslim man–unless of course they act like dhimmis and pull the story
May 30th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Come on people this is no surprise, the BBC is run by "right on" Labour luvvies who are pro-muslim but very anti anyone who dare criticise the "religion of perpetual outrage".
"Dr Daud Abdullah demanding she pay £75,000" Er…. isn't that extortion?
May 30th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
MCB, did the BBC touch a nerve there? Don;' want anyone to find out you harbour terrorists and support extremism?
And can 'I' get 30k out of the BBC because 'I' am offended by the anti British slogans being expressed by (and lets be fair here) demented Muslim arse-holes, but none-the-less broadcast at me, by the BBC?
May 30th, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Doesn't look to me like the MCB are interested in establishing Moore was wrong or asking him to apologise. He said it, after all, not, say, a Beeb employee like Dimbleby, so if they were serious they'd go after him first. Anyway, Moore has a long record of such statements, many of which I'd judge as easy stereotyping, so again, if they were serious about stamping out stuff that's on the borderline between slagging off Islam and straightforward racism they'd want him to 'reconsider his views'.
More like Ross & Brand fever – go after the Beeb for easy money and an empty apology that can be whipped up into something it isn't, rather than tackle perceived bigotry head on and have a public debate about what it is or isn't and if it's fair comment.
May 30th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
This is nothing other than Jizya – payment of protection money extorted by Muslims from dhimmis. And they're doing it with MY money!
For a large number of additional examples of grovelling dhimmitude from the anti-British Broadcasting Corporation see links under 'BBC' at http://kwelos.tripod.com/subjects.htm
May 31st, 2009 at 12:01 am
this is not the bbc paying, this is us the bbc using our money to pay.
whoever decided this is a good use of license fee needs to be brought to account
May 31st, 2009 at 4:46 am
Someone needs to start a petition to stop the bbc from paying out, and stop them from apologising.
They need to either let the other side air their views, or have a public investigation through the normal channels, like ofcom.
Come on someone start up a petition on petitiononline (google it)
May 31st, 2009 at 8:08 am
"They need to either let the other side air their views," Not much chace of that. The Bible Broadcasting Corporation is supposed to be a public service broadcaster but is biased to the point of being a propaganda machine, especially the Toady programme on Radio 4 which allows the religous nutters to spout their nonsense unchecked. Have you noticed the alarming increase in "religious" stories on radio and TV? An interesting link I'm posting again in case you've missed it. http://www.bbcbias.co.uk/
May 31st, 2009 at 8:08 am
"They need to either let the other side air their views," Not much chace of that. The Bible Broadcasting Corporation is supposed to be a public service broadcaster but is biased to the point of being a propaganda machine, especially the Toady programme on Radio 4 which allows the religous nutters to spout their nonsense unchecked. Have you noticed the alarming increase in "religious" stories on radio and TV? An interesting link I'm posting again in case you've missed it. http://www.bbcbias.co.uk/
May 31st, 2009 at 8:08 am
"They need to either let the other side air their views," Not much chace of that. The Bible Broadcasting Corporation is supposed to be a public service broadcaster but is biased to the point of being a propaganda machine, especially the Toady programme on Radio 4 which allows the religous nutters to spout their nonsense unchecked. Have you noticed the alarming increase in "religious" stories on radio and TV? An interesting link I'm posting again in case you've missed it. http://www.bbcbias.co.uk/
May 31st, 2009 at 8:08 am
"They need to either let the other side air their views," Not much chace of that. The Bible Broadcasting Corporation is supposed to be a public service broadcaster but is biased to the point of being a propaganda machine, especially the Toady programme on Radio 4 which allows the religous nutters to spout their nonsense unchecked. Have you noticed the alarming increase in "religious" stories on radio and TV? An interesting link I'm posting again in case you've missed it. http://www.bbcbias.co.uk/
May 31st, 2009 at 10:59 am
Well this makes as much sense as a helicopter ejector seat. Why should the Beeb even apologise, let alone pay a fat pile of compensation over the opinions of an individual not in their employment just because he aired them live on BBC1?
May 31st, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Call me naive, call me racist, but it's a question worth asking – why do these strange people insist on coming to live in England, of all places? What possible cultural connection is there between a mild Anglo-Saxon pillar of ordinary Western culture, and all this kooky oriental Mohammedan crap? Is it really just the appeal of the social security benefits? If so, why don't the Brits wise up? I'm sure the English of the mid 20th century would have been mystifed by all this nonsense.
May 31st, 2009 at 8:34 pm
They really do think in their tiny minds that they are eventually going to convert Britain to Mohammedanism, Bubblecar: can you believe that? Coincidentally, the Roman Catholics also dreamed for years of "the reconversion of England", and for all I know still do. Aren`t we lucky to have all these selfless people working for the eternal good of our souls?!!