[whataretheysaying] Mary Madigan: The BBC - reporting news as Muslim leaders see it

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Posted by Mary Madigan:
The BBC - reporting news as Muslim leaders see it
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1199550138.shtml


   In the months before the Kenyan elections, Christian media published
   reports that candidate Raila Odinga signed a Memorandum stating that
   he would implement strict Islamic Sharia law if he received the Muslim
   vote. Kenyan Muslim leaders (with the help of the BBC) dismissed these
   reports as "propaganda". From [1]the BBC report, published in
   November:

     "Kenyan Muslim leaders have dismissed as propaganda allegations
     that an opposition party promised to introduce Sharia for Muslims
     if it won elections."

     The National Muslim Leaders Forum said its deal with the Orange
     Democratic Movement was to end the current discrimination against
     Muslims...

     ..."There was a fear that Muslims will force their faith on other
     people, Islam does not allow suppression of other religions and we
     will be the last to advocate for this," said Abdullahi Abdi of the
     National Muslim Leaders Forum.

     Instead the memorandum of understanding, signed in August, states
     that Mr Odinga has pledged to defend Muslims against harassment and
     victimisation by state security forces who claim to be fighting
     terrorism.

     If the ODM leader wins, he promises to set up a commission to
     investigate renditions of Muslims to Somalia, Ethiopia and the US
     detention camp at Guantanamo Bay on the island of Cuba.

     The document also commits Mr Odinga to initiate policies to redress
     the present marginalisation of Muslims living in the Coast and
     North-East provinces.

   However, according to [2]this copy of the actual document (found
   thanks to [3]Atlas and [4]A Jacksonian)dated 'this 29th day of August
   2007, Mombasa, Kenya (and signed by Chairman Abduallah Amdi, and the
   Hon. Raila Odinga, it's promised that the candidate, who "recognizes
   Islam as the only true religion" will:

     b) Within 6 months re-write the Constitution of Kenya to recognize
     Shariah as the only true law sanctioned by the Holy Quran for
     Muslim declared regions.

     c) With immediate effect dismiss the Commissioner of Police who has
     allowed himself to be used by heathens and Zionists to oppress the
     Kenyan Muslim community.

     g) Within one year facilitate the establishment of a Shariah court
     in every Kenyan divisional headquarters. [Note: everywhere in
     Kenya, not just in "Muslim declared regions."]..

   Also, according to item "f"

     "No Muslim residing in Kenya, whether a citizen, visitor or
     relative of any of the above shall be subjected to any process
     involving the laws of a foreign country and in particular any
     Muslim arrested for or suspected of Terrorism or any International
     crime shall only be tried within the boarders (.sic) of Kenya and
     shall be granted a competent lawyer of his/her choice at the
     expense of the Government.

   Also, according to item "n",

     the candidate who "recognizes Islam as the only true religion" will
     "impose an immediate ban on women's public dressing styles that are
     considered immoral and offensive to the Muslim faith in the Muslim
     regions of the Coastal and North Eastern regions. This ban will
     apply to Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in those regions and will
     include all visitors whether domestic or foreign tourists.

   There are two possible reasons for the BBC's bad reporting. Either the
   BBC is deliberately working as propagandists for Kenyan Muslim
   leaders, or they didn't even bother to read the actual document.

   In both cases, they've committed crimes of omission; like a doctor who
   will tell you that you need to lose weight, but who neglects to
   mention the melanoma growing on the back of your neck, the Beeb is
   more than untrustworthy. They're dangerous.

References

   1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7115387.stm
   2. http://eakenya.org/newsevents/article.htm?id=8
   3. http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/01/obama-islam-and.html
   4. http://ajacksonian.blogspot.com/