The BBC is doing a lot of things wrong at present. But here are a couple of things it has done to redress the balance in the past couple of days. First, BBC OnLine published this article of sympathetic interviews with Israelis about what it’s like to live with suicide bombings.

Second, Radio Four’s Today programme yesterday morning (0733: transcript here) broadcast an item in which the Panorama journalist John Ware was given time to make the point that the ‘moderate’ Muslim Council of Britain, which has denounced the terrorism in London, has not been prepared to denounce the terrorism against Israel. When two British suicide bombers blew up Mike’s Place in Tel Aviv killing three people, the MCB General Secretary Sir Iqbal Sacranie said the loss of civilian life — and he mentioned both Palestinians and Israelis — couldn’t be condoned. The attack was later claimed by Hamas, whose founder Sheikh Yassin was later killed by the Israelis. As Ware said,
a year or so later several Muslim organisations here in London held a memorial service for Sheikh Yassin at the Central Mosque in Regent’s Park.Sir Iqbal chose to attend this service, and he also described Sheikh Yassin as a renowned Islamic scholar, even though he was

‘the chief ideologist of an organisation that’s charter seeks the destruction of Israel. And Hamas has conducted a fair number of the 60 or so suicide bombing attacks since the second Intefada, which have killed in total over 500 people, again women and civilians just as in London.’

Ware also pointed out that the MCB had described Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi in flattering terms as

‘a distinguished Muslim scholar, a voice of reason and understanding’

even though Qaradawi had supported the use of child human bombs against Israel and supported attacks in Iraq against American and British soldiers. Ware then pointed out that Dr Azzam Tamimi, (see earlier post) a senior member of an MCB affiliate, the Muslim Association of Britain, has also supported suicide bombings in Israel.

The ‘moderate’ MCB thus stood accused of being anything but moderate in its endorsement of those who commit mass murder against Israelis, or who themselves endorse it. Today then put this charge to the MCB’s press officer, Inayat Bunglawala -- who, having been shown a very deep hole proceeded to jump in it. Invited to unequivocally condemn terrorism against Israel, he repeatedly declined, taking refuge in bland assertions that

‘we always condemned the taking of innocent life anywhere’

before ranting about Israel’s ‘very brutal occupation’ and coming as close as he dared to justifying the murder of Israelis while denying that this was what he was doing:

Presenter:

‘But that still can’t be justification for suicide bombings…’

Inayat Bunglawala:

‘No, no it cannot, but many of our own columnists, even members of parliament, have said that if they were Palestinians, if they were living under those conditions, if they were seeing their children humiliated in the way that Israelis humiliate their children, if they saw their children being blown to pieces, they would consider doing what the Palestinians do. That is, our own Parliamentarians have said that. So if they can say that, of course Muslims will feel a greater affinity for the Palestinians.’

He also repeated the MCB’s endorsement of Sheikh Yassin:

Presenter:

‘OK, two other very brief points. Sheikh Yassin, the support that Sir Iqbal Sacranie has mentioned for him, as John Ware was saying, was that misguided?’

Inayat Bunglawala:

‘No it was not, Sheikh Yassin is an Islamic scholar, was an Islamic scholar, was renowned throughout the Muslim world as an Islamic scholar, and the Israelis assassinated him, let’s remember that, the Israelis broke international law, he was a quadriplegic man, a disabled man, he was coming out of the morning prayers, and the Israelis sent F16 fighter planes and they blew him up.’

Presenter:

‘He was the chief ideas man behind an organisation whose charter seeks the destruction of Israel?’

Inayat Bunglawala:

‘Well that’s right. If Israel claims to be a democracy, which it does at every opportunity, then it should bring people to justice by courts of law, not blow them up by missiles.’

and also supported Azam Tamimi:

‘Dr Azam himself is a Palestinian, and I can understand why he feels such pain for the Palestinians, and I can understand why others are driven to what they are doing. Dr Azam Tamimi again is respected, if our own Parliamentarians can say they can understand why Palestinians are doing this, of course other Palestinians themselves will express their feelings...’

Perhaps people could bear all this in mind the next time they hear the MCB pose as the moderate and responsible leaders of their community, and accuse anyone who dares to disagree of ‘Islamophobia’.