Post by Teddy Bear on Jul 9, 2010 19:23:47 GMT
Compare the 2 articles below concerning the removal of a blog post by Britain's ambassador to Lebanon praising the late top Shiite cleric who had been a supporter and spiritual leader of Hezbollah following his demise last week.
The first, by Associated Press pretty much shows why this ambassador was out of order in doing what she did amid concern by a civilised society for a renowned advocate of terrorism. Any positive attributes that could be assigned to this individual are put into context that leaves no doubt that this ambassador shouldn't be eulogizing his passing.
The second article by the BBC however, uses this episode to themselves eulogize this man. Even its headline blames Israel for criticizing the praise given the late cleric, and most of the article is given to presenting how justified this praise was.
I have highlighted the parts in both articles that can be termed negative and positive about the cleric with different colours - Yellow for Positive - Blue for Negative. Just see how much more yellow is that of the BBC, not to mention the way the whole article is presented. The purple patch near the end is just where they used 'a spokesman' to justify the ambassador, without revealing just who this spokesman represents.
Maybe it was the guy who runs the local fish and chip shop.
In a similar vein, a Tory MP has today again criticized the BBC for spreading Taliban propaganda.
Tory MP uneasy as BBC 'spreads Taliban propaganda'
It's what they do!
And the BBC's offering on the same story:
The first, by Associated Press pretty much shows why this ambassador was out of order in doing what she did amid concern by a civilised society for a renowned advocate of terrorism. Any positive attributes that could be assigned to this individual are put into context that leaves no doubt that this ambassador shouldn't be eulogizing his passing.
The second article by the BBC however, uses this episode to themselves eulogize this man. Even its headline blames Israel for criticizing the praise given the late cleric, and most of the article is given to presenting how justified this praise was.
I have highlighted the parts in both articles that can be termed negative and positive about the cleric with different colours - Yellow for Positive - Blue for Negative. Just see how much more yellow is that of the BBC, not to mention the way the whole article is presented. The purple patch near the end is just where they used 'a spokesman' to justify the ambassador, without revealing just who this spokesman represents.
Maybe it was the guy who runs the local fish and chip shop.
In a similar vein, a Tory MP has today again criticized the BBC for spreading Taliban propaganda.
Tory MP uneasy as BBC 'spreads Taliban propaganda'
It's what they do!
UK removes blog post praising late Lebanese cleric
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press
LONDON – Britain's ambassador to Beirut angered Israelis and embarrassed officials in London after writing a blog post praising the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's top Shiite cleric, who supported Hezbollah's and other militants' attacks on Israel.
Frances Guy, who has served nearly four years as the Britain's ambassador in Lebanon, made her tribute following the cleric's death late last week. Writing in a blog carried on the Foreign Office's Web site, she called Fadlallah a decent human being and a "true man of religion."
"Lebanon is a lesser place the day after," she wrote. "If I was sad to hear the news I know other peoples' lives will be truly blighted. The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints. May he rest in peace."
Officials in Jerusalem were furious. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor described Fadlallah as an extremist who inspired "suicide bombings, assassinations and all kinds of wanton violence."
"The British ambassador must decide whether promoting terror and giving it religious justification can be considered a heritage to be cherished," Palmor said.
Britain's Foreign Office said the posting had been removed "after mature consideration." A spokeswoman declined to elaborate. Guy could not immediately be reached; the embassy said she was out of the country.
Fadlallah was widely revered by Shiites in Lebanon and around the Muslim world, but was branded a terrorist by the U.S. government. The cleric supported attacks by Lebanon's Shiite guerrilla group Hezbollah against Western forces in Lebanon during the country's 1975-1990 civil war. Hezbollah was blamed for a string of high-profile attacks, including the 1983 bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the Marine barracks and French military headquarters in Beirut.
Fadlallah also backed attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups against Israel.
Western intelligence claimed that Fadlallah was Hezbollah's spiritual leader, an allegation denied by the cleric and by the group, which considers Iran's supreme leader its religious guide.
Fadlallah's legacy extended far beyond Lebanon — he threw his support behind the Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and was one of the founders of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's governing Dawa Party.
He mellowed with age, losing much of his 1980s militancy. His sermons, once fiery diatribes denouncing American imperialism, took on a pragmatic tone as he urged dialogue among nations and split with Iran on some issues. He was also relatively liberal on many social issues, a large source of his popularity among his followers.
The uproar over Guy's message follows the dismissal of CNN editor Octavia Nasr after she expressed admiration for Fadlallah in a message posted to Twitter.
Nasr, who had worked at the news network for 20 years, was fired on Wednesday after saying Fadlallah was "one of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot."
She later said in a blog that she had been referring to Fadlallah's attitude toward women's rights. She wrote that Fadlallah was "revered across borders yet designated a terrorist. Not the kind of life to be commenting about in a brief tweet. It's something I deeply regret."
Hezbollah on Friday denounced her firing. The movement's spokesman, Ibrahim Moussawi says CNN's decision amounts to "intellectual terrorism" and reflects the West's "double standards" in dealing with the Mideast.
By RAPHAEL G. SATTER, Associated Press
LONDON – Britain's ambassador to Beirut angered Israelis and embarrassed officials in London after writing a blog post praising the late Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's top Shiite cleric, who supported Hezbollah's and other militants' attacks on Israel.
Frances Guy, who has served nearly four years as the Britain's ambassador in Lebanon, made her tribute following the cleric's death late last week. Writing in a blog carried on the Foreign Office's Web site, she called Fadlallah a decent human being and a "true man of religion."
"Lebanon is a lesser place the day after," she wrote. "If I was sad to hear the news I know other peoples' lives will be truly blighted. The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints. May he rest in peace."
Officials in Jerusalem were furious. Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor described Fadlallah as an extremist who inspired "suicide bombings, assassinations and all kinds of wanton violence."
"The British ambassador must decide whether promoting terror and giving it religious justification can be considered a heritage to be cherished," Palmor said.
Britain's Foreign Office said the posting had been removed "after mature consideration." A spokeswoman declined to elaborate. Guy could not immediately be reached; the embassy said she was out of the country.
Fadlallah was widely revered by Shiites in Lebanon and around the Muslim world, but was branded a terrorist by the U.S. government. The cleric supported attacks by Lebanon's Shiite guerrilla group Hezbollah against Western forces in Lebanon during the country's 1975-1990 civil war. Hezbollah was blamed for a string of high-profile attacks, including the 1983 bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the Marine barracks and French military headquarters in Beirut.
Fadlallah also backed attacks by Hezbollah and Palestinian militant groups against Israel.
Western intelligence claimed that Fadlallah was Hezbollah's spiritual leader, an allegation denied by the cleric and by the group, which considers Iran's supreme leader its religious guide.
Fadlallah's legacy extended far beyond Lebanon — he threw his support behind the Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution and was one of the founders of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's governing Dawa Party.
He mellowed with age, losing much of his 1980s militancy. His sermons, once fiery diatribes denouncing American imperialism, took on a pragmatic tone as he urged dialogue among nations and split with Iran on some issues. He was also relatively liberal on many social issues, a large source of his popularity among his followers.
The uproar over Guy's message follows the dismissal of CNN editor Octavia Nasr after she expressed admiration for Fadlallah in a message posted to Twitter.
Nasr, who had worked at the news network for 20 years, was fired on Wednesday after saying Fadlallah was "one of Hezbollah's giants I respect a lot."
She later said in a blog that she had been referring to Fadlallah's attitude toward women's rights. She wrote that Fadlallah was "revered across borders yet designated a terrorist. Not the kind of life to be commenting about in a brief tweet. It's something I deeply regret."
Hezbollah on Friday denounced her firing. The movement's spokesman, Ibrahim Moussawi says CNN's decision amounts to "intellectual terrorism" and reflects the West's "double standards" in dealing with the Mideast.
And the BBC's offering on the same story:
UK envoy's praise for Lebanon cleric draws Israel anger
Israel has criticised Britain's ambassador to Lebanon for eulogising a recently deceased Lebanese cleric said to have inspired Hezbollah.
Frances Guy wrote on her personal blog that Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was a "decent man" who rated among the people she most admired.
An Israeli spokesman said Ayatollah Fadlallah was "unworthy of praise".
The UK foreign office says it has taken down the blog after "mature consideration".
It said the comments reflected Ms Guy's personal opinion, not official UK policy.
Ayatollah Fadlallah, Lebanon's top Shia Muslim cleric, died on Sunday at the age of 74. Thousands of people attended his funeral in Beirut and tributes poured in from all over the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Two days ago, CNN sacked a veteran Middle East editor who wrote on Twitter that she "respected" the late cleric, saying that her credibility had been compromised.
Controversial figure
Ayatollah Fadlallah was customarily described as the spiritual leader of the militant movement Hezbollah when it was formed in 1982 - a claim both he and the group denied.
Ms Guy, who has been ambassador since 2006, wrote on her blog that Ayatollah Fadlallah was the politician in Lebanon she most enjoyed meeting.
"The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints," she wrote.
Israel's foreign ministry denounced the comments.
"We believe that the spiritual leader of [Hezbollah] is unworthy of any praise or eulogising," a spokesman told the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Ahronot.
"If Hezbollah was firing missiles at London and Glasgow, would this leader still be called 'decent'?" he added.
Ayatollah Fadlallah was a controversial figure.
He was revered as one of Shia Islam's highest religious authorities and won support from many Muslims for his anti-American stance and his support for the Islamic revolution in Iran.
He advocated suicide attacks as a means of fighting Israel, and has been linked to the 1983 suicide bombings that killed more 300 American troops at the US marine barracks in Beirut.
But he condemned the 9/11 terror attacks and had relatively progressive views on the role of women in society.
'Personal view'
Hezbollah's military wing is proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation.
But Ms Guy, who has met with Hezbollah officials on several occasions, wrote that Ayatollah Fadlallah's passing left Lebanon "a lesser place".
"When you visited him you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person," she wrote.
"That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith."
The British foreign office said it had removed the blog post as it did not fully reflect the British government's policy.
"The ambassador expressed a personal view on Sheik Sayyed Fadlallah, describing the man as she knew him," a spokesman told the BBC.
"While we welcomed his progressive views on women's rights and interfaith dialogue, we also had profound disagreements - especially over his statements advocating attacks on Israel," he added.
Israel has criticised Britain's ambassador to Lebanon for eulogising a recently deceased Lebanese cleric said to have inspired Hezbollah.
Frances Guy wrote on her personal blog that Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah was a "decent man" who rated among the people she most admired.
An Israeli spokesman said Ayatollah Fadlallah was "unworthy of praise".
The UK foreign office says it has taken down the blog after "mature consideration".
It said the comments reflected Ms Guy's personal opinion, not official UK policy.
Ayatollah Fadlallah, Lebanon's top Shia Muslim cleric, died on Sunday at the age of 74. Thousands of people attended his funeral in Beirut and tributes poured in from all over the Arab and Islamic worlds.
Two days ago, CNN sacked a veteran Middle East editor who wrote on Twitter that she "respected" the late cleric, saying that her credibility had been compromised.
Controversial figure
Ayatollah Fadlallah was customarily described as the spiritual leader of the militant movement Hezbollah when it was formed in 1982 - a claim both he and the group denied.
Ms Guy, who has been ambassador since 2006, wrote on her blog that Ayatollah Fadlallah was the politician in Lebanon she most enjoyed meeting.
"The world needs more men like him willing to reach out across faiths, acknowledging the reality of the modern world and daring to confront old constraints," she wrote.
Israel's foreign ministry denounced the comments.
"We believe that the spiritual leader of [Hezbollah] is unworthy of any praise or eulogising," a spokesman told the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Ahronot.
"If Hezbollah was firing missiles at London and Glasgow, would this leader still be called 'decent'?" he added.
Ayatollah Fadlallah was a controversial figure.
He was revered as one of Shia Islam's highest religious authorities and won support from many Muslims for his anti-American stance and his support for the Islamic revolution in Iran.
He advocated suicide attacks as a means of fighting Israel, and has been linked to the 1983 suicide bombings that killed more 300 American troops at the US marine barracks in Beirut.
But he condemned the 9/11 terror attacks and had relatively progressive views on the role of women in society.
'Personal view'
Hezbollah's military wing is proscribed in the UK as a terrorist organisation.
But Ms Guy, who has met with Hezbollah officials on several occasions, wrote that Ayatollah Fadlallah's passing left Lebanon "a lesser place".
"When you visited him you could be sure of a real debate, a respectful argument and you knew you would leave his presence feeling a better person," she wrote.
"That for me is the real effect of a true man of religion; leaving an impact on everyone he meets, no matter what their faith."
The British foreign office said it had removed the blog post as it did not fully reflect the British government's policy.
"The ambassador expressed a personal view on Sheik Sayyed Fadlallah, describing the man as she knew him," a spokesman told the BBC.
"While we welcomed his progressive views on women's rights and interfaith dialogue, we also had profound disagreements - especially over his statements advocating attacks on Israel," he added.