Post by Teddy Bear on Oct 19, 2013 18:49:11 GMT
I don't know how much BBC output in recent years has been dedicated to educating their audience to understand religions, but judging by the BBC attitude towards Christianity, or in fact, any religion except the deference to appease Muslims, I would venture to say 'not very much'.
Certainly having a Muslim head the department in a predominantly Christian society indicates the priorities that the BBC are more interested in fulfilling. One must wonder just why a Muslim who is supposed to understand our society would accept such a position. Surely he would question the motive of the BBC putting him in such a position.
But they did, and he did, and judging by the lack of news to do with any programmes that put their head above the horizon, presumably this suited the BBC perfectly.
Now with an upcoming mini-series about pilgrimages, Aaqil Ahmed, the BBC 'chosen one', has given an interview with the Independent about it.
Without realising it, some statements he's made have exposed his 'alien' mentality, even though he probably thought it would make him fit right in.
He's first made the observation that younger generations wouldn't understand the humour in Monty Python's Life of Brian, since they lack the understanding of content and context surrounding it. This is probably true, but after several years holding the position in what must be the most powerful medium to address that ignorance, just what does he believe he has done about it?
Though I posted the Daily Mail article about his views below, mainly because of the Life of Brian humour also contained in it, the specific ones I'm going to address are from the Independent.
Except first there is no religious reason for women to wear face coverings, but we all know to which religion he's referring. The same one that has to do with Syria. Is he trying to justify the actions of militant Islam, because usually the 'moderate Muslims' constantly repeat the the actions of these extremists are based on a misunderstanding of Islam - the religion of peace
So what should we understand?
The 'piece de resistance' is this:
So notice we are not talking about Life of Brian any more but onto Muhammed, and how it should be spelt.
Wikipedia tells us: The name is transliterated as Mohammad (primarily in Iran and Afghanistan), Muhammad (in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia), Muhammed (Arab World, primarily in North Africa), Mohamed, Mohammed and Mohamad (Arab World), Muhammad (Arab World), Muhammed, Muhamed (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Muhammed, Muhamed, Muhammet, or Muhamet (Turkey and Albania).
In Latin, it is Mahometus (hence Italian Maometto) and Μωάμεθ (Moameth) in Greek. In Catalan and in Spanish, it is Mahoma, in Portuguese, it is Maomé, and in Galician it is Mamede. In Polish it is Mahomet. In Russia, it is Мухаммад (Mukhammad), another common spelling is Магомед (Magomed). In Somali, it is Maxamed. In Senegal and in other West African nations, the variant is Mamadou. In Kazakh, the name is Мұхаммед (Mukhammed). In Chinese, it is written as 穆罕默德 (Mùhǎnmòdé).
As for humour, I just can't think of anything that could be seen as humorous about a religious leader that marries a 9 year old, or a religion that tells us that Christians and Jews are descendent of pigs and apes, especially when that religion is from the same descendent - Abraham
But let's assume some bright comedian could come up with something witty, does anybody remember what happened to the creator of the Mohammed (or is it Mukhammed) cartoons?
What a disingenuous moron this man is, but given the position the BBC have given him, could he be anything else?
Certainly having a Muslim head the department in a predominantly Christian society indicates the priorities that the BBC are more interested in fulfilling. One must wonder just why a Muslim who is supposed to understand our society would accept such a position. Surely he would question the motive of the BBC putting him in such a position.
But they did, and he did, and judging by the lack of news to do with any programmes that put their head above the horizon, presumably this suited the BBC perfectly.
Now with an upcoming mini-series about pilgrimages, Aaqil Ahmed, the BBC 'chosen one', has given an interview with the Independent about it.
Without realising it, some statements he's made have exposed his 'alien' mentality, even though he probably thought it would make him fit right in.
He's first made the observation that younger generations wouldn't understand the humour in Monty Python's Life of Brian, since they lack the understanding of content and context surrounding it. This is probably true, but after several years holding the position in what must be the most powerful medium to address that ignorance, just what does he believe he has done about it?
Though I posted the Daily Mail article about his views below, mainly because of the Life of Brian humour also contained in it, the specific ones I'm going to address are from the Independent.
Mr Ahmed said that a basic grasp of religious issues is necessary for the public to understand wider contemporary issues.
He said that religious understanding would help us understand things from why women chose to wear face coverings to what is happening in Syria.
But he added that he is not trying to impose religious knowledge on BBC audiences.
Except first there is no religious reason for women to wear face coverings, but we all know to which religion he's referring. The same one that has to do with Syria. Is he trying to justify the actions of militant Islam, because usually the 'moderate Muslims' constantly repeat the the actions of these extremists are based on a misunderstanding of Islam - the religion of peace
So what should we understand?
The 'piece de resistance' is this:
Ahmed also claimed that a key reason that Islam is not the subject of more humorous discussion is that the life of the Prophet Muhammad is poorly understood by large sections of the British public. “How can anybody tell a joke about Muhammad when they don’t even know how to spell his name, let alone anything about his life? The day we have people standing up and telling detailed jokes about Muhammad and have the audience understanding that humour, then we will have come a long way in society and we will have a lot more religious literacy about a major world figure.”
So notice we are not talking about Life of Brian any more but onto Muhammed, and how it should be spelt.
Wikipedia tells us: The name is transliterated as Mohammad (primarily in Iran and Afghanistan), Muhammad (in Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia), Muhammed (Arab World, primarily in North Africa), Mohamed, Mohammed and Mohamad (Arab World), Muhammad (Arab World), Muhammed, Muhamed (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Muhammed, Muhamed, Muhammet, or Muhamet (Turkey and Albania).
In Latin, it is Mahometus (hence Italian Maometto) and Μωάμεθ (Moameth) in Greek. In Catalan and in Spanish, it is Mahoma, in Portuguese, it is Maomé, and in Galician it is Mamede. In Polish it is Mahomet. In Russia, it is Мухаммад (Mukhammad), another common spelling is Магомед (Magomed). In Somali, it is Maxamed. In Senegal and in other West African nations, the variant is Mamadou. In Kazakh, the name is Мұхаммед (Mukhammed). In Chinese, it is written as 穆罕默德 (Mùhǎnmòdé).
As for humour, I just can't think of anything that could be seen as humorous about a religious leader that marries a 9 year old, or a religion that tells us that Christians and Jews are descendent of pigs and apes, especially when that religion is from the same descendent - Abraham
But let's assume some bright comedian could come up with something witty, does anybody remember what happened to the creator of the Mohammed (or is it Mukhammed) cartoons?
What a disingenuous moron this man is, but given the position the BBC have given him, could he be anything else?
'If the Life of Brian was made today it would flop': BBC boss says Britain has become a nation of religious illiterates who wouldn't get the biblical jokes
By Steve Nolan
A BBC boss has claimed that modern audiences would be left baffled by the humour in Monty Python film The Life Of Brian - because they have such 'poor religious literacy'.
Head of religion and ethics at Broadcasting House Aaqil Ahmed, said that poor education has left two generations devoid of understanding when it comes to issues of religion.
Speaking as the BBC launched a mini-series on religious pilgrimages, Mr Ahmed said: 'We have poor religious literacy in this country and we have to do something about it.
'If you tried to make The Life Of Brian today it would fall flat on its face because the vast majority of the audience would not get most of the jokes.
'They don't have the knowledge.'
Mr Ahmed made particular reference to a joke from the 1979 film about the Sermon on the Mount where a woman asks 'What's so special about the cheesemakers?', misunderstanding Jesus's biblical words 'Blessed are the peacemakers'.
According to the Independent, Mr Ahmed claimed that comedians don't make more jokes about Islam because the religion is so poorly understand by large sections of the British public.
He added that while modern comedians tell jokes about religion, they don't tend to go into specifics and only make general references.
Mr Ahmed said that a basic grasp of religious issues is necessary for the public to understand wider contemporary issues.
He said that religious understanding would help us understand things from why women chose to wear face coverings to what is happening in Syria.
But he added that he is not trying to impose religious knowledge on BBC audiences.
BBC2 will air the three part series Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve in December.
It will examine the history of religious pilgrimages as well as meeting modern pilgrims.
- Aaqil Ahmed claimed the modern audiences wouldn't get the jokes in the 1979 film
- He said that poor education has left two generations devoid of religious understanding
By Steve Nolan
A BBC boss has claimed that modern audiences would be left baffled by the humour in Monty Python film The Life Of Brian - because they have such 'poor religious literacy'.
Head of religion and ethics at Broadcasting House Aaqil Ahmed, said that poor education has left two generations devoid of understanding when it comes to issues of religion.
Speaking as the BBC launched a mini-series on religious pilgrimages, Mr Ahmed said: 'We have poor religious literacy in this country and we have to do something about it.
'If you tried to make The Life Of Brian today it would fall flat on its face because the vast majority of the audience would not get most of the jokes.
'They don't have the knowledge.'
Mr Ahmed made particular reference to a joke from the 1979 film about the Sermon on the Mount where a woman asks 'What's so special about the cheesemakers?', misunderstanding Jesus's biblical words 'Blessed are the peacemakers'.
According to the Independent, Mr Ahmed claimed that comedians don't make more jokes about Islam because the religion is so poorly understand by large sections of the British public.
He added that while modern comedians tell jokes about religion, they don't tend to go into specifics and only make general references.
Mr Ahmed said that a basic grasp of religious issues is necessary for the public to understand wider contemporary issues.
He said that religious understanding would help us understand things from why women chose to wear face coverings to what is happening in Syria.
But he added that he is not trying to impose religious knowledge on BBC audiences.
BBC2 will air the three part series Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve in December.
It will examine the history of religious pilgrimages as well as meeting modern pilgrims.
'WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THE CHEESEMAKERS?' SOME OF THE MORE MEMORABLE JOKES FROM THE LIFE OF BRIAN
It's considered a comedy classic, but BBC head of religion and ethics Aaqil Ahmed says The Life Of Brian would be lost on modern audiences. Would you understand the religious references in some of these jokes...
Person: 'I think it was "Blessed are the cheesemakers".'
Mrs Gregory: 'What's so special about the cheesemakers?'
Man: 'Well, obviously it's not meant to be taken literally; it refers to any manufacturers of dairy products.'
Matthias: 'All I did was say to my wife, "That piece of halibut was good enough for Jehovah!"'
Mrs Gregory: 'Oh! It's blessed are the meek! I'm glad they're getting something, they had a hell of a time...'
Brian: 'I am NOT the Messiah!'
Arthur: 'I say you are Lord, and I should know. I've followed a few.'
Brian's mother: 'He's not the Messiah. He's a very naughty boy!'