BBC Drama Depicts Christian Extremists Beheading A Muslim

A BBC drama has triggered a barrage of complaints after it showed “gruesome images of a Muslim being beheaded,” reports The Daily Mail, UK (July 13, 2008):

Bonekickers, about a group of archeological sleuths, depicted an extremist Christian decapitating a man with a sword .... Some viewers were taken aback when former EastEnders actor Paul Nicholls was seen in the drama hacking off a moderate Muslim's head in an unprovoked attack. He plays a member of the fictional White Wings Alliance, a group of far-Right evangelical Christians inspired by the Crusades.

According to the BBC Press Office, Bonekickers is a 6-part series about a team of archaeologists that, each week, “uncovers a compelling mystery from the past that tells viewers something profound and revelatory about the present”:

From the excavation of murdered 18th-century slaves to the possible discovery of the True Cross, each episode is a window on a period of history but, more importantly, a reflection on how we live now.

On July 10^th, the BBC responded to those who complained about the beheading scene:

We regret that some viewers felt the beheading scene was inappropriate .... This storyline looked at religious fundamentalism within a fictional Christian group, and one character in particular who took his beliefs to an extreme. His ignorance and misguided behaviour lead to the beheading of a peaceful Asian Muslim character in the drama .... The drama seeks to highlight the consequences of a misguided fundamentalist taking his beliefs to violent extremes. The inclusion of the scene had been carefully considered and was very much central to the story line and reflected the character's extreme fundamental beliefs and state of mind.

Comment: It’s déjà vu all over again, isn’t it? Just this past March, the NBC drama, Law & Order, featured an episode in which Christian fundamentalists stone a Christian woman to death for having a Muslim boyfriend. Now the BBC presents us with the spectacle of a Christian “fundamentalist” beheading a Muslim with a sword. NBC claims that its program is “ripped from the headlines”, while the BBC claims that its show is “a reflection on how we live now.” I have yet to see “headlines” from the world in which I live now announcing the stoning of Muslims by Christians, or the beheading of Muslims by Christians. But there are an obscene amount of headlines to the contrary. In what manner of topsy-turvy alternate universe do the moral midgets at NBC and the BBC exist?

The anti-Christian bias of the BBC is not news. On October 26, 2006, the Daily Mail ran an article by Simon Walters titled, “We are Biased, Admit the Stars of BBC News.” Mr. Walters reported on an “impartiality summit” called by BBC chairman Michael Grade:

At the secret meeting in London last month, which was hosted by veteran broadcaster Sue Lawley, BBC executives admitted the corporation is dominated by homosexuals and people from ethnic minorities, deliberately promotes multiculturalism, is anti-American, anti-countryside and more sensitive to the feelings of Muslims than Christians.

During the gathering, a hypothetical situation was presented to BBC executives. Suppose vulgar comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (the star of Ali G and Borat) appeared on an episode of the show, Room 101, where celebrities are invited to toss their pet peeves into a trashcan. Cohen chooses some kosher food, the Archbishop of Canterbury, a Bible and the Koran. What was the reaction of the BBC execs? “Nearly everyone at the summit, including the show's actual producer and the BBC's head of drama, Alan Yentob, agreed they could all be thrown into the bin, except the Koran for fear of offending Muslims.”

On April 19, 2008, The Guardian, UK reported that, “The BBC has dropped plans to screen a fictional terrorist attack by Muslim extremists in the new series of the hospital drama Casualty.” Nicole Martin, author of the report, relates how senior BBC executives “had discussed the plotline in a development meeting but were overruled by the corporation's editorial guidelines department amid fears it would cause offense.” The offending episode was rewritten to focus on “the bloody aftermath of an explosion caused by animal rights extremists.”

The BBC’s guideline staff, who oversee the corporation's editorial and ethical standards, were “worried that the episode would perpetuate the stereotype of young British Muslims.” But crazed, sword-wielding Christians hacking off a Muslim’s head? Now, that’s relevant and insightful drama.

The results of a survey of 12 British universities (including Imperial College and Kings College, London) were published on July 27, 2008 by The Telegraph, UK. They showed that “extreme Islamist ideology has a profound influence on a significant minority of Muslims on campuses across the country”:

- 40% support the introduction of sharia into British law for Muslims

- A third back the notion of a worldwide Islamic caliphate (state) based on sharia law.

- Although 53% said that killing in the name of religion was never justified, compared with 94% of non-Muslims, 32% said that it was.

- Islamic societies on campus, operating under the umbrella of the Federation of Student Islamic Societies, exert a strong influence on many of Britain's 90,000 Muslim students. A quarter of them belong to Islamic societies and their views are often more extreme.

In the Bonekickers episode in question, the murderous fictional “far-Right evangelical” group is supposedly “inspired by the Crusades.” Of course, “Crusades” is modern code for “brutal,” at least for those who glean their knowledge of the past from Bill Maher or The History Channel. Inspired by the Crusades? The day is not far off when Britain, and other European nations, will be begging for “Crusaders” willing to fight for their identity and freedom.

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