Obama’s Director of National Intelligence James Clapper today told the House Intelligence Committee that the Muslim Brotherhood is “largely secular“. I don’t think even the Brotherhood’s cheerleaders at the BBC have gone so far as to say anything that stupid. It’s causing waves in the American media and blogosphere, and yet the BBC’s account of proceedings fails to mention it.
UPDATE FEB 11. The administration has “clarified” Clapper’s remarks. Nothing from the BBC.
49 Responses to MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD "LARGELY SECULAR"
To be fair DB, I don’t much mind it so much when politicians blatantly talk shite, one either suspects there’s a reason for it or they want to draw a veil over something. I expect certain officers and politicians to do their job first and tell the truth second. However, when the BBC do it, it’s more offensive – in fact, it’s either sloppy, inept, bought off or ridiculous.
John Simpson’s been good throughout this whole thing. Not heard him that much but he seems to be doing his own graft rather than just parroting chinese whispers. Lize Ducet has been truly woeful and Jeremy Al- Bowen’s become a parody of himself. Hey ho.
When the DNI says something that idiotic it’s newsworthy, and yet the BBC didn’t include it in its report. If you follow the link to Hot Air you’ll see that he has a bit of previous when it comes to being not quite on the ball. These are things which would’ve been reported with added smirk by the BBC if they’d occured during the Bush era.
The Bush era isn’t over. At least not for Beeboids. Why, Scott Mills (I think that’s the wretched fag’s name) was getting some capital out of Dubya just today.
Ah, I see. Fair point.
“The BNP is non nationalist” has the same ring to it but would anyone be so effing stupid as to even think such crap.
This isn’t news to the BBC. Frank Gardener and Jeremy Bowen have both stated uncategorically that the MB is no problem. Gardner said on air that they’re moderate, and Bowen posted an article saying the same thing until he was forced to stealth edit the word out. Unfortunately, by tomorrow this will be used to celebrate how right they were. The MB will be portrayed as fluffy bunnies while the Tea Party movement will still be extremists.
Installing Shariah law nation-wide and destroying Israel is considered a moderate position at the BBC. No two ways about it. And apparently at the White House as well. This is the kind of world view the BBC was hoping for in The Obamessianic Age.
Melanie Phillips has flagged this on her blog. Horrendous.
Ignore the word Muslim. That’s about at as relevant as the word Christian in the Christian Science Monitor. Yeah, the Muslim Brotherhood is pretty secular alright. I’m just a simple-minded BBC employee, but what I do know is that the Muslim Brotherhood’s slogan isn’t ‘Islam is the Solution’, and that the MB’s core belief most certainly isn’t that the Koran and Sunnah constitute the perfect model for life. Them be lies.
One of the weirdest things on the News Channel on Monday was an interview between Jane Hill and Kemal Helbawy of the Muslim Brotherhood. (John referred to this the other day on the previous Open Thread). Jane smiled at him and the interview was good natured, with the questions only touching on descriptions of the recent protests and the lack of unity within the Egyptian oppostion.
What worried me though was that Helbawy, who is all over the BBC at the moment, came across (in part, but only in part, thanks to this gentle interviewing) as a kindly old uncle. He’s soft-spoken and has a very unthreatening face. I found myself wanting to like him, but knowing better – because I read this site and other blogs – I resisted this feeling. The fear is that most BBC-inculcated people will not be in a position to resist this charm offensive. What does everyone else make of him?
Douglas Murray linked to a Memri article where Uncle Kemal said that 2-year old Israeli children were fair targets for attack. So kindly-looking, all-over-the-BBC Mr Helbawy thinks that murdering Israeli babies is OK. This man seems likable and that makes him very, very dangerous. Douglas Murray put this charge to him on Newsnight & he denied it. It says something that it had to be Mr Murray rather than presenter Gavin Esler who challenged Helbawy about that.
Why didn’t Jane Hill ask him about that? Why didn’t she ask him what the attitude of the Muslim Brotherhood is towards homosexuality? What does he think should happen to lesbians? If he lies and plays the liberal Muslim for Western eyes, would he like to repeat what he says in Arabic?
Sue has kindly provided me with some more background on this disturbing man.
Come off it , Craig. He is a “kindly old Uncle “. Just like Uncle Joe !
Craig, you’ll find in the comments in this post (comment #2) that, ahem, ‘Dame Nikki’ did ask him this question.
The deliberately ignorant Islam Not BBC (INBBC) does not understand the organisation, methods and aims of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB). Instead INBBC fosters the ‘left’-MB alliance globally, and speeds up the weakening of Western civilisation, through tacit support for sharia law and Islam.
No, George, I think they do understand. They just don’t see a problem with it.
– and it’s so convenient, and near to journalists’ hotels.
-whether to join ‘left-Muslim Brotherhood demo in Cairo, or in the one in London. Slogan censored for the day: we want Sharia law? Don’t forget to pile on the anti-Israel stuff though. How about: down with Israel democracy?
Fox News’ Glenn Beck employs critical thinking to excellent effect. His show of Feb 10 is both educational and empassioned about Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the future of Western civilisation.
In contradistinction to INBBC, Glenn Beck even has a friendly interview with an ex-Israel ambassador.
Beck is scathing on the ignorance of Mr Clapper.
Beck is impassioned, and exposes the political left-MB alliance of which INBBC is, in effect, a part.
The BBC’s twisted view of the MB is boringly predictable, but disgraceful none the less.
What is more worrying is that someone described as “Director of National Intelligence ” is either so stupid or incompetent or both that he doesn’t understand the true nature of the MB, or he does and is lying about it.
What on earth does “largely secular” mean in any case ?
Sounds like the Obama administration is trying to soften up public opinion to accept an MB dictatorship in Egypt and their help in bringing it about. Obama is acting in accordance with the anti-Semitic crypto communist that many of us believe him to be.
Obama’s whole background is Marxist. But it is beginning to look as if little Barry boy has misjudged Mubarak and the Egyptian military !
PS If, as I have just done, Clapper had taken a quick dip into google, he would have found that ,according to the MB, Islam is the sole reference point for the State.
Therefore, the MB is not “largely secular”, it is anti-secular.
Exactly – in Islam, the State and Islam are one and the same. There is no separation of powers in Islam. To Islamists, Islam is the State.
Maybe Mr. Clapper has deemed MB thus in the same ironic manner that the recently invoked Douglas Adams had Ford Prefect refer to the nest of vipers/bag of cats that is Earth as ‘Mostly harmless’.
Go off message and fail to blame plucky little Israel for everything and you spoil your chances.
Also, after watching the excellent Glenn Beck (Fox News) show referring to Clapper (a clapper for the MB) yesterday, Obama’s people have had to correct Clapper’s basic mistake – for which Clapper should be fired.
INBBC does not refer to Clapper’s basic and dangerous error on the nature of the Muslim Brotherhood lest we see that INBBC makes the same error as Clapper.
That is a brilliant analysis by Beck.
And memo to INBBC: don’t be politically softer on Ahmadinejad regime so as to try to get BBC Persian Service operative.
Maybe the Pope isn’t a Catholic after all?
Today‘s “Listen Again” web page notes that at 08:10 “Jeremy Bowen gives a narrative of the events so far”. I heard that narrative and I also saw our Jeremy on the news on BBC1 last night. I suddenly realised that, literally, he knows no more about what’s going on there than I do. No wonder he’s reduced to giving a “narrative”.
I or any commenter on this site or indeed anyone who has access to reports from the area could do what Bowen does. Bowen has no insights. His reportage and analysis are dull and predictable. They are apparently informed by nothing but his prejudices slapped on top of gossip gleaned from the occasional walk round Tahrir Square or the odd peek over his hotel balcony. He then appears on camera and gives an uninformative, pedestrian spiel before retiring to a good dinner somewhere in Cairo.
Consequently, as a reporter Bowen is useless and as an “analyst” he is dire and, almost invariably, misleading or just plain wrong. OK, the BBC is hopelessly biased (and has been for a generation or more) but at least it used to be able to inform its listeners not only about what was happening (as eyewitnesses of the events) but also (because of its correspondents’ contacts at all levels) give them an idea of what was happening behind the scenes. Bowen can’t even do that. If the BBC is happy – as it seems to be – for a visceral anti-Israeli and apologist for Moslem extremism to “edit” its Middle East coverage why doesn’t it get Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles or any random official from the Moslem Council of Britain. They’d be cheaper than Bowen and they’d probably have more and better contacts in Egypt. Consequently, they’d have more insight into what’s really going on in Cairo (and they might even share their insights with the rest of us).
Umbongo, nail on the head.
I’ve just realised where Jeremy Bowen’s talents would be more suited. As a radio 2 DJ. Ideal.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. His vocabulary and diction are made for such a position, as is his pedestrian turn of phrase.
Remember Jeremy’s erudite words of wisdom about Mubarek I mentioned the other day.
“Which part of ‘Geddout’ doesn’t he understand?” he drawled.
“Would that be the geddout part, Jeremy?” I thought, sagely.
“Evenin pop-pickers” he’d say, his round head encircled by a massive pair of headphones, nodding to the rhythm. What discs would he select for his show? Some mawkish Country and Western I think, for a start.
Excellent observation Umbongo. Although I’ve often watched BBC to try and distill where bias is its reporting, I’ve simply abandoned the BBC when it comes to the Egypt story. Given the number of BBC reporters what passes for reporting and analysis has been truly shocking. It has all the depth of a car park puddle.
As you point out, Bowen’s contribution has been shockingly poor and it seems his list of contacts in the region seems to comprise of no more than the back of a fag packet.
I’m sure Bowen has excellent MB contacts but he wants to play down the fact they are waiting in the wings so he’s not bringing them to the fore.
Just wait till if and when MB takeover Egypt. Privileged access guaranteed!
I hope Bowen and his crew get full body searches and all their equipment taken apart when they return to Israel. The chances of them smuggling in material for terrorist use are very high.
A question the BBC never explores, which would occur to anyone with an average amount of natural curiosity, is why did Mubarak’s regime ban and imprison these kindly gentlefolk? Was the offence they committed merely the threat of opposition? Or something a bit more sinister?
Not to worry, though, the BBC ‘s only concern is that they were Mubarak’s enemy, and Mubarak’s enemy must be given the benefit of the doubt. Did I say ‘of the doubt?’ What doubt?
Harry’s Place has an antidote to the BBC’ ridiculous portrayal of the M.B. It’s by Adam Barnett, and deals specifically with an article in the Guardian, but – heyho – same difference.
The Guardian article in question is entitled ‘The Muslim Brotherhood Uncovered.” Sounds as though it could have been written by an adult version of Jeremy Bowen.
Read it all here. More here.
The only thing the BBC experts see is that Mubarak saw the MB as a threat to his power. End of story, any details of the group itself are irrelevant. They don’t even bother to mention that Hamas is the MB’s little brother, as that would harm the Narrative.
Mubarak has gone! BBC ecstatic! What now?
So we’re clearly not the only ones who think the BBC has not been impartial throughout this revolution.
Mubarak has probably “gone” as President in the same way as Putin.
Heartfelt congratulations to the people of Egypt for making a first peaceful step towards adult civilization. Let’s hope they take the next step wisely, and focus on their own domestic problems first and foremost. That would be the biggest contribution towards peace and stability in the region they could make.
And if they do straighten the country up, and other countries follow their example, there will be less incentive for them to move to Britain.
I share the concerns over what happens next, but tonight I have great admiration for what the Egyptian people have achieved. I’ve just heard a very happy Sandmonkey interviewed on the BBC, and that in turn makes me happy. If you check out his blog and scroll down on the left you’ll see a “Buy Danish” logo – that’s because he sided with the Danish Mohammed cartoonists and the cause of free speech. In fact he even pointed out that Egyptian newspapers had re-printed the very same cartoons in Oct 2005, months before the Muslim world erupted in orchestrated murderous outrage.
So to Sandmonkey – and those like him hoping for a free future – I say well done guys, and my fingers are crossed for you.
PS I don’t recall the BBC asking Sandmonkey for his views on the Danish cartoons five years ago.
Having lived in Iraq for three years, I would hope for the best and prepare for the worst.
BBC is just “student politics “with a six-figure salary attached. The only thing the BBC-hive understand is what they are against (Thatch’, Bush, Palin, Berlusconui, Pinochet, any of the comic-strip carricatures that inhabit Guardianland).
Gerald Warner in the Scotsman on Obma and the MB.
‘WHAT is clear and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now.” In case you were perplexed about how to resolve the crisis in Egypt, Barack Obama spelled out the solution last week. That is the great benefit of having The One to guide the world at times of tension.
fect that kind of transition? Oh, that’s easy, it has to be Mohamed ElBaradei; he ran the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – must be a safe pair of hands. And he is a Nobel laureate. Well, so is the buffoon in the Oval Office, having been awarded his prize by the celebrity-stalking Nobel committee at the start of his administration, on the reasoned assumption it would be much more difficult to cobble together a plausible citation at the end of it.