Parlamentario británico condena sermones antisemitas en Al Jazeera TV

MPs Condemn Hate Sermons on Arabic TV Station Al-Jazeera

Richard Kerbaj /De: www.timesonline.co.uk/ 7 de febrero de 2009

The television network al-Jazeera has been criticised by MPs for broadcasting the sermons of a Muslim cleric in which he celebrates the Holocaust and prays for the killing of all Jews.
John Whittingdale, chairman of the House of Commons Media Select Committee, urged al-Jazeera yesterday to apologise for broadcasting the messages of Yusuf al-Qaradawi and to ban the cleric, one of the network’s top hosts, from appearing on screen.

“I would hope that anybody who watches it or is aware of it may change their attitude towards al-Jazeera,” he told The Times. “I would’ve thought it is very damaging. Al-Jazeera should apologise.”

But the network, which is gaining popularity in Britain through its English channel, refused to apologise for Sheikh al-Qaradawi’s statements, which were broadcast on al-Jazeera’s Arabic station, saying that it could not control the words and opinions expressed during “live” broadcasts.

Andrew Dismore, the Labour MP for Hendon, condemned al-Jazeera for associating itself with Sheikh al-Qaradawi — who hosts one of its most popular segments, Shariah and Life — saying the network should not use live coverage as a means of justifying the broadcast of the sheik’s comments.

“If they put on somebody who has known racist views they should not be surprised what comes out at the other end,” he said.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said: “These sermons represent hatred in its purest form and epitomise the worst of Islamist anti-Semitism.” The complaints relate to a sermon and a lecture by Sheikh al-Qaradawi in which he described the Holocaust as a “divine punishment” and prayed to Allah to kill Jews “down to the very last one”.

“The last punishment was carried out by Hitler,” Sheikh al-Qaradawi, 82, said. “This was divine punishment for them. Allah willing, the next time will be at the hand of the believers.” The comments were broadcast during January and, The Times can reveal, represent a breach of the network’s own code of ethics.

Mr Whittingdale said that al-Jazeera, whose Arabic channel is watched by more than 50 million households in 100 countries, could be accused of delivering one message to its Arab audience and another to its English.

Sheikh al-Qaradawi has previously justified suicide bombing targeting Israeli women and children, and supported the stoning of homosexuals. He was refused a visa to enter Britain last year but was invited to City Hall in London in 2004 by Ken Livingstone.

Al-Jazeera’s code of ethics says that the network gives “full consideration to the feelings of victims of crime, war, persecution and disaster” and would “acknowledge a mistake when it occurs, promptly correct it and ensure it does not recur”.