Posted on 07/24/2007 12:36:15 PM PDT by Clive
VisionTV to strike standards task force
Will Also Air Apology; CEO Expresses Regrets In Wake Of Jihadist's Broadcast
TORONTO - VisionTV said yesterday a producer would apologize on the air "at the earliest opportunity" for broadcasting lectures by a Pakistani fundamentalist who preaches global jihad and the "extermination" of Jews.
In addition to banning further broadcasts of Lahore-based hardliner Israr Ahmad, the Canadian multi-faith channel announced it would set up a task force to review its standards and procedures in the wake of the controversy.
"We have taken clear steps to ensure that Mr. Ahmad will not appear on VisionTV again," president and CEO Bill Roberts said in a statement. "VisionTV profoundly regrets any offence that resulted from Mr. Ahmad's appearances on our network."
The announcement came after the National Post reported that VisionTV had broadcast two lectures by Mr. Ahmad, whose writings compare Jews to "parasites," describe the Holocaust as "divine punishment" and claim that Jews control the world through a secret banking conspiracy.
While VisionTV did not broadcast Mr. Ahmad's derogatory comments about Jews, or his theories of a worldwide Jewish conspiracy, Mr. Roberts said the decision about whether to allow him on Canadian airwaves should have perhaps taken those views into account.
"Clearly we live in a world where it would be insane to put [Holocaust denier] Ernst Zundel on the air to do the weather," Mr. Roberts said in an interview yesterday.
"And it's crazy to put an imam on the air to read the Koran or do something else that's benign when off-air he is a violent, racist, bad person. So, the whole broadcasting system is not there yet, but I think we need to begin to think about how do we wrestle with that."
In a July 14 broadcast on VisionTV, Mr. Ahmad said Muslims had to either fight jihad or finance it. Following complaints, VisionTV said it regretted airing the show, but then broadcast another of Mr. Ahmad's lectures on July 21. Both hour-long lectures were featured on a show called Dil Dil Pakistan.
The broadcasts resulted from lapses of internal procedures, Mr. Roberts explained in an interview. While the station's shows are pre-screened, he said the producer had been distracted by family matters.
"The story that I heard from this guy ? the producer, is that usually he would have done the character checks and screened the material, et cetera, but his daughter was getting married; he was very distracted," Mr. Roberts said.
As for Saturday's broadcast, Mr. Roberts said, "what I think has happened on the weekend was an embarrassing failure of process with regard to how we replace shows here at VisionTV. So the show was pulled and another show was put in its place, but it ended up being a show that also included him [Mr. Ahmad]."
A medical doctor by training, Mr. Ahmad is the leader of Tanzeem-e Islami, which wants to turn Pakistan into a fundamentalist Islamic state and a launching pad for the global domination of Islam.
His followers include Qayyum Abdul Jamal, who was arrested last summer for allegedly belonging to a Canadian terrorist group accused of plotting truck bombings in downtown Toronto.
Canadian Jewish organizations said they were pleased with yesterday's announcement.
Canadian Jewish Congress spokesman Len Rudner called it "extremely positive and extremely responsible.
"I think their decision to review their policies and practices regarding what is and is not acceptable to VisionTV is also a very positive development, especially in light of the fact that Vision probably has one of the best codes of any broadcaster."
B'nai Brith Canada also welcomed the move, but said it would proceed with a complaint to Canada's broadcast regulatory agency. VisionTV has asked both organizations to participate in the task force it is setting up.
The task force will include VisionTV board members, management staff and stakeholders in the faith community, Mr. Roberts said, adding the group would explore whether the channel's code of ethics needs to be updated.
VisionTV gives Islamic radical more air time
And I still say that a complaint to CRTC is insufficient.
The broadcasts amount to hate speech and incitement to murder. Broadcasting them is aiding and abetting the offences.
Wherever the broadcasta have been aired, A complaint ought to be made under the Criminal Code.
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A complaint under the Criminal Code. Right. That same criminal code that allowed the extreme sexual abuser out west to get such a small sentence and not to be declared a dangerous offender. How far do you think a complaint against anyone who abettted the Little Mosque on the Prairie crowd is going to get? I agree with you about this, but I don’t hold out any hope.
The REAL Islamic Rage Boy.
The most totally humorless people in the world.
“My child beheaded your honor student”
He probably means it, too.
“Wherever the broadcasta have been aired, A complaint ought to be made under the Criminal Code.”
Or at least brought before one or more of Canada’s human rights commissions, which are usually what deal with various “hate speech” charges.
Actually, personally I don’t have a problem with them broadcasting this guy’s hate-filled sermons. I don’t like hate-speech laws or infringements of the freedom of speech in general. I don’t think they help anything, and in many cases are actively harmful. Let all the nut-bags proclaim their idiocy out in the open, so that all can see it, and condemn it.
think, begin to think, wrestle with...
Don't go off the deep end committing yourself to a course of action, Mr. Roberts! Leave yourself some wiggle room!
/sarcasm
Where is the Human Rights Commission to protest THIS outrageous hate speech eh?
Oh wait, they’re too busy trying to shut down Free Dominion for an honest exchange of social and political opinions.
Are they really trying to shut down Free Dominion?
At least he admits it happened.
Instead the Crown attorney struck a plea bargain for a life sentence and took the "dangerous offender" declaration off the table. The fault lies with the Crown, not the Criminal Code.
There is no guarantee that this pedophile will make parole after six years. Indeed, with victims prepared to resist every time he comes up for parole and with his track record as a recidivist, it is unlikely that he will make parole at six years. The parole board may be sympathetic, (it is full of rehab oriented social workers) but the Crown, the police and the victims will not be.
I don't like the absence of a "dangerous offender" declaration any more than you do but my anger is directed to the Crown who chickened out and made a deal to avoid the need for a trial and the need for a dangerous offender hearing at which the children would have to testify and be cross-examined.
Tell me that your States Attorneys and District Attorneys do not make the same kind of plea bargains as did the Crown acting in this case.
See S. 318(Advocating or Promoting Genocide) and S. 319 (Publc Incitement of Hatred).
"Incitement of Hatred" requires that the incitement be likely to lead to a breach of the peace. "Advocating Genocide" has no such caveat. Both provisions require the consent of the Attorney General before charges can be laid.
Your anger with the Crown is perfectly justified. They are the ones at fault, and surely DA’s must have made deals in the same way here. But this is going to take some of the shine off canadian smugness, isn’t it. Isn’t it? Ok, I thought not. My mistake.
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