I am sure everyone at Biased BBC would like to say that they’ll make an effort to buy Danish in the light of the Islamic boycott of Denmark (and Norway, apparently). I plan to scout around for some Danish bacon… mmmm.
The BBC’s responsibility to report this news should extend to critically examining whether cartoons should merit an apology, just for depicting a religious icon in an unflattering light. But, even more, they should analyse the phenomenon of hatred based on such a flimsy pretext- for pretext is what it surely is. That’s why I was interested in DFH’s convincing observation about a BBC report using footage which included a fake cartoon of Muhammed as a pig. You’d have thought the BBC might have noticed (because aware of the backstory DFH outlines), and pointed out the fact that many out there are just propagandising. Would it be too much to point out in some way that the raid on the EU building was just a particularly egregious bit of propagandising by a group linked to Fatah, the losers in the Palestinian elections? BBC text report here.
UPDATE 17.45GMT Jan 31st: just a cut n’ paste from DFH this time (same post as linked above, worth revisiting). The BBC are wrong about the cartoons, and thus helping to spread propaganda. By any standards that’s terrible journalism, and a disservice to Europe. There is no Mohammed-as-a-pig cartoon amongst the ones involved in the controversy. Apology time, Beeb? These things can cause riots y’know.
Update 2 pm January 31.Rob Broomby on BBC Radio 4’s PM last night (and well spotted Eammon):
‘The blue touch paper had been lit by a series of cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September. One portrayed the Prophet Mohammed with a turban shaped like a time bomb. Another showed him with a face of a pig.’
Wrong Rob. Very wrong. Now let’s have a report which answers these questions:
1.Why are Muslims spreading fake Danish cartoons?
2. Why did the BBC fall for the propaganda?
If you stopped the average man in the street and asked what products Denmark are well known for, common answers would include lager, bacon and possibly pornography. Wow! This Muslim boycott is going to have a HUGE impact on the Danish economy….
Good for France Soir, though ‘France’ hasn’t strictly entered the row yet. It remains to be seen if the Islamic world drags the French government into this mind-bendingly silly spat.
That is defiance for you. Don’t just caricature Muslims – caricature all the major religions and shout about it.
They have style.
Ah, but… the facts…
Danish export trade (source: UN International Trade Statistical Yearbook): largest single element (2003) was machinery & transport equipment (around a quarter of the total), followed by food & live animals (although meat products are only a very small proportion of this, and drinks of any description such a tiny proportion as to be negligiable). Miscellaneous manufactured items, and chemical products (I don’t think “Skol” falls into this category, but to judge by its taste the last time I had some, it might) also are significant. (If there IS a SITC code for pornography, I have no idea what it is, and the trade stats book doesn’t list it!)
No Muslim country is a major recipient (over 1% of the total) of Danish exports (this was the case, at least in2001, 2002, 2003, the figs I have immediately to hand.) Its principal export destinations in 2003 were Germany, Sweden, the UK, then the USA and France.
My point being that any boycott is likely to be, in purely economic terms, a nuisance, and not much more, to Denmark. Only if major construction/engineering/machinery products were to be cancelled would there be a significant impact on the Danish economy. Obviously this is not the whole story (and I know we already have the case of that retail co in Saudi forced to cease operations) by any means.
I am unsure France Soir‘s circulation figures are high enough for the newspaper’s publication of the cartoons to be considered of any importance on a national scale. As of 2004, France Soir‘s circulation was of only 62,097 copies per day, and newspapers in France are, as in the United Kingdom, affected by declining readership, so that figure is surely lower now.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4669210.stm
Denmark’s reputation as an easy-going, consensual nation has been severely tarnished in recent days. All the Danes can do now is hope the repeated apologies for the offence caused, by both the government and the newspaper, will end this unseemly row.
How on earth has Denmark’s reputation as “an easy-going, consensual nation” been “severely tarnished”?
I’d say this has confirmed the reputation of Islamic countries for “hysterical overreaction and psychotic death threats”. Or shown that Muslims are “incapable of living peacefully in an advanced democratic country, without wanting the entire nation altered to suit themselves”.
What are all you chaps and chapesses waiting for? Don’t ignore this like the PC crowd does as al-beeb.
http://www.spainherald.com/2414.html
They are refusing to face the fact that Hamas is not simply a “terrorist”(excuse me PC’ers,)insurgent organisation, but actually, and make no mistake about it, a RELIGIOUS ARMY.
)insurgent organisation, but actually, and make no mistake about it, a RELIGIOUS ARMY.
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
2. At the sign of triumph Satan’s host doth flee;
on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.
(Refrain)
3. Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we,
one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.
(Refrain)
4. Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
but the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
we have Christ’s own promise, and that cannot fail.
(Refrain)
5. Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King,
this through countless ages men and angels sing.
(Refrain)
New BBC Theme to replace UK Theme at 5.30am
No Muslim country is a major recipient (over 1% of the total) of Danish exports (this was the case, at least in2001, 2002, 2003, the figs I have immediately to hand.)
I think you will find that Arla Diary Group does not so much export as OWN assets
02/09/2005 – Arla’s switch of production from the EU to Saudi Arabia will save the firm money and help it to benefit from the Middle East’s significant potential for high value diary products.
Arla,, who’s Lurpak brand already leads the Middle East’s butter market, announced earlier this year that it would move production of processed cheese at its Bislev Dairy in Denmark to Saudi Arabia.
The grand plan is to double current sales of 60,000 tonnes per year by 2010. This will be done via a multi-million Danish Kroner investment in the Middle East region, including factory extensions and a pilot plant to test new products and packaging.
Louis Honoré, Arla spokesperson, said the group wanted to expand its reach in Lebanon, Oman and Kuwait, where it already has a strong foothold. Qatar and United Arab Emirates are also on the list, while Saudi itself is already the firm’s biggest market.
And with many European dairy firms facing tough margin pressure, Arla’s move and experience so far suggests the Middle East could provide a good avenue for dairy firms to increase earnings.
“Middle Eastern consumers are increasingly demanding fresh, locally produced products,” said Finn Hansen, executive director of Arla’s overseas division. “The intention is for new products produced in the Middle East to account for 20 per cent of our turnover there.”
And Honoré said the firm could take also a cultural advantage by producing more locally. “We’ve been here so many years now we believe the authorities consider us a local dairy,” he said, adding that this could give Arla an advantage over other international brands.
Arla expects to make much-needed cost-savings out of its switch in production from Denmark to Saudi Arabia. An cost-benefit analysis revealed “substantial advantages”, it said.
But, Honoré denied the move was directly connected to the European Union’s decision to cut export subsidies on a range of dairy ingredients.
“We would have done this anyway. The Middle East is a big market for us and we foresee that our brands are well able to sell more there. Of course, the cutting of the export subsidies just shows that this is the right move.”
Arla warned a few weeks ago that the EU’s export subsidy cuts would harm earnings from butter exports this year.
The group, like many other European dairy processors, is grappling with intense cost pressures. The whole dairy sector has seen a rapid shift towards value-added products, such as branded milk, in an attempt to push up earnings.
Consolidation has also picked up with deals, such as the UK’s Milk Link buying Glanbia Foods and Dutch dairy Campina merging its European consumer products divisions.
Arla wants to increase its annual Middle East turnover from DKK2.9bn (€388.9m) to DKK4.1bn (€549.9m) over next five years, a move which will require the doubling of its workforce in the region.
http://www.arlafoods.com/appl/HJ/HJ202COM/HJ202D01.NSF/O/22BA7001A280EEF5C1257068003E5FB9
Arla Foods is setting up a new Middle East subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates in conjunction with one of its long-standing, local partners, National Food Product Company. National Food has, for many years, handled imports and distribution of Arla Foods’ products in the Emirates, Arla Foods’ most important market in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia, where the group sells dairy products worth DKK 1 billion per year.
“After many years in Saudi Arabia we have now achieved a position where we’re ready to expand elsewhere in the region,” explains Executive Director, Finn Hansen,
Rick – a-ha, thanks for that. Most interesting. Looks like Saudi is shooting itself in the foot, really. And surely not for the last time.
(it turns out, btw, that “France Soir” was recently acquired by a businessman of dual French-Egyptian citizenship, who is a Coptic Christian – who, needless to say, knows how minority groups such as his own are treated in the Egyptian Arab Republic)
From grimer’s link and quote
“Denmark’s reputation as an easy-going, consensual nation has been severely tarnished in recent days.”
well here’s my version
“Denmark’s steadfastness in recent days has demonstrated that, despite it’s easy-going, concensual nature, even the most accommodating can be intimated, pushed and bullied too much and too far.”
i personally think it is just as reasonable a concluding paragraph as the one in the bbc article.
no sign of cartoon rage dying out – its spread to malaysia now
http://www.forbes.com/home/feeds/afx/2006/02/01/afx2490632.html
and al jaazeera have reported on the french and german republication of the cartoons:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/90F10D46-A67C-47C6-B340-
bbc “have your say” on the cartoons
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=2&threadID=904&edition=2&ttl=20060201161642&#paginator
oh dear- its “fully moderated”…
Where was the outrage from Muslim nations when this little beauty was published?
http://www.jihadwatch.org/dhimmiwatch/archives/007489.php
grimer – that sort of thing is published every day in middle eastern newspapers. the very same newspapers that were screaming for the Danish boycott.
MPAC UK is calling for a boycott of everything Danish:
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/1336/33/
see the double standards at work here? blame an ENTIRE people for one newspaper – but yet we’re not supposed to blame every Muslim for the latest terrorist bombing?
Hypocrites of the highest order.
Archduke: And they’re muslims who live in the UK. How about a boycott of all muslim products (not sure what kind of products are actually out there but still) now?
well, besides oil – “made in pakistan” t-shirts? there’s not much else i can think of.
I may be a liberal moonbat, but may I just say I could not agree more with archduke’s comment about double standards. It is always ridiculous to define people in such broad catagories; “the English are like this”; “the French are like this”; “Christians are like this”; “Muslims are like this.” It’s nonsense – we are all sentient beings, and should be defined on such terms – by what we do, not by what others superficially like us do.
these are some of the cartoons that appear in Arab media:
http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/ArabCartoons.htm
Thom Boston: How come that more muslims self-explode than anyone else? I can see a common denominator there, can’t you?
Would you invite a bearded guy with a coffee filter on his head and a rucksack on his back into your home? If so – you’re a brave man.
i’d give him a cup of tea, and try to introduce him to humanist and buddhist writings.
but he might have exploded by then, so, maybe not.
Susan was right… it’s not the British Broadcasting Corporation but the Islamic Broadcasting Corporation.
I think we should send loads of emails to Fox News in order to explain the situation. Fox News doesn’t like the IBC and they’d jump at the chance to feature their censorship, I’d like to think.
I cannot believe people have missed the obvious double standard here ~ when reporting on this, the Beeb censors out, and doesn’t show the ‘offensive’ cartoons, which are popular art.
During the ‘Jerry Springer’ play outrage, they not only broadcasted a play, or piece of popular art, regarded as offensive to Christians, but funded it as well.
During the ‘Springer’ story, much was made of the ‘threatening’ emails sent to the shows producers, and other BBC lovies. NO COVERAGE WHATSOEVER has been given to the Danes ACTUALLY assaulted in the Middle East.
100%, irrefutable BIAS. Time for the BBC to close.
“I think we should send loads of emails to Fox News in order to explain the situation. Fox News doesn’t like the IBC and they’d jump at the chance to feature their censorship”
sorry disillusioned_german, but a major shareholder in Fox news is a Saudi prince
have a read of this – its about how a Saudi prince made one phonecall, and fox news changed its headlines:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/france/story/0,11882,1665621,00.html
these are some of the cartoons that appear in Arab media:
http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/ Ara…rabCartoons.htm
archduke | Homepage | 01.02.06 – 10:07 pm | #
I demand an apology from the entire Muslim world. No muslims had better come to London until I receive an apology. I will also be boycotting all Muslim products until I receive the apology. Death to Muslims.
Oh, hang on…. they’re just cartoons.
sorry if this was pointed out before, but here’s a UK muslim site calling for a “boycott jihad” (ha!ha!)
read it – see how worked up they get over , err, some cartoons…
http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/1336/33/
the term “lost their marbles” comes to mind.
Archduke: I’m aware of that saudi prince but the question is “how much clout does he actually hold?” I’ll keep a close eye on what Fox News will report within the next few says.
@disillusioned_german
How about a boycott of all muslim products (not sure what kind of products are actually out there but still) now?
Er…oil?