Ben Brown, BBC News 24 headlines at 9pm:
“Nine men are in custody in connection with an alleged plot to kidnap a British Muslim soldier and film his execution”
Note to all BBC journalists (and some at Sky News too):
‘Execution’ implies a legal or judicially sanctioned killing. You cannot be charged with conspiracy to ‘execute’ someone. These people are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to murder (along with conspiracy to kidnap and torture).
Update:I was pleased to see at the end of the BBC 10 O’Clock News and at the beginning of Newsnight that Fiona Bruce and Jeremy Paxman, respectively, used the word ‘murder’ in their headlines. It’s a shame about all the other journalists who’re too biased or, more likely, too ignorant to realise that ‘execution’ is not a synonym for ‘murder’.
I posted a longer list of books available at the Brummie bookshop at the end of the last open thread, so here’s just one.
The Religious and Moral Doctrine of Jihaad
Ibn Taymiyyah verdicts in regards to Jihad are often not available especially on whom Jihaad is to be carried out. The shaykhs verdicts are filled with a sea of knowledge that oulines fighting not only the enemy aggressor, but also apostates and even those who oppose clear cut rulings of Islaam, despite their claims to be Muslims
Would the BBC describe Jihad as ‘alledged struggle’?
Or would they be happy to describe it as ‘alleged fighting’?
As is usually the case with BBC “journalists”, we don’t know whether it’s their poor education that makes them unable to understand the difference between murder and execution or whether they simply view Islamic terrorists as legitimate “fighters” with a legitimate “struggle” and therefore have no problem using the word execution for the murder of a helpless captive in the name of Islam.
Bryan
whether they simply view Islamic terrorists as legitimate “fighters” with a legitimate “struggle”
Militants, if you don’t mind
Saddam Hussain was executed for crimes against humanity – Ken Bigley was murdered in cold blood. Its that simple.
As I’ve already pointed out elsewhere: “Executed • this suggests that the person who is dead has been killed as a punishment for doing something wrong. This is quite an emotive word as it implies the person deserved to die according to certain value systems.”
Funny how the Beeb’s value systems never tally with those of the United Kingdom’s majority population….by that definition they support the right of some extremist Islamic nutters to ‘execute’ citizens of the UK in the UK… I await the loud chorus of the Muslim faith’s so called leaders (all self elected so it seems) decrying yet another plot against ALL the citizens of this country, including many of their fellow Muslims.
dave_t said:”ALL the citizens of this country, including many of their fellow Muslims.”
Thats just it dave – if reports are to be believed this attack was going to be against a fellow muslim – so who are the BBC going to blame for this – the army?
Perhaps its down to Bush and Blairs “illegal” war – I think that will be the defence the BBC will plead.
Dictionary.com
1. the act or process of executing.
2. the state or fact of being executed.
3. the infliction of capital punishment or, formerly, of any legal punishment.
4. the process of performing a judgment or sentence of a court: The judge stayed execution of the sentence pending appeal.
5. a mode or style of performance; technical skill, as in music: The pianist’s execution of the sonata was consummate.
6. effective, usually destructive action, or the result attained by it (usually prec. by do): The grenades did rapid execution.
7. Law. a judicial writ directing the enforcement of a judgment.
8. Computers. the act of running, or the results of having run, a program or routine, or the performance of an instruction.
It’s not the possible incorrect use of the word ‘execution’ that worries me. The Koran does call for the execution of apostates. The soldier, by engaging in war against Islamists (or simply as a part of an organization so engaged) was therefore an apostate. Hence the execution was ‘legal’.
What really worries me is that the BBC implicitly accepts the Islamic interpretation given above.
deegee, you are turning somersaults to suggest that the BBC (and other journalists) are deliberately using the term ‘execute’ as part of some Koranic interpretation.
I disagree – journalists are lazy and politically correct – this is to do with lazy journalists looking to hype up their stories and make them sound fancier, and also to do with PC editorial policies and morally equivalent PC language – whilst the BBC may often pander to and be soft on minority interests I honestly don’t think there is a pro-Islamic conspiracy as such throughout journalism, although there are of course some individual journalists who may have such an agenda.
Using the word execution instead of murder is not restricted to the BBC. I remember some years ago a drug dealer was killed by a rival gang. His seven year old daughter happened to be there (unusually) and she was murdered as well. Almost the entire media referred to the murder of a young child as execution. It took a while and, possibly, quite a few complaints for the newspapers and electronic outlets to change their language. This does not excuse the BBC’s current “story” but does indicate that journos are unutterably lazy.
Lazy and incredibly ignorant. They apparently don’t know the difference between execution and execution-style murder.
Not so much bias on the BBC’s part in reporting Birmingham as the bafflement of nice middle class boys and girls at a situation their education and indoctrination with BBC “values” ill equips them to understand.So they run about looking for “community leaders etc”.”We are all really peaceful here” He is a good boy really ‘and so on.The reality of the situation if true is horrendous.They just sound afraid to me.Institutional fear and timidity.
How many debates have you known the BBC to close after only 179 comments and a couple of days open. It seems this one is a bit too true for them to stomach. Probably because the answer to their question is a resounding ‘YES’.
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/ …=20070201122150
Sorry this link:
http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=5395&&edition=1&ttl=20070201124619
What’s wrong with the word “executed”? It’s not as if the word never gets used outside of legally sanctioned state killing. Ever heard of gangland executions? Execution-style murders?
If anything this word is a lot more chilling than ‘murder’ when applied to criminal gangs and militia groups, as it implies a very cold, dispassionate killing. People get murdered by their loved ones in a fit of anger. Executions only take place by cold, unfeeling killers who care only about extinguishing a human life quickly, efficiently or with a maximum of publicity.
Mick.
Thanks for that link Ive used it elsewhere