It’s come as a shock to the BBC that things are not working out the way they assumed they would in Egypt. The Arab Spring looks more and more like the Islamic uprising some of us pointed out at the time. Obviously Christianity cannot co-exist with the rampant intolerance of Islam and Egypt’s Coptic Christians know all about this, having been at the receiving end of things. So, they take to the streets to protest and that raises issues for the BBC. You see some street protest is good, but not all. This morning, I heard the BBC refer to the conflict as being between Coptic Christians and “Conservative Islamists”! Then, when it came to the street fighting in “Freedom Square” we were informed that “Conservative elements” in the Army were responsible. So, in a neat euphemistic move, Radical Islam and at a totalitarian military are erased from the crime scene whilst Conservative is moved up to the frontline. Jeremy Al Bowen was on hand to provide his famous impartial reporting on the issue so we can rest assured that the picture painted by the BBC is everything we might expect.
Conservatives everywhere!
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“Running for their Lives”
(by Raymond Ibrahim)
http://www.raymondibrahim.com/10429/running-for-their-lives
This calculated use of “Conservative” to describe people who are anything but conservative in the true sense, is the same trick they used when describing the hard-left Soviet communists who wanted to go back to pre-Glasnost days as “Right-Wing”.
The BBC were so consistent in this that I even remember a Conservative MP describing them the same way. It’s George Orwell’s “Newspeak” where words as used by those of a totalitarian disposition (e.g. Beboids) mean their own opposite.
Demon
Yes, I quite agree. That’s why I very deliberately use Orwell’s image to introduce the Open Thread.
Yolanda is disingenuous as ever in her reporting….hastening as ever to emphasise that Muslims ‘protected’ Christians etc. etc.
Christians ‘complain’.
Some background (you won’t get from Yolanda).
AINA) — The Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations (EUHRO) published a report today on emigration of Christians from Egypt, saying that nearly 100,000 Christians have emigrated since March 2011. The report, which was sent to the Egyptian cabinet and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), warned that this emigration has been prompted by the escalating intimidation and attacks on Christians by Islamists.
“Copts are not emigrating abroad voluntarily,” said Naguib Gabriell, the director EUHRO, “they are coerced into that by threats and intimidation by hard line Salafists, and the lack of protection they are getting from the Egyptian regime.”
According to the report, the majority of Copts have emigrated for the US, with some 16,000 settling in California, 10,000 in New Jersey, 8000 in New York, and 8000 in other American states. Nearly 14,000 have gone to Australia, 17,000 to Canada, and 20,000 to the Netherlands, Italy, England, Austria, Germany and France.
EUHRO warned that emigration of Christians out of Egypt will threaten its demographic makeup and national economy. “Copts constitute a strong pillar in the economy.” said Gabriel, “Copts who are leaving their homeland are not prompted by their need for work, as they are from the professional and business class, but from fear of the hard line Salafists.”
Attacks on Copts and their religious institutions have spread fear, according to Gabriel. Recent attacks included the killing of Coptic youths in Moqattam (AINA 3-9-2011) and Embaba (AINA 5-8-2011), cutting-off the ear of a Copt, (AINA 3-26-2011), attacks on churches (AINA 3-5-2011), as well as preventing the governor of Qena from occupying his post because he is Christian (AINA 5-3-2011).”
The EUHRO report noted that Coptic emigration escalated since March 19, 2011, after the constitutional amendments in Egypt and the escalation in Salafist attacks on Copts and their intention to implement Hudud laws (Sharia based punishments, which include capital punishment by sword/crucifixion, stoning, amputation and flogging).
“Salafist clerics, who gained political influence after the January 25 Revolution, have become emboldened,” said Gabriel, “calling Copts Dhimmis who have to pay the jizya (tax paid by non-Muslims to the state) because they are not first class citizens and can never enjoy full citizenship rights, or obtain sensitive posts.”
On September 12, Yasser Borhami, Head of Alexandria Salafists, accused Christians on a popular TV show of being “Infidels, who live in darkness, because they are away from Islam.” His interview enraged Copts “who regarded it as a licence to kill the Christians by inciting Muslims,” said Coptic activist Wagih Yacoub.
EUHRO filed a complaint against Borhami with the Prosecutor General, accusing him of “defaming a heavenly religion,” which is against the constitution and which would “endanger social peace.”
Gabriel sees a parallel with the Christian emigration from Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. “After the massacre of the congregation of Our Lady of Deliverance Church on October 31, 2010, and other attacks in Iraq, the ratio of Iraqi Christians went down from 8% to 2%. In Palestine to just .5%, and in Lebanon from 75% to 32%.”
Christians ‘complain’ ……not just in Egypt.
RGH
Why isn’t Jeremy Bowen and his lot telling us all this ? The REAL facts on the ground, the REAL background ?
But surely these Muslims are Progressive Liberals not conservatives. Let’s look at the similarities between Progressive Liberals and Radical Muslims.
Hate Israel, check.
Hate America, check.
Hate Christianity, check.
Hate Western Civilisation, check.
Hate bankers, check.
Want to redefine marriage, check.
Want to lower the age of consent to nine, check.
Both have prophets with big beards whose name start with the letter M (Marx/Muhammad), check.
There are certain words that, though not always intrinsically good or bad, acquire negative or positive connotations through fashion or just zeitgeist.
At the moment arguably the worst insult one can hurl is “racist”. Nowadays ‘conservative’, ‘right-wing’ and worst of all, ‘Zionist’, exude negativity too.
On the other hand, ‘democratic’, ‘tolerant’, ‘left-wing’, ‘transparent’, and oddly, both ‘religion’ and ‘secular’- depending on which side of the fence you sit – are aspirational in a good way.
The BBC was euphoric when the glorious Arab Spring erupted in Egypt. Signs of the Islamist undercurrent were played down. Israeli symbols scrawled on effigies of Mubarak, the assault of “Jews” who weren’t Jews, and many other clues that were there for the asking, were overlooked or swept under the carpet.
The violence against the Israeli embassy was too extreme to be ignored by the BBC, but it blew over, and it was partly Israel’s fault ‘because of the Palestinians’.
Now that the Islamist threat in Egypt has raised its ugly head and violence has erupted against Christians it couldn’t be ignored by the BBC.
But, it was, for some considerable time. Acts of violence against Christians have been played down or glossed over. Yesterday the BBC was almost alone in ignoring reports that a Christian girl was sent home from her school for refusing to wear a headscarf. I commented on the previous open thread:
“Did I ever mention the glorious Arab Spring?
Oh yes, on Feb 24th and several times thereafter. The theme being that the BBC believes the peoples’ democratic revolution will bring about peace and understanding, justice and freedom, and hugs and kisses.
Maybe that’s why they’re shy about this. After all, 14 other media outlets have it!”
Justin Webb was keen to establish that the violence was between Christians and security forces, not Islamists. In vain, because Yolande Knell’s report explained clearly and emphatically that the Christians were protesting because security forces and the Egyptian government were not protecting them from attacks by Islamists.
1 / 4Gallery<img style=”position: absolute; top: 0px; left: 0px; display: block;” src=”http://english.ahram.org.eg/Media/News/2011/10/9/2011-634537825045640615-564.jpg”/>
A peaceful march by Copts today against religious persecution gave way to a night of violence after the protesters were attacked.
The march of around 10,000, which began in Shubra, turned violent when protesters were attacked by stone throwing mobs from on top of the surrounding walls while they were trying to cross the Shubra tunnel. A 15-minute battle ensued as the Coptic protesters fought back and hurled stones at their assailants.
Gun shots were fired in the sky, leaving terrified demonstrators wondering aloud if they were going to be shot.
During the attack panic ensued as women protesters were told to stand under the bridge for safety as Coptic youth tried to contain the march. After the battle stopped the march, once again regained its peaceful nature and continued towards Maspero.
On their way to Maspero they stopped in the neighboring Galaa Street and were attacked once again. Random gun fire was aimed at the crowd from a speeding car.
The march continued once again to Maspero, where the protesters came under brutal and persistent attack.
An Ahram Online correspondent at Maspero reports seeing glass being thrown down at protesters from inside the State Broadcasting building, while armoured personnel carriers were driven by the army through the crowds, hitting and running over protesters. Eyewitness accounts posted on Twitter detail people being shot by the armed forces and attacked by plain-clothed thugs, with fire consuming vehicles by the Nile.
Ambulances ferried tens of injured protesters away from the scene.
Later in the evening, Hossam Bahgat, director of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, posted on Twitter that he saw 17 bodies in the morgue at the Coptic Hospital.
So far confirmed as being among those killed are Mina Daniel, an activist and blogger; Wael Yunna, a journalist for Coptic TV; and Michael Mosaad, an activist and member of the Maspero Youth Coalition.
The protest was organised by the Maspero Youth Union, a group of young Coptic activists, to protest against the recent violations against Copts. The protesters chanted: “Raise your head high you are a Copt,” and “No to burning of churches.” Chants were also directed against the army, such as “The people demand the removal of the Field Marshal [Tantawi],” and “Tantawi, where is your army, our homes and churches are being attacked.”
Hello Sue – would you mind dropping me an email please?
From the video
“As well as the Christians protesting and the attacks on the military there are also OTHER [my emphasis] groups of thugs who appear to be involved….”
Just a slip of the tongue, or is she saying that the Christians are also thugs? And who are these thugs? This was a word that cropped up often when the BBC expressed its indignation at groups of Mubarak supporters clashing with the noble protesters in Tahrir Square.
Suddenly Mubarak supporters were “thugs,” while of course to describe any of the protesters as such would have abruptly ended the BBC career of the reporter, even though some of them were undoubtedly thugs – like the group that attacked and sexually abused the reporter, whose name escapes me.
Another thing that struck me about the report was that Yolande plays down the violence against the Cops before this alleged Arab Spring. In fact, the violence has been horrific for years. Typical of the BBC to minimise it.
That should be violence against the “Copts,” of course.
More reporting from Elder of Ziyon here and here, as well as some nasty developments in Libya.
Whereas INBBC is inclined to relegate its reporting of Muslim persecution of Egyptian Christian Copts, or to dismiss the persecutiuon as mere ‘sectarianism’ (INBBC Ms KNELL’s politically lazy line), Sky’s Tim MARSHALL shows more of a historical understanding:
“Egypt; Copts And Robbers”
(by Tim Marshall)
http://blogs.news.sky.com/foreignmatters/Post:cbda316f-c1f9-4d17-938a-d58ec3e43fd2
The BBC are nothing these days if not totally predictable.
About time we took down their temple columns. For they represent their own toxic religion that will lead to social totalitiarianism if not reduced to rubble.
You could predict near enough to the minute how this would all play out on the rolling Beeb output…bet Craig or Sue/Robin etc could even draw the graph of %bile against time.
That said though…that Al Jazeera are a more honest source of reporting than the BBC says something…even RT has more integrity in that both these channels are biased, but restrict it to obviously marked silos.
Whereas the BBC pours its prejudice into any story it gtes…as if they all have to get that forked tongue logo before being paraded out on their rolling rubbish.
They are dumbed down and nasty these days…and I hope that the ECJ will allow us to withhold licence fees due to psychological rights of balance and honesty being perpetually violated.
Would rather send Rupert a few quid for his dry cleaning rather than pay for Easton, Webb and the other flotsam adrift on a sea of inconsequential scum and stagnant slurry.
While INBBC cheers on the dismal Islamic ‘Arab Spring’, not least in Libya, Peter HITCHENS seems to hit a lot of poilitical nails on the head here:
” Tripoli revisited ”
(by Peter Hitchens)
http://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2011/10/tripoli-revisited.html
Update which INBBC seems to have missed:
“Egyptian Army, Police Kill 35 Coptic Christian Protestors”
http://www.aina.org/news/20111010003621.htm
Anybody wishing to see the actual process of the BBC neutering the news of the violence against the Copts can follow how they are changing the article from version to version at NewsSniffer.
I heard this – a new low for the BBC.
When Christians are attacked by Muslims, which is the norm BTW, the BBC always terms it as sectarian violence.
Yes; another update for INBBC to analyse:
Egypt: Military attempts to rewrite circumstances of massacre of Christian protesters