UK: Ofcom may close TV station over show condoning murder for blasphemy

[Meesna]

A British TV channel that aired a lecture saying it is acceptable to murder someone who has shown disrespect to the prophet Muhammad is facing a significant fine or potentially even closure by Ofcom.

Ofcom has taken the unprecedented step of ruling that DM Digital, which targets the Asian market with programming in languages including English, Punjabi, Urdu, Kashmiri and Hindi, is the first UK broadcaster to break the broadcasting code for airing material "likely to encourage or incite the commission of a crime or lead to disorder".

Because of the serious nature of the breach of the code Ofcom said that it is now considering imposing a statutory sanction, and the media regulator's sanctions committee will now consider options including fining DM Digital or even revoking the company's broadcast licence.

DM Digital, which is licensed in the UK, also broadcasts to the Middle East and parts of Asia.

Last October DM Digital aired a one hour programme in Urdu in which an Islamic religious scholar lectured about theology and discussed the killing of Salmaan Taseer, a Punjab governor and critic of Pakistan's blasphemy law, who was assassinated by his bodyguard Malik Mumtaz Qadri last year.

As usual for the extremists when caught, they are now backtracking...

DM Digital argued that there had been no "serious" breach of the UK broadcasting code and that the "text was taken out of context, and if read as a whole, it is clear that [the scholar] is commenting on the blasphemy law in Pakistan and not personally advocating any violence".

The broadcaster added that it did not condone the comments and was taking steps to make sure that it would moderate such programmes in the future and appoint a compliance manager.

Ofcom may close TV station over show condoning murder for blasphemy | Media | guardian.co.uk

 

[Capt.Popeye]

Ah, the usual constituency of 'blessed bigots' and 'mucking mullas' at work.
What can the world do without such "resources"!
goD bless them.