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Defender Of The Faith
The BBC has added an explanation for why it uses the honorific "peace be upon him (pbuh)" when mentioning Muhammad in its religion pages:
"The BBC uses the pbuh in the Islam section out of courtesy, and we would do the same for any other religion if they had a similar phrase that was universally used as a sign of respect.
"When the site refers to the Prophet on pages that are not in the Islam section, we do not use the phrase."
Really? Eagle-eyed reader BF spots a pbuh on the Beeb's main religion page, and also on its World Service Elements of Hinduism page.
And a for the broadcaster's claim that it would do the same for other religions, what about its refusal to use the capitalised Him or His when discussing Jesus Christ in the Christianity section? Or its history of Christianity and life of Christ, which is reported objectively, while its life of Muhammad is reported as fact?
It's embarrassing. Do we really want the BBC to start using whatever honorifics religions demand? Should it always refer to the Pope as "The Holy Father" or Christ's mother as "Our Lady", just because Catholics would like it that way?
The BBC lists contemporary western Paganism and Rastafari as religions in its guide: Should it get in touch with representatives from these faiths in order to spice its pages with yet more courtesy?
Its religious reporting would be a jumble if it did, and few Christians would expect such special treatment. Indeed, some, including the conservative Baptists and evangelicals of the southern United States, might be happy just to see BBC hacks drop their habitual wryly amused tone when reporting on their affairs.
No, the BBC hasn't extended its courtesy to other religions. It's simply cringing to one, like foreign secretary Jack Straw, who has recently taken to adding "Inshallah" to his statements relating to Islamic countries.
The Beeb ought to drop the pbuh, or it should be taken at its word: Readers should bombard it with demands for courtesies to be extended to their religion too.
It asks readers for its views on the subject: You can contact the board here.
A secular BBC or a religious Babel? It's up to you.
