Given that this blog has been started this week, this publication may appear to be late. I am sure you are all aware of the bad taste demonstrated by Channel 4 last Christmas (2008) in providing Ahmadinejad with his time of fame in presenting the British people with his 'alternative Christmas message'.
'What's the problem?' some of you may ask, given Channel 4 does this every year. The issue is that Ahmadinejad is notorious for expressing anit-semitic views; he is notorious for constantly challenging the USA and democracy; he is notorious for having enacted a law in Iran that prescribes the death penalty for those people who merely convert from Islam to another religion. He has been known to argue that the Islamisation of the world must be reached by any means necessary. His system in Iran executes teenage girls who were charged with 'crimes against chastity', when in fact they were molested by married men three times their senior (See the case of Atefeh Salaaleh, executed in 2004 http://stopchildexecutions.com/minors_executed.aspx; also see “Execution of a Teenage Girl”, BBC News, 27 July, 2006). Women are stoned to death, young people and children are hanged off cranes in public, and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights has been infuriated by the constant violations of human rights laws, such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966.
Channel 4 has betrayed the very fabric of freedom, democracy, and humanitarian ethics by abusing the use of the media and broadcasting Ahmadinejad's Christmas message as an alternative to the Queen's speech. Sure, we all stand for freedom of speech; however, Ahmadinejad is a man who leads a system that tortures and even executes people in Iran for daring to exercise their right to freedom of speech. The Canadian photo-journalist, Zahra Kazemi, was tortured in Iran's notorious Evin prison and died as a result of her injuries - just for taking photos of the prison itself.
It has been argued that his speech was more pertinent to peace. And??? Would Hitler have been any more welcome on the television sets of British people and supporters of democracy if he spoke of peace, during his time leading the holocaust?
After many complaints were filed against Channnel 4, Lorna Dane, representing Channel 4, forwarded the following as their pitiful excuse:
"As I am sure you are aware, we have had an Alternative Christmas Message on Christmas Day for many years which has been delivered by a diverse range of people including an injured veteran from the war in Afghanistan, Quentin Crisp, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Doreen and Neville Lawrence, Genelle Guzman, a 9/11 survivor and The Simpsons.With relations between Iran and the West set to play a central role in world affairs in 2009, Channel 4 felt that it was timely to feature the leader of one of the most powerful states in the Middle East. In featuring PresidentAhmadinejad, we wanted to offer our viewers an insight into an alternativeworld view..."
How does one compare a 9/11 survivor, Jesse Jackson, the Lawrences (victim parents) and a cartoon family with the likes of Ahmadinejad, a man who wants nothing more than violent jihad across the world? Even though the relationship between Iran and the West might play a 'central role in world affairs', do Christians, and other Brits really want such a man in their living room on Christmas day? Sure, they do not have to watch his broadcast speech; however, in such a case, who does want to watch?
Shall we accept this act of betrayal by Channel 4? Every freedom we enjoy in the UK is what Ahmadinejad stands against, and executed people for back in Iran; and yet Channel 4 brought him into British living rooms via the TV on a holy Christian day. Channel 4 has demonstrated its true colours, and I hereby demand Channel 4 be boycotted and made to face responsibility for its heinous act of treason and betrayal to human rights.
