From:"Pan-African Movement" <[log in to unmask]>  Add to Address BookTo:Undisclosed-Recipient@, Subject:Fw: TAJUDEEN'S THURSDAY POSTCARD 15 JANUARY 2004Date:Thu, 15 Jan 2004 10:00:28 +0300 [input]   [input]   [input]   [input]

----- Original Message -----From: "Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem" <[log in to unmask]>To: <[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>;<[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>;<[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>Sent: 14 January 2004 7:00 PMSubject: TAJUDEEN'S THURSDAY POSTCARD 15 JANUARY 2004>>>>> "Forward Ever Backward never" Kwame Nkrumah>>>>>>> >>THURSDAY POSTCARD 15 JANUARY 2004> >> >Journalists are supposed to report news. They are not> >supposed to be the center of 'the news' themselves. It> >is a kernel of journalism that is continuously> >challenged in this age of instant news and multi media> >technology. Traditional barriers between the print and> >electronic media have been bridged by new technology> >to the point where it is becoming difficult to decide> >which of the media one sources one's information. Is> >it the newspaper, the radio, the television, satellite> >TV, the Internet or your mobile phone. A consequence> >of this
 remarkable revolution in communication> >technology is the continuing diversification by> >journalists and their ability to reach you from all> >kind of sources.  You can see the same journalists on> >your TV screen, encounter them in your virtual chat> >room, listen to them on your Radio or read them in> >your newspapers.  So a news reporter on your local> >Radio could metamorphose into an opinionated columnist> >in your local paper.> >It is this kind of cross breeding that has contributed> >to one of the most controversial debates about Freedom> >of Expression in Britain in recent times.> >> >An ageing (even if his good looks tell a different> >story) popular chat show host, Robert Kilroy -Silk is> >at the center of this debate. All because multi media> >technology and its complimentary demand of multi-task> >journalism allows him to jump from his not very> >serious banter morning show on to the pages of written> >word newspapers. His show is popular among bored> >housewives, the
 unemployed who have to fill in their> >time and other dysfunctional people with time as no> >object. Otherwise who will be watching a show that> >comes on after 9.00 am on a weekday except those who> >have no work to go to!> >> >But that constituency is a big one. Consequently> >mediocre talents like Kilroy-Silk, a former right wing> >Labour MP deselected by Labour militants (God bless> >them) who found a new life as a chat show host, became> >stars overnight. Instead of thanking their stars for> >flashing at the right time and the right place they> >delude themselves into thinking that they have become> >great public philosophers with a view on everything.> >He writes a regular column for the right wing Express> >Newspaper stable in London. In April Last year as his> >contribution to the unjust war effort against Iraq he> >wrote a ranting monologue of loathsome views about> >'loathsome Arabs' in which he lumped all Arabs> >together     as 'suicide bombers', 'women oppressors',>
 >'limb amputators' and a people who have 'contributed> >nothing' apart 'from oil' to human civilisation!> >> >In the heated debates of the time the article was> >missed by those who would have protested. But its> >republication last week in The Sunday Express has led> >to the current controversy. Kilroy-Silk's open> >prejudice and racist attitudes and opinions of Arabs> >was too much for many liberal minded persons in> >Britain and they called for his head on a platter. The> >BBC considered a bastion of Liberalism by conservative> >people in Britain (in Margaret Thatcher's days her> >Loony Minister and Chair of the Conservative party,> >Norman Thebit used to call the BBC, the Bolshevik> >Broadcasting Corporation) had no alternative but to> >suspend Kilroy-Silk's morning show pending> >investigation of his racist article.> >> >Silk's supporters see the move as an infringement on> >Kilroy-silk's freedom of expression while his critics> >see it as logical and demand that suspension is
 not> >enough punishment the man should never again have any> >show on the BBC, which is financed by public license> >fees. Others also expect that he would be prosecuted> >under the various raft of anti racism laws for> >inciting racial prejudice and promoting intolerance> >likely to lead to disturbance of public order.> >> >Would there have been such uproar if Kilroy had> >written in an African Newspaper? There is so much> >racist, prejudiced, insulting, ethno centric,> >religiously biased and other sectarian views in our> >media that his ranting would not have been extra> >ordinary.> >> >Many of our media and public figures will not pass the> >simplest of anti racism test. And by no means is all> >the racism against black people by white people. A lot> >of it is actually racist views of Africa by Africans,> >prejudice against other Africans and also African> >racist prejudice against non Africans or non Black> >Africans and others. Just read the pro-Mugabe Media in> >Africa to get
 a taste of what I am saying. Would many> >be that complacent if the situation was reversed?> >On the other side would those who are defending> >Kilroy's right to say all he said about Arabs have> >maintained the same position if Arab is substituted> >for "Jews' or 'Israelis"?> >> >It is this kind of group blaming and prejudiced power> >relations that led to genocide in Rwanda and we must> >root it out of our society. But even 10 years after> >Genocide in Rwanda you find many people who still deny> >it was a genocide or querry the figure of those who> >died as if it is a numbers game. Still many others are> >still aplogists for the genocide in the name of> >majoritarianism.Racism, ethnicity, religious and> >political intolerance are variations of the same> >virus. You cannot be one without been complicit in the> >others. We need to have statutory laws (and more> >importantly public awreness) to protect our society> >against those whose exercise of their right of 'free> >speech'
 promote hatred, prejudice and intolerance.> >> >[log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]> >> >> >> >> >=====> >"Forward ever , backward never".....Kwame Nkrumah (1909 - 1972)> >> >..................DON'T AGONISE!> >ORGANISE!!....................................> >




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