SNP adviser accuses BBC of bias over ‘Jihadi John’
AN adviser to Nicola Sturgeon on cyber-terrorism has been condemned after he accused the BBC of anti-Muslim bias over its coverage of ISIS executioner ‘Jihadi John’.
Asif Ishaq sent a series of explosive remarks attacking the broadcaster for its aggressive questioning of the leader of a Muslim group, Cage, who defended the infamous fanatic.
Asim Qureshi, the director of Cage, failed to speak out about extremist positions advocated by Muslim scholars – including female genital mutilation, domestic violence and stoning as a punishment for adultery – when he appeared on the BBC’s This Week programme.
Pressed by Andrew Neil, the show’s presenter, Mr Qureshi instead defended the right of Muslims to wage jihad just days after he described ‘Jihadi John’, unmasked as London-raised Mohammed Emwazi, as a ‘beautiful, kind man’.
Mr Qureshi has claimed that British security forces radicalised Emwazi prompting him to flee to Syria to join ISIS, where he has featured in several videos beheading a number of Western hostages, including Scottish aid worker David Haines.
Cage’s views have been widely denounced, but Mr Ishaq – a Scottish Government adviser whose post is funded by the taxpayer – complained on Twitter that the BBC and Mr Neil had conducted ‘yet another biased “interrogation”’.
He tweeted: ‘ BBC never learns its lessons on antiMuslim preaching. Shameful.’
Last night, a spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives condemned the tweet, saying: ‘These comments are entirely without foundation and to describe firm but fair quest i oning as “anti- Muslim preaching” is offensive, unjustified and utterly misguided.’
Although Mr Ishaq insisted in another tweet that he was not an apologist for Cage, he later suspended his account
‘Offensive and
unjustified’
after triggering a storm of protest.
One poster, Marauding-Winger, tweeted: ‘Yeah @AsifIshaq33 how dare @afneil expose an apologist for the abhorrent and hold the faux moderate to account.’
One poster, Eamonn Burke, tweeted: ‘ They have been asked fair and honest questions but refused to answer.’
On the programme, Mr Neil accused Mr Qureshi of advocating jihad and sharia law. Mr Qureshi responded: ‘As far as I am concerned, sharia law isn’t practised correctly anywhere in the world. Jihad is part of the religion of Islam.’
He repeated his criticism of MI5 and the security services, claiming they helped to radicalise young Muslim men by mistreating them.
The exchange came after London Mayor Boris Johnson accused Mr Qureshi of being an apologist for terror.
Mr Qureshi, 33, last week described Emwazi as an ‘extremely kind’ and ‘extremely gentle’ man who had been radicalised as a result of harassment by security agencies.
Mr Ishaq refused to comment last night. On his LinkedIn page, he describes himself as an adviser developing the Scottish Government’s policy on cyber security and resilience.
Two years ago, he helped organise a one-day workshop on Addressing Hate and Violence: The Scottish Experience of Communities & Complexity.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘This individual has commented in a personal capacity, unconnected to their role with the Scottish Government. As such any views expressed are not the position of t he Scottish Government.’