Wednesday, April 2, 2008 | Reason : In the News | print version

BBC 'too scared to allow jokes about Islam'

by Independent

Thanks to Michael Murray for the link.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/news/bbc-too-scared-to-allow-jokes-about-islam-803807.html

BBC 'too scared to allow jokes about Islam'
By Sherna Noah, PA

Comedian Ben Elton has accused the BBC of prohibiting jokes about imams and said the corporation was too "scared" to allow gags about Islam.

He told Third Way, a Christian culture magazine: "I think it all starts with people nodding whenever anyone says, 'As a person of faith ...'

"And I believe that part of it is due to the genuine fear that the authorities and the community have about provoking the radical elements of Islam.

"There's no doubt about it, the BBC will let vicar gags pass but they would not let imam gags pass.

"They might pretend that it's, you know, something to do with their moral sensibilities, but it isn't. It's because they're scared."

He added: "I wanted to use the phrase 'Mohammed came to the mountain' and everybody said, 'Oh, don't!, Just don't! Don't go there!'

"It was nothing to do with Islam, I was merely referring to the old proverb, 'If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain'. And people said, 'Let's just not!' It's incredible."

Elton, 48, told the magazine: "I'm quite certain that the average Muslim does not want everybody going around thinking, 'We can't mention you. We've just got to pretend you don't exist because we're scared that somebody who claims to represent you will threaten to kill us."'

The comedian, an atheist whose children attend a Church of England school, said Britons should be taught the essentials of Christianity, if only for cultural reasons.

But he also said that "lack of faith" should be taught in schools.

"I think the concept that faith in itself is a good thing should be questioned from day one, which it isn't," he said.

"There's a presumption that if you're a religious leader you are in some way already halfway up to the moral high ground and your opinion has more relevance than anyone else's."

A BBC spokesman denied the claims, saying: "No subject is off limits for BBC comedy.

"The treatment should not cause harm or offence as defined by the BBC's Editorial Guidelines or breach other BBC Guidelines.

"There is no evidence that the BBC is afraid to tackle difficult subjects."

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1. Comment #154122 by oshottan on April 2, 2008 at 5:51 pm

"There is no evidence that the BBC is afraid to tackle difficult subjects."

The evidence is everywhere, but I must say that the BBC, and Britain in general, are much more willing to allow religious satire than here in the US

Other Comments by oshottan

2. Comment #154132 by FightingFalcon on April 2, 2008 at 6:23 pm

There's definitely something to be said about being too religiously tolerant. We're so desperate to be tolerant of everyone that we're now slowly allowing the death of free expression.

I'm still waiting for someone to explain why we should be so accommodating to Muslims. If they want to respond with hatred and violence, so be it. I thought living freely was more important than safety anyway.

Other Comments by FightingFalcon

3. Comment #154135 by sidelined on April 2, 2008 at 6:29 pm

I can see how the phrase "'If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain."could be upsetting to the poor infantile minority of Mohammed's followers who are incapable of maturing to the point of relating to the world around them.

They also are incapable of conceiving of another old phrase from a time when political correctness was not stuffed so far up politicians asses that the stench overwhelmed common sense. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me."

To those few followers of Islam who are incapable of understanding that the freedom to criticize religion is not going to be set aside just because you lack the ability to deal with others with any level of competence you can expect to hear another phrase regularly.

"Grow the fuck up!"

That goes double for the politicians and organizations that fold under threat instead of exposing the vermin that employ such actions as a means of hiding the fear that runs through their petty minds.

Now that I have got that off my chest. Anybody heard some good Mohammed jokes lately?

Other Comments by sidelined

4. Comment #154139 by rod-the-farmer on April 2, 2008 at 6:37 pm

This line needed an additional word in the middle

I think it all starts with people nodding off whenever anyone says, 'As a person of faith ...'

Sorry, I got distracted. Imam jokes are not forbidden ? OK, show us a recent one on the BBC. No ? The prosecution rests.

Other Comments by rod-the-farmer

5. Comment #154140 by Sittingduck on April 2, 2008 at 6:37 pm

Yikes - I hope this isn't accurate.

If we find ourselves censoring thought and speech simply out of fear of antagonizing literal believers, we are doomed. The war of ideas and reason is already lost.

I think Sam Harris got it exactly right in "The End of Faith" when he talks about religious moderates enabling fundamentalists by protecting the belief as beyond question.

Other Comments by Sittingduck

6. Comment #154141 by Gymnopedie on April 2, 2008 at 6:43 pm

Come on guys, think this through. If we insult religion, we might hurt someone's feelings. Can't we all just get along?

Other Comments by Gymnopedie

7. Comment #154148 by Border Collie on April 2, 2008 at 6:57 pm

Amen to "sidelined". Quivering in our boots and wetting our pants about whether we're going to piss off some religious nut by an intentional or unintentional infraction of political correctness will not make the religious nut any less of a religious nut. While we are whining, trembling, apologizing and equivocating, they are strapping on their suicide/homicide bombs, loading their AK47's and planning more refined ways to destroy us.

Other Comments by Border Collie

8. Comment #154150 by nancy on April 2, 2008 at 6:58 pm

I was just telling a colleague today how compelling Ayaan Hirsi Ali's book Infidel is and her response was that people are racist when they say Islam treats women badly and that it's only the Fundamentalists who do that sort of thing, if anyone at all actually does. I felt I was being called racist, and that I should feel duped, and this from an educated New Yorker. It seems hopeless when I hear comments like that. I don't know what's happened to the New York democrats who used to be completely against this kind of torture, intolerance, and oppression.
And the British should not be patting themselves on the back. Just have a gander at the Slate story on the Archbishop of Canterbury's belief that British Muslims should be allowed to rule their own, superseding British law. http://www.slate.com/id/2184186/
People are thoroughly convinced that it's wrong to object to any behavior whatsoever, that it's somehow bigotry. What a bind the world is in. If Muslim women don't complain, people outside the Muslim world don't believe what goes on; if they do complain, they don't survive. And if they don't complain, the outside world can justify its hands-off policy, maintaining that as long as members of a group are in agreement, they should be allowed to practice whatever traditions they like.
We've got to take back freedom of speech and use it for what is was meant for: to prevent oppression and expose tyranny, not to give license to anyone who wants to cloak themselves in religion so that they can violate the basic human rights of others.

Other Comments by nancy

9. Comment #154151 by Shuggy on April 2, 2008 at 6:58 pm

I can't wait to see "The Mullah of Dibley" or "Imam Ted".

Come to think of it, is "The Vicar of Dibley" or "Father Ted" shown in the US?

Other Comments by Shuggy

10. Comment #154154 by mmurray on April 2, 2008 at 7:04 pm

I mentioned this on another thread and Steve Zara pointed out at least one example where the BBC has run humour about Islam.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,1440,Can-the-rest-of-us-have-our-planet-back,The-Now-Show-Marcus-Brigstocke

So either they don't mind things like this which are having a go at all religions or maybe they don't like Ben Elton .... :-)

Michael

Other Comments by mmurray

11. Comment #154157 by shaunfletcher on April 2, 2008 at 7:09 pm

Even in the article Ben (and someone here) is falling into the trap..

"I'm quite certain that the average Muslim does not want" is the same kind of thinking.

Ill tell you what, Im 100% sure that many 'average muslims' DO want exactly these things. They DO want noone to be allowed to criticise their faith, they have been taught since birth to think that and they do so. Do people not realise that when polled, a majority of muslims support the death penalty for Apostasy?

Other Comments by shaunfletcher

12. Comment #154159 by Nogodscanuck on April 2, 2008 at 7:17 pm

I think Pat Condell covers this topic perfectly.

Other Comments by Nogodscanuck

13. Comment #154162 by dragonfirematrix on April 2, 2008 at 7:25 pm

FightingFalcon,

I like your comment quoted below:

"Comment #154132 by FightingFalcon on April 2, 2008 at 6:23 pm
There's definitely something to be said about being too religiously tolerant. We're so desperate to be tolerant of everyone that we're now slowly allowing the death of free expression."

If I may add an old phrase, which I think applies here: "if you give them an inch, they will take a mile."

If we cave in to being sensitive to the religious, they will run us down.

Other Comments by dragonfirematrix

14. Comment #154169 by theantitheist on April 2, 2008 at 7:40 pm

Shuggey,

I think you've just yourself out of a lot of cash. Imam Ted sounds like a brilliant idea that should be taken up IMMEDIATLY. Come on Channel 4, sort it out.

Other Comments by theantitheist

15. Comment #154172 by The Reverend Dark on April 2, 2008 at 7:44 pm

Joking about any religion should be undertaken with the most careful attention to craft and detail. One should strive for the perfection of the Baby Eating Bishop of Bath and Wells from Blackadder Season II.

My favorite variation was deliberately trying to qualify in the list of uncleans brought forwards by the late Ayatollah Rudy the K. Sweat of a camel that eats unclean stuff was not easy; and it was in fact a dromedary, but bachterian enough to qualify.

Two Imams walk into a bar... Unclean! Unclean!

Where do Ayatollah's buy online Porn? E-Mam.

When is the next Islamic schism going to be? Sunni.

Who loves Jello pudding, stoning women, and going Hey! Hey! Hey!? Fatwah Albert.

Okay... It's late and these jokes are so very, very, lame.

Cheers,
Shayne

Other Comments by The Reverend Dark

16. Comment #154179 by dragonfirematrix on April 2, 2008 at 7:57 pm

If the main stream media fails, Pat Condell will correct the problem.

Other Comments by dragonfirematrix

17. Comment #154182 by prolibertas on April 2, 2008 at 8:03 pm

I agree that we should start with the Mohammed jokes. Surely any pedophile joke can be adapted to the pervert, he did marry a nine year old. We can make it proverbial, like when you're talking about how hot you were after a run, (for example) you can say 'I was sweating like Mohammed at a pre-school!'

Well, that one might be a bit distasteful, but we can drag his name through the mud just like that, all as part of the 'conversational intolerance' that Harris and Dawkins talk about.

Other Comments by prolibertas

18. Comment #154183 by cam9976 on April 2, 2008 at 8:08 pm

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1905780729741629328&q=dutch islam&total=1295&start=50&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

I'd be afraid of Islam too... This is the reason Theo Van Gogh was killed.

Other Comments by cam9976

19. Comment #154190 by steveroot on April 2, 2008 at 8:19 pm

17. Comment #154182 by prolibertas on April 2, 2008 at 8:03 pm
... like when you're talking about how hot you were after a run, (for example) you can say 'I was sweating like Mohammed at a pre-school!'

*cleans laptop screen... again*
Ste5e

Other Comments by steveroot

20. Comment #154215 by Hobbit on April 2, 2008 at 10:21 pm

But he also said that "lack of faith" should be taught in schools.

"I think the concept that faith in itself is a good thing should be questioned from day one, which it isn't," he said.

"There's a presumption that if you're a religious leader you are in some way already halfway up to the moral high ground and your opinion has more relevance than anyone else's."

I particularly like these three quotes.

Very interested to read what our faith head ahh... religious (sorry fides) contributors think of this idea.

Other Comments by Hobbit

21. Comment #154226 by Absurd Hero on April 2, 2008 at 11:34 pm

Ugh... let's look for ways to surrender. Crying before they're hurt. Somebody go tell Hitchens about this, see if he can fix it. I would, but I don't want to be there when he finds out. He is going to be maaaaad.

Other Comments by Absurd Hero

22. Comment #154240 by Enlightenme.. on April 3, 2008 at 1:14 am

Omid Djalili can. :)

Did anybody see bbc newsnight cover it?

The item before about 70 'Brain gym' instructors being in the employ of our education authorities was even more scary.
The headmistress of Acresfield primary school is a total fanboy of this Woo, and I expect her to have about 5 minutes left in her job, hopefully.
They interviewed kids about why they're doing these actions, and their brainwashed responses got my blood boiling.
'connecting hemispheres'
'opening up the electrical channels' you know - that sorta thing.

Other Comments by Enlightenme..

23. Comment #154246 by Dinah on April 3, 2008 at 1:36 am

There is no point in abolishing the laws of blasphemy, or succeeding in watering down the religious hatred laws if people and organisations are simply going to use self-censorship to prevent satire, jokes and criticism of religion instead. In practice this self-censorship is more likely to apply to Islam because it is Muslims who take offence at any ridiculing of their faith more readily than adherents of other faiths, and express their outrage by rioting, waving placards and setting fire to things. For some reason, they believe this type of behaviour demonstrates what a wonderful religion Islam is and why we should all practice it.

It may well be true for all I know that many Muslims - perhaps even the majority - do not approve of this type of behaviour, but unfortunately it is not the more liberal-minded, Westernised Muslims who are calling the shots at the moment.

To label someone as 'rascist' for condemning the oppression of women under Islam is ridiculous, because Muslims are not a race any more than Christians are.

Other Comments by Dinah

24. Comment #154249 by Steve Zara on April 3, 2008 at 1:41 am

This is a non-story. We already have an example of such jokes on this site - the wonderful Marcus Brigstocke "can we have our planet back?" rant, which was taken from the BBC Radio 4 programme "The Now Show".

Other Comments by Steve Zara

25. Comment #154257 by Justanotheratheist on April 3, 2008 at 2:05 am

Imam Ted, set on an island off the coast of Iran...complete with back-chatting female housekeeper. Oh boy, that would be something. Won't ever happen, though, and you cannot blame the BBC or anyone else from running a mile from Muslim jokes.

It's just too damned dangerous. Even teddy bears aren't safe, remember?

Other Comments by Justanotheratheist

26. Comment #154258 by Severus on April 3, 2008 at 2:06 am

As a stand up comedian (occasionally) i have in the past done material on religions and each time whether it is christianity or islam or any others i have been greeted with laughter at he time and criticism afterwards. one guy pulled me up, outside the gig, after i had done a sketch on some alternative ten commandments and asked me why i hated god and had to be taken away by his girlfriend. so i can tell you from first hand information that it seems pepople are still 'hard wired' to be very uncomfortable when you criticise or make fun of any religion.
it also depends on the level of the joke; if you make a joke about trying to buy a church to turn it into a block of flats you get a polite laugh, if you call god a paedophile for symbolically marrying millions of seven year old girls every year you get a shocked 'how dare you' silence and deep intake of breath.
britain has a long history of being able to make fun of its institutions, including the church but i beleive they 'allowed it' as long as they continued to be a powerful institution, as they are now losing their power they are beginning to panic and react badly to any criticism.
as for Islam, their reaction to humour is simple, 'we've decided that it's not acceptable so you can't do it, discussion over, if you continue to do it we'll react violently. people are rightly afraid of violence and as such are becoming cowed into suppressing their right to criticise. i firmly beleive that the more an institution denies you the right to do something, especially when it is part of a global strategy of world domination then the more we should stand up in the clubs, on radio, inprint and on television and make them realise, we know how stupid you are, and we're not afraid to tell the world.
Comedy is the only medium where you can genuinly say what you really think and go that little bit further with criticising those who think they are untouchable, long live comedy.

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27. Comment #154267 by rod-the-farmer on April 3, 2008 at 2:44 am

To Steve Zara

I wonder how recent that Marcus Brigstocke program is ? And would the beeb re-run it now ? I think we are seeing rapidly shifting attitudes in many countries. What was once acceptable may no longer be, even a few weeks later. The door to humour about islam may have been slammed shut.

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28. Comment #154271 by Steve Zara on April 3, 2008 at 2:50 am

Comment #154267 by rod-the-farmer

I wonder how recent that Marcus Brigstocke program is ?

Pretty recent - only months ago. It has also been repeated on other programs. Brigstocke has also made anti-Islamic jokes on his BBC4 program The Late Edition in recent weeks.

This is a non-story, and the facts should have been checked before publication on this site.

Other Comments by Steve Zara

29. Comment #154282 by mixmastergaz on April 3, 2008 at 3:57 am

I disagree with you by degrees Steve. One of the great things about the Marcus Brigstocke routine was how unusual it was. I can think of no other well-known comedian who has dared to be so outspoken. I'm sure there's no official BBC policy stating that Imams are off limits; what's been going on is self-censorship. I remember Alexei Sayle doing a routine that was mildly satirical about Christianity that concluded with something like the following remarks:

"Of course, it's not just Christianity. There are lots of jokes to be made about fundamentalist Islam. But you won't catch me telling any of them!"

One of the dangers of treating Islam as a special case is that some Muslims may come to regard themselves as a special case.

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30. Comment #154285 by Szymanowski on April 3, 2008 at 4:10 am

rod-the-farmer: Imam jokes are not forbidden ? OK, show us a recent one on the BBC. No ? The prosecution rests.

That's rather unfair. By that logic, jokes about the following are "forbidden" too:
-Neuroscientists
-Structural engineers
-Tabla players
-Social anthropologists
-Opticians

...get my drift?

Other Comments by Szymanowski

31. Comment #154286 by Steve Zara on April 3, 2008 at 4:13 am

I'm sure there's no official BBC policy stating that Imams are off limits; what's been going on is self-censorship.

The article is about some supposed BBC policy, which is clearly not present. If there is self-censorship by comedians, that is a different story.

Other Comments by Steve Zara

32. Comment #154290 by Backpacker on April 3, 2008 at 4:18 am

Comment #154267 by rod-the-farmer

The programme was broadcast July 2007 and was featured on this site.

http://richarddawkins.net/article,1440,Can-the-rest-of-us-have-our-planet-back,The-Now-Show-Marcus-Brigstocke

I felt it was basically being aimed at Islam but he softened the blow(probably not the right expression) by including all Abrahamic religions.

Other Comments by Backpacker

33. Comment #154293 by old-toy-boy on April 3, 2008 at 4:24 am

For Sidelined,

Now that I have got that off my chest. Anybody heard some good Mohammed jokes lately?

Lots! Have a look at www.jessusandmo.net
Enjoy.
Dave.

Other Comments by old-toy-boy

34. Comment #154294 by Steve Zara on April 3, 2008 at 4:24 am

I felt it was basically being aimed at Islam but he softened the blow(probably not the right expression) by including all Abrahamic religions.

I think this is rather unfair on Brigstocke. He included pretty strong attacks on the the Jewish faith as well, which was pretty courageous considering the possibility of accusations of anti-semitism.

Other Comments by Steve Zara

35. Comment #154300 by Backpacker on April 3, 2008 at 4:38 am

Comment #154294 by Steve Zara

I think this is rather unfair on Brigstocke. He included pretty strong attacks on the Jewish faith as well, which was pretty courageous considering the possibility of accusations of anti-semitism.

As usual, you are right again Steve.

After listening to it again, I think it was because the bits about suicide bombers etc. had stuck in my mind.

Other Comments by Backpacker

36. Comment #154301 by Adam Morrison on April 3, 2008 at 4:39 am

Well, I am now only answering to 'the prophet Muhadam' now, and he declares that the most holy divine has commanded him through his conversations with the archangel Billy Roy Jeremiah Gabriel to come up with a joke for the masses:

Two Sunni imams are walking down the street when suddenly another imam recoginizes them and starts screaming 'You do not follow the truth of Allah! I will call on all my legions of followers to destroy you unless you submit to the true heirs of Muhammed'. He then runs up and pushes one of the Sunni imams into a mud puddle and then runs away ululating.

The one Sunni imam helps his friend up and says 'What a jerk, this makes me so angry. Are you ok buddy?'.

The other imam, dusts himself off and looks at his friend and says 'Don't worry about that guy. It's no big deal. Shiite happens.'

Get it? Get it? (Sorry best I could come up with off the top of my head)

Other Comments by Adam Morrison

37. Comment #154312 by Cartomancer on April 3, 2008 at 5:10 am

Hmm, I wonder. I suspect there probably is a great deal of apprehension among comedians about sending up Islam - out of fear rather than politically correct sensibilities - but I'm not sure that's the only reason we don't hear Islamic jokes in the media very often.

Could it perhaps be that Islam is inherently unfunny? Now, when this thought first occurred to me my reaction was "unfunny? how can a group of grown men who believe such silly things in all seriousness be unfunny?" Surely their pomposity and self-aggrandizing puff are prime targets for the satirist's needle if nothing else? But the more I think about it, the more Islam seems to be the matter of tragedy rather than comedy.

How can you send up something which is, in itself, so inherently ridiculous? How can you point out the amusing logical contradictions in something which abandoned logic seven hundred years ago and is proudly boastful about that fact? What are stinging charges of hypocrisy to people for whom blatant double-standards have been a way of life since birth? Truly great comedy generally plays on these things, and they are almost impossible to bring to bear on Islam itself. Arabic cultural comedy does exist, but that's not quite the same thing. Furthermore, can we really bring ourselves to laugh at an institution which causes poverty, backwardness, the oppression of women and homosexuals, suicide bombing and the like? The Church of England and even the Catholic church have long since ceased to be serious instruments of societal change in the West, which is why we can laugh at them with impunity. Did the Germans in the 40s laugh at the Nazis? I doubt it, but we do today now their influence has waned. Furthermore, the cultural forms of Islam are still rather alien and strange to us - humour often relies on familiarity with the subject matter, and the kind of vile xenophobic humour so favoured by the odious likes of Bernard Manning and Jim Davidson is most gratifyingly out of favour in modern Britain.

Is this why none of us can come up with any good Islam jokes beyond a bit of punning and wordplay? I'd like to be proved wrong here, but the harder I try to think of a good joke, the less funny Islam seems...

Other Comments by Cartomancer

38. Comment #154314 by Bonzai on April 3, 2008 at 5:13 am

Islam is funny. Muslim men get together to show respect to Allah by mooning him. See how they raise their butts to heaven in prayers?

Other Comments by Bonzai

39. Comment #154323 by dancingthemantaray on April 3, 2008 at 5:23 am

Did you hear the one about the Muslim builders?

"go on love, show us your....face..."

Other Comments by dancingthemantaray

40. Comment #154329 by dancingthemantaray on April 3, 2008 at 5:37 am

Actually the now show very recently (last week) had a bit form a lapsed-muslim stand up, including the brillient line:

"my mother in law asked if I was going to get my son circumcised and I was like, 'only if he's really, REALLY naughty..'"

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41. Comment #154330 by The Reverend Dark on April 3, 2008 at 5:37 am

Cartomancer,

What if I promise a more sophisticated satire later? These things take time to do well - my lame wordplay earlier was a late night attempt when most of my higher, humour, functions were inert.

While horrible and horrifying in many aspects, Islam is open to mockery. And it should be. Our ability to mock it, and any other religion, freely and openly, is the single greatest weapon we have against it.

Cheers,
Shayne

Other Comments by The Reverend Dark

42. Comment #154336 by al-rawandi on April 3, 2008 at 5:51 am

Steve,

He included pretty strong attacks on the the Jewish faith as well, which was pretty courageous considering the possibility of accusations of anti-semitism.

Well said Steve.

Other Comments by al-rawandi

43. Comment #154382 by black wolf on April 3, 2008 at 6:50 am

How many muslim stand-up comedians are there, even non-religious from a muslim background? They would know their community, and would likely come up with the best lines, and the most appeal to muslim listeners. I don't know much about the UK comedy scene. In Germany, there are at least a handful of decent Turkish and Arabic comedians, making fun of stereotypes from both 'sides'. On the downside, they too avoid Imam jokes like the plague. Kaya Yanar had a funny serial skit about a conservative Turkish family whose German neighbor wanted to marry their daughter. He included many jokes about narrow-minded Turkish fathers, the headscarf-wearing mother who doesn't speak German, and contrasted that with the naively submissive multiculturalism of the German guy who'd follow every order from the Turkish father just to have a chance at the daughter. But these skits, as far as I recall, never included anything about religion.
My guess is that these comedians know very well how dangerous some muslims can become. All you need is one backyard Imam inciting aggression against a comedian, and the next live performance will give some deluded young man a chance to chalk one up for his afterlife by taking out the stand-up.

Other Comments by black wolf

44. Comment #154396 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 3, 2008 at 7:12 am

Oh COME ON! Even Mitzy Shore encouraged her arab comics to use their cultural material after 9/11! That's how you disarm them.

"In all of humanity's poverty there lies one weapon: Laughter. Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand." -Mark Twain

Other Comments by Colwyn Abernathy

45. Comment #154408 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 3, 2008 at 7:32 am

I thought living freely was more important than safety anyway.

"Those who would trade a little freedom for a little security, deserve neither freedom nor security." -Benjamin Franklin

Spot on...

Other Comments by Colwyn Abernathy

46. Comment #154416 by jbath on April 3, 2008 at 7:43 am

sidelined (comment 3)
Source of muslim jokes: http://www.soundingoff.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18

One nice one: Guy goes into sex shop and asks for an inflatable doll. Assistant asks him whether he wants a Christian one or a Muslim one. Customer asks what's the difference. Assistant explains that you need a pump for the Christian doll, but the Muslim one blows itself up.

Please indulge my unnecesarry wit. I will not keep my mouth shut in order to appease a group of ill-informed and violent opponents to freedom of speech.

Other Comments by jbath

47. Comment #154422 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 3, 2008 at 7:55 am

"Come to think of it, is "The Vicar of Dibley" or "Father Ted" shown in the US?

Sure do. At least Father Ted. It airs on local Philadelphia WYBE, and I think, BBC America. Me Mum's a fan. Tho I like My Hero better. :)

Other Comments by Colwyn Abernathy

48. Comment #154428 by nancy on April 3, 2008 at 8:09 am

""Come to think of it, is "The Vicar of Dibley" or "Father Ted" shown in the US?"

The Vicar and Father Ted are shown here in NY, as was Ballykissangel for a time, so priests are definitely OK to laugh at, and laugh we did.

Other Comments by nancy

49. Comment #154434 by Colwyn Abernathy on April 3, 2008 at 8:24 am

Good evening....Infidel...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8GgB4EVAJ8

EDIT: Not the whole bit. ;)

Tim Minchin genius
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSmuaaH1g60

MOOOOOHAAAMMMEEEEEEEED!

EDIT: Tim Minchin doesn't have an open mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFO6ZhUW38w

Other Comments by Colwyn Abernathy

50. Comment #154453 by Prankster on April 3, 2008 at 9:46 am

It's a non story-who really cares?

Besides which we really are going mad if it takes someone like Ben Elton to comment on something like this in this morning's papers-the man who gave the UK "Alternative Comedy" (ie non-racist, non-sexist and non-funny shouty student garbage)

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