Pro-Islamic BBC

The BBC needs to change its name, perhaps to the British Islamic Propaganda Corporation. I've already noted that there's some unusually biased and misleading reporting on the Islamic Courts in Mogadishu. Despite the murder of one of their own the BBC has already written approvingly of the "stability" that the Courts have brought to the streets of the city. Stability obviously trumps freedom, something than many on the Left have made clear in the past few years with their opposition to the overthrow of the dictatorships of Saddam Hussein and the Taliban.

Now, the BBC goes further and publishes a puff piece on the leader of the Courts, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed. He only got involved in the Courts to rescue a kidnapped child, don't you know. He's also "confident that Islam will always have the upper hand." But don't worry, this "modest leader" who dresses "simply in a long-sleeved Pakistani-style shirt and a pair of simple trousers which do not reach his ankles and cheap sandals" comes across as a pretty decent guy. Remember, he's doing it for the kids.

I did a search for some of the Sheikh's sayings and an awful of of news agencies are giving the Islamic Courts positive press, including his statement that he doesn't want to establish a Taliban-like Islamic state in Mogadishu. In fact he is quoted by the ever unquestioning BBC as saying, "This body is not a political one. Rather we want to give power back to the Somali people so it can make its own decisions and decide its own destiny."

Which is strange because Sky news quotes him as saying, "Until we get the Islamic state, we will continue with the Islamic struggle in Somalia."