Al Jazeera might want to change its motto from "Setting the news agenda" to "Setting the news agenda that protects Muhammad."
A host for the network's English-language broadcasting bristled at the suggestion Al Jazeera would censor criticism of Muhammad before precisely that happened.
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Host Peter Dobbie of "Inside Story" invited activist Tommy Robinson of PEGIDA U.K. onto his show on Monday and was immediately exposed for trying to pass off violent verses from the Old Testament as if they came from the Quran.
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"When you hear those quotes, what do you think that speaks to?" asked Dobbie.
"I'd ask you why you’re reading the Old Testament to me," replied Robinson. "I'm not stupid. You're sitting quoting verses from the Old Testament thinking I’m a moron that would think that’s from the Quran. I know the Old Testament and I know the Quran."
Robinson then asked the stunned host if he was "free to criticize the prophet Muhammad" from his office in Qatar, Breitbart London reported.
Dobbie claimed he was under no rules forbidding criticism of Muhammad, but footage recorded by Robinson shows 50 seconds off his interview was immediately edited out of the broadcast.
"You know that [Muhammad] murdered 600 people. You know that he raped. ... People in the Bible are different to the messenger of god, who is the most moral compass for every Muslim in the world. When he is the moral compass for every Muslim in the world and he married a six-year-old child called Aisha and he raped her when she was nine, I have a problem with that," said Robinson.
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An Al Jazeera spokesman told Breitbart London on Monday that editing out criticism of Muhammad in a conversation about censorship was a pure coincidence.
"'Inside Story' is a pre-recorded program, and on many occasions our editorial staff make decisions on what to include or omit based on what is editorially relevant and acceptable to broadcasting standards to the particular debate being aired in the episode in question," the spokesman said.
Al Jazeera's embarrassing interview with Robinson comes less than one month since it was announced that Al Jazeera America will cease to exist as of April 30. The operation lasted only three years.
“I know this will be a massive disappointment for everyone here who has worked tirelessly for our long-term future. The decision that has been made is in no way because AJAM has done anything but a great job," CEO Al Anstey wrote in an email to staff Jan. 13, WND reported. "I'm truly sad that that future we were making great strides towards cannot be realized."
Al Jazeera entered the U.S. market in January 2013 when it purchased Al Gore's Current TV for approximately $500 million. The Arab-language broadcaster’s exit involves shifting towards a "global online strategy" later this year.
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