Big surprise here.
By Sherna Noah in The Independent:
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.”…