At about 13:00 yesterday (GMT), on BBC World Service, a presenter had three guests to discuss issues around the Orlando mass murder. They were (something like) Patrick Blackland (sp?), Katie Kam (?) and Christen (?) Taylor.
It seemed clear that the presenter was rather alarmed when Taylor "went off the reservation" as it were, and talked of the Islamic motives for the killings. The other guests stuck more to the implicit line that "anything but Islam" was the cause. "Hate", "homophobia", "guns", "mental illness", "quotidian gun violence", and so on.
Yet the best and most persuasive analysis was Taylor's. It's Islam! (The ideas and ideology)
The BBC should not be concerned to air these views. For a start they're more consonant with the truth. And second you will find much of your audience will be relieved to hear some plain truth being spoken on the issue. So too will your moderate Muslim audience, given that it's Muslims who are most often the victims of Islamically inspired violence.
Two good articles to read this week. One by ex-Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali in the Wall Street Journal ("Islam's Jihad against homosexuals") and one by still-Muslim (just) Maajid Nawaz in the Daily Beast ("Admit it: these terrorists are Muslim")
Regards
Peter Forsythe
Hong Kong
Sent from my iPhone
