Ahmadinejad gives festive speech

The rest is here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7799094.stm

I for one will be interested at what he has to say, and will tune in a 7:30

 

Why do we care what the Iranian President has to say about Christmas?
We don't go on Iranian TV and tell them what we think of their religious festivals (and subtitle it)

 

Because some of us care about how other cultures view the western world. Some of us are also interested in the politics of other countries.

You sound like such a nationalist saying that. Actually - Western branding and television is thrown at the East like slurry off a shovel. So I guess that in a way you could say that actually "we" do go on their television and tell them what we think of their culture.

You sound so offended, like he's trespassing on your television, as if he's stormed into the recording studio and demanded to be shown live to the nation. Channel4 agreed to air it and plenty of people were interested in hearing what he had to say.

 

No, not offended, just not something I want to see on TV (and yes, I know I don't have to watch it)
My point was to do with the timing, any other time is alright bar religious Christian holidays.

 

Dude! Did you even watch it?

The whole thing was just a PR job, he was just saying "wassup Christians, enjoy this special day. Let's all follow the word of GOD and get along together, with brotherhood and love and stuff ok?" Then there was some general hating on greed and corruption, with some references to the credit crisis thrown in.

Anyways, if anyone wants to watch, you can find the whole thing here: http://www.channel4.com/news/articl...cs/the+alternative+christmas+message+/2892692

 

There’s only one force in the universe that wants to be worshipped and it’s not the Creative Spirit, which leaves us with one…

…ding! ding! ding!


Anyway....

Perhaps he was trying to reach out? Trying to show on what he sees as similarities?..to name but two thoughts here.

 

It's the principle of the thing. He's effectively telling us how we should run our country - to the guidelines of "divine" prophets (he really means Mohammed - the only prophet) - and what's more, it comes from the mouth of an anti-Semitic, homophobic, fanatical Islamic dictator. Our country is running just swell thanks, not like war-torn tribal "shiite"-hole Muslim countries.
Channel 4's reasoning has to be Islamic influence from the inside. I'm probably just being paranoid and probably racist, but the Iranian president's "world view" is one shared with the likes of Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Mashaal, Abu Hamza, Hassan Nasrallah, and dare I say Osama Bin Laden? Would Channel 4 give any of those mentalists a slot? I would certainly hope not. Perhaps Channel 4 didn't want to be labelled racist or anti-Islamic for denying a Muslim time to spout garbage over the airwaves and into our wholesome secular society, I don't know, but personally I'm offended by it.

 

Did you even bother to read the article? It wasn't aired on the BBC

 

Urgh, my miustake, I was angry and my proof reading sucked arse

 

Err no, Channel 4 has always had an alternative Christmas message, you guys are saying "OMG CHANNEL4 ARE ANTI ENGLAND KILL KILL KILL!" (remind you of anything btw?).

Channel4 has always been on the very edge of TV and the Church and the State should not be confused as the same. I do not fully believe in many Christian beliefs (hell a load of Christians do not) but in many other countries (namely look at what happened in France when Chirac was caught praying as he was going into office on day) it is forbidden that any religion should have an affect on the way a country is run.

And so what if the guys a homophobe? Surely you were brought up to treat everyone equally, not to be prejudice, and to treat others as you would like to be treated? In which case, have you ever seen him do anything bad? Have you seen him do anything bad to you or a loved one?

 

Don't Channel 4 normally broadcast their alt Christmas message either at 3pm or 3:15 just after or the same time as the queen's speech. why was it shown at 7:30 this year? I turned on to channel 4 at 3pm, mainly to avoid the queen's speech, and ended up with Noel Edmonds instead, and at 3pm I was no where near drunk enough to cope with Noel.

 

No, like anyone else over the age of 40 in the UK and USA I was brought up to believe homosexuality was wrong, women had less rights than men, nothing wrong with corporal punishment, and all foreigners were inferior.

Current Western tolerance levels are very new and very flaky, as evidenced by comments frequently made here as well as in the media.

 

I fully agree with you cpemma, I was having this discussion with my parents earlier (after discussing Somali pirates) and my stepfather still has some old world views (slightly racist with a hint of anti-feminism). But I still agree that corporal punishment is correct

What I am dissapointed by is people not willing to hear what someone says.

 

Awesome, He is trolling from an afar country making bnp voting, daily mail raging, middle class, out of touch christmas idiots fume.

Let him speak, discuss it without slander, bias and discuss it like humans in the 21st century should, with applications of science and without the stink of religious nutter butter bias.

Also, please remember. Islam is a peacefull religion. Its the people which misinterpret both sets of holy books carry the swords and shoot the guns. plus he is just sore everyone in teh western world got asolutely trollied yesturday and he cant in the name of his "saviour".

I think we should just smother them with smug inducing amounts of goodwill and tolerance, boy that'll make them want to destroy us even more!

 

Jeepers! I think he got it

/pulls Ahmadinejads mask off

 

Oh, you mean like we've been telling Iraq how it should run itself?

Moreover, Islam recognises a number of divine prophets also acknowledged by Judaism and Christianity: Abraham, Jesus Christ. According to Islam, Mohammed is the latest prophet and thus his word is considered the most "up to date" authority on God.

Homophobic, really? Do we have gay marriages in the UK yet? They have in my country. As for fanatical dictatorship: why did we go to war with Iraq and Afghanistan again?

Yes.

Perhaps Channel 4 just wanted to show an alternative viewpoint. After all we've had George Bush' and Tony Blair's lies and jingoist BS, perehaps it was time to give some counterpoint. And don't get me started on how "wholesome" this society is. Give me a break already.

 

The amount of mis-informed racist information in this post is literally staggering. Channel 4 is being controlled by Al-Quada are you insane?

Its really a reflection of the generally unknown/mysterious view of Iran by the west. Ahmadinejad's views are prejudice and homophobic however this is really the fact that he is a relatively conservative politician appealing to the real power brokers of Iran: The ayatollahs. Its no real different from the prejudiced homophobic views of most of America really, the irony in of the similarity of their views is pretty funny. Generally Iranian society isn't nearly as religiously conservative and is could somewhat be considered liberal which is what puts Ahmadinejad in such a weird spot: ideologically split from the majority of people who he is "leader" of. The fact is that it is the ayatollahs that control the most important foreign and moral matters, Ahmadinejad couldn't end Iran's Nuclear program any more than Gordon Brown could end America's. Iran's made some pretty serious steps to trying to cool over relations, most notably brokering negotiations with Iraq's insurgency which got little to no press. I can't really be ****ed with any sort of religion but the fact he is appealing to Britain on some level is significant.

 

I honestly welcomed the Idea of having the speech on air. It allows for Diversity and another view point on the holidays.