By Azeez Ridwan
An Osun-based Muslim human rights group, The Ta’awunu Human Rights Initiative, has chided the media conglomerate, BBC for misrepresentation of the Muslim women in veil.
The body, in a press release signed by its Director-General, Barrister Sulaymon A. Tadese on Monday titled, LIBEL AND UNPROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTIC CONDUCT AGAINST WOMEN IN VEIL BY BBC NEWS YORUBA, expressed dismay over why a veiled woman picture is necessary to ‘this’ caption published on BBC News Yoruba online platform.
The release:
UPDATED: LIBEL AND UNPROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTIC CONDUCT AGAINST WOMEN IN VEIL BY BBC YORUBA
The Ta’awunu Human Rights Initiative had again received another degrading and insultive presentation of women in veil believed to have been published by BBC NEWS Yoruba.
If we can recall, THURIST had received same issue emanating in a home video produced by Olufunmi Bakare with the participation of the veteran actor Odunlade Adekola and the subsequent Eleshinogo Arola video, all strangulating the practices of women in veil which bought the perpetrators to their kneels.
It is infuriating, disgusting and disturbing that another bad and malicious depiction of women in veil had been found on BBC News Yoruba in a regard of libelous inscription on his online publication in which the picture of a woman in veil was attached to its publication written in Yoruba “E wo alágbe méje tó lówó jùlo ní àgbáyé” meaning checkout the seven richest beggars in the world.
Till this moment however, we kept imagining why a veiled woman picture is necessary to this caption published on BBC News Yoruba online platform.
We believe as a journalistic agency, such doing is unethical and unprofessional and a gross insubordination to Journalism in particular and Humanity in general.
Without much ado and on this note, THURIST demand that BBC Yoruba is hereby summoned to answer questions as to why a woman in veil is attached to such libelous inscription on her publication and a removal of such publication within 7 days
We as well demand that BBC Yoruba should issue an apology in respect of the publication.
TAKE NOTICE that failure to comply with our demands here-stated within 7 days we shall have the course to proceed on a serious legal action against you as your action shall be brought to the hearing of the Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation and the News Agency of Nigeria, which may bring down your Media.
Thanks.
Barr. Sulaymon A. Tadese
Director-General
THURIST-Nigeria
Office Contact: 08136166662, 08136507665
Cc:
Nigeria Broadcasting CorporationNews Agency of Nigeria
The Nigeria Censors Board Abuja