Ben, there is a damn good reason why the BBC are absolutely bleedin terrified of the idea of broadcasting jokes about muslims. If you take the mickey out of another religion, say christianity, the worst you are likely to get is some verbal condemnation from nut jobs like christian voice. The last time any part of the media made an attempt to take the mickey out of Islam there were riots all over the world and calls for jihad.
Now I accept that there are moderate muslims out there who would probably be a little narked but accept it as being in the same vein as jokes about other religions but they do appear to be vastly outnumbered by the foaming at the mouth mobs that appeared all over the place after a Danish newspaper printed those cartoons.
Comedian and writer Ben Elton has said the BBC is too "scared" to broadcast jokes about Muslims for fear of provoking radical Islamists.
Elton, in an interview with Christian magazine Third Way, added that the broadcaster would "let vicar gags pass but would not let imam gags pass".
He said fear rather than "moral sensibilities" fuelled decisions about what material was appropriate.
A BBC spokeswoman said: "No subject is off limits for BBC comedy."
"The treatment should not cause harm or offence as defined by the BBC's Editorial Guidelines or breach other BBC Guidelines. There is no evidence that the BBC is afraid to tackle difficult subjects," she added.
Muhammad joke
Elton told the magazine how he had sat on a panel and suggested a joke involving Mohammed, which was rejected.
"I wanted to use the phrase 'Muhammad 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 Muhammad, Muhammad must go to the mountain.' And people said, 'Let's just not!'"
The comedy writer, whose credits include Blackadder and The Thin Blue Line, added the Muslims would not want to be excluded from comedy.
"I'm quite certain that the average Muslim does not want everybody going around thinking,'We can't mention you. We've just got to pretend you don't exist because we're scared that somebody who claims to represent you will threaten to kill us.'"
The 48-year-old writer of Queen musical We Will Rock You, professed to being an atheist, but said he did occasionally go to church and sent his children to Church of England schools.
