«Breaking News» BBC Asian Network forced to apologise amid backlash over tweet

The BBC Asian Network today sparked outrage after asking listeners if they 'respected' a teenagers' decision to flee Saudi Arabia amid fears her life was in danger.  

Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun had planned to enter Australia on a tourist visa and seek asylum before she was detained by Thai authorities on Sunday.

The 18-year-old fears her family will kill her if she were sent home to Saudi Arabia, where she has renounced Islam and 'rebelled' against her father.

After a discussion about the teenager, the BBC Twitter account asked followers if they 'respected her decision.'

The BBC has since apologised for the ill-advised tweet, but has faced a furious backlash from social media users

The teenager is currently receiving UN protection in Thailand after the Australian government allegedly cancelled the tourist visa on which she had been travelling on, meaning she had become stranded in Bangkok whilst en route to Australia, where she had intended to seek asylum. 

She had been issued with a three month travel visa to enter the country on her Saudi passport. 

Shai Gohir OBE responded to the tweet: 'You knew what you were doing! Who made this decision originally? Disgusted with you lot!' 

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, tweeted: 'I have been detained in an airport hotel. I will be forcibly repatriated tomorrow to Kuwait and then Saudi. There is an airport person who constantly follows me. I can't even ask for protection or asylum in Thailand.'

The BBC has since apologised for the ill-advised tweet, but has faced a furious backlash from social media users. 

In a tweet, the BBC said: 'We have deleted the tweet about our earlier discussion on Rahuf al-Qunun. 

'The question we asked on air “How do you feel about the 18 year old Saudi woman's decision to leave her family and religion?” was aimed at our listeners who had faced similar dilemmas in their own life regarding family and religion. 

Twitter users remarked that it was not the first time that an incident like this had happened at the BBC

'We received several calls from people empathising with Miss al-Qunun’s situation. We are sorry the original wording about “respecting her decision” was open to misinterpretation' 

'If you want to hear from our listeners who have faced similar issues in their lives regarding family and religion, you can listen back to this morning’s programme.' 

But Twitter users have shared their outrage.  

Chris Newton tweeted: 'Stop digging. Stop trying to defend the indefensible. Just apologise.'   

James Mendelsohn wrote: 'The word "normalisation" probably gets overused. I'm not sure what other word to employ in regards to @bbcasiannetwork asking people whether they "respect" someone's decision to flee from their family on the grounds of fearing their own religiously-motivated murder.' 

Other users said: 'This is the problem when you put religion above all else', while another stated that it was as though an 'Islamist' had penned the original tweet which had been deleted. 

Twitter users were outraged and lambasted the BBC for being a 'disgrace' 

Another user @solenord, highlighted the different approach which had been taken to Rahaf Mohommed al Qunun's case.

'Imagine this was a white woman in some middle class area of London 'respect her right not to be raped' would sound outrageous'.

Others branded the channel as a 'disgrace'. 

Rahaf Mohammed al Qunun, 18, believes she will be murdered by her family if she is deported 

At the start of the show, which was originally aired on the 'Big Debate' segment of the show, presented by Qasa Alom he poses the below question, before asking listeners to get in touch with the team.

'Today we are asking how do you feel about the 18-year-old Saudi woman’s decision to leave her family and religion. Do you think she’s brave for taking a stand for her principles, do you respect her decision and would you ever feel comfortable telling people that you don’t believe in your faith anymore?'

Despite removing the tweet relating to the show, the episode is still available through the BBC Sounds application. 

Twitter users replying to the BBC Asian Network's tweet said the channel was a 'disgrace'

On Twitter user @Taxi_Andy posted a photo of a mock badge which stated: 'Is that true? Or did you hear it on the BBC'. He felt as though the topic should not have been up for debate and responding to the comments from the BBC who said the tweet had been 'misinterpreted' said: 'Misinterpreation? Debating whether someone has the right to live just because she chose to give up her religion!'

Despite the backlash the BBC faced, this is not the first time the Asian Network channel has received criticism from viewers.

In 2017 the programme discussed what the 'right punishment for blasphemy', and had encouraged listeners of the show to share their views. Following today's programme, political blog Guido Fawkes also published snippets of other BBC questions which had been questionable such as: 'Is is ever ok to openly criticise homosexuality' and 'cousin marriages good or bad'.

Twitter users were outraged at the discussion which had taken place on the 'Big Debate' segment of the show

Twitter user '@BanTheBBC' highlighted the previous BBC debates and said: 'You are quite accident prone aren't you?' 

This is while @PenelopeEA, said the original tweet 'wasn't open to misinterpretation, She said: 'You were inviting comment and debate on a woman's right to be safe from violence. Take responsibility.' 

Another user '@Draconacticus'  said: 'Disgusting for this question to have even entered your minds.

Other users commented that the BBC had become prone to making mistakes on the Asian Network

'Apostasy is NOT a crime. It's a human right. Freedom of religion and free from religion are entirely equivalent.

'If you don't believe in one, relinquish your right to the other'. They later tweeted 'can't believe this is up for debate withe the 21st century'.

At the beginning of the 'Big Debate' the presenter said: 'Rahuf al-Qunun is 18, she is from Saudi and recently she began a journey to leave the country and try to make it to Australia and appeal for asylum because she doesn't believe in Islam anymore and felt that her life was in danger.

Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun (pictured above) said she would be killed if she was repatriated by Thai immigration officials

'The law in Saudi states that anyone who renounces Islam in punishable by death.

'Now the teenager was stopped in Thailand, where she is now staying at a Thai government shelter while the UN refugee agency asses her case.'  

Other Twitter users said that it should have not been up for debate and that it wasn't open for misinterpretation

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https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/09/bbc-asian-network-forced-to-apologise-amid-backlash-over-tweet/
Main photo article The BBC Asian Network today sparked outrage after asking listeners if they ‘respected’ a teenagers’ decision to flee Saudi Arabia amid fears her life was in danger.  
Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun had planned to enter Australia on a tourist visa and seek asylum before she was detained ...

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