Complaint to the BBC about antisemitism in a programme. – The Frankincense Trail episode 2

First broadcast on 3rd September 2009 on BBC at 20:00.

In the program, the presenter, Kate humble stated as historical fact that in 524 ce a Jewish tribe massacred more than 20,000 peaceful Christians in a pit of fire, the entire populace of a city in the Arabian desert. (1)

In the early part of the 6th Century convert called Zar’a Yusuf, known also as Dhu Nuwas (a reference to his curly hair) became a Jewish tribal leader. He prosecuted wars to drive the Aksumite Ethiopians from Arabia. (2). According to some medieval historians he announced he would persecute Christians living in his Kingdom as revenge forthe persecution of Jews in Christian states
His rule lasted until between 525 to 530 ce. There is a contemporary letter by a Christian, Simon bishop of Beth Ashram recounting Dhu Nuwas’ persecution in Najran. Different accounts claim up to 20,000 Christians were killed (2). However some historians believe that the death toll was as low as 340 (3)

The BBC and Kate Humble presented false unproven, misleading, offensive and anti-semitic claims as follows:
1. It is not true that more than 20,000 Christians were killed. The number could have been as few as 340.
2. The narrative implies that a Jewish tribe was responsible for the killing of innocents. If there was a massacre, the responsibility lay with one man, their leader, who was a convert to Judaism and was not ethnically Jewish. The narrative fails even to mention the chief protagonist.
3. The narrative fails to put the massacre into perspective, that perspective being the persecution of Jews by Christians in other parts of the region.
4. The narrative fails to point out that Talmudic Jewish teaching condemns proselytizing by Jews. This is essential for putting the event into context as it shows that the massacre if it took place in name of the Jewish religion was perversion of Judaism.
5. The historical evidence for the event is thin.
6. As a consequence the program is libelous and encourages anti-Semitic beliefs and verbal or physical attacks against Jews.

The BBC should ensure that before the program is re-broadcast anywhere worldwide by itself or other broadcaster. Appropriate edits are made to correct the distortions.

The BBC should apologise publicly to the Jewish community in the UK and throughout the world, for the misleading and damaging narrative.

(1) 19 minutes and 40 seconds into the program the presenter Kate Humble narrates the following:

Beyond the Dunes was a welcome respite from the barren wilderness, a city built on the profits of the frankincense trade, known today as old Najran there are its ruins. This would have been the gates to the old city and 1,500 years ago any of the cameleers who reached this point must have done so with a huge sense of relief because they’d just completed the toughest most unforgiving section of the route and to get here must have felt like arriving at nirvana.
In front to all these buildings here would have been the homes of rich merchants. The streets would have been cool and shady, full of tradesmen and markets all cashing in on those giant camel caravans from the south. The city was built before the advent of Christianity and Islam and ancient pagan symbols adorn many of the buildings. Its strategic position on the frankincense trails made it a target for religious missionaries and for raiders.

For hundreds of years this was a peaceful Christian city but a Jewish Himjarite tribe from Yemen changed its fortunes forever.

There is a legendary city mentioned in the Qur’an called Al-Ukhdud and some Saudi experts believe this may have been it and if it was the Scene in 524 AD of the most horrific massacre.
The city was besieged and the Christian citizens given the most horrendous choice:
Convert to Judaism or die. They chose death and over 20,000 of the perished in a pit of fire.

(2) http://wapedia.mobi/en/Yemenite_Jew, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhu_Nuwas

(3) http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=319&letter=D