Latest news with #ThoughtoftheDay
The National
4 days ago
- Politics
- The National
BBC pulls radio segment after guest calls Robert Jenrick 'xenophobic'
It comes after the Tory shadow minister said in an article last week that he didn't want his children 'to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally'. Dr Krish Kandiah, a refugee charity founder, said Jenrick's words echoed 'a fear many have absorbed. Fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia'. READ MORE: JD Vance panned for 'lies about Scotland' ahead of luxury Ayrshire holiday He added: 'It is understandable that many people are scared by the unknown, especially if they've been told illegality and unfairness are part of the story. 'However, over the past year, xenophobia has fuelled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in our communities.' Reacting to the segment, Jenrick said: 'On BBC Radio 4 this morning listeners were told that if you're concerned about the threat of illegal migrants to your kids, you're racist. Wrong. You're a good parent.' The BBC apologised in the aftermath and pulled the segment. A spokesperson said: 'Today's episode of Thought for the Day contained reflections from a faith perspective on fear in society but has been edited to remove some of the language used and we apologise for its inclusion.' Here are the words of Dr Krish Kandiah's full Thought of the Day on BBC Radio 4: 'We are not born. Psychologists and neuroscientists explain that babies arrive in this world with only two natural start responses. One to falling and the other to loud noises. Most other fears, whether of heights, failures, spiders or strangers are learned. Picked up through experience and the influence of others. When my children were born I felt afraid leaving them alone in their cots, I hesitated to let others hold them, I felt my stomach twist when they walked through the school gates for the first time. Even now as I count down the days to my daughter's wedding, I feel butterflies in my stomach. Across the country many parents, carers and grandparents will be feeling a similar nervousness ahead of tomorrow's A-level results. They seem so important, shaping our children's next steps towards university, a job, a career, but in truth our fears are misplaced. A grade on a piece of paper does not define who our children are, nor does it dictate their future success or happiness. 'A front page story in the Mail on Sunday quoted shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick talking about his fears for his young daughters. He said: 'I certainly don't want my children to share a neighborhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom we know next to nothing.' These words echo a fear many have absorbed. Fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia. All phobias are by definition irrational. Nevertheless, they have a huge impact. It is understandable that many people are scared by the unknown, especially if they've been told illegality and unfairness are part of the story. However, over the past year, xenophobia has fueled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in our communities. 'After rigorous Home Office assessment, the majority of people arriving in small boats are found to be genuinely fleeing war, persecution, and famine – circumstances we would never wish on our own families. The idea that they pose a greater risk to our children than those already within our communities isn't supported by evidence. Most crimes against children are committed not by strangers, but by people they know, often from within their own families or neighborhoods. "Fear, when it makes us cautious, can keep us safe but when it makes us unnecessarily suspicious it can be dangerous, making society more fractured and fragile and eroding the very values we want our children to experience - kindness, fairness and open heartedness. Martin Luther King Jnr, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, spoke not of fear but of hope. He wanted his children to share a neighbourhood with those others considered a risk. Children from all races walking hand in hand in peace. His words rooted in his Christian faith echo what Jesus taught - to love thy neighbour and to welcome the stranger. Just as fear may be learned, I believe it is possible for us to learn to hope. By choosing empathy over suspicion, by listening before judging and by building bridges instead of walls.'
Spectator
4 days ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Did Thought for the Day call Jenrick xenophobic?
To the Beeb, which these days is better at making news headlines than creating them. On Radio 4's Thought of the Day this morning was Dr Krish Kandiah, who centred his sermon around fear. While he started gently, talking about feeling afraid of leaving his newborn children alone or taking them to school for the first time, his speech took a rather odd turn… Pivoting to more current affairs, he turned to a growing fear many in the UK are beginning to feel more intensely: that of immigration. But, worry not, those who can identify: by Kandiah's reading, this is irrational. Taking aim at shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, he remarked: A front page story in the Mail on Sunday quoted shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick, talking about his fears for his young daughters. He said: I certainly don't want my children to share a neighbourhood with men from backward countries who broke into Britain illegally and about whom we know next to nothing. These words echo a fear. Many have absorbed fear of the stranger. The technical name for this is xenophobia. All phobias are by definition irrational. Nevertheless, they have a huge impact. It is understandable that many people are scared by the unknown, especially if they've been told illegality and unfairness are part of the story. And Kandiah didn't stop there: Over the past year, xenophobia has fueled angry protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, deepening divisions in our communities. After rigorous Home Office assessment, the majority of people arriving in small boats are found to be genuinely fleeing war, persecution and famine. Circumstances we would never wish on our own families. The idea that they pose a greater risk to our children than those already within our communities isn't supported by evidence. Most crimes against children are committed not by strangers, but by people they know, often from within their own families or neighborhoods. Fear, when it makes us cautious can keep us safe. But when it makes us unnecessarily suspicious, it can be dangerous. He omitted to mention that some of these protests have been sparked by concerns about sexual offences committed by migrants coming from other countries. How curious… Mr S was interested to find out that Dr Kandiah is the founder the Sanctuary Foundation which is, as he writes on his website, 'a charity supporting refugees to find welcome, work and worthwhile housing in the UK' and is considered an 'expert in refugee resettlement'. Not that this would make him unduly sympathetic to a particular side, eh?
Spectator
16-06-2025
- Politics
- Spectator
Listen: Bishop of Manchester's bizarre grooming gang speech
Well, well, well. Ahead of the publication of Baroness Casey's findings after her review into Britain's grooming gang scandal this afternoon, the Beeb invited a rather curious speaker on for the Radio 4 Today programme's 'Thought of the Day'. The Bishop of Manchester, Reverend David Walker, made a rather bizarre statement on the show today as he chose to centre his contribution on the gangs: This is not a pattern of offending confined to any particular ethnic cultural or religious group. I hope that the forthcoming inquiry will help us find ways to keep young girls safe from the groups of predatory older men, whatever their origin. But it is a natural human tendency to want to think that such horrendous crimes are only carried out by people who are not like us. Whilst gangs may dominate the news headlines, child protection experts affirm that the vast majority of child sexual exploitation is committed by the victim's close family members or family friends. In fact, Pakistani men are up to five times as likely to be responsible for child sex grooming offences than the general population, according to figures from the Hydrant Programme, which investigates child sex abuse. Around one in 73 Muslim men over 16 have been prosecuted for 'group-localised child sexual exploitation' in Rotherham, research by academics from the universities of Reading and Chichester has revealed. Indeed, after Reverend Walker's speech, presenter Nick Robinson noted the new national inquiry announced by Sir Keir Starmer was into grooming gangs constituted 'of men of largely Pakistani heritage'. Listen to the full clip here:
