"The article contains a couple of obvious factual errors which I also regret," Kilroy said

LONDON, January 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – After having his BBC1 chat show suspended thanks to immediate action from Muslims in Britain, Robert Kilroy-Silk regretted Saturday, January 10, his "racist anti-Arab" comments made in a syndicated Sunday Express column last week.

"I greatly regret the offence which has been caused by the article published in last weekend's Sunday Express," presenter Kilroy-Silk said in a statement published on the BBC News Online.

"It has obviously caused great distress and offence and I can only reiterate that I very deeply regret that. The article contains a couple of obvious factual errors which I also regret.

"It was originally written as a response to the views of opponents to the war in Iraq that Arab States 'loathe' the West and my piece referred to 'Arab States' rather than 'Arabs'," he added.

The BBC suspended the Kilroy show while investigating the matter, thanks to immediate and strong action from the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which lodged complaints with the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) and the BBC urging robust disciplinary action against the presenter.

In his January 4 article entitled "We Owe Arabs Nothing," Kilroy-Silk asked what Arabs had given to the world other than oil.

"Apart from oil - which was discovered, is produced and is paid for by the west - what do they [Arabs] contribute? Can you think of anything? Anything really useful? Anything really valuable? Something we really need, could not do without? No, nor can I," he said.

He further branded Arabs "suicide bombers, limb amputators, women repressors".

Suspended

In a statement, the BBC "strongly disassociates itself” from Kilroy-Silk’s remarks.

"We stress that these comments do not reflect the views of the BBC.

"The BBC is taking the Kilroy program off air immediately while we investigate this matter fully."

BBC guidelines introduced in the wake of the Hutton inquiry [into the death of British weapons expert David Kelly] say that freelance writing by staff "should not bring the BBC into disrepute or undermine the integrity or impartiality of BBC programs or presenters".

Hailed

"Britain's Muslim and Arab communities will be relieved to see that the BBC is treating this matter in a prompt and serious way," said Sacranei

Different bodies representing the Arab and Muslim community in Britain hailed the BBC decision.

"Britain's Muslim and Arab communities, indeed all right-thinking people in this country, will be relieved to see that the BBC is treating this matter in a prompt and serious way," MCB Secretary General Iqbal Sacranie said.

"Kilroy-Silk brought the BBC into disrepute with his gratuitous and racist anti-Arab rant in the Sunday Express," he added.

Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, cautiously welcomed the BBC’s decision.

"Whilst we are pleased to see Kilroy-Silk off the air, the BBC’s actions have highlighted the fact that Islamophobia is still not being taken as seriously as racism.

"If anti-Muslim hatred was seen in the same light, Muslims and indeed the British public, would have been spared at least some nine years of ‘Kilroy’," he said on the IHR website.

Kilroy-Silk’s comments also drew flack from British lawmakers and human rights activists.

"The BBC needs to consider very carefully whether it's appropriate to have Mr. Kilroy-Silk presenting a program which is supposed to be objective and impartial in looking at topical issues," Labor MP Lynne Jones who told BBC Radio 4's Today program.

For its part, the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) referred the matter to the police and its chief Trevor Phillips expects the MP-turned-presenter to be prosecuted for inciting racial hatred.

"Well this is now a matter for the police. What will happen is the police will investigate it, look at the Public Order Act and assess whether this could be interpreted as an incitement of racial hatred. There are clear legal tests for that, " Phillips told Sky News.

"If it is then it will go the Crown Prosecution Service who will then discuss whether there’s a case to be made and if there is a case to be made, Mr Kilroy-Silk will be prosecuted.

"I have to say, if it’s deemed not to be a breach of the laws on racial hatred, we will have to have a pretty good look at those laws."