Tabloid drops Muslim spoof
2006-10-19 14:17
London - A British newspaper dropped plans to publish a spoof entitled the "Daily Fatwa" after a revolt by staff, a journalists' union said.
The Daily Star, a downmarket tabloid whose front page usually features topless women and stories of celebrity misbehaviour, planned to run a spoof page mocking Islamic sharia law, the National Union of Journalists said.
Headlines on the page, due to run on Wednesday, reportedly included "Page 3 Burka Babes Special" and a contest offering the chance to burn a flag and win a car.
The union said its members at the newspaper held a meeting late on Tuesday and passed a motion declaring the spoof "deliberately offensive to Muslims".
The resolution added that the content "poses a very serious risk of violent and dangerous reprisals from religious fanatics who may take offence at these articles. This may place the staff in great jeopardy".
The union said newspaper management agreed to pull the page.
The newspaper declined to comment.
The union's general secretary, Jeremy Dear, said the spoof had been "an outrageous and hugely irresponsible idea".
"The union's code of conduct condemns this sort of gratuitous material which is likely to encourage discrimination and hatred in our society," he said.
"We are calling on the Daily Star to act wisely and responsibly and put this moment of madness behind them for good."
- AP