News
BBC drops Apprentice contestant from spin-off show over antisemitic posts to social media
The action follows a letter from the Board of Deputies of British Jews
February 15, 2024 17:19
By, Daniel Ben-David
1 min read
The action follows a letter from the Board of Deputies of British Jews
February 15, 2024 17:19ByDaniel Ben-David, Daniel Ben-David
The BBC has dropped a contestant of The Apprentice from its spin-off show, You’re Fired, after complaints were made about his history of posting antisemitic content to social media.
Asif Munaf, the NHS doctor and contestant who last month was found to have made a string of antisemitic comments posts on social media, has reportedly been cut from episodes of the upcoming You’re Fired show.
Scenes featuring Munaf were reportedly recorded over the weekend but will now not appear in the show.
Following the Board of Deputies President's urgent letter to the BBC Director-General Tim Davie and the BBC Chairman this morning, we have been notified that the BBC has significantly edited all content relating to BBC 2's You're Fired concerning Asif Munaf. Our full statement: pic.twitter.com/BjMq25YNNd
The President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Marie van der Zyl, wrote a letter to BBC Director-General Tim Davie and Samir Shah.
In a statement on Wednesday evening, the Board wrote that they have “been notified that the BBC has significantly edited all content relating to BBC 2’s You’re Fired concerning Asif Munaf.
“We hope that the BBC will apologise publicly to the Jewish community for their handling of this sorry situation and send the people responsible for antisemitism awareness training.”
After news broke Thursday morning, Munaf began posting to X/Twitter about his scenes being cut.
They can cut my scenes from the show but they cut my connection with Him.
— Dr Asif Munaf (@DrAsifOfficial) February 15, 2024
He wrote: “They can cut my scenes from the show but they cut my connection with Him,” and a quote from the Quran: “Say what is true, although it may be bitter and displeasing to people.”
— Dr Asif Munaf (@DrAsifOfficial) February 15, 2024
He also posted: “The lobby tried to influence the broadcaster. They relented. The lobby tried to influence the regulator. They relented.”
And: “I will continue speaking the truth whether it costs me my limbs, livelihood or life,”
Following the October 7 attack, Munaf wrote that Zionists are “a godless, satanic cult” and said of his children: “I pray they are strong enough physically, spiritually and psychologically to overcome the trial of the Zionist antichrist.”
Despite Munaf being sent by the BBC to diversity training after controversial posts of his surfaced after he appeared on The Apprentice, he continued to post about “Zionists”.
In January he wrote: “The Zionist mask is falling, and the world is waking up.
“How this tiny European neo-colonial settler project has shamelessly weaponised the horror of the Holocaust to push another fascist ideology based on racial supremacy is disturbing. This itself is a form of antisemitism.”
Posting about Zionists he said: “Have you ever met even a semi-average looking Zionist? Aren’t they all odiously ogre-like?”