Excerpt:
TORONTO - VisionTV did not violate federal broadcasting rules when it aired lectures by a Pakistani cleric who preaches the extermination of Jews, the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council said in a decision released yesterday.
The ruling said that because the offensive comments for which Israr Ahmad is notorious were not made during his Canadian television appearances, the multi-faith broadcaster did not breach the broadcast code of ethics.
The broadcast standards council also said that while Mr. Ahmad's television show had discussed fighting "the enemies of Allah on the battlefield" as a form of jihad, he used a "monochromatic" tone and "did not even raise his voice to make his point."
"This is not to suggest that there may not be some persons who interpret those words in a violent way and use them as a spur to hostile acts. That is not, however, the panel's understanding of Israr Ahmad's comments in the challenged episode," the council ruled.