Biodun.BBC: October 2018

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

In US, blackface far from a thing of the past

31 October 2018 - 22H39 GMT/UTC/ZULU TIME

by Rachel Rubin and Biodun Iginla, France24, Washington DC

WASHINGTON -

Every year for Halloween, the controversy seems to rear its ugly head -- white Americans post photos from costume parties of their friends, or of themselves, dressed in blackface. They wanted to be Beyonce, or Diana Ross.

Instead, a painful debate about the history of race in America that is more than a century in the making is revived.

US journalist Megyn Kelly got fired over it. After she made comments on air that appeared to condone the use of blackface in Halloween costumes, a major backlash ensued, and she lost her NBC talk show.

The problematic custom dates back to about 1830, and so-called "minstrel shows" -- white performers caked their faces in greasepaint or shoe polish and drew on exaggerated lips in a caricature of blacks.

The stereotypes portrayed -- that blacks were somehow inferior, ignorant, lazy and even animalistic -- cemented racist attitudes for decades. Some of those images still exist today.

"Blackface was used to depict African Americans as not human, to justify and normalize and sanction violence," David Leonard, a professor at Washington State University who has written extensively on the subject, told us at France24.

A well-known white actor in minstrel shows, Thomas Rice, popularized the form. One of his characters was "Jim Crow" -- he claimed to have been inspired by a slave who was handicapped.

The name later was attached to laws that codified racial segregation in the United States.

"The history of blackface is one of violence, one of demonization, one of racism," Leonard said.

- 'Terrible mistake' -

Despite the recurring controversies about the use of blackface, Kelly slammed what she called the "costume police" on the October 23 live episode of "Megyn Kelly Today" in a segment about Halloween outfits.

"I mean, truly -- political correctness has gone amok. There are strict rules on what you may and may not wear issued by someone who thinks they're the boss of you," said Kelly, who is white.

"This year, the costume police are cracking down like never before," she added, one week before the annual festivities for Halloween, which is celebrated on Wednesday.

"What is racist? Because, truly, you do get in trouble if you are a white person who puts on blackface for Halloween or a black person who puts on whiteface for Halloween."

It was not her first controversial comments about race.

In 2013, when she was a news anchor at Fox, Kelly sparked anger when she said that Santa Claus and Jesus Christ were white.

Her latest comments sparked outrage, online and within her own workplace.

"While she apologized to the staff, she owes a bigger apology to folks of color around the country," said veteran NBC weatherman Al Roker, who is black.

Gayle King, a black news presenter at CBS, said: "She made a terrible mistake."

Her apology came quickly but the damage was done -- and compounded by her falling ratings.

Three days after the original comments, "Megyn Kelly Today" was pulled from the air, not to return.

- 'Everyday racism' -

For Leonard, Kelly's comments are only a symptom of a bigger problem -- the persistent denial on the part of many Americans of an unseemly part of their history, and "entrenched white privilege."

"It's a refusal to confront the history of racism in this country and refusing how race matters today," he said.

"We as white people should be listening to African Americans who say this hurts, this injures, this causes not only emotional pain but it has consequences," Leonard added.

"Those consequences are felt in everyday racism but also in persistent inequalities."

The university professor said the current political climate is not helpful in resolving such issues, especially with a president -- Donald Trump -- who "continues to leverage a white grievance politics."

The controversy over blackface bleeds into other issues, like the simmering debate over Confederate statues and monuments, and whether they should remain standing or be removed.

"This should be the beginning of a conversation. We must have a reckoning in this country," said black political commentator Roland Martin, who was invited onto Kelly's show the day after her comments.

"You can dress up like Diana Ross. Just don't put no damn black paint on your face," he added, referring to a cast member of "The Real Housewives of New York" who wore a giant wig and darker make-up.

Luann de Lesseps later apologized, saying the make-up was "tanning cream" and saying: "I didn't mean to offend anyone."

As for a Missouri woman who posted a photo of herself in blackface as Beyonce, she was fired from her job as a hospital nurse.

ANALYSIS AND BREAKING: Asia Bibi: Imran Khan attacks hardliners over court case

Media captionAsia Bibi's escape from Pakistan death row

by Leila Mohamed and Biodun Iginla, BBC News Analysts, Islamabad

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has attacked hardliners and appealed for calm after the acquittal of a Christian woman convicted of blasphemy.

In a televised broadcast, Mr Khan said hardliners were "inciting [people] for their own political gain", claiming they are "doing no service to Islam".

The landmark Asia Bibi case has already set off violent protests by hardliners who support strong blasphemy laws.

Her lawyer has told us at the BBC that she would need to move to abroad for her safety.

Asia Bibi was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad in a row with neighbours.

She always maintained her innocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

Wednesday's verdict by the Supreme Court triggered demonstrations in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan. Clashes with police have been reported.

A leader of the hardline Islamist Tehreek-i-Labaik party, Muhammad Afzal Qadri, said all three Supreme Court judges "deserve to be killed".

The Red Zone in the capital Islamabad, where the Supreme Court is located, has been sealed off by police.

Islamists protest in Peshawar against the Supreme Court decision — Image captionDemonstrations have been held in several cities including Peshawar

Late on Wednesday, Mr Kahn said: "Which government can function like this, blackmailed by protests?...

"And who suffers due to this? Our Pakistanis. The common people, the poor. You block the roads, you rob people's livelihood...

"This is not the service of Islam, this is enmity with the country. Only anti-state elements talk like this, that kill the judges, start a revolt in army... They are only trying to beef up their vote bank."

What was Asia Bibi accused of?

The trial stems from an argument Asia Bibi, whose full name is Asia Noreen, had with a group of women in June 2009.

They were harvesting fruit when a row broke out about a bucket of water. The women said that because she had used a cup, they could no longer touch it, as her faith had made it unclean.

Prosecutors alleged that in the row which followed, the women said Asia Bibi should convert to Islam and that she made offensive comments about the Prophet Muhammad in response.

She was later beaten up at her home, during which her accusers say she confessed to blasphemy. She was arrested after a police investigation.

What is blasphemy in Pakistan?

Laws enacted by the British Raj in 1860 made it a crime to disturb a religious assembly, trespass on burial grounds, insult religious beliefs or intentionally destroy or defile a place or an object of worship, punishable by up to 10 years in jail.

Several more clauses were added in the 1980s by Pakistan's military ruler Gen Zia ul-Haq:

1980 - up to three years in jail for derogatory remarks against Islamic personages
1982 - life imprisonment for "wilful" desecration of the Koran
1986 - "death, or imprisonment for life" for blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad

What did the Supreme Court say?

The judges said the prosecution had "failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt".

The case was based on flimsy evidence, they said, and proper procedures had not been followed. The alleged confession was delivered in front of a crowd "threatening to kill her".

The ruling heavily referenced the Koran and Islamic history. It ended with a quote from the Hadith, the collected sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, which calls for non-Muslims to be treated kindly.

Why is this case so divisive?

Islam is Pakistan's national religion and underpins its legal system. Public support for the strict blasphemy laws is strong.

Hardline politicians have often backed severe punishments, partly as a way of shoring up their support base.

But critics say the laws have often been used to get revenge after personal disputes, and that convictions are based on thin evidence.

The vast majority of those convicted are Muslims or members of the Ahmadi community, but since the 1990s, scores of Christians have been convicted. They make up just 1.6% of the population.