Dean Jones sacked for calling Muslim cricketer a terrorist

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A media storm has followed Dean Jones the last few days as he's been sacked for calling Muslim cricketer Hashim Amla a terrorist. Yes, it was an "off the cuff joke" and was intended to be off-air. Jones has basically fallen on his sword and you can imagine it'll be several years before he's allowed back on the television. In a way, I can't help but feel sorry for the guy. That doesn't excuse the gaff though. Hearing Jones talk about how he respects the Muslim faith and is friends with the Pakistan team, it reminds me of a similar incident recently - Mel Gibson's drunken anti-semitic rant and subsequent claims of not being racist. Jone's gaff is nowhere near as virulent - he comes off as more buffoon than bigot. Nevertheless, in Australia (and I'm guessing the rest of the world), there is a climate of bigotry and association of Islam with terrorism even if they have very little to do with each other. So people in the media are especially responsible for their conduct and Jones deserves censure for his words. I only wish current affairs shows would receive the same kind of punishment when they stir up racist sentiment with their inflammatory anti-Muslim reports.

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Posted by JC on Wed 9 Aug

3 comments

Being great at cricket shouldn't give you an automatic license to commentate

(I enjoyed Jonesy and Greg Mathews on SBS during the Ashes though)

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Posted by TDA on 2006-08-11 01:36:03

Pretty silly stuff by Deano - but I do feel that he was going to do something silly sooner or later out in the East. He's been walking a thin line with some of his humor, and it wasn't going to be too long before it backfired. Its a pity; Deano is a real legend in India, and I don't think he is a racist in the technical sense of the term but definitely not someone who thinks too much about what people's sensitivities might be

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Posted by Samir Chopra on 2006-08-11 18:46:58

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