The British Broadcasting Cooperation (BBC) Somali service has issued a statement in response to criticism by Somalis on social media after running a story about a 20 yr old gay and atheist.
“Our objective was not to annoy anyone but we run different stories to reflect our diverse listenership.” Abdullahi Abdirizak the head of BBC Somali said in an editorial.
“The BBC is neutral and covers diverse opinions. We understand that everything we air will not convince every person” Abdirizak added.
The story covered the life of Mahad Olaad an openly gay living man and self-declared ex Muslim.
Olaad was born in Kenya to Somalia refugee parents before the family was resettled in Minneapolis in the US in 2001.
He came out of the closet to inform his family of his sexual orientation while in the 9th Grade.
The family later organized for his “rehabilitation” in Kenya in May 2017 where he was expected to be put at a boarding religious centre to correct his behaviour.
Olad managed to escape and seek help at the US Embassy in Nairobi where he stayed for three days before he returned back to Minneapolis.
