In this weeks podcast. we focus on the Iran war; the death of Khamenai; Iranian celebration; Western protests; Mothin Ali; the EU reaction; Rory Stewart and Alaister Campbell; Simon Sebag Montefiore; German train rules changed after migrant killing; Immigrant gets sex change treatment on the NHS; the Manchester byelection; Tim Stanley; Leeds fans boo Ramadan break in match; Terror attack in Texas; Feedback; She,They, Him; Feminist Glaciology; West Midlands Police; Your Party goes for gender inequality; JK Rowling v Nicola Sturgeon; Christian support for the SNP declines; Hamit Coskun wins Islamic blasphemy case; Christian persecution in Ethiopia, Yemen, and Pakistan; Andy Bannister, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Islam; and the Last Word – Psalm 72. with music from Neil Sedaka; Vahid Norouzi; Shania Twain; Lynyrd Skynyrd and Sovereign Grace.
Here is the music used in this months podcast on Spotify….
Support Beauty for Ashes here….
Or 
Paypal: theweeflea@gmail.com
Catch up on last weeks episode here – Beauty for Ashes 20 – The Immigration Special
Here is the local segment used on the radio show – we look at these issues from a local perspective
Could you please correct your section on Mr Ali – https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/mar/05/greens-deputy-leader-calls-for-apology-from-starmer-over-false-claims-that-led-to-death-threats
Thanks Iain…but no I won’t be correcting anything…because there was nothing I said that was wrong. Mothin Ali did attend a pro Iranian rally – yes I know they call it anti-war – but you will see that all the flags were Iranian or Palestinian – there were no Israeli or US flags or British. All the speakers were for Iran and against Israel. Some people were even carrying Hamas flags and pictures of the dead dictators. It is naive beyond belief to think that this was just an anti-war rally. Mothin Ali also celebrated the Hamas October attacks, and called a Jewish rabbi an ‘animal’. (that rabbi has now had to go into hiding. So no – I won’t be correcting anything….by the way a word of advice – never trust the Guardian. It was once a respectable newspaper but has now just become a propaganda rag – I know….I read it…
Interesting re your last point – I find your over reliance on X, the Spectator, Spiked, etc, as sources, concerning.
Except I don’t over rely on them (I suspect you think I shouldn’t use them at all). I use the Times, the Guardian, the NYT, the SMH, the BBC, Al Jazerra, China Times, Facebook, and numerous others. I suggest that if you want to broaden your mind and help your thinking you don’t just label media into the good guys (ie the ones who agree with your politics) and the bad guys (the ones who don’t). The Spectator is almost certainly the best news magazine in the English speaking world – it allows a variety of opinions. Why would you be concerned about that? You sound like the kind of person who calls the Daily Telegraph ‘the Torygraph’ and automatically assumes that the Guardian is the bastion of good journalism! Broaden your reading…and your mind!
A different perspective on flags. I have been to a number of rallies, flying Palestinian flags. I fly the flags because I want to represent the people who are being murdered and whose plight is largely ignored. People who cannot fly their own flag. Over the decades, I have been to many pro-Palestinian rallies. I think people sometimes intentionally conflate these with anti-Israel movements. That is not true (of course, there are always convenient exceptions to strawman – and I can understand these sentiments. It is hard to ignore the murder of 10,000’s of civilians, the cruelty that Palestinians live under, the apartheid state etc. – we all know the facts (though some have decided to harden their hearts) and it makes me angry).
There are many Israelis who see and condemn the atrocities of the Lukid. Some of these Israelis fly Palestinian flags – not because they’re against their own nation – but because they can see the awful things that their nation’s leaders are doing and they have the courage to stand up against it. A flag is a way of showing solidarity – not just national identity.
Speaking from my experience, there are always lots of different flags on view. It should be obvious that at a march calling the UK government to oppose a genocide in Palestine, the Palestinian flag would be the one we wave, though most people are British. There are always US, Israeli and UK flags – usually with the qualifier ‘Israelis for Palestine’ etc. Further, consider Russia’s ban from the Olympics, World Cup (there is a lovely irony worth exploring), Wimbledon etc. The Russian flag is banned because of what it represents. Similarly, waving a US or Israeli flag when marching for peace carries obvious contradictions that most people are sensitive to.
I have spoken with some Christians who are unable to condemn the genocide in Gaza. How is it that people who claim to walk in the steps of Christ are unable to discern the difference between what he taught and the mass slaughter of a nation?
Calling for peace is not to take a political stance. It only recognises that all people are equal. And, usually means that we stand with the weak, marginalised and oppressed – not ideologically, but humanitarianly.
This is why Jesus’s command to love our enemies, to bless those who curse us and to do good to those who hate us is brilliant. It’s not just a rule for Sundays – it’s politically and economically genius.
Hi Scott – thanks….a few comments.
1) I must have missed the Palestinians not being able to fly their own flags….I see them everywhere. I’m curious as to how many rallies you have been to flying the Uyghur, Iranian (old), Armenian, Sudanese and Israeli flags (for the Jews who have been driven out of the Middle East)?
2) I have been to pro-Palestinian rallies. I accept this is not your motivation – but the reality is that these people want to destroy Israel – ‘From the River to the Sea’ is a cry not only to destroy Israel but to free the whole area from Jews. :Death, death to the IDF”. is another. It is naive to think that these rallies are not anti Israel and anti-Jewish. I remember when Jews were told to stay away from the Sydney CBD during a ‘pro Palestinian rally (where ‘gas the Jews’ was chanted)….because they were in danger.
3) THere is no genocide in Gaza – not unless you completely rewrite the meaning of the word ‘genocide’. There are atrocities and far too many deaths….and I would condemn any such. If you are going to follow Christ don’t lie or exaggerate. This is not the mass slaughter of a nation. Ironically the marches you go on are demanding precisely that – destroy the Jewish nation.
4) Yes – we are to love our enemies. If you think that includes going on marches where people wave Hamas flags, Iranian (Ayatollah) flags and demand death to the IDF (every Jew has to serve in the IDF) then you have a strange definition of love!
But appreciate the comments…..keep caring for justice and peace.
Interesting to hear about the similarity in response to the SNP from Catholics and members of the Free Church. I am reminded that during the 19th century potato blight in the West Highlands, the Free Church provided funds for the relief of the population, regardless of their religious affiliation. Indeed, I believe that some of the first to receive help were Catholics in Barra. Perhaps there is more that unites us than divides us.
I think Scott meant that Palestinians can’t fly their flags because they’re being killed. I have been to Palestinian rallies too – but not Uyghur, for example, because our government is not complicit. I went to the marches to protest against our government’s role and felt I could have an influence.
The marches are absolutely not for the destruction of the Jewish nation. You should retract that. It has nothing to do with Judaism. This is a ridiculous conflation that some make. When we make this conflict about Judaism, it becomes antisemitic to call it out. There are so many good Jewish people – many who have the courage to call this what it is. This is the state of Israel, committing genocide. This is no more a condemnation of Judaism as it is of Christianity – the predominant religion of the US – the main sponsor.
We could debate the Israeli-Palestinian (note – not Jewish state-Palestinian) conflict forever – goodness knows people have. But, @theWeeFlea, I read your comments as a defence of Israel. Only a non-historian, a very bad historian or an Israeli apologist could make those claims. You shouldn’t say things like ‘these people want to destroy Israel’. I’d like to think you didn’t mean it – but that is incredibly racist. To suggest that a whole nation thinks one way. There are many Palestinians who do not think that way. Let us not forget that Palestinians have historically been incredibly hospitable, ceding land to Israel. I have been to Palestine and met many very generous people who want nothing more than peace. Not through war or destruction – but understanding. When I was there, I could not help but pray for Israel’s destruction – the inhumanity is almost impossible to comprehend. I was spat at and had bottles thrown at me simply for visiting Palestinians. Painting Israelis as the victims is simply wrong – or at least not fair.
It’s important to view different sources – but based on my visits and quite extensive reading, this is well researched and very watchable: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqK3_n6pdDY
Also, no need to rewrite the meaning of genocide. This is the definition that the International Association of Genocide Scholars agrees Israel has committed:
Genocide is the intentional, systematic destruction—in whole or in part—of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group, recognized as a grave crime under international law. It involves acts like killing, causing serious harm, or creating conditions for physical destruction.
We can see with our own eyes. And the leading experts confirm what we all know. Why do you disagree?
Thanks Jason – you ask why I disagree….let me explain why.
1) Palestinians can and do fly flags – they are even holding an election just now. To march with Palestinian flags because you think Palestinians can’t flag flags would be to march for a lie.
2) Why do you say our government is not complicit with China’s suppression of the Uyghurs. We trade and buy goods from China – including those made in Uyghur camps. The reason you do not march about that (or Sudan) etc is because it does not involve the Jews.
3) You claim that this is not about the destruction of the Jewish nation. You state that to say some people want Israel to be destroyed is racist. Yet you yourself in your post state that you pray for Israel to be destroyed (what an anti-Christ hateful prayer). Israel is the Jewish nation. Israel is the Jewish nation. Wanting Israel to be destroyed is a desire to destroy the only safe place that Jews have.
4) You state that Palestinians have been hospitable to Israel – ceding land. Palestinians have several times refused the offer of a two nation solution. I would suggest your history is somewhat skewed by your prejudice, which is really no surprise given that you take a Woke comedian as your historical source!
5) You say that Israelis are not the victims. They are. Do you think the victims of the largest slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust (the October massacres) were not victims. Israel is under constant attack and threat of destruction. That does not mean that they cannot also be aggressors. Life is complex….your binary view of the good and the bad guys needs to become more realistic.
6) The International Association of Genocide Scholars?! Are you being serious? You can join that for a small fee, without any credentials. It is a propaganda group. If there are your ‘experts’ then little wonder that your prejudices are reinforced! If you really want to know what genocide is – read this –
https://quillette.com/2025/10/09/the-genocide-libel-besa-report-israel-gaza/?utm_source=newsletter_daily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=qd_2025-10-09&utm_content=hero
So I disagree because your experts are not experts, your history is false and your hatred is frightening.
I agree with David. Israel was anointed by God to be an example to all nations. Israel is the beacon on the hill. Palestine is the devils army and must be destroyed. There are no innocent murderers.
I’m afraid you don’t agree with me. I don’t think that Palestine should be destroyed, nor that it is the devils army….
Should I be surprised you haven’t posted my response?
Maybe not. You can post it without the need to respond again. You can hide it. You can acknowledge facts or dismiss them as woke or not from your preferred sources.
If you want people to engage with you – allow for that and have the wisdom to know that there are different perspectives and the humility to learn from them.
It may be the tone of your written words, though there is also an offline reputation that precedes you – learn to be kind.
No you shouldn’t be surprised. I don’t post essays – especially ones filled with such illogicalities and lies. A wee hint for you….post one thing and then we will see what happens….And don’t lecture others on humility….its kind of proud…
David, just catching up with some of this. I was pointed to it by a friend. I would consider your above response Jason unsatisfactory. Hint – review your sources and most recent statistics.
I frequently hear people debate genocide. It drives my crazy. Regardless of the label. Is killing tens of thousands, some estimates are now way over 100,000 civilians okay if it’s not genocide? When people are unable to kill mass murder wrong – I fear there is a bit of them that has died.
Come back to the light. Stop defending murder and conflating it with antisemitism. Calling something or a nation state out as wrong does not make you anti that thing. I condemn the UKs involvement for the very fact that I am patriotic. I love my nation. I demand that we do better. And I can see that what will help us and historically has helped us is when we support others.
Honest question – Would you defend mass murder because the god of the OT is genocidal? There is no rebuttal coming, I’m just curious.
Thanks – I have reviewed my sources and its not genocide. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed by the allies in WW2 and that was not genocide. The estimated number of non combatants killed in Gaza is 45,000 – plus 25,000 combatants – out of a population of 2.5 million. – that is not genocide. When people have to tell lies to justify hating Jews I fear that a lot of them has died.
The God of the OT is not genocidal….your theology is about as bad as your history and data! And FYI the God of the OT is the same as the God of the New.