Many thanks to Hellequin GB for translating this article from Bild:

After the WDR [Westdeutscher Rundfunk, regional state broadcaster] scandal

ZDF [public television] brings an Islamist author into the team

New Islamism scandal among the public broadcasters. ZDF has brought a well-known Islamist and Israel-hater on board. Feyza-Yasmin Ayhan has been hired as a comedy writer for the sitcom “Barry’s Barbershop”. The 20-year-old (stage name: Yasmin Poesy) has a reputation as an Islamist activist and Israel-hater.

The Berliner posted an anti-Semitic cartoon on social media showing hook-nosed Jews. In 2015 she appeared at the Hamas-affiliated German Youth for Palestine, justified violence against Israel and wished for an end to the Jewish state.

During the Gaza war in May, she called for hate demonstrations against Israel and spoke there. While anti-Israel demos escalated again and again and there were anti-Semitic riots, Ayhan wrote on Instagram: “Arab demos BEST always a lot of energy and a little party”.

Ayhan spoke of an allegedly “sick big lobby” that the Jewish state had at its disposal. She thanked the musician Roger Waters (78) for his statement that Israel was an “apartheid state”, although Waters is also a prominent supporter of the BDS anti-Semitic boycott campaign.

Ayhan declared that she had nothing against Jews, but scolded confidently: “BUT F** ZIONISM”.

ZDF confirmed for BILD: “Feyza-Yasmin Ayhan has been part of the five-person team of authors for the sitcom project that is currently being produced in Berlin by the Studio71 production company since August 2021.”

The broadcaster does not see a problem in the author’s extremist views in a royalty-financed production. A ZDF spokeswoman on BILD: “Basically, all productions commissioned by ZDF are editorially checked and their content approved.”

An almost identical answer also came from the production company. They value freedom of expression, but condemn “resolutely any form of discrimination and racism”. And: “Our productions are editorially checked and approved both by us and by the respective client.”

Strong criticism comes from politicians. CSU member of the Bundestag Florian Hahn (47) calls the “attitude of employees with repulsive anti-Semitic clichés” at the public broadcaster “absolutely unacceptable”.