BBC issues statement after firing The Apprentice’s Dr Asif Munaf

In a Tweet, Dr Asif wrote, “Staying silent is the epitome of cowardice.”

• Mohnish Singh
• 17 February, 2024

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By: Mohnish Singh

The Apprentice contestant, Dr Asif Munaf, was booted out from the show on Thursday night after failing to impress industry experts in the virtual escape room challenge. This followed allegations of antisemitism that emerged during the filming of the show.

The BBC subsequently refused to allow the contestant to appear on The Apprentice follow-up show, The Apprentice: You’re Fired, where fired contestants recap and speak about their experiences from the series.

Confirming the same, the BBC stated on Friday, saying, “We can confirm that the individual concerned will not feature as a guest on any additional upcoming BBC content relating to The Apprentice.”

The BBC’s statement comes after Marie van der Zyl, who leads the Board of Deputies of British Jews, said, “We are relieved that the BBC has significantly edited content relating to BBC2’s You’re Fired! concerning Asif Munaf. We hope that the BBC will apologise publicly to the Jewish community for their handling of this sorry situation and send the people responsible for antisemitism awareness training.”

Several people also said that Dr Asif Munaf should no longer be allowed to work as a doctor because of things he said on X after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.

Meanwhile, Dr Asif has said he is not shaken by the call to have him struck off the medical register over ‘antisemitic remarks’.

In a series of Tweets on Friday, he wrote, “They have tried to get me struck off by referring me to the General Medical Council. They think this will shake me. It only strengthens me. Don’t they know that the exact amount of money I will make before I die was written before I was even conceived? I have absolute conviction in my Lord’s Decree.”

He also said the show ‘isn’t the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life’ after he was dropped from the spin-off You’re Fired. “Unlike most other candidates, the show is just one small chapter in my life. It’s not my entire personality. Nor is it the biggest thing I’ve done in my life. This is why they are beholden to the broadcaster and I am free. Alhamdulillah for Islam,” he wrote.

In another Tweet, Dr Asif added, “Staying silent is the epitome of cowardice.”