BBC and the ABC's of Moslem Etiquette

The BBC has the following odd piece:

Peace Be Upon Him
Throughout the BBC's section on Islam you will see Peace be upon Him or (pbuh) after the name Muhammad.

Muslims say Peace be upon Him after every mention of Muhammad's name, as a mark of respect. Muslims do the same when they write the Prophet's name, adding pbuh.

The Arabic transliteration of Peace be upon Him is sallallahu alayhi wa sallam which is usually abbreviated as saw

Far be it that the BBC should be accused of being fearful of offending Moslems--it's just a question of respect. And they would be so happy to oblige any other religion as well:

Use of pbuh on bbc.co.uk/religion
The BBC uses the pbuh in the Islam section out of courtesy, and we would do the same for any other religion if they had a similar phrase that was universally used as a sign of respect. [emphasis added]

Not that they are doing the same, or will do the same, but they would do the same if...
I suppose we could introduce them to such terms as "HaShem" or request Shlita or tz"l where appropriate--but how 'universal' are such terms among Reform and Conservative Jews?

When the site refers to the Prophet on pages that are not in the Islam section, we do not use the phrase.

Your opinions
We would be pleased to hear your opinions on the BBC's use of pbuh. Please email us with your comments.

This would not bother me if I had more faith in the BBC's motives.

Update: The New Criterion notes:

In their continuing effort to raise consciousness, spread enlightenment, and deprecate the traditions that made Britain Britain, the BBC has posted extensive information on major world religions on their internet site. A friend directed us to the section on Islam. It makes instructive reading for anyone wishing to chart the progress of the virus of multiculturalism--that odd compact of self-righteousness, nihilism, and pusillanimity--in elite British society.

The site offers some standard historical exposition about the origin and doctrines of Islam as well as some inadvertently comical items such as the entry "Muslim internet matchmaking," in which we learn that "The internet has sparked a revolution in the way some Muslims are meeting potential partners." (Similar, equally comic, pages exist for other religions.) But what is most striking about the section on Islam is its tone of careful piety. No other religion--except possibly Atheism, "The ideas and story of people who don't believe in God"--receives such fastidious treatment. (The section on Atheism, incidentally, features an interview with that secular saint, Richard Dawkins: a perfect match.) Compare, for example, the introductory caption describing Islam with the one that describes Christianity:

Islam began in Arabia and was revealed to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Those who follow Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe that there is only one God. The Arabic word for God is Allah.

Got it? Now here's the bit introducing Christianity:

Christianity is the world's biggest religion, with about 2.1 billion followers worldwide. It is based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago.

Notice anything different in the tone, in the approach? For starters, Islam "was revealed to humanity," etc., etc., but Christianity is a statistic. And what's this "peace be upon him" stuff--confessional language in the very secular setting of a BBC internet history lesson? In a religious setting, Catholics will often say "Glory to you, Lord" or "Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ." But in the context of an historical document? What's going on here?

Good question.

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