.... The broadcaster said: "Had we been aware of the views he expressed he would not have been selected."
Mr Patel has been suspended as deputy head of a girls' school and also by the Masjid e Umar mosque in Gloucester.
The BBC said the tweets had come to light after Mr Patel re-activated a previously inactive Twitter profile in the aftermath of Tuesday's debate, and had not been visible to its researchers before then.
.... Another screenshot showed a tweet from Mr Patel, apparently giving advice to women on how to avoid being assaulted by men, saying: "Generally men are the predators, but women need to realise this and be smarter. It takes two to tango, and if you put yourself in that position, don't expect every man to pass up the opportunity to take advantage of you. Don't be alone with a man!"
.... A statement from the Masjid e Umar mosque said: "We are fully aware of the allegations made against our Imam Maulana Abdullah Patel regarding the contents of historic tweets. We have decided to act immediately and have chosen to give him some time away to allow us the opportunity to conduct a detailed investigation into this matter." [BBC] Read more
