Osman Ahmed
"While he seeks to sensationalise single sentences in entire volumes of ethical teachings to turn people against Islam, many in Britain will have the sense of justice to see the overwhelming good in what they read and to put..."
Panorama’s episode aired on BBC on Monday 22nd of November 2010 entitled ‘British schools, Islamic rules’ was unfair, biased, irresponsible and factually inaccurate. That the report was presented by John Ware comes as no surprise to the Muslim community. While raising concerns about segregation, the program did nothing to increase cohesion, reduce the causes of segregation or lessen mistrust between communities. Rather it achieved the contrary, and would have had three effects:
- It would have contributed to even more suspicion - if not blatant prejudice and Islamophobia - directed against Muslims and Islam in the UK;
- it would have made more young Muslims angry that they are under unfair attack by the West and its media;
- it would have made many more Muslims feel alienated and victimised, and further withdraw from interacting with society.
While the program censured the promotion of hate, Mr Ware and the producers of Panorama have contributed to even more hate against Muslims. By sheer numbers alone there are more non-Muslims in Britain who may ‘hate’ Muslims than vice-vera. A 2008 Pew survey found that 1 in 4 Britons is already hostile to Muslims, thanks in no small part to biased media commentators and certain journalists. Surely this cannot be an achievement to be proud of, nor can the kudos that Mr Ware is likely to have received from the English Defence League, extremist Zionist organisations, or others who may have an anti-Muslim and Islamophobic agenda. Nor can it be to the credit of a journalist to be seen to antagonise an entire religious community of over 2 million, and to be perceived by them to be biased against them. At a time when the far-right and anti-Muslim xenophobia is growing in Europe, the program attempted to further turn public opinion against the Muslim community by misrepresenting Islamic teaching. It must be appreciated that as Muslims we revere and honour every word of the Quran and we cannot be separated from our scripture. Muslim’s see an attack on Islam’s teachings as an attack on them.
Despite the above, we take encouragement from what God tells us in the Quran: .....
read more at: Islam21c.com/politics/1810-thank-you-mr-ware-and-sorry-panorama-special