BBC film upsets British Muslims

2005-08-22 09:37

London - Britain's most powerful Islamic body criticised a television documentary broadcast on Sunday that accused the country's Muslim leaders of ignoring the spread of extremism within the country's Muslim communities.

The British Broadcasting Corporation's Panorama programme said groups affiliated to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), the country's most powerful Islamic body, were peddling hard-line, intolerant religious views.

MCB secretary-general Sir Iqbal Sacranie said the programme was "deeply unfair" and was "purposefully trying to sabotage" Muslims' progress in mainstream political participation.

Sir Iqbal, who was knighted this year and is viewed as the voice of moderate Islam by the British government, said: "The MCB urges British Muslims to remain calm and vigilant in the face of recent concerted attempts being made by known hostile elements to divide them."

'Pro-Israeli' documentary

The MCB has already written to the BBC claiming the documentary has a "Pro-Israeli agenda".

The MCB is an umbrella organisation with more than 400 affiliated groups. They include the Ahl-e-Hadith organisation which is based in Birmingham and has 41 branches across the country.

According to the Panorama documentary, one part of its website tells followers to "be different from Jews and Christians" whose "ways are based on sick or deviant views concerning their societies".

Readers are also warned that celebrating Christmas, April 1 and birthday parties may lead to "permanent abode in the Hell Fire", the programme said.

Another affiliated group is the Islamic Foundation, based in Leicester, which was set up in 1974 by leading figures from the Jamaa'at Islami movement in Pakistan, which wants that country to become an Islamic state governed by Sharia law.

According to Panorama the Islamic Foundation promotes the books of Jamaa'at Islami founder Sayid Maududi whose ideal state would have "no trace of Western democracy".

Suicide bombings condemned

But Sir Iqbal told the programme Maududi was "an important scholar", adding: "I have read many of his books and I believe he is one of the scholars that I certainly feel is an inspiration to many of us.

Sir Iqbal was questioned over the MCB decision to stay away from the Holocaust Memorial Day in London.

But he was most strongly challenged over his decision to attend a memorial service at London's Central Mosque for Sheikh Yassin, the ideological head of militant Palestinian group Hamas. Yassin was assassinated by Israel.

Justifying his decision to attend Sir Iqbal told the programme: "In your terms, if it means fighting occupation is a terrorist movement, that is not a view being shared by many people.

He condemned suicide bombings by British Muslims anywhere and said there was no difference between the life of a Palestinian and the life of a Jew and all life was "sacred".

- AP