CAIRO,
August 23, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Flooded by a torrent of support
e-mails and messages from Muslims and non-Muslims, Britain’s biggest
Muslim group demanded the BBC Tuesday, August 23, investigate and
apologize for a “dishonest” piece of journalism made by the
broadcaster on the respectable Muslim organization.
“Today,
we sent a formal letter to the BBC with a point-by-point response to
the Panorama program, demanding an investigation into the dishonest
and distorted piece of journalism and a clear apology,” Inayat
Bunglawala, media officer of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), told
IslamOnline.net by telephone.
“It
is a calm and factual letter about the distortions in Panorama,” he
added. “The BBC must apologize not only to the MCB but to all
British Muslims.”
The
program was broadcast Sunday night, August 21, entitled “A Question
Of Leadership.” It suggested the MCB is “in denial” about
extremist views among its members.
The
BBC program quoted former MCB member Mehboob Kantharia as saying the
MCB was unwilling to accept the reality of the situation and therefore
unable to deal with the issue in hand.
But
when contacted by the MCB, Kantharia said his statements were taken
out of context.
“We
have spoken with Mr. Kantharia, who asserted to us that he did not
mention the MCB by name but his remarks were edited by the BBC to
create suspicions about the MCB,” Bunglawala told IOL.
Earlier,
MCB Secretary General Sir Iqbal Sacranie said in a statement e-mailed
to IOL that the program was “deeply unfair”.
He
said the program used “deliberately garbled quotes in an attempt to
malign the Muslim Council of Britain and with the barely concealed
goal of drawing British Muslims away from being inspired in their
political beliefs and actions by the faith of Islam.”
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The
MCB is the umbrella body of the Muslim minority in Britain
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After
Sunday’s broadcast, the MCB has received a torrent of support
e-mails and messages from across the UK, denouncing the program for
tarnishing its image, Bunglawala said.
“It
has the opposite effect to what the Panorama team and the pro-Israeli
lobby intended to do,” he said.
“Instead
of dividing British Muslims, it brought about an unprecedented unity
and even Muslim organizations that have been critical of the MCB in
the past like Hizb ut-Tahrir and the Islamic Human Rights Commission
have issued statements of support on their Web sites.”
“I
was saddened and upset by the Panorama program last night and felt
appalled by the media journalism shown by [panorama’s John] Ware.
The whole thread running through the documentary was inflammatory and
hair splitting,” read one message of support posted on the MCB Web
site.
A
coalition of some 400 organizations and considered to be the most
respected voice of Britain's 1.6 million Muslims, the MCB was made by
Prime Minister Tony Blair a privileged dialogue partner after the July
7 attacks in the capital.
Bunglawala
was appointed earlier in the week by the Home Office as a member of a
national team to fight extremism and evil ideologies.
The
Home Office has said Bunglawala was a respected member of the Muslim
minority who for four years has spoken out against radicals and
extremists.
MCB
Secretary General Sir Iqbal Sacranie joined a star-studded array of
public figures and Olympians led by Blair in July to the ceremony that
announced the host country of the 2012 Olympic Games.
London
beat Paris to Olympic victory by 54 votes to 50 in the final round of
voting.
