Channel 4 Qur’an doc “misleading and defamatory”
Thursday, July 24th, 2008
C4 rock the casbah
A Channel 4 documentary on the Qur’an described as an “exemplary piece of programme making” has been severely criticised by a group of Shia Muslim scholars for making “seriously inaccurate statements,” about their branch of the faith.
In the documentary which launched a Channel 4 Islam week, film-maker Antony Thomas looks at the history of the Qur’an, examining it for statements on equality, suicide bombings, and relationships with other faiths.
Whilst some have praised the documentary for its careful study and insights into the Muslim faith, it has angered prominent Shia Muslims, who make up about 20% of Muslims internationally. In a letter to Channel 4, a group of Shia scholars said that the depiction of Shia beliefs in The Qur’an, broadcast earlier this month, was “disappointing, misleading, even defamatory.”
The scholars believe that the documentary presented an imbalanced view of the Shia branch of Islam, portraying it as violent as Iranian Shias were seen on the programme burning effigies, chanting anti-Western slogans and encouraging acts of terrorism.
Yousif al-Khoei, director of the Al Khoei Foundation, largest Shia organisation in the UK and one of the letter’s signatories, said that a second letter would be sent to Channel 4 dealing with the group’s grievences:
“We are going to handle the issue with Channel 4 directly to highlight how it managed to get such imbalances in prime-time TV,” al-Khoei said. “If we don’t get any joy we will point out all the technical faults, mistranslations and editorialising opinion as fact.”
He said that Channel 4 owed its viewers and apology, and that a second programme should be broadcast in order to present to the public a more “balanced view” of Islam.
“If this doesn’t happen we are going to go to Ofcom. We are pretty confident we have a case,” he added.
However, it was not only members of the Shia community who criticised the programme. Muhammad Abdul Bari, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain, also wrote a personal letter to Channel 4’s Chief Executive, Andy Duncan, last week, saying that “specific misrepresentations” of certain Muslim groups could threaten unity between Muslims in the UK. “The programme unfairly maligns Muslims following the Shia tradition by accusing them of heresy based on a collection of age-old polemics and misinformation,” Bari wrote. “With respect, this is an irresponsible portrayal which plays into the hands of those who wish to seek discord amongst Muslims, which we hope you did not intend.”
Shia Muslims believe that there is a direct line of succession from the prophet Mohammed, and that those in this line should lead Muslims worldwide, whereas Sunnis, who make up the majority of Muslims reject this. The documentary nailed its colours to the mast when it asserted that there was no basis for the direct line of succession in the Qur’an. Having explained Shia doctrine, the programme asked: “But do these specific beliefs have any substance in the Qur’an? The answer is no.”
However, Channel 4 has defended the documentary, saying “Antony Thomas’s acclaimed film was clearly labelled as a documentary about the Qur’an, not about Islamic belief… Both sides of the various discussions were fully aired within the programme. The film was critically acclaimed and generated a positive response from viewers.”
