Muslim Council accuses BBC of pro-Israeli agenda

Ian Griggs:

The Muslim Council of Great Britain has accused the BBC of creating mistrust of British Muslims and pursuing a "pro-Israeli agenda" in a forthcoming Panorama special.

The programme, to be aired on August 21, is the result of a month-long investigation into the Britain's Islamic communities to establish whether its leaders are capable of tackling the growth of extremism in their midst. The broadcast is thought to be highly critical of some MCB affiliates for their alleged links to extremist Islamist ideology.

The MCB accused programme makers of stirring up anti-Muslim sentiment, however, and has written to Mark Thompson, the BBC director-general.

Sir Iqbal Sacranie, the MCB's secretary-general, who was interviewed for the programme last week, told The Sunday Telegraph: "I have expressed my concern that in the last few weeks after July 7 there have been attempts by sections of the media to have a go at the Muslim Council and its affiliates."

Sir Iqbal said affiliates of the MCB, an umbrella group for Muslim organisations throughout Britain, were wrongly presented as out-of-line with mainstream Muslims.

"I have serious concerns about the programme," he said. "The media and the Government have to work together and targeting people over issues which do not directly affect British Muslims is not helpful.

"Most of the questions put to them related to Israel-Palestine, which is disturbing because it appears to be a case of: if you pass the Israel test, you pass, if not you fail. It appears that the Panorama team is more interested in furthering a pro-Israeli agenda than in assessing the work of Muslim organisations in the UK."

A trailer for the Panorama programme on the BBC's website says it will contain "strong, frank interviews with British Muslims on attitudes to integration, sectarianism and suicide bombings in Britain and abroad".

The MCB letter, sent last week, warns the BBC against allowing itself to be used by "highly placed supporters of Israel in the British media to make political capital out of the July 7 atrocities in London".

It also accuses the BBC of jeopardising community relations in Britain: "It is regrettable that at a time when it is of the utmost importance that trust is built between the Muslim communities across the country and the wider society that the Panorama team seems intent on creating mistrust by serving the interests of the pro-Israel lobby and undermining community relations in the UK."

A BBC spokeswoman dismissed any suggestion of bias by Panorama and said there was no "hidden agenda".

"The BBC rejects completely any allegation of institutional or programme bias and is confident the Panorama programme will be fair and impartial," she said.

The MCB is a loosely structured association of more than 400 affiliates, including the Muslim Association of Britain, the Islamic Society of Britain and the London Federation of Muslim Organisations.

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