Thank you MPACUK. I am going to send a letter of complaint to channel 4 about this blasphemous documentary.

I'm not shia myself but I absolutely support this non-sectarian stance - all muslims talk about Unity, now is the time to support each other and make Unity a reality.

Assalaam alaikum and Greetings

This is all the more reason why we should have Muslim Journalists, so that any documentaries concerning Islam are portrayed in the correct manner.

Channel 4 should have consulted Central Mosques about the programmes content long before it was aired. But obviously they did not.

Any Complaints should thank Channel 4 for airing a much needed programme on the true aspects of Islam and the QURAN (that the religion does NOT promote terrorism unlike the perception of the media at large), but they were incorrect in making the comments about the Shias.

My point being, if we complaint bitterly about the portrayal of the Shias without acknowledging the good intention behind the programme, then Channel 4 may not bother with such programmes in the future. And we do need such programmes.

So, complain but do it sensibly.

Wasalaams
PS..I'm "SUNNI".

I don't feel that the programme misrepresented the Shia. It is true that many Shia go to the graves and that they make dua to those buried in them. I notice that MPACUK forum has become biased against anyone who would say anything against Shia and even bans people who speak the truth because there are Shia who work in gangs to discredit people on the forum. How can the above Light upon Light say the documentary was blasphemous!!! It was not at all, it was a balanced view on the quran and it told the truth that there is one quran and that sects have broken away and interpreted it in thier own way. is that blasphemy? I believe that MPACUK has some very dubious people manipulating their threads and topics for discussion and that they should be very careful who these people with such loud voices are. PROOF OF BLASPHEMY PLEASE.

I had raised this with MPAC on your other article on your website.

MPAC, this really shows that you need to take more care before jumping up and down to congratulate anyone. My heart feels very heavy for you that on one day you think the programme is the best thing since sliced bread, and three days later we should be complaining about it.

If you feel you have a role to play in the Muslim communities then one of the characterisitcs of leadership is to first create and establish a clear well-thought out position by proper reflection and consultation and then stick to it.

It is very hard for you to be credible leaders if you keep contradicting yourselves on the simplest most obvious decisions.

You all clearly put a lot of effort into the work you do - if you directed it in a constructive and considered manner your achievements would be ten times greater.

As it is, according to your website, on Friday I would have called Channel 4 to congratulate them, and today i'd be calling to complain.

How is that supposed to make Muslims look sensible and coherent and to be taken seriously?

A specific note to Sultan - why should we thank Channel 4 for a programme that creates sectarian discord, and which uses the Qur'an to bring up issues completely unrelated to the Holy book like female genital mutilation and leaves the viewers with horrid images of a little girl being mutilated?

Assalaam alaikum Sister

All the more reason why I said

"we should have Muslim Journalists, so that any documentaries concerning Islam are portrayed in the correct manner."

"Channel 4 should have consulted Central Mosques about the programmes content long before it was aired. But obviously they did not."

Obviously, you missed that part.

With respect to why I said we should thank the channel and complain sensibly, is this.

I see some Muslims bitterly complain when the media (newspapers, on-air news) and certain programmes show Islam in a bad light. Articles which encourage islamophobia. We (Muslims) complain that there needs to be a programme or a series of articles in the media and on air which corrects or at least attempts to address the misconceptions protrayed in the media.

This particular Channel 4's programme tried to do the very same thing we Muslims are asking of. To tell the wider audience that we Muslims are not the terrorists they think us of, and the QURAN does not sanction violence.

If they have got certain subject matters incorrect, do we slag-off the entire programme or the team behind it?

If we do, who is going to correct Islamophobia, if the Channels think that they get criticism when they talk against Islam, AND criticism when they talk in favour of Islam.

If all we Muslims do is to complain and complain, even when there are programmes trying to show us in a good light, we are in danger of being labelled as those people who are ungrateful and never satisfied. And such programmes will cease.

The programme may not have been 100% to our satisfaction, but it was a step in the right direction.

Or are you suggesting that no programme on Islam should be aired until it is 100% to our satisfaction. The problem with this is that since we Muslims cannot agree between ourselves, then when will we get a programme that is 100% to our satisfaction.

I hope you understand my comments. That the programme was better than nothing, don't you think ?.

With specific regards to FGM (or FGC), yes this is a "cultural practice" rather than a requirement from Islam itself.

Unfortunately, this horrible practice is equated to a "Muslim Issue" on the grounds that African/Sudanese/Egyption Muslims do this (but not all). Some in the Middle-East do it well : Jordan, Morrocco.

Such Muslims say they-do this to protect the 'honour' of their daughters. They say Islam sanctions this.

Islam does not mandate FGC of the type seen on the programme, and as practiced by those who do this horrible act.

But, whether you believe in it or not, Islam does encourage small trimming, BUT only as an option by the Muslimah themselves (if she wants it), and only if certain limits are not exceeded. See Sunan Abu Dawûd, Book 41, #5251.

But these people have pushed it to the point that fathers/mothers practice it on their daughters at a very young age. And then they mutilate their daughters going beyond all specified boundaries.

So many continents, not related together, performing FGM. The only thing in common being that they are Muslim. Are you then surprised then if the media equate FGM with Muslims, and thus Islam ?

As I said before (and you missed it)

"Channel 4 should have consulted Central Mosques about the programmes content long before it was aired. But obviously they did not."

Wasalaams

Isn't that what accountability is about?
Instead of praising mpac, you attack them again. Show some respect, these people have done more to empower the Muslim community then you have ever done. You probably never read MPAC's article properly, they said it was thought provoking. But now, when it came to shia representation, they said to give constructive criticism. They never said to complain.

why should Channel 4 bother..it seems they are damned if they do and damned if they dont..It seems there are some people who over analyse every mention of islam in the media and look for the negative..Channel 4 obviously made this programme to give non muslims an insight into the muslim holy book and shoot down some of the myths that permeate around it..Does anyone really expect to learn the intricacies of a religion from a TV programme

My criticism of MPAC's about turn is exactly to hold them accountable - so where is your problem? Why should I praise them for a mistake they have made?

What I have tried to do is point out the cause of the damage and a way to rectify it in the future. I understand clearly that MPAC puts in a lot of effort, and by making sure that the effort is well thought through and well consulted on then as I have already said, the results would be many-fold.

Back to Sultan - the documentary was commissioned by Aaqil Ahmed, a Muslim, and would have passed his editorial requirements.

I disagree,I think Noor has a valid argument and has respected MPAC enough to share it with them and their readership. MPAC do not seem the type that want praise and Noor thankfully dosent feel obliged to give it.

Asking difficult questions of all Muslim representatives is an important, holding them to account in itself raises the level of their capability. Noor by critising MPAC has shown her sincerity and should not be critisied.

Valid point. I retract my comments that the whole documentary was blasphemous, but it certainly was blasphemous towards the depiction of the Shia.

Allow me to.

“But from the earliest days of Islam until the 19th century, the Shia accuse the Sunni of Takhrif, falsification of the Quran by altering key words”. That is untrue. Look at how the narrator claimed it was “The Shia” as if it was the whole school of thought that was making this claim.

The programme also mistranslated a shia pilgrim who said in Persian that Allah, Imam Reza and the Imams were his only hope. But the English translation only said “Imam Reza and the other Imams are our only hope”, deliberately omitting the reference to Allah. Expect legal action over this.

“Sunni and Shia then are fundamentally divided in their relationship with God and the Quran”. This is completely false. They both believe in the fundamental core principles of the Quran and they both believe in Tawhid. Therefore, the quote is really misleading.

When the narrator talked about the Shia, he accused them by directly implying that they pray to someone who has human form (“And for someone to pray to who has human form”) Shia don’t pray to graves, nor do they pray to imams. Imagine someone accused you of praying to someone other than God? Basically, you are giving the extremists justification to accuse the Shia of being Kafirs, and as a result, someone can justify killing Shia, because they are ‘polytheists’ etc.

I could go on and on.

As I stated in the other article this was politically motivated to decimate Iran and Shia's.

Ch4 has lost its credibility and perception of being a channel that was created for the ethnic minorities.

I would firstly like to thank MPACUK for truly showing an interest in birdging the gap between the differrent schools of thought within Islam.

Secondly i would like to show my aupport for what Light upon Light has said in regards to the blasphemous comments regarding the shia school of thought.

Just as a last point, The shia were the only group not to hve a speaker from uk or english speaking. There are many good representatives here in UK for muslims and shia, but the programmes political agendas seemed to not need to voice these opinions.

I pray that this programme does not increase the ignorance and hatred between mulims and enlightens and gives questions to non-muslims about the values of Islam.

Thank you

Wow, thankyou so much MPACUK, you've sincerely earned my respect

divide and rule.

the oldest trick in the book and this was after all neo conservative propaganda exercise.

so understand what it is and understand how you are supposed to react.

then understand that ultimately you are all muslims of the koran.

salam,

This kind of attitude does not encourage us to speak the truth when we are enlightened by it. Do you expect us to be close-minded and not accept that we have made a previous misjudgment and are now willing to correct it?

Wa salam