LONDON: The BBC has been deemed “deeply irresponsible” for including a known Daesh sympathizer in a Big Brother-style reality show it aired last week.
The two-part “Muslims Like Us” show saw 10 people share a house for 10 days, surrounded by camera crews, in a bid to convey a sense of diversity of the Muslim society.
But some have slammed the show over its inclusion of Abdul Haq, an ex-boxing champion formerly known as Anthony Small, who is a known Daesh sympathizer and former associate of jailed hate preacher Anjem Choudary.
In an online video rant posted to YouTube in 2014, Haq was seen excusing the beheading of American journalist James Foley by Daesh supporters. Though he said he was not condoning “any acts of terrorism,” Haq said the killing “was not unprovoked,” and referred to the journalist as “Mr beheaded kafir (infidel)” and the US as the “United Snakes of America.”
In the first episode of “Muslims Like Us,” Haq spoke about the nine months he spent behind bars at the high-security Belmarsh prison in the UK. He had been accused of trying to join Daesh in Syria, but was later cleared of the plot to join the terror group. But if he was in possession of his passport, Haq says to the camera, he would aim to travel to Syria immediately.
‘Shouldn’t be on TV’
The inclusion of Haq in the show was a “serious mistake,” said Davis Lewin, deputy director and head of policy and research at the London-based Henry Jackson Society, a right-wing think tank that works to combat extremism.
“What is completely unacceptable is for the BBC to include somebody on television (who holds) views in the past that have been clearly supportive of Islamic State,” Lewin told Arab News, using another term for the Daesh terrorist group.
“There is no question that this person has expressed these sympathies widely… He should not be on TV.”
“Muslims Like Us” included male and female characters, from different walks of life, and with different views on religion and lifestyle.
Lewin said that the idea of such a show is “laudable,” but that the inclusion of Haq meant it had failed in its mission to show the diversity of British Muslim life.
“To me it failed entirely in that mission because it felt it necessary to include somebody who is on the record as supporting Islamic State,” he said. “It may be reality TV but it’s deeply, deeply irresponsible.”
‘A wake-up call for Islamophobes?’
The show drew mixed responses elsewhere, with The Telegraph newspaper calling it a “wake-up call for Islamophobes everywhere.”
The 10 housemates on the show each came from different backgrounds. Mehreen, for example, had long hair and heels, while some other housemates chose to cover their hair. Shiite and Sunni Muslims were included, including some converts; most prayed together, but housemate Naila said she did not pray in the “traditional way.”
“On the surface, Britain’s 2.7 million Muslims are united in faith. But behind closed doors, in Muslim homes across the country, there is a struggle to define what makes a good Muslim,” the show’s narrator said at its opening.
But Abdul Haq was by far the most controversial character, seen at the beginning of the show handing out leaflets about the importance of unrelated men and women not mixing, sparking debate and some anger from the other housemates.
“I want the foundations of Islam laid out, so that Muslims will be happy to say, ‘I am a fundamentalist Muslim’,” Haq said on the show.
The BBC defended its decision to include Abdul Haq in the show, pointing out that his often controversial opinions are challenged by the other housemates.
“Muslims Like Us aims to explore a full range of attitudes and beliefs in the British Muslim community today. The contributors were selected to provide an insight into a cross section of opinions and practices,” a spokesperson said.
“The views of Abdul Haq, and the other contributors, are robustly challenged and debated among the group as well as by the film makers throughout the series.”
Dispelling myths
Harun Khan, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), was consulted by the program makers and gave guidance on the diversity of the chosen characters.
“As expected the program generated views from across the diverse spectrum of Muslims and non-Muslims on social media. Ten people can only represent a fraction of the reality but goes some way to dispel the myth that Muslims are any different to everyday people and divergent views they may have,” he told Arab News.
Khan did not comment directly on Haq’s inclusion in the show but said that the 10 housemates showed “the broad diversity of Muslims” in the UK.
“It also provided a safe space for discussion and debate on topical issues of difference, unlike the environment that has been created in public life today, where religious and political viewpoints can place you at risk of being wrongly reported to the authorities,” Khan said.
“The show represented some aspects of Muslim life but it would be impossible to demonstrate every kind of character in a single show as we are all unique in our own way.”
BBC show featuring Daesh sympathizer branded ‘deeply irresponsible’
BBC show featuring Daesh sympathizer branded ‘deeply irresponsible’
