Now it becomes clear why there was/is a media silence over the Ch4 Dispatches programme. This report from The UK Daily Pundit explains all:
Nearly a week after Channel 4's disturbing undercover report on the Green Lane Mosque, the unwillingness of our elected representatives to speak out has shocked many. So, why the silence?I believe that it's a direct result of a concerted campaign by Muslim pressure groups which began a week before the hour-long report was broadcast. In an effort to discredit the programme senior Muslims used threats of prosecution, allegations of Islamophobia and even a wild claim from the Muslim Council of Britain that programme makers were attempting to "forment sectarian divisions".
Were MPs lobbied, intimidated and bullied in the same way? I suspect they were. But until I see a copy of one of the e-mails, faxes, or letters sent to MPs by the campaigners I can't confirm it.
The Campaign
The various Muslim groups began organising a week before the show went out on the 15th January. A threat of legal action (pdf) against the programme's producer, Andrew Smith, was made by Shouaib Ahmed, Secretary General of Markazi Jamiat Ahl-e-Hadith UK, and published on the MCB website:
7th January: "I must remind you that if I or any member of my staff or anyone who worships at the Green Lane Mosque or the Mosque itself are subjected to any form of physical attack as a result of your programme then you, HardCash Productions Ltd and Channel 4 will all be liable to prosecution for incitement to commit a criminal act."
The following day The Federation of Student Islamic Societies published this call to arms on their website:
8th January: "URGENT ALERT: CONTACT CHANNEL 4 TO PROTEST AGAINST ISLAMOPHOBIC PROGRAMME: The time has come for us to say enough is enough. We must unite in order to defend ourselves from this onslaught, any debate regarding Islam, should be had by the Muslim community and not by those who seek to divide the Muslims and pit one group of Muslims against the other."
Two days later the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK (MPAC UK), urged their readers to do the same:
10th January: "MPACUK urge you to contact Channel 4 and raise the following concerns: A documentary like this could have damaging effects on community relations and cohesion. There is fear of potential backlash and attacks on Mosques with heightened Islamophobia."
On the same day the UK Islamic Mission (UKIM) posted this on their website:
10th January: "To malign and slander a responsible and moderate Muslim organization and to portray it as representing the extremist views or of indulging in double talk is highly reprehensible. Such attempts will strengthen those who preach extremism to the detriment of our society."
Finally, in what I believe to have been a last desperate attempt to bully Channel4 into pulling the show, the Muslim Council of Britain released a press statement which included these inflammatory comments:
12th January: "From the latest transcript it is clear that Monday's heavily hyped 'Dispatches' is an attempt to forment sectarian divisions among British Muslims and misrepresent some leading UK Muslim institutions."
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If nothing else the various Muslim organisations above have attempted to cover up the extent of extremism within their ranks.(So much for the Religion of Peace!)
Even more worrying is the fact that they succeeded in doing exactly that! The Big Brother race row has been over reported so that the MSM could appease the Muslims and avoid charges of "Islamophobia."
Wecome to Britanistan!
