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The Qur'an Documentary - A Response from the CoEJ |
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Mr. Lygo,
RE: The Quran Documentary
Firstly, allow me to commend Channel 4 on their efforts with this documentary. It is highly courageous to present a documentary about a book followed religiously by 1.6 billion people worldwide. Also, I fully understand that the mere fact that the documentary involved so many people (all Muslims) makes it very likely that somebody will object. This can not be used however, to say that these objections should be ignored.
Personally I watched the documentary and was a member of the audience in ‘The TV Show’ debate about the documentary. The Quran was very interesting – to see a non-Muslim probe and question the Quran was great, to see the answers that the Quran revealed was intriguing. I must however raise a number of objections.
I am not writing to present theological arguments to argue the points made in the documentary. What concerns me highly is the arrogance of Mr. Thomas who continues to deny that the Shi'a were misrepresented in the making of this documentary. When questioned about his advisors and whether or not any Shi’a were involved, he gave a very feeble reply:
From a group in America who vetted the script there was ONE Shi’a. When asked about interviewing Shi’a, he said “To be honest, I didn’t ask each person I interviewed if they were Sunni, Shi’a, Sufi…” This implies it was of no significance, and it would not have been important IF the documentary did not go ahead and make pronouncements about the Shi’a faith! It clearly did this, failing to ensure that the Shi’a were allowed to adequately comment on the claims made.
Also, at a time when sectarian violence is on the increase and extremism is on the rise, it is highly irresponsible of Channel 4 to be commissioning such views as were aired on this documentary. It is fact that many extremists target and kill Shi’a around the world, branding them as infidels. These extremists are on the increase – their numbers are growing because they brainwash young Muslims. When an external source such as this programme claims that the views of the Shi’a ‘have no substance in the Qur’an’ they are giving credit to the views of these extremists and aiding them in their mission to increase their followers.
Whether or not the beliefs are substantiated by the Qur’an is not something a show that claims to present a balanced view can conclude! And even if they are correct in their statements, it is ridiculous to ignore the consequences such statements would have, particularly in the volatile times we live in.
On 'The TV Show, Mr. Thomas implied that the protest from the Shi'a was actually arranged to make it seem like the majority of Shi'a were displeased when actually they were not. His advisor claimed that he has not received a single complaint from the Shi'a.
The Council of European Jamaats represents 12000 Shi’a members across the UK. On behalf of our membership let this be an official protest. It is in your interest not to deny that the majority of Shi'a in the UK do object to this documentary. The way in which we protested should be seen favorably by you, uniting under one force (The Khoei Foundation) so as to make a clear concise argument. If we were to ask our membership to complain, they would do so in thousands, but we do not wish to create such a mess.
So please, accept the fact that you did misrepresent the Shi'a – completely – and apologize. Please respond to this protest in an adequate manner. If this is not done, the Shi’a community will look at alternative options. We eagerly await your response and are happy to be consulted in the clarification that will inevitably take place.
Hasanain Jaffer |
