Published: 18 September 2012
Country: UK
After UK broadcaster Channel 4 cancelled a repeat screening of its documentary “Islam: The Untold Story”, the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain made public its support for Tom Holland’s film. Channel 4 has decided not to broadcast Holland’s documentary again for the security reasons.
“Islam: The Untold Story, which claimed there was little written contemporary evidence about the origin of the religion, sparked more than 1,000 complaints to Channel 4 and the media regulator and its presenter, the historian Tom Holland, was also the focus of substantial criticism, as well as abuse, on Twitter”, reports Guardian.
The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain stated in the public letter that they are “indignant to learn that due to threats made on Holland, Channel 4 has cancelled a repeat screening of the historical inquiry into the origins of Islam similar to the kind of inquiry that has been applied to other religions and histories in Britain for many years”.
“The threats and concerted attempt to stigmatise the documentary and its producers by attacking its credibility and even legitimacy as a field of inquiry is nothing less than an attempt to impose a blasphemy taboo by stealth and coercion against programming that scrutinises Islam”, cited the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain.
Islamic Education and Research Academy (IERA), accused Holland of making “baseless assumptions” and engaging in “selective scholarship”. “Tom Holland’s assertion that there is no historical evidence for the seventh-century origins of Islam is historically inaccurate,” the IREA said, alleging that his presentation was “clearly biased” and that he ignored the work of key scholars, reported Guardian.
Among those who criticised the Channel 4 documentary was Inayat Bunglawala, who debated with Holland on Twitter. Bunglawala also blogged about the programme, accusing Holland of “bizarre conjecture about Islam’s birthplace”. In his response to the critiques, Holland said that “the origins of Islam are a legitimate subject of historical enquiry”.
Dr Jenny Taylor, a writer and academic who had been invited to attend the repeated screening, said it was “appalling” the event was being cancelled. Taylor said media coverage was a factor in whipping up “a false storm of protest” over the programme, which she described as “a good bit of history by one of the most eminent historians in the country”.
“We have got to be able to discuss history. That is the western way. That is what we do here. Every other civilisation that Tim has written about has come in for the same treatment. Why should Islam be left out”, reports Guardian.
