Difference between revisions of "The Hijacking of British Islam"

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On 29 October 2007 the right wing think-tank [[Policy Exchange]] released a report entitled The Hijacking of British Islam: How extremist literature is subverting Britain's mosques. The report’s release was timed to coincide with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia’s state visit to the UK. It claimed to unveil the presence of pamphlets, books and leaflets in mosques and Islamic centres in the UK which promote Muslim separatism and hatred of non-Muslims.
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==Newsnight controversy==
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In October 2007, Dean Godson oversaw the publication of [[The Hijacking of British Islam]]: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK, by [[Denis MacEoin]].<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/libimages/307.pdf The Hijacking of British Islam: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK], by [[Denis MacEoin]], [[Policy Exchange], 29 October 2007.</ref> According to this report, which claimed to be 'the most comprehensive academic survey of such literature ever produced in this country', [[Policy Exchange]] sent four Muslim research teams to almost 100 mosques across Britain, and found radical material at 25 per cent of the institutions surveyed.<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/libimages/307.pdf The Hijacking of British Islam: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK], by [[Denis MacEoin]], [[Policy Exchange], 29 October 2007, p.5.</ref>The Report's recommendations included calls for the British authorities to reconsider their relationship to the [[Muslim Council of Britain]], the [[Islamic Foundation]] and the [[Muslim Safety Forum]].<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/libimages/307.pdf The Hijacking of British Islam: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK], by [[Denis MacEoin]], [[Policy Exchange], 29 October 2007, p7.</ref>
  
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The research was conducted during 2006 and 2007 by “four Muslim research teams [who] travelled to towns and cities across the UK”. The researchers then passed approximately 80 books and pamphlets to [[Denis MacEoin]], who along with a team of “independent experts” analysed their content.<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/libimages/307.pdf|The Hijacking of British Islam] </ref>  
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The report's findings were widely covered in the British media with articles appearing in, for example, The [[Daily Mail]]<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/Press.aspx?id=432 Excerpts from articles featuring Policy Exchange - October 30 2007]: Daily Mail: Agenda of hate in British mosques is linked to Saudis, Policy Exchange (accessed 9 March 2008)</ref>, the [[Daily Telegraph]]<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/30/nmosques130.xml 'Hate literature easily found at UK mosques'], by [[Toby Helm]], Daily Telegraph, 31 October 2007.</ref> and The Times.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2767252.ece Lessons in hate found at leading mosques], by [[Sean O'Neill]], The Times, 30 October 2007.</ref>According to [[Newsnight]] editor [[Peter Barron]], the BBC had originally been due to run an exclusive report on the findings:
  
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The report claimed to find extremist literature at 25 percent of the institutions visited, and stated that these were “among the best-funded and most dynamic institutions in Muslim Britain”. According to the report most of the literature was published and distributed by agencies linked to the Saudi Arabian government.<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/images/libimages/307.pdf|The Hijacking of British Islam] </ref>
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::On the planned day of broadcast our reporter [[Richard Watson]] came to me and said he had a problem. He had put the claim and shown a receipt to one of the mosques mentioned in the report - The [[Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre]] in London. They had immediately denied selling the book and said the receipt was not theirs.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2007/12/disastrous__misjudgement.html 'Disastrous misjudgement?'], by [[Peter Barron]], BBC News - The Editors, 13 December 2007.</ref>
  
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On 12 December 2007 BBC Newsnight ran a 17-minute report by Richard Watson suggesting that the report was based on fraudulent evidence. In October, hoping for an exclusive, [[Policy Exchange]] had given Newsnight receipts to corroborate that the literature was procured from the particular institutions identified in the report. Following suspicions over the authenticity of five of the receipts the BBC conducted an investigation which included consulting a forensic scientist.  
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On closer examination, the BBC identified particular concerns about five of the receipts in particular:
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# In all five cases the mosques involved said the receipts did not belong to them.
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# The expert analysis showed that all five had been printed on an inkjet printer - suggesting they were created on a PC.
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#The analysis found "strong evidence" that two of the receipts were written by the same person.
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#The analysis found that one of the receipts had been written out while resting on another receipt said to be from a mosque 40 miles away.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/theeditors/2007/12/disastrous__misjudgement.html 'Disastrous misjudgement?'], by [[Peter Barron]], BBC News - The Editors, 13 December 2007.</ref>
  
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They found that<ref>Newsnight editor Peter Barron Blog entry 13 Dec 2007, 10:28 AM</ref>:
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On 12 December 2007, Newsnight ran a report on these concerns, followed by a studio discussion between [[Jeremy Paxman]] and Dean Godson, during which Godson accused Barron of "disastrous editorial misjudgement" and of "appalling stewardship of Newsnight". <ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/12/newsnight_response_to_policy_exchange_statement.html BBC News - Talk About Newsnight - Newsnight Response to Policy Exchange Statement], 14 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008. </ref>
  
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1. In all five cases the mosques involved said the receipts did not belong to them.
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An initial statement on 12 December, 'the executive of Policy Exchange will meet on Thursday 13th to discuss legal action against the BBC'.<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/Press.aspx?id=475 Policy Exchange and BBC Newsnight], Policy Exchange, 12 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008.</ref>A second response the next day stated that 'Policy Exchange is in legal consultations about action in this matter.'<ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/Press.aspx?id=476 Policy Exchange and Newsnight (2)],[[Policy Exchange]], 13 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008.</ref>The BBC responded: 'Policy Exchange's statement is misleading in many ways and doesn't answer the simple question raised by Newsnight's film. Given that the Policy Exchange report was based on the testimony of the researchers who gathered the receipts, do they believe all the receipts are genuine?'<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/newsnight/2007/12/newsnight_response_to_policy_exchange_statement.html BBC News - Talk About Newsnight - Newsnight Response to Policy Exchange Statement], 14 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008. </ref>
  
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2. The expert analysis showed that all five had been printed on an inkjet printer - suggesting they were created on a PC.
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In the Daily Telegraph on 15 December, Policy Exchange Chairman [[Charles Moore]] accused [[Peter Barron]] of questioning the receipts in order to justify his original decision not to run the report.
  
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3. The analysis found "strong evidence" that two of the receipts were written by the same person.
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:Given that the report was being published that night, the obvious thing for Newsnight to do was to broadcast Policy Exchange's findings at once, allowing the mosques to have their say about the receipts.
  
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4. The analysis found that one of the receipts had been written out while resting on another receipt said to be from a mosque 40 miles away.
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:There was no need for Newsnight to claim "ownership" of the report. Instead, the editor, Peter Barron, decided to run nothing. His decision meant the Policy Exchange report was not touched by the BBC at all.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/12/15/do1501.xml  Newsnight told a small story over a big one], by [[Charles Moore]], Daily Telegraph, 15 December 2007</ref>
  
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Policy Exchange’s research director, [[Dean Godson]] accused Newsnight’s editor of “appalling stewardship” of the programme and “disastrous editorial misjudgement” <ref>Newsnight editor Peter Barron Blog entry 13 Dec 2007, 10:28 AM</ref>
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On 17 December, The Times issued an apology to Dr [[Muhammad Abdul Bari]] of the [[East London Mosque]] in connection with its coverage of the report.<ref>[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3059836.ece Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari], [[The Times]], 17 December 2007.</ref>
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. Policy Exchange said in a press release that they would “discuss legal action against the BBC”. <ref>Press release posted on Policy Exchange’s [http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/|homepage] accessed 14 December 2007</ref>
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In February 2008, Private Eye reported that 'furious Conservatives say they've no option but to sue or take a dossier on [[Peter Barron]], [[Newsnight]]'s editor, to the BBC's senior management.'<ref>Media News: Newsnight and the Mosques, by '[[Ratbiter]]', [[Private Eye]] No. 1203, 8 February-21 February 2008, p.8.</ref>In a letter in the following issue, Barron responded 'Policy Exchange promised to investigate these discrepancies, but two months later they have still not said if they believe these receipts are genuine.'<ref>Receipt deceit? by [[Peter Barron]], Private Eye No.1204, 22 February-6 March 2008, p.15</ref>
  
 
In September 2008, the North London Central Mosque issued a writ in the High Court over the report's allegations.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b0adc306-8906-11dd-a179-0000779fd18c.html London mosque sues think-tank], by Megan Murphy, FT.com, 23 September 2008; ''North London Central Mosque v. The Policy Exchange and Denis McEoin'', claim number HQ08X03441, filed 4 September 2008</ref>
 
In September 2008, the North London Central Mosque issued a writ in the High Court over the report's allegations.<ref>[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b0adc306-8906-11dd-a179-0000779fd18c.html London mosque sues think-tank], by Megan Murphy, FT.com, 23 September 2008; ''North London Central Mosque v. The Policy Exchange and Denis McEoin'', claim number HQ08X03441, filed 4 September 2008</ref>
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In March 2009, the report appeared to have been removed from the Policy Exchange website, where the following statement appeared:
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::The Hijacking of British Islam:
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::Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre
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::In this report we state that Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre is one of the Centres where extremist literature was found. Policy Exchange accepts the Centre’s assurances that none of the literature cited in the Report has ever been sold or distributed at the Centre with the knowledge or consent of the Centre’s trustees or staff, who condemn the extremist and intolerant views set out in such literature. We are happy to set the record straight.<ref>Sunny Hundal, [http://www.liberalconspiracy.org/2009/03/30/exclusive-policy-exchange-forced-to-apologise-takes-report-off-website/ Exclusive: Policy Exchange forced to apologise; takes report off website], Liberal Conspiracy, 30 March 2009.</ref><ref>[http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/ Policy Exchange, accessed 2 April 2009.</ref>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>

Revision as of 17:40, 27 April 2010

Newsnight controversy

In October 2007, Dean Godson oversaw the publication of The Hijacking of British Islam: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK, by Denis MacEoin.[1] According to this report, which claimed to be 'the most comprehensive academic survey of such literature ever produced in this country', Policy Exchange sent four Muslim research teams to almost 100 mosques across Britain, and found radical material at 25 per cent of the institutions surveyed.[2]The Report's recommendations included calls for the British authorities to reconsider their relationship to the Muslim Council of Britain, the Islamic Foundation and the Muslim Safety Forum.[3]

The report's findings were widely covered in the British media with articles appearing in, for example, The Daily Mail[4], the Daily Telegraph[5] and The Times.[6]According to Newsnight editor Peter Barron, the BBC had originally been due to run an exclusive report on the findings:

On the planned day of broadcast our reporter Richard Watson came to me and said he had a problem. He had put the claim and shown a receipt to one of the mosques mentioned in the report - The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre in London. They had immediately denied selling the book and said the receipt was not theirs.[7]

On closer examination, the BBC identified particular concerns about five of the receipts in particular:

  1. In all five cases the mosques involved said the receipts did not belong to them.
  2. The expert analysis showed that all five had been printed on an inkjet printer - suggesting they were created on a PC.
  3. The analysis found "strong evidence" that two of the receipts were written by the same person.
  4. The analysis found that one of the receipts had been written out while resting on another receipt said to be from a mosque 40 miles away.[8]

On 12 December 2007, Newsnight ran a report on these concerns, followed by a studio discussion between Jeremy Paxman and Dean Godson, during which Godson accused Barron of "disastrous editorial misjudgement" and of "appalling stewardship of Newsnight". [9]

An initial statement on 12 December, 'the executive of Policy Exchange will meet on Thursday 13th to discuss legal action against the BBC'.[10]A second response the next day stated that 'Policy Exchange is in legal consultations about action in this matter.'[11]The BBC responded: 'Policy Exchange's statement is misleading in many ways and doesn't answer the simple question raised by Newsnight's film. Given that the Policy Exchange report was based on the testimony of the researchers who gathered the receipts, do they believe all the receipts are genuine?'[12]

In the Daily Telegraph on 15 December, Policy Exchange Chairman Charles Moore accused Peter Barron of questioning the receipts in order to justify his original decision not to run the report.

Given that the report was being published that night, the obvious thing for Newsnight to do was to broadcast Policy Exchange's findings at once, allowing the mosques to have their say about the receipts.
There was no need for Newsnight to claim "ownership" of the report. Instead, the editor, Peter Barron, decided to run nothing. His decision meant the Policy Exchange report was not touched by the BBC at all.[13]

On 17 December, The Times issued an apology to Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari of the East London Mosque in connection with its coverage of the report.[14]

In February 2008, Private Eye reported that 'furious Conservatives say they've no option but to sue or take a dossier on Peter Barron, Newsnight's editor, to the BBC's senior management.'[15]In a letter in the following issue, Barron responded 'Policy Exchange promised to investigate these discrepancies, but two months later they have still not said if they believe these receipts are genuine.'[16]

In September 2008, the North London Central Mosque issued a writ in the High Court over the report's allegations.[17]

In March 2009, the report appeared to have been removed from the Policy Exchange website, where the following statement appeared:

The Hijacking of British Islam:
Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre
In this report we state that Al-Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre is one of the Centres where extremist literature was found. Policy Exchange accepts the Centre’s assurances that none of the literature cited in the Report has ever been sold or distributed at the Centre with the knowledge or consent of the Centre’s trustees or staff, who condemn the extremist and intolerant views set out in such literature. We are happy to set the record straight.[18][19]

References

  1. ↑ The Hijacking of British Islam: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK, by Denis MacEoin, [[Policy Exchange], 29 October 2007.
  2. ↑ The Hijacking of British Islam: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK, by Denis MacEoin, [[Policy Exchange], 29 October 2007, p.5.
  3. ↑ The Hijacking of British Islam: How Extremist Literature is Subverting Mosques in the UK, by Denis MacEoin, [[Policy Exchange], 29 October 2007, p7.
  4. ↑ Excerpts from articles featuring Policy Exchange - October 30 2007: Daily Mail: Agenda of hate in British mosques is linked to Saudis, Policy Exchange (accessed 9 March 2008)
  5. ↑ 'Hate literature easily found at UK mosques', by Toby Helm, Daily Telegraph, 31 October 2007.
  6. ↑ Lessons in hate found at leading mosques, by Sean O'Neill, The Times, 30 October 2007.
  7. ↑ 'Disastrous misjudgement?', by Peter Barron, BBC News - The Editors, 13 December 2007.
  8. ↑ 'Disastrous misjudgement?', by Peter Barron, BBC News - The Editors, 13 December 2007.
  9. ↑ BBC News - Talk About Newsnight - Newsnight Response to Policy Exchange Statement, 14 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008.
  10. ↑ Policy Exchange and BBC Newsnight, Policy Exchange, 12 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008.
  11. ↑ Policy Exchange and Newsnight (2),Policy Exchange, 13 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008.
  12. ↑ BBC News - Talk About Newsnight - Newsnight Response to Policy Exchange Statement, 14 December 2007, accessed 9 March 2008.
  13. ↑ Newsnight told a small story over a big one, by Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph, 15 December 2007
  14. ↑ Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, The Times, 17 December 2007.
  15. ↑ Media News: Newsnight and the Mosques, by 'Ratbiter', Private Eye No. 1203, 8 February-21 February 2008, p.8.
  16. ↑ Receipt deceit? by Peter Barron, Private Eye No.1204, 22 February-6 March 2008, p.15
  17. ↑ London mosque sues think-tank, by Megan Murphy, FT.com, 23 September 2008; North London Central Mosque v. The Policy Exchange and Denis McEoin, claim number HQ08X03441, filed 4 September 2008
  18. ↑ Sunny Hundal, Exclusive: Policy Exchange forced to apologise; takes report off website, Liberal Conspiracy, 30 March 2009.
  19. ↑ [http://www.policyexchange.org.uk/ Policy Exchange, accessed 2 April 2009.
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