Some examples of the way Muslims are portrayed in TV Drama.
2016 : Assalamu alaikum
Assalamu alaikum (Peace be upon you) is a very common Islamic greeting. Across the UK it is said millions of times a day, children returning home from school; by husbands and wives coming home from work; by people meeting friends and acquaintances in the street.
It is ubiquitous.
But you will very rarely here it on TV drama containing Muslim characters, except in one specific set of circumstances - we'll come back to that in a moment.
So, anyway, BFTF was sitting idly at home next to Mrs BFTF, who was watching Silent Witness on BBC iPlayer ("Flight", Pt1, first aired 9pm 11 Jan 2016).
BFTF wasn't really paying attention until he heard the phrase "Assalamu alaikum" being spoken by one of the Muslim characters in a scene where someone had died.
BFTF: "How did that guy die?"
Mrs BFTF : "Stabbed"
BFTF : "Anything to do with terrorism?
Mrs BFTF :"No"
BFTF : "That's unusual"
BFTF then went back to scanning through Facebook on his phone until, literally WITHIN SIX MINUTES, he heard the gravelly voice of Detective Chief Inspector Michael Waite from the Counter Terrorism Unit appear on the detective show.
Det Insp Waite was was soon launching into a monologue with all the usual catchphrases.
radicalised, Raqqa, Al-Britani, Jihadist, Falluja, Social media, recruiting sargent......
One rarely, if ever, hears "Assalamu alaikum" on Eastenders or other soaps - no matter how many times the Muslim characters meet each other - why does BFTF only hear it on dramas involvingterrorism, gang violence or wife beating?
Complaint to the BBC received this response (edited for conciseness):
2016 : "Murdered by my Father" BBC3 Tue 29 March 6pm
The title tells you all you need to know about the storyline of this drama. As the context is negative, it is not a surprise to find that, 13m 35seconds into the 75min programme, we find the (soon to be murderous) father greeting a neighbour with a friendly "Assalamu alaikum" - a greeting that, in real life, Muslims use all the time, but on TV only use when they are bad people or in the context of a negative storyline...
Complaint to the BBC received this response:...
BFTF is not at all sure that Eastenders is "...one obvious example where ‘good’ Muslim characters can be regularly heard using the greeting.""
2004: "Outsiders"
Back in 2004, Challenged the BBC in this, rather angry, email over an episode called "Outsiders" (Series 3 Episode 7, 22nd Nov 2004). BFTF has no record of any response from the BBC. This was back in 2004. So far as BFTF can tell, nothing at all has changed in the intervening 10 years. BFF wonders why he is paying a licence fee to get demonised in BBC dramatic output.
2003 : Spooks
Challenged the BBC (via a phone complaint) on their claim that they had consulted with Islamic experts for the 9th June 2003 episode of Spooks "Nest of Angels". A member of the Editorial and Investigation Team responded saying that :
2008 : NCIS
Had an, ultimately fruitless, email discussion with Channel 5 back in 2008 about the overwhelmingly negative portrayal of Muslims on the US made NCIS drama...
POSITIVE portrayals of Muslims in TV drama
2013 : Comic Relief-BBC1-Thur 14th March
A sketch by Peter Kay featured himself doing his bit for Comic Relief by travelling the country while sat on a Sofa that was pulled, somewhat unexpectedly, by a team of dwarves. In one part of the sketch, when he was feeling low due to the toll his excertions were taking on his body, he was given a pep-talk by his wife - who was portrayed as an Urdu speaking Muslim lady who wore the niqab (face veil).
BFTF is not a fan of the Niqab but it was great to see a characters "Muslimness" being simply part of who they were and not some kind of plot point that leads to a story about domestic violence, extremism or illegal immigration.
And so it was with happiness that BFTF sent off an email to the BBC saying well done for this.
EastEnders - Winter 2012/3
A story that ran through the Winter of 2012/3 was that of Ayesha Rana and her potential arranged marriage to suitor Rashid. It says something about the typcial portrayal of Muslims on TV drama that, in this case, it was a relief to see that the marriage was not used as a lead into a story about a manipulative male, illegal immigration or forced marriage. And it was good to see some aspects of Asian-Muslim culture getting some air time, including, if BFTF is not mistaken, the traditional Islamic greeting "Assalamu alaikum" (Peace be upon you).
Keen to encourage the Muslims as human beings and not as terrorists, BFTF sent an email to the BBC saying thank you for this storyline
2016 : Assalamu alaikum
Assalamu alaikum (Peace be upon you) is a very common Islamic greeting. Across the UK it is said millions of times a day, children returning home from school; by husbands and wives coming home from work; by people meeting friends and acquaintances in the street.
It is ubiquitous.
But you will very rarely here it on TV drama containing Muslim characters, except in one specific set of circumstances - we'll come back to that in a moment.
So, anyway, BFTF was sitting idly at home next to Mrs BFTF, who was watching Silent Witness on BBC iPlayer ("Flight", Pt1, first aired 9pm 11 Jan 2016).
BFTF wasn't really paying attention until he heard the phrase "Assalamu alaikum" being spoken by one of the Muslim characters in a scene where someone had died.
 |
| "Assalamu alaikum" |
BFTF: "How did that guy die?"
Mrs BFTF : "Stabbed"
BFTF : "Anything to do with terrorism?
Mrs BFTF :"No"
BFTF : "That's unusual"
BFTF then went back to scanning through Facebook on his phone until, literally WITHIN SIX MINUTES, he heard the gravelly voice of Detective Chief Inspector Michael Waite from the Counter Terrorism Unit appear on the detective show.
 |
| Det. Chief Insp. Waite arrives |
Det Insp Waite was was soon launching into a monologue with all the usual catchphrases.
radicalised, Raqqa, Al-Britani, Jihadist, Falluja, Social media, recruiting sargent......
One rarely, if ever, hears "Assalamu alaikum" on Eastenders or other soaps - no matter how many times the Muslim characters meet each other - why does BFTF only hear it on dramas involvingterrorism, gang violence or wife beating?
Complaint to the BBC received this response (edited for conciseness):
"We were contacted by a number of viewers who felt the terrorist storyline was inappropriate to show. To allow us to reply promptly, and use the licence fee efficiently we’re sending this response to everyone. We’re sorry we can’t reply individually, but we hope this will address most of the points raised or at least add some context behind the story....Writer, Graham Mitchell said: "The threat of Islamist terrorism isn’t something that’s explored very often at present in UK popular fiction...How have we managed to alienate some of our young people to such an extent? And how much are the actions of our governments to blame for this alienation.”... "So that’s what my story tries to do - to try, without judgement, to understand what motivates our two fictional jihadist characters and to ask some questions.”...With all this in mind we didn’t feel these programmes would be outside of most viewers’ expectations for the series, but we appreciate that you felt differently and your feedback has been circulated to the programme makers."
2016 : "Murdered by my Father" BBC3 Tue 29 March 6pm
The title tells you all you need to know about the storyline of this drama. As the context is negative, it is not a surprise to find that, 13m 35seconds into the 75min programme, we find the (soon to be murderous) father greeting a neighbour with a friendly "Assalamu alaikum" - a greeting that, in real life, Muslims use all the time, but on TV only use when they are bad people or in the context of a negative storyline...
 |
| "Assalamu Alaikum" |
Complaint to the BBC received this response:...
"As you acknowledge “as-salaamu alaikum” is a commonly heard greeting. It follows then that it would be heard by ‘bad’ characters as well as ‘good’. We’re sorry, however, that you feel it’s only ever used by ‘bad’ characters. But, given that it is a greeting that’s used all the time, we wouldn’t agree; it’s rather that drama, by its nature, might include more ‘bad’ characters or have a particular focus on them and bad events since they tend to drive many dramatic storylines. ‘EastEnders’, for example, is just one obvious example where ‘good’ Muslim characters can be regularly heard using the greeting. Thank you again for your feedback. Please know complaints are sent to senior management and programme makers every morning and we’ve included your points in our overnight reports. These reports are among the most widely read sources of feedback in the BBC ensuring that complaints are seen quickly by the right people."
BFTF is not at all sure that Eastenders is "...one obvious example where ‘good’ Muslim characters can be regularly heard using the greeting.""
2004: "Outsiders"
Back in 2004, Challenged the BBC in this, rather angry, email over an episode called "Outsiders" (Series 3 Episode 7, 22nd Nov 2004). BFTF has no record of any response from the BBC. This was back in 2004. So far as BFTF can tell, nothing at all has changed in the intervening 10 years. BFF wonders why he is paying a licence fee to get demonised in BBC dramatic output.
...I have just had to endure a whole week of trailers that appeared to show messages from an "Islamic" Terrorist group....But it turns out that it's okay, because this time the Muslims didn't do it.Let me just get this straight. Are you saying that it is now acceptable to use the assumed guilt of Muslims as a plot line ??!!...I would point out, again, that the ONLY time the BBC portrays Muslims in its dramatic output is when they are either terrorists or asylum seekers...Why are Muslims only portrayed in negative terms in the dramatic output of the BBC?
2003 : Spooks
Challenged the BBC (via a phone complaint) on their claim that they had consulted with Islamic experts for the 9th June 2003 episode of Spooks "Nest of Angels". A member of the Editorial and Investigation Team responded saying that :
"I am unable to divulge details of the Islamic Experts that were consulted for the programme. Ultimately the BBC takes responsibility for Spooks and we are satisfied that this episode was extensively researched and that the BBC's usual rigorous editorial policy and legal requirements had been followed"
2008 : NCIS
Had an, ultimately fruitless, email discussion with Channel 5 back in 2008 about the overwhelmingly negative portrayal of Muslims on the US made NCIS drama...
Dear Channel 5
I was deeply disturbed by the negative portrayal of Muslims in this episode of NCIS. Specifically:
i) A group calling itself something along the lines of "Muslims for Peace" turned out to be intent on performing suicide bombings. The implication being that Muslims are largely two faced, and not to be trusted. Having a group called ""Muslims for Peace" also implies that all other Muslims are "for War".
ii) Muslims were shown exclusively in a context of terrorism.
ii) Muslims having beards of wearing prayer-caps were exclusively shown be resentful of the NCIS agents in a way that is rare for other characters to be portrayed.
NCIS has a history of such portrayal. For instance in just three months last year it managed to rack up the following :
23rd March 2007 : 2 detectives found themselves in a crate of terrorist related "Al- Qaida" cash
24th March 2007 : Comments about Al-Qaida dropped into a conversation on a different topic
20th April 2007 : A decapitated head in the boot of a car prompts Ziva to tearfully tell how her friend was beheaded by Hamas in Ramallah
11th May 2007 : Ziva comments that "I've seen 12 yr old suicide bombers in Israel" in an eposide relating to a student who appeared to be a suicide bomber.
I can recall no positive portrayals of Muslims In addition there are running stories relating to Gibbs search for the terrorist "Ari", and the last season ended with a terrorist attack on a US naval ship.
I appreciate that this is a drama series and that terrorism is a legitimate topic. What is NOT acceptable is to link Muslims and terrorism repeatedly throughout a series - and to do so without any positive references to Muslims in storylines that are unconnected with terrorism.
It is inconceivable that that any other minority would be portrayed in such a systematically negative fashion. I would welcome some evidence from C5 that it has a larger number of positive portrayals of Muslims than negative ones in its dramatic output.
I would also ask C5 to consider the effect that consistently negative portrayals of Muslims have on community relations. Consistently negative portrayals of Muslims have an adverse effect on the perceptions that some non-Muslims have of Muslims. They also have the effect of demonstrating to some Muslims that the "establishment" is determined to portray them as the enemy within and that they will never be accepted in this country.
Dear Ash
Thank you for your recent enquiry regarding NCIS and the portrayal of Muslims.
We were sorry to learn that you feel that this series portrays Muslims in a negative way. Whilst we fully understand your sentiment based on your perception of the programme, we feel that you are mistaken. As the programme is set in a department of the US Military, it is entirely feasible that there will be mentions of terrorism related matters. The episode in question, titled Grace Period, features a number of Muslims but only two are found to be involved in terrorist activity. Indeed, other Muslims featured in the episode are either successful business owners, clerics working to promote peace or volunteer workers also keen on promoting peace. With the exception of the two terrorists in this episode, the portrayal of Muslims and interactions with NCIS staff was both positive and reverential.
Nonetheless, we understand your concerns and have logged your comments for the attention of all relevant Five personnel.
Dear Channel 5The conversation went on a bit further after this, but not to any significant effect
Thank you for replying to my comments.
Unfortunately, you're responses do not answer my questions, and are incorrect in some respects. Specifically:
1) You state "the programme is set in a department of the US Military, it is entirely feasible that there will be mentions of terrorism related matters"
I agree with you, as shown by by original statement "I appreciate that this is a drama series and that terrorism is a legitimate topic"
2) You state "Indeed, other Muslims featured in the episode are either successful business owners, clerics working to promote peace or volunteer workers also keen on promoting peace. With the exception of the two terrorists in this episode, the portrayal of Muslims and interactions with NCIS staff was both positive and reverential".
This is plain wrong. My recollection is that the "business owner" was found to be a terrorist. Also the workers at his office scowled at the NCIS agents and were certainly not "reverential".
3) My comment was that "What is NOT acceptable is to link Muslims and terrorism repeatedly throughout a series - and to do so without any positive references to Muslims in storylines that are unconnected with terrorism". I would welcome your confirmation that you agree with this.
4) My question was "I would welcome some evidence from C5 that it has a larger number of postive portrayals of Muslims than negative ones in its dramatic output". An answer to this would be gratefully received. And please note, having a token "good Muslim" in a programme that otherwise contains Muslims that are bent on death and destruction does not, in my mind, particularly count as a positive portrayal.
POSITIVE portrayals of Muslims in TV drama
2013 : Comic Relief-BBC1-Thur 14th March
A sketch by Peter Kay featured himself doing his bit for Comic Relief by travelling the country while sat on a Sofa that was pulled, somewhat unexpectedly, by a team of dwarves. In one part of the sketch, when he was feeling low due to the toll his excertions were taking on his body, he was given a pep-talk by his wife - who was portrayed as an Urdu speaking Muslim lady who wore the niqab (face veil).
BFTF is not a fan of the Niqab but it was great to see a characters "Muslimness" being simply part of who they were and not some kind of plot point that leads to a story about domestic violence, extremism or illegal immigration.
And so it was with happiness that BFTF sent off an email to the BBC saying well done for this.
EastEnders - Winter 2012/3
A story that ran through the Winter of 2012/3 was that of Ayesha Rana and her potential arranged marriage to suitor Rashid. It says something about the typcial portrayal of Muslims on TV drama that, in this case, it was a relief to see that the marriage was not used as a lead into a story about a manipulative male, illegal immigration or forced marriage. And it was good to see some aspects of Asian-Muslim culture getting some air time, including, if BFTF is not mistaken, the traditional Islamic greeting "Assalamu alaikum" (Peace be upon you).
Keen to encourage the Muslims as human beings and not as terrorists, BFTF sent an email to the BBC saying thank you for this storyline