Islam Channel programme ‘characterising Jews as tyrannical’ breached Ofcom rules
The programme characterised Jews as 'tyrannical' and conflated the community with Israel, the broadcast regulator found
A programme on the Islam Channel that “characterised Jewish people as ‘tyrannical’ and having an ‘evil mind'” broke Ofcom’s broadcasting rules, the regulator said.
“We are putting the Licensee on notice that we will consider these breaches for the imposition of a statutory sanction,” the watchdog said on Monday.
The English-language channel broadcast in over 136 countries, including the UK, offers programmes from an Islamic perspective.
An episode from its religious education series The Rightly Guided Khalifas, broadcast last year, contained “potentially very harmful and highly offensive antisemitic content” and “represents serious breaches of the Code,” Ofcom found.
“In our view, their broadcast had the potential to promote, encourage and
incite such intolerance among viewers,” the regulator said.
The programme included disputed allegations that Israel printed hundreds of thousands of tampered copies of the Qur’an in 1961 to disseminate in Asia and Africa.
It also alleged that Israel was founded on “tyranny and oppression” and “continues with its poisonous acts with its attempt to change the meaning of the Qur’an.”
Ofcom found several elements of the programme were in breach of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance of antisemitism.
It also said the programme conflated “Israel and Jewish people” and “characterised Jewish people as ‘tyrannical’ and having an ‘evil mind [at least from 1948 to December 1960.]”
After reviewing Ofcom’s findings, Islam Channel accepted the reasons given by the regulator it had breached rules 3.2, 3.3 and 2.3 of the code.
While arguing the content did not incite or encourage any crime, the channel acknowledged that it met the code’s definition of hate speech and was not justified by its context.
The channel said the episode was broadcast in error after a junior member of staff failed to review content which had been identified previously as “problematic” and removed from the broadcast schedule.
Islam Channel apologised twice for the episode in statements reviewed by Ofcom broadcast on August 29 and September 1. “Islam Channel profoundly regrets that this programme was broadcast and apologises sincerely to all viewers,” it told viewers.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
