Media Engagement

• IERA (Islamic Education and Research Academy) responds to Panorama documentary broadcast on 22nd November on Islamic Schools – a carefully considered statement was issued within 24 hours of broadcasting and emailed out to the organisation’s mailing list.  It refers to the largely positive impact of Muslim schooling upon society and the historical Islamic tradition of peaceful co-existence with Jews in refuting the claims of the documentary. It is available to view at http://www.iera.org.uk/ - iera plan to distribute educational CDs and leaflets at stalls throughout the UK as well as at the BBC offices on the morning of Monday 29th November.  If successful, video footage of this event will be available from You Tube ia.
• Al-Ansar Islamic Education Centre, Seven Kings, Essex also hosted a response to the Panorama programme on Saturday 27th November at 7pm which was also live streamed over the internet.  Al-Ansar welcomed the CEO of i ENGAGE an organisation that aims to encourage Muslims to make their voice heard in ensuring that Islamophobia is regarded as just as unacceptable as any other group discrimination by the public and media at large.  See http://www.iengage.org.uk/ for a pocket guidebook on how to engage with the media diplomatically.
• MTEC – the Muslim Teachers and Educators Committee have also responded by writing a statement to the BBC: It describes the documentary as ‘sensational’ and outlines some key points including the absence of Muslim schools from Oldham and Burnley (the area where the riots took place that the documentary described as the consequences of social segregation).  It also points out that the Saudi text on Jews was actually mistranslated from the Arabic and raises questions about some of the interviewees competing interests in making the documentary.  See http://www.mtecuk.org/ for details.