Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled

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- chris
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Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
OP - September 13, 2012, 10:17 AM

The following was sent out yesterday to CEMB supporters. Similar text, which was written by Billy and Maryam Namazie, was sent to Channel 4 and Ofcom, as well as being sent out as a press release to various media outlets in the UK. Please take a moment to read.

"The Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain would like to make public its support for Tom Holland’s Channel 4 documentary ‘Islam: The Untold Story’. We 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.

Caving in to the coercive pressure of Islamists will have catastrophic effects on free inquiry and expression where it pertains to Islam. It would not only further silence academic, historical and theological scrutiny of Islam but would also have the chilling effect of exerting added pressure on Muslims and ex-Muslims who wish to dissent from and question Islam.

CEMB spokesperson Maryam Namazie says:

“Here’s my question to Channel 4: what about the threats on our lives for being apostates, ex-Muslims, atheists, freethinkers, secularists, 21st century human beings?

“What part of our thoughts, lives, and bodies do you recommend we cancel to appease the Islamists?

“If only there was such an ‘easy’ ‘solution’ for those who are languishing under Islam’s rules.

“You may accept censorship and cowardly silence in the face of Islamist threats and intimidation but we cannot afford to do so. And we never will.”

The CEMB urges you to view the documentary (also available on Youtube) and write to Channel 4 and Ofcom (contact information below) calling for a repeat screening.

We look forward to your support."

Contact details:
Avi Grewal, Programme Coordinator, Arts & Religion
agrewal@channel4.co.uk

Mark Raphael, Emma Cooper, Lina Prestwood, Anna Miralis, Commissioning Editors, Documentaries
KHall@channel4.co.uk

Ed Richards, Chief Executive of Ofcom
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA
ofcomnews@ofcom.org.uk
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #1 - September 13, 2012, 10:31 AM

Is there a link to this available so that it can be tweeted?

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.

A.A. Milne,

"We cannot slaughter each other out of the human impasse"
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #2 - September 13, 2012, 10:35 AM

Give me a sec and I'll tweet it on the CEMB account and then you can retweet it...
- chris
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #3 - September 13, 2012, 10:45 AM

http://twitter.com/TheCEMB
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #4 - September 13, 2012, 10:46 AM

What should we do now ?
- chris
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #5 - September 13, 2012, 10:54 AM

Contact Channel 4 and Ofcom to express your support for the programme, and free enquiry in general, and concern at the cancelling of the screening as a result of threats against those involved in the program's production.

Quote from: chris on September 13, 2012, 10:17 AM
The CEMB urges you to view the documentary (also available on Youtube) and write to Channel 4 and Ofcom (contact information below) calling for a repeat screening.

We look forward to your support."

Contact details:
Avi Grewal, Programme Coordinator, Arts & Religion
agrewal@channel4.co.uk

Mark Raphael, Emma Cooper, Lina Prestwood, Anna Miralis, Commissioning Editors, Documentaries
KHall@channel4.co.uk

Ed Richards, Chief Executive of Ofcom
Riverside House
2a Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 9HA
ofcomnews@ofcom.org.uk

Sending emails to the letters pages of UK newspapers would be great as well (thanks Billy for compiling this list):
letters@guardian.co.uk
dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
letters@independent.co.uk
letters@the-times.co.uk
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #6 - September 13, 2012, 11:01 AM

Oh, and if you have accounts, tweet/share links to this page on the CEMB site:

http://ex-muslim.org.uk/2012/09/urgent-action-islam-the-untold-story-must-not-be-cancelled/
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam ? The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #7 - September 13, 2012, 12:19 PM

Quote from: chris on September 13, 2012, 10:17 AM

CEMB spokesperson Maryam Namazie says:

“Here’s my question to Channel 4: what about the threats on our lives for being apostates, ex-Muslims, atheists, freethinkers, secularists, 21st century human beings?

“What part of our thoughts, lives, and bodies do you recommend we cancel to appease the Islamists?

“If only there was such an ‘easy’ ‘solution’ for those who are languishing under Islam’s rules.

“You may accept censorship and cowardly silence in the face of Islamist threats and intimidation but we cannot afford to do so. And we never will.”

The CEMB urges you to view the documentary (also available on Youtube) and write to Channel 4 and Ofcom (contact information below) calling for a repeat screening.

We look forward to your support."

not sure i agree with the sentiment of this letter. not only do channel 4 deserve credit for making the film and screening it in the first place, branding them as cowardly is not accurate. what they have done is cancelled a private screening of the film for invited guests. since the film is still available to watch online and in fact is being aired again to national audiences tonight on channel 4, one might argue that the private screening is little more than a social gathering. in addition Tom Holland has been allowed to defend the documentary from the criticism that has been hurled his way via the channel 4 website.

what might be more of an issue is to lobby for the making of a follow-up documentary rather than brandishing channel 4 cowards for cancelling a private screening. maryam's letter just seems a bit gung-ho for my liking.

''we are morally and philisophically in the best position to win the league'' - Arsene Wenger
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam ? The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #8 - September 13, 2012, 12:48 PM

Both the private screening and (as of yesterday) the planned repeat on c4 tonight @1am have been cancelled. Also it has apparently been removed from 4oD.

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/channel-4-cancels-controversial-screening-of-islam-the-untold-story-documentary-after-presenter-tom-holland-is-threatened-8125641.html

However, I am uncomfortable with a few parts of the language too. I agree "cowardly" seems unfair given that c4 had the balls to show it in the first place (the press release does not give them credit for doing so), we don't know the details or quantity of the threats received, and it's not for us to tell c4 staff to put their necks on the line if that's what they believe they'd be doing. Better to offer our support if they reconsider the cancellation, explaining why we think they should, rather than sounding like we are demanding they do so.

Except for some of the quotes from Maryam, most of it is fine, especially the stuff highlighting the slippery slope of letting the Islamists win and the consequences. I doubt many more people would watch the 1am showing or 4od by this time who've not already seen it, and I'm not very convinced by some of the contents, but it is the precedent that worries me which is why I hope they'll still screen it.

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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #9 - September 13, 2012, 12:57 PM

Quote from: nj7 on September 13, 2012, 12:48 PM
Also it has apparently been removed from 4oD.

No, it hasn't.

Before it gets too late, you will find escape.
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #10 - September 13, 2012, 01:00 PM

Quote from: chris on September 13, 2012, 10:54 AM
Contact Channel 4 and Ofcom to express your support for the programme, and free enquiry in general, and concern at the cancelling of the screening as a result of threats against those involved in the program's production.

Sending emails to the letters pages of UK newspapers would be great as well (thanks Billy for compiling this list):
letters@guardian.co.uk
dtletters@telegraph.co.uk
letters@independent.co.uk
letters@the-times.co.uk

OK, can we just copy and paste the letter that you posted? Or should we write our concerns in our own words?

Hmm, maybe it would be best for us to wait a few days to let this whole controversy with that other film boil over... Or would that be too late?
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #11 - September 13, 2012, 01:04 PM

Sorry, I should have clarified, an error occurs after a few seconds when you try to play it on 4od (that's what the Independant article says). Just tried it myself and it says "A digital rights error has occurred" during the adverts. Then when the programme is supposed to start the error remains but the screen is blank. I think they have removed it but screwed up the removal process slightly. Possibly they just removed it because they only had 4od rights for a week or two though a lot of things stay up much longer.

http://quranspotlight.wordpress.com/
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam ? The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #12 - September 13, 2012, 01:08 PM

Quote from: Tonyt on September 13, 2012, 01:00 PM
OK, can we just copy and paste the letter that you posted? Or should we write our concerns in our own words?

If you can spare the time it would be good to just write some of your own words I think.

"we can smell traitors and country haters"

Quote from: arX on May 01, 2011, 03:33 AM
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Love is Blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God.
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #13 - September 13, 2012, 01:11 PM

Quote from: nj7 on September 13, 2012, 01:04 PM
Sorry, I should have clarified, an error occurs after a few seconds when you try to play it on 4od (that's what the Independant article says). Just tried it myself and it says "A digital rights error has occurred" during the adverts. Then when the programme is supposed to start the error remains but the screen is blank. I think they have removed it but screwed up the removal process slightly. Possibly they just removed it because they only had 4od rights for a week or two though a lot of things stay up much longer.

It's playing as I type.

It'd be a monumental own goal for Channel 4 to remove this, so I rather suspect that it won't disappear before the 14-day period ends.

Before it gets too late, you will find escape.
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #14 - September 13, 2012, 01:18 PM

Quote from: nj7 on September 13, 2012, 12:48 PM
However, I am uncomfortable with a few parts of the language too. I agree "cowardly" seems unfair given that c4 had the balls to show it in the first place (the press release does not give them credit for doing so), we don't know the details or quantity of the threats received, and it's not for us to tell c4 staff to put their necks on the line if that's what they believe they'd be doing. Better to offer our support if they reconsider the cancellation, explaining why we think they should, rather than sounding like we are demanding they do so.

Except for some of the quotes from Maryam, most of it is fine, especially the stuff highlighting the slippery slope of letting the Islamists win and the consequences.

Yes, some reasonable points. I fully agree with the sentiment and text of the letter, although you're quite right that an acknowledgement of the fact the Channel 4 commissioned and broadcast it in the first place could, and probably should, have been included. With regards Maryam's comments, which were also included in the press release, I think it is quite right to highlight the challenges faced by descenting and ex-Muslims and to point out that when others back down in the face of threats, it is to the detriment of those who are unable to. However, I agree that the use of the word "cowardly" is unfair, particularly given that we don't know the exact nature of the threats received. I will discuss this with Maryam.

To address Blade Runner, I completely disagree that because this was a private screening, which could be seen as "little more than a social gathering", this is no longer an issue. In fact, I don't see it as being at all relevant. Threats and intimidation have caused a change in behaviour, and that is unacceptable. The complaint that you both raise, which I think is valid, is who should be criticised.
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #15 - September 13, 2012, 01:44 PM

How's this:

Quote
To whom it may concern,

I am writing to express my concerns that a programme that Channel 4 aired entitled "Islam: The Untold Story" has been pulled from it's rescreening due to threats and intimidations. The content of the programme was a summary of some of the latest research on the origins of Islam by some of the most respected scholars in the field of early Islamic history.

The threats 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 against programming that asks questions about Islam.

The programme itself was in no way disrespectful of the core beliefs of Islam, it only casts doubt on the traditional account of when these core beliefs were formed. The programme never claimed to know the answers, it only presented some well thought out questions and alternative hypotheses of when and where Islam formed in a very humble way. Finally the programme never said anything disrepectful about the Koran or Muhammad.

Not only was the programme highly respectful to the Islamic faith, but these alternative hypotheses about the origins of Islam can allow Muslims to dissasociate their religion from it's imperial origins and some of the more unsavoury and unethical acts that the traditional orally transmitted accounts describe. The veracity of these oral accounts is precisely what this programme casts doubt on.

If anything now is the ideal time for Channel 4 to create a new programme on the topic, either one that allows Muslims to answer some of the questions that Tom Holland raises, or to allow a follow-up programme that describes in more detail why orally transmitted histories are considered dubious sources by historians, with specific reference to Islam.

Now more than ever is a time when people should be permitted to ask questions and engage in academic inquiry on the origins of Islam rather than hide away from it and try to keep people ignoramt of the facts.

Lets us discuss the issues in an open and fair environment where both sides of the story can be heard, rather than bow down to threats of violence and fear.
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam ? The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #16 - September 13, 2012, 01:51 PM

Very good Tony

"we can smell traitors and country haters"

Quote from: arX on May 01, 2011, 03:33 AM
God is Love.
Love is Blind. Stevie Wonder is blind. Therefore, Stevie Wonder is God.
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam ? The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #17 - September 13, 2012, 02:59 PM

I like Tonys version of the letter a lot better. Should go with that one.

-------------------
Believe in yourself
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Strike me down and I'll just become another nail in your coffin
-------------------
There's such a thing as sheep in wolfs clothing... religious fanatics
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #18 - September 13, 2012, 03:16 PM

Quote from: Tonyt on September 13, 2012, 01:44 PM
How's this:

Very good Tony.
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Re: Urgent Action: Islam – The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #19 - September 13, 2012, 03:18 PM

Quote from: Tonyt on September 13, 2012, 01:44 PM
How's this:

Great!

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Re: Urgent Action: Islam ? The Untold Story must not be cancelled
Reply #20 - September 13, 2012, 04:33 PM

Quote from: chris on September 13, 2012, 01:18 PM

To address Blade Runner, I completely disagree that because this was a private screening, which could be seen as "little more than a social gathering", this is no longer an issue. In fact, I don't see it as being at all relevant. Threats and intimidation have caused a change in behaviour, and that is unacceptable. The complaint that you both raise, which I think is valid, is who should be criticised.

i didn't say it was no longer an issue, i said that saying channel 4 have acted in a cowardly way is inaccurate

what's important is that the doc is still available to view (it's still on their website and as far as i can tell from online listings the repeat is still on channel 4 as scheduled tonight), and that the film-makers are able to defend the documentary.

''we are morally and philisophically in the best position to win the league'' - Arsene Wenger
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