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December 6, 2006

UK: Christmas TV Message From A Veiled Muslim

Channel 4 began its life in 1982 as an alternative to the "mainstream" fare on offer in Britain. It promised to have more representations of minorities, and to deal with issues not covered by the three other terrestrial channels broadcasting at that time.

A few years ago, the channel decided to broadcast "alternative" Christmas messages, in competition with the Christmas broadcasts to the nation which Queen Elizabeth II has made since the 1950s. It has featured Sharon Osborne, Ali G, Quentin Crisp and others, whose message was essentially "secular".

But as the Sun now reports, this year's Christmas message is no longer a secular message, as it will come from a woman who dresses in Muslim hijab, nikab and abaya. Whether this Muslim woman will have any screen "persona" remains to be seen. Where only her eyes are visible in her dowdy garb, she wears thick glasses over the slit in her apparel, which give her the appearance of a large black frog.

Named only as "Khadija", the facially obscured presenter of Channel 4's Christmas message is a teacher and a lecturer in Islamic studies. A spokesman for Channel 4 said: "Khadija will be reflecting on the year that’s gone by - a year in which issues of religious and racial identity, freedom of expression and social cohesion have dominated the news agenda."

"The right to wear religious symbols from niqabs to crucifixes, remarks made by the Pope about Islam and the publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed have all generated a debate about multiculturalism, secularism and integration. It's a debate in which British Muslims have played a key role and one that will shape the future of British society."

Zimbabwe-born Khadija is a British citizen. What is curious is the fact that her full name is not mentioned. If this person is going to give what is essentially a political and religious speech, it would be helpful to know who this woman is - to explore where her ideas come from. Is she a member of the extremist groups who promote the hijab (headscarf) and nikab (face-veil), such as the Tablighi Jamaat or Hizb ut-Tahrir?

The Queen's speech is a staid, traditional affair, but in the past, some of Channel 4's "alternative" Christmas messages have had some humor. The message from Sharon Osborne, who was then battling cancer, was actually an inspiring testament to the human spirit. But I am deeply suspicious of both "Khadija" and the motives of Channel 4. I am not against a Muslim giving a speech at Christmas (providing they show their faces and give their full names), but to call it a "Christmas message" is an insult to Christians for whom Christmas actually means something special.

Would Khadija, for example, approve of an "alternative" Eid address to be given by a Hindu at Mecca? I believe Khadija, by not providing her name, is being placed as a "token Muslim" by Channel 4 executives, merely to be provocative. Khadija may be sincere, hoping to promote her faith, but I cannot envisage many viewers, even Muslims, wanting to watch the televisual equivalent of a talking black beanbag.

The founder of Channel 4, Jeremy Isaacs, has been particularly scathing of the current management of the channel. He recently claimed that the channel is obsessed with sex and bad behaviour.

In the magazine Prospect he cited examples of Channel 4's output - "Designer Vaginas", "The Wold's Biggest Penis" and a week-long series on masturbation called a "Wankathon". He complained that the channel once offered "a quiet seriousness that today has mostly disappeared." The dumbing down of Channel 4 is marked by its screening of Big Brother, which Isaacs said "now embodies a mildly prurient voyeurism."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 6, 2006 7:28 AM

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