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08-08-2007, 04:19 PM
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 C4 'distorted' mosque programme Police are reporting Channel 4 to industry regulator Ofcom over the way an undercover programme was edited. But charges will not be brought against preachers featured in the Dispatches programme, which looked at allegations of extremism in mosques. West Midlands Police carried out an investigation into three speakers in the programme Undercover Mosque. The Crown Prosecution Service said the show "completely distorted" what the trio said, a claim Channel 4 rejects. Kevin Sutcliffe, commissioning editor for Dispatches, said West Midlands police had produced no evidence to support their claims. "We find it extraordinary that they have gone public on these concerns without discussing them with us first," he said. "We believe the comments made in the film speak for themselves - several speakers were clearly shown making abhorrent and extreme comments." He said the one-hour documentary, which was made over a nine-month period, allowed comment to be seen in a fuller context. "All the speakers featured in the film were offered a right to reply and none denied making these comments, nor have any of them complained to Ofcom to our knowledge." The programme infiltrated a number of mosques, one of which was Green Lane Mosque in Small Heath, Birmingham. It investigated mosques run by organisations claiming to be dedicated to moderation. 'Moderate tradition' Abu Usamah, one of the preachers from Green Lane Mosque featured in the programme, said he was shocked when he saw himself depicted. "It was the fact that Green Lane Mosque has a 33-year-old tradition of preaching and teaching the moderate version of Islam. "To try and demonise the efforts of these people by taking their comments out of context was shocking." Mr Usamah said he had been featured as saying homosexuals should be thrown from a mountain when in fact he was explaining it was an opinion featured in some books, which was not one he believed. An undercover reporter claimed to provide evidence that certain speakers preached messages of religious bigotry and extremism. In a piece about the programme, the Channel 4 Dispatches website said a reporter had attended talks at mosques and found preachers "condemning the idea of integration into British society, condemning British democracy as un-Islamic and praising the Taliban for killing British soldiers". Police said they acknowledged some parts of the programme may have been considered offensive, but, when analysed in full context, there was not enough evidence to bring charges. 'Completely distorted' The police investigation was extended to include looking at issues relating to the editing and portrayal of the programme. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) lawyer Bethan David scrutinised 56 hours of media footage, only some of which was used in the programme. She said: "The splicing together of extracts from longer speeches appears to have completely distorted what the speakers were saying. "The CPS has demonstrated it will not hesitate to prosecute those responsible for criminal incitement. "But in this case we have been dealing with a heavily-edited television programme, apparently taking out of context aspects of speeches which in their totality could never provide a realistic prospect of any convictions." Police also asked the CPS to consider a prosecution of Channel 4 under the Public Order Act 1986 for showing material likely to stir up racial hatred, but again they were advised there was insufficient evidence. Source      |
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