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02 Aug 2006

John Ware’s latest documentary for Panorama, ‘Faith, Hate and Charity’, which was broadcast last Sunday on BBC1, merely served to confirm that far from being an objective journalist, Ware is actually an agenda-driven pro-Israeli polemicist.

‘It is regrettable that the BBC – despite knowing Ware’s penchant for producing unbalanced programmes on Islam-related issues – has once again allowed its reputation to be sullied in this manner. Ware’s over-reliance on partisan Israeli and American sources clearly exposed the flimsy basis of his arguments against the British Muslim charity, Interpal. The Charities Commission asked the US authorities in 2003 to provide them with the evidence to substantiate their allegations against Interpal – and they failed to do so. Earlier this year, the Board of Deputies of British Jews were forced to apologise and pay an expensive out-of-court settlement after they made unsubstantiated allegations against Interpal. Not surprisingly, Ware made no mention of this. All in all, Ware’s Panorama was a shoddy attempt to smear a charity that has been trying to bring desperately needed relief to Palestinians subsisting under a very brutal military occupation,’ said Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.

The MCB is confident that well meaning donors will not allow themselves to be deterred by such a partisan attempt to undermine the work of Interpal. The increasingly desperate attempts being made by some mediocre journalists to discourage British Muslims from speaking out against the perpetrators of injustice and oppression will not succeed.

ENDS

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Notes to Editors:

The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK’s representative Muslim umbrella body with over 400 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools.

For further information please contact: The Muslim Council of Britain,
Boardman House, 64 Broadway, Stratford, London E15 1NT.

Tel: 07956 353 738 or 020 8432 0585/6, Fax: 0208 432 0587, Email:
[email protected]

      [ENDS]
August 2, 2006 in Press Releases
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