Entertainment
BBC’s Woman’s Hour accused of ‘hostile’ interview with leading female Muslim Zara Mohammed that perpetuated ‘damaging tropes’
BBC has been accused of a ‘strikingly hostile’ Radio 4 Woman’s Hour interview with leading female Muslim Zara Mohammed, which many have branded as also perpetuating ‘damaging and prejudicial tropes’ about Islam and Muslim women.
An open letter signed by more than 100 prominent public figures has addressed the interview with Mohammed, who is the first woman to lead the Muslim Council of Britain, after she appeared on the BBC show earlier this month and was quizzed by presenter Emma Barnett, who took over the programme last month.
In the February 4 interview, Mohammed was repeatedly asked about the number of female imams in Britain, with the letter claiming the framing of the interview ‘mirrored an accountability interview with a politician’.
The letter, organised by the writers Yassmin Abdel-Magied and Mariam Khan, and whose signatories include Tory peer Sayeeda Warsi and Labour MPs Diane Abbott and Naz Shah, also criticised a ‘lack of representation’ within the BBC.
It states: ‘Despite Mohammed’s repeated claims that religious adjudication was not within the parameters of her role leading a civil society organisation, Barnett asked the question about female imams four times, each time interrupting Mohammed’s answer.
‘The framing of the interview and clipping up of the “female imam” segment for social media mirrored the style and tone of an accountability interview with a politician, rather than authentically recognising and engaging in what this represented for British Muslim women.’
According to the letter, which was also signed by journalist Afua Hirsch and Rizzle Kicks singer Jordan Stephens, ‘numerous complaints online and in private’ to the BBC led to the broadcaster removing a clip of the interview from social media.
It added: ‘Whilst the removal of the clip is welcome, this response is insufficient. The tone and framing of the entire interview must be seriously assessed. There is an important difference between a style of questioning that undermines a woman’s voice and one that holds her to account.’
The letter – which has now been signed by more than 200 people – called for the broadcaster to release a public statement ‘recommitting to engaging with Muslim women’ and recruit Muslims in leadership positions.
Responding to the letter, a BBC spokesman said, as per PA: ‘This is a topic we’ve been responding to already and now that we’ve received this letter we will reply to it in due course.’
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