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Ofcom has dismissed 364 complaints over a Dispatches investigation into mosques and Islamic organisations in Britain.
Viewers had accused Channel 4's Mosque Undercover, which aired on January 15, of being biased, offensive to Muslims, offensive to non-Muslims and a glorification of racism, terrorism and anti-semitism.
The West Midlands Police (WMP) also complained that the editing of secret footage at mosques in the West Midlands was misrepresentative and likely to "undermine community cohesion... and feelings of public reassurance and safety".
The programme followed an undercover reporter visiting a number of Islamic organisations in the UK and included secret video footage, excerpts from books and CDs purchased at the centres, as well as from associated websites. Speakers were heard giving teachings with lines such as "Allah created the woman deficient", "take that homosexual and throw him off the mountain" and "whoever changes his religion from Al Islam to anything else, kill him in the Islamic state".
Ofcom investigated whether Channel 4 had broken three rules of the Broadcasting Code by misleading viewers, not justifying editorial use of potentially offensive footage or inciting crime.
Although the regulator acknowledged that certain parts of the documentary would be offensive on multiple counts, it noted that its use was "clearly justified by the context" and the contributions from more mainstream Islamic representatives had made clear that such extremism is unacceptable.
Concluding the ruling, Ofcom added: "Undercover Mosque was a legitimate investigation, uncovering matters of important public interest. Ofcom found no evidence that the broadcaster had misled the audience or that the programme was likely to encourage or incite criminal activity. On the evidence (including untransmitted footage and scripts), Ofcom found that the broadcaster had accurately represented the material it had gathered and dealt with the subject matter responsibly and in context."
C4 chief executive Andy Duncan described Ofcom's verdict as a "vindication" of the programme "in the face of a concerted effort to discredit it".
He added: "As Ofcom points out in its ruling, investigative journalism is amongst the most important content that broadcasters produce. It is clearly in the public interest that such investigations continue and the authorities should be doing all they can to nurture and encourage them."
