Islam Channel plans 'alternative Leveson inquiry'

An Islamic TV channel is planning to run an "alternative Leveson inquiry" to investigate the way in which Muslims and Islamic affairs are reported in the British media.

The Islam Channel intends to appoint a judge and independent panel of assessors for the inquiry, just like the Lord Justice Leveson-run probe into press standards following the UK phone hacking scandal.

Roy Greenslade reports in The Guardian that the "alternative Leveson" will examine the link between media coverage and social attitudes towards Muslims.

The inquiry is expected to ask editors and journalists to give evidence, as well as take testimony from Muslims who feel they have been prejudiced by media coverage.

This follows a public opinion poll published last July that found people believe the media is responsible for "whipping up a climate of fear of Islam in the UK".

According to the ComRes survey, people were twice as likely to blame Islamophobia, or fear of the Muslim faith, on the media (29%) than far-right groups (13%), or the actions of Muslims in the UK (14%) or overseas (11%).

Conservative Party chairman Sayeeda Warsi even said last year that Islamophobia has 'passed the dinner table test', and become the social norm.

Rafiq Hayat, the national president of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, said at the time the survey was published: "The results of the survey reveal that more needs to be done to refocus media attention on the valuable contributions Muslims make to Britain, rather than excessively focusing on the troublemakers who scream at us through media headlines but have nothing to do with Islam.

"Their nefarious activities do a disservice to this country and are an affront to our faith."

ComRes chairman Andrew Hawkins added: "British Muslims should be encouraged that only one in ten of the British public believe they are to blame for Islamophobia. Instead, more than four in ten British people say the media or the far-right are principally to blame for it."

Launched in 2004, the Islam Channel is broadcast on satellite television across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

In late 2010, the channel was censured by media regulator Ofcom after it broke broadcasting guidelines by airing programmes that condoned marital rape and violence against women.