The BBC plans to increase its multi-faith coverage and could start broadcasting Muslim prayers, according to The Times.
The newspaper reports that Director General of the BBC, Lord Hall of Birkenhead, will invite religious leaders for discussions on their plans to begin more coverage of other religions.
The move comes after a report released earlier this year concluded that the publicly-funded broadcaster’s output is ‘too Christian’.
‘Joke’
Deputy Director of The Christian Institute Simon Calvert described the suggestion that there is too much Christianity on the BBC as “an absolute joke”.
“Some people within the BBC are honest enough to admit they have a problem, Andrew Marr and others have spoken honestly about the bias against Christianity and the bias in favour of a secularising world-view,” he said.
He added that “the religious traditions of the UK are in the main Christian. The non-Christian faiths comprise seven per cent of the population, whereas 60 per cent of license fee payers self-identify as Christians. Broadly-speaking, this should be represented”.
An absolute joke.
Koran
The Muslim Council of Britain have responded to the BBC’s plans by calling on them to broadcast Friday prayers from a mosque and show children attending Koranic lessons.
A BBC source said: “The BBC can and must do more to ensure that the important role faith plays is recognised and reflected in our programming”.
“The BBC will do more to represent faiths across the board, and has specifically rejected the notion of in any way diminishing what it does around Christianity.”
Airtime
In May, outgoing head of religion and ethics Aaqil Ahmed compiled a report suggesting that Islam, as well as Hinduism and Sikhism, should get more airtime.
Ahmed, a practising Muslim, claimed that Christianity remains the “cornerstone” of religious output, above other faiths, but added that this output is “not static”.
The BBC’s Director General is reportedly seeking to appoint a senior executive who will be tasked with bringing new programme ideas for its religious content.