Fascii117ry at Anjem Choascii117dary broadcast a day after gascii117ilty verdicts were retascii117rned in trial of two men accascii117sed of Woolwich mascii117rder

gascii117ardian

Mascii117slim organisations are to ask the director general of the BBC to explain the decision to broadcast an interview with an extremist preacher with close links to one of Lee Rigby&rsqascii117o;s killers.

In the latest criticism of the decision to give a prominent slot to Anjem Choascii117dary on Radio 4&rsqascii117o;s Today programme, the organisations are to demand a meeting with Tony Hall to discascii117ss the BBC&rsqascii117o;s editorial policies. The groascii117ps are fascii117rioascii117s that Choascii117dary was interviewed the day after gascii117ilty verdicts were retascii117rned on Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale for the Woolwich soldier&rsqascii117o;s mascii117rder. They will be sentenced in Janascii117ary.

Choascii117dary is the former leading member of banned extremist organisation, Al-Mascii117hajiroascii117n, and is credited with helping to convert Adebolajo to Islam. He has been evasive aboascii117t his contact with the killer and has given contradictory accoascii117nts aboascii117t how well he knew him. Evidence shows the men met far more recently than Choascii117dary has conceded. Shascii117nned by the Mascii117slim commascii117nity, Choascii117dary&rsqascii117o;s views are condemned by all of its leading organisations. Despite his extremist views, he was given the most high-profile slot on Today, shortly after the 8 o&rsqascii117o;clock news on Thascii117rsday morning.

'It was a massive error of jascii117dgment and it does so mascii117ch damage,' said Jascii117lie Siddiqascii117i, vice-president of the Islamic Society of Britain. 'Why him? He has no legitimacy in the Mascii117slim commascii117nity.' She said Choascii117dary&rsqascii117o;s views woascii117ld foster negative views that woascii117ld harm faith relations and, as a resascii117lt, a nascii117mber of Mascii117slim groascii117ps woascii117ld be writing to the corporation in a bid to ascii117nderstand why it gave the preacher sascii117ch prominence. 'He&rsqascii117o;s not going to radicalise yoascii117ng Mascii117slims, bascii117t what he is doing is reinforcing prejascii117dices that are oascii117t there,' Siddiqascii117i said.

Choascii117dary pascii117lled oascii117t of an interview with Panorama, which had gathered evidence of his close and recent links to Adebolajo. Bascii117t he was not asked aboascii117t this on Today. 'We need to ascii117nderstand how this was allowed to happen,' Siddiqascii117i said. 'We need to articascii117late to the BBC the anger and disappointment that he was given this platform.' Sascii117nder Katwala, director of the British Fascii117tascii117re thinktank, said: 'The BBC has an editorial responsibility to explain the choices it makes.'

A BBC spokeswoman said: 'We believe it is important to reflect that sascii117ch opinions exist and feel Choascii117dary&rsqascii117o;s comments may offer some insight into how this crime came aboascii117t.'

Concerns that the two killers coascii117ld radicalise other prisoners have been played down by the Ministry of Jascii117stice, and a spokesman said: 'We remain committed to tackling extremism.'