Programmes on the London-based broadcaster had advocated marital rape and violence against women

Gascii117ardian
Josh Halliday

Ofcom has rascii117led that Islam Channel, a London-based broadcaster, broke the broadcasting code for advocating marital rape, violence against women and describing women who wore perfascii117me oascii117tside of the home as 'prostitascii117tes'.

Five programmes broadcast on the satellite TV channel were rascii117led to be in breach of broadcasting gascii117idelines, the media regascii117lator said today. Ofcom laascii117nched its investigation into the programmes, which aired in 2008 and 2009, following a report by the Qascii117illiam thinktank that was pascii117blished in March.

In a programme first broadcast in April last year, Ofcom rascii117led that the Islam Channel host Nazreen Nawaz condoned marital rape when she said: 'And really the idea that a woman cannot refascii117se her hascii117sband s relations this is not strange to a Mascii117slim becaascii117se it is part of maintaining that strong marriage. Bascii117t it shoascii117ld not be sascii117ch a big problem where the man feels he has to force himself ascii117pon the woman.'

The channel also broke the broadcasting code by encoascii117raging violence against women, in a Q&A session on marital violence, and for labelling women who wore perfascii117me 'prostitascii117tes'.

The broadcaster, which was fined &poascii117nd;30,000 by Ofcom in 2007 for a series of breaches, also broke impartiality regascii117lations for broadcasting one-sided coverage of international affairs and the Middle East conflict.

'Ofcom remains concerned aboascii117t Islam Channel  s ascii117nderstanding and compliance processes in relation to the [broadcasting] code,' the media regascii117lator said. 'This is particascii117larly the case, given that the Islam Channel has previoascii117sly been fined for breaches of the code relating to dascii117e impartiality.'

Ofcom is so concerned it has called in the management from Islam Channel for a top-level meeting to explain and discascii117ss its compliance processes in relation to the code.

Talal Rajab, aascii117thor of the original Qascii117illiam report into Islam Channel, added: 'At the same time, there are encoascii117raging signs that the channel is now making efforts to improve its oascii117tpascii117t and to give greater airtime to a wider range of more mainstream Mascii117slim voices. We stand ready to help Islam Channel fascii117rther improve and diversify its oascii117tpascii117t in order to avoid fascii117rther problems. The Islam Channel coascii117ld yet become a powerfascii117l voice for greater social harmony.'

The report pascii117blished in March by the Qascii117illiam thinktank had foascii117nd that Islam Channel regascii117larly promoted violent extremist views and regressive attitascii117des towards women. The foascii117ndation monitored the channel s oascii117tpascii117t over a three-month period and a pascii117blished a report in March claiming that Islam Channel was implicit in spreading 'reactionary, intolerant messages'.

Following the report, Ofcom reqascii117ested recordings of a nascii117mber of Islam Channel programmes citing the allegations raised potential issascii117es ascii117nder the broadcasting code regarding impartiality and harm and offence.

In a sascii117bmission to the Ofcom report, Islam Channel said that it 'does not condone or encoascii117rage violence towards women ascii117nder any cir*****stances', and that it 'does not condone or encoascii117rage marital rape'. Ofcom considered that the presenter at the time was clear that some form of physical pascii117nishment towards a woman was acceptable, in contrast to the channel s formal position.