Here are a series of posts relating to the Woman's Hour interview with Zara Mohammed:
Guardian, BBC under fire over 'strikingly hostile' interview of Muslim Council of Britain head
"Exclusive: 100 public figures sign letter criticising Radio 4 Woman’s Hour segment with Zara Mohammed.
"It has become popular to claim that Islamophobia is a fiction to “shut down” debate. But the reality is that we have now been living in such a hostile environment that we are unable to create a clearing within which the things that we all care about – women’s rights, radicalisation, social and economic exclusion – are discussed without fear. With so many years of suspicion bearing down on every exchange, a conscious effort needs to be made to create that space, one in which conversations are longer, not optimised for viral social media buzz, and in which Muslims are playing a role behind the scenes so they can point out when content is inflammatory and editing unhelpful. If we want to talk about chilling effects on free discussions, let’s start here."
Fatima Rajina, Middle East Eye, BBC vs Zara Mohammed: An exercise in Islamophobia
"Interestingly, the clip that the BBC chose to share on social media was when Barnett asked Mohammed how many female imams there are in Britain. It was less about the question itself than the persistent and seemingly arrogant way in which it was asked - the undermining and condescending manner by which Barnett kept insisting on getting an answer, even interrupting her guest."
"If there was one thing that the recent Radio 4 Woman’s Hour interview of the first woman leader of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) set to achieve, it was to peddle the narrative that Muslim communities and organisations are exclusive, oppressive and unsafe for women. Of course, fighting for women’s rights and representation in British Muslim communities and institutions is important, but this wasn’t the way to go about it."
"Many Muslim women will have seen their own experiences reflected in the way Barnett approached her questions to Zara. It’s yet another attempt by white women to paint and reassert Islam in its typical negative stereotype: a ‘backwards’ religion that just doesn’t care about women. It’s a stereotype as old as time. Islam is viewed as this violent and misogynistic religion, where women are treated badly and are living oppressed lives. And because of this, Muslim women couldn’t possibly be linked to feminism, let alone be leading feminists in their fields."
Online magazines and social media have effectively responded to (in my opinion) a poorly informed BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour interview with Zara Mohammed of MCB. The interviewer, Emma Barnett, has just started on Woman's Hour. I used to listen to her on Radio 5 Live, at a similar time slot. I now listen to Naga Munchetty, who is doing an excellent job at that time (Mondays to Wednesdays).
Let's hope that this is just a blip for Woman's Hour
[Woman's Hour podcasts] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qlvb/episodes/downloads)