THE TELEGRAPH: The appointment of a Muslim as the BBC's head of religious broadcasting is a "worrying" development that could further undermine the corporation's coverage of Christianity, Anglicans have warned.
Members of the General Synod, the parliament of the Church of England, are to vote on a motion condemning the decline of religious programming on BBC television, amid complaints that Christians are now only depicted as "freak shows".
In a new report to accompany the motion, the corporation's decision to recruit Aaqil Ahmed from Channel 4 to head its religious and ethical output is singled out for particular criticism.
Hundreds of people have complained to the BBC about the appointment of Mr Ahmed, who will be the first Muslim and only the second non-Christian in the role.
"Many of the Channel 4 programmes concerned with Christianity, in contrast to those featuring other faiths, seem to be of a sensationalist or unduly critical nature," wrote Nigel Holmes, a Synod member and former BBC producer who has tabled the motion.
"From this point of view it is worrying that the Channel 4 religion and multicultural commissioning editor, Aaqil Ahmed, who is a Muslim, is soon to be responsible for all the religious output from the BBC."
The motion is expected to attract the support of senior bishops when it is debated by the Synod next month.
The paper accuses the corporation of ignoring its Christian audience by failing to broadcast a Good Friday service on any of its national television and radio stations this year. >>> By Matthew Moore | Sunday, June 21, 2009
