A group of Muslims harasses a young white couple for wearing skirt and drinking alcohol while walking in part of East London they declare as 'Muslim Area'. These thugs then had the audacity to upload their shameful act on YouTube. The police are investigating this incident using the video and have made two arrests.
Every individual will be a minority at some stage and this sort of awful situation is a nasty experience for anyone to end up in. These thugs think they have the upper hand in the ghetto they live in. They are like and as bad as the right-wing racists.
Video below from news report on a Bengali TV channel broadcast on 20 Jan 2013.
Programme: Journey to Masjid Al Aqsa
Date: Broadcast whole evening starting at 7pm on 21 January 2013
Channel: ATN Bangla – Sky Channel 827
Watch the recording uploaded on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqY_XZPejrI
The Sky TV guide describes this programme as “Live Islamic discussion programme from ATN studio”. But this programme is far from an Islamic discussion, it is actually selling a package tour to Jordan, Palestine, Israel and Saudi Arabia for £1500 per person. The guest, Mawlana Farid Ahmed Khan is the person selling and arranging the tour and one of the tour guide. His mobile, landline and e-mail is given and viewers encouraged to call to discuss special family discount/consideration! Mr Khan is stated to have taken over 80 people on the same tour last year! The tour is promoted heavily with viewers being encouraged to participate to join it. As the channel is no charity, I bet they take commission on every sales generated via this 'infomercial' but is most likely to deny it! Why else would they air such a long advertisement for a tour?
The broadcasting rules makes it clear to keep advertisement separate from programming. This programme clearly merges both into one and is likely to be found in breach by Ofcom. A complaint is made to Ofcom.
In April 2012 I made complaints to Ofcom about several political advertisements on Bengali TV channels broadcasting in the UK. Some of these are still under investigation.
One of the them was about an advert by the youth arm of the Bangladesh Awami League UK. I uploaded the advert on YouTube. As political advertisement is not allowed, Ofcom investigation found ATN Bangla in breach of UK broadcasting rules. Full Ofcom report can be read here.
ATN's response to Ofcom was amateur to say the least. It refers to irrelevant no broadcast advertising rules! ATN also denied that youth arm of the Bangladesh Awami League is NOT political! ATN also denied that the three people who were named on the advert as those who placed the ad and as point of contact were not part of this youth arm.
Bangladesh is at its knees because of internal political fighting and the constant calls of national strikes by political parties. It deeply saddens me to see these parties have such influence in the the UK. It can be said without doubt that a large number of UK Bangladeshis, especially the older generation live in their own 'bubble', secluded from the realities of the real problems we face in the UK. It's the small number of progressive UK Bengalis, especially of the younger generations who endure these problems. Politics of 'back-home' is a real hindrance to our progress in the UK.
