Memorandum by Senior Members of Faith
Communities
1. The public nature of the BBC's funding
through a universal licence fee places on it an obligation to
serve the whole of the British public. The Agreement that accompanies
the Charter therefore needs to set in place checks and balances
to ensure that the BBC's view of the world is sufficiently widely
informed to support and enable this obligation to be met. The
BBC ought not to see the world entirely through the prism of the
metropolitan liberal and secular elite's values which inevitably
inform the editorial process for the majority of the programme
makers.
2. It may have surprised some broadcasters
that at the last (2001) census[1]
71.5 per cent of the UK population voluntarily and in the privacy
of their own home declared positively that they were Christian.
Taken together with those of other faiths (3 per cent Muslim,
1 per cent Hindu, 1.5 per cent others including Sikhs, Jews and
Buddhists) this means that 77 per cent of the population consider
themselves to be members of a faith community.
The fact that this is not reflected in the output
of the BBC in general indicates that the Agreement and the Charter
should contain a formal public service commitment to the fair
reflection of religion in broadcasting, across the output not
just in religious programmes. We are encouraged that recent comments
from senior BBC figures have acknowledged that there is more the
BBC could do to connect with the faith communities.[2]
A formal commitment would support and maintain this.
It is worth noting that the number of people
who attend church services on any Sunday in Britain[3]
is considerably greater than the membership of all the major political
parties put together[4].
Indeed, one in four adults worships once a month or more in Britain's
Churches.[5]
According to a recent poll, the number of Muslims praying five
times a day or more[6]
is likely to exceed the attendance at political rallies even at
election time. But this is in no way reflected in the prominence
devoted to religious issues, as opposed to politics.
3. It is a part of the remit of public service
broadcasting, and therefore also of the BBC, to open the eyes
of the licence-paying public to the character of the world in
which they live, through news, current affairs, documentaries,
drama and entertainment. An understanding of religion needs to
be at the core of this.
Religion has become a much more significant
and potent force in world affairs and politics than it was 30
years ago. There is a mixture of reasons for this, some good and
some bad. The collapse of Soviet Communism, partly the result
of religion at its best, removed institutional atheism from Eastern
Europe. Few predicted the destruction of apartheid in South Africa
without massive violence, but Christian leadership paid a significant
part in that transition. The Taliban, al-Quaida, some manifestations
of Christian fundamentalism provide less happy examples of powerful
forces that are religiously motivated.
It is undeniable that the easy assumption of
a generation ago that religion and modernity did not go together
is no longer sustainable. The idea that secularisation and material
prosperity inevitably link hands to reduce the power of religion
scarcely explains what is happening in the United States or Korea,
let alone the explosion of religious activity in China just at
the time when personal wealth increases.
It sometimes seems to be a frequent assumption
that what is taken to be the state of religion in Western Europe
is normative, whereas the picture is more varied than the stereotyped
and generalised view that Europe is secular. Moreover, the faith
picture in Europe is exceptional in relation to the world in which
we live and, although the standard of the BBC's political interpretation
of world events in news and current affairs is very high indeed,
the religious dimension is treated much more patchily and often
far more cursorily. For example, the attacks on Christian churches
in Iraq have been interpreted poorly and without much comprehension
of the religious history of that country. Indeed there has been
very little on religion in Iraq—for example the different
traditions within Islam.
4. One key role of the BBC is to reflect
the cultural life of the nation. Religion is central to the identity
of many people, not just abroad but in the United Kingdom. Any
definition of public service needs to recognise this, but it is
often portrayed by the BBC as the badge of the eccentric or extremist.
All faiths have an important contribution to
make to this rich mix. Again, it is important that programmes
reflect this. It is worth noting that in 2003, 86 per cent of
people questioned said that they had gone into a place of worship
during the previous 12 months.[7]
More than 60 per cent of the people asked, of any faith or (significantly)
none, said they would not wish the local place of worship to be
lost to community.[8]
5. Our Conclusion:
The Agreement that accompanies the new Charter
should guarantee that the religious dimension of national and
international life is fully acknowledged and lay down some criteria
to ensure that all faiths are faithfully, knowledgeably and fairly
portrayed across the output, not just religious broadcasting,
and that worship is accorded an appropriate place in the schedules.
Religious themes can resonate with audiences as much as historical,
arts, and scientific content.
We would value the opportunity to explore these
issues with the Select Committee in greater detail.
Rt Rev Tom Butler, (Church of England) Bishop
of Southwark (also Chair of the Churches' Media Council;[9]
Co-Chair of the Inter Faith Network.[10])
Rt Revd Kieran Conry, (Roman Catholic) Bishop
of Arundel and Brighton (signed +Graham Norvic).
Rt Revd Graham James, (Church of England) Bishop
of Norwich (also Chair of the Central Religious Advisory Committee
(CRAC).[11]
Ms Rachel Lampard, Secretary for Parliamentary
and Political Affairs, Methodist Church of Great Britain, member
of CRAC.
Rabbi Barry Marcus, Chief Rabbi's Representative
on CRAC.
Dr Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, University of Lancaster,
member of CRAC (signed Mona Siddiqui).
Dr Mona Siddiqui, Head of Department of Theology
and Religious Studies, University of Glasgow and member of CRAC
(signed Indarjit Singh).
Mr Indarjit Singh, OBE, JP; Editor, Sikh
Messenger; Director, Network of Sikh Organisations.[12]
29 April 2005
1 Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Expodata/Spreadsheets/D6590.xls Back
2
BBC Director-General's speech to Stationers' Livery Company,
March 2005 http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/speeches/stories/thompson_livery.shtml Back
3
ORB Survey, October 2003 Back
4
`What the parties Claim,' The Guardian, Monday 12 April
2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1190230,00.html Back
5
ORB Survey, October 2003 Back
6
ICM Muslims Poll for The Guardian, November 2004 Back
7
ORB Survey, October 2003 Back
8
ORB Survey, October 2003 Back
9
The Churches Media Council includes the following churches: Church
of England; Roman Catholic Church; Methodist Church; The Free
Churches' Group; Baptist Union of Great Britain; Salvation Army;
Evangelical Alliance; United Reformed Church; Church of Wales;
Church of Scotland; Scottish Episcopal Church; Church of Ireland. Back
10
The Inter Faith Network for the UK works to build good relations
between the different religious communities in the UK at both
national and local levels. Back
11
The Central Religious Advisory Committee (CRAC) meets regularly
to discuss religious broadcasting issues and advise the BBC and
Ofcom about policies and coverage. Back
12
The Network of Sikh Organisations is a loose linking of gurdwaras
and other Sikh bodies to facilitate the development of common
approaches to spiritual and secular life. Back
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