UK’s Leading Muslim TV Channel Faces Ofcom Investigation Allegations of Extremist Content

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The Islam Channel, Britain’s most prominent Muslim television network, is under scrutiny as the broadcasting regulator Ofcom investigates allegations of bias, incitement, and extremist content. The channel, which claims to have two million daily viewers and is watched by an estimated 60 percent of British Muslims, stands accused of glorifying violent Islamist movements and fostering hostility toward the West.

 

A complaint submitted to Ofcom alleges that the Islam Channel has repeatedly aired content praising the October 7 attacks and likening Israel to the Nazis. It is also accused of giving a platform to extremist voices while failing to maintain impartiality in its political reporting. The complaint further claims that the channel misrepresents key facts, potentially misleading its audience.

 

The investigation follows a report compiled by Dr. Taj Hargey, director of the Oxford Institute for British Islam, which details multiple alleged violations of the Broadcasting Code between November 2024 and January 2025. Dr. Hargey, known for his liberal stance within British Islam, asserts that the channel persistently portrays Islam as being persecuted by Western powers, presents Hamas, Iran, and various jihadist groups as legitimate resistance movements, and excludes Israeli government representatives or pro-Israel perspectives in its Gaza coverage.

 

 

Additionally, he accuses the channel of promoting a restrictive Wahhabi-Salafi interpretation of Islam while marginalizing Shiah, Sufi, Ahmadi, and secular liberal Muslims. According to Dr. Hargey, the Islam Channel has repeatedly aired one-sided narratives, including using the sentencing of Southport killer Axel Rudakubana as an opportunity to criticize the UK’s counter-terrorism initiative, Prevent, while omitting the fact that he possessed an Al-Qaeda training manual.

 

Further concerns center around the channel’s portrayal of convicted terrorist Aafia Siddiqui. A documentary aired in January allegedly framed Siddiqui as an innocent Muslim victim of the so-called “War on Islam” without acknowledging her ties to Al-Qaeda and her attempts to harm U.S. personnel.

The Islam Channel also stands accused of breaching Ofcom’s rules against content that could cause harm, incite violence, or spread undue offense.

 

Among the examples cited is a speech by Ismail Patel, founder of Friends of Al-Aqsa, who described Israel as a “violent racist colonialist enterprise.” The channel is further alleged to have presented a biased view of radical Islam, failing to address the suppression of women’s rights under the Taliban in Afghanistan or the theocratic regime in Iran.

 

Dr. Hargey also highlights the channel’s failure to report the October 7 Hamas attacks during a December segment on the Gaza conflict. Instead, it allegedly amplified claims that Israeli forces deliberately target journalists while failing to provide an opportunity for Israeli officials or the Israel Defense Forces to respond. In his complaint to Ofcom, Dr. Hargey stated, “The station’s persistent lack of impartiality, spread of harmful rhetoric, and engagement in political advocacy appear to directly contravene the principles set out in the Broadcasting Code.”

 

Founded in 2004 by businessman Mohamed Harrath, the Islam Channel has a controversial history. Harrath, who fled Tunisia and was granted UK refugee status in 2000, previously established the Tunisian Islamic Front as a non-violent opposition group to President Ben Ali’s dictatorship. In 2010, he was arrested in South Africa on terrorism charges due to an Interpol Red Notice issued by Tunisia, though he was later released without charge. He has since accused Tunisian authorities of using Interpol to target him unfairly.

 

In a broadcast on Christmas Day last year, Harrath controversially compared the treatment of Muslims in Britain today to that of Jews in 1930s Germany, warning: “There is a targeting of the Muslim community... We have to fight. We have to fight back.”

 

The Islam Channel, available via Sky, Virgin, Freeview, and global live streaming, is primarily funded through advertising and viewer donations. The network has previously raised funds live on air, claiming to be the only channel providing “the truth” about the Gaza war. In 2007, it reportedly received a £2 million investment from the overseas arm of the Al-Shiddi Group, which has connections to the Saudi royal family.

 

Despite being recognized with the Responsible Media of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards in 2014 and 2015, the Islam Channel has faced multiple regulatory sanctions. In 2007, Ofcom fined the channel £30,000 for violating broadcasting rules by allowing Yvonne Ridley to present news programs while running as a political candidate. In 2010, the regulator censured the channel for airing content advocating marital rape and domestic violence. More recently, in 2023, Ofcom found that the one-hour documentary The Andinia Plan constituted hate speech against Jewish people.

 

Dr. Hargey did not hold back in his criticism, stating: “Islam Channel epitomizes hideous Islamic fundamentalism in the UK. It purports to represent British Muslims, but its sectarian ideology is nothing but an insidious initiative to mainstream Muslim extremism and fanaticism in this country. It revels in their ‘them and us’ narrative, inhibiting any effective social cohesion. Ofcom needs to take decisive action to mitigate the channel’s incendiary language and partisan guests who do not subscribe to traditional British values.”

 

An Ofcom spokesperson confirmed that complaints were being reviewed: “We are assessing the complaints against our rules, but are yet to decide whether or not to investigate.”

 

The Islam Channel has been repeatedly approached for comment but has yet to respond.

 

Based on a report by The Telegraph  2025-03-18