‘UK media should truly be celebrating diverse Britain’

By Barnie Choudhury 

WHEN Prince Charles said he wanted to be the ‘defender of faith’ rather than ‘the defender of the faith’ this paper ran the story on the front page.

It understood the significance – a future head of state recognised that the UK could no longer be con­sidered just a Christian country. No matter those who believed the right-wing trope that the ‘multicul­tural experiment’ had failed, the royal spoke truth to power, and he was vilified in certain quarters.

But you must give it to our future king. He never forgets the significance of religious festivals. Take this year’s Vaisakhi message to half a million-plus Sikhs in the UK. It was on message, thanking them for their ‘vital role against Covid-19’. How apposite considering the coronavirus death of emergency medical consultant, Manjeet Singh Riyat, days after the festival. A Sikh friend told me how this year, families celebrated virtually, describing it as ‘surreal’.

Last week, he took part in a virtual iftar, breaking the fast during Ramadan.

Why is this important? Night after night we have seen BAME faces fill our TV screens as the memorial wall of pandemic victims continues to grow. Eastern Eye has been campaigning for weeks for acknowl­edgment and action. Belatedly, the government has decided to act by ordering an inquiry. We know from official figures that BAME people are more likely to contract coronavirus, and they represent a higher than average number of NHS staff who die from it.

So, now more than ever, we need not only to ac­knowledge that black, Asian and minority ethnic people play a pivotal role in our country, but also celebrate their religious festivals. And just like we of all faiths and none celebrate Christmas, we should all be encouraged to take part in the myriad of non- Christian, non-religious celebrations.

In West Bengal, my ancestral home, we celebrated our new year on April 14, the same day as the Sikh Vaisakhi. Indian-Bengalis are few in the UK, but when we combine our number with the 600,000 Bangladeshis living in Britain, who celebrate the same new year, we are quite a force to be reckoned with. But not one mention of the festival did I hear on the radio, see on TV or read in the UK newspa­pers. Well, it was incredibly muted, and my wife and I sent our love to our daughter who cannot be with us because she is locked down elsewhere.

So it came as no surprise when I read a tweet on April 12, from the BBC’s and Channel 4’s former head of religion: “Ramadan is around the corner and will be a challenge. Pitched covering the special prayers and Eid to bbc (sic) and C4 and they have both decided not to do it. No issues with that at all, I will continue to try and make it happen. Trying others as well.” No bombshell. But huge disappointment.

Readers will know I am a Hindu, and I have no skin in the game. Except indignation is my middle name. Are we honestly saying that in this day of multi-digital channels we could not find any space to celebrate something so important to more than two million British citizens, our second-largest religion? Should our two leading public broadcasters not be showing us the way? If the nation can join in with the inspirational centenarian (on Thurs­day) Captain Tom Moore, Michael Ball and The NHS Voices of Care choir, via video link, why can’t we do the same for millions of Muslims undertaking spe­cial prayers. Five minutes. That is all. Five minutes of our time, to pause and ponder and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our fellow brothers and sisters.

If we have seen anything during this pandemic, it is the ingenuity of those in the media and those who are not part of our brilliant industry. The idea of cut­ting a record, observing mass religious services and holding business meetings virtually, dismissed as fantasy weeks before, is now the norm. Technology, along with artificial intelligence, has made it easier for us to unite as a nation.

Things will never be the same, and there is simply no point in not working remotely. When consultants analyse the financial, environmental and health benefits, I would bet my mortgage this ‘new normal’ beats the old regime of the 9-5 dreadful commute.

What I do not want is the excuse I know will be trotted out by broadcasters – ‘but we covered Rama­dan in our news programmes’. Yes, you did. But when you have a daily service every weekday, surely you can give five minutes on one day over to another religion? Not quite in the spirit of our future king, is it?