Muslim leaders in feud with the BBC

Britain's most powerful Islamic organisation was accused last night of failing mainstream Muslim Britain after it complained of a 'pro-Israel agenda' at the BBC in a Panorama programme on the faith to be aired next week.

In an extraordinary letter obtained by The Observer, the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has told director general Mark Thompson that the Panorama investigation of organisations representing Muslims in Britain, will 'inflame mistrust'.

The letter will be used by critics of the MCB as evidence that it is out of touch amid growing concern that it does not represent moderate Muslims.

A separate Observer investigation into the group has revealed its roots in the extremist politics of Pakistan. Its secretary general, Sir Iqbal Sacranie, and media spokesman Inayat Bunglawala have both expressed admiration for the late Maulana Maududi, founder of the radical Jamaat-i-Islami party, which campaigns non-violently for an Islamic state in Pakistan.

Maududi, a prominent figure in the 20th century Islamic revivalist movement, was a virulent anti-feminist who believed Muslims should struggle to rid their countries of Western influences. The Islamic Foundation, an affiliate of the MCB with close and influential links to the government, was founded by Khurshid Ahmad, a prominent member of the Jamaat-i-Islami.

A second affiliate, the strictly orthodox Jamiat Ahl-i-Hadith, based in Birmingham, practises a form of Islam which demands strict separatism from mainstream society. Its website describes the ways of 'disbelievers' as 'based on sick and deviant views concerning their societies, the universe and their very existence'.

The MCB is a loose structure of more than 400 affiliates, and there is no suggestion they are all extremist.

The BBC programme is thought to be highly critical of some MCB affiliates for their links to extremist Islamic ideology. Panorama, reporter John Ware is thought to challenge Sacranie over his boycott of this year's Holocaust Memorial Day, his attendance at a memorial service for Hamas leader Sheikh Yassin and his equivocal stance on Palestinian suicide bombers.

The letter from Bung-lawala, sent last Thursday, repeatedly refers to the 'pro-Israel lobby' at the BBC, which is said to be behind the programme, although it does not specify who it means. Bunglawala says: 'It appears the Panorama team is more interested in furthering a pro-Israeli agenda than assessing the work of Muslim organisations in the UK.

He regrets that 'the Panorama team seem intent on creating mistrust by serving the interests of the pro-Israeli lobby and undermining community relations'.

The letter goes on: 'The BBC should not allow itself to be used by the highly placed supporters of Israel in the British media to make capital out of the 7 July atrocities in London.'

A senior BBC source said: 'It's plain wrong - insulting - to suggest we have an agenda and frankly preposterous.'

Sacranie said: 'We are concerned that the test of whether we are doing good work in the UK is whether we pass the Israel test. We have a clear position: we oppose the Israeli occupation. But our prime concern is with the Muslim community in this country.' Since 7 July he believed the MCB had been subjected to 'a campaign orchestrated by the pro-Israel lobby'.

A BBC spokeswoman said last night: 'The BBC rejects completely any allegation of institutional or programme bias and is confident the Panorama programme will be fair and impartial.'

The BBC has not been known for its pro-Israeli stance. In July 2003, Danny Seaman, the Israeli government's head of press, accused it of 'demonising and vilifying' the state of Israel.

Some leading Muslims are also critical. Abdul-Rehman Malik, of the Muslim magazine Q-News, said MCB leaders should clarify its position on suicide bombers. 'You cannot be equivocal about innocent people. An innocent person in Tel Aviv is the same as an innocent person in Baghdad or London.'

Last week, novelist Salman Rushdie, given a death sentence by Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran after the publication of The Satanic Verses, criticised Tony Blair for promoting Sacranie as a moderate voice.