Outrage over ‘EastEnders’ Qur’an incident
By ANIThursday, July 22, 2010
LONDON - Hundreds of angry viewers have complained to the BBC over a scene in ‘EastEnders’, where a Muslim character slams down a copy of the Qur’an on a table.
According to reports, the BBC has taken several hundred calls and emails over the scene screened earlier this week.
In the episode, gay character Syed Masood (played by Marc Elliott) was seen to drop the religious text in frustration.
EastEnders chiefs have defended the controversial scene, saying that they had not intended to cause offence, but to demonstrate Syed’s “utter confusion”.
“Desperate not to lose his family, Syed is trying to suppress his homosexuality. He has vowed to read and learn from the Qur’an in an attempt to re-connect with his Muslim faith, hoping it will help him in his quest,” The Sun quoted a BBC statement, as saying.
“Feeling unable to reconcile his feelings for another man with his religious beliefs, Syed slams down the Qur’an in frustration.”
“It was not intended to be a disrespectful act, rather a totally spontaneous one, symbolic of Syed’s utter confusion and frustration at what feels like an impossible situation. It wasn’t our intention to cause any offence,” it added. (ANI)
