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Wide-ranging news stories

Husain Husaini | 10:55 UK time, Wednesday, 20 August 2008

If you had asked me two and a half years ago what would be the dominant story during my time as head of news at the Asian Network, I would probably have said it would be the aftermath of the 7 July attacks on London's transport system.

³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Asian Network logoAt the start of 2006, when I joined the network from Radio 5 Live, it was only a few months after the suicide bombs that killed 52 people.

Many commuters were still nervous and many Asians, whether Muslim or not, were concerned about how the attacks would affect them and the way they were treated. It has indeed been a strong theme.

Only this week we were reporting about the efforts being made by counter terrorist officers in the North of England to persuade residents that they weren't picking on Muslims, rather responding to evidence and intelligence.

The fact that we could find almost no young Muslim in Bradford to talk to us on the record for fear of police reprisals goes to show how big a job the authorities have to do. We have also seen what police say are big plots uncovered and an attack on Glasgow airport.

But what I've really enjoyed about doing news for the Network is the richness of what we've been able to do.

Mirza Tahir HussainMy highlights include the story of Mirza Tahir Hussain, who was stranded on death row in Pakistan desperately protesting his innocence. It was a case we followed closely, interviewing him from his prison cell on a crackly mobile phone. I was incredibly surprised when his sentence was commuted, he was released and in an Asian Network studio all within a week.

Around the same time there was the story about the girl who was initially known as Molly Campbell who had seemingly been abducted and taken to Pakistan. The rights and wrongs of her moving to Pakistan to live with her father were discussed in courts and on the radio for months.

There was Shambo the bull, slaughtered after he was found to have TB despite the protests of the temple which owned him. Recently we covered a row over voting rights for women at a Gurdwara (a Sikh temple) in Bristol. Eventually women were elected to the committee for the first time.

At the frothier end of the news agenda we had the row over Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody. Many thought it a fuss about nothing, but many listeners told our phone in programme that they saw Shilpa's treatment in the big brother house as a reflection of their own problems with racism in Britain.

We know Bollywood is popular with much of our audience. Perhaps our biggest Bollywood highlight was an interview by our Love Bollywood programme with Indian Film's golden couple, Aishrawaya Rai and Abishek Bachchan.

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At the opposite end of the hard-soft news spectrum was the research done by Sanjiv Buttoo into in British Asian communities that became the documentary Asian Network report: Britain's missing girls. It won a Sony award this year which made us all very proud.

I suppose what I'm trying to get across is that bombs, terror, radicalism and al-Qaeda are important, but there is so much more to the British Asian communities that we report on and aim to serve at the Asian Network.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    If you really can't find any 'young muslims' who are willing to talk to you (which I find very unlikely) why don't you come down to Leicester and talk to any number of British/Indian Hindus who have some very strong opinions on Islamofacist terrorism - many of them have family members who have been on the receiving end back in India.

    Shouldn't an 'Asian Nework' reflect the views of the broad range of people who have links to Asia?

    I would certainly welcome some of my highly regarded British/Indian work colleagues having a platform for their views.

  • Comment number 2.

    islamofascism?

    It's a sad, sad world, one in which fascists seek nemesis in islamofascists.

    What exactly happened on 7/7 and 9/11?

    Silence and complicity in front of monstrous atrocity? When, if ever, will ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ offer a decent perspective on those events? You don't even have to provide answers, just ask those disturbing and serious questions.

    Will you?

    Hush now baby, baby, don't you cry.

  • Comment number 3.

    Perhaps you may find it a silly question but why is it necessary to have an Asian Network?

    It is a major component of integration that all are treated alike and that, regardless of our tongues, we all learn as much as possible about each other. Surely that means plenty of Asian themes on main stream broadcasting not on special networks.

    As someone who warms to all I meet in the UK I am very concerned that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ echoes the poor judgment of the Government on cultural affairs. We do not need divisions in broadcasting and I wish they did not exist.

  • Comment number 4.

    Interview with Aish abhi was very good.Even deepika ranbir will be good option.

    Thanks

  • Comment number 5.

    moriaeencomium (2) -

    When Nazis persecute gay men and murder the disabled, jews and gypsies I'll call it facism.

    When extremists persecute women who won't comply and murder teachers, Shia Muslims and anyone else who disagrees with them then I'll reserve the right to call that facism as well.

    If you feel that sort of behaviour is ok then that is your opinion.

    The blog was about interviews on the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Asian Network not 9/11 or alien abduction or whatever - and I still support the right of all people with Asian, or any other, backgrounds to state their opinion on this issue.

    May the force be with you.

  • Comment number 6.

    #5. Agreed. The form of government Bin ladin and his creed support is indistinguishable from nazism.

  • Comment number 7.

    Peter Sym

    #5. Agreed. The form of government Bin ladin and his creed support is indistinguishable from nazism.

    ----------------------------------------------------------

    I also agree, however, I would add Communism to the list, the extreme left are as guilty as the Nazis.

    Also let's not get away from the fact that the huge majority of muslims are as peace loving as are the huge majority of other religions.

    Could I also ask why it is necessary to have a ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ radio channel devoted to Asians?, is this not racist?, could you imagine the outcry if the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ paid for a 'White' channel?.

    This is on top of the money spent on creating arabic channels for the middle east, I fail to see the purpose in creating non-English stations when the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s charter is to educate people in the UK, the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ has a perfectly acceptable non-UK station called the WORLD SERVICE.



  • Comment number 8.

    Talking about Muslims, I find this ( ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news insensitive and racially offensive to ethnic Han Chinese.

    Uyghur Chinese are a merge of a number of ethnic groups. The dominant group is Huihu originated from the Republic of Mongolia. They are all Buddhists for thousands of years. They are also nomadic.

    ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ got the picture completely reversed. It is Islam taking over Buddhism culture. It is not the other way around.

    Besides, I find this a show case of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳’s bias against Han Chinese. Imagine 20 British white cops are killed by Muslim minorities in the UK: Will ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ spin out such an article criticizing that the British Christians are pushing too much into British Moslems?

    Is this ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news meant to hurt the feelings of Han Chinese? So many Chinese are furious at the Western media. The reason is quite obvious.

  • Comment number 9.

    I agree with previous posters in that it is simply racist for the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ to have a channel purely for people of a certain race.

    Why can't the themes and issues that can affect those of 'Asian' heritage be included in the main ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ channels along with all the other races? Can't we all be involved in the dialogue? I'm interested in all topics/ issues, wherever they come from - it enriches my understanding of mankind, and my fellow neighbours and human beings.

    But ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Asian Network is a hinderance to cohesion within UK communities, and can only serve to amplify difference.

  • Comment number 10.

    Nos 3, 7 and 9, the reason there's no 'white' TV channels or radio stations is simple - the vast majority of mainstream channels already reflect the dominant white British culture, irrespective of whether the Daily Mail claims otherwise. Sticking a black character in Eastenders does not somehow make it representative, and I'm sure the main reason the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ spun its rap / RnB / dancehall programmes off into 1Xtra is because all the white kids got into it after trance (traditional R1 territory) went out of style, and generated a bigger demand.

    Your argument that providing specialist programming for diverse cultural tastes is fatuous, because white / Western privilege is by its very nature a one-way street. Now given the proportion of those in the UK from non-traditional white British backgrounds, it's arguable how big a slice of the broadcasting pie should be allocated to BME groups. But arguing that there should be no such provision at all is far more racially and culturally divisive than having the state broadcaster, which we all fund on threat of imprisonment, reflect the wide diversity of its audiences.

  • Comment number 11.

    10. - Interesting points. I'm not arguing for no provision though - I'm arguing for provision in an inclusive way rather than in a 'separate' or divisive way. Channels should reflect interest irrespective of race/ethnicity. ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ 'Asian' Network, by definition singles out a single race/ethnic group (albeit a wide one at that). I just think that's divisive. I'm not suggesting that the output is stopped at all, just rather that it's available via channels that don't state they are just for one race or ethnicity. For example can't issues of religion, islam etc be included in polictical programmes across the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Network aimed at everyone, ie in an inclusive manner?

  • Comment number 12.

    I'm a white, Irish atheist but I listen to Devotional Sounds every day, its great for relaxing.

    I love the station.

  • Comment number 13.

    No matter what China has achieved or how peaceful China is, the West will never abandon their hostility against non-Christian China. For example, I find this ( ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news insensitive and racially offensive to ethnic Han Chinese.

    Quote: “here police are randomly imposing fines on melon sellers in Kashgar. Two van-loads of police arrived to confiscate one farmer’s cart and all his produce. “

    It is not randomly imposing fines. Chinese law must be respected in China. The same thing happens all over China. I see many times in Beijing and Shanghai with Han Chinese. I think ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ must learn to respect Chinese law.

    Uyghur Chinese are a merge of a number of ethnic groups. The dominant group is Huihu originated from the Republic of Mongolia. They are all Buddhists for thousands of years. They are also nomadic.

    ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ got the picture completely reversed. It is Islam taking over Buddhism culture. It is not the other way around.

    Besides, I find this a show case of ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ bias against Han Chinese. Imagine 20 British white cops are killed by Muslim minorities in the UK: Will ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ spin out such an article criticizing that the British Christians are pushing too much into British Moslems?

    Is this ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ news meant to hurt the feelings of Han Chinese?

    So many Chinese are furious at the Western media. The reason is quite obvious.

  • Comment number 14.

    Please tell me how much of the Asian network is devoted to east Asia? Does the answer not demonstrate the same "discrimination" that is present in all broadcasting media?

    The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is guilty of treating its audiences as unintelligent and moronic sources of revenue and not conforming to its Charter requirements. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳'s duty is to the whole UK population and not any given sector within that population.

    If the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ scrapped this flawed philosophy then we may see better value for all who reside in this country and not just those for whom there is some academic minority interest and kudos.

  • Comment number 15.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 16.

    #10

    How does an "Asian Network" reflect as cultural group, or its absence be racially and culturally divisive? If that said network caters mainly for a "select" part of Asia then it is just as divisive as not having a network at all. Does Asian not cover Taiwan, Russia and Mongolia etc?

    And as for the suggestion that a "black" actor in Eastenders has anything to do with anything then I despair.

  • Comment number 17.

    The English have their own radio and newspapers in many countries (such as Spain). It is not unusual for this to happen if there is a large amount of people originating from one country residing in a foreign country.

    What is really odd is that the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ is trying to group all Asians together considering that they will have come from completely different parts of the world and have different cultures and languages.

    In reality, the Asian Network seems to be mainly aimed at young people whose roots are in India and Pakistan with the older generation and people from other Asian countries not sufficiently catered for.

  • Comment number 18.

    #17

    I feel there is a large difference in ethnic groups choosing to run their own media at their own expense as compared to a National broadcasting corporation funding minority and unrepresentative groups.

    Most of the media in the UK (pivotally the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ included) can hardly be said to represent most members of the UK population but would our needs be better served by having a Low Paid Network, a Socialist Worker's Network or a British Nationalist Network?

    The critical part of any large scale integration such as that embarked on by the UK in the 1950s is that it takes a very long time for mixtures to happen at the lower echelons of society and even longer for them to find their way into our media and our ruling classes.

    It is only sixty years ago that the British working classes came of age as an accepted and valued part of UK society. Many would say that in the past three decades they have lost ground; until the working classes are accepted by the ruling classes as capable of running their own shows I do not see how media networks can achieve what they have been set up to do. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should concentrate its efforts of what we have in Britain not on what those who live here have left behind however long ago it was. The ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ can influence change - I do not believe it wants to.

  • Comment number 19.

    I think the reason there ios an asian channel is to allow British Citizens of Asian backgrounds to continue to have a voice, because there would be a public outcry if we started to see Asian Programmes on during primetime viewing by the majority white population! IM pretty sure most white folk would switch to other radio channels if they heard one asian tune out of 10 on radio one!

  • Comment number 20.

    The fact of the matter is that the Islamic religion was started by an anti-Semitic wifebeating paedophile who said the world would not end until the Jews had been killed by the Muslims.

    Does this sound like a messenger of the Jewish God to you?

    Of course not.

    It is a SAD SAD DAY when the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ censors FACTUAL COMMENTS!

  • Comment number 21.

    I agree that we should oppose anti-semitism wherever we find it. Stop insulting Jehovah. Also i have no problem with this channel of this network. For all of its problems the bbc is still the best imo!

  • Comment number 22.

    ISRAEL IS GOING TO LISTEN, WHEN I SPEAK. HERE ME O PEOPLE OF ISRAEL. ISRAEL WILL, BEGIN TO MAKE PEACE WITH THE ARAB WORLD. ISRAEL SHALL, EXTEND AN OLIVE BRANCH TO ALL THE ARAB COUNTRIES. ISRAEL MUST, BECOME THE HUMBLE MEDIATOR FOR THE SAKE OF ALL MANKIND. ISRAEL SHOULD, MAKE PEACE WITH THE PALISTINIAN PEOPLE AND GIVE THEM "RESERVE STATUS" LIKE CANADIAN INDIANS. Godspeed Swift [Personal details removed by Moderator]

  • Comment number 23.

    Husain Husaini:
    I hope that all of the coverage on the wide-ranging stories were 'educational' and informative to the listeners....

    ~Dennis Junior~

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