The BBC sitcom Citizen Khan has been labelled “Islamophobic” during a Commons debate about whether BBC programmes and staff reflect UK diversity.
Labour MP Rupa Huq criticised Citizen Khan’s depiction of a “quite backward” family of Muslims.
The show was accused of stereotyping Muslims (and not being funny) when it started in 2012 and its creator, Quilliam Foundation supporter Adil Ray, has told the Radio Times he had received death threats.
The BBC said the award-winning show had received much positive feedback.
But Ms Huq, MP for Ealing Central and Acton, said: “I feel as if I didn’t know what the year is … you would think it’s an everyday tale of a Birmingham family of Muslims but they’re really quite backward.
“Again, the Islamophobic point [Labour MP Chuka Umunna] made, it’s a beardy weirdy chap and they’re not quite cutting off people’s hands but I can imagine that being in a future episode.”
A BBC spokesman said: “The fact that Citizen Khan returns for its fifth series this year is a sign of its popularity with all audiences – indeed the show has won several awards, including Best TV character at the Asian Media Awards.
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“We’ve also had positive comments from members of the Muslim community for the show and for creator Adil Ray who, like the family portrayed, is a British Pakistani Muslim. As with all sitcoms the characters are comic creations and not meant to be representative of the community as a whole.”
Ms Huq made her comments during a backbench debate called by former culture minister David Lammy.
Mr Lammy accused the BBC of hiring “the same old faces from the same old schools to the same old jobs” and said he had been contacted by black and Asian BBC staff who said “that they cannot speak up because they do not want to be labelled a troublemaker”.
Earlier, Mr Umunna attacked the “representation of our Muslim communities” on TV.
He said “rising Islamophobia” could partly be blamed on broadcasters’ use of “community leaders who purport to speak for that community but have no mandate whatsoever to do so”.
The BBC said it was “making good progress” on becoming more diverse but said it would continue to develop “new and innovative ideas to do even better” and would soon be setting out its new diversity strategy.
“Almost half of our workforce is made up of women and the proportion of our workforce who are black, Asian and other ethnic minority is at an all-time high,” the spokesman added.
