Ofcom to investigate ‘racist’ Muslim BBC sitcom, Citizen Khan
Ofcom has announced that it is to investigate a BBC sitcom after hundreds of complaints were made by viewers who claimed it was insulting Muslims.
Citizen Khan features the exploits of the self-appointed community leader and his extended family which has been given a prime time slot on BBC1.
However many within the Asian community, which it is intended to appeal to, have failed to see the funny side, claiming instead that it is insulting to Islam.
More than 200 complaints have so far been received, most centred on Khan’s daughter who was depicted hastily donning a hijab and pretending to read a Muslim prayer book when her father appeared.
The series was written by British Muslim Adil Ray, who also stars as Khan and drew 3.6m viewers for its opening episode.
A BBC spokesman said that the show had also been praised by members of the Muslim community, adding: “New comedy always provokes differing reactions from the audience and as with all sitcoms, the characters are comic creations and not meant to be representative of the community as a whole.”