大象传媒

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I just don't get it, if Britain is such a terrible place to live then why live here? Wouldn't they be happier and closer to their religion in their own home country? I understand that their are extremists on both sides, good and bad but I wouldn't live in a country I didn't feel comfortable in so why do they? Its a shame that some of thier own people give them selves such a bad reputation. How can we every live in harmony with such terrible attitudes on both sides??

"it's not fair to let Stacey free to voice her opinion"? I disagree... i think it IS fair Stacey can say what she likes..... :o)

The age of conset is 21 not 11, Please get your facts straight before you start preaching over the TV.

Hey stacey! I'm a muslim living in London,
and you had a lot of quetions on your program.
I was born here and I have an A* in English Lang and Lit,
so My english is perfect.
I want to answer you questions as I feel like you asked the wrong crowd?
There were MANY misinterpretations of Islam in that program, none of which was your fault. Many of those people just said what their parents told them,
not doing research.
I would like you to email me so I can answer your questions properly and fully.
Yours,
Nora
xx

email: [Personal details removed by Moderator]

Hi stacey, I'm a muslim living in newcastle. I was born and raised in the north all my life, but only just recently started to pratice my religion.. There were a few things I didn't agree with with what some of your interviewees said. If you you want to come up north please stop by and listen to what I have to say regarding these matters.. Many thanks

Well that was a waste of an hour of my life very one sided, the muslims had their say and made their point. But when it came to the EDL explaining their point of view it was cut back to the muslims every story has two sides but only one was shown tonight!!!

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Stacey, I wanted to congratulate you on your wonderful programme. I totally agree with you that communication and interaction is the only way to break down barriers between communities. At the end of the day, we are all human beings. The blood that flows through a non-muslim is the same colour as that which flows through a muslim. Extremists in both communities are a stain on our collective conscience. Live and let live. Thank you. That was one of the best documentaries that I have watched. Thoroughly enjoyable.

hi stacey, Thnks for the documentary. i trully appreciate your courage to try and stay objective throughout the whole process. I'm a muslim Arab and studying in UK for five years now. I'm always proud of being a muslim but I still think that muslims who live in the UK and other western countries should do more about showing the more brighter and correct picture of moderate real muslims. And I urge the people of all gender, faith or nationality to refuse all types of extremism in any ideology and just follow the good nature of themselves.

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I agree with fifitrix007, they should'nt ruin it for people who actually want to live in England. Islam is a very peaceful religion its ashame these extreamists ruin it for the peaceful muslims. The woman who protested in the street on the show, who asked Stacey who she is trying to seduce.... I think I would react worse than stacey did..

This was an interesting documentary, although slightly amateurish it was refreshingly raw.

It's about time we started discussing the issues facing our communities and not just let them fester in the background.

Stacey read the comment At 22:03 20th Feb 2012, Tunisxx and then comment At 21:58 20th Feb 2012, Sweetie1355, which is the reason why Islam has become so misunderstand not just among non-believers but amongst muslim communities themselves. There is no consensus of beliefs and too many claiming to be Jurisprudent's of sharia law without any recognised body to regulate or guide them.

@ 21:58 20th Feb 2012, Sweetie1355 - You're actually both wrong it's nine!
[source: Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64].
Again this would depending on which Fiqh (islamic jurisprudence) you happen to have been taught to follow.

Well done Sarah for trying to convey some objective reporting. Enjoyed the program - bought back some memories as I studied there & still spend time there. It's a big pity that you didn't visit the Ghuraba Masjid on Bury Park Road which have a lot of work to combat the mis-interpretation of Islam both from within & from outside the community. I'd advise anyone to contact them.

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Stacey I would like to firstly applaud you for making one of the best documentaries I have seen. I am a 29 year old british muslim and I disagree with the EDL as much as I disagree with AM's. I would just like to express that not ALL Muslims are terrorist and hope that we can all live in peace in an amazing country like great Britain. I believe groups like the AM's should not be living in a country where they disagree with the law and EDL should not put Islam out of context. Islam is a beautiful and peaceful religion.

Enjoyed the programme. Thought the presenter was v understanding to all sides. Not being born in UK but having lived here since 1989, I find that religions do not mix socially, religiously or anyhow. Where I am from, Kenya, all religions mix together. I found it difficult to adjust when i moved to this country, even though I am half Muslim in the school, college, university and workplace. Muslims stick together, Sikhs do their own thing and Hindus mix with Hindus. The same goes for Christians, atheists, etc. Stacey's final message was clear - a little bit of listening to others and being understanding that we are all humans at the end of the day, may reduce the chance extremists (of any religion) to dilute the minds of those who are young and naive.

Till today I was not a great Stacey Dooley fan... however I have changed my mind, I found this was a documentary that needed to be made... instead of the over intellectualising and remoteness that is the usual look at the issues.. we saw it from the viewpoint of someone that was trying to understand by simply asking real people their views... it is only by starting a debate at a community level that the issues can be resolved... as we saw there is a long way to go.. it is for this reason that I would appeal to the 大象传媒 and to Stacey.. to follow up by using all their imagination, resources and influence to continue the discussion... why..because its important

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Indeed it was raw and amateurish, but not too bad and raised important issues.

There were few important questions that were not asked on the street:
* Where do you work?
* How do you see Britain in 20 years? What is your ideal of Britain in future?

The answer should provide Stacey with the answer whether it would be Britain she would like to live in or not.

I dont believe this presented is suited for this particular documentary involving such heavy beliefs, views and matters. The innocent and not knowing of the presenter invokes angers and fails to deliver the utter most of the interview. giving that she has a kind heart and is not biased.

I thought the documentary was fair for once, the Muslim extremists were given more air time, admittedly but that only served to show the hate and ignorance that they convey and I actually felt that the EDL came out ok, I didn't hear any hate speech from them. That doesn't mean to say that I agree with them or their beliefs but they did make some valid points. And one thing that I will say is that the statements they made regarding Islam and Sharia law have not biased me, they have made me want to discover more about it which can only be a good thing can it not?
I feel pity for the peace-loving muslims who want to live in this country in unity but not enough of you speak out against the extremists, is that fear I wonder... Whatever it is, there cannot be trust between communities without communication, for example the woman in the protest march who stated that Stacey looked naked and asked who she was trying to seduce was just plain ignorant in my view. How can you communicate without respect? Racism is not one sided.

Well after watching this program I am now a convicted Stacey Dooley Fan, she is the same age as my own lovely daughter (and reminds me so much of her pre-university days , before she got her degree and is now doing her masters and really does know a lot more than her Dad). Stacey is innocent and real and funny and the evil 大象传媒3 producers obviously like putting her into dangerous situations looking at her Wikipedia profile ! I was really laughing at the way those Islamic extremists were treating her, she truly had no idea, and at the end there were genuine tears because even she realised what was going to happen in her town ! Despite the best efforts of the politically correct 大象传媒 . If the most sensible person they interviewed was Mugsy a Youth worker like my daughter and son in law why wasn't he shown? The guy with two phones was he a dealer ? That's what the internet rumours were saying after the show.

Brilliant Documentary. Well done Stacey - Balanced, fair, insightful and thought provoking yes - although there was a deeper insight here available only to someone who knows the area and is able to talk to the locals that she went to school with. I am certain that no other reporter could have pulled off the face to camera interview during the march and certainly would not had the same reaction.
Well done for trying to get as much balance as was possible and how you managed to keep your calm when with the AM lot as well as the "gentleman" from EDL and those confronting him I will never know. Quite certain that there were a lot of thoughts going through your head and how you kept them to your self would have defeated most. Surely this deserves airing on a more mainstream channel.
This IS what we pay our licence fee for so well done 大象传媒 and especially to Stacey

Great documentary, glad the issues have been aired. I lived in Bury Park in the mid 80's and it was already a staunch Muslim area at that time. I rented a bedsit from a Muslim landlord who drank regularly and liked to talk about the Western society being corrupt, even though he enjoyed indulging in this 'corruption.' He wasn't the only person in the Muslim community with this attitude -the hypocrisy was rife.

The problem has not occurred in Bury Park since Vauxhall closed down, or since 9/11, but is a very long standing problem. It seems to me to be to do with a community not wanting to integrate and a white community not reaching out to that community, and it will take both communities to put things right.

Really interesting and very unusual documentary. I am from London and one of the aspects about multiculturalism I feel never gets aired is how local people feel, who have see rapid change to the communities they grew up in over the years.

So far my experience as been that powerful media groups like the Guardian and usually the 大象传媒 react harshly to anything other than positive opinions about the effect of mass immigration on local people lives.

I have more recently come to feel this is wrong because many of the local people where I live who for example have a cockney accent often seem very bitter because no one is listening to them.

And when they do hear of examples in the media of people like them on the TV it is usually followed by educated people calling them or implying that they are bigots, racists, thick or materialistic etc..

I don't like bitterness and I don't like some of the mindless racism you sometimes get from local people. However I think its a shame that these communities are ignored at the moment because maybe if they had an opportunity to say what they think a little more often they would be able to moderate some of the more extreme views currently aired in secret.

Anyway what I wanted to say was thank you 大象传媒 for allowing for once someone like Stacey Dooley to have a voice.

I would also like to congratulate Stacey for genuinely going out into the community and asking ordinary Muslims what they think of AM and EDL. I think the statistics say it all really (less than 100 people out of 30 thousand strong Muslims Luton associate themselves with AM). Given the level of hate that they levelled against Stacey in this programme, I鈥檓 not surprised. The Prophet Muhammed told us that Islam came to make things 鈥榚asier for the people鈥� and he taught us approach people with wisdom and beautiful preaching. He was a gentle, kind, sweet man who never raised his voice to anyone- how the AM can think to insult people like that and spit such vitriol is beyond me.

Please stop giving them the oxygen of publicity.

Once people start thinking that they are better than others they have removed themselves from the worship of God and are in the service of worshipping their own egos instead, and no slave can serve two masters. The rest of the community should remind them of the following verse in the holy Quran: 鈥淓ven as he is now, so were you yourselves before till Allah conferred on you His Favours鈥� and should remind them to be humble and merciful to people, in case the reminder benefits them. We must never look down at people or feel that we are better than them.

Ps. I wish Stephen would read the Quran in English and I think that would clear up so many issues for him. I could see that he was a man who genuinely loved and wanted to protect his family and that, at least, is admirable.

Religion has no place in Politics.

This was an education and it is exactly what the country needed to see and hear.

You will always get extremists in any group and you portrayed that perfectly, the EDL have thugs that jump on the bandwagon of racism. You have the AM that believe their faith is one of violence and terrorism. Then there is middle ground. The EDL members you interviewed had very valid points that not once came across as racist to me - it only made me want to learn more. It was also refreshing to hear moderate Muslims say 鈥榦nce you become a terrorist, you are no longer a Muslim鈥�, knowing know that the majority of Muslims share her view is comforting.

Well done Stacey for showing us a glimpse of how it really is and staying objective the whole time. It鈥檚 really scary that there are some real extreme views that promote terrorism, I have to say I鈥檓 worried for our future as a planet and our human race! I believe religion of all kinds has a lot to answer for.

Dear Stacey,

I hope you read my comment and that it is in good intentions.

I had to stop watching when you went to speak to the Diverse guys. Why? Because it became clear that you have little understanding of what is going on in the world today. I don't mean this is a condescending way. Rather I think that if you really want to understand alternative points of view, you need to have some knowledge of what is going on and has been in recent history. Your eyes were opened when you took part in 'Blood, Sweat and Tears' - this is just another such situation.

I won't recommend any books but it would be worth searching you tube for, Adam Curtis' 大象传媒 documentary "The Power of Nightmares" and John Pilger's "The War You Don't See".

I too was born in Luton, and went to Stopsley "County Primary/Secondary School" from 1944 (yes, still in wartime) to 1949, when my family left for London. Yet even after all these years I still remember Luton with the same affection that Stacey clearly has for the town. Even now, I watch the football results all the time to see whether "we" are going to get back into the Football League where we really belong! My father was killed by the German bombing of Vauxhall's where he was working in August 1940. I like to think that he died in the interests of the free speech so treasured by all of us, no matter how regrettably that principle is being used by some people on both sides of the divide these days. Excellent documentary. Thank you Stacey.

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Hi Stacey, I have just watched your programme on extremism in Luton. I grew up in Luton and moved away aged 19 in 1987 and have followed news about home. I felt you brought a real freshness and honesty to the issues in the programme and that people you talked to responded to this. I remember quite a lot of racial tension in Luton when I was growing up, people would often shout "paki" at asians in the street, although there was not so much of a focus on religion then. I think there is also a wider context of quite a high rate of violent crime in the town which I believe has been the case historically. Thanks for your programme which I think was really important. Franz.

Hi Stacey,
I would just like to address some of the issues that came up on the program. I am half Caribbean and half English and both my parents are converts to the religion. I have therefore grown up with a version of Islam devoid of cultural ties or theories and feel entirely culturally English. Many people mentioned the removal of hands, stoning and marriage of small children as key aspects of the Sharia law.
Islam is not immovable and can therefore be interpreted according to the circumstances one is placed in. Really, the punishment for adultery (stoning) should be placed in the context of where and when the act takes place with all effecting measures being fully evaluated and taken into account. For this day and age it would probably be a jail sentence of some sort but even then it would probably never happen as these are meant to be preventory measures only. The marriage of a 'child' to the Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) was many centuries ago and is NOT in Sharia law. It was a common practice among people from all over the world (including England) for small girls to be engaged and wed at an age we now feel is unacceptable. For a person to be classified as a Muslim they only need to believe in one God with Muhammad(pbuh) as his messenger. People have a choice in what they do and don't do and it's not up to ANYONE to tell people that they are going to heaven or hell. The EDL I feel are nit-picking the Sharia as it is made up of so many more, reasonable, regularly used rules that benefit all. Islam teaches that you MUST obey the laws of the country you reside in. We really don't want to overthrow the government. Islam always gives choices, heck LIFE gives choices! And really that's what religion is all about.
Thanks :)

Hi
I just wanted to say that I enjoyed watching the documentary and found it very interesting. It's sad to see how different and how divided people of the same religion can become.
I myself am Muslim, British born, educated, employed. I'm grateful for the opportunities I have been given when there are so many people around the world who have so very little. So I am appalled when I see groups of Muslims preaching hate in the country they live in.
It's also sad to hear the EDL's views on what Islam is all about, they seem to have it all wrong too.
It's clear that people need to be educated from both sides about what Islam is all about. I think your documentary was a great starter for ten in showing what true Islam (and all religions for that matter) is all about, believing in God and treating everyone with respect, love and dignity regardless of race or creed.

Peace!

Hi Stacey,
That was an absolutely amazing documentary. I am so grateful to you for showing the Muslims the way you did. Too many programmes show veil wearing women in a negative light, but you fully embraced it! I wish more people could be as tolerant as you! Really, many Muslim women are afraid to even try the veil and you just did it, Thank You.
I have to say your documentary gave me a lot to think about as I am a veil wearing student and I go to university, and thankfully have found that many people actually can overlook it and treat me like a normal person.
I'm very pleased you showed both extremist groups as they are. They may be needed to counteract each other but apart from that there is no need for such ignorance and intolerance. The Muslim groups claim to be following Shariah, yet the epitome of Shariah was the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who would never make a non-Muslim feel so degraded by calling them 'naked'!
Stacey, you should come to Leicester to see our multiculturalism, makes me very proud to be a British Muslim.
Thank You again for such a great programme. Keep them coming!

I agree with previous comments, that this programme was amateurish, raw and innocent. I found some of Stacey's comments to be cringingly naive - maybe a more experienced presenter would have done better. I was brought up in London & have lived in Luton for the last 5 years. Part of the reason that I love living here is because it is a multi-cultural town. Stacey's comment that she had never been to the Bury Park area, despite having living here most of her life, highlighted her naivety. Her foray into Bury Park for the programme (actually only 1 road in Bury Park) and her reaction was frankly amusing. Plus the camera concentrating on women wearing niqab etc.was very one sided. I walked down that same road today,yes, some women were veiled, others weren't, and guess what ....some were white/ black/ chinese. Luton the 'extremist capital of Britain' ? - it's not the people of Luton who are a threat, its the media representations that are dangerous and inflammatory.

Dear Stacey,

I watched your documentary last night and think that despite your good intentions to try and pull a fragmented community together, your ignorance on the current conflicts in the Middle East prevented any meaningful analysis of the situation. You looked visibly shocked over the various claims against British troops. All I can say is please watch the documentary The War You Don't See by John Pilger, then rewatch your documentary. Perhaps you will see some of the issues highlighted in a differnent context... and to make a documentary on THAT would be truely worthwhile.

Kind regards,

LB

P.S.

I am puzzled to why you gave an organisation like the EDL a sympathic platform on national television to express their "concerns", but provided no analysis or discussion on their links with violence and extremism. But neglecting to do this, you are fueling the legitimisation of anti-Muslim feeling in the UK, which will certainly not improve community relations.

Most of the analysis of extremism in Luton (and I don't mean just this programme) has focused on EDL vs Islamic Fundamentalism.

I've spent a lot of time in Luton over the years (I'm from Bedford but my mother is from Luton and my father moved there as a teenager) and remember only too well how prominent Irish Republicanism has been in the town. A lot of pubs used to openly collect money for the IRA (and probably still do). There have even been sunday league football teams set up by these like-minded people.

When Stacey Dooley reports on extremism in her documentary she's only really covering half of it! The town is a crucible of extremism - a squalid, dirty blemish on the otherwise beautiful Chilterns - and I hate going there.

Dear Stacey,

I really liked the way of how you diplomatically approached both sides!
13 years ago I've moved from Germany to the UK and couldn't help noticing that this isn't just an "British" phenomenon. Some people on all sides are becoming slightly more extreme in their point of views about anything. Wether it's religion, food, race, sexuality, etc.
I'm just so tired of extremism in general and your docu is excellent at making one think before talking nonsense.

Kind Regards

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I thought Stacey did a good job of highlighting the fact that two opposing parties - the fanatic Muslims and the fanatic EDL - are in fact extreme views. Most Lutonians actually want to and do live in harmony together. As a towm we want to make multi-culturalism work and we (represented by all cultures) oppose the extremist positions. I thought Stacey might have made more of a point about that. I was surprised for example that she did not highlight the work of Luton in Harmony, which exists to foster our sense of pride in our town, foster the fact that we are able to live peacefully side by side, foster the fact that multiculturalism can work (I realise David Cameron doesn't think so, but Luton is an example that actually it can! We are not there yet, but we are making great strides in that direction). There are many people who, whether through intentional organisations, or as part of something else, or just informally because they choose to, meet together across cultures, share food, share thoughts, share their lives. This is very powerful and can not be ignored. Luton might have extremists - granted. Also granted that these extremists have a sphere of influence. But there is equally a growing number of Lutonians of all cultures who are proud to and proactive about making multiculturalism work.

Okay this program annoyed in the face that these Muslims are just making things bad for the rest of us I'm Muslim myself, these extremists are groups of Muslims who have gone against the teaching of Islam they have made these groups in order to gain power this is not Islam its all wrong I'm Muslim but I live like I'm English I have tattoos i go out clubbing and I have a boyfriend but these people have got it all wrong is Islam does say respect the law of the land you live on to be honest these people are hypocrites like seriously you are not going to shake a hand of a woman but your going to drool over them when you see them walking on the streets its stupid! And that woman that was saying she is naked that's just stupid the BRITISH government is doing so much for us and its true if you don't like the law of the UK move to somewhere that caters to you and also its is incorrect what the guy in the golf club said there are churches in Muslim country's and in Islam its says respect others are yo want to be respected! these people are not muslims

also the guy who told her she is going to hell is not god you can't say that to people

If people are honest enough to admit it, it's not Islam or it's teachings that radicalises the youth. It's the killing of innocent MUSLIM women and children by British troops which radicalises Muslim youth. If the Germans killed innocent ENGLISH women and children, the English youth too would become radicalised.

The Muslims don't go around telling people of other religions on how they should dress. Why should the EDL dictate what Muslims are allowed to wear?

If innocent Hindus are being murdered, Hindus will get upset.

If innocent Muslims are being murdered, Muslims will get upset.

EDL are a nasty violent organisation.

EDL incite hatred against all Muslims. EDL supporters attack mosques and Muslims women on a daily basis. For example those setting fire to mosques and attacking vulnerable Muslim women are often found to have links to the EDL.

Check out the story where EDL members set Stoke mosque on fire. Is that not terrorism? Why to 大象传媒 give these violent hooligans the platform? EDL make AM look like Saints. Stacey failed to question this EDL on their violent activities.

Stacy did a good job here. I was sceptical at the start, especially as I could see that she had little knowledge of Islam.
Her naivety was an asset. She was courageous and unfazed by the difficulties she faced; so by the end, her inquiries produced a better understanding of why Luton is broken, and how it might just be possible to fix it.
I think she now has a better grasp of the complexity of Islam. The greatest worry in my view, and the greatest obstacle to better integration, is the textual authority behind the stance of the extremists; at the same time, the brave and good who reject the AMs and their like, are struggling visibly to support their position from those foundational texts; slanted as they are more towards war than peace. Sad.

Hey Stacey,
I found your documentary rather inspirational, I felt it appaling that you were told that due to the way you dress. I can truthfully state that as a muslim we hold no right to abuse a non-muslim or a muslim. It is not the way we have been taught through the words of the prophet (S.A.W) to treat a fellow human. I hope that you continue on your quest to encourage intergration in your hometown.

Peace be upon you,
Hamida

Interesting program,

Are you aware of the islamic practice of taqiyya?

Did you do any research online and if so was it only from islamic sources?

If so you were shown the sugar coated Islam, thanks to taqiyya.

Try looking at information from non muslim site's, ex muslims sites, see what is happening around the world in islamic majority countries, listen to what muslims say in english and the completely different message they reveal in arabic.

Muslims will kill because non muslims burned some korans, even though fire is one of the acceptable ways to destroy a koran.

obviously not all muslims will react like this, but how many in there hearts had hatred and hid it, taqiyya again.

Extremist and moderate muslims all read the same book, the koran is supposed to be a clear and definitive guide for life, well if its so clear how come these extremists are supposedly getting it wrong, or are they? and a large number of moderates are practising taqiyya or are just ignorant of what they are now supposed to believe.

You set out with a view point that islam was peaceful which did make the program sound rather one sided.

Do you know islam means submission?, not peace as even some muslims seem to believe.

Also the choice of words used was confusing, what race is islam again?

Ok i am white Welsh, this may go against me on here or it may not, i am not from luton, it is a problem and will rise to be an even bigger problem alll over britain. As a child studying islam, islamic, muslim faith in school i found the religion to be useful and actually quite inviting, this was when i was in comprehensive which i left in 1997. Since hearing on the news about radical extremist bombing places, woman for example are a second classed citizen to men that is why the muslim male wouldn't shake her hand as they are lower in society to men and as far as they were possibly concerned Stacey should have bowed at there feet or something, There has been reports of witches being stoned to death by sharia law in sharia law or something in the middle to the street, as i feel now that is more a suited religion for myself. Why would/should britain have to regress just for a minority, look England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales have been united for years it only takes little minorities to ruin it for the majority. As for the "who are you trying to seduce" comment is she afraid of her own sexuality???

Watched this show on iPlayer today (Sunday) and found it to be interesting. As I grew up in Luton too (Hockwell Ring) it is also sad for me to see the divisions in the town, which are clearly getting worse.

What I would liked to have seen asked to the radical Muslims, when they are preaching hate, ask them what kind of home they have and who pays for it? I wonder how many of them who are criticising this country are actually living here at our expense?