A panel discussion organised by One World Media.

 Panellists considered the British media’s coverage of Islam and Muslim communities and explored whether, in an environment of global conflict and increasing islamophobia, nuanced and fair reporting can break down prejudice.

Tarek Osman was the moderator for this event. He is EBRD’s senior political counsellor for the Arab world and the author of “Islamism”, as well as the international bestseller “Egypt on the Brink”. He is also the author and presenter of several BBC documentary series, including “The Making of the Modern Arab World” and “Islam Divided: Sunni-Shia”.

Tarek Osman was joined by:

• Dr Myriam Francois, writer, broadcaster and academic with a focus on current affairs, the Middle East and Islam. She is currently an international news correspondent for TRT World, and is a regular contributor to the New Statesman, The Telegraph and Middle East Eye.  She has presented a number of programmes for the BBC, including “The Muslim Pound”, and is currently a Research Associate at the Centre of Islamic Studies at SOAS University. 
   
• Fatima Salaria, Commissioning Editor for Religion and Ethics at the BBC. Her recent commissions have included the BAFTA winning “Muslims Like Us”, the recent Partition Season, including Anita Rani’s “My Family and Partition” on BBC1 and “Dangerous Borders – A Journey through India and Pakistan”.
   
• Miqdaad Versi, Assistant Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Britain. He is a campaigner for responsible reporting in the media and was called “the man correcting stories about Muslims” by the BBC after eliciting scores of apologies from national media outlets.  He is a regular columnist for the Guardian and the Independent.