Perdita
28-03-2010, 18:23
A future EastEnders storyline has reportedly already sparked complaints.
According to the Daily Star, an upcoming plot will see Christian Clarke (John Partridge) beaten up by an angry Muslim character.
The story will take place once Christian's affair with Syed Masood (Marc Elliott) is revealed, although it is not yet clear which character will carry out the attack.
A source explained: "It seems that Christian is going to take the brunt of Syed's problems. Syed and Amira's wedding achieved one of the highest ratings of the year, so we're expecting viewers to again be gripped when this storyline reaches its dramatic climax.
"There will be lots of twists and turns along the way. And sadly for poor Christian, he'll be the one who ends up taking a battering. There will also be lots of complaints."
Tahir Shah from the Muslim Public Affairs Committee has already criticised the storyline for portraying Muslims in a negative light.
"EastEnders is known for its gritty and realistic storylines but we cannot condone such violence from a Muslim character," Shah explained.
However, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell described the plot as "groundbreaking", adding: "No storyline in any drama will ever reflect the totality of the many diverse gay lifestyles and experiences. Full credit to the BBC for having a gay Muslim character. The lives of gay Muslims are very rarely in the media."
A spokesperson for the soap said: "We won't confirm future storylines as we do not want to spoil anything for our viewers."
According to the Daily Star, an upcoming plot will see Christian Clarke (John Partridge) beaten up by an angry Muslim character.
The story will take place once Christian's affair with Syed Masood (Marc Elliott) is revealed, although it is not yet clear which character will carry out the attack.
A source explained: "It seems that Christian is going to take the brunt of Syed's problems. Syed and Amira's wedding achieved one of the highest ratings of the year, so we're expecting viewers to again be gripped when this storyline reaches its dramatic climax.
"There will be lots of twists and turns along the way. And sadly for poor Christian, he'll be the one who ends up taking a battering. There will also be lots of complaints."
Tahir Shah from the Muslim Public Affairs Committee has already criticised the storyline for portraying Muslims in a negative light.
"EastEnders is known for its gritty and realistic storylines but we cannot condone such violence from a Muslim character," Shah explained.
However, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell described the plot as "groundbreaking", adding: "No storyline in any drama will ever reflect the totality of the many diverse gay lifestyles and experiences. Full credit to the BBC for having a gay Muslim character. The lives of gay Muslims are very rarely in the media."
A spokesperson for the soap said: "We won't confirm future storylines as we do not want to spoil anything for our viewers."