Former religious radical Shiraz Maher spent his student days campaigning for an Islamic state in which execution for leaving Islam would be written into the constitution. Now Shiraz is calling for moderation and greater Muslim integration into British life, a stance which has meant he himself is now labelled an apostate by some Muslim extremists.

In a Radio 4 documentary to be broadcast on 17th April, he will ask if people can stop being Muslim. He speaks to ex-Muslims about the problems they have faced which include violence, alienation from family and condemnation from their communities.

Shiraz also speaks to experts on Islamic law in an attempt to find out whether the death penalty is really justified by the Qu’ran and the example of the Prophet Muhammad, or whether Muslim attitudes to apostasy are more indicative of the them and us mentality fostered by some religious leaders.
Radio 4 – 17th April at 8pm.
It will be available to listen on the Radio 4 website after broadcast.

The West Midlands saw a new digital radio station launch this week aimed at the region’s British Asian market. AsianFx, sister-station to the popular London based Panjab Radio, will compete directly with BBC Asian Network for an audience.

The station was officially launched last week and will feature former Club Asian presenter Veena V on breakfast. Managing director Surjit Singh Ghuman said: “Most radio stations are language or music specific, the needs of British born Asians seemed to be ignored, so creating a platform for these cultures to unite seemed the right thing to do.”

AsianFx will broadcast on DAB Digital Radio and online www.asianfx.co.uk
Contact: info@asianfx.co.uk / 020 8848 8877
(pictured: Breakfast and Drivetime presenters at launch event)

The Football Association is hosting an Ethnic Minority Media Day at Soho Square on April 18 which will highlight its work in areas such as Asians in Football and recruiting Black coaches. An Asian player is yet to play in the Premier League while there are just two black managers across 92 Football League clubs in England (Paul Ince at MK Dons and Keith Alexander at Macclesfield Town) so both topics are the subject of continuing debate.

The BBC’s Mark Bright will be hosting the event with Sir Trevor Brooking introducing and the likes of Brendon Batson, Hope Powell and Football League referee, Jarnail Singh, debating these issues and discussing how to take them forward for the future. There will also be a series of case studies from Asian and Black football coaches on how they carved out a career in the game, the issues they faced etc.

To attend contact Matt Phillips on: matt.phillips@thefa.com or 0207 745 4671.

A Sussex based composer and an Indian singer have come together to create a vibrant music album with a mixture of sounds from all over the world.

James Asher, an original artist and producer of worldbeat music with a back-catalogue of 20 commercial releases, teamed up with Indian virtuoso singer Mahesh Vinayakram to make Bravado Masala, an album that released on iTunes last month and in India (through Times Music) this week.

They say the album ranges in moods from “rhythmic and danceable to thoughtful, nostalgic and contemplative”. They add: “Mahesh’s musicality and exuberant enthusiasm finds an unusual and satisfying pairing with James’s strongly atmospheric grooves.”

James Asher is also a keyboard-player, drummer and composer. Mahesh Vinayakram comes from a famous Indian musical family. His father Vikku Vinayakram heads a family of master drummers and percussionists. Vikkhu himself is a worldclass percussion maestro, specialising in ghatam, who has played John McLaughlin’s Shakti, and received several grammy nominations.
Contact: starfield@btopenworld.com // Label: Starfield
Music samples and more info on james-asher.co.uk.