But as I came out of the trance that I had been thrust into by the gritty drama I realised that this couldn’t simply been seen as a bit of TV that could so easily be walked away from. I had the luxury of being able to respond to it just like any other piece of fiction but I was acutely aware that not too far away there must have been Muslim families only worried about how this drama had portrayed them and what that would do to their already challenging relationship with other sections of British society.

The next morning when I came into work I quickly emailed Imam Sajid, an Imam from Leicester with whom I had been fortunate enough to have interfaith meetings.  In my email I acknowledged that such a programme had it focused on the Jewish community would have been so hotly anticipated and much debated in the Jewish press for weeks afterwards.  In fact, let’s face it: we would have made our views known and people around the country would have heard influential Jews responding on the news, in the press... but I haven’t heard anything of feedback from something that could only have been classed as highly controversial TV.  How was the Muslim community responding to this?

Britz showed two of the most extreme responses to a situation with no middle ground. The son signs up with MI5, eager to play a part in protecting British security, and ends up investigating a terror cell which leads him to his own front door.  His sister’s feelings of increasing alienation lead her to a camp to train suicide bombers in Pakistan. It played on people’s fears, it caused us all to feel we were getting an insight into a part of society but I thought that there was nothing that could be deemed balanced about this portrayal even if it did show both ends of the spectrum. Yet I was pointed in the direction of Muslim’s reactions to this portrayal and I awaited a tirade against the production. I waited to hear how wrong it was and how unfair such an image was but it did not come.  There are some responses but nothing that said denial to the extent that would have made me feel put at ease. Some complimented the production for raising the issues of the controversial new terrorism laws. Maybe the lack of response is because the Muslim community think it a loosing battle to fight against such a strong surge in the media towards this portrayal. Would it have been another loosing battle like the Satanic Verses backlash and the cartoons of Mohammad?