Muammar Al Khadafi

The BBC is to screen a three part documentary on the life of Muhammad next month, claiming it is a first for British television.

Presented by Rageh Omar, the program will - of course in line with Islamic tradition - not depict Muhammads face, nor feature dramatisations of his life.

We're treated to a whole host of wonderful sounding hype about the program.

Aaqil Ahmed, BBC's commissioning editor for relgion and ethics (!) informs us that "For some people in the UK, Muhammad is just a name, and I hope this series will go some way to explaining who he was, how he lived, what his prophetic message was, and how all of this compares to his legacy today"

A spokesperson for the BBC said of the program that it would explore "where Islam’s attitudes towards money, charity, women, social equality, religious tolerance, war and conflict originate"

Presenter Rageh Omar himself says that "I am extremely pleased to be presenting this exciting and groundbreaking series about this extraordinary man, Muhammad – the Prophet of Islam"

Don't expect a warts and all documentary, or anything that features the slightest criticism then, just a glowing paean to Islam and the BBC doing what it does best namely delivering a propaganda offering into living rooms across Britain.

Anyone want to bet on how quickly the prophets marriage to Aisha, aged just 6 at the time, will be skated over - if it is mentioned at all?

The 3 hour series, split into three one hour episodes, and called "The Life of Muhammad" will air on BBC2 in July.