MUMBAI: Doordarshan ’s popular Urdu channel has landed in the soup with many Muslim viewers by airing a cooking show featuring a pork dish .

In its April 9 episode, DD Urdu ’s series ‘ Taste Ki Baat Hai ’ (Talk of Taste) presented a recipe with pork and went on to speak of its deliciousness.

The programming was criticized by some for being “in poor taste”. A section of community leaders and scholars said since the majority of DD Urdu’s viewers were Muslims, the channel had displayed a lack of “sensitivity” by showing a dish of pork, which is “haram” (forbidden) in Islam.

“An Urdu channel does not cater to Muslims alone, but it should be careful not to air a show that hurts the religious sentiments of a section of its viewers,” said professor Akhtarul Wasey, who teaches Islamic studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University. “This could have been avoided.”

The cooking series ‘Taste Ki Baat Hai’ often showcases different cuisines and lifestyles through families from different backgrounds. “We will investigate how this particular episode got telecast on the show,” said DD Urdu’s programming executive M Sengupta.

Islamic scholars said articles in the media and television shows should not be seen from a religious prism, but the media should “exercise self-censorship when it comes to religious sensibilities”.

“There is no ban on people’s tastes,” said Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali . “There is no ban on people’s tastes. But if DD Urdu is viewed by a large number of Muslims, it should not have featured a cooking show on pork since the Quran forbids its consumption, and no Muslim will appreciate any session detailing the preparation of a pork dish.”

Some commentators wondered how the episode slipped through scrutiny before being broadcast. “DD Urdu is becoming popular among Urdu-wallas,” said activist and Urdu columnist Firoz Bakht Ahmed. “I’m surprised nobody pointed out the potential hurt it would cause to Muslim viewers before the show got aired.”

