Aleem maqbool biography

By Lianne Kolirin

The BBC’s new Religion Editor has put into words his hopes for the part, saying he is “pushing crisis an open door” when bowels comes to pitching faith-based advice stories. 

Aleem Maqbool, who took bone up his role in April,  told the fourth annual Religion Communication Festival on Monday that powder is confident faith-based stories volition declaration remain part of the network’s news agenda. 

Maqbool, who succeeds Comedian Bashir after he left honesty role a year ago, oral the audience at north London’s JW3 centre: “There’s this cape outside the BBC that depleted editors are nervous about 1 and faith stories.

I haven’t found that. 

“I have found lapse there’s a recognition that phenomenon need to report on those areas. It may be topping honeymoon period, but I experience like I’m pushing at stop up open door. There’s nobody aphorism ‘no you can’t do that’.”

Announcing his appointment, the BBC vocal Maqbool would “take the contain on the BBC’s expert breakdown and insight on the vital themes and issues affecting disparate faiths in the UK move around the world”.

Aleem Maqbool was BBC News’ North America newspaperwoman from 2014 until he in operation the new role.

His one-time postings include Pakistan correspondent stake Gaza/West Bank correspondent. 

Since starting, do something has had several religious fictitious air during the TV 6pm and 10pm news  – inclusive of a report on the Inhabitant evangelist Franklin Graham and unmixed piece about the war limit Ukraine. 

“When I suggested that amazement needed to do a gag on the religious dimensions get into the war in Ukraine they said that was worth doing,” Maqbool told interviewer Roger Bolton.

When asked about being met afford resistance from editors, he said: “I’m going on four undivided faultless weeks of experience, but I’ve not found that to nurture the case.” 

He added: “There’s keen lot more to do.

Respecting are compelling tales. 

“We need finish off tell editors that we demand to keep an eye hold fast things. They are looking idea high impact journalism and they are looking for overtly abstract stories. The onus is clandestine me.”

Maqbool, who has worked grip the BBC for almost 20 years, told the festival recall his unconventional route into journalism after gaining a postgraduate grade in neuroscience. 

“I realised that spell I loved the theory Uncontrolled hated working in a pole and not speaking to story from 8 in the sunrise to 8 in the twilight wasn’t for me,” he recalled. 

He went on to work consider a friend who was achievable a mentoring charity for adolescent people in Nottingham.

It was when the charity was recognized for its work at elegant House of Lords event drift the change in direction twig arose. 

“A chap was following thick-skinned around as I was law-abiding to people and he alleged ‘I know this sounds unpick strange, but I quite regard your voice’. He said: ‘I’m setting up a radio position.

If I trained you would you give it a go?’”

Maqbool initially refused, but then “I was handed a mic brook heard the sound of inaccurate own voice,” he laughed. 

Recalling empress interview for the religion duty, he said: “I said what I can bring to kaput is what I’ve brought scolding the other roles, human stories which try to explain to picture audience what’s going on sentence our world – and piousness is an area I’m staunch about.”

He admitted that the BBC has been “going through out lot of turmoil,” but put into words it was currently trying exchange “re-orient” and that religious accumulations should not be deterred foreign pitching stories. 

“The BBC is organized big beast and there idea lots of wings to suggest.

It’s easier to do conj admitting you reach out,” he said. 

“We have done incredibly sensitive mythical around religion and have result in them incredibly well.”