Martin Derek Bright (born 5 June 1966) is a British journalist. He worked for the
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...
and ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' before becoming ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
's'' education correspondent and then home affairs editor. From 2005 to 2009, he was the political editor of ''
New Statesman
''The New Statesman'' (known from 1931 to 1964 as the ''New Statesman and Nation'') is a British political and cultural news magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first c ...
.'' He had a blog for ''
The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
,'' and was ''
The Jewish Chronicle
''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal.
The newspaper is published every Fri ...
's'' political editor from September 2009 to March 2013. In 2014 he took a position at the
Tony Blair Faith Foundation
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation was an interfaith charitable foundation established in May 2008 by former British prime minister Tony Blair. Since December 2016 its work has been continued by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Launc ...
, but resigned after five months over a lack of editorial autonomy.
Since the late twentieth century, he has particularly covered the rise of Muslim extremism, terrorist attacks in Britain and abroad, and aspects of British governmental relations with the Muslim community in the United Kingdom.
In 2009 Bright founded
New Deal of the Mind, a charitable company to promote employment in creative fields and working with organisations, government and all political parties.
Education
From 1977—1984, Bright was educated at
Queen Elizabeth's Hospital
Queen Elizabeth's Hospital (also known as QEH) is a 7–18 private boys' day school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1586. QEH is named after its original patron, Queen Elizabeth I. Known traditionally as "The City School", Queen Eliz ...
, a private day school for boys in the city of
Bristol
Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
in
South West England
South West England, or the South West of England, is one of the nine official regions of England, regions of England in the United Kingdom. Additionally, it is one of four regions that altogether make up Southern England. South West England con ...
, followed by the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...
, where he gained a BA Hons. in English Literature, in 1987.
In 1996, he gained an MA in the History of Asia and Africa at the
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
(part of the
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
).
[
]
Career
In 2001, Bright wrote "The Great Koran
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
Con Trick", an article in the ''New Statesman'' about the work of the scholars John Wansbrough
John Edward Wansbrough (February 19, 1928 – June 10, 2002) was an American historian of Islamic origins and Quranic studies and professor who taught at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), where he was vi ...
, Michael Cook, Patricia Crone
Patricia Crone (28 March 1945 – 11 July 2015) was a Danish historian specialising in early Islamic history. Crone was a member of the revisionist school of Islamic studies and questioned the historicity of the Islamic traditions about the be ...
, Andrew Rippin and Gerald Hawting
Gerald R. Hawting (born 1944) is a British historian and Islamicist.
Life
Hawting's teachers were Bernard Lewis and John Wansbrough. He received his Ph.D. in 1978. He is Emeritus Professor for the History of the Near and Middle East at the Sc ...
, associated in the 1970s with the University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
's School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...
(SOAS).[Martin Bright, Special Report: "The Great Koran Con Trick"](_blank)
''The New Statesman'', 10 December 2001 He reported the work of the scholars as "revisionist history" of Islam. They have developed new techniques of analysis, in some cases adopting methods from earlier biblical studies and using a wider range of sources, including non-Muslim, non-Arabic texts. Their conclusions have included:
*little is known about the life of the Muslim prophet Mohammad;
*rapid expansion of the religion could be due to its appeal "of conquest and jihad for the tribes of the Arabian peninsula";
*the Koran as known was likely compiled, or written long after Mohammad's death in 632 AD.
*Arabs and Jews were allied against Christianity in the earliest days of Islam; and
*some scholars have suggested that Islam, like Christianity, may be considered a "heretical branch of rabbinical Judaism."
Bright's arguments were ridiculed and debunked by the very scholars—including his own former SOAS tutor, Professor Gerald Hawting—whose work he drew upon to support his cover story. Three of these scholars wrote to the ''New Statesman'' raising objections to the article with one commenting that the "spurious air of conspiracy and censorship conjured up in Martin Bright‘s article is nonsense".
Bright claimed that new archeological finds, such as scraps of manuscript at the Great Mosque of Sana'a
The Great Mosque of Sana'a (, ) is an ancient mosque in Sana'a, Yemen, and one of the oldest mosques in the world. The mosque is said to have been founded in the early Islamic period, suggested to be in 633. While the precise date of construction ...
in Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
, have supported suggestions of the development of the Koran over time. Some of the scholars reportedly disagreed with Bright's characterization of their work. The article was considered controversial among traditionalist Muslims. The Muslim intellectual Ziauddin Sardar
Ziauddin Sardar (; born 31 October 1951) is a British-Pakistani scholar, award-winning writer, cultural critic and public intellectual who specialises in Muslim thought, the future of Islam, futurology Critique of modernity, postmodernism an ...
argued the SOAS scholars approached the material from a Eurocentric point of view.
In a documentary, ''Who Speaks for Muslims?'' (2002), and ''When Progressives Treat with Reactionaries: The British State's flirtation with radical Islamism'' (2006), a report for the right-wing Policy Exchange think tank, Bright has examined issues of the contemporary Muslim community in the United Kingdom and the government's relationship with its constituencies. This has been a focus of his journalism.
Bright left the ''New Statesman'' in January 2009, and began writing a blog, "The Bright Stuff – Dispatches from Enemy Territory," for ''The Spectator
''The Spectator'' is a weekly British political and cultural news magazine. It was first published in July 1828, making it the oldest surviving magazine in the world. ''The Spectator'' is politically conservative, and its principal subject a ...
''.
In January 2009, Bright formed New Deal of the Mind, a coalition of artists, entrepreneurs, academics and opinion formers working to boost employment in Britain's creative sector during the recession. The organisation was launched formally at Number 11 Downing Street
11 Downing Street in London, also known colloquially in the United Kingdom as Number 11, is the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer (who traditionally also has the title of Second Lord of the Treasury). The residence, in Downi ...
on 24 March 2009. The launch seminar was attended by more than 60 of Britain's leading creative industry figures, as well as several ministers and politicians from across the political spectrum.
In September 2009, Bright joined ''The Jewish Chronicle
''The Jewish Chronicle'' (''The JC'') is a London-based Jewish weekly newspaper. Founded in 1841, it is the oldest continuously published Jewish newspaper in the world. Its editor () is Daniel Schwammenthal.
The newspaper is published every Fri ...
'' as political editor. He left the publication in March 2013, but returned as a columnist, remaining until January, 2014.[
In January, 2014, he took a position at the ]Tony Blair Faith Foundation
The Tony Blair Faith Foundation was an interfaith charitable foundation established in May 2008 by former British prime minister Tony Blair. Since December 2016 its work has been continued by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.
Launc ...
as editor of a new website on religion and globalisation produced in conjunction with the Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the religious studies, academic study of religion or for leadership role ...
. He resigned after five months, feeling Blair did not give him the autonomy he needed.
Marriage and family
Bright is married to Vanessa Thorpe, the arts correspondent of ''The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
''; the couple have two children.
Works
*He was presenter of Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
's ''30 Minutes'' documentary, ''Who Speaks For Muslims?'' (2002), about the Muslim community in the United Kingdom. The Muslim Council of Britain
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is an umbrella body of Muslim organisations in the United Kingdom, with over 500 affiliated mosques and organisations. It was formed in 1994 in response to British government's expressed wish for a single r ...
sent a letter to Channel 4 protesting what it described as several errors in the documentary, as well as a generally negative tone suggesting it supported radical Islam.[Letter of 21 March 2002 to Channel 4 TV, on ''Who Speaks for Muslims?''](_blank)
Muslim Council of Britain, accessed 6 March 2013
*Bright wrote ''When Progressives Treat with Reactionaries: The British State's flirtation with radical Islamism'' (2006), a report exploring British state funding of political Islam
Political Islam is the interpretation of Islam as a source of political identity and action. It advocates the formation of state and society according to (the advocates understanding of) Islamic principles, where Islam serves as a source of poli ...
and Foreign Office overtures to radical groups. It was published by Policy Exchange
Policy Exchange is a British conservative think tank based in London. In 2007 it was described in ''The Daily Telegraph'' as "the largest, but also the most influential think tank on the right". Policy Exchange is a registered charity; it most ...
, which Bright described as a centre-right thinktank.Martin Bright, "Right showing left the way on radical Islam"
''The Observer'', 29 July 2013, accessed 6 March 2013
* Martin presented the documentary ''Vanished: the Surrey Schoolgirl'' about an unsolved missing person case he reported on in the mid-1990s.
Legacy and honours
*2009, Bright was on the journalism long list for the Orwell Prize
The Orwell Prize is a British prize for political writing. The Prize is awarded by The Orwell Foundation, an independent charity (Registered Charity No 1161563, formerly "The Orwell Prize") governed by a board of trustees. Four prizes are award ...
.
*Bright's ''Observer'' article on information revealed by whistleblower Katharine Gun features prominently in the film '' Official Secrets'', where Bright is played by Matt Smith
Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...
.
References
External links
Martin Bright, "The great Koran con trick"
''The New Statesman'', 10 December 2001
Martin Bright, "Vanished: the Surrey schoolgirl"
''Real Stories'', 27 April 2018
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Martin
Living people
1966 births
Alumni of SOAS University of London
Alumni of the University of Cambridge
Alumni of the University of London
British male journalists
British male bloggers
British critics of Islam
Online journalists
People educated at Queen Elizabeth's Hospital, Bristol