EastEnders praised for 'meaning of Islam' scene after Paris attacks

Character Tamwar is seen explaining what his religion means to him to girlfriend Nancy

Himseh Patel and Maddy Hill as Tamwar and Nancy in EastEnders (BBC)

EastEnders has been widely praised for highlighting the true meaning of Islam during Monday night’s episode.

One brief scene in the long-running soap saw Muslim character Tamwar (Himesh Patel) attempt to explain his religion to girlfriend Nancy (Maddy Hill), after she asked him what an Arabic passage he had marked in The Quran meant.

“Do good to relatives, orphans, the needy, the neighbour who is near of kin, the neighbour who’s a stranger, to the companion at your side, and to the traveller,” it read.

Tamwar said: “That to me is what Islam is about. Be kind to people, family and strangers alike, and love them.”

Many viewers were touched by the moment, which proved poignant following last week’s horrific terrorist attack at the hands of Islamic State gunmen in Paris.

Muslims have been tweeting under the #NotInMyName hashtag to distance themselves from the radical ideology of those who committed the atrocities and remind people that terrorism does not represent Islam.

However, despite the timeliness of the EastEnders scene, it was in fact filmed months ago and was not a “topical insert”, as confirmed by actress Maddy Hill who in turn “bigged up” executive producer Dominic Treadwell Collins .

The BBC echoed comments made by Hill that the scene was part of an on-going storyline but had nothing further to add.