Desi Xpress
Encyclopedia
Background
Desi Xpress was first launched in the MidlandsEnglish Midlands
The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
region in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in September 2004 before becoming national in September 2005.
The entertainment weekly catered predominantly to the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
South-Asian community and its tabloid format aimed to appeal to readers between the ages of 16 and 35.
In the UK, Asian music and television stars have begun to enjoy wider mainstream success. Desi Xpress claimed to provide a platform for these stars and a source for their readers to understand and follow the Asian entertainment scene. It also explored the wider Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
scene.
Controversy
- In June 2005, the Jewish community became upset following an interview conducted by the newspaper in which top Bollywood actress Rani Mukherjee was asked to name her idol. Mukherjee's response of "Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
" angered religious leaders in India and brought criticism from director Alex Hayim. Desi Xpress spokesperson Zakia Yousaf defended the actress saying, "We do not believe the actress meant it in that she truly idolised him. We believe she is intrigued as to why he was the way he was."
- The publication again came under fire in December 2005 following remarks made by its weekly columnist Adam YosefAdam YosefAdam Yosef is a British multimedia journalist and community activist.-Activism:Between 2003 and 2004, Yosef was employed by the Birmingham Mosque Trust as a Press & Public Relations representative...
about same-sex civil partnerships which were set to become legal in Britain. Yosef wrote, "Hmmm... gay weddings... Gay people and commitment? I don't think so... They'll be shagg*ng the neighbours before they even cut the cake. Bad idea I'm afraid. Great way of evading tax though....". The remarks were attacked by gay human rights activist Peter TatchellPeter TatchellPeter Gary Tatchell is an Australian-born British political campaigner best known for his work with LGBT social movements...
and his OutRage!OutRage!OutRage! is a British LGBT rights group that was formed to fight for equal rights of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in comparison to heterosexual people. It is a group which has at times been criticised for outing individuals who wanted to keep their homosexuality secret and for being...
organisation.
- In January 2006, the newspaper published a column by Yosef which was seen as an attack on Mr Tatchell himself. The journalist was accused of "homophobia and xenophobia" after comparing activist Tatchell with Nick GriffinNick GriffinNicholas John "Nick" Griffin is a British politician, chairman of the British National Party and Member of the European Parliament for North West England....
, leader of the British National PartyBritish National PartyThe British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
(BNP) and Omar Bakri Mohammed, leader of Al-MuhajirounAl-MuhajirounAl-Muhajiroun is a banned Islamist organisation that was based in Britain and which has been linked to international terrorism, homophobia and anti-semitism...
. Stewart C. Dawson of lobby group Gay Action Media Watch launched an international campaign against Desi Xpress and Adam Yosef. The campaign was subsequently backed by Peter Tatchell, OutRage! and the Green Party of England and WalesGreen Party of England and WalesThe Green Party of England and Wales is a political party in England and Wales which follows the traditions of Green politics and maintains a strong commitment to social progressivism. It is the largest Green party in the United Kingdom, containing within it various regional divisions including...
. Following further criticism from gay media outlets and factions of the Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, Desi Xpress and Yosef issued an apology . In May 2006, Peter Tatchell wrote a full page article for the newspaper.
Suspension
- In June 2006, Desi Xpress editor Reena Combo left the newspaper to "pursue other interests".
- In August 2006, publication of the tabloid newspaper was temporarily suspended by Urban Media Ltd. It returned later that year as a pull-out supplement in The Asian TodayThe Asian TodayThe Asian Today is a free fortnightly community newspaper published and distributed in the Midlands, England.It is a community newspaper providing the region's south-Asian community access to important news stories, current events and encouraging community interaction and dialogie as well as...
with former sub-editor Zakia Yousaf as the new editor.
Editorial
Reena Combo was the editor of Desi Xpress. Zakia Yousaf was the sub-editor. Columnists and contributors included radio Club Asia DJ Missy D, Bollywood correspondent Viral Bhayani, Beautician Naveeda, socio-political observer Adam Yosef and regular columnists from the BBC Asian NetworkBBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British radio station serving those originating from and around the Indian subcontinent. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds. The station has production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London...
.