THE BBC has recently presented two interesting documentary series.

One was called Black History, which told the story of the good that black people have done for our country; the other was Black Flash, programmes about black footballers playing in English leagues. I listened to these broadcasts and found them very interesting and enjoyable.

But - good as the programmes were - I couldn't help feeling uneasy about them. I mean surely, according to all the injunctions to political correctness and the strictures on racism, it is wrong to advertise anything on the basis of race or colour? I know that if I were to suggest to the BBC that we have series specifically extolling the virtues of white people I would be damned as a racist. There is a double standard and a massive hypocrisy in the anti-racist industry.

This double standard infects every area of public life: religion, for example. Last week, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham condemned the BBC for anti-Catholic prejudice and "totally unacceptable behaviour". In their zeal to uncover the activities of paedophiles in the church, the BBC researchers phoned one priest at 2am and another, aged 79, who had just had a heart operation. The Archbishop also criticised the BBC for scheduling a programme called Sex and the Holy City to coincide with the Pope's silver jubilee.

This bias in the BBC against the Christian faith is nothing new. Over the last 30 years there have been many documentaries about Christianity and most of them have been attempts to debunk the faith entirely and, for sleazy sensational purposes, to allege events in the life of Christ which never happened. His Virgin Birth and Resurrection are usually scorned and it has been maintained more than once that Our Lord was actually married to Mary Magdalene. Never mind, the Christian faith is strong enough to survive these slanders. But think for a minute of what would happen if the BBC presented such criticisms of the prophet Muhammad. What if they were to suggest that Muhammad was a womaniser and an aggressive, militaristic entrepreneur who tried to spread the Muslim faith by force and cruelty? Well, of course, the BBC would never do such a thing: the Corporation knows only too well what the dire consequences would be - whereas Christianity is a soft touch.

Christianity is a soft touch because it is tolerant and too mature to react violently and petulantly to whatever criticisms, slanders and lies are hurled at it. And the British people's attitude towards non-Christian religions is extremely accommodating.

Let's look at the facts. A new mosque has just opened in Morden, south London. It is the biggest mosque in Europe, holding 1,000 worshippers. Moreover, it is only one among more than 1,000 mosques in this country. But turn now to Saudi Arabia. The practice of the Christian religion is forbidden entirely in that country. When the Allied forces went to defend Arabia during the first Gulf War, the soldiers were not allowed to celebrate Christmas. If I, as a priest, were caught with a Bible or trying to convene a prayer meeting, I would be in serious trouble with the authorities. Anti-racism is nothing but prejudice and humbug.

* Peter Mullen is Rector of St Michael's, Cornhill, in the City of London, and Chaplain to the Stock Exchange.