The Evangelical Alliance is calling on its members to pray for wisdom for the BBC’s new Head of Religion and Ethics.

Aaqil Ahmed, currently religion commissioner at Channel 4, has this week been appointed Head of Religion and Ethics and Commissioning Editor for Religion TV at the BBC.

Ahmed will be the BBC’s first Muslim Head of Religion and Ethics. The BBC has also promoted BBC Religion Executive Producer Christine Morgan to the post of Executive Editor and Head of Religion Radio, in what it says is “part of a series of measures to strengthen the BBC's Religious programmes”.

Steve Clifford, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, asked more than 3,000 churches represented by the Alliance as well as the tens of thousands of individual members, to pray for Ahmed as he prepares to take up the new role.

“As Mr Ahmed is a Muslim, he should be well-placed to understand the importance of religious faith to many people in the UK, including the large Christian population,” he said.

“We therefore pray for him in his new role, and wish him every blessing in it.”

Clifford added that he hopes the BBC will fulfil its promise to strengthen its religious programming, and that the new religion head will provide fair and ample coverage of Christianity.

“We value the way Aaqil has brought religious programming into the prime time at Channel 4 and we look forward to seeing similar innovation, combined with the BBC’s values of independence, impartiality and honesty, in his new role,” he said.

“We would like to offer our continuing help in providing the BBC with interesting stories and comment from a Christian perspective.”