Jeddah, August 27: More than 60 religious channels broadcast across the Middle East vying for viewers in the blessed month of Ramadan. Each of these channels broadcasts programs that reflect the particular viewpoint of the group that runs it.
Some of the channels feature modern dawa preachers, some focus on Islamic songs and others air Qur’an recitations and Hadith lessons. Regardless of the goals and visions of these channels, they all compete in drawing audiences and televising a list of top crowd-pulling sheikhs. Large audiences lead to more interaction, resulting in more phone calls and SMS messages.
The types of programs broadcast are reflective of the different understandings of Islam, whether conservative or lenient; these understandings are often in accordance with one of the four schools of fiqh. Some channels, such as Al-Majd and Al-Nas, prohibit women and music. The administration at Al-Majd even refused to speak to a woman reporter.
Speaking about the ban on women, Ahmad Al-Fiqi, the new manager of Al-Nas, said the decision “is not sexist, rather policy.” Commenting on controversial advertisements appearing on the channel, Al-Fiqi said advertisements have been stopped during the holy month and that the channel is hoping “to develop” the advertisements that it broadcasts.
Asked about the absence of programs targeting the youth, he said, “This is true, yet not accurate. We have programs that target the youth and the younger generations.”
Al-Fiqi said Al-Nas is to broadcast up to 40 sheikhs this Ramadan. “We do not really care about which religious direction the sheikhs go. We do not support one direction over another. What we care is that the sheikhs are acceptable from a media and religious point of view and that they present a program idea that is acceptable.”
Al-Fiqi said the channel, despite SMS text message and advertisement revenue, makes little money. Asked if they receive donations from businessmen as other religious channels do, Al-Fiqi said no.
Stiff competition can clearly be seen between Iqraa and Al-Risala channels, which both use similar strategies to present what they call a moderate strain of Islamic ideology. Their main goal is to draw audiences, particularly from the Kingdom. The two channels attempt to attract more viewers by allowing women and music to be shown on their channels. They also promote a new dawa style targeting different segments of society.
Despite the clear competition between the two channels — whether in the type of programs they air or the sheikhs they compete to have — Iqraa’s manager, Muhammad Sallam, stressed that his channel is not in competition with anyone. “Iqraa was the first religious channel and was launched 11 years ago. It cannot be compared with other Islamic channels whether in terms of experience, qualifications or history. It offers different programs, which serve religion, the youth, families and women,” he said.
Attempts over the last week to speak to Tariq Al-Suwaidan, manager of Al-Risala channel, failed.
The region also saw the launch of a new channel targeting the youth six months ago. The channel, named “4shabab”, has televised a comic series and features modern sheikhs and nasheed artists.
The policy of including non-religious content has created competition between religious and non-religious channels, said Ahmed Abu Heiba, 4shabab’s executive manager.
Asked whether the channel presents a diverse range of religious opinions, Abu Heiba said yes. “We present a moderate style that suits the youth between the ages of 15 and 20,” he said.
Asked whether a moderate style of religious discourse may reduce the number of viewers, Abu-Heiba said he would not refer to Saudi society as conservative. “This is a generalization that needs rethinking since the channels that top the list in the Kingdom are not religious,” he said, adding that 80 percent of the Saudi audience would not mind music being played on religious channels.
Huda TV, a Saudi English channel that was launched in 2005, states on its website that it is targeting 1.4 billion Muslims around the world. No one was available for comment from the channel.
Commenting on the large presence of religious channels, Anmar Mutawi, a lecturer at the Faculty of Information at King Abdulaziz University, said, “There is no problem in having religious channels. Everyone has the right to have a channel of his choice. Such channels are a source of awareness for the public. We can now listen to different opinions about a particular fiqh issue.”
-Agencies