MANAMA (Ali Rabei, AlArabiya.net)
Bahraini-based Al-Maarif TV Channel will go on air soon, Al Arabiya has learned, joining a growing number of Shiite religious TV channels which have emerged since the fall of Saddam's regime in 2003.
The first Shiite channel to launch was Kuwait's Al-Anwar in 2004, with the stated aim of "promoting freedom and brotherhood, abolishing extremism and violence, and introducing a moderate form of Islam."
Later, Bahrain came to be the most popular base for the channels, followed by Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan, with a total of 10 Shiite channels currently operating in the Middle East.
The owner of one of the channels, Hussein al-Mahdi, said that the reason for the launch of the channels is to correct misrepresentations, similar to Sunni religious channels.
One station manager, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AlArabiya.net that the channels "filled a huge vacuum" in TV programming for Shiite families.
Although the channels focus on Islam from the Shiite point of view, they don't stress the differences between the Shiite and Sunni doctrines.
Tunisian media expert Jamal al-Zarn attributes the boom in Shiite channels to the oppression Shiites suffered under the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq: "The current disintegration in political ethics is a fertile soil for such a media scene that implies exclusion rather than interaction."
On the other hand, media expert Adnan Boumoteia says the channels are an Iranian infiltration that aims to promote the concept of Supreme Guardianship, which, he argues, is a Persian concept and not really popular amongst Arab Shiites: "Iran takes advantage of Shiites love for Ahl al-Bayt [prophet's descendants] to propagate their doctrine."
The channels broadcast religious lectures and Quran readings in Maatem (ceremonial congregations to lament the death of Al-Hussein, also called Hussainiat). They also broadcast live on the day of Ashura, when thousands of Shiites flock to the Iraqi city of Karbala to commemorate the death of Al-Hussein.
The non-profit channels are funded by donations from Shiite businessmen in Kuwait and Saudi, as well as contributions from some Shiite scholars. Advertising revenue covers some of the channels' operating cost, with most advertised products coming from factories and stores owned by Shiite families.
Shiite channels broadcast in Arabic, English, French, Persian, Urdu and Thai.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid). |
