Algeria to launch religious TV station
2009-03-15
The new satellite network will offer Algerians religious programming that limits religious ideas imported from foreign countries.
By Said Jameh for Magharebia in Algiers – 15/03/09
 [Said Jameh] Minister of Religious Affairs Bouabdellah Ghlamallah said the new station will preserve the religious authority of the state. |
The Algerian government will launch a first-of-its-kind religious TV station this month, intended to satisfy the programming demands of a large cross-section of citizens and enhance national religious identity.
Officials from the ministries of communications and religious affairs, charged with implementing the project, are engaged in meetings to make the final arrangements for the channel's launch.
"The new TV station will air religious programmes presented by Algerian Muslim scholars who will offer fatwas and preaching that are in line with the Maliki School adopted in Algeria," said Minister of Communication Azzedine Mihoubi.
The new satellite channel, which will initially broadcast eight hours per day, fills in a large gap in broadcasting that has led many Algerians to watch religious TV channels from the Gulf. Much of the programming on these stations differs from the school of Imam Malik Ben Anas.
"The mission of the new station is to preserve the religious authority of the state, as represented in the Maliki School, which is now threatened by the surge in Salafist thought," explained Minister of Religious Affairs and Waqf Bouabdellah Ghlamallah.
Ada Felahi, media advisor with the religious affairs ministry, told Magharebia the new channel is hoped to be "an icon of moderation and a platform for disseminating correct religious ideology".
He noted that the station's religious discourse centres on "highlighting the values of tolerance and peacefulness and forsaking destructive ideas", with the greater goal of "achieving security and inviting terrorists to return to their senses".
Algeria also operates Radio Qur'an, a station that broadcasts diverse religious programmes, recitations from the Qur'an, and interpretation of the Hadiths over the airwaves. The radio station, through special programming presented by Algerian and foreign Muslim scholars, has helped convince several terrorists to forsake violence and return to society.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs has long encouraged imams and other leaders to speak out against terrorism.
The new TV channel is part of a comprehensive national programme to launch specialised channels, such as one featuring Amazigh culture and language, another targeting children, and a third with scientific programming.
The first to appear on the religious station's programming will be prominent Algerian scholars and preachers.
Salima, a 38-year-old homemaker, follows "Fatawa Ala Al Hawaa" every Thursday on the first national channel, where she can inquire about religious matters. The new channel will allow her to communicate better with Algerian Muslim scholars.
"Launching such a channel will lead to having cassette tapes for the fatwas of Algerian scholars that are in conformity with the Maliki School adopted across the country. This, in turn, will limit the invasion of foreign cassette tapes," said Abderrahmane Sadaoui, a seller of religious cassette tapes.
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بلال Posted 2009-03-16
Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you. By God this is the nicest and greatest news I have heard up to now even if Algeria was late in exposing this project. Nevertheless, its existence and emergence now is very important. I wish success to this channel. Salam alikum.
لحسن شعالة Posted 2009-03-20
The call for the unification of the religious and doctrine background in order to contain the crisis of pluralism and reconcile doctrines is rejected by the hearts of its callers as they belong to non doctrine in Islam. This is shown by the fact that all efforts are made by the side rejecting this background since the era of colonization. I don’t think that this is hidden to anyone. If you want to investigate, knock at the doors of mosques which are still owned by some extremist secularist parties which are wrongfully and falsely attributed to religion. The role of the competent administration is limited to paying wages. This is the reality which only a cheater can doubt of. One day will come when this reality will be uncovered.
Eng.Hasan Al-Bahkali Posted 2009-03-20
Great news and I wish the same in all Islamic countries to disseminate its religion and establish it among its sons. Better late than never. May God bless the authors of this project. I wish success to everyone. As we heard before, there is a religious channel in Tunisia, today Algeria and tomorrow in another Arab Muslim country. Engineer Hasan Al Bahkali.
abdeljalil Posted 2009-03-21
Salam. By God I want to understand one thing, how can you be called Salafism, haram.
hicham Posted 2009-04-16
But what is the frequency and code?
زياد Posted 2009-05-20
A distress call from your brothers in the Sahara of Algeria. Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you. I hope that you read this letter, interact with it and not ignore it because we in the Sahara of Algeria need so much our brothers and the Arab Peninsula and Islamic countries. Maybe with your help about 10,000 Muslims will return to their religion and you will be rewarded for it on the day of judgment. A distress call: rescue our “honours” in Algeria. A distress call from the country of a million martyrs. Is there any rescuer? We call upon anyone who is concerned about Islam to stand and defend Islam. Peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you. My dear brother, have you heard about Christianization in the Islamic World, particularly in Algeria, Indonesia and Islamic republics in the former Soviet Union? My dear brother, God has endowed you with a position, ability to speak and influence people, institutions, associations and businessmen for the support the religion of Islam. So don't be lazy in serving religion. Topic: Christianization in Algeria. Is there a rescuer? Is there a rescuer? The grandsons of Tarik Ibn Ziyad are under the grip of Christianization. Christianization campaigns are invading the region of Kabylie in Algeria. Where are Arabs and Muslims? Christianization missionaries exploit the need of Muslim Algerian young people in the region of Kabylie. A video, of which “Echourouk” obtained a copy, showed the danger of the Christianization campaign in different regions of Algeria with the support of some Christianization foreign channels which use the call for Christianity as a market to sow tumult and trouble among the sons of the same country. The video which was broadcast by a specialized Christian channel in North Africa presented a video reportage about the reality of the region of Kabylie under the title “Berber Kabylie people” which bears many lies and fallacies especially about the history of the region, its heritage and relationship of its people with Islam. The producers of the programme recorded in English try to exploit the sectarian aspect and pretend that the region of Kabylie was coerced to enter Islam after it was Christian while focusing in the video on the pictures of bearded-men and women who wear Jilbab on the basis that they are outsiders to Algeria!
بلقاسمي Posted 2009-07-07
It is a very pleasant news. We hope there will be a site dedicated to Fatwas led by our honourable scholars including sheikh Abou Abdessalam in order to send questions to that site and get replies to the address of the questioner. Thank you.
مايا Posted 2009-08-28
Hi brothers. My name is Maya from Algeria province of Guelma. I want to participate with you. Send a letter if you wish as soon as possible. Bye.
فاطمة الزهراء Posted 2009-09-10
In the name of God the Merciful the Beneficent. Peace and prayer be upon the most honourable creature, our master Mohamed, the messenger and Habibullah, peace and prayer be upon him. The Algerian Qur'an channel has a strategy of religious and national dimensions. It is focused on informative religious topics, recitals of Qur'an in angelic voices, Hadiths, and interpretation of Holy Qur'an. May God reward you with good. I hope to join you God willing in this valuable channel after completing my studies in information and communication sciences. Thank you.
hayat Posted 2009-10-17
Salam, I am a student in France. I eat at the cafeteria. Sometimes they do not give us fish. Can I eat chicken and turkey? Are they haram? Please explain.
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