From AKI, EGYPT: SUNNI AUTHORITY PLANS TV CHANNEL TO PROMOTE ISLAM, with thanks to Skeet Street.
Cairo – The most authoritative Sunni Muslim academic body, the al-Azhar University, is planning to launch a satellite TV channel with the aim of countering “anti-Islam onslaughts” and fighting “radical Islamic thoughts” broadcast on other Arabic satellite channels. The project was recently approved by the Islamic Research Academy (IRA), the highest authority at the al-Azhar University, the Saudi newspaper Arab News reports.
The channel was first proposed a year ago, but lack of funding proved a problem, and earlier this year the Egyptian information ministry turned down another request for a religious satellite channel, or even to allocate airtime on Egyptian television to defend Islam. However, the man behind the plan, academy committee member Abdel Rahman al-Adawi, says it has become their religious duty to launch the channel, following recent media attacks on Islam, the Koran, and the Prophet Muhammad’s sayings and teachings.
“The academy’s follow-up committee was alerted to this danger and realised that we should stop any attempt to demean the image of Islam and Prophet Muhammad,” Sadawi said. “Part of our campaign is to counter a colonial war against Muslims and their faith.”
He stresses, however, that the channel would not attack other people or groups, saying, “We will carry out what Islam preaches, which is to embrace other religions.”..