E-TAWHEED (the light of monotheism), an Urdu Islamic TV channel, conceptualized by an Indian expatriate has not yet materialized due to a lack of funds – an estimated 20 million rupees for the initial five years. “Everyone supports the concept of a pure Islamic channel, yet no one has come forward with any financial support,” said Muhammed Aqil, president of the Noor Welfare Trust established in 2006, which is registered in New Delhi, India, and handles the TV channel project. He said one of the reasons for the lack of funds could be because “our team was unable to reach the community.” “Members were unable to give time to the project and failed to pay any attention. They have resigned and I am now looking for a new motivated team,” Aqil said. “After 9/11,” he says, “financial transactions across the world have been bound by many restrictions.” In a recent Friday sermon, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, Imam and Khateeb of Masjid-e-Nabwee, underscored the importance of television as a medium to eradicate ignorance and spread true monotheism. There are numerous Islamic TV channels broadcast across the world, but very few in Urdu, from countries like the UK, the UAE, India, and Pakistan. However, “there is not a single Urdu channel that provides pure Islamic teachings to the Muslim Ummah. People are being misguided by (wrong forms of) qawwali and naat, horoscopes, and other Bid'ahs (innovations). They are even being told to avoid “unlucky” numbers. The common man is unable to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong,” said Aqil. Horoscopes and superstitions, like lucky and unlucky numbers among others, are prohibited in Islam. “In one such channel's call-in program, which surprisingly receives many callers from Makkah and Jeddah, the presenter claims to be able to cure the caller's illness by providing a Qur'anic verse. He then asks the caller not to mention the verse to any other person who is in need because the presenter has not permitted him to do so. It's as if the Qur'anic verse is the presenter's property. Naats with forbidden stanzas are Haraam and so is singing. But if poetry carries a pure message, then it is not un-Islamic,” Aqil added. There has been a great demand amongst Muslims to have an alternative media source and television station by which authentic information on Islam and current affairs can be obtained, as well as a station which is sensitive to Islamic morals and ethics, and the proposed channel is perceived to be one step toward realizing this goal. “There is adulteration in channels aired in the name of Islam and there is no platform, especially in the electronic media in India and Pakistan, which bases itself on the Qur'an and Hadith. Instead, the message (on such channels) are based on misguided opinions,” said Sheikh Ghazi Ozair, a Jubail-based Islamic researcher and writer. He said options in the television medium should be explored and that a devoted and zealous team should come forward for the purpose. Aqil said the planned TV channel seeks to spread pure monotheism in Urdu/English through awareness programs in Q & A and interview formats along with special programs for children. This is important especially due to the prevalence of ignorance and wrong information about Islam in today's global community. Since the programs will be prepared in the Kingdom, authentic Islamic scholars from Saudi Arabia will feature in these programs educating Muslims on a variety of Islamic sciences. The channel also aims to educate non-Muslims, inviting them to further study about Islam. He said Islamic channels in the subcontinent are broadcasting acts of shirk (polytheism), instead of broadcasting monotheism, which is the essence of Islam. “These channels can be dangerous and a large segment of society is involved,” Aqil, who is also a coordinator at the Jeddah Dawah Center, said. He thinks it is no coincidence and sees it as a greater conspiracy against Islam. “In Saudi Arabia, monotheism exists in its pure form and the Ulema (Islamic scholars) here never propagate any Bid'ahs,” Akhil said. The TV project, however, has its share of critics. Akhil said that over 50 percent of scholars are against TV as they believe the medium spreads shirk. “The medium of television has been chosen as it is the most widely accessed medium across the sub-continent. A TV Channel of this nature is long overdue though one Islamic channel will not be any good against the multitude of channels spreading the opposite message,” said Sheikh Toseef -ur-Rehman, a Riyadh-based preacher. With the cooperation of various Consulates in the Kingdom, the Noor Welfare Trust has been educating Urdu-speaking Haj and Umrah pilgrims by means of documentary films, and other forms of media. The channel, registered in New Delhi, will broadcast its programs initially from there and may gradually telecast programs in other countries. “The Kingdom-based ‘Dawah Centers' are the best support for such a project as their (recorded) programs are ready to be utilized for broadcasting,” said Akhil.
