LONDON, 6 September 2006 — In an increasingly globalized world where media dominate, a new phenomenon has hit the streets of Britain taking it by surprise. Islam Channel is a TV station for Muslims, it not only came about because of a gap in the market, but has come at a time when there was a need in the UK to reflect and cater to the changing political and social climate.
There has been a slow yet persistent resurgence of Islam in Britain over the years, and this Islamic resurgence has not been the Islam that the Western media has been eagerly presenting for a number of years, rather it is a reawakening of people who believe that modernity and materialism has not solved their problems. This reawakening is centered on cleansing the soul, praying five times a day — whether at work or at home — and basically applying Islam in all aspects of one’s daily life. What is surprising to many Westerners is that this resurgence is not coming from the first and second generations, but rather from the third and fourth generation of Muslim youth – many of whom were brought up on a diet of video games, computers and MTV-style music channels.
Based in London, Islam Channel is a free to view channel that achieved overnight success because it was able to unite Muslims at a time when they were looking for a media that would represent them and support their needs. What are their needs one would ask? Their needs are for the development of a type of entertainment that doesn’t involve programs that promoted a lifestyle of self-abuse through alcohol, drugs and sexual permissiveness.
Islam Channel has claimed that its programs output is based on Da’wa and the Islamic way of life. As soon as the channel was launched in 2004, word got round and British Muslims began to tune en masse to a channel that didn’t promote any country, culture or language. It reached British Muslims through a language they were all familiar with — English.
The channel now has a successful recipe and includes Adhans at the time of every prayer, live Juma Khutba from the Grand Mosque in Makkah and vibrant political and current affairs programs.
The man who transformed this idea into a reality is a soft-spoken London-based Arab businessman, Mohamed Ali. A lot of the success of the channel could be attributed to the efforts of Ali, seen by many as a community leader. Ali has a charming manner and deals with every challenge thrown at him with a smile — there has been no shortage of challenges since the channel began.
“We are not surprised at the channel’s success. However this is a success story, especially as we are operating on eggshells in the current political climate. This is a time when simple Muslim charity organizations have been accused of aiding terrorism — we worked hard to keep the recipe simple, to build credibility and respect, not only with Muslims but also non-Muslims in Britain,” said Mohamed Ali.
Mohamed Ali believes that Muslims are misrepresented in the global media. “The beauty of Islam is not portrayed in its true sense by the international media. It is our aim to show that Islam is a religion of peace and coexistence, that it respects others. We are now answering the demand of the Muslims for television that reflects their needs, and running programs founded on Islamic values.”
Islam Channel’s success can also be strongly attributed to the changing political climate. British Muslims in Britain have evolved into a unique ethnic group that is different from the migrant groups arriving in Britain in the 50s and 60s; they are educated and to some extent prosperous, politicized, and, contrary to what the Western media says, a peaceful group
Phil Rees, a BBC journalist and author of “Dinning With Terrorists,” explains, “The 90s saw the growth of Islamophobia, after 9/11 it worsened leading to discrimination and attacks on Muslims through the media and government legislations. Muslims felt ghettoized, and marginalized in society. The search for their identity and a need to rationalize their situation also led to a resurgence of Islam. Islam Channel’s success lies in the fact that it has managed to cross boundaries of caste, class and language.”
The channel knew its time to come had arrived — within a year of starting, Islam Channel managed to get 25,000 people to attend its “Global Peace and Unity” event in December 2005. Muslims from all over Britain arrived to listen to speakers like Dr. Zakir Naik, Tariq Suwaidan, and many other Islamic personalities.
As Ali stated, the Channel has always attempted to build bridges with the wider British communities and in keeping with this policy invited many key British politicians to interact with the Muslim community. Lord Falconer, the British foreign affairs secretary, British MPs and Cabinet ministers attended the event and gave their perspective on ways of working and living with Muslims in Britain.
The Channel has been quite successful in tapping into the Muslim lifestyle with programs like “Behind the Veil,” a show that challenges many of the stereotypes affecting Muslim women, “Muslim Dilemma,” “Islamic Etiquettes” and “Islamiqa,” where Islamic scholars answer questions forwarded by viewers.
Shazia Malik, who wears a hijab and works as a solicitor is an ardent viewer of Islam Channel, said, “I always have Islam Channel on at home; I don’t like my children watching Western channels as they do not promote the style of life we Muslims should follow. Also it is an educational channel. For example the morning show, ‘The Agenda’ with Yvonne Ridley is very informative, it highlights issues affecting Muslims that the Western media tend to ignore or sideline.”
At present Islam Channel is forging ahead at full speed, it now broadcasts all over the world except in the US. How long the success story will last as new TV stations are popping up everywhere is a question only time will answer; however Ali is very optimistic.
“We have come out of nowhere and Inshallah with God’s help we will achieve momentous success, we are keeping up with the times, as long as we are true to the Ummah — we will have faithful viewers who will grow in numbers everyday.”
For further information about Islam Channel see www.islamchannel.tv