JEDDAH, 8 April 2006 — A New Delhi trust is embarking on a unique quest to educate Muslims of the subcontinent through the use of electronic media. The Noor Welfare Trust is hoping to launch an exclusive Islamic Television Channel that would provide people with the correct interpretation of the Holy Qur’an and Ahadeeth in Urdu.
The channel, to be called Noor TV, is in the planning stage, according to Noor Welfare Trust President Mohammed Aqil. He said there is a need for such a channel because many Muslim sects are projecting only themselves and not the Ummah as a whole.
Aqil, who has been working in the Kingdom for the last 25 years, said the idea to launch Noor TV was generated following the lack of an authentic Islamic TV Channel in the subcontinent. He said there are various TV channels that promote different sects and innovations among Muslims, but there isn’t a channel that invites people to practice the true teachings of Islam based on the Holy Qur’an and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
To achieve this aim, Aqil said, businessmen as well as scholars from New Delhi decided to set up the Noor Welfare Trust. Soon it plans to reach a bigger segment of Muslims through the Noor TV Channel.
The trust hopes to bring Islamic scholars from around the globe who are respected in the Urdu-speaking community for their religious services, and those who are connected with Dawah Centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They intend to make people understand not only the concept of oneness of Allah but also clear the misconceptions and misunderstandings regarding Islam.
Aqil said the Trust has two objectives in setting up the channel — to educate Muslims and then to project Islam in its true light, adding that for the moment the Trust would like to concentrate on providing training through its programs to Muslims, educate them to practice Islam and explain to Muslim women their rights so they know how Islam protects them and what is their role in society.
Aqil also said that children’s special programming would also be produced so that children could become embodiments of peace and harmony. Further, through its programs, the channel will try to strengthen the bonds of fraternity among Muslims.
Aqil said that the Trust arrived at the name Noor TV from the Qur’anic verse where Allah speaks about bringing the believers to the Noor of Islam from the clutching darkness of ignorance. (Surah Al-Baqra,257).
Aqil called for support from the Ummah to make this ambitious venture a success. He hopes to launch the channel in the next three to four years, and at present he is on a fund-raising drive. He hopes to attract support from the community.
Aqil emphasized that the channel would not be a money-generating tool.
Aqil said that the budget for such a channel to be on air for a period of five years is around SR18 million. But he also hopes to make some money through advertisements, hopefully, after a while, when the channel establishes its position in the market, and then it could become self-sustaining.
