Al Resalah
 | This article needs to be updated. (March 2016) |
| Type | Satellite television network |
|---|---|
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Availability | Middle East, Europe, North Africa, Internet |
| Owner | Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal |
Key people | General Manager Tareq Al-Suwaidan[1] |
Launch date | March 1, 2006 |
Official website | http://www.alresalah.net |
Al-Resalah (Template:Lang-ar; The Message) is an Arabic language satellite television channel "to present true Islam".[2][3]
It is funded by Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia, recorded in all over the United Arab Emirates to Morocco and Kuwait, and broadcast from Cairo. Al-Resalah has slots on the Arabsat and Nilesat satellites, serving primarily the Middle East, but North Africa and Europe as well.
The General Manager of Al Resalah was Tareq Al-Suwaidan, a former host at the Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) and a leading member of the Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood.[4] Tareq Al-Suwaidan was fired from his job in August 2013 by the channel's owner, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, because of Al-Suwaidan's support for the Moslem Brotherhood.[1][5]
The head of Al Resalah’s programming in Egypt is Ahmed Abu Haiba, the original producer of Amr Khaled’s first television program.[6] The channel's advisory committee includes Sheikh Abdullah Bin Sulaiman Al-Manai (Senior Ulema Commission, Saudi Arabia); Dr. Abdallah Omar Naseef (president of the Muslim World Congress); Dr. Hamed Ahmad Al-Refaie (secretary-general of the MWC and president of the International Islamic Forum for Dialogue); Dr. Abdullah Al-Muslih (Commission on Scientific Signs in the Quran and Sunnah); Sheikh Ali Al-Nashwan (executive manager of the prince's Kingdom Holding Company's Humanitarian Division, and religious advisor to the prince); Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Askar (former head of the media department at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University); and Dr. Walid Arab Hashem (Shura Council member).[7]
Al Resalah’s website features a list of fatwas by Egypt’s famous preacher Yusuf Al Qaradawi approving music videos, SMS chatting and hosting non-veiled women on its shows.[3]
IslamOnline noted that Iqraa TV was the first Islamic channel created, followed by others such as Al-Fajr TV and Al-Manar, but that Al-Resalah had "taken things a step further, pushing forth into the wider realm of entertainment media". Al-Suwaidan too speaks of a nascent revival that has started not only in Muslim countries, but also within Muslim minorities, and that Al-Resalah hopes to contribute to.[8] In February 2008 al-Suwaidan explained that Al-Resalah began with a wide range of programmes, but in the end concentrated on religious features, aiming to be within the top ten by Ramadan 2008. He claimed that after only one and a half years, Al-Resalah ranks at 18 out of 400 Arab satellite channels and at number one of religious channels outside of Saudi Arabia. The target audience is Arab, young and female: according to al-Suwaidan, 70% of the viewers are women[9] (60% according to Abu Haiba[6]).
Some members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood have expressed enthusiasm for the station.[10] MEMRI, an organization often critical of Islamic media, has accused al-Reslah of airing anti-Western, anti-Semitic, and pro- Al Qaida content.[11]
References
- ^ a b "Saudi prince sacks TV chief for Muslim Brotherhood ties". BBC News. 18 August 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2013.
- ^ owner Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal during the station’s launch
- ^ a b Religious broadcasters avoid confrontation by Ayat Basma, MEB Journal, Jan Feb 2008
- ^ Statement of Richard A. Clarke Before the United States Senate Banking Committee 22 October 2003
- ^ "TV director fired for ties to Muslim Brotherhood". USA Today. 18 August 2013.
- ^ a b Fatwas and Feminism: Women, Religious Authority, and Islamic TV By Sharon Otterman, TBS 16, 2006
- ^ The Saudi Gazette, March 7, 2006 cited by Memri
- ^ Hold Your Breath for a Coming Resalah By Sarah Sharaf, IslamOnline Mar. 16, 2006
- ^ “Islamic and yet modern television” Tareq Al-Suwaidan, producer of Al-Risala interviewed by Daniela Conte, 5 Feb 2008
- ^ The new Muslim TV: media-savvy, modern, and moderate Ursula Lindsey, The Christian Science Monitor, May 2, 2006
- ^ Stalinsky, Steven (June 21, 2006). "Saudi Billionaire Prince's Hate TV". The New York Sun.