The British \u00c5\u201cChannel 4\u201d TV to broadcast Muslim call to prayer ‘adhan’ during Ramadan. <\/p>\n
The British \u00c5\u201cChannel 4\u201d TV\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s decision to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer every morning during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan has been branded as a publicity stunt.\n<\/p>\n
Channel 4 sparked a debate following the announcement that it will be as part of a test of the religious event, which the Muslim World celebrates by fasting for a month.\n<\/p>\n
Channel 4\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s head of factual programming, Ralph Lee said he expected the channel to receive criticism for broadcasting the traditional call to prayer, known as the adhan starting next week, because it had previously been nearly invisible on mainstream TV.\n<\/p>\n
However, he said: \u00c5\u201cNearly five percent of the country will actively engage in Ramadan this month. Can we say the same of other national events that have received blanket coverage on television, such as the Queen\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s coronation anniversary?\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The channel will broadcast the call to prayer at sunrise and on the internet, according to a report published by the British media.\n<\/p>\n
The move was described as \u00c5\u201ca brilliant idea\u201d by Shaykh Ibrahim Mogra, assistant general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB).\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cIt recognises that Islam and Muslims are very much part and parcel of modern-day Britain,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
But Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, said he wondered if it was \u00c5\u201canother of Channel 4\u00e2\u201e\u00a2s publicity-seeking stunts\u201d.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cGiven that the BBC devotes hundreds of hours a year to Christianity, with two or three church services every day on its radio stations, and hardly any mention of minority religions, a few minutes devoted to Islam doesn\u00e2\u201e\u00a2t seem unreasonable.\n<\/p>\n
\u00c5\u201cAt the same time, we should also acknowledge that only five percent of the population is Muslim, so it really needs to be kept in proportion\u201d, he added.\n<\/p>\n
Among those backing the move was Kate Gilson, an accountant and Labour member, who wrote on Twitter: \u00c5\u201cChannel 4 to broadcast Muslim call to prayer EVERY morn of Ramadan to challenge Islam = extremism view. Brilliant!\u201d\n<\/p>\n
MOL\/HE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n