CAIRO:
In a bid to bridge cultural gaps and clear misconceptions about Islam,
Azhari TV is reaching out to a wider audience and is now available in
English, French, Urdu and Pashto in addition to its original Arabic
language programming.
Azhari TV was first launched following US
President Barack Obama's address to the Muslim World in June 2009 where
he called for a dialogue based on mutual respect and understanding
between people of different faiths.
One year later, Azhari TV, the
educational and entertainment satellite channel created to promote
moderate Islam, has decided to expand.
“[Through Azhari TV] we're
trying to show the people in the west and the rest of the world that the
problem isn't in Islam but it's the misinterpretations by certain
people that's the problem,” said Hassan Tatanaki, chairman of Azhari TV,
in an interview with Daily News Egypt.
The
satellite channel was founded with the aim of promoting a moderate
interpretation of Islam and intends to counter extremist rhetoric which
they saw dominating the debate.
Breaking language barriers
Operating
on a new channel, Azhari TV 2, the dub of the Arabic language channel's
original content into four additional languages, will enable the
station to reach homes across Europe and Asia, spreading its message of
reason and tolerance.
The channel aims to serve as a direct
counterweight to more confrontational and aggressive interpretations of
Islam that have proliferated in the last several years and exacerbated
the turmoil that has plagued much of the Muslim world.
Through the
expansion, Azhari will be reaching non-Arab Muslims that don't have
access to a correct interpretation of Islam because they are limited to
certain outlets.
The languages were not chosen after thorough research, especially in Afghanistan, Pakistan
and South East Asia. French and English were selected to cater to the
Americans and Europeans, Arabs and non-Arabs residing there.
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