Al-Hafez
Al-Hafez (Arabic 'The Protector') is a Salafi Islamist channel from Egypt. It promotes teaching and recitation of the Quran. In addition, as a reaction to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011, the channel promotes the political orientation of Islamist parties and serves as a platform to attack their opponents.
Goals
- Memorization of the Holy Book of Allah and implanting it into the hearts of Muslims.
- Teaching and learning the Holy Quran and its provisions.
- Removing suspicions about the Quran and keeping it from misrepresentation and distortion.
- Interest in the study of the Hadith.
Programming
Channel programs revolve around the following topics:
- Memorization of the Quran and its recitation.
- Quran miracles in all fields.
- Sunnah.
- Clarification of doubts, revealing falsehoods, and responding to them.
- Tales of memorizing and those that have mastered the memorization of the Quran.
- Calligraphy.
- Quran and life.
- Ethics of the Quran.
- Defense of the Muslim Brotherhood and the attack on their opponents in a way seen by some as inappropriate.
Controversy
Al-Hafez was sued following the broadcasting of offensive language. The reason for this was that Atef Abel Rasheed, the presenter of the show 'Fee el-Mezan', hosted two sheikhs whose language and opinions were seen as being offensive: Sheikh Abdallah Badr, who slandered Egyptian actress Elham Shahin, and Salafi Sheikh Mahmoud Shaaban, who issued a fatwa on air calling for the assassination of opposition leaders.[1] Following Badr's comments about her on air, Shahin filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court of the State Council demanding that Al-Hafez be shut down and its licenses revoked. Badr, a controversial preacher notorious for the coarse language and insults he directs at opponents, had described Shahin on his show as being “promiscuous, naked, and lascivious,” and also called her a “prostitute” and “infidel," according to clips shown to the court by the public prosecution. In December 2012, the Zaweya al-Hamra Court sentenced him to one year in prison and ordered him to pay a LE20,000 fine. Badr announced that he will not make any more media appearances and will focus solely on preaching.[2]
References
- El Masry, Sarah. "A polarised media: Religious satellite TV channels". Daily News Egypt. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- "Court orders Islamist preacher's program suspended for one month". Archived from the original on 2013-03-25. Retrieved 2013-04-03.