Do Muslim countries have televangelists?

[BrainGlutton]

Just wondering. The existence of al-Jazeera suggests a lot of them have cable TV now, so what else comes with cable TV?

[Paul in Qatar]

al-Jazeera is a news channel. It is not the first good Arabic-language news channel, but it is the first one based in the region, which is quite important. al-Jazeera does not do religion.

Saudi TV and radio does, so does the Euro-pop Bahraini radio station, early in the morning. Arabic religious TV includes talk shows with guests, call-in advice shows and a faceless narrator reciting verses at all hours of the day and night.

What is lacks is the emotion of a good old-fashioned revival.

[Agnostic Pagan]

Originally Posted by BrainGlutton

Just wondering. The existence of al-Jazeera suggests a lot of them have cable TV now, so what else comes with cable TV?

I am not sure about other Muslim countries, but Egypt relies far more on satellites receivers than cable boxes. I think that is true for most of the Middle East based on conversations with college roommates.

As far as programming, here is a link to Nilesat, Egypt's largest provider.

And televangelists are fairly common through out the Muslim world - from Morocco to Indonesia.

[Ibn Warraq]

Originally Posted by Paul in Qatar

al-Jazeera is a news channel. It is not the first good Arabic-language news channel, but it is the first one based in the region, which is quite important. al-Jazeera does not do religion.

Saudi TV and radio does, so does the Euro-pop Bahraini radio station, early in the morning. Arabic religious TV includes talk shows with guests, call-in advice shows and a faceless narrator reciting verses at all hours of the day and night.

What is lacks is the emotion of a good old-fashioned revival.

I don't know if it still does, but Al Jazeera broadcast Yusef Al-Qaradawi's "Sharia and Life", which was certainly comparable to televangelical broadcasts.

[Martini Enfield]

Originally Posted by Paul in Qatar

Arabic religious TV includes talk shows with guests, call-in advice shows and a faceless narrator reciting verses at all hours of the day and night.

I saw several religious TV shows in Malaysia, most of which were generally in the form of talk shows with an Imam and guests discussing issues. From what I could tell (My knowledge of Malay is largely based around the usual "General Travel" sort of stuff) much of the discussion was around the challenges of being a Muslim in the modern world, and the challenges Muslim Youth faced, and so on.

I also saw TV spots with readings from the Koran, and a couple of Public Service Announcements about how one could Be A Better Muslim (remembering those less fortunate, attending to prayers at the appropriate times, and so on); In short, nothing especially different from the Obligatory But Respectable Religious Programming one would see on the ABC on a Sunday Morning here, but talking about Allah and Mohammed instead of God and Jesus.

I don't recall seeing anything that I'd consider "Televangelism" in the sense it's commonly understood in The West, but I don't doubt that I might have seen something at least approaching it if I'd actively been looking.

[t-bonham@scc.net]

I believe that in Saudi Arabia, their laws would completely forbid a Christian Televangelist, and such a show would quickly be taken off the air.

And a Muslim Televangelist would be rather pointless, since the assumption (and pretty much the reality) is that everyone is already Muslim.

[Monty]

But not everyone is, shall we say, displaying the same fervor.

[AK84]

In South Asia you have Dr Zakir Naik who has some popularity* and you also had a female Farhat Hashmi, now thankfully having emigrated to preach amongst the heathens in Canada. The believer await her return with baited breath!

I can't stand Dr Naik and never saw Ms Hashmi. During ramazan you might see talk shows have specific shows on a religious context but thats about it,.


*by somewhat popular I meant rountienly defeated in the TV ratings by reruns of cricket matches.

[AK84]

Originally Posted by t-bonham@scc.net

I believe that in Saudi Arabia, their laws would completely forbid a Christian Televangelist, and such a show would quickly be taken off the air.

And a Muslim Televangelist would be rather pointless, since the assumption (and pretty much the reality) is that everyone is already Muslim.

Your cluelessness on all things muslim is on display yet again.

[md2000]

The Christian televangelists exist because they take literally the command to spread the gospel, as being their primary job and devote their efforts to that. They obtain donations by persuading like-minded Christians that it is a command from God and so they are practicing their faith by donating to the effort.

So I guess the question also is, does the Muslim faith have a simailar command to spread the word to non-believers or the lapsed, and how strongly is it taken as the major task by most adherents of the faith?

[jjimm]

I watched a few minutes of an Imam droning away on some Arabic TV channel that was one of the channels on the satellite TV in a hotel I stayed in recently.

It was intensely fucking boring, just some dude rambling into a hand-held microphone, on poor quality video stock, and I doubt being able to understand it would have improved the experience.

Needed some dancing girls.

[Floater]

Originally Posted by md2000

They obtain donations by persuading like-minded Christians that it is a command from God ...

I believe that is a major factor behind televangelisation.

[Colibri]

Originally Posted by AK84

Your cluelessness on all things muslim is on display yet again.

[Moderator note]

Let's avoid personal jabs at other posters in GQ. No warning issued, but don't do this again.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

[md2000]

Originally Posted by Floater

I believe that is a major factor behind televangelisation.

I forget (since I don't care) the exact pieces of the scriptures that said to go and spread the good word; but that is the basis for missionairies, Gideon bibles, and televangelists. Since the bible tells them to spread the word, that is what they do... and anyone who contributes is doing what the word of god says to do...

Some others give more importance to the passages that say good works are the will of God, some feel the command to spread the word is the paramount mission.

As I asked before, does anyone know if there is a similar task given to Muslims? They obviously spread the word quite effectively in the 7th century across most of the middle east and south Mediterranean, and even further. I recall reading that they tolerated other religions of their subject peoples, especially monotheistic Christianity and Judaism (once upon a time), but had an intense dislike of heathenism which it replaced in much of Arabia; which today translates to a dislike of Hinduism and its multiple Gods.

[HeyHomie]

Originally Posted by md2000

I forget (since I don't care) the exact pieces of the scriptures that said to go and spread the good word; but that is the basis for missionairies, Gideon bibles, and televangelists. Since the bible tells them to spread the word, that is what they do... and anyone who contributes is doing what the word of god says to do

This is more a matter for Great Debates, but for the likes of Jim Bakker, Creflo Dollar, Robert Tilton, etc., the insane amounts of cash that televangelism brings in are probably a much bigger factor than the Biblical command to preach the gospel (which, if anyone cares, is Matthew 28:16-20).

[md2000]

Originally Posted by HeyHomie

This is more a matter for Great Debates, but for the likes of Jim Bakker, Creflo Dollar, Robert Tilton, etc., the insane amounts of cash that televangelism brings in are probably a much bigger factor than the Biblical command to preach the gospel (which, if anyone cares, is Matthew 28:16-20).

Thank you... this is the point. Once we get past the gold-plated watches and airconditioned doghouses, the basic reason why there are televangelists is because "God told them to do it" and they take that as their mission with its importance above all other tasks. Spreading the word is a higher imperative than doing good deeds. Oral Roberts and Jim Bakker trump Mother Teresa. Similarly money for airtime trumps money for health care.

Considering the distinct lack of such intense televangelism by Muslims, especially here in the west where it would be legal (as opposed to Christian televangelism in many Muslim countries) I presume Allah showed more civilized restraint and good taste in directing the priorities of Muslims?

[Fedup]

Mother Theresa spread the word, and she wasn't even a televangelists.
Nor did she have a Escalade, or a Rolex Watch.
I still miss her.

[psychonaut]

Originally Posted by t-bonham@scc.net

I believe that in Saudi Arabia, their laws would completely forbid a Christian Televangelist, and such a show would quickly be taken off the air.

And a Muslim Televangelist would be rather pointless, since the assumption (and pretty much the reality) is that everyone is already Muslim.

That would be a shockingly ignorant assumption for them to make, given the huge number (well over a million) of Christian and Hindu foreign workers in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the country has a large minority (15%) of Shia Muslims who are regarded by the dominant Sunni sect as apostates.

[Raguleader]

Originally Posted by Agnostic Pagan

I am not sure about other Muslim countries, but Egypt relies far more on satellites receivers than cable boxes. I think that is true for most of the Middle East based on conversations with college roommates.

I'm reminded of a mildly tasteless pun about how the mobile phone industry is "booming" in Afghanistan: Landlines are vulnerable to damage both from sabotage and from collateral damage due to roadside bombs, air strikes, and gunfights. Mobile phone repeaters, in contrast, have the benefit of being able to make use of intangible connections that can't be "cut" as easily (unless the repeater or its support equipment itself is hit directly, natch).

[Princhester]

Originally Posted by md2000

Considering the distinct lack of such intense televangelism by Muslims, especially here in the west where it would be legal (as opposed to Christian televangelism in many Muslim countries) I presume Allah showed more civilized restraint and good taste in directing the priorities of Muslims?

The fervour of US televangelism is in my experience highly unusual even within Christianity. In other words, I would suspect that most Islam is like most Christianity, in terms of what you describe as "civilized restraint and good taste". It isn't a Christian vs Islam difference. It's a US televangelism vs most religous practice difference.

[Simplicio]

Originally Posted by md2000

As I asked before, does anyone know if there is a similar task given to Muslims? .

Yes, Islam is an evangelizing religion. There's a duty of followers to spread the faith, and Muslim missionaries, etc.

But in anycase, I suspect the primary audience of both Christian and Muslim televangelists are people that are already of the faith. I can't imagine many athiests, jews or muslims are tuning in to the 700 club.

[clairobscur]

Originally Posted by Ibn Warraq

I don't know if it still does, but Al Jazeera broadcast Yusef Al-Qaradawi's "Sharia and Life", which was certainly comparable to televangelical broadcasts.

Isn't he the guy who was recently caught in a sex scandal involving a mistress he was bringing around (making him even more similar to American televangelists)?

[Derleth]

Originally Posted by Fedup

Mother Theresa spread the word, and she wasn't even a televangelists.
Nor did she have a Escalade, or a Rolex Watch.
I still miss her.

Too bad she didn't actually work to save lives, and she was certainly happy enough to kiss the hands of dictators and butchers around the world.

[Nava]

A related question...

which countries have televangelists? If there's any in Spain they're a recent phenomenon and available only as local stations; I do know we have at least one evangelical radio station (local to Bilbao), although they're perfectly happy to broadcast Catholic Masses and to play Shakira in between exhortations to read the Bible. I've seen some in Latin America cable channels, but the cable package carried channels from several countries and I'm not sure where exactly was that channel based (I never stopped there long enough to find out). Does Australia have televangelists? France? Germany? New Zealand?

[Princhester]

Australia does but they are very obscure. Rather than being household names as I understand several US televangelists are, Australia's televangelists are nobodies, with tiny followings and programs on at hours when airtime is cheap.

[An Gadaí]

I have Sky Digital and it carries at least a dozen Godular channels, I'll have to check when I'm home but I believe it also has religious content from non-Christian religions but these tend IIRC to be more like a televised prayer session rather than US-style televangelism. Televangelism exists on British tv but it is nowhere near as popular nor as culturally potent as it is in the US.
Although Irish state television has a religious bias, for example the Angelus is aired, I've never seen any Irish evangelical style shows.

[HeyHomie]

Originally Posted by Nava

A related question...

which countries have televangelists? If there's any in Spain they're a recent phenomenon and available only as local stations; I do know we have at least one evangelical radio station (local to Bilbao), although they're perfectly happy to broadcast Catholic Masses and to play Shakira in between exhortations to read the Bible. I've seen some in Latin America cable channels, but the cable package carried channels from several countries and I'm not sure where exactly was that channel based (I never stopped there long enough to find out). Does Australia have televangelists? France? Germany? New Zealand?

Depends on what you mean by "Televangelist." There's a fine line (and sometimes a very broad line) between someone who genuinely uses TV to preach (Billy Graham comes to mind), and one who uses the guise of "evangelism" to fool people into giving them money (Robert Tilton, Creflo Dollar, etc. etc. etc.).

And I'm sure that line blurs quite often. For example: Jim Bakker, FWIW, probably started his TV ministry because of a genuine desire to preach. But then once he got caught up in the money, well... you know the rest of the story.

[psychonaut]

On my last trip to Iceland, I was disappointed to see that one of the few local television channels was a Christian station broadcasting the notorious drivel of Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron (but subtitled in Icelandic—"Bananinn og höndin eru gjörsamlega gerðu fyrir eitt annað!")

The hotel TV also had a satellite dish, and no fewer than three of the channels were taken up by this thawb- and keffiyeh-clad guy, who we suspected was a Muslim televangelist. (We don't speak Arabic so we don't know for sure—maybe someone here can translate the text which appears on the screen?) This guy was on nearly 24 hours a day. People would call into his show, often getting quite worked up with ranting and yelling, while he would just sit there calmly, looking at his laptop, not saying anything for maybe twenty minutes at a time.

[Floater]

Originally Posted by HeyHomie

... and one who uses the guise of "evangelism" to fool people into giving them money (Robert Tilton, Creflo Dollar, etc. etc. etc.).

A must reading on the subject is The Faith Healers by James Randi.

[md2000]

Originally Posted by Fedup

Mother Theresa spread the word, and she wasn't even a televangelists.
Nor did she have a Escalade, or a Rolex Watch.
I still miss her.

I am aware of the accusations (I believe the book was called "Hell's Angel") of how she cozied up to dictators etc. But - there's no denying she dropped out of a comfy middle class life and a comfy normal convent to spend her life doing good works for the poor. This is the alternative message some people take from Christianity, that charity is more important than proseletyzing. Somehow it seems more appealing and sincere.

IIRC the enthusiasm of some (American) evangelists has thoroghly ticked off governments on several continents. A decade or more ago the catholic-vs-evangelical issue in Guatemala was in the news. Several east Europe countries have also become ticked at these pushy evangelists too. Of course, the strict Muslim countries take the command seriously (IIRC) that leaving Islam (for some other religion, or atheism) is a death penalty offense; so logically any other religion preaching to anyone else but their own and in private I assume would not be tolerated. It would be viewed as encouraging someone to commit heresy.

[AK84]

Originally Posted by psychonaut

The hotel TV also had a satellite dish, and no fewer than three of the channels were taken up by this thawb- and keffiyeh-clad guy, who we suspected was a Muslim televangelist. (We don't speak Arabic so we don't know for sure—maybe someone here can translate the text which appears on the screen?) This guy was on nearly 24 hours a day. People would call into his show, often getting quite worked up with ranting and yelling, while he would just sit there calmly, looking at his laptop, not saying anything for maybe twenty minutes at a time.

You guessed wrong. Islah Tv is an anti-Saudi TV Channel based in London.

[Ibn Warraq]

Originally Posted by clairobscur

Isn't he the guy who was recently caught in a sex scandal involving a mistress he was bringing around (making him even more similar to American televangelists)?

I haven't heard anything like that about him.

[psychonaut]

Originally Posted by md2000

I am aware of the accusations (I believe the book was called "Hell's Angel") of how she cozied up to dictators etc. But - there's no denying she dropped out of a comfy middle class life and a comfy normal convent to spend her life doing good works for the poor.

Of course you can deny that. Mother Theresa's "good works" have been widely criticized as negligent and haphazard at best, and as bizarre and sadistic at worst. Many medical and religious commentators observe that her philosophy was to promote worldly suffering in an effort to bringing those under her "care" closer to God. Her approach has been condemned by theists and atheists alike.

[psychonaut]

Originally Posted by AK84

You guessed wrong. Islah Tv is an anti-Saudi TV Channel based in London.

Fascinating! Thanks for the information. We've been wondering about that guy for over a year now.

[WotNot]

Originally Posted by An Gadaí

I have Sky Digital and it carries at least a dozen Godular channels, I'll have to check when I'm home but I believe it also has religious content from non-Christian religions but these tend IIRC to be more like a televised prayer session rather than US-style televangelism. Televangelism exists on British tv but it is nowhere near as popular nor as culturally potent as it is in the US.
Although Irish state television has a religious bias, for example the Angelus is aired, I've never seen any Irish evangelical style shows.

Yeah… I'm in England with Virgin cable. Out of 160 channels, only one (God Channel) is religious.

If I want to watch Law and Order, though, I've got a choice of six channels.