ISLAMA BAD:
In an unprecedented development, religious scholars and ulema have proposed banning “moderators and all celebrities” who are “unfamiliar with Islamic principles” from performing the special Ramazan broadcast during the holy month to avoid controversy.
During a meeting with Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri on Tuesday, they also expressed deep concern over some unethical programs that have aired in the past during the holy month of Ramazan.
The scholars and ulema fully supported the minister’s letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan on the matter.
They called on commercial television stations to stop broadcasting content disguised as entertainment and leisure programs that directly contradicted Islamic injunctions. “Due to the moderators’ insufficient knowledge of Islam, religious chaos could ensue in the country.”
The religious leaders urged media owners to produce informative programs that could create religious harmony and eliminate differences between people of all walks of life.
They also pointed out that some commercials aired on private television channels violated social, cultural and religious norms.
Read more: A dying Ramazan tradition
It is important to note that Minister Qadri had written a letter to Prime Minister Imran in which he suggested that TV programs related to the Ramazan broadcast should be moderated by religious scholars to avert controversy.
On that occasion, the Minister of Religious Affairs said that in recent years, some anchors not well acquainted with Islamic teachings have been conducting programs during the holy month of Ramazan.
“Due to the lack of Islamic knowledge, they had created a lot of religious controversy and social media hype that had a negative impact on people.”
Qadri claimed that there must be a dress code for program hosts and participants in order to preserve the sanctity of the holy month of Ramazan.
“The programs should not discuss controversial issues, while respecting all spiritual figures should be kept in mind.”
In addition, the minister regretted that TV channels should avoid broadcasting entertainment and leisure programs, especially during high and iftar times.
“Furthermore, such things should also be avoided in the religious broadcasts. Unethical stuff and advertisements should not be aired.”
He emphasized that television programs should be based on such content that not only conveys true Islamic knowledge but also promotes religious harmony in all walks of life.
Qadri called on the Prime Minister to order the Ministry of Information and Pakistan’s Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to issue guidelines for all television channels.
Chairman of the Council for Islamic Ideology, Dr. Qibla Ayaz, Chairman of the Ruet-e-Hilal Central Committee, Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad, Arif Hussain Wahidi, Tanveer Ahmed Alvi, Ibrahim Khalil Al-Fazli, Ghulam Rasool Nasir, Syed Iftikhar Hussain Naqvi, Mufti Zamir Ahmed Sajid and Sheikh Nayar Abbas Mustafvi attended the meeting.
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