The crisis of al-Rahmah [Mercy] TV, which broke out when the Nile Sat administration decided to stop broadcasting the channel due to its anti-Semitic tendency, revealed a hidden dispute among such
salafī channels. The author refers to al-Rahmah’s attitude towards the closure of other salfaī channels, such as al-
Ummah TV and al-Hikmah TV for different reasons, where al-Rahmah did not support these channels at all. The conflict of these channels uncovers the dispute among Muslim shaykhs as they attack one another, instead of simply competing. The author states that the shaykhs’ dispute concerning the satellite channels was not the first of this kind, but it was preceded by other disputes, such as the conflict between the
salafī shaykhs to control mosques, as well as the dispute which appeared in their recorded sermons. The production companies of these tapes did not cooperate, stealing the titles of these tapes from one another.
The author also reflects on the issue of Christian channels, and states that such channels have become a reality that cannot be avoided. He refers to the ten Christian channels that address the Arab and Middle Eastern region. He mentions the names of these channels and focuses on Sat7, which was the first Christian channel and the most dominant. From among all the channels, Sat7 is considered the official Christian channel, while the other channels, according to the author, work illegitimately. It is noteworthy to add that the Nile Sat administration has declared that laws do not permit broadcasting religious channels on that satellite. Two other channels, CTV and Aghābī TV, are Coptic Orthodox Church channels and also have a kind of legitimacy due to the known relation between the Orthodox Church and the political regime in Egypt. The most controversial Christian channel is al-Hayāh [Life] TV, which is known for hosting anti-Islamic programs, such as Father Zakarīyā Butrūs’ show, the Egyptian priest famous for attacking Islam. Recently, this priest has ended his contract with the channels and is now working to launch a private channel to continue his campaign against Islam. But the policy of al-Hayāh channel remains the same even after the departure of this priest, as there are some other programs that adopt the same attitude.
In the same context, Dr. Ikrām Lam‘ī, the Christian theologian, comments on the effect of these channels on Egyptians and states that these channels focus on superficial topics in addition to a clear tendency to spread non-acceptance. According to Lam‘ī, these channels do not introduce in-depth Christian studies or teachings. Coptic thinker Kamāl Zākhir divides these channels into two categories. First are the Orthodox channels which help increase the seclusion of Copts, as they do not deal with Coptic issues effectively. The second category includes the Christian channels that are broadcasted on the European satellite. Zākhir believes that these channels present many moderate programs, and refer to the phenomenon of Zakarīyā Butrūs as a reaction to the attack on Christianity for many years by many shaykhs, not on the European satellite only but Nile Sat as well.
