Ummah Channel

Ummah Channel was an Islamic television channel based in the United Kingdom. It launched in August 2009 by replacing 9X's former Sky EPG slot on Sky Digital[1] and was closed down at the end of 31 July 2017 and is no longer broadcasting.

Ummah Channel
CountryUnited Kingdom
Broadcast areaStudio
HeadquartersBlackburn
Programming
Language(s)Urdu, English
History
Launched12 August 2009
Replaced9X
Closed31 July 2017
Links
Websitehttp://www.ummahchannel.tv/

Channels

Maria TV

Maria TV launched on 19 July 2012 on the first day of Ramadan. The channel’s name comes from Maria al-Qibtiyya, an enslaved Coptic Christian from Egypt who became one of the wives of the prophet Muhammad.[2] According to Islam Ahmed Abdallah, Chief Executive of Ummah TV, says the name represents "transferring from slavery to freedom, from Christianity to Islam". Maria TV’s staff includes 30 volunteers and a few dozen women who work there occasionally.[2]

Maria TV aired for six hours of programming on Ummah TV, which showed only fully veiled women. Guests who choose not to wear the Niqab had their features blurred out.[3]

Criticism

In 2010, in the wake of the May 2010 attacks on two Ahmadiyya Mosques in Lahore, Pakistan, members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community living in the UK were threatened and intimidated. In October 2010 Ofcom criticised the UK-based Ummah Channel for broadcasting three interactive television programmes before and after the Lahore massacre on Ahmadis in May 2010, in which religious leaders and callers alike said that Ahmadis should be killed. These programmes were repeated several times. Ofcom stated that the programme's abusive treatment of the religious views and beliefs of members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community breached UK broadcasting regulations.[4]

In September 2012, Ahmed Abdallah, the owner of Maria TV, and his son and the channel's chief executive, Islam, were arrested for burning a copy of the Bible during a protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.[2][5]

Closure

The channel closed on 31 July 2017 after apparent financial difficulty. Ummah Channel failed to attract an audience wider than its usual Barelvi Sect (Islam).[6]

References
  1. "BizAsia.co.uk - The UK's only Asian media news website - News, Features, Interviews, Jobs, Events, Ratings, Bollywood". web.archive.org. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  2. Shull, Henry (3 October 2012). "Egypt's Maria TV pitches strict vision of Islam". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  3. Timmermann, Lilian. "Egypt's new women-only Islamic TV channel". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  4. "Hardliners call for deaths of Surrey Muslims". The Independent. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  5. "Maria TV in Egypt: Fully Veiled and on Air - Qantara.de". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  6. 5Pillars (24 July 2017). "Ummah Channel to close down at end of month". 5Pillars. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
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