International Shia News Agency
All NewsCultureEuropeFeaturedOther News

How German radio and television networks cover Muslim reports

SHAFAQNA- For more than a decade, reports and interviews about Islam and Muslims have been common on German radio and television. Although most of these reports are aimed at destroying Islam and Muslims, but some of them play an important role in the German society’s familiarity with Islam.

In a detailed report, the Islamiq website recently examined how reports and news about Muslims were covered on German television and radio networks, which is as follows:

Spreading untrue reports

For years, various television and radio stations in Germany have devoted part of their programs to reports related to Islam and Muslims. Reports that are often far from the truth and, from the perspective of German Muslims, increase Islamophobia in the country. Many religious experts have even warned in recent years about the role of the German media in increasing Islamophobia in the country. Yasmin Al-Manar, a religious affairs expert at the Bertelsmann Foundation, is one of them. According to her, the publication of untrue reports about Islam and Muslims in the German press and radio and television networks in recent years have fueled Islamophobia in the country.

The Bertelsmann Foundation’s 2019 survey shows that the concerns of religious experts are not unreasonable, and that Islamophobia in Germany has increased more than ever. According to the foundation, more than half of Germans see Islam as a threat. But you may be interested to know; One of the strangest reports ever made about Islam and Muslims on German television channels was made by A. R. D TV channel about German Mosques.

This report was prepared in 2017 by the famous German journalist Konstantin Schreiber. In his report, the German journalist examined Friday prayer sermons in 13 German Mosques. Schreiber claimed in the report that he was terrified of hearing Friday prayer sermons and could not even find any good and positive points in the sermons of 13 German mosques. Of course, the broadcast of this report in Germany met with many protests.

Critics of the report believed that the report was prepared unilaterally and did not show the real atmosphere of the mosques. Hence, many German Muslim citizens in an interesting move on social media such as Twitter, under the hashtag “My Report from the Mosque”, introduced the spaces of Mosques in Germany. Of course, the report on Mosques was not the only attempt by the A.R.D to endamage Islam. Other untrue reports that have been aired so far include the documentary film “Islam Builds Schools.”

Although the filmmakers claimed that they wanted to remove the stereotypical and radical images of Islam and introduce true Islam to German society, but in practice something else happened. The subject of the film was teaching Islamic education in German schools, but at first, images of ISIS’s brutal operations were shown that had nothing to do with the main subject of the film.

Introducing Islam in public networks

In addition, a survey by a reporter for the Islamic website shows that almost all German public TV channels devote part of their daily programs to issues related to Islam and Muslims. Phoenix, ZDF, Erste network and southwestern German television are among the public TV channels that regularly broadcast reports on the lives of Muslims and the Islamic world.

“We want to show different aspects of the life of Muslims in Germany so that our viewers can get to know the reality of their lives,” said a spokesman for the Erste network. Of course, among German TV channels dealing with issues related to Islam and Muslims, ZDF is more regular. The network has a regular program called “Friday Association” that deals with issues related to Muslims every week. This program started in 2007 and is still going on.

Producing podcasts

The Religion and Society section of the Bavarian radio network also broadcasts regularly programs on Muslims and Islam. From June 30 to August 3 this year, the radio station aired a six-part podcast on Islam and Muslim life in Germany. Merve Kayikci, a well-known German blogger and journalist, was responsible for running the podcast.

The social media expert, who works on virtual pages called Primamuslima, talks to experts about Islam and the daily life of Muslims on each program. In this podcast, Merve Kayikci also introduced successful Muslims in Germany and talked to them about life, politics, work, family, and belief in God. In addition, she explained to the audience the principles and sub-principles of Islam and Islamic celebrations such as Eid Al-Adha. This six-part podcast can still be heard on Radio Bavaria.
Preparing monthly programs

Another channels that regularly broadcast about Islam and Muslims is the Southwest German Radio and Television Network. The group “Religion and the World” on the radio and TV network of southwestern Germany produces the program “Islam in Germany” every month. This program is about Islam, the beliefs of Muslims and their daily lives. The program “Islam in Germany” is broadcast on the first Friday of every month.

This news is originally published by Berlin Icro Persiam and  translated by Shafaqna English

Related posts

Turkish Scholar: Politicians fuel Islamophobia

nafiseh yazdani

International friendly football match: Germany 2-0 France

rahman samadreza

MEE: France’s Hijab ban is normalised across political spectrum two decades after adoption

leila yazdani

Islam & Nowruz

asadian

TBS: In a world of rising Islamophobia, some countries seek refuge in denial

leila yazdani

UN’s experts warn Islamophobia rising to alarming levels

leila yazdani

Leave a Comment