Ahlulbayt Television Network is an exclusively English-language Shia Islamic television channel[1]. The channel was launched with much fanfare on Sky in the UK in August 2009 and two months later on the Galaxy 19 platform covering North America from its London headquarters. A few months into its operations it also expanded to Atlantic Bird 4A (Nilesat) which covers the Middle East and North Africa. Australian broadcaster IMTV signed an exclusive distribution contract in June 2010, and broadcasting of the channel commenced on the 10th of JULY 2010 on Intelsat 8 12575 MHZ in MPEG2 and FTA covering the ANZ region. However IMTV announced their plans to encrypt the channel and upgrade to H.264 broadcasting mid August. The channel will be included in a package to be announced at a later date.
The nonprofit religious channel, whose name is Arabic for the 'Holy Household', referring to the holy progeny of the Prophet Muhammad, is staffed by British and American professionals from many different backgrounds. In an interview in 2004 with an online Kuwaiti magazine, Sayed Mahdi al-Modarresi, the channel's founder had announced plans to launch the channel to "show the true, undistorted nature of Islam and Islamic civilization to the West".
Ahlulbayt TV frequently features many prominent Shia Muslims scholars and speakers including Sayed Fadhel Milani, Sayed Mahdi Modarresi, Ummulbanin Merali, Sayed Mustafa Qazwini, Sayed Ammar Nakshawni, the late Barrister Murtaza Lakha, Hajji Mohammed al-Hilli, Sayed Mohammad Razavi, Sayed Zafar Abbas, Sheikh Ali Massoumian, Sayed Mohammed Mousawi as well as others, and also broadcast live video feeds from the Holy City of Karbala.
The network's line-up includes a several live call-in shows featuring guests who are invited to discuss religious and social matters. The channel, which seems to enjoy great popularity amongst Western-born Muslim youths preaches moderation and has several shows dedicated to women, presented by females from various different backgrounds. "Reverts World" is also a weekly show dedicated to highlighting the challenges faced by converts. Its stated aim is to "serve the new generation of Muslims living in the West, addressing contemporary issues through cutting edge programming and world-class shows".
In early 2010 the channel launched its on-screen news ticker which frequently condemns "terrorist attacks" and extremist Wahhabi statements. The news ticker is focused more on Islamic cultural news than political matters but also features headlines about Muslim communities in the UK and USA.
In terms of financial backing Ahlulbayt TV relies on viewers' donations and frequently asks viewers to partner with it "to keep the mission forging ahead" and materialize its stated motto of "bringing the Holy Household into Every Household".
Source: wikipedia
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