ARAV Authority Enjoins National TV Channels Not To Host Extremist Preachers, Swindlers And Quacks

The Audiovisual Regulatory Authority (ARAV) on Sunday recalled the rules of “treatment of the religious fact” by the national audiovisual media outlets, by calling for religion “to be sheltered from any attempt of abuse of process on the occasion of the upcoming legislative elections in Algeria”.

In a document entitled “Some observations on the treatment of religious beliefs in the audiovisual media”, the ARAV Authority stated that “these observations seem all the more timely to us because our country is preparing to witness the holding of new legislative elections in which religion must be protected from any attempt to exploit it “.

“The purpose of this document is to report on the exploratory phase of listening and exchanges conducted by the ARAV in coordination with its official partners, notably the Islamic Higher Council, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments, a number of personalities and experts concerned with this sector (theologians, sociologists, psychologists, lawyers, media specialists, imams, preachers “…).

ARAV “considers it useful and necessary” to communicate the results of its work in order to “share with all the media players its proactive vision on this highly sensitive subject, with a view to launching a new dynamic for better taking charge of the religious question by TV and radio channels, both private and public, “the document said.

Measuring “positively, on the whole, some improvement at this level”, the ARAV notes that “although still shy and wavering, this recorded progress remains noteworthy and must in this sense be respected and encouraged.”

ARAV declares itself “available” to collaborate with its media partners, with a view to “optimizing programs of a religious nature, both in terms of follow-up and support, to the extent of its means and skills”.

For the ARAV, there is “a moral imperative for our collective responsibility to protect, safeguard and value, together, our national identity shaped over the centuries by Islam.”

According to the ARAV, “the sacred and inviolable character of our ancestral spiritual heritage is found in the Constitution in clear and precise terms”, as stipulated in article 50, which states that “the dissemination of information, ideas, pictures and opinions are guaranteed within the framework of the law and respect for the religious, moral, and cultural values  of the nation. “

While recalling that Islam is “one of its fundamental components alongside Arabism and Amazighity”, ARAV emphasizes that “it cannot be admitted that religion is the subject of speculation or media manipulation for political or partisan purposes”.

“Over time, we hope to see our preachers spontaneously leading a doctrinal discourse in accordance with local beliefs and showing no intellectual allegiance to currents of thought hostile to modernity, civil concord or our ancestral traditions, including our dress style,” the Authority underlined.

“Any preacher with an excommunicatory discourse is forbidden, in fact, from national audiovisual outlets, whether Algerian or foreign (…) as well as the legions of exorcists, conspirators, magi, sorcerers, soothsayers, enchanters, false prophets, dream merchants and other pseudo therapists and self-proclaimed healers who may all fall under the law in the event of mental manipulation, abuse or drifts of all kinds, so that they will all end up being unmasked and put out of harm’s way “.

The ARAV says, in this regard, “that we cannot accept the right to stultify Algerian society, even by religion.” Free the faith of charlatanism and all kinds of phantasmagoria: such Is the direction of our opinion. Everyone agrees to the obligation to observe this code of ethics “.

The ARAV adds that it has “observed that spirituality is very often absent from our religious programs, not to mention the almost non-existent Islamic philosophy on our television sets, which in the long run risks reducing the faith to simple gestures and automatic practices, devoid of meaning “.

Noting that “the jurisprudence is only one branch among others in the nomenclature of religious sciences”, the ARAV noteD that it “cannot, under any circumstances, alone, grab the monopoly of the religious fact in its absolute totality”.

For the same body, “religion cannot be reduced to mere cyclical advice, it must be open to all aspects of life, so as not to allow our media space to be monopolized by a discourse of despair, fanaticism, extremism, sectarianism, hatred, violence, delirium, dereliction, segregation and misogyny which gives a degrading image of women and undermines the dignity of the human person, yet formally enshrined in the holy Quran “.

Emphasizing that “spirituality encompasses faith, art and civilization”, ARAV notes that this spirituality “is meant to address all expressions of Islamic culture and metaphysical knowledge and cannot be limited to ritual questions as it would seem to be the case today”.

The ARAV also wonders, “Are we compelled to call on sulfurous preachers, often without any academic training and not even mastering the elementary techniques of modern communication? We should rather invite Islamologists, seasoned academics and university researchers to raise the level of thought, rationalize the discourse and optimize the analysis?

ARAV believes that “glorifying Islam does not mean attacking other religions; either castigate their sacred symbols or heap outrage on their dogmas and beliefs.”

Thus, it noted, that “defending the national referent, although being a citizen duty, does not give right either to insults against other obediences of Islam, whatever they may be, even those that are theologically dissimilar”.

“All religions must be respected without exception, and all the currents of thought of Islam and all its branches and ways must be revered and honored,” the ARAV added.

“We must work through our audiovisual programs in favor of the establishment of a universal brotherhood, so much desired by the Emir Abdelkader, the founder of the modern Algerian state, in order to deny the theory of the” clash of civilizations ” by bringing hope to the world and acting for the good, not by becoming involved in division and discord which are practices contrary to the teaching of Islam, foreign to our morals and opposed to the inheritance spirituality of our forefathers,” it recommended.

For the ARAV, “the credibility of our TV and radio channels and, more importantly, the reputation of our country, the exemplarity of its diplomacy, its deserved place in the concert of nations and its respect for the International law on freedom of conscience guaranteed by the Constitution, which states in article 42 that “freedom of conscience and freedom of opinion shall be inviolable. Freedom of worship is guaranteed in accordance with the law. “

The TV channels “are therefore invited to show wisdom and discernment by offering a moderate speech at all levels, advocating the values of love, peace, tolerance and promoting the dialogue of religions and the culture of living ” the ARAV pointed out.

“This is the creed and the code of ethics that the ARAV intends to submit to the actors of the audiovisual space as a collaborative working platform involving all parties and institutions dealing directly or indirectly with the religious fact, it said. 

Finally, ARAV expresses the wish to “safeguard the national media landscape in the face of the increasing rise of this global peril that threatens the security of our country and of our society”.