Middle Eastern media is reporting that the Muslim World League (MWL) has announced plans to establish a television channel and new media units in order to “spread the message of Islam and defend Muslim causes.” According to a MENAFN report:
MENAFN – Arab News – 07/03/2013 Dr. Hassan Al-Ahdal (MENAFN – Arab News) The International Media Organization, an affiliate of the Makkah-based Muslim World League, has announced plans to establish a television channel and media production and training units as part of a program to spread the message of Islam and defend Muslim causes, said Dr. Hassan Al-Ahdal, the organization’s secretary-general. ‘Our immediate aim is to set up two units for training and production. There is a lack of good television programs in the Islamic world,’ Dr. Hassan Al-Ahdal, the organization’s secretary general, said in an exclusive interview with Arab News. ‘After that is up and running, we will establish a channel for MWL and its sister organizations.’ He emphasized the importance of having a strong media to defend Islamic causes and mobilize public opinion. ‘Media is a powerful institution that plays an important role in world affairs. It influences cultures and traditions,’ he said.] l-Ahdal said the MWL established the organization as part of its efforts to strengthen Islamic media. ‘Most media organizations in the Muslim world reproduce what has been produced by foreign news agencies and television stations,’ he said. ‘Our media has very little impact on world affairs and even on Islamic societies. In light of this pathetic situation, the MWL decided to establish the new media organization,’ he explained. IMO will coordinate with media organizations in the Islamic world and contribute to developing Islamic media, defending Islamic causes and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), using modern methods.=’Our organization will also work to develop media activities, deepen Islamic and moderate values and correct the wrong image of Islam among the public, win international support for Islamic issues and promote world peace and stability,’ he said. ‘We’ll use various means to achieve our goals and make use of modern media and information technology. We’ll also work to promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue and organize media seminars and conferences.’
Read the rest here.
A post from September 2012 reported that the leader of the MWL had called on Muslims to refrain from violence in connection with a controversial film aired on YouTube but also urged international organizations to “take legal action in order to prevent the display of the offensive film.”
The Muslim World League was established in 1962 as a means for the propagation of Saudi “Wahabbi” Islam. Muslim Brothers played an important role in its founding and, to date, the League has been strongly associated with the Brotherhood.