Mufti’s New TV Show Highlights Changing Role of Religion in Society
The Mufti of Tunisia, the country’s highest religious authority, will begin hosting a weekly program on a state-run television channel. The move, unimaginable under the previous regime, signifies the growing role of Islam in public life.
Othman Battikh, the Mufti, requested the program so that he might alleviate the confusion in society over conflicting opinions regarding Islamic law, he told Tunisia Live. Many of these opinions, called fatwas, have circulated in the country since the revolution, especially from outside of Tunisia. These are misleading people, said Battikh, and creating strife in the country.
“The media plays a major role in shaping public opinion,” he said, and he hopes the program, broadcast on the state Al Wataniya channel, will provide a voice to counteract these voices. He was granted the program after meeting with the prime minister’s office.
“The Tunisian people are a moderate people,” said the Mufti, who is appointed by the government and regarded as a moderate Islamic voice. “Some of the fatwas are contradictory and out of touch with our culture.”
Under the regime of former president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, religion played a very restricted role in public life. Women were forbidden from wearing the hijab in public for much of his presidency, and men were not permitted to grow an overtly Islamic beard.
Now, the Islamist Ennahdha party is the chief holder of political power in government, expressions of religious faith are largely accepted in public, and the prospect of the Mufti speaking regularly on state television is a reality. Some members of the National Constituent Assembly are willing to go further, advocating the inclusion of a Higher Islamic Council in the constitution that is hoped to be approved later this year.
Tunisians have been exposed to a large number of voices since the revolution, much of them through satellite TV stations coming from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Arab world.
“The media scene has been governed by people who are not qualified to talk about religion,” said Ikbal Gharbi, a professor of anthropology at Zaitouna University. This has increased disorder and division in Tunisian society, she said.
Gharbi believes the Mufti’s television program could help solve some of these problems by giving people a trusted authority on religious issues. It also demonstrates the changing place of religion in post-revolutionary Tunisia.
“This is an age with no morals or values,” she said, “so people need to find comfort in religion and spirituality.” The program, while a new phenomenon, could serve a psychological function and help fill this role, she said.
Gharbi sees one potential problem, however. If the fatwas presented by the Mufti contradict Tunisian law, conflict could arise. This would only add to the difficult questions Tunisia faces about the relationship between Islam and the state.
Roua Khlifi contributed reporting
http://www.tunisia-live.net/2013/04/12/muftis-new-tv-show-highlights-changing-role-of-religion-in-society/
Othman Battikh, the Mufti, requested the program so that he might alleviate the confusion in society over conflicting opinions regarding Islamic law, he told Tunisia Live. Many of these opinions, called fatwas, have circulated in the country since the revolution, especially from outside of Tunisia. These are misleading people, said Battikh, and creating strife in the country.
“The media plays a major role in shaping public opinion,” he said, and he hopes the program, broadcast on the state Al Wataniya channel, will provide a voice to counteract these voices. He was granted the program after meeting with the prime minister’s office.
“The Tunisian people are a moderate people,” said the Mufti, who is appointed by the government and regarded as a moderate Islamic voice. “Some of the fatwas are contradictory and out of touch with our culture.”
Under the regime of former president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, religion played a very restricted role in public life. Women were forbidden from wearing the hijab in public for much of his presidency, and men were not permitted to grow an overtly Islamic beard.
Now, the Islamist Ennahdha party is the chief holder of political power in government, expressions of religious faith are largely accepted in public, and the prospect of the Mufti speaking regularly on state television is a reality. Some members of the National Constituent Assembly are willing to go further, advocating the inclusion of a Higher Islamic Council in the constitution that is hoped to be approved later this year.
Tunisians have been exposed to a large number of voices since the revolution, much of them through satellite TV stations coming from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere in the Arab world.
“The media scene has been governed by people who are not qualified to talk about religion,” said Ikbal Gharbi, a professor of anthropology at Zaitouna University. This has increased disorder and division in Tunisian society, she said.
Gharbi believes the Mufti’s television program could help solve some of these problems by giving people a trusted authority on religious issues. It also demonstrates the changing place of religion in post-revolutionary Tunisia.
“This is an age with no morals or values,” she said, “so people need to find comfort in religion and spirituality.” The program, while a new phenomenon, could serve a psychological function and help fill this role, she said.
Gharbi sees one potential problem, however. If the fatwas presented by the Mufti contradict Tunisian law, conflict could arise. This would only add to the difficult questions Tunisia faces about the relationship between Islam and the state.
Roua Khlifi contributed reporting
http://www.tunisia-live.net/2013/04/12/muftis-new-tv-show-highlights-changing-role-of-religion-in-society/
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/Mufti-s-New-TV-...