Channel 4 to broadcast daily Muslim call to prayer during Ramadan



Call to prayer usually delivered from a mosque and relayed by loudspeaker

Five calls a day but Channel 4 will only broadcast the morning call for the 30 days of Ramadan



Broadcaster had been criticised in the past for giving airtime to extreme Islamist views

Channel 4 is to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer during Ramadan this year, it revealed yesterday.

It is believed to be the first time a mainstream British television channel has broadcast the Islamic call to prayer.

Starting next week, the broadcaster will transmit the morning call to prayer daily for the 30 days of Ramadan.

Morning call: Channel 4 will broadcast the first call to prayer for the 30 days of Ramadan. There are five calls to prayer each day

Channel 4’s head of factual programming Ralph Lee said the channel would act as a ‘nationwide tannoy system’ for Britain’s 2.8million Muslims while they observed Ramadan.

He said almost five per cent of the British population would ‘actively engage’ in Ramadan this month, adding: ‘Can we say the same of other national events that have received blanket coverage on television such as the Queen’s coronation anniversary?’

Critics questioned whether the decision to transmit the call to prayer was a ‘publicity-seeking stunt’ by the controversial broadcaster.

Mr Lee said Ramadan usually received minimal coverage on Britain’s main television channels and said he believed Channel 4’s series of programmes during July and August was chance for Britain’s moderate Muslims to be heard.

Earlier this year the channel was criticised for giving militant Anjem Choudary, the former head of banned Islamist organisation Al Muhajiroun, a platform to air his views.

Choudary and radical Islamist Abu Nusaybah were given a slot of the broadcaster’s 4thought.TV, a two-minute opinion show which airs immediately after Channel 4 News’ nightly bulletin.

Mr Lee told the Radio Times that most television coverage of Islam was linked to terrorism or extremism.

He said: ‘Even when moderate Muslims do appear, it’s often only to provide a counterpoint to these issues.

'Nationwide tannoy system': Channel 4 says it wants to cater to the 2.8million Muslims who observe Ramadan.There are restrictions on religious programming, including a ban on seeking recruits

‘Following the horrific events in Woolwich and subsequent reprisals against British Muslims, there has surely never been a more pressing need to give a voice to the moderate mainstream majority.’

The call to prayer is usually delivered from a mosque and is sometimes relayed by loudspeaker.

There are five calls to prayer a day but Channel 4 said it would only broadcast the first morning call to prayer each day. All the daily prayers will be played on the channel’s website.

It will be delivered by musician Hassen Rasool and accompanied by a three-minute video showing him outside various London landmarks, including St Paul’s Cathedral.

The first broadcast will be next Tuesday (July 9), the first day of Ramadan, at 3am.

Muslims around the world fast between sunrise and sunset during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar.

Channel 4 will also include the sunrise and sunset times during its weather reports.

The broadcaster said it had consulted Muslim clerics about its series of Ramadan programmes.

Mr Lee said: ‘The calls to prayer prompt Muslims to carry out quiet moments of worship, but hopefully they’ll also make other viewers sit up and notice that this event is taking place.

Controversial: Channel 4 came under fire after giving airtime to militant Anjem Choudary

‘No doubt Channel 4 will be criticised for focusing attention on a “minority” religion but that’s what we’re here to do - provide space for the alternative and a voice to the under-represented.’

His comments attracted some criticism among far-Right groups and commentators.

A group called Britain First, which describes itself as a ‘patriotic political movement’, said on Twitter: ‘Get ready for a month’s worth of TV programmes pandering to Islam courtesy of Channel 4.’

The group’s followers expressed outrage about the decision, including calls for a boycott of Channel 4.

There are restrictions on religious programming on British television, including a ban on seeking recruits.

Religious organisations are banned from running national terrestrial stations, although there are some religious radio stations and satellite or digital channels.

There is also a legal requirement for the BBC and ITV to broadcast a certain amount of religious programming.

The new Archbishop of Canterbury warned earlier this year that dropping religion from television schedules would have ‘dangerous’ consequences and would ‘cultivate ignorance’.

The Most Reverend Justin Welby praised ITV’s Strictly Kosher and Channel 4’s show Islam: The Untold Story as examples of good religious programming.

Terry Sanderson, president of the National Secular Society, questioned whether Channel 4’s decision to broadcast the call to prayer was a ‘publicity-seeking stunt’.

He said: ‘It seems reasonable that there should be some acknowledgment on TV of the needs of the growing Muslim population in Britain, although one can’t help wondering whether this is just another of Channel 4’s publicity-seeking stunts.