http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/05/22/215777.html
--- In [email protected], "Bukan Pedanda" <bukan.pedanda@...> wrote: > > > > Buat Ade Kim Hook - lihat foto penyiarnya.... > > http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/26/228558.html > > > > الخميس 07 > رمضان 1433هـ - 26 > يوليو 2012م > Egypt all-veiled TV aims to cover women's needs > The first Egyptian satellite channel operated by women wearing the niqab, or > face veil, launched on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan. (AP) > > AFP, Cairo > > A satellite channel run and hosted by fully-veiled presenters aims to break > down the barriers for women in niqab who until the revolution that brought > Islamists to power were shunned by Egypt's lucrative television industry. In > the studios of Maria TV in Cairo, which were launched on the first day of > Ramadan last week, two presenters dressed in stark black, their faces covered > but for narrow eye slits and their hands gloved, discuss the editorial > content for the day. The channel named after one of the Prophet Mohammed's > wives is run by women and will only feature niqab-clad presenters, in a first > for Egyptian television more known for its sexy female soap opera stars. > > "The main goal of the channel is to show society that there are women in > niqab who are active, who can have a role in society and be successful and be > doctors, engineers or successful media personalities," said Abeer Shaheer, > the head presenter of the channel. > > Until the revolution that toppled President Hosni Mubarak last year and > brought a Muslim Brotherhood president to power, women donning Islamic > headscarves and particularly full face veils had been firmly kept out of the > media. > > "We have been oppressed for decades. We are not allowed in certain places, we > are treated differently at universities and in government institutions just > because we chose to exercise our freedom and add a bit of religion by wearing > something we believe conforms with Islam," she told AFP. > > Most Muslim women in Egypt wear the hijab, which covers the hair, but the > niqab, which covers the entire face, is becoming more popular on the streets > of Cairo. > > But if the face is something that should not be seen, then why not stick to > radio? > > "That's what some people have said," Shaheer said. "They complain they can't > see the face ... or the body language." > > "So we say `when you watch something, it's the content that matters, not what > the presenter looks like'," she says in a deep, assertive voice. > > Supporters of the niqab say wearing it brings women closer to God but the > majority of mainstream Muslim scholars -- who agree a woman must cover her > hair -- say the niqab is unnecessary. > > Shaheer's colleague, Iman Fahmy, a commerce graduate, is one such advocate of > the niqab. > > She says the channel could help people become closer to God and "follow the > true path." > > "The aim of the channel is to get Muslim women and girls to be virtuous, so > that they can become virtuous mothers and bring up a virtuous generation that > will be efficient in society," said the soft-spoken 28-year old whose black > veil is edged with delicate embroidery. > > "Human communication is through the eyes," she tells detractors of the > channel. > > "It doesn't matter what a woman looks like behind the niqab... the important > thing is a spirit that can communicate the meanings and feelings." > > The channel has heightened fears among some who see it as a further extension > of Islamists' reach since the revolution. > > The Muslim Brotherhood, from which the new president Mohammed Mursi has > emerged, and other Salafi groups won a crushing victory in parliamentary > elections. > > Others believe the channel is an example of the freedom of speech that the > revolution sought to bring about. > > "For years, on official Egyptian media, women who wore a headscarf were taken > away from the camera and given off-camera work. This channel says women who > wear the niqab do exist in Egypt," said Mozn Hassan, executive director of > Nazra, a women's studies center. > > "It's important for people to have the freedom to create such channels and > say what they want," said Hassan, who does not wear a headscarf or niqab. > > Maria TV insists it is not a religious channel, but a women's interest one. > "We are a cultural channel. We have children's programs, sewing programs, > shows on relationships, comedy, politics," said Shaheer. > > "We have everything a woman needs." > > جميع الحقوق > محفوظة > لقناة > العربية © 2010 > ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! 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