Saudi Prince Launches Propaganda Channel
Charles Johnson
Wed Mar 8, 2006 at 1:25 pm PST • Views: 399
Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, whose $10 million donation was rejected by Rudy Giuliani after 9/11, is now spending a tiny part of his immense oil wealth to launch another Islamic satellite channel: Al-Resalah Launched.
RIYADH, 7 March 2006 — Prince Alwaleed ibn Talal, CEO of Kingdom Holding Company, officially launched yesterday an Islamic satellite channel to project Islam as a religion of moderation and tolerance.
Al-Resalah (The Message) Channel had made its debut informally on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference at the headquarters of Kingdom Holding Company, Prince Alwaleed said the 24-hour channel would target the Arab audience, especially the youth, by projecting “our Arab heritage through a modern medium.” It will be the forerunner of an English-language Islamic channel for the Western audience at a later stage.
Pointing out that the channel would seek to project the true message of Islam and its teachings, the prince said it would provide a platform for a dialogue on a range of religious, social and economic issues that affect everyday life. But more important, its priority would be to counteract the misconceptions of Islam in other societies.
Elaborating on Prince Alwaleed’s comments, Shoura Council member Walid Hashem told Arab News that the channel would feature cartoons and animated films with a moral content. These programs would be procured from TV companies operating in Turkey and unspecified Arab countries.
Frank says: