Since the ouster of Islamist president Mohammad Morsi, several pro-Muslim Brotherhood TV channels have been launched with the aim of supporting "his legitimacy", condemning what they see as a coup, and urging Morsi's loyalists to keep steadfast. Ahrar 25, Al-Shar'iyah, Rabaa, Mikammilin and Al-Sharq are pro-Brotherhood satellite TV channels. The first four are operational, while Al-Sharq TV is still in the testing phase. However, the four channels that are currently in operation mostly offer low-quality programming and relatively similar stereotypical content with slight differences. Pro-Morsi channels were taken off air following his removal from power by the army on 3 July 2013 in the wake of mass protests against his troubled one-year rule. Later, some channels managed to broadcast from abroad. Ahrar 25 replaced formerly Misr 25 TV, which was taken off air the day Morsi was deposed. Some of the new channel's presenters carried over from the former channel. The channel focuses more on live and recent Brotherhood protests even during its regular programming. It has long been claiming to be jammed by the Egyptian authorities until it was completely taken off air on 9 February. But, it has continued to broadcast online. Al-Shar'iyah TV was launched in mid-July 2013 to be an alternative to Misr 25 TV. The name Al-Shar'iyah means "The Legitimacy" in Arabic. On its Facebook page, the station introduces itself as an "Egyptian channel, defending legitimacy against the military coup, and supporting the elected president Muhammad Morsi". The channel mainly broadcasts documentaries trying to give the impression that Morsi's removal was an international conspiracy. It also airs footage of pro-Morsi protests and the security forces' violence against peaceful demonstrators. Many political satirical shows, even including parts of US shows subtitled in Arabic, are frequently broadcast on the channel throughout the day. The channel posts a few episodes of a talk show entitled "Egyptian Dossiers" on its YouTube channel, presented by some unknown presenters. Rabaa TV started testing on 10 November 2013, aired promos on December 13 carrying its slogan "Rabaa, the pulse of freedom", and then started its official broadcasts on December 20. The channel is reportedly broadcasting from Istanbul, although some programmes seem to be recorded or broadcast from Doha and the UK. Some presenters are known to be based in Qatar and some other programmes show a contact number with a UK dial code on the screen. It also airs live and recent footage of pro-Brotherhood protests in Egypt and elsewhere, with the screen sometimes being split up in several parts. The channel can be described as the most hard-line among all the pro-Brotherhood TV channels. Egyptian well-known hard-line televangelist Wagdy Ghoneim presents a programme entitled "Revolutionary Lessons". Despite his sense of humour, Ghoneim often uses insults against opponents and refers to Coptic Christians as "crusaders". A show entitled "Egypt is Islamic" was presented by a hard-line fugitive member of the Islamic Group (Al-Jama'ah al-Islamiyah) Assem Abdel-Majid. In the few episodes he made, he used hard-line rhetoric and tried to promote a conspiracy theory, describing Morsi's overthrow as an attempt by "international Zionism to nip the Islamic experiment in the bud" and a "war on Islam". Abdel-Majid no longer appears on the channel perhaps after Egypt requested the Interpol to arrest him. Mikammilin TV started broadcasting on 11 February 2014 and is considered the most moderate among the four channels. The name Mikammilin means "We Are Continuing [the path]", in reference to Brotherhood supporters' continuing protests to achieve what they call "the restoration of legitimacy and defeat of the military coup". On its Facebook page, the channel describes itself as an "Egyptian national, political, youth-oriented TV station (broadcasting) from the heart of Cairo and all squares around the world". The channel adopts an enthusiastic tone and urges Brotherhood followers to continue their anti-coup path. It broadcasts light-content material including pro-Brotherhood rap and mixed English-Arabic songs as well as nationalist songs. Mikammilin seems to be relatively moderate as it shows Coptic Christians, including females, as well as women who do not wear the headscarf (hijab). The channel's website does not mention who its owners are or where it broadcasts from. Pro-Brotherhood Amlalummah website quoted "those who are launching the channel as saying that the channel would rely on what they call "citizen journalists", meaning that that "the audience will be the production team who will decide the final output to be aired on the channel". Al-Sharq TV is currently testing on a satellite frequency used earlier by Rabaa TV. The name Al-Sharq means "The East". Al-Sharq TV's backer, pro-Brotherhood businessman Bassem Khafaji, said earlier it would start regular programming on 25 January 2014, the third anniversary of the uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to step down three years ago. But it is still in testing mode, with the screen showing the name "Al-Sharq" in Arabic and "El Sharq" in smaller Latin letters underneath and the channel's slogan "Truth and Hope" appearing in this promotional screening. On its Facebook page, Al-Sharq TV introduces itself as "Egyptian news, fast-moving, objective channel" against a background carrying the channel's slogan "Truth and Hope". On his Facebook page, Khafaji wrote that the channel would be "the voice of the conservative trend". The four operating channels carry the four-finger logo known as "Rabaa Sign". Made by raising the hand with four outstretched fingers, the sign has become a widely-used symbol adopted by Morsi's supporters and their sympathizers. The name refers to Rabaa al-Adawiyah Square in Cairo where Morsi's supporters were dispersed by force in mid-August, leaving many dead. Almost all the channels air few programmes that are sometimes replayed several times on a daily basis. No correspondents appear on any channel to offer updates on any event. The four channels broadcast very similar shows that pour criticism on the Egyptian mainstream media (especially talk show hosts of private TVs), the military and the government. Most of the channels broadcast documentaries featuring relatives of "martyrs", former detainees, and former protesters who participated in pro-Morsi sit-ins. All the channels show gruesome footage of the victims who fell during the dispersal of pro-Morsi protest camps by force on August 14 2013. They all broadcast almost the same songs that eulogize "martyrs", condemn the "killers", and urge Morsi loyalists to keep steadfast and continue the anti-coup path, with footage of victims and protests in background. The judiciary, the Coptic pope, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, and former Mufti are often targeted. Most of the pundits and activists interviewed in the studio, by telephone or via Skype often appear on all the channels. The four channels describe anything related to the Egyptian government as "coup-related", such as "minister of the coup", "government of the coup", "public prosecutor of the coup". The channels have Facebook and YouTube pages. Being broadcast from abroad with reported backing from Qatar and Turkey - the two countries that are seen by the post-Morsi regime as conspirators against Egypt - the pro-Brotherhood TV channels seem to be facing a long-term exile, especially as no national reconciliation appears on the horizon. The head of the state-run think tank Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies Diya Rashwan, an expert in Islamist groups, cited the choice of Turkey as a headquarters of Rabaa TV, with most probably Qatari backing, as a sign that the Brotherhood entered an "unprecedented era in its history both in Egypt and abroad". "This means directly that the group and its leaders have decided to turn from a significant number in Egypt's political game for more than 70 years to a small, marginal number in the game of nations," Rashwan said.
