CAIRO - TV viewers have noticed that local screens have a new look in the downfall of the Mubarak regime, which has raised much controversy about the quality of the material offered and the identity of guests appearing on talk shows. The arena has now become open for faces that were banned from State-run TV. The emergence, however, of certain religious tendencies in the current political and social picture, which were formerly obscure, has lured terrestrial and satellite channels to highlight their proponents' views. Egyptian viewers were accustomed to Azharite sheikhs characterised by their moderate views of Islam and of life at large. Today the fundamentalist Salafists and members of the Brotherhood Group that adopt a relatively rigid attitude have tainted screens with a totally different touch. Although people are much in favour of the openness of the local media, they are divided over its transformation influence on mainstream society thought in terms of the promotion of extremism. In the opinion of the media expert Yasser Abdel-Aziz, excessive presentation of persons of religious reference represents what he has termed a ‘non-professional curve'. “Raising the ceiling of free expression in the wake of the revolution has lured the mass media in general to pick up thrilling stories and offer sensational material that drifts from the basic target of the media service in favour of commercial prospects,” he told Al-Ahali leftist Arabic newspaper. He believes that lifting the lid off a once tightly- controlled media has generated a fervent tendency to the opposite direction. Nevertheless, Abdel-Aziz finds that, as far as political life is concerned, the presence of Salafists or adherents of other religious sects side by side with politicians of different orientations is an asset to the present air of freedom. “This enables broader views to be given to the public that can accordingly take a first-hand idea of ideologies and thought adopted by individuals or groups.” He argued, however, that putting these persons under the spotlight poses a danger especially given that the ruling authority has also resorted to, for instance, a Salafist, such as Sheikh Hassan to mediate in several sectarian clashes, that have taken place of late. In his view the authority has opened the way for a kind of religious thought which a large sector of the people deem ‘destructive'. “Their emerging is a double-edged weapon', he believes. Rim Maged, a talk-show presenter on a private-owned satellite TV is against the exclusion of any political or religious trend from public life. “All, viewpoints have to be put forth in a balanced way in order to help viewers form their own opinions”. She believes that the function of the media, the TV in particular, which is a major source of knowledge for Egyptians, is to present rich and unbiased dialogue for the sake of objectivity. Magda Kheirallah, a celebrated film critic, has stated that she is against marginalising those promoting certain trends even if their thought is not highly appreciated on the street. She said that a chance should be given to these people, contends who are usually left in the shadows, to lay open what they believe in. “It is left then to smart viewers to judge the mentality and dogma of whoever wishes to play an active part in the political and social life of present-day Egypt. The shift in the policy of Egyptian TV from one limited to reflecting State view to one opening up to different trends has caused some kind of confusion in the minds of viewers. They say that the local channels are not yet capable of competing with satellite channels that had already taken large strides on the road to free expression.
