CAIRO – The many new private television channels in Egypt have been accused of seeking to sow the seeds of sectarianism here. Hours after the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak, dozens of new private channels started competing on air. Perplexed local viewers are frantically following sensational talk shows and the self-proclaimed spokespersons of the recent revolution. The new spirit, powered by the revolution, is said to be behind the extraordinary multiplication of these private channels. However, media experts and professors are suspicious about the channels chiefly concerned about religious affairs. Warning that these channels are systematically attempting to exploit the people's faith and minds, worried media experts are campaigning for a code of ethics, which could put an end to the chaos on the airwaves. Furthermore, Al-Akhbar newspaper was told that, without strict rules and ethics to be announced immediately, the contents of these religious programmes could eventually lead to more tragic sectarian strife. Prof. Hassan Ali Mohamed, head of the Media Department in Minya University, has advised media officials at home to follow the example of foreign countries. The professor explains that, in these countries, agencies for safeguarding viewers maintain a healthy control on items and programmes broadcast by the private channels there. The professor has fears that religious television channels are manufacturing hatred in Egyptian society. The professor is planning to form a broadcasting control agency at home. “Whether TV viewers or radio listeners, Egyptians should be protected from these channels that manufacture hatred,” he stresses. Television evangelists, whether Muslim or Copts, are said to be the pioneers of the hate campaign. The professor describes the programmes broadcast by religious channels as 'poisonous media'. He also warns that the chaos on air is getting worse, because the owners of these channels hire unqualified preachers to 'preach' nonsense about the other. He doesn't rule out the possibility that Jewish media tycoons and entrepreneurs overseas have been exploiting their giant, influential media tools to fan the flames of sectarianism in Egypt. Prof. Mohamed warns of a civil war if the insults on air don't stop. “There are bishops, who try to cast doubt on the divine message revealed by the Prophet Mohamed,” he says, adding that, on the other side of the river, Muslim ultra-fundamentalists cast aspersions on Christianity and Christians.
