Our plan for Nigerian audience – CEO, Islam Channel

What is your television station model? The model in Islam Channel is a normal modern business outfit. If you have good quality programme, you will have more viewers and when you get more viewers, more potential consumers will come. Those consumers are the advertisers and basically the sponsors. These are the models. Our model is […]

What is your television station model?

The model in Islam Channel is a normal modern business outfit. If you have good quality programme, you will have more viewers and when you get more viewers, more potential consumers will come. Those consumers are the advertisers and basically the sponsors. These are the models. Our model is to sell our advertisers and sponsors who are our financiers. We are a commercially viable channel. But, because we have added another element to it, it is what sustains it. There are no shareholders to get profits or dividends. What comes in stay in and these are the models. When you have better programming, you have more viewers and that leads to more advertisers. These advertisers give more income which we reinvest in programming and that is the psyche.

So, no profit at all?

No. No profit. No one takes anything. No investors as well.

What are your plans for the Africa audience?

We are working on that. We are working on having a localized western African focus. When we say West Africa, the main country is Nigeria. So, are trying to localize the channels. We are thinking of 30 per cent Nigerian content, 20 per cent will be from other West African countries. 50 per cent will be of international content. So it will be local and global at the same time.

What is the position of Islam and communication?

Islam itself is communication. It is based on communication. In fact, one of the meanings of ‘Messenger’ is communication. And we believe communication is revelation, which came from God. And God tasks Angel Gabriel to convey that message and the message was conveyed to the Messenger. The Messenger then conveyed it to His followers and they conveyed it to the rest of the world. Today, Muslims are also required to convey it further. In fact, the message of Islam is communication. Islam is the only religion with the clear Book, written in its original form. And Muslims, generation after generation were communicating the Book through memorizing and through the pronunciations.

What is the channel doing to inform Western countries that Islam is a religion of peace?

Islam by itseIf is a religion of peace. One of the gates to the Kabbah and to the Prophet’s Mosque is ‘Babusallam’, meaning the gate of Assalam. When we meet or greet, we say ‘Assalam.’ When we finish prayers we say ‘Assalam.’ When we finish prayer, we recite ‘Allahuma antasallam, waminka Sallam’ meaning ‘Oh Allah you are the peace maker, you are the source of peace and peace we seek from you.’ So the word is always there.

However, like in any organization, there are people who seek to distort the faith. And that is what we see in so many countries. Sects and groups are coming up with their explanation and interpretations. We have to reject that. However, in the West, there is still complex of superiority. So I think the message to them is from the Book, the same source which says ‘all of you are from Adam, and Adam comes from the earth.’ That is the first message for Islam, so the original root of all mankind is one. The destiny is one. 

But, the Quran does not say because we are not of the same colour, then one should hate and that is the message we want to convey.