Insidious programming: Religious scholars call for boycott of Geo TV

The Fatwa Council calls for a countrywide strike on Friday against Geo TV.

LAHORE: Renowned religious scholars on Thursday asked the public to boycott Geo TV and advertisers who are funding the network’s campaign in response to the airing of blasphemous content in a morning show a day earlier.

Appearing on a private TV channel, the scholars accused Geo TV of disrespecting the family of the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

The host of the programme, Mubasher Lucman, said that being a Muslim one cannot be disrespectful towards the family of the Holy Prophet (SAW). This malicious campaign by Geo TV has united the Muslims of all sects around the globe, he said.

He said that while Geo TV ran the controversial episode for hours, the network ran an apology for a mere 36 seconds. He claimed the episode was part of Geo TV’s malicious campaign, aimed at damaging Pakistani society and said that it was aired despite Pemra regulations prohibiting such content. Lucman added that Geo TV had a history of inciting sectarianism and fostering hatred among people from various sects.

Speaking on the show, Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat chief Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi said one cannot claim to be a Muslim without being respectful towards the Holy Prophet (pbuh), his family and his companions. “I was against blocking Geo TV at first, but now I am entirely from stopping the network’s transmission,” he said.

Plea for countrywide strike

The Fatwa Council has called for a countrywide strike on Friday against Geo TV. They said they will also take an oath of boycotting Geo TV and advertisers who run their campaigns on the network after Friday prayers. They pointed out that forgiveness was out of the question since the entire Muslim Ummah had been affected by Geo TV’s actions.

President of the Cable Operators Association Khalid Arain has also called a meeting of cable operators from across the country to discuss the matter.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2014.