Jama’a al-Islamiya and its political wing, the Construction and Development party, have proposed establishing new satellite channels and newspapers to counter what they claim is an “anti-Islamist media.”
The media outlets would be financed by Islamist businessmen and would be a collaboration between Muslim Brotherhood members and other hardline Islamist parties, said Khaled al-Sherif, Construction and Development Party spokesperson.
“A media coordination authority will be founded to coordinate between [different] parties and the Jam’aa al-Islamiya to unite the Islamic discourse, and to confront the anti-Islamist media to counter the rumors that smear Islam’s image,” Sherif told-Al-Masry Al-Youm.
He added that a similar initiative is already in place in Turkey, funded by Islamist businessmen who have a specific interest in funding Islamist media platforms. Investing in Islamist media will provide more balanced news coverage and reduce media attacks against Islamists, Sherif asserted.
“Recent events haven’t given us the chance to organize. However, we will implement the initiative within the coming days, draw up an honorable media charter and ask that the law be enforced for some media institutions whose financial sources are doubted,” Sherif claimed.
Mohamed Hassan, spokesperson for Jama’a al-Islamiya, added that there have been earlier attempts to launch Islamist media platforms. However, funding has always proved a stumbling block, as well as receiving widespread approval from all Islamist movements, Hassan said.
“Media is financed by local and foreign authorities to create the so-called the fourth war, so Egypt wouldn’t achieve political or economic progress,” Hassan claimed.
Parallel to Jama’a al-Islamiya’s announcement of its endeavor, the reform forces committee in Daqahlia — which is comprised of representatives from five different Islamist parties — said it also would establish three satellite TV channels and two newspapers to stand up against the anti-Islamist secular media.
The committee held its third meeting in Mansoura on Wednesday to coordinat efforts against what its members called “thuggery by liberal and secular parties against Islamists.”
Sources that attended the meeting said committee members expressed anger against the biased media coverage of recent protests and violent clashes. The parties called on President Mohamed Morsy to put an end to anti-Islamist media practices and sue channels and newspapers for the lies they spread.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
