LONDON
Morning azan broadcast of British TV channel, "Channel 4" has been welcomed warmly by the Muslim community of the UK.
With the start of the Ramadan, the TV channel began broadcasting the morning azan during suhoor -- meal before dawn during Ramadan -- and also started broadcasting the "Ramadan Diaries" titled program after evening news. Each day, the program broadcasts a short film about how a Muslim person spends his/her day in Britain during the holy month. About 80,000 to 150,000 people watch the morning azan while the "Ramadan Diaries" gets followed by 400 thousand to 500 thousand people.
Replying the questions of Anadolu Agency about the Ramadan programme they prepare, Programme Manager at the Channel 4, Ralph Lee said, they aim to explain Ramadan to Muslims and non-Muslims who live in Britain. The programme is described as following a wide range of British Muslims as they observe Ramadan, going beyond the physical trial of fasting to understand how the fast impacts at a deeper, spiritual level, by the Channel 4.
"There are about 3 million Muslims living in the UK. And their representation in the main stream media is not wide enough. Also, there is a need of questioning the accuracy of relation between Islam and terrorism," emphasized Lee.
"E-mails and responses I receive from Muslims who follow our broadcasts are positive as they were neglected so far," said Lee.
Morning pray in London streets from a Muezzin
The Ramadan broadcasts and morning azan of Channel 4 were criticized as it would "raise tension between extreme rightists and Muslims following the death of British troop Lee Rigby in Woolwich." Program manager Lee drew attentions to the decision of their broadcasts which was taken way before the Woolwich incident and added, after the incident they discussed about broadcasting it or not, yet in the framework of explaining Islam in the most correct way, it would be better to broadcast.
The video of the morning azan ran by the British channel has a Muezzin reciting azan in the streets of London, in front of the most popular areas of London, the Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus and the Shard.
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