The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) should produce TV programs with Islamic content to foster Islamic teachings, ethics and values in the society, especially among families, said Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi, a religious leader in Iran and the Muslim world, and a spiritual guide for Shia Muslims, in a meeting with the IRIB head, according to the official website of the Grand Ayatollah.
The capacities of Hawza or theological school - a traditional Shia center where clergies are trained, should be utilized by IRIB to be directly and indirectly involved in the media programs and to publicize their influential activities to the masses.
He regarded the onslaught of satellite television - which is illegal in Iran - as a threat for the family foundation since they promote immorality through their unethical and non-Islamic content. Therefore, to avoid conscious and unconscious imitation of Western culture, producers of TV programs should focus on Islamic culture to create appropriate content, he added.
Media Mission
Although the West tries to monopolize audiences by making TV programs with a political content, Iran’s broadcast media should provide content, based on religious teachings, which are lesser-known to the non-Muslims, he said.
“Filmmakers should receive both public and professional education to avoid generating Western-like content,” he stressed, noting that the state-owned IRIB is as important “as the military, political and economic issues in portraying a good image of Shia Muslims.”
Pointing to the critical mission of the national media in presenting Islamic teachings, “Qur’anic content should be used in religious programs to express the secrets of the universe to humankind,” said Grand Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi-Amoli, one of the prominent Islamic scholars of the Hawza, at the same meeting, the Hawza News Agency reported.
The IRIB is among the largest media organizations in the Asian and Pacific region. It is an autonomous body whose head is appointed directly by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
