Ahlulbayt TV

Ahlulbayt TV
Launched	10 July 2010 (2010-07-10)
Slogan	The Holy Household for Every Household
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Broadcast area	UK, US, East Africa, Middle East, Australia
Headquarters	London
Website	ahlulbayt.tv
Availability
Satellite
Sky	Channel 831
Eutelsat 28A	11344 V 27500 2/3
Cable
CTV DAR	Channel 69
CTN MSA	Channel 45
Zuku Cable	Channel 82
Streaming media
Internet	Watch live
OnDemand	ahlulbayt.tv/ondemand

Ahlulbayt Television Network is the first and on exclusively English-language Shia Islamic television channel. The channel was launched with much fanfare on Sky in the UK in August 2009 and two months later on the Galaxy 19 platform covering North America from its London headquarters. A few months into its operations it also expanded to Atlantic Bird 4A (Nilesat) which covers the Middle East and North Africa. Australian broadcaster IMTV signed an exclusive distribution contract in June 2010, and broadcasting of the channel commenced on the 10th of JULY 2010 on Intelsat 8 12575 MHZ in MPEG2 and FTA covering the ANZ region. However IMTV announced their plans to encrypt the channel and upgrade to H.264 broadcasting mid August. The channel will be included in a package to be announced at a later date.

The nonprofit religious channel, whose name is Arabic for the 'Holy Household', referring to the progeny of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad, is staffed by British and American professionals from many different backgrounds. In an interview in 2004 with an online Kuwaiti magazine, Sayed Mahdi al-Modarresi, the channel's founder had announced plans to launch the channel to "show the true, undistorted nature of Islam and Islamic civilization to the West".

Ahlulbayt TV frequently features many prominent Shia Muslims scholars and speakers including Sayed Fadhel Milani, Sayed Mahdi Modarresi, Ummulbanin Merali, Sayed Mustafa Qazwini, the late Barrister Murtaza Lakha, Hajji Mohammed al-Hilli, Sayed Mohammad Razavi, Sayed Zafar Abbas, Sheikh Ali Massoumian, Sayed Mohammed Mousawi, Rebecca Masterton, Zahra Al Alawi, Amina Inloes, as well as others, and also broadcast live video feeds from the Holy City of Karbala.

The network's line-up includes a several live call-in shows featuring guests who are invited to discuss religious and social matters. The channel preaches moderation and has several shows dedicated to women, presented by females from various backgrounds. "Reverts World" is also a weekly show dedicated to highlighting the challenges faced by converts.

In early 2010 the channel launched its on-screen news ticker which frequently condemns "terrorist attacks" and extremist Wahhabi statements. The news ticker is focused more on Islamic cultural news than political matters but also features headlines about Muslim communities in the UK and USA.

In terms of financial backing Ahlulbayt TV relies on viewers' donations and frequently asks viewers to partner with it "to keep the mission forging ahead" and materialize its stated motto of "bringing the Holy Household into Every Household".

Programming

Current Shows

Weekdays
GMT	Program	Host(s)	Location	Description
8:00 a.m. Everyday	Morning Break	Humera Mirza and Fatima Rizvi	London	This show really is jam packed with info to attend to your everyday lifestyle needs.
4:30 p.m. Everyday	Raihana's Cuisine	Raihana Mulla	London	A Cooking show.
7:30 p.m. Monday	Perspectives	Narjis Butt and Fatemeh Jami	London	A live show with a panel of guests, who discuss reality topics based on different perspectives of their life experiences with hindsight.
6:30p.m. Tuesday	Eyewitness	Ali Ridha Jaffer	London	Eyewitness brings first hand accounts and expert opinions on the events shaping our lives, from the big picture to the stories around your street.
1:00 a.m. Wednesday	The Big Question	Ali Ridha Jaffer	London	The Big Question takes the most controversial ideas and issues, and deconstructs them through a feisty debate between our host, an exclusive guest and of course, the viewers. Each show is LIVE and welcomes calls from audiences.
7:00 p.m. Wednesday	In the Know	Nouri Sardar	London	The weekly youth show - about the community, for the community - aimed both at the student and the graduate, examining the contemporary and debated topics in our circles today, ranging from the controversial to the socially acceptable. Presented as weekly documentaries and open debates.
7:00 p.m. Thursday	Woman's View	Zahra Al-Alawi, Fatemeh Jami, and Zahira Mamdani	London	A LIVE show that exists as a forum, a solace and a discussion space for the community displaying the Woman's View on some of the most pressing topics from religious to social.
1 a.m. Thursday	The Awaited	Rebecca Masterton	London	A weekly exclusive show about the Awaited Imam Mehdi (atf) with respected guests joins to enlighten the viewers with stories and facts about the Imam the time.
7:00 p.m. Friday	Reborn	Rauf Shokoya	London	Reborn speaks to those among us who have returned to the eternal faith and how they came to where they are.
7:30 p.m. Friday	Behind the Headlines	Ali Ridha Jaffer	London	Behind the Headlines is the flagship program of the channel, and brings together experts, analysts and luminaries from across the community to weigh in on matters relating to the ummah, be they social, political or economic. Each show is LIVE and welcomes calls from the audiences.
11:00 p.m. Friday	Role Models	Nouri Sardar	London	All-new show profiling the greatest companions of the Holy Household with revered scholars.
Saturday
GMT	Program	Host(s)	Location	Description
7:30 p.m. Saturday	Ahlulbayt Live	Rebecca Masterton	London	Ahlulbayt TV LIVE where we interview various intellectuals and scholars on current hot topics in this contemporary society.

Staff

Presenters

• Rebecca Masterton
• Zahra Al-Alawi
• Abd Al-Rauf Shokoya
• Ali Ridha Jaffer
• Fatemeh Jami
• Narjis Butt
• Sadeqa Jagani
• Raihana Mawjee

External links

• Official site
• Council of European Jamaats Press Release
• World Federation of KSIAM Press Release