Abstract

The paper focuses on the major elements of a famous religious talk show in the Arab world and its impact on society. It researches the Arabic talk show “Assharia Wal Hayat” (in English: Islamic Law and Life), which has aired every Sunday on the Qatari channel “Al-Jazeera” since 1996. The basic elements of this talk show are the presenters, timing, the guest, and the viewers’ identities. The paper will adopt the Hypodermic Needle Theory in media, analysing how the views or the edicts of the guest can penetrate the head of the audience to “inject” them with beliefs and attitudes. Research about this topic is important for various reasons. Firstly, the talk show is on Al-Jazeera, which is famous and millions of Arabs watch this channel. Secondly, the dominant guest is a well-known Islamic figure, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who holds Muslim Brotherhood thoughts. Thirdly, the digital media enabled the spawning of many Arabic TV channels, some of which started airing religious talk shows, but “Islamic Law and Life” is still number one among them due to the fame of the channel and the guest. Fourthly, “Islamic Law and Life” is not only informative by providing Islamic edicts (Fatwa) on different daily issues, but it also works on shaping the personal identity of the viewers to achieve the objectives and goals of the channel and the guest.