Seventh International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

This paper examines how Islamic televangelism is an emerging phenomenon in Islamic world, penetrating current media practices, and occupying a wide range of intellectual spaces. In this context, its impact on secular minds is worth noticing. However, televangelism is a hybrid concept (from the words ‘television’ and ‘evangelism’) that stands to use television as a mean of propagating the Christian faith (USA). Thus, Islamic televangelism, having a Christian origin, has been a popular method to present and preach Islam. Its role in Indian media sphere is also observable. This started with the launching of Peace TV (January 2006) in India, performed passionately to create a public sphere flavoured with a Salafi civic discourse. It is mainly run by Dr. Zakir Naik. The methodology Naik employs, to define Islam (by using reason) and vision to remove the ‘misconceptions about Islam’ made him popular from Mumbai, Riyadh to New York. The major observation is made due to Naik’s projection of Islam into public visibility, through alternative formulations of Islamic monotheistic concentration. He uses modern means of televisual technique to propagate Islamic dawah (preaching) and its adhered schemes. His presentation also carries some sort of intellective relation, textual affiliation of religious scriptures and texts which are important in the context of Salafi argumentations. In order to help generate new kind of narration over wider Islamic deliberative/rational spaces, the paper reflects on transnational chain of Salafi public throughout the world. Thus, the paper puts Salafi civic discourse into limelight with critiques of Naik’s mission.