Malaysia Will Have First Islamic Television Station

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will have the first Islamic television station in the world soon to enhance people's understanding of Islam, especially the Islam Hadhari approach.

The executive chairman of World Islamic Network Television Sdn Bhd (WINTV) Datuk Paduka Khairuddin Abu Hassan said the time had come for Malaysia as a model Islamic country to have an Islamic-based television station.

"This station will broadcast Islamic programmes in a moderate way which can be understood by and impress all the races in the country," he said in a statement issued here Friday.

Earlier, Khairuddin had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Islamic Missionary Foundation Malaysia (Yadim) at the World Al-Azhar University Alumni Conference 2008 which was opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The MoU is for developing a television station between WINTV and Yadim and it would be known as Al-Falah Television.

Khairuddin said Malaysia would be cooperating with the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) countries for the exchange of programmes so as to introduce each other's culture, traditions, way of life, political system and religious practices.

"This will eventually turn Malaysia into a hub for the collection of television programmes from Islamic nations and export centre for quality programmes to Europe, the United States and East Asia."

He said Al-Falah Television would attract viewers from Southeast Asia including Indonesia, Mindanao in the Philippines, Singapore, Brunei and southern Thailand.