Peace TV

Peace TV was founded on 21 January 2006. One of the first network broadcasts was Zakir Naik's debate on the "Concept of God".{{cite web |date=13 December 2006 |title=An Inter – Religious dialogue for Spiritual Enlightenment |url=http://www.thetruecall.com/home/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=167 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191816/http://www.thetruecall.com/home/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=167 |archive-date=2 January 2014 |access-date=19 May 2007 |work=The True Call |df=dmy-all}} The debate was broadcast live on Peace TV. It was launched on Arabsat's BADR-3 satellite in October 2006. In June 2009, Peace TV English became the first religious satellite channel to broadcast in HD resolution.{{Citation |title=Peace TV English, Urdu, Bangla & Chinese now in HD in Asia, Middle East and Africa from October 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWEekBO9P2g |language=en |access-date=2021-07-18}} The same month, Pakistan launched Peace TV Urdu.{{Citation |title=Peace TV English, Urdu, Bangla & Chinese now in HD in Asia, Middle East and Africa from October 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWEekBO9P2g |language=en |access-date=2021-07-18}} In 2009, the Islamic Research Foundation International donated £1.25 million to the station.{{cite news |author=Harper, Tom |date=11 February 2011 |title=Banned hate preacher still broadcasting after 'Jews are enemy of Islam' claim |newspaper=London Evening Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/banned-hate-preacher-still-broadcasting-after-jews-are-enemy-of-islam-claim-6566248.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216020622/http://www.standard.co.uk/news/banned-hate-preacher-still-broadcasting-after-jews-are-enemy-of-islam-claim-6566248.html |archive-date=16 December 2013}} Peace TV Bangla was launched on 22 April 2011 in Bangladesh for Bengali-speaking viewers.{{cite web |title=Welcome to Peace TV Bangla |url=http://www.peacetvbangla.com/about_peacetv.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202235409/http://www.peacetvbangla.com/about_peacetv.htm |archive-date=2 December 2013 |access-date=30 November 2013 |publisher=Peacetvbangla.com |df=dmy-all}}{{Citation |title=Peace TV English, Urdu, Bangla & Chinese now in HD in Asia, Middle East and Africa from October 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWEekBO9P2g |language=en |access-date=2021-07-18}} Peace TV Chinese began broadcasting Islamic programming in China in October 2015.{{cite web |author=Aataai Gazi Mahbub |date=2007-05-10 |title=Does 'Peace TV' Encourage Interfaith Amity? |url=http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=360555&rel_no=1 |access-date=2007-05-19 |work=OhMyNews |archive-date=5 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011135/http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=360555&rel_no=1 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |author=Syed Neaz Ahmad |date=23 February 2007 |title=Peace TV Reaching 50 Million Viewers – Dr. Zakir Naik |url=http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25960&Itemid=146 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707211833/http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=25960&Itemid=146 |archive-date=2007-07-07 |access-date=2007-05-18 |work=Saudi Gazette}} Peace TV Albanian, Europe's first Peace TV channel, was launched on 20 August 2009 from Pristina, Kosovo.

After receiving reports that the station was broadcasting hate speech, the UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom investigated it in 2011.

In 2012, Ofcom ruled the channel broke broadcasting rules which states offensive comments should be justified by the context. It was ruled on the following statements which were broadcast on 8 March 2012 on the Dare to Ask programme:{{Cite news |author=Barrett, David |title=Preachers of hate on British TV: what they said that broke the broadcasting rules |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=9 February 2013 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/9859822/Preachers-of-hate-on-British-TV-what-they-said-that-broke-the-broadcasting-rules.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925165507/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/9859822/Preachers-of-hate-on-British-TV-what-they-said-that-broke-the-broadcasting-rules.html |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=live}}

"One group of scholars, they say that if a Muslim, if he becomes a non-Muslim [inaudible] he should be put to death. There is another group of scholars who say that if a Muslim becomes a non-Muslim and propagates his new faith against Islam then he should be put to death."

"I tend to agree more with the second group of scholars, who say that a Muslim, if he becomes a non-Muslim and propagates his new faith against Islam, that is the time this penalty is applied."

In January 2013, Peace TV was nominated for the Responsible Media of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards.{{cite news|url=http://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/10197507.Winners_honoured_at_British_Muslim_Awards/|title=Winners honoured at British Muslim Awards|publisher=Asian Image|date=31 January 2013|access-date=1 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121173521/http://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/10197507.Winners_honoured_at_British_Muslim_Awards/|archive-date=21 November 2015|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

A major controversy erupted after the Dhaka terror attack in July 2016 when the investigations revealed that a terrorist involved in the brutal killings followed Naik's page on Facebook and was influenced by his speeches{{cite web|last1=DNA|title=Peace TV of Mumbai preacher Zakir Naik who inspired Dhaka killer funded in Britain|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-peace-tv-of-mumbai-preacher-who-inspired-dhaka-killer-funded-in-britain-2231852|access-date=10 July 2016|date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160708212749/http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-peace-tv-of-mumbai-preacher-who-inspired-dhaka-killer-funded-in-britain-2231852|archive-date=8 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} which seemed to be provocative in nature.{{cite web|last1=NDTV|author-link=NDTV|title=Bangladesh Investigating Zakir Naik's Islamist Links: Minister|url=http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bangladesh-investigating-zakir-naiks-islamist-links-minister-1429623|access-date=9 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160710151551/http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/bangladesh-investigating-zakir-naiks-islamist-links-minister-1429623|archive-date=10 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|work=Mid-Day|title=Bangladesh asks India to examine Zakir Naik's speeches|url=http://www.mid-day.com/articles/bangladesh-asks-india-to-examine-zakir-naiks-speeches/17410171|access-date=10 July 2016|date=7 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160709020434/http://www.mid-day.com/articles/bangladesh-asks-india-to-examine-zakir-naiks-speeches/17410171|archive-date=9 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} The terrorist had posted sermons of Naik on social media where Naik has urged "all Muslims to be terrorists" saying "if he is terrorizing a terrorist, he is following Islam".{{cite web|last1=The Washington Post|author-link=The Washington Post|title=Islamic TV preacher denies link to Bangladesh attack, accuses media of unfair trial|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/islamic-tv-preacher-denies-link-to-bangladesh-attack-accuses-media-of-unfair-trial/2016/07/15/d63ce6be-49e8-11e6-8dac-0c6e4accc5b1_story.html|access-date=15 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715190417/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/islamic-tv-preacher-denies-link-to-bangladesh-attack-accuses-media-of-unfair-trial/2016/07/15/d63ce6be-49e8-11e6-8dac-0c6e4accc5b1_story.html|archive-date=15 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

Following this incident, the channel was banned in Bangladesh.{{cite web|last1=Voice of America|author-link=Voice of America|title=After Terror Attack, Bangladesh Bans Peace TV|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/after-terror-attack-bangladesh-bans-peace-television-maintain-peace/3416966.html|access-date=15 July 2016|date=13 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714151618/http://www.voanews.com/content/after-terror-attack-bangladesh-bans-peace-television-maintain-peace/3416966.html|archive-date=14 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}} Hasanul Haq Inu, the Information Minister of Bangladesh reasoned that "Peace TV is not consistent with Muslim society, the Quran, Sunnah, Hadith, Bangladesh's Constitution, our culture, customs and rituals."{{cite web|last1=BBC News|author-link=BBC News|title=Bangladesh to ban Islamic TV channel, Peace TV|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36761486|access-date=15 July 2016|date=11 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714090327/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36761486|archive-date=14 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|last1=Zee News|author-link=Zee News|title=Money collected for charity was routed to Islamic preacher Zakir Naik's Peace TV: Report|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/money-collected-for-charity-was-routed-to-islamic-preacher-zakir-naiks-peace-tv-report_1905427.html|access-date=10 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711115936/http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/money-collected-for-charity-was-routed-to-islamic-preacher-zakir-naiks-peace-tv-report_1905427.html|archive-date=11 July 2016|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}

In March 2018, during a show called Strengthening Your Family, The Valley of the Homosexuals, presenter Imam Qasim Khan said that homosexuality was "a very unnatural type of love that is energised by the influence of [Satan]" and called AIDS "a disease [that gay men] contracted because they are homosexual". Khan went on to say, "Even an animal that is defiled by Islam, the pig – as nasty and corrupted and contaminated as a pig is – you never see two male pigs that are trying to have sex together. That's insanity… worse than animals."{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/islamic-tv-channel-anti-gay-homophobic-ofcom-rules-a9017056.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/islamic-tv-channel-anti-gay-homophobic-ofcom-rules-a9017056.html |archive-date=25 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Evangelical Islamic TV channel that broadcast show calling homosexuality 'insane' breached Ofcom regulations|last=Drury|first=Colin|date=23 July 2019|website=The Independent|access-date=5 August 2019}}

In July 2019, Ofcom ruled that three of Peace TV's programmes, including Khan's aforementioned broadcast, breached its rules on hate speech, offence, abusive treatment and incitement to crime. In a statement, the regulator said: "Ofcom considered the breaches in this case to be serious. We are putting the Licensee on notice that we will consider these breaches for the imposition of a statutory sanction."{{Cite web|url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/community/125176/peace-tv-faces-uk-ban-after-presenter-calls-gay-people-worse-than-animals/|title=Peace TV faces UK ban after presenter calls gay people "worse than animals"|last=Moore|first=Matt|date=28 July 2019|website=Gay Times|access-date=5 August 2019}} Lord Production, which owns Peace TV's broadcast licence, defended the broadcast, claiming that it did not breach Ofcom's rules. The company claimed that Khan merely offered "a robust stand against homosexuality, but very much from a religious standpoint." It disagreed with Ofcom's suggestion that Imam Khan's views constituted hate speech arguing that he did not “call for violence or punishment of homosexuals” and that his aim was to "outlaw the practice of homosexuality itself".

• From India{{cite web |url=http://peacetv.in/our_speakers.html |title=Our Speakers |publisher=Peacetv.in |access-date=30 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131126014847/http://peacetv.in/our_speakers.html |archive-date=26 November 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}
• Zakir Naik
• From the United States
• Yusuf Estes
• From Canada
• Bilal Philips
• Jamal Badawi
• Others
• Abdur Raheem Green
• Hussein Ye
• Israr Ahmed
• Assim Al-Hakeem{{cite web |title=Certainty is not Removed by Doubt Part 4, Assim Al Hakeem, Episode 11 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEjmN6YNSgc |website=youtube.com |publisher=Peace TV |access-date=25 June 2023}}

File:Peace TV logo.png|Logo consisting "Earth" (2006–2015)

File:Peace TV official logo.png|Logo consisting "Salam" (2015–present)

{{reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20170804015251/http://www.peacetv.in/ Official website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20160812005828/http://www.peacetvusa.org/ Live Streams in English, Urdu & Bangla languages]

{{Peace TV}}

Category:Television stations in Mumbai

Category:Islamic television networks

Category:Censorship in India

Category:Television channels and stations established in 2006

Category:English-language television stations

Category:Television stations in Dubai