Magic spells and recitation contests: the Quran as entertainment on Arab satellite television

Abstract

Religion in the MiddleEast is, in general, related to political discussions on Islam's position and influence on the development of democracy. The same approach has been dominant in research into new media in the Islamic world. The argument of the article is that the mediatization of Islam with the latest development of religious popular culture supports a process, where a political and rational version of Islam is increasingly being replaced by a more individualized and consumer-based version. The article analyses two different types of popular religious programmes on religious satellite TV: the Quran recitation competition and the Quranic healing programme. By analysing the media's use of the central symbol of Islam, the Quran, it is possible to discuss the question of re-enchantment as a part of popular culture. It is, in this way, illustrated how traditional religious practices are perceived as instrumental for constructions of 'the Islamic self'. 165 NL 6 165-179

Experiences of listening to the Qur'an in Egypt: A qualitative phenomenological study of therapeutic and recreational listening

“…Cultural Studies is one of the disciplines that tackled the impact of reciting/ listening to the Qur'an as a central text in Arabic popular culture. Galal (2008) studied the rituals of listening to the Qur'an in Arab societies to break malicious magic spells and expel demons and evil spirits. The study focused on the concept of mediatization of Islam through analyzing TV Islamic programs and their role in shaping Islam.…”

“…This study explores individual experiences of listening to the Qur'an as a daily ritual and situational response in the life of an average Muslim. The experience of listening to the Qur'an is ethnographically related to concepts of grace, expulsion of evil spirits and envy, and bringing clouds of calmness and tranquility in places where the Qur'an is played (Galal, 2008).…”

Arab TV-Audiences

“…Given the media's transnational and independent character, media theorists have been argued that 'digital Islam' has unevenly broken the authority of institutions controlled by clerics, as the new generation is no longer dependent on traditional sources for knowledge of Islam (Schleifer 2007;Galal 2008;Field & Hamam 2009). New contours of Islamic knowledge are being mapped due to these mediums .…”