- Sunni Ittehad Council declares watching Geo TV ‘haraam’, religious scholars condemn blasphemous act in network’s morning show
- PEMRA serves notice to Geo TV for airing controversial content in Utho Jago Pakistan morning show
- Show host Dr Shaista Lodhi apologises for ‘inadvertent mistake’, Geo orders enquiry against show
After facing the heat in skin-burning limelight for defaming the country’s premier intelligence agency, Geo Television Network has landed itself in thick soup for allegedly blaspheming against the Prophet (PBUH)’s family in its flagship morning show, with the clerics and media regulatory authority making sure that the lid remains closed and steam gathers up.
While the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has served notice to Geo TV for airing controversial content in its morning show, the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) has issued an edict forbidding viewing the channel.
While taking notice of the content in morning show “Utho Jago Pakistan” aired on May 14 on Geo TV, PEMRA has sought an immediate explanation from the channel.
The notice has been served for airing content in violation of clauses (a), (i) and (p) of PEMRA Code of Conduct contained in Schedule A of PEMRA Rules 2009 which reads, “No programme shall be aired which passes derogatory remarks about any religion, sect or community or uses visuals or words contemptuous of religious sects and ethnic groups or promotes communal and sectarian attitudes or disharmony and/or is against basic cultural values, morality and good manners and/or contains material which is against ideology of Pakistan or Islamic values.”
According to PEMRA, it has also received more than 5,000 public complaints against the programme at the PEMRA Complaints Call Centre and on its website. For deciding the matter, the complaints have been referred to the Council of Complaints in the light of Section 26 of PEMRA Act 2007 to be decided in a week’s time.
GEO – THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT:
In the meanwhile, SIC on Wednesday declared watching Geo as ‘haraam’ (forbidden), and appealed to the cable operators to stop the channel’s broadcast while religious leaders from across the country have also condemned Geo TV for hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims by playing the “Manqabat” in a wrong manner.
The SIC has also demanded stern action against the channel and has announced that it will be taking legal action against the channel’s blasphemous action.
Addressing a press conference hosted by SIC leader Sahibzada Hamid Raza and former senator Faisal Raza Abidi, Raza said that Geo TV had hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Muslims by disrespecting the holy personalities of Islam and therefore, watching the channels of Geo TV Network is ‘haraam’.
Raza said that the channel ridiculed Islamic beliefs, adding that watching any channel disrespecting Islamic beliefs or taking part in any such programme was also against Islam. He demanded that if YouTube could be banned for blasphemy, the same should be done against Geo TV.
Moreover, Raza accused Sindh AIG Shahid Hayat along with other personnel of threatening the SIC members against their protest against Geo TV. He also demanded of the authorities to either abolish PEMRA or reconstitute it in a way that it is able to “prevent channels from blaspheming”.
Raza went on to saying that SIC clerics will take “oath of condemnation” from everyone during Friday prayers today and launch a movement for the closure of Geo TV.
Former senator Abidi endorsed Raza’s views and said that playing qawalis and manqabats on weddings was a norm but the behaviour of the show participants was a clear disrespect of the Islamic personalities.
HERE’S WHAT HAPPENED:
In the morning show, hosted by Dr Shaista Lodhi, a live music band played the Sufi number titled “Ali (AS) Kay Sath Hai Zahra (AS) Ki Shadi” during the wedding re-enactment of controversial actress Veena Malik while the attendants at the event danced to it and continued with conducting Joota Chupai during the manqabat.
The renowned manqabat sung by Qawaal Amjad Sabri is about the wedding of Hazrat Fatima Zehra (AS), daughter of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), with Hazrat Ali (AS).
In wake of mounting anger against the show, Dr Shaista Lodhi apologised over the “inadvertent mistake” in the programme while Geo has launched an enquiry against the show’s production team.
According to Dr Shaista’s statement aired Thursday, the host said that she along with the entire team feels sorry and apologises for the circumstances that were triggered inadvertently due to the content of the programme.
Bibi Fatima (AS) is the heart and soul of Islam,Mother of All mankind, how can the Light of Islam be compared with this lowest of the low , who has sold her body and soul for fame and money -Geo should have known better! Has Geo run out out of ideas or is it a deliberate attempt to insult the progeny of the Prophet ! Geo you have over stepped the mark !
We are all saying that Geo should be Stop we dont want this Media.
i appreciate your thinking brother,such anti pakistan and anti army channel should be immediately closed,but it would not…because it is running on indo-us money ,God be with us
The host Shaista Lodhi has uttered blasphemous remraks quite a few times in the past as well but escaped unnoticed. But this time she crossed all the limits. She should be banned for hosting any show. Also, most of the morning show programs being aired by different Pakistan Channels primarily Geo& ARY, are spreading vulgarity and Indian culture. It is shameful to see that many so-called learned ulamas and religious scholars are supporting Geo just because they are using the platform to market them.
those fed on liberal foods shal not dare tell us what to what and what not
wake up PM your JEW channel is in trouble again
Geo TV should and must be banned for, first their attempt to defame Army and ISI and second for their blasphemous act. They have truly violated the Islamic values and have been portraying Islam wrongly since their first day of existence.
No More Geo
i like your comments
Geo TV should and must be banned life time in pakistan
Geo should be banned
Dont worry guys! Kuch nahi honay wala, Jew channel will continue to be broadcasted… All guys will certainly forget in a month or two.
You made my day bro.
All the muslim around the world did never seen the contraversal programe eventhough after just hearing the news about geo did something very shamefull and stupid, we really condemmed it and really want geo channel as well as its newspaper to ban for life time…..
All morning shows should be closed.These all are harrams.Our Religion do not permit it.These peoples are changing minds of all the nation.
All persons involved in this prog gramme should be tried in court & exemplary punishment should be given to them.
If she is SHAISTA or Amjad or any one.
LAANAT AISAY PROGRAMMES PER OR LANNAT AISAY LOGO PR JO IS K KHILAF AAWAZ NA BULAND KARAY>
Whole of this qawali should be banned… In this qawali the poet portrayed hazarat All as a son of God…. ??? Words are “Khuda k Han ka beta”…. Nauzubillah
There is no such line, it is "larka hy khuda k ghar ka" as Hazrat Ali A.S. was born in kabba…..
condemable and shameful act .we demand immediate action against this bullshit by the responsible authorities
utho jago pakistan ki sari team par lanat lanat lanat jinho ne itni be huda harkat ki shame on shaista lodhi pakistan k hukmarano ko gyrat khani chahiye aur in sab ko jinho ne ye galeez programme kiya sary aam phansi deni chahiye
If this isnt stopped now it will get worse. The same thing happend in the west in 60s-70s, and now anyone can utter any vulgarity against anyone witout reply. If this isn't stopped and the miscreants swanning around Geo and othe rmedia are not stopped I can see the day in Pakistan when there will be no respect for our Beloved (SAW), his family and the sahaba. The ultimate goal of these people is to destroy teh place of religion in the people like they have done in the west, and they know the formula that has worked elsewhere – slowly, slowly sow teh seeds of sedition and disrespect, push teh boundaries of taste and decency little by little, then suddenly before you know the poeple wont care.
These Geo people should not only be issuing an apology, they should be doing sincere taubah. No Muslim, even inadvertantly, of sane mind, goes anywhere NEAR offending the Prophet (saw) or his family. That these people thought it was ok to has to make the rest of us question the values of not only of the presenters but the enitre editorial team and organisation. We Pakistanis are proud of our "Aashiq-e-Rasul" heritage, who are these people who think they can do this?
Saeed, you my friend have your head in the right place. I respect that.
hehehe..saeed will never get the sarcasm !
offcourse this fake media channl Must b exit in pakistan Forever… and and action should b taken against all the stakeholders the anchor person of morning show.. this matter is no related like army or isi.. it is directly attack on Islam .we cant tolerate these type of cheap librism actions. really really shame
on our pemra or interior authorities.. Geo must be bann at earlier..
Geo did apologize. They have suspended the show n hostess. This is not. Geo,s mistake, it is Shaista,s mistake. So y banning geo when they did other good stuff
other good stuff?? the way they have been behaving over the years, it was coming, it was long overdue.
GEO and JUNG both should be erased from electronic and print media. It’s not the first time and it’s not unintentional. This group has a history of criminal activities in term of promoting Indian agenda, serving US interest, letting down Pakistani public and Pak-organizations. Nawaz government performance is even worse by taking not any action which serve as a tool to aggravate an already volatile situation. The so called apology was offered after huge public pressure; otherwise this media house was brave enough to re telecast it. How dare they use the name of BiBi Fatema (RA) for a woman who poses nude with ISI on her arm? How many times this media house has to cross red line to wake up the dead PAMERA? Suspending this vulgar morning show is enough? Is only the host responsible? What about owner without whose consent no program can go on air? Who and when will punish the owner? We the public of Pakistan should take action by boycotting as consumer as advertisers, they will die on their own. Every muslim who has a grain of EEMAN in heart should participate in the boycott. Message for this media house APPOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED
If Pakistanis understood the peaceful message of the Quran, they would be practicing real Islam not the hypocritical, subhuman practices they claim is Islam. The Quran specifically prohibits elevating any individual to the level of a deity. Yet, that is exactly what Pakistanis have done as is obvious from this incidence.
i wonder if she will be hanged or killed like all the others? we punish every one instead of just proving them wrong or trying to show them the light again. one similar incident i recall is the one when an old women use to throw rubbish on our beloved prophet (PBUH) but when she fell ill, prophet (PBUH) visited her in-person and the rest is history.
what do you mean?
BIBI FATIMA A.S we are really ashamed of ourselves . Please forgive us. Maula ALI (AS) we are ashamed. Please forgive us.
now you say yourself as a mulsim,have you forgotten the teachings of islam brother.YOU ARE SAYING HAZRAT ALI FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS MAY ALLAH ENLIGHTEN YOU.
Shutdown hona cheyee geo tv koo phori tor per
on which thing you are saying this.IS ANY AYA IN QURAN SUPPORT YOUR OPPINION OR ANY HADEES.If you are giving this statement without any Islamic teaching then how can you yourself say that you are muslim.
(I AM NOT WITH GEO OR AGAINST GEO SO NOW DONT THINK THAT I AM GUDDAR)I am pakistani and i am a muslim too.I have seen people saying that geo should be banned but is there any aya in Quran or Hadees that satisfy,s which most pakistani are saying.Holy prophet(P.B.U.H) in his hajjat-ul-widdah cleared this that Allah has completes the religion Islam and whoever try,s to bring new things in it are against Islam and one more thing is this that A MUSLIM ACTS ACCORDING TO THE TEACHINGS OF ISLAM(QURAN AND HADEES).So you guys are giving this argument without any solid proof mean is there support from Quran or hadees on what you are saying.How could you guys then say yourselves as a complete muslims.Your ULLAMAH ARE GIVING FUTWAH AGAINST GEO WITHOUT ANY PROOF.YOU ARE BANNING GEO WITHOUT ANY PROOF(I HAVE MENTIONED IT BEFORE).I mean this is Islam in pakistan now that if someone mistakens does thing like this there is no forgiving in islam atleast give them one chance at least you say your selves that you are muslim but you cant forgive that person or group who have comitted sin accidently.Think about it for a while pakistani,s.
Geo TV & “Jung” both are following agenda of Anti-Muslim & Anti-Pakistan, elements. Their such shameful activities to poison the innocent Pakistan nationals has completely exposed them. These media’s must not be allowed to operate any more in Pakistan. Culprits who have tried to play with the sentiments of the Followers of ISLAM must not let free: They deserve an exemplary punishment. In no way they should be pardoned. A charge sheet against the entire program team members and their master-mind who planned to degrade & defame our highly skilled soldiers/defenders and most capable Intelligence Agency should be framed. This time the shouldn’t go unpunished. Because culprits and some of their supporters are now taking plea that what ever was done it was not intentional. However probably they have forgotten the past conduct of that woman for the entire show was organized ?? At present I am far away from Pakistan, but if needed I won’t hesitate to make myself present and produce material proves of guilt against all such involved elements.
Every channel should be colosed their live shows because that may cause of great loss of dignity of Pakistan as well as human in future. Dr.Shaista and script writer of this programme should be banned whole life from every media.
Please! calm down. i have not ever seen the show and have no interest in seeing random weddings. if the lady is apologizing then give her the benefit of the doubt. for heaven's sake keep it in perspective.
i believe there is an agenda here to bring geo down but we must keep our emotions in check and take care of each other and forgive each other and guide each other without cursing and hating.
Tazeen – "agenda to bring down Geo" …. well yes. But Geo is free to peddle its filthy agenda, right? You want us to keep quiet, well teh result of that will be they will become increasingly amboldened. You see what you have in Geo tv and similar orgs is a ollection of people with a pro-western agenda, which appeals to besharm people. Let these people get away with it, and there will be much much worse to come. Don't believe me? Take a look western media output now, and how it has degraded over the decades.
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