In a world filled with religious and cultural bigotry, Oprah Winfrey aims to promote tolerance and harmony with her new TV series Belief, which explores various religious and spiritual beliefs and practices.
According to Oprah, the show invites viewers to witness some of the world’s most fascinating spiritual journeys through the eyes of the believers and explores humankind’s ongoing search to connect with something greater than ourselves:
In order to broadcast these practices, Oprah has filmed places and cultures far and wide, including the holy city of Makkah where Muslims go for the Hajj pilgrimage every year.
In addition to that, Belief also shed light on the Sufi tradition within Islam and how it is still held in great reverence by those seeking a greater spiritual connection.
An introduction to major religions is given by Varun Soni, dean of Religious Life at the University of Southern California. While introducing Islam, he clarifies the misconceptions about the religion including those about jihad.
He stresses on the fact that jihad in Islam is an internal struggle that everyone faces, regardless of their religious beliefs. He shuns the idea of Islam promoting the concept of war, and this is perhaps the most important part of the series considering the current context of Islamic militancy in the world. Watch the introduction here.
Many viewers have already reacted positively to the show’s broadcast of Islamic beliefs and practices, and took to Twitter to express their views.
Hopefully, this series will continue to help clarify misconceptions and reduce the ongoing Islamophobia in the world.
