Govt Won’t Stop Religious Reality Shows, Will Tighten Guidelines - Marhamah

KUALA LUMPUR, March 2 (Bernama) -- The government has no plans to halt the broadcast of religious-themed reality TV shows, despite concerns over the involvement of some former participants in activities that could harm Islam’s image.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Marhamah Rosli, said the government is tightening compliance with the Entertainment Guidelines in Islam (Second Edition 2014), approved by the National Fatwa Committee, to ensure religious reality TV programmes’ original objectives are not undermined by individual misconduct.

“Any legal breaches by former participants are their personal responsibility and subject to existing laws, but the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) will continue to monitor programme content to ensure it complies with aqidah, syariah, and moral principles.”

“The government will tighten guideline compliance, enhance content monitoring, and involve syariah panels and expert advisers in every production to ensure programmes are disciplined, responsible, and remain relevant in today’s digital media landscape,” she said during an oral question and answer session in the Dewan Negara today.

She was responding to a question from Senator Dr Jufitri Joha, who asked whether the government would suspend religious reality shows or tighten their guidelines after some former participants were involved in activities that tarnish Islam’s image.

Marhamah said Clause 10(1)(a) of the guidelines requires participants to uphold good conduct even off-air.

Addressing a supplementary question from Jufitri on Southeast Asian Islamic scholar Prof Ken Miichi’s view that religious reality shows are part of ‘Islamic pop culture’ that may skew between values and popularity, Marhamah said the government sees the programmes as an important informal educational tool for youth.

“We want to provide viewers with meaningful alternatives. We aim to nurture a generation that is talented and popular, yet principled, with good morals, and firmly rooted in their faith,” she said.

She added that TV AlHijrah, an agency under the religious affairs department, enforces strict content screening and appoints JAKIM officers as syariah advisers for all its productions, including Akademi Qurra’ and Pentas Marhaban.

Meanwhile, responding to Senator Wan Martina Wan Yusoff about coordination with state religious authorities, Marhamah said Jakim engages regularly to ensure religious content across all platforms is authentic, credible, and authoritative, while respecting each state’s jurisdiction.

-- BERNAMA