In a crowded ceremony on the occasion of Ramadan - the holy month of Muslims - held in the San Martín Palace, the historic headquarters of the chancellery, the president of the Islamic Center of the Argentine Republic (CIRA), Fabián Ankah, expressed his “
astonishment and concern”
for the lifting of the program of his institution “El Cálamo” that had been broadcast every Sunday morning since 2014 on Channel 7-TV Pública.
“We are very saddened by this
lifting of the program
that allowed us to reach many Argentines throughout the country with our spiritual message, without being clear about the reason,” said the head of CIRA, the largest Muslim organization in the country before the presence of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship, Diana Mondino, and the Secretary of Worship of the Nation, Francisco Sánchez.
The decision caused a
feeling of discrimination
in the Muslim world because they consider that it affects respect for religious pluralism because, meanwhile, the mass and
the Angelus prayed by Pope Francis in the Vatican and the program
continue to be broadcast
on Sundays on Public TV.
of the AMIA
, the Jewish mutual, beyond this latest change in schedule, going from morning to afternoon.
Government sources told
Clarín
that the uprising was due to
a debt
owed by CIRA to Sadaic - the musical rights that all programs must pay -, but the Islamic Center
stated that it was paid
before the channel's decision, beyond - they said - that it is very common for programs to delay in fulfilling that commitment to the musicians' union.
According to the CIRA site, El Cálamo aims to “share the history, faith, culture and current events of the Argentine Islamic community, based on the Holy Quran and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, each chapter proposing a space for reflection. ”.
One version stated that both the Islamic Center and AMIA programs had been suspended while Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip lasted, but it was denied. Furthermore, CIRA clarified that its program “does not include political issues.”
P.S.