Muslim Televangelism in Context

In this chapter, I provide an explanatory framework for the phenomenon of Muslim televangelism and its development. I argue that Muslim televangelism is a complex phenomenon that can be perceived within the context of media power; the rise of infotainment in contemporary media culture; digital religion; the emergence of transnational Islam; and the deconstruction of the traditional sources of religious authority in the twenty-first century. Thus, in offering a comprehension of Muslim televangelism in the West, the book combines insights from sociology (cf. Thompson, The media and modernity, Polity Press, 1995), new media (cf. Barton and Lee, Language online: Investigating digital texts and practices, Routledge, 2013) and digital religion (cf. Campbell, Digital religion: Understanding religious practice in new media worlds, Routledge, 2013; Pihlaja 2018). After revealing the dynamics of Muslim televangelism, the chapter will turn attention to the importance of ‘performance’ and self-presentation in contemporary media culture, relevant to Muslim televangelism. In addition, the chapter will explore the socio-historical context of Islam/Muslims in the West (cf. Mandaville, in: Allievi and Nielsen (eds) Muslim networks and transnational communities in and across Europe. Brill, Leiden, 2003; Rosowsky, Heavenly readings: Liturgical literacy in a multilingual context. Clevedon, 2008; Faith and language practices in digital spaces. Multilingual Matters, an imprint of Channel View Publications Ltd., London, 2018), turning attention to the notion of the umma in the Muslim tradition, and the specific context of Muslim youth, being the immediate audience of televangelists’ sermons. The chapter, thus, takes up the challenging task of combining insights from a variety of disciplines to provide a nuanced understanding of the power dynamics that have contributed to this phenomenon and sustained its popularity.