Freedom to Broadcast Hate

Available for over a year

As the Middle East continues to be torn by war, sectarian violence and a backlash against the Arab Spring, the BBC World Service investigates the television channels that are accused of spreading hatred and intolerance. Since the beginning of the Arab Spring in early 2011, the Middle East has experienced a proliferation of new TV channels keen to spread religious and political messages to audiences. There are new media stars – TV evangelists and religious leaders. But there is also a darker side – some of what is broadcast has been described as openly sectarian, provocative and even blasphemous. In Freedom to Broadcast Hate, the BBC visits two countries where this kind of broadcasting proliferates – Iraq and Egypt - and tries to uncover the reasons for it, and the possible consequences.