World News | Iran Arrests 4 State TV Staff for Insulting Sunni Caliph in Rare Move
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Iranian authorities on Thursday arrested four staff members of state TV, accusing them of insulting the first caliph of Sunni Muslims and close ally of the Prophet Muhammad, state TV reported.
Tehran, Apr 24 (AP) Iranian authorities on Thursday arrested four staff members of state TV, accusing them of insulting the first caliph of Sunni Muslims and close ally of the Prophet Muhammad, state TV reported.
Earlier in the day, state TV issued an apology and said eight staff members were dismissed following a Wednesday program that allegedly insulted Abu Bakr, the first caliph, who ruled from 632 until 634 after the death of Muhammad and was also his father-in-law.
In the programme, a guest allegedly described Abu Bakr as “cursed and snide,” claiming to curse the caliph during daily prayers.
The head of the state broadcasting company, Peiman Jebeli, took to the social media platform X to condemn the insult as “sedition” and “unforgivable wrongdoing”.
It is the first instance in decades that Iranian authorities openly prosecute staff from the state broadcasting company.
In 1989, authorities prosecuted five staff members of the company for broadcasting a radio report where a woman said Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, was not a suitable role model for women since she lived centuries ago. The prosecution reportedly resulted in lashes and the purging of the staff.
Official reports estimate that up to 10 per cent of the nation's 85 million people are Sunni Muslims who highly respect the caliph. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)