Television: Legitimization of Religious Figures and Alternative Discourse on the Status of Muslim Women

Abstract

Abstract: This article examines the relationship between television and religion in Senegal through religious figures and studies their position on the status of Muslim women. This study is part of a communicational approach and integrates the logic of individuation and individualization. It does not claim to list all religious programs; seven mainstream and Sufi brotherhood-related television channels, as well as fifteen programs, are studied through YouTube channels. Focused on the period from 2017 to 2020, the results show an expansion of religious programs and a legitimization of religious figures. According to the profile, ranging from ultra-conformists, Sufi brotherhood-related, authoritative figures, hybrid or complicit preachers, the speeches oscillate between subordination, assertions, and “subtle” resistance, tinged with socio-economic issues. Overall, the alternative discourse seems to be emerging, in order to spare the female community. But in reality, given sociocultural factors, religious leaders are reluctant to gender equality. By way of perspective, it seems interesting to study the profiles of “preacher 2.0” or religious “influencers.” Keywords: Television, religion, media coverage, women, religious figures