New Muslim glossy TV station opened

Russia`s first life-style magazine for Muslims has been launched to mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“The magazine doesn`t represent any religious or social group and writes not about religion, but about people who believe in God, about fashion, entertainment and culture, Muslim cuisine, traditions and lifestyles,” Muslim Magazine`s deputy editor-in-chief Laura Abdulayeva told Interfax on Tuesday.

Last week also saw the nation`s first Muslim TV-station Al-RTV start broadcasting in eight Russian republics.

The pilot issue of Muslim Magazine has 96 pages featuring, among other things, a Muslim-focused travel guide for Mecca, London and Moscow, an interview with Los-Angeles based Muslim comedian Baba Ali and Dagestani fashion designer Shamkhal Alikhanov.

Unlike its non-Islamic counterparts, the publication has neither advertisements for alcohol or cigarettes, nor even a glimpse of nudity, according to Abdulayeva.

Most of the publication`s authors are “Muslim insiders” from the community, Kommersant reported.

The magazine is set to come out four times in a year, and will cost about 150 rubles, Islamrf.ru reported. By comparison, a subscription to the Russian edition of Vogue magazine currently costs 135 rubles per month.

The first issue of Muslim Magazine has been on sale since last Thursday in Moscow as well as in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Dagestan and Chechnya, which are the publisher`s main target markets.

On Sunday, subscribers to satellite Trikolor TV network in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan plus Russia`s six Caucasus republics received transmissions of the nation`s first Muslim TV station. The package also includes two Orthodox Christian channels, Soyuz and Spas.

Al-RTV is aiming to promote Islamic moral and spiritual values chiefly among a younger audience and will be governed by a public council, consisting of representatives of all Russia`s major Muslim organizations. The channel is to be funded by private donations and grants from the government, Lenta.ru reported.