Historic reception held to mark 25th anniversary of MTA International held in London
Head of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community says MTA a fulfilment of the revelation that ‘I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the earth’
On 15 May 2017, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community held a special reception to mark the 25th Anniversary of its 24-hour, global and multi-lingual television station, Muslim Television Ahmadiyya International (MTA)
The historic event was graced by the presence of the World Head and Fifth Khalifa (Caliph) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad.
His Holiness delivered a special address to mark the occasion, in which he spoke of how the establishment and continued advancement of MTA International was a fulfilment of the divine revelation received by the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him) that ‘I shall cause thy message to reach the corners of the earth’.
Prior to the keynote address, a report was delivered by Mr. Munir-ud-din Shams, the Managing Director of MTA International, in which he outlined the history of MTA and paid tribute to those who had advanced its cause, both past and present.
Subsequently, the audience, comprising senior representatives of MTA Studios from around the world, as well as central MTA staff members, viewed a short documentary exhibiting some of MTA’s most noteworthy and historic moments.
Thereafter, the Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered the keynote address. His Holiness noted that since its inception, MTA had progressed “leaps and bounds” and was now broadcasting several different channels and had established dozens of studios globally. His Holiness said that the success of the channel was due to the blessings and favours of God Almighty.
His Holiness spoke of how MTA’s content was distinct to all other broadcasters and was a means of spreading a message of ‘peace’ and ‘morality’.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“MTA’s content is completely distinct to all other broadcasters, as our programmes are those that impart only teachings of morality and piety and are a means of spiritually enriching the viewers. They are free from all forms of immorality, indecency and impropriety.”
Reflecting upon the humble origins of the channel, His Holiness said that initially MTA broadcast only the weekly Friday Sermon. After some time, it started a daily service, before progressing to a multi-lingual international channel, broadcasting 24 hours a day worldwide.
His Holiness said that where there was previously just one MTA channel, now there were several, including MTA2 (established in 2004) covering European languages and regions, MTA Al-Arabiya (established in 2007) broadcasting to the Arab world and MTA Africa (established in 2016) broadcasting to the African Continent.
His Holiness paid particular tribute to the pioneer workers and volunteers who had served MTA from the start. He noted how many had no knowledge at all of broadcast technology and had “learnt on the job”due to their “sincerity and devotion”.
In contrast to other TV channels, His Holiness emphasised that MTA had always run its large-scale operations without any commercial revenue or state funding. His Holiness said this was only possible due to the Help of God Almighty.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community’s financial resources are very limited, and so in worldly terms it is virtually impossible for us to run a dedicated global television channel like MTA, as the costs are so prohibitive. For example, merely the cost of broadcasting via satellite runs to several millions of pounds each year. Yet, Allah the Almighty has immensely blessed our resources so that we are not only able to bear this huge cost, but have also been able to establish high quality MTA studios in many different countries.”
His Holiness said that a key factor in keeping costs down was the spirit of volunteerism entrenched in MTA from the very start. He said that in all countries, men, women and children were volunteering countless hours in the service of MTA.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“I am very pleased to see that the spirit of volunteerism in MTA continues to increase, and due to the many hours they put in, the Community is making huge savings. Whilst it costs a lot of money to purchase equipment or to build studios, the fact that we have volunteers ensures that our expenditure is kept to a bare minimum in comparison to other television channels.”
His Holiness highlighted that according to the prophecies of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the spread of Islam was to “reach its climax” during the era of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) and that Ahmadi Muslims were “seeing this with their own eyes.”
His Holiness said that he received letters from many people around the world, in which people wrote that they had come across MTA entirely by chance and found it to have a ‘magnetic effect’ and they came to learn for the first time the true teachings of Islam.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“Today, there are parts of the world where neither our Missionaries, nor any other Ahmadis have reached, yet through MTA the true teachings of Islam have most certainly arrived and are having a profound effect upon the local people… Alhamdolillah, many such people have come to accept Ahmadiyyat and entered the fold of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him).”
Whilst praising those who had contributed to MTA throughout its existence, His Holiness said that the real secret to its success was the continued help and support of God Almighty.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“We are the recipients of Allah’s Favours and Help and we are witnessing miracles on a daily basis. This is not due to any special quality that we possess or due to our personal excellence, rather it is the result of Allah accepting our prayers and blessing many times over the small human effort involved.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
“This is all part of the Divine Will, as Allah Himself promised to spread the message of the Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) to the corners of the world. How gloriously He has fulfilled this promise and is continuing to do so!”
Highlighting the new avenues that are being utilised by MTA, His Holiness noted the success of MTA’s on-demand services and its increased reach through the use of social media.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“The viewing habits of people are changing and so instead of only watching MTA on their televisions, many prefer to watch the live stream of my sermons or of certain events of the Community on their computers or portable devices and if they are unable to watch live, they prefer to catch up online later. Hundreds of thousands of people watch in this way and so through social media we are reaching far greater audiences than ever before.”
His Holiness also mentioned that previously, MTA had been reliant upon outside companies when broadcasting live from external locations, however now it had its own in-house uplink facility.
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said:
“A few years ago, MTA International was able to purchase its own uplink dish and so now we only have to pay a nominal licence fee and are free to broadcast live, wherever and whenever we desire, without restriction. In this way, we are saving huge amounts. For instance, during my recent 6-week tour of Canada we saved in excess of $40,000 dollars simply because we had our own satellite uplink dish present.”
Concluding his address, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad prayed:
“As the sun sets on the first quarter century of this blessed institution, I pray that MTA continues to progress and furthers its objective to reach the corners of the earth and to make all the people of the world know of Islam’s true teachings. And as the dawn of the next era of MTA rises, we can never sit back and rest in satisfaction at our past achievements.”
Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad continued:
“We must march forward with a spirit of determination, sincerity and devotion and understand that it is our personal responsibility to bring mankind closer to its Creator and to inform the world about the need to fulfil one another’s rights.”
The event concluded with a silent prayer led by His Holiness.