As the Muslim world turns …

As Egyptian TV channels wage a fierce fight to win audiences and advertising money during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, some imams worry that the bombardment of soap operas and historical dramas will distract Muslims from performing their religious traditions.

Ramadan began Wednesday, and Egyptian TV and independent satellite channels promptly began showing 48 new soap operas and nearly the same number of other programs produced specially for the holy month. Millions of Egyptians watch soap operas after breaking their fast following sunset and before beginning it again after morning prayers.

But many religious leaders view the indulgence of escaping into the TV dramas as a threat to the spiritual value of the holy month.

“Ramadan is a worship month, not a month for watching soap operas,” Ahmad Hemaya, the imam of Sultan Hassan mosque in Cairo, one of Egypt’s oldest mosques, said in a recent interview on Egyptian television.

“Fasting teaches us patience and to control our desires and instincts.... Over-watching TV distracts many Muslims from Tarawih prayers,” the imam added.

Statistics from the Pan Arab Research Center show that Ramadan is the advertising high season in Egypt, with $146 million spent during the month last year, a remarkable 62% increase over any other time of the year.

“Egypt is one of the fastest-growing advertising markets in the world,” Reg Lascaris, the president of the advertising group TBWA in the Africa, Middle East and Mediterranean region, told the National, a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates.

The big spending on advertising during Ramadan inspired the launch of a new channel called Drama 2. Tarek Nour, owner of an advertising agency and a veteran in the industry, last year launched Cairo and People, a channel that broadcasts only during Ramadan.

Nasry Esmat is a special correspondent.