Ahmed Abu Haiba, the Egyptian mastermind behind Islamic entertainment television at Iqra' and Al-Resalah tv channels, has recently launched what many have dubbed the 'Islamic MTV'. 4Shbab (for youth), which is available through satellite in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and soon in the United States, is the latest attempt to create a global Islamic pop culture scene. Viewers can watch the latest videos from Muslim artists in the United States, Africa, Egypt, in Arabic and English. Abu Haiba is a savvy media producer who wants to capitalize on a lucrative music video market that accounts for more than 14% of television viewing in the Arab world. It's too early to tell how successful 4Shbab might be, but one curious aspect of this initiative and others in the region is how committed a group of investors (mostly Saudi) are to Islamizing Western pop culture. Abu Haiba still struggled to convince his investors despite his pitch line that Western music videos " smash our identity and confuse people, especially the younger generation. They give them a misunderstanding about their own lives." For more than 10 years now, Saudi money has been flowing to support a range of entertainment Islamic television programming which is enjoying a decent following among Muslims. This is the first attempt to combine religion and music on television and it might stand a better chance at getting more viewers. One of the shows on 4Shbab is called: "Who Wants to be An Islamic Pop Star?" Clearly, this is not only meant to educate!

I don't think 4shbab will have problems filling the air. A number of artists across the world have been producing  Muslim-minded music from Sami Yusuf and Outlandish in England to 3ilm, Native Deen and Kareem Salama (Country music singer) in the US to Noor in Egypt and Yahya Hawwa in Syria. The challenge awaiting Abu Haiba is whether Muslim youth will heed his message of cultural purification. One thing is clear, there are significantly more options today for Islamic entertainment.