one should be fair always. you snipped off his premise and spin off on something else;notice what unB said:
i didn't spin off into anything. i merely snipped the "if they want to interview" part because that goes without mentioning. obviously, if they don't want to interview a scholar, they won't. the other crime might have been to snip the going to his mosque, office, etc. or calling him to studio, mosque, office etc. part, which is redundant anyways. so here's what unbeknown said:
If DI cameramen wish to get a scholar to give an interview (howsoever short) for the channel they should either invite them to their studio, mosque, residence etc. or go to the scholar's residence, office, mosque etc. Because in both these cases the scholar is in full control of the situation and can consent or refuse without having to care about any maslehat or such things.
i ask
says which bab of which fiqh book?
to which you say
videos are a new issue. so on what grounds should anyone accept unbeknown's pulling out such exacting rules or guidelines out of thin air? (talking in the context of Islamic videos)
why should someone take his word that Islamic tv channels (qtv or Madani or any other channel) shouldn't approach scholars for interviews at public events and places?
i fully support respecting the boundaries of consent and that those scholars who don't want to be filmed shouldn't be filmed. (unless they are shot unintendingly, like you film a big crowd and some scholar's picture comes in by chance. this can be likened to the same scholars passing through areas with cctv cameras or something)
if perhaps there was a fiqh conference where both pro-video and anti-video scholars got together and formulated some guidelines on the rules or ethics of Islamic tv channels, it might have been a different story.
even if only the anti-video scholars issued some guidelines to the pro-video people on how to behave around them that too would be fine. (i still haven't listened to the Q&A list by Azhari miyan that unbeknown posted)
many times, people unwillingly are part of something - blame it on eastern culture.
it is difficult for people to say 'no' in our culture; even though, i have trained myself to say 'no', i still get stuck in situations, which i could avoid by saying no. though i feel like kicking myself afterward, at that point i would have said 'yes' even though my inside is screaming 'no'. it is a weakness, but don't think everyone can be as blunt as AQ...and ALWAYS.
even on issues they believe to be haram?
if you believe something to be haram, or a matter of principle, you will bluntly say a yes or a no, unless you lack courage. besides, blunt doesn't mean you are ill-mannered.
consider all of these situations, and that you are in a level playing field and not coerced and don't fear losing life or limb or getting arrested or your family getting harassed due to your stance on an issue (not in a place like iran surrounded by shias or saudi arabia surrounded by wahabis, or at the minhaji ibadatgah surrounded by tahir's thugs)
1. 3aqidah/imaniyat - someone asks you if you consider tahir as shaykhul Islam and an upright Muslim, and you are surrounded by a mixed crowd of tahiris as well as Muslims - will you say a yes or a no?
2. haram qat3i - you find yourself signing a deal with a company in europe and to celebrate they take out a bottle of champagne - will you not tell them bluntly 'gentlemen, i'm a Muslim. i don't drink'? what if it was a situation in your college days and a bunch of guys (Muslim or not) handed you a bottle and cheered you on "do it, do it, do it..."? another one - you attend a Milad gathering where women freely mix with men with little regard for purdah, will you stay or leave?
3. non-qat3i haram - you are at a gathering of Muslims, and had no idea they planned a qawwali. will you sit and listen or say 'you guys consider it halal but no i don't participate in gatherings with qawwalis. i consider them haram'?
4. mubah - your child throws a tantrum asking you to buy some new toy that you don't want to. yes in such a situation, you might give in to pressure.
in all these situations, even if you hate something in your heart, not saying no means you consented to it, regardless if it was done joyfully or if you only acquiesced reluctantly.
coming back to the non-qat3i haram - if you believe videos to be haram, just how hard can it be for you to stand for your principles in this case if in the first two matters too (imaniyat and qat3i haram*) you will boldly stand for your principles?
it is not a pressure situation of a distant auntyjee emotionally blackmailing someone at a family gathering (for some matter mubah in itself) and he reluctantly agrees only to hate himself for doing so!
*likewise for the opposite case, i'm sure for obligations like salah or fasting, you will stand your ground and do your duty regardless of how much someone tries to prevent you from doing it.
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coming to Shah Sahab's issue:
firstly, afaik from mutual acquaintances, he is a very pious and scrupulous man, so i'm in no way insinuating that he doesn't practice what he preaches or that he can't or doesn't stand up for his principles. i'm just saying that when he says "phas jata hun" he probably means that he uses discretion in appearing in front of camera. if he was filmed only on Madani channel or if that was the first time he was ever filmed, it could have been said that the situation was taken advantage of or that they behaved unethically. but given that he has willingly consented to being filmed for news anchors as well as in various different gatherings, it shows that he isn't an all out no-video person despite his fiqh stance; and that the Madani channel reps just tried their luck and saw if they could get him to say a few lines.
i say again, Shah Sahab has taken principled stances in large gatherings like walking out of a gathering that involved naats with zikr, lambasting politicians or some policies etc. it simply would be no big deal for him to say "please don't film me" and also no big deal for any pakistani Sunni to switch the camera off if he said so.
i don't agree with your 'it's difficult for people to say no in our culture' line. peer or group pressure runs across cultures, but people who value principles, do step their foot down for the sake of principles. doesn't the first video of Azhari miyan testify to that? (afaik, he has only ever been photographed without his knowledge)
