RIYADH – Huda TV Channel, a global broadcasting satellite service with its headquarters in Riyadh has launched a channel in the German language to present the correct image of Islam in the West.

The channel, targeting 145 million people who speak the language around the world, was kicked off last Saturday, Arab News reported on Sunday, July 31.

At the ceremony, Chairman of the board of directors of Huda Channel Hamad Al-Ghammas reportedly said during the channel’s launch ceremony that Islam is being projected among non-Muslims in a distorted manner.

“This has compelled us to communicate with people in their mother tongue and present the right image of the religion,” Al-Ghammas said, expressing optimism that the move will be beneficial in a big way.

The new channel also aims to introduce Islam to the German-speaking population to remove misconceptions and focus on the positive Islamic behavior.

It will also work on educating them on the Islamic civilization and its role in the development of humanity and refute accusations against the religion.

Germany has Europe’s second-biggest Muslim population after France, and Islam comes third in Germany after Protestant and Catholic Christianity.

It has between 3.8 and 4.3 million Muslims, making up some five percent of the total 82 million population, according to government-commissioned studies.

The far-right has benefited greatly from anti-immigrants public discourse.

In recent days, support for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as well as the xenophobic and anti-Islamic PEGIDA movement has surged.