Ibn Khaldun, a great Islamic historian quotes…

Ibn Khaldun (1332-1406), acknowledged as one of the greatest of medieval Islamic historians, who developed one of the earliest non-religious philosophies of history in the Muqaddimah provides a descriptor of leadership which has stood the tests of time.

“…. Desire for goodness and good qualities such as generosity, forgiveness of error, tolerance towards the weak, hospitality towards guests, the support of dependents, patience in adverse circumstances, faithful fulfillment of obligations, liberality of money for the preservation of honor, respect for the religious law, and for scholars who are learned in it … Great respect for old men and teachers, acceptance of the truth in response to those who call for it, fairness to and care for those too weak to care for themselves, attentiveness to the complaints of supplicants …. Avoidance of fraud, cunning, deceit, and not fulfilling obligations – these are the qualities of leadership.”

NEWS IS NOT WHAT IT USED TO BE?

News is not what it used to be. First of all, to generally explain on what is news, news is commonly being described as information that is sent to inform. Gaye Tuchman (1978) from her book title ‘Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality’ gave the following classification upon what ‘news’ is known to be;

“News is a window on the world. Through its frame, Americans learn of themselves and others, of their own institutions, leaders and lifestyles, and those of other nations of their peoples. The urbanized and urbanizing nation’s replacement for the town crier (“Ten o’clock and Mrs. Smith had a baby daughter”), the news aims to tell us what we want to know, need to know, and should know. But, like any frame that delineates a world, the news frame may be considered problematic. The view through a window depends upon whether the window is large or small, has many panes or few, whether the glass is opaque or clear, whether the window faces a street or backyard. The unfolding scenes also depends upon where one stands, far or near, craning one’s neck to the side, or gazing straight ahead, eyes parallel to the wall in which the window is encased.” Tuchman (1978) P. 1

There’s a lot to be understood by what Tuchman (1978) had mentioned in the above statement with regards to ‘news’. News to the man-in the-street is generally defined as an update of information that occurs daily, nationally and internationally, whereas to the person reporting it, getting the scoop of the moment would catapult both the journalist and the agency he represents into the limelight, literally, the hall of fame of being there FIRST way before the competitors. It is ‘a war of words’ besides documenting unforgettable photos or videos of that famous shot or incident. The unforgettable scenario of the attack of 9/11 and that of the most recent assassination of the exiled former President Benazir Bhutto is what makes news and is instantaneous in bringing it ‘LIVE’ into the living rooms of all who are watching the news at that moment.

In the words of Tuchman (1978) news is classified as “a window on the world. Through its frame, Americans learn of themselves and others, of their own institutions, leaders and lifestyles, and those of other nations of their peoples.” It is a forerunner of the old town crier of Victorian or even medieval times where the official town crier was the bearer of first hand news and in the past. Across the globe in post-communist China where the specially selected news was printed and pasted onto buildings to its intended audiences, these ‘wall newspapers’ did the job most successfully. Tuchman (1978) also mentions that “news is to inform the public on what is going on within their surroundings and the world.” It has always been known as such, that is – information. But whether what is being informed is the truth and whole truth has always been questionable, whether the news really is what the public really wants to know, must know or whether what is mentioned as facts of information for the public has nothing to do with a hidden agenda especially among those in power over the press distributing the news is another matter. Tuchman had mentioned this in 1978 which was exactly 3 decades ago, so how far different is news today comparing to 30 years ago? Is news still how it has always been? This essay will further discuss and debate on the statement, ‘News is not what it is used to be’.

Danny Schecter (2001) ‘News Dissector’ also cited Thomas Jefferson who in 1789 stated “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in newspaper. Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.” Danny Schecter (2001) P. 1

If one were to compare the content and the manner in which the news is presented to its audience in the past, over 200 hundred years ago and that of the present, it can be noted that while certain basic rules are still steadfastly adhered to, there are also just as many interesting changes that have been added to enhance the news presented today. Cold hard-hitting facts and statistics and photos or film footage is still the mainstay of most news coverage but no matter what time zone it was presented – it was presented to the audience that they had targeted in order to make their sales a sell out by the end of the day.

Today’s news in the words of sociologist Gaye Tuchman (1978) says that news is “cleverly craftily created ideas that may have very little to do with the truth’ and states that ‘ news is the social construction of reality and is the act of constructing reality itself rather than a picture of reality”. Gaye Tuchman (1978) P. 182-197.

This ‘social construction of reality’ is engineered to cater to the taste of its clients who inadvertently help to maintain the operation of the news agencies and that of the advertisers as the sales of news generates more and more money for the news agencies.

News in the form of this “social construction of reality” Gaye Tuchman (1978) is also the domain of the so-called ‘spin-masters to help garner and win votes for prominent and influential personalities many of whom exert much influence and control over the mass media.

Many would agree that perhaps, this part of news content has not changed much over the years as politicians who wish to win the support of their constituency will use the media as the medium to help promote the image of them and their families in order to win the elections. The printed word is seen by many as playing a supporting role to support the coverage of the glamorous image of the contenders on debates televised ‘live’ reaching an audience to the far flung corners of the globe. If one were to have missed out on the news on any given day, “news is not what it used to be” as, indeed, one can just go on to one of the numerous blogs on the net and read on what one has missed. A quick check on the “Right Truth” Blog dated 5th January 2008, will show Barack Obama’s speech and the many comments on him being the favourite as he appeals to the ‘good people’.

Some would even go back to historical times to show how world leaders had their ‘spin masters’ churn out news that would favor them and influence their countrymen to fight in the war as shown in Adolf Hitler as opposed to his adversary Sir Winston Churchill, likewise in the Soviet Union days of Stalin and Lenin up to the present day of President Vladimir Putin. In the United Kingdom in the heydays of Tony Blair and his steadfast ally of George W. Bush news coverage was an all out war on ‘fighting the face of evil’ and ‘terrorism’. Whatever medium that was employed, whether television, radio, newspapers, magazines or on the net it made news and performed the basic function of supplying and spreading this news worldwide to the general public.

The statement of ’News is not what it used to be.’ can be seen in the Blog of the “Right Truth” with regards to Barack Obama dated 5th January 2008 and the statement of Graeme Turner, Stuart Cunningham (2000) from their book ‘Australian TV Book’ can see on how the news has evolved with the use of technology. In the words of the two authors mentioned above, “Networking has turned local news editions into a complex amalgam of local and national style and content; the availability of live satellite feeds and access to twenty-four hour cable channels has transformed the coverage of international events, and while the relationship between the news reporter and their subject has become much less respectful, it is also much more informative.” Turner & Cunningham, (2000) P. 94

Without a doubt, the widespread use of information through technology, the audience is able to get first hand news broadcast under the terminology of “Breaking News” in the crawler at the bottom of the television screen before it is telecast LIVE across the different time zones repeatedly 24/7. Across the globe, we know immediately what is going on in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Australia, and the Middle East and so on. In the past, such events were related a day later or may be make the evening news. Life in this digital era has helped to distribute news as it happens before our very eyes.

The assassination on 27th December, 2008 of the exiled former President Benazir Bhutto will live forever in the eyes of those who watched her waving jubilantly to her supporters, flashing that charming smile, and the next instant, witness the tragic scene of the bomb blast and of her head hitting the back of the roof top and the shocking news that she had died. The usual formal approach of facts and figures and photos has now combined with the personalized approach where individuals are invited to be part of the reporting team. With their hand-held phone cameras, events such as the tragic death of Benazir Bhutto and even that of the Tsunami of 2006 and Hurricane Katerina and other catastrophic events have contributed to the news in a way never dreamt of before. Here the individual is also part of the process in giving a personal touch and a personal voice to the formal presentation of the news. With reference to the “Right Truth” Blog, of 27th of December 2008 on the internet, the audiences have posted their comments in one section of this Blog and there is a huge cross-section of people from all walks of life who have written in on these events from all over the world. This involvement of individuals to email or to phone in to express themselves has made “news not what is used to be”.

Eoin, Devereux (2003) from his book title ‘Understanding the Media’ states “Media globalization resulting from the activities of media conglomerates using new technologies has radically transformed the media landscape, but it is not a one-way process. While the media audiences’ now exists in an unalterably changed media environment they continue to possess considerable agency. The pluralist perspective holds that audiences shape and is shaped by media globalization. They possess the power to appropriate, localize and hybridize globally distributed media messages, resulting in ‘glocalization’.” Devereux (2003) P. 42

And that of the advance of technology in improvising the way news is, is also expressed by Lev Manovich (2001) in the book title ‘The Language of the New Media’ who mentions this, “What is new media? We may begin answering the question listing the categories commonly discussed under this topic in the popular press: the Internet, Websites, computer multimedia, computer games, CD-ROMs and DVD, virtual reality. Is this all there is to new media? What about television programs shot on digital video and edited on computer workstations? Or feature films that use 3-D animation and digital compositing? Shall we also count this as new media? What about images and text-image compositions-photographs, illustrations, layouts, ads-created on computers and then printed on paper? Where shall we stop? As we can see from these examples, the popular understanding of new media identifies it with the use of computer for distribution and exhibition rather than production. As the printing press in the 14th Century and photography in the 19th century had a revolutionary impact on the development of modern society and culture, today, we are in the middle of a new media revolution-the shift of all culture to computer mediated forms of production, distribution and communication. This new revolution is arguably more profound than the previous ones, and we are beginning to register its initial effects. Indeed, the introduction of the printing press affected only one stage of cultural communication-the distribution of media. Similarly, the introduction of photography affected only one type of cultural communication-still images. In contrast, the computer media revolution affects all stages of communication, including acquisition, manipulation, storage, and distribution; it also affects all types of media-texts, still images, moving images, sound and spatial constructions.” Lev Manovich (2001) P. 19
When the invasion of Iraq began, millions of viewers were glued to their TV screens as they followed the movement of the troops landing on the shores of Iraqi soil and went along with the exploits of the war correspondents in the tanks, tracking down all these movements of men trudging in the desert dust towards the cities that they had planned to take over. However, what was later realized was, that the enemy were also able to keep track of how far away their opponents were and were therefore able to pick them off like flies, blocking them off even before they could enter the cities. After that, blurred images were screened so as not to have the enemy troops identify the varying landmarks and mountains or terrain that they were familiar with of their own homeland. Even the war correspondent had to say in the form of an ‘aside’ Shakespearan – style that he was not allowed to say where they were or how far away they were from their target city as it was for security reasons. It can be seen here that with the support of technology and digital imaging indeed, “news is not what it used to be.”

When it comes to choosing the kind of news to broadcast, who determines what news to cover? From the book title ‘Broadcast News Producing’, Brad Schultz (2005), mentioned the following when it comes to covering news;

“Producers and news executives determine which stories to cover, how to cover them, what resources to use, and how best to communicate the stories in the broadcast. However, because of a changing news environment, the content, style, and presentation of network news have evolved over the years.” Schultz (2005) P. 25

The question arises when it comes to choosing the kind of news to broadcast and who will determine what sort of news to cover. Schultz (2005) in the above paragraph mentions that the difference on how news has changed over the years is in its content, style and presentation and this is obviously seen on the present news scene to keep pace with the changing times.

Tuchman (1978) adds that “the news media also has the power to shape the news, or even consumers’ opinions on topics about which they are ignorant.” Tuchman (1978) P. 2

We can observe that a ruling power can indeed bow down to international pressure when the general public participates in voicing their opinions or their judgments or condemns a ruling judgment imposed that is even sentenced by the judiciary. If we look at the recent case of the rape victim in Saudi Arabia as reported in the bbc.co.uk dated Monday 17 December 2007 from the article ‘Saudi King pardons rape victim’, it is amazing how international pressure from the various news agencies throughout the world, highlighted the plight of the victim and caused a reversal of her punishment to that of a royal pardon! The case was showcased in one of the excerpts as quoted as the following;

“The Saudi king has pardoned a female rape victim sentenced to jail and 200 lashes for being alone with a man raped in the same attack, reports say. The ‘Qatif girl’ case caused an international outcry with widespread criticism of the Saudi justice system. The male and female victims were in a car together when they were abducted and raped by seven attackers, who were given jail sentences up to nine years. Press reports say King Abdullah’s move did not mean the sentence was wrong. Quoted by the Jazirah newspaper, Justice Minister Abdullah al-Sheikh said the king had the right to issue pardons if it served the public interest. Women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to mix with men who are not close family members. The custodial sentence plus 200 lashes was imposed after the woman, who has not been named, appealed against an earlier sentence of 90 lashes. The BBC’s Heba Saleh says the king’s decision to pardon the woman victim is already arousing controversy with some contributors to conservative websites, who say he has breached the rules of religion in order to appease critics in the West. The US had called the punishment “astonishing”, although it refused to condemn the Saudi justice system. Human rights groups had been calling on King Abdullah, who has a reputation as a pro-Western reformer, to change it. The justice ministry recently rejected what it saw as “foreign interference” in the case and insisted the ruling was legal and that the woman had confessed to having an affair with her fellow rape victim.” BBC.CO.UK (Monday, 17 December 2007)

This astonishing reversal of events shows how ‘news is not what it used to be’ and how it has helped balance the scales of justice in setting this woman free and not condemning her to further punishment. It shows no matter how powerful a decision may have been made, it can be overturned when there is a very strong voice and support from other heads of foreign governments and individuals.

It also shows how the repeated printing of this news and the depiction of the tragic sentence on the victim and not on her perpetrators helped to move the world population at large to put pressure on a monarch to interfere and overturn the decision of the court.

Tuchman (1978) then gave the following example to explain on how the news media manages to influence the nation into thinking into how they portray the situation or issue to be;

“Today, discussions of the antiwar movement still reflect the media’s language. For instance, young men who refused to serve in Vietnam are commonly referred to as draft ‘evaders’ (the media’s term) rather than draft ‘resisters’, as they prefer to be called. The words ‘evaders’ and ‘resisters’ imply different political orientations to these men and their relationship to their country and the war.” Tuchman (1978) P. 2

Same thing discussed in the previous paragraphs, this shows how news can shape people’s perception towards a certain issue at hand. Looking at it, the press, or those controlling/influencing the press could very well signify the news in a different way whereby a different representation of news and information would change the entire approach of the news. The choice of words to describe an issue plays a big role.
Besides these news stories that captivated and captured the imagination of the world and brought about changes, other news events that have caught the attention of the viewers or readers is that of news related to the consumer. According to Turner and Cunningham (2000) “Consumer issue stories have dominated current affairs programs, displacing politics over the years. The continuing importance of current affairs audiences to political debate, however, is implicit in the increasingly institutionalized practice of using these programs’ presenters to chair televised debates between party leaders at election time. The power of television current affairs to influence broader debates has become significant as well. Both formats however, have been accused of giving way to commercial pressures over the years, with a subsequent loss of responsibility to the information needs of the public.” Turner & Cunningham, (2000) P. 94

As advertising plays an important role in filling the coffers of the media, sponsors are essential as the media is heavily dependent on advertising to run their organizations. Therefore, the news is often disrupted with frequent breaks to allow for the advertisements to be run. “News is not what it used to be“ as these sponsors and their spokespersons kill two birds with one stone in advertising for the company even as they are promoting programs or projects of corporate social responsibility. We have famous personalities like David Beckham, stars like Oliver Newton John, Julia Roberts and so on jumping on the band wagon of advertising in between news takes. We have also seen how cigarette advertisements have been pulled off the sports screens as consumers have taken issue on whether the two can ever meet on one hand, depicting a healthy lifestyle with sports and at the same time smoking cigarettes.

Another example which shows that “news is not what it used to be” is the definition of “hard news and soft news”. According to Cheris Kramarae and Dale Spender (2000) based on the book title ‘Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women’s Issues and Knowledge’ this is changing and what was soft news is now hard news now. The following was what was written with regards to ‘news’ including the two types of news commonly known which is hard news and soft news;

“The definition of hard news is changing, and what was soft news is now hard news. For instance – a story about day care and its effect on woman’s productivity can be a lead story on the news with Peter Jennings. It’s what women in the newsroom and women at home care about more than what’s happening in Sri Lanka. (Cited in the Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, 12 October 1999) According to the article in which this quotation appeared, the influence of women on the news agenda has resulted in “more emphasis on such story topics as child care, education, health and the moral topics of politics.” FAIR noted in its analysis of this article that when the press reports the news as if “women’s” concerns are humans concern, then issues like child care, health care and poverty are considered “hard news” and women can be understood as equally invested in topics such as economics, international affairs and technology.” Kramarae & Spender (2000) P.1164

In conclusion, the statement that ‘news is not what it used to be’ may ring true with the additional attractions of photo stills, video footages, or 1st person accounts, phone camera contributions, posting of notices or comments on Blogs or advertising breaks, the basic principle still remains true – that news still provides the information that society craves for and it co-exists peacefully with Tuchman’s “social construction of reality” even though it may be at times seen as “a polluted vehicle” in the words of Thomas Jefferson (1789).

References (Book)

1. Devereux, E. (2003) ‘Understanding the Media’, SAGE. P. 139, P. 42

2. Kramarae, C., Spender, D. (2000) ‘Routledge International Encyclopedia of Women: Global Women’s Issues and Knowledge’, ROUTLEDGE, FRANCIS AND TAYLOR GROUP. P. 1164

3. Manovich, L. (2001) ‘The Language of New Media’, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press P. 19

4. Schecter D. (2001) ‘News Dissector’, AKASHIC BOOKS. Forward by Kathrada, A., AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS. P. i

5. Schultz, B. (2005) ‘Broadcast News Producing’, SAGE. P. 25

6. Tuchman, G. (1978) ‘Making News: A Study in the Construction of Reality.’ NEW YORK FREE PRESS. P. 1, P. 182-197

7. Turner, G., Cunningham, S. (2000) ‘Australian TV Book’, ALLEN & UNWIN BOOK PUBLISHERS. P. 94

References (Website)

1. bbc.co.uk. (Monday, 17 December 2007) article titled, ‘Saudi king pardons rape victim’

2. ‘Right Truth’ Blog (Sunday, 6 January 2008)article title, ‘Barack Obama Inspirational Speaker’

3. ‘Right Truth’ Blog (Thursday, 27 December 2007)article title, ‘Benazir Bhutto Dead’

‘Islam’ uncivilised? – Media to be blamed for this misconception?

The demonization of Islam, the religion of almost 1 billion Muslims in the world today, cannot be allowed to go unabated. It is vital that the media, whose influence now transcends national and cultural boundaries, be given sufficient knowledge on the authentic teachings of Islam, the religion of peace.

1. Why is it among many Westerners today, there is this general feeling of ‘fear’ of Islam or ‘Islamophobia’? Does the way the media portrays Islam have anything to do with this?
2. Regarding Muslims living in North America and the United Kingdom, – is it true that due to the misreporting of Islam by the media the Westerners who are the majority consider them the minority, as the “enemy from within”?
3. How much are Muslims themselves responsible for the misshaping of the image of their own religion? How can they help address the issue of the demonization of Islam by the media?
4. How should we begin to educate’ the media on Islam and some of its fundamental teachings, for example, in regard to living in a multiracial, multi-religious society, or living as a minority in a non-Muslim majority country?

Islam is often portrayed in a negative light by the media. Among the common stereotypes of Islam prevalent in North America and Europe are:

1. It is the religion of Arabs per se.
2. It is primitive, uncivilized, fanatic, polygamous and anti-women.
3. It is militant, anti-Western and promotes terrorism.
4. It has little or no regard for human rights, tolerance and pluralism.
5. The Islamic world will remain backward unless it conforms to Western values where modernity in the “Western” context is seen as the only form of civilization.

The following quote of the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad describes a typical Western media stereotyping of Muslims:

“…acts of terrorism or even self-defence by Muslims in Palestine are invariably described as Muslim terrorism. The terrorist, if they are terrorists and in many instances they are not, are labelled Muslim terrorists. Terrorism by others, by ethnic Europeans, by intolerant Christians and Jews, by Buddhists are never linked to their religions. There are no Christian terrorists or Buddhist terrorists or Orthodox Christian terrorists which are the Serbs no doubt are.”

The misconception of Islam is demonstrably false. However, it is likely to persist unless reporters and other media personnel become more acquainted with Islam and Moslems. The media is in a pivotal position to rectify the misconception of Islam. Numerous conferences, seminars, dialogues or workshops on inter-religious understanding have called on the media to stop demonising Islam and Muslims. But how far does the effect take place? How do you view Muslims in general? Do you think the media is at fault? If not who?

I think that it is time that the media does the following in order to correct the world’s perception towards Islam;

• To enhance the understanding of Islam and Muslims within the news media community by considering some essentials of the faith;

 • To correct the image of Islam that has been wrongly portrayed by the foreign and the local media;

• To provide examples from specific Muslim nations on what is, and is not Islam, distinguishing Islam as a faith and Islam as a culture.

The media is looked upon as the conduit for the advancement of peace, prosperity and progress. But can the media respond effectively, for they too cannot claim immunity from some of the problems that contribute to the world’s woes.

Co-editors of the book title Ethical Issues in Journalism and the Media, Andrew Belsey and Ruth Chadwick both mentioned in their book, “In the light of the problems the world faces, the typical daily content of an American television channel or a British tabloid newspaper is not just a shame, but a crime. This is at a time when many parts of the world with no tradition of a free press trying to develop media that better serve and reflect the rising tide of democracy, and are looking for the West for models to emulate. But disappointment and disillusionment could quickly follow. For in addition to stunning triviality, these searches after new exemplars will find enormous concentration of ownership in the hands of trans-national corporations, together with governments who think little of selling television channels to the highest bidder. “

 It is obvious that the majority of news and information agencies and network is owned by huge corporations which are always based in the West. They are managed and directed by Westerners and these Westerners supply news to the whole world. When they do this, they invariably look at events they cover from their own perspective, normally tainted with self-interest, prejudice and jaundiced stereotyping. There are plenty of examples to prove this fact.

One example, the report on the bombing of the Federal Government Office Building in Oklahoma City in 1993 is a clear example of how slanted, or rather felonious the media can be. The media immediately pounced on the jugular vein of the Muslims. This they thought was another huge scoop. The terrorists who planted the bomb had to be Muslims. Who else could it be? Muslims equal Terrorists. Islam equals terrorism. Indeed it was proven otherwise. The perpetrator is a blue-eyed American boy.

 But the saddest thing of it all is that, even though the mistake was monumental, after all these years an apology, or perhaps an explanation, is still forthcoming. Media owners have used it as a means of satisfying their quest for power and wealth, not to mention megalomania. However we do not expect them to be a little bit of understanding in their reporting. If there are to be reproaches, then let them be fair reproaches. The portrayal of non-Western based faiths and cultures must be done with accuracy, objectivity and guided by a high level of professionalism. We are only asking you to stick to your ethics.

There is a humorous cliché that says, ‘journalists do not even need to be bribed to behave unethically. ‘This does not have to be true. Drastic change is expected to happen with the advent of information revolution and globalization. But certain things never change. For example, why is it that when it comes to reporting on Islam, there is this tendency to misquote, misinterpret, and miss the point? As the Western media can be considered as Christian-dominated, perhaps the problem must have been due to the rather unholy alliance of the Christian and Muslim since the advent of Islam.

Most recently we heard about Islamophobia, a term that describes discrimination, prejudice and harassment against Muslims. This is particularly prevalent in the West when Mulsim society begin to evolve side by side the Western, non-Muslim society. Schism, that is an ailment that has spread like a pernicious forest fire among individuals and communities that have had to grapple with more than one set of values, cultural ties, linguistic framework and so forth, becomes the order of the day. And sichism leads to islamophobia. Islamophobia is rife not only in the tabloids, but the broadsheets and local newspapers as well. One of the key things that must draw people’s attention to is how it has become acceptable for the non-Muslim media to insult and degrade Islam and Muslims.

A report prepared by the United Kingdom-based Runnymede Trust Commission on Islamophobia in 1997 concludes that Islamophobia exists and it shows just how much and how vitriolic the prejudice against Muslims is. Such mindless bigotry and thuggery damages and destroys the lives of so many people. Religiously motivated crime is so repulsive. Support for populist racism, jingoism, chauvinism and Islamophobia was evident during the British General Election 1997. The Runnymede Trust Commision also reported that the press contemptuous stereotypes and cartoons were not confined to the tabloids but included the broadsheets across the political spectrum. If some of the political cartoons had featured a Jewish rather than a Muslim character; they would undoubtedly have been judge anti-Semitic.

Not surprisingly in this age of a borderless world Islamophobia in one particular country can affect trends and events elsewhere. There is no prize for guessing who is responsible for spreading islamophobia. A little clue to help those with a mental jam – the Daily Mail has been described by some writers as the beacon of Islamophobia! The Satanic Verses too had done so much to feed Islamophobia sentiment in our day.

Salman Rushdie writes, “…the closer you are to the conjurer, the easier it is to spot the trick.” (referring to his own Muslim origins). Islamophobia also entails the non-reporting or non-disclosure of acts of violence against Muslims, and the failure to present the true teachings of Islam to readers and viewers. Newspapers often do not report attacks and harassments on Muslims. Numerous incidents of bricks been thrown through mosque windows and their walls daubed with graffiti have gone unnoticed. We need to move away from stereotypes about Muslims. People need to understand the diversity within islam. All Muslims tend to be seen in the same light.

The print media in particular needs to change its attitude towards Muslims. Legitimate criticisms against Muslims are all right. Muslims too, should be free to criticize the negative aspects of Westerns culture. But there is a legitimate discussion and dialogue and what Muslims have to put up with, which is a constant running down to their beliefs. There’s a fine line between what is legitimate and illegitimate criticism, but it’s possible to tell the difference. The role of opinion leaders, politicians, journalists, both print and electronic is important.

A distinction must be made by both Muslims and non-Muslims between open view on Islam on the one hand and closed views on the other. Open views are a prerequisite of mutual trust and understanding, for respectful disagreements and debates, and for building of joint relationships.