Mission For Journalism In A Time Of Crisis

By Moin Qazi, New Age Islam 7 October 2023 There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and shame the devil. —Walter Lippman We are at the crossroads of one of the most difficult times in history Never before have attacks on Muslims been so geographically dispersed, unrelenting or chillingly unpredictable. Violence Is the engine of Modi's politics. It is to demand accountability from the state. .politicians and, instead, are over racing Modi to see that they lead the race. The Hinduisation of India is nearly complete. The race appears to see when Narendra Modi's ethno nationalist rule unravels his version of the country's constitutional commitment to its Muslim and Christian minorities. A lot of ink, infinite film reels, and a frantic churn of news stories bristling with violent tones have fixed the Muslims as a stereotyped homogeneity. A cottage industry of authors appears to keep the midnight oil burning so that the flashlights on bad Muslims keep flashing. A well-oiled Islamophobia keeps churning out hate propaganda with financial backers, think tanks, and misinformation experts who are constantly manipulating the already flawed image of what a Muslim is, of what Islam is. India is already the most prominent newspaper market in the world - over 100 million copies sold daily. Advertising revenues have soared. In the past two decades, the number of channels has grown from one - the dowdy state-owned broadcaster Doordarshan - to more than 500, of which more than 80 are news channels. But such robust growth, many believe, may have come at the cost of accuracy, journalistic ethics and integrity. The media has taken some flak in recent months for being shallow, inaccurate and sometimes damagingly obtrusive A close examination will reveal that most Muslims are moderate, peaceful people affected by terrorism and violence more than non-Muslims. The media is not interested in this sober angle. The only religious voices on the front page are those speaking messages of hatred or violence, especially in stories about conflict or social tension. The media has constructed its stereotype of a Muslim as a terrorist and keeps garnering selective stories to reinforce it. The media must ensure that the content they create is fair and responsible. That duty is even greater for those who report news that shapes the national debates. Yet, most media is actively involved in the misrepresentation of news. While neither Muslims nor Islam should be immune from criticism or inquiry, where warranted, readers expect this to be done fairly and with due care without resorting to well-worn tropes and generalisations. We live in a time of political fury and hardening cultural divides. But if there is one thing virtually everyone agrees on, the news and information we receive are biased. The appearance of digital platforms, smartphones, and the ubiquitous surveillance tools readily available to them has created a new public mood that is instinctively suspicious of anyone claiming to describe reality fairly and objectively. Much of the outrage that floods social media is not simply a reaction to events but how they are reported and framed. The media shows remarkable consistency in employing an arsenal of semantic games, incendiary phrases, convenient omissions, and moral relativism to portray violence as a product emerging from Islamic ranks. Jim Morrison succinctly observes, "Whoever controls the media controls the mind." This is true of the way Muslims are being defamed. Several times, headlines are sensational or distorted. Some of the stories are painful and disturbing for ordinary Muslims. There is a strong voice of peace lovers within Muslim ranks that the media can properly channel to give a rounded assessment of Islamic issues. It is equally valid that the media must refrain from hyping acts of any possible Islamic impropriety by indulging in hyperbole. Ordinary Muslims have never encouraged such extremist stunts, and the aggressive slants of media have confounded otherwise innocuous issues. Sadly, journalism is failing to perform its fundamental role. It keeps rehashing tired old narratives of "radical Islam" or a "fight within Islam". The truth is much more convoluted, and the entire world has been directly responsible for creating the dangerous reality that so many Muslims have to live in fear every day. The Algorithms of News Media News media has its algorithms in its daily operations. News value depends on the "social weight" of the message, i.e., the extent to which the media users think the message concerns them personally. The reporter is inclined to present a distorted picture to increase the "social weight" of news so that it appears to have many consequences for everyone in society. Regarding the reportage of Muslims, their deviant behaviour receives comprehensive coverage. This dichotomy could be why the media makes eager and uncritical use of negative statements when they are expressed by politicians and other influential persons and targeted against Muslims. The negative news about Muslims is also indubitably caused by reporters who lack specific knowledge for understanding and covering the concerned groups. All of us, from the most potent columnists to the tiniest bloggers, must be careful about what we put into the cloud. Words matter most in journalism. Our keyboards have become so powerful that the slightest irresponsibility can spark a crisis. Many mainstream journalists have struggled to find consistent language when covering events linked to violence involving Muslim issues. There are various reasons, and nobody can resolve them overnight. All these require proper training and mentoring. Originally a very benignant concept, Jihad has become an ominous word, conjuring up images of terrorism. But the word "jihad" in Arabic merely means "to strive" or to make a "determined effort." The association with terrorism represents a distortion of the true Qur'anic meaning of the term. According to an oft-repeated hadith, Jihad is supposed to encompass a struggle against one's sinful proclivities, also known as "greater jihad", and a struggle against injustice, also known as "smaller jihad". But over time, both Shi'a and Sunni Islam have developed distinct distortions of Jihad, contributing to the current association between Jihad and terrorist acts. However, the twisted concept had little to do with the mainstream teaching of Islam. Some journalists and experts focus on various segments of Islamic philosophy that can be viewed as a political "ideology" instead of theological and spiritual ideas and concepts. Several times, an ideological hue pasted to many moral ideas. During the expansion of Islam between the seventh and thirteenth centuries, Jihad came to have an offensive connotation—to expand the territory of Islam as a collective duty, in addition to a defensive one, to defend against foreign aggression. The medieval scholar Ibn Taymiyyah affirmed that rebellion against a ruler who failed to enforce or govern Islamic law was permissible. The modern concept of Jihad developed mainly in the twentieth century, with a watershed transformation occurring as part of Islamic anti-colonial movements. In 1939, the Sunni jurist Abu Ala Mawdudi sharpened the definition of Jihad as a sign of liberation worldwide that enabled Islam to reign supreme. Mawdudi also transformed the concept of jahiliyah (the age of ignorance before God's message to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)) into a condition that exists at any time or place where an Islamic state has not been actualised. Mawdudi split the world between an Islamic divinely ordained world and an infidel world that needed to be overturned. The Deep Bias Several times, headlines are sensational or distorted, and reporting is often profoundly racist. Much coverage of Muslims in news outlets has a negative slant. We've seen how some papers get their news about Muslims wrong and how often they reuse the same stereotypes. True, like many others, Muslims also have a share of opposing elements. But the story has to be fair and reflective and shouldn't generalise about all Muslims and feed into a broader far-right narrative. As CP Scott, the founder-editor of The Guardian, emphasised, "Comment is free, but facts are sacred". The Scott Trust, which owns The Guardian, stated an obvious purpose when it was established in 1936: "To secure the financial and editorial independence of The Guardian in perpetuity and to safeguard the journalistic freedom and liberal values of The Guardian free from commercial or political interference. "Jihad is a loaded term—and a concept that illustrates a deep gulf of miscommunication between Islam and the West. Those in each community see Jihad as a clash of civilisations—and act on those beliefs. But Jihad means "exerted effort" to most Islamic scholars and Muslims and represents a range of activities everyone defines us except us. Everyone is explaining Jihad except for Muslims. Some Muslims must brush up to review the issue for clarity and understanding of their Religion. Jihad is a range of activities, all based on the Arabic meaning of the word "exerted effort". In the Qur'an, it's projected as exerting effort to change oneself and also, in certain situations, physically standing against oppressors if that's the only way. The concept of Jihad as a struggle for self-improvement is little known among non-believers. Something widely quoted by the Muslim "man on the street" is that the most difficult Jihad is the one of the soul. The most significant trouble is not with your enemy but with yourself. While the inner struggle is one meaning of Jihad, many others use it to describe engagement with external enemies. Here, the concept encounters the notions of other faiths. The confused interpretation of the term among people of all faiths creates much trouble. M. Scanlon's now-classic essay, The Difficulty of Tolerance, offers materials for an attractive and affirmative answer. "Tolerance is valuable for its own sake because of the attitude it allows us to bear towards our fellow citizens, an attitude of fraternity and solidarity deeper than the intractable disagreements that divide us. Tolerance makes it possible to view all our fellow citizens equally entitled to participate in defining and determining the shape of society." Scanlon argues that intolerant individuals don't consider their fellow citizens equally entitled. Intolerant individuals think they have a special status compared to others and do not view others as full members of society. The Eroding Values in Journalism In an ideal world, journalism is a profession of incredible integrity, and journalists are among the most dexterous and skilled people worldwide. We have all benefited from the work of persistent journalists who put life, limb, family, and even sanity on the line in their pursuit of truth. There is no sane, decent, and democratic polity possible without journalists who challenge power, relentlessly pursue and disseminate the truth and always find the following story to tell. The press once seemed to have a conscience, thanks to history's painful social conflicts and questions of war and peace. The world, however, has changed, and many of us may be in a time warp of old values. Like all institutions, the media has also suffered in terms of its reputation. From terrorists to dictators, provocative literature to fabricated threats, Muslim identity is affected by almost every imaginable negative stereotype and menacing trope. Amidst these, the images of good Muslims in every medium are few and far between. The blatant misrepresentation of the facts has serious consequences. The good storylines of Muslim characters are woefully few. Often, there is a consistent stream of sloppy reporting, bias, or wilful sensationalism about Muslims. The way stories are deformed to fit a formula about Muslims—and the difficulties in uprooting these fictions once they've been entrenched —can be seen across the mediaIt is time journalists reaffirmed their commitment to the philosophy of Joseph Pulitzer III (1913-1993), the founder of the world's gold standard in journalism, the Pulitzer Prize: "We will illuminate dark places and, with a deep sense of responsibility, interpret these troubled times". It is much easier for the media to reduce the complex debate on various issues confronting modern Muslims to a series of clichés, slogans and sound bites rather than examining root causes and undertaking a profound analysis. Since instant and credible information has to be made available d, it becomes necessary to resort to guesswork, rumours and suppositions to fill in the voids, and none will ever rectify them. Corrections and retractions by the press are extremely rare and do not find any prominent space. The clarification is published in an obscure corner, and the original news becomes permanently etched in public memory. The Muslim community can simultaneously fight Islamophobia and address the ills within it. It is not, and should not be, a zero-sum game. Just as Muslims desire others' safety, freedom from discrimination, access to justice and the opportunity to thrive, they should work hard to ensure the same principles apply to those who are themselves Muslims. One cannot make demands and then plead indifference when asked to fulfil those demands. As the Qur'an states in the " Women " chapter, "Oh you who believe. Stand firmly for justice as witnesses to God, even though it is against yourselves, your family, the rich or the poor." The reality is that religious leaders and dialogue practitioners may not be equipped to properly understand and analyse news sources or reach out meaningfully to the media. They may not be aware of the process of the newsroom agenda setting and may not understand that journalists do not usually set the news agenda. Religious leaders and dialogue practitioners could benefit from training to represent themselves better to the press. Religious Messages Should Not Overshadow the Peace Agenda .Religion is often portrayed simply as a social or political construct. However, Religion is a daily practice for millions and the fundamental framework of understanding that connects human lives to a spiritual reality. Their faith is the prism through which they view the world, and their religious communities are their central environments. It isn't easy to overstate the importance of faith in the lives of many. Over the years, Indian Muslims have often been targeted for everything from their food and clothing style to inter-religious marriages. Rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have warned that attacks could escalate. They have also accused Modi's governing party of looking the other way and sometimes enabling hate speech against Muslims, who comprise 14 per cent of India's 1.4 billion people but are still numerous enough to be the second-largest Muslim population of any country. Religious preachers should not allow their messages of peace and reconciliation to be overshadowed by media-savvy religious voices that deal with conflict and hatred. There is the possibility that objectivity gets diluted in the heat of debate. In the context of growing media attention given to Islam and Muslims, there is a critical issue with the media's role in reinforcing specific negative stereotypical images of the community. Also of particular importance is the role that the Muslim press plays, and can play, in combating these negative stereotypes and disinformation about Islam and Muslims in the mainstream media, as well as helping in the overall empowerment of the Muslim community. Muslim representation in the media is dismal, while Muslims' share in media ownership is even more pathetic. Faith leaders and journalists must both appreciate and understand each other's constraints. For their part, Muslim leaders can play a significant role in sensitising the media to the various complexities of Islamic issues. Broader dialogue can help in a nuanced understanding of the whole issue. Islamic organisations need to be professional in their media relations, which few of them are. They need staff that can adequately interact with non-Muslim media organisations and present them with a proper and convincing Muslim perspective on various issues. The intention should be to interact cordially with the mainstream media and help articulate Muslim voices to counter anti-Muslim stereotypes and disinformation. There is a desperate need for Muslim media groups to be research-oriented. Along with other Muslim community organisations, they could commission projects on various social issues relating to the community and articles generated from such research projects can be sent to various newspapers. Muslim community organisations must seriously consider establishing research centres specialising in social science research, which is lacking today. This research can then be made more publicly accessible through the mass media. Like the other forms of art, cinema is a reflection of reality. However, the truth on the screen is not natural, which means the seventh art presents a fact reproduced by human hands to its audience. While cinema, as an essential artistic language, has witnessed life and reflected society-structured reality since its beginning, it has represented women in many different ways for over a hundred years. This representation of women on the big screen was scrutinised and criticised over time. The primary criticism was that women were reflected in a distorted way and line with the interests of patriarchal culture. As productions diversified, various criticisms were added to these primary problems. Among these ensuing criticisms was diversity. Indeed, diversity is the most significant focus of cinema and TV sectors today regarding women's representation and the general depiction of all kinds of people on the screen. In visual media, diversity means more presence of diverse racial or ethnic groups, women, LGBTQ+ individuals and people with cognitive or physical disabilities. Although the cinema and TV sectors started to pay more attention to diversity after many harsh criticisms, the representation of underrepresented groups still may be problematic. While almost a quarter of the world's population is Muslim, these representation rates remain low. However, the most significant discussion about Muslim women's representation on screen is how their characters are shaped in Western films and TV series. In most of these productions, it is seen that Muslim women are generally stereotyped. For example, Muslim women are depicted as suppressed and quiet characters, often manipulated by men. In another depiction, they are profiled as radical characters generally involved in terrorist activities. Or they are presented as individuals who need to be freed by a Westerner, a white man. Moreover, according to the research of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, Muslim women are primarily shown as romantic partners and family members. The distorted representation of Muslim women in films and TV series can resemble orientalist paintings of the Ottoman era. Though these artists had never seen the harem, they created many masterpieces depicting harem life. However, these depictions were no more than their fantasies. In the West, there is a general discourse about Muslim women threatening secular traditions and values of freedom. The problematic reflection of these women on the screen shows the power of media in affirming the otherness of Muslim women in that general discourse. At this time, when Muslims are experiencing a growing alienation from society, there can be no better antidote than information and knowledge about the historical relationship between others and Muslims. If people can understand the nature of this relationship over many centuries, the likelihood of being influenced by rhetoric that casts all Muslims as potential terrorists will be considered loosened y. This effort can bring about a more harmonious understanding of Islam and Islamic culture, help stem the rising tide of Islamophobia and lead to cordial relations between Muslims and other communities in all countries. What is therefore needed to cool the flames of hatred is to bring faith leaders and the media onto a common platform that would provide constructive interactions, thereby injecting objectivity into the media's assessment of Islam and Muslims. To quote Sir Muhammad Iqbal: Haq Se Agar Gharz Hai To Zaiba Hai Kya Ye Baat Islam Ka Muhasiba, Yourap Se Darguzar! (And if your goal is truth, is this the right road, Europe's faults all glossed, and all of Islam's held to so strict an audit?) ----- Moin Qazi is the author of the bestselling book, Village Diary of a Heretic Banker. He has worked in the development finance sector for almost four decades. 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