Islam and the Media: From Religious Media to Media Religion
Modern media are mass media that came from the West, so their codes are based on Western culture, says Mustafa Chukhadar, head of the official channel of the Turkish Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Islamic world got acquainted with the medialater than the West. At first, the media were represented by text, later such audio tools as telephone, radio appeared, then audiovisual information, cinema, television, and finally, the Internet, digital media appeared, which unite all of the above. For the Islamic world, the greatest “stress” was caused by radio, television and cinema. Initially, they received a lot of negative feedback. There were reasons for this. The purely profit-driven approach that dominated radio and television generated content that did not align with Islamic values. Suffice it to recall the series, which often show immoral attitudes and norms inherent in the West. In addition, often the media either completely ignore religious Muslims, or portray them exclusively as “bad.”
Mustafa Chukhadar / Source: gzt.com
Over time, the strict attitude towards radio and television softened, discussions were left behind. Now it is impossible to do otherwise, because we live in a world surrounded by media, practically, we live in media. Gradually, it was realized that the media are an important tool for the spread of Islam, and we must use them.
Source: gzt.com
But the presentation of Islamic values, symbols or concepts in the media worries every Muslim, as we see a lot of negative examples in this regard. At the very beginning of our assimilation of the media, such motives as the correct portrayal of Islam and Muslims were decisive . But now one can observe how from the “religious mass media”, i.e. a structure that operates on a religious basis, there is a transition to a “media religion”, i.e. interpretation of religion shaped by the media.
Source: gzt.com
The link between Islamophobia must be highlighted here.and the media. If we turn to the sources, it is reported that in the first radio broadcasts, the first telegrams were transmitted passages from the Bible. This can be explained by the environment in which the media originated. If the telegraph or radio were invented in the Islamic world, then the first message would probably be an ayah or hadith. In other words, it is impossible to separate the media from their region of origin, their context and values, and this is a natural situation. But when another religion is presented through them, everything changes. Here is one case reported by the media around the world. A middle-aged Christian man in Ohio left his house in anger and set fire to a nearby mosque. According to his statements in court, he was not familiar with Islam and did not know a single Muslim. The reason for his action, again, according to him, was the information of the FOX News TV channel, which he watched, and in the programs of which Muslims were defined as terrorists, and they were constantly spoken of as people trying to blow up something. The structure, organization and ideology of global media organizations contribute to the broadcast of this point of view around the world. Media outlets that believe they have the power to define Islam and Muslims use certain rhetoric with devastating results.
Source: gzt.com
Another problem is that commercial broadcasting, which has emerged as a result of the imposition of the capitalist system on the media, has resulted in entertainment language and style prevailing even with religious themes. When, first of all, they put an advertisement, and then a prayer. Now we have come to the conclusion that our cultural norms and forms of behavior are determined by the media . The ideology of “consumption for the sake of consumption” they broadcast has an impact not only on secular people, but also on religious Muslims.
Source: gzt.com
I would like to dwell on one more point. Fake news, slander, unfounded accusations – all this today is an integral part of the media. Therefore, it is important for a Muslim to filter media content. We can be guided by the verse “O you who believe! If a wicked person brings you a message, then find out so as not to strike innocent people through ignorance, otherwise you will regret what you have done ”(Khujurat, 49/6). It is also important to understand that the norms of Islam must be followed both offline and online. Lying on social networks , insulting someone, sharing news without finding out the degree of their reliability is just as unacceptable on the Internet as in real life.
Source: gzt.com
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