*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* { Sila lawat Laman Hizbi-Net - http://www.hizbi.net } { Hantarkan mesej anda ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] } { Iklan barangan? Hantarkan ke [EMAIL PROTECTED] } *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* PAS : KE ARAH PEMERINTAHAN ISLAM YANG ADIL ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alert #142 "GLOBAL WAR ON CHRISTIANS" SMEARS ISLAM Muslims asked to challenge one-sided Reader's Digest article (WASHINGTON, D.C., 7/24/97) - An article, entitled "The Global War on Christians" in the August issue of Reader's Digest, the world's most widely read magazine (circ. 27 million in 19 languages), unfairly associates Islam with a number of offensive practices. In a letter to Digest Editor-in-Chief Christopher Willcox, CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad wrote: "After reading this article, one is left with the impression that Islam somehow encourages or permits rape, kidnapping, torture, and forced conversion. The writer and his editors must have known that Islam does not condone these practices, but failed to offer any balancing information or even a cursory disclaimer to that effect." The letter went on to describe a pattern of unbalanced coverage established by Reader's Digest in the recent past. Awad quoted from the new book "Arab and Muslim Stereotyping in American Poplar Culture" by Dr. Jack Shaheen, Professor Emeritus of Communications at Southern Illinois University: (Call 202-687-8375 or e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for information about the book.) "Between 1994 and 1997, several Reader's Digest stories perpetuated the myth that Arabs and Muslims hate civilized peoples, especially Americans and Israelis. Says Ann Bardach in her January 1994 Digest essay, 'All in the Name of Islam,' the 'fundamentalist extremists have found nesting sites throughout the country [U.S.].' Bardach declares that American Muslims who resent 'any kind of scrutiny or criticism of Islam' are censoring the press. She alleges that the 'media, scrabbling to be politically correct...have cranked out a plethora of feel-good features on Muslim culture.' Her article contains no examples of censorship or 'feel-good' essays...The caption reads: 'Women are being abused, even mutilated...All in the Name of Islam....' "Fergus M. Bodewich's, 'A Holy War Heads Our Way,' was published in the January 1995 Digest. To emphasize that readers have reason to fear Islam... "In the Digest's March 1996 issue, Brian Eads writes that 'Muslim Arabs...300 men on foot, horseback and camels,' are assassins and slavers of Sudanese Christians...Eads misleads readers by painting all Muslim Arabs with the same disapproving brush... "The July 1996 Digest features another essay by Bordewich, entitled 'Alarm Bells in the Desert.'....Bordewich quotes one Saudi who tells him, 'Teachers and students are taken up in an Islamic fervor bordering on madness.'...In the Digest's February 1997 issue, New York Times columnist A.M. Rosenthal...says that 'Almost all terrorism directed at the United States originates in the Middle East.'" ACTIONS REQUESTED: (Remember to be FIRM but POLITE. Hostility is counterproductive.) Read the article in question and then contact Reader's Digest to voice your opinions. Ask that they offer their readers balanced articles on Islamic culture. Contact: Mr. Christopher Willcox Editor-in-Chief Reader's Digest Reader's Digest Road Pleasantville, NY, 10570 TOLL-FREE Customer Service: 1-800-934-0977, ext. 7507 or 5788 TEL: 914-238-1000 FAX: 914-238-5339 E-MAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Use the subject line "Global War on Christians" and ask in the body of the message that your comments be forwarded to Christopher Willcox.) WEB: http://www.readersdigest.com (Send copies of correspondence to CAIR.) POINTS TO REMEMBER: As we have seen in the past, every call, letter, fax, and e-mail message counts in defending Islam. Muslims should not let these types of unbalanced smears go unchallenged. Reader's Digest is an international publication with great influence in shaping public opinion. These types of articles spread hatred of Islam worldwide. The magazine has a history of offering one-sided presentations of "facts" relating to Islam and Muslims. The magazine needs to re-evaluate its editorial policy and bring it back into line with the objective coverage it offered as early as the 1950s. ("Islam: The Misunderstood Religion," Reader's Digest, Sept. 1953) _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at http://profiles.msn.com. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ( Melanggan ? To : [EMAIL PROTECTED] pada body : SUBSCRIBE HIZB) ( Berhenti ? 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