*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* { 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ assalamualaikum satu tulisan yang menarik untuk dibaca.. Written by Ibrahim Abukhattala PhD student in the Department of Culture & Values In Education at McGill University. Canada. The media plays a great role in shaping nation policy and attitudes towards other peoples and cultures. Given the fact that Canada is a multicultural country, the media should commit itself to policies of fairness, righteousness, and decency, It should convey, honestly and adequately, to Canadians the qualities of individuals or groups being stereotyped. The media should foster positive social and emotional attitudes towards individuals from different groups and a willingness to maintain relationships and ethnic backgrounds. However, a closer examination of the materials presented in the media shows that it is, and has been, guilty of perpetuating a negative image of certain racial and religious groups. One area where charges of bias in news coverage have been made concerns Islam and Muslims. Muslims have been subjected to unfortunate and inaccurate stereotypes that helped to create negative attitudes towards them by the other groups in the Canadian society. Being a Muslim by birth and education, and having been nurtured by Western education for a considerable number of years, have made a deep impression on me and give me a modest claim to exchange these thoughts with you and to request a mutual understanding, recognition and respect. My intention is, in fact, to make an appeal to the well-known Canadian tradition of justice and fairness. I file this complain of bias in the media, and I hope the readers will not ignore the points made and will examine their own attitudes towards the point raised. My ultimate desire is to attempt to bridge the gap, and to eliminate the misunderstanding between Muslim and Non-Muslim individuals in this “prejudice-free” country. Screen images both provide information and help shape values. Intentionally or unintentionally, images teach people whom to fear, whom to hate, and whom to love. In much of media’s coverage, Muslims, regardless of the country they come from, have been subjected to misrepresentations about their religion. The television and film media are often guilty of the practice of presenting all the worst possible images of Muslims. Therefore, I think it is worthwhile to look even briefly at the major issues which the media fails to cover fairly and objectively. How Islam regards women is one topic, which is inaccurately and badly exploited and represented by the media. The combination of misinformation and lack of depth of knowledge about the role and position of women in Islam contributes to fostering the notion that Islam puts women firmly in a second-class position. The media does not bother to explain how the status of women in Islam has been greatly improved compared to the period before the birth of Islam when she was degraded, humiliated, and looked upon as nothing but a sort of property. The status which Western women have reached during the present time was not achieved due to kindness of men. I think it has been accomplished through a long struggle and sacrifice on women’s part, and when Western societies needed her contribution and work. In the case of Islam, this consideration to women’s status was decreed. However, this was not because of the threat or pressure of women and their organizations but rather because of the p! rinciple of equality in Islam ideology. I strongly believe that it is wrong and unfair that the media analyze the dictates of Islam, regarding women, on the basis of the actions of some Muslim at a certain time or place. If some Muslims abuse’s women’s rights, this injustice should not be attributed to Islam. This mistreatment is culture-specific and has nothing to do with the teachings of this religion. The diversity of the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of the 56 Islamic countries in the globe is reflected in the broad range of the Muslim viewpoints. However, it is essential that Westerners not judge the liberation and advancement of women in the Islamic world by Western standards, because this criteria reflect nothing but Western values. The Western definition of liberated women is different from the one recognized by Muslim women in Islamic societies. A fact worth mentioning to the public is that the history of Islam is rich with women of great achievements in all walks of life as early as the spread of Islam in the seventh century, and that those women scholars vastly contributed to the Islamic civilization. Another favored exercise of the media is the association of Islam with violence and terrorism. The image of the Muslim produced especially by Hollywood movies’ is either that of terrorist, murderer, or bedouin who is totally incompetent in, or full of hatred to, the modern world. What is so disturbing about many movies is that they show, with absolutely no justification, all Muslims as being at war with the West. Media reporters misuse the Islamic term ‘jihad’ to mean a holy war. In fact it does not. It means struggle against unjust cause. Another wrong term is ‘fundamentalists’ which absolutely has no equivalence in the Arabic language. It is an English term refers to certain Protestant Christian who takes the meaning of the ‘Bible’ literally. ‘Islam’ is an Arabic word derived from the root ‘s-l-m’ which means ‘peace’ and, furthermore, the greeting recognized by Islam is ‘salam’ which also conveys ‘peace’. My point here is that the Western public is not provided with adequate! and accurate information to make intelligent and fair judgements, and Muslims virtually have not made themselves available to get their part of the story across to the Western public. This, unfortunately, create misleading mental images of Islam. The most deceiving and painful lie that can be ever reported is the claim that Islam approves terrorism or violence. On the contrary, Islam preaches peace, amity and love. History documents to us that that Jews, Christians and Muslim lived together peacefully and harmoniously for almost eight hundred years under the Islamic Empire in Spain. The third major misconception is the perception of Muslims as primitive and opposed to all forms of progress. Although it is not my intention to go into this wrong impression deeply, I have to say that its root is the association and confusion between ‘West and ‘Modernism’. People in the Western media, unfortunately, seem unable to comprehend that Muslims have never rejected technology or development but in fact they may have rejected some Western behaviors that conflict with their religious teachings. History tells us that Islam created a brilliant civilization in different parts of the world for more than a thousand years. Islamic culture at its height was far superior to that of Western Europe and many of it contributions were vital to the European Renaissance. Hundreds of English words we use today are sign of this legacy. Regardless of all of this, the fact remains however that rejection to being ‘Westernized’ is not unique to Muslims only. There are other societies such ! as the Chinese and others that have also rejected some Western ways of behavior that were in conflict with their beliefs. Is it any wonder, then, that some Canadians hold many negative stereotypes about Muslims? As we all know, the media is a very strong conveyor of messages and is very effective as image reinforcer. I see it as a serious problem and that the Muslim’s concern is legitimate. All I long for is that this comment will provoke fresh thinking on the subject. I really wish the media would be able show how what binds us together is much more powerful than what divides us. I always remember how, in my early education in Islamic classes, I was taught how the three great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam share a common monotheistic vision: a belief in one divine ‘God’ and how we share many other key values and doctrines in common, I was taught to believe in Christianity and Judaism and to regard their followers as ‘Peoples of the Book’, and not to forget to say respectfully ‘peace upon him’ whenever the names of ‘Christ’ or ‘Moses’ are mentioned. Finally, I hope readers will be able to take certain responsibilities and remind the Canadian media which prides itself on its ability to uncover and present the facts to the public that it has an obligation to cover the Muslim situation in a fair and balanced manner. ------------------------------------------------------------ http://melayu.com/sembang2 1001 Sembang ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ( Melanggan ? 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