Conveying the Message

From: www.readingislam.com

By: Lamaan Ball

There are many reasons for this bad image of Islam in the world. Firstly, many people only have any image about Islam because of how it is presented in mass media. To understand why this image is bad, we need to understand something about what the media is and what drives it. Commercial interests drive most mass media. They need advertising, and advertisers require presentations that attract viewers / listeners. There is a saying used in the media with regards to news reporting but the principle spreads over much of broadcast media: ‘if it bleeds it leads’. In other words, if the news is tragic, bloody and violent then more people want to watch it and it gets higher priority. Thus, most of the media reporting related to the Muslim world is when things go wrong. Many people complain about how news only focuses on bad news and this is a phenomena not confined to reporting the Islamic world. Mass media also tends to simplify issues in ways that don't challenge the ideas of their viewers. This process builds and reinforces certain stereotypes. Unfortunately, Islam has been attacked for many centuries throughout the Christian world, usually involving many lies. This forms a set of cultural stereotypes about Islam and Muslims, which are rarely, if ever, challenged in mass media. People like to feel they are right and like to read, listen and watch stories that confirm to them that they are right. This has led to a demonization of Islam in many ways. That said, these reasons are nothing but excuses really. The media has choices to make, and you could argue that stories counter to common prejudices and stereotypes are actually going to attract a larger audience since people are interested in learning new things. This is perhaps where the internet is starting to offer a very useful alternative media. However, the internet has its own problems (see Misinformation on the web ) Another problem with mass commercial media is the way owns it can determine the editorial policy so as to control how certain subjects get presented. It is far from the truth to say that these presentations of Islam happen without clear intent by people who know the effects they have. Who controls the media is a vital question to address in understanding the presentation of Islam in the world today. Ownership of the media throughout the capitalist world is driven by the way the financial system works. While shareholders may have some claim on companies, the real control of the economy rests with banks. This is a problem for Islam, being presented in large media companies subject to the very real pressures that can be brought about by the banks. Why is it a problem? Because Islam clearly forbids the very foundational principle upon which banks are based namely ‘usury’. If Islam were to become widely accepted and its teachings put into practice, the banks would find themselves with considerably less power. (see the answer here : What is riba? ) This in fact is a good way to judge whether governments in the Muslim world are in fact Islamic: Does the government enforce contracts based on usury, even though this is a type of contract explicitly forbidden in the Qur'an in the strongest terms? If they do, then you can rest assured that the government and the richest, most influential people in that society have no genuine interest in promoting and enhancing of the image of Islam. Of course not all media is always hostile to presenting Islam in a good light. There are exceptions to the rule. The BBC produced a well-recognized set of programs in the last year as part of an ‘Islam season’. Public service broadcasting (i.e. not commercial broadcasting) sometimes can take a more honest look at Islam, since it is less directly subject to the same pressures as the commercial alternatives. There are also some commercial programs that achieve a good degree of balance. A recent series here in the UK, was particularly good because, despite the clear agenda of reinforcing the stereotypes about Muslims being extremist / fundamentalist or mystical ascetics or "moderate" non-practicing Muslims, the programs actually interviewed real Muslims who were evidently sincere and evidently not fitting into the predefined types desired. This brings me to the big factor in presenting Islam, which makes all the difference. Despite whatever image of Islam pervades the media, when people actually read the Qur'an, and when they actually get to know sincere practicing Muslims, they can get a much better idea of what Islam really is and how it transforms people into better people. Muslims have no real excuse for not organizing and making the effort to reach out and communicate with others around them. In some countries this is happening more than in others. Muslims now exist as minorities in most countries in the world. This happened mainly through immigration, but far too often the Muslim community remains isolated and not engaged in the wider society. This is mostly due to a fear of having their Muslim identity, dissolved in the wider non-Muslim society. This fear is usually the result of Muslims not having the confidence that they can face and overcome the challenges. In some countries such as where I live now, in the UK, most of the mosque services are carried out in a language other than the language of the country. In this case Urdu, Bengali etc., are used instead of English. Add to this the fact that the imam or leader of the mosque, who give the service, is usually not trained in the UK and has no real knowledge of the issues faced by communities here, and you have a recipe for alienation of minority Muslim communities. This can and should be changed through providing sound educational services for Muslims outside of the Muslim world to learn how to present Islam to the wider societies in which they live. This is a vital duty on Muslims all over the world. Another problem, in presenting Islam, around the world, which I have alluded to above, is the poor examples given around the world of Muslim governments. The Taliban presented themselves as a model Islamic state, but they had numerous problems which were often down to culture and tradition and not justified by Islam. Notably, although they harshly implemented some of their questionable interpretations of Islamic law, they took a remarkably gentle approach for some time to the undisputedly haram (forbidden) foundations of the whole country's economic life – the sale of heroin. Other people around the world look to see Islam in practice and often fail to find inspiring examples. Instead they find absolute monarchs who live in outrageous luxury, presidents who stay in power with Stalinesque brutality. Then you have the CIA funded and trained “freedom fighters / terrorists” who declare war on behalf of all Muslims justifying almost any act no matter how immoral. No doubt all of these things cause great confusion in people's minds as to what Islam teaches. A big part of improving the image of Islam in the world, therefore, has to be by improving the political situation in the Muslim world and establishing leaders, who care for the task of delivering the message of Islam to the world and try to be exemplary Muslims. Currently this lack of clear leadership in delivering the message of Islam leads to the emergence of many organizations often giving contradictory messages, trying to fill the gap. This is a serious problem. One of the biggest problems in these organizations is a tendency to focus on polemics in order to spark debates. Invariably, this means public demands for people to implement certain aspects of Islam. This wouldn't be so bad except for the fact that in order to attract publicity the issues picked upon are usually not well known by those accused of doing wrong. This ranges from condemning people for not becoming Muslims who have no real knowledge of Islam, to condemning people for minor transgressions of one version or another of orthodox opinion. This is not the basis for organizing the presentation of Islam. The way to present Islam is explained in the following verses in the Qur'an:
Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, ordering what is right ( al ma'roof), and forbidding what is wrong ( al munkar): They are the ones to attain felicity.
Surah 3 Verse 104Crucial to understanding this verse well is a good understanding of the terms " al ma'roof" and " al munkar". Al ma'roof comes from the verb to know ('arafa) and implies not just something right but something normal and well recognized as being right in the society. Similarly al munkar means something abnormal and well recognized as being wrong in the society. Without appreciating this depth of meaning some people go around ordering people to do things which they had no knowledge were essential, or forbidding them from things which they had no knowledge were harmful which causes all kinds of problems. What then if people are ignorant? Well, then we invite to all that is good. Inviting is quite different to ordering or forbidding:
Say thou: "This is my way: I do invite unto God,- on evidence clear as the seeing with one's eyes,- I and whoever follows me. Glory to God! and never will I join gods with God!"
Surah 12 Verse 108
Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.
Surah 16 Verse 125Inviting requires the inviter to provide clear evidence and to do so in a way that is 'best and most gracious', in other words with the least possible accusation of wrong doing and being forgiving and generous in your approach. For more on how to invite people to Islam see: How to perform da'wah (inviting people to Islam) As for your desire to learn more about Islamic culture, the Muslims and their religion, please browse around Islamonline.net. You will find much of interest. The best way to learn about the religion of Islam though is to read through the Qur'an and whenever you need clarification on a point, do a little investigation, get to know some Muslims if you can in your area. Most large mosques are welcoming to non-Muslims and you will find people there who will be more than happy to welcome you and try and answer your questions. If you need, you can send your questions about verses in the Qur'an to the Ask About Islam team, we will be glad to help in sha' Allah (God willing).