If Americans had a News of similar proportions, which Muslims have at this point in time, it would have really sparked hundreds of hours of exclusive coverage on every news channels ... thousands of discussions of different lengths would also have been aired, and around a thousand interviews of experts, politicians, analysts etc would have become a part of memory of viewers … all in a very short period of time. In addition to that, hundreds of documentaries of various lengths would have been made on the subject or been in the process of being produced. Last but not the least; this news would also have pushed Hollywood to start production of five to six mega budget movies.
So what’s the news?
Dear Readers! Americans and allies have been defeated by the freedom fighters/Mujahideens in Afghanistan. A news of historical proportions, isn’t it…!!!
A few years back, one fine day Americans learnt something similar … that Russians have been defeated by Mujahideens in Afghanistan; and when the news came, it sparked a parade of discussions, columns, interviews, documentaries and feature films, et al, like we are anticipating that it would have been the case now …However despite knowing this, the behavior of Muslim Ummah is quite contrast and dumbfounding. They have a news of historic proportions, as already said, though it’s not making a headline, not even in an evening newspaper... This could be the height of our journalistic incapacity and intellectual slavery of independent media, and the same is also true for the entire Muslim Population, perhaps. Telling it is … we don’t even know how to even celebrate triumph … but why?
Some think that it’s the unavailability of sufficient financial resources, though I disagree. The problem, my friend, is with our priorities and misconceptions. We know people who can spend millions, if not billions, to erect Madrassahs or Masjids, however if you ask for their support to establish an independent TV channel, then they might not even spare a rupees. “It’s not a religious activity, isn’t it … would it bring bounties in Akhirah?”
It is questioned due to a common perception that mass media is a means to spread vulgarity and negativity etc; public clings to this perception despite realizing that media is indeed the most effective and efficient tool to manage and form perceptions or opinions. Ironically, concordantly, millions believes blindly that the ‘picture (read distortion) of reality’ shown by media is indeed ‘Reality’ and what it ignores either doesn’t exist or is irrelevant. This fact is saddening with far reaching consequences.
Albeit the sorry state of print or electronic media in general, we do have some exceptions to talk about. Take Al-Jazeerah for instance; doing a splendid job despite the rule of monarchist and dictators in the Middle Eastern countries it operates, where waking and radicalizing the population is more difficult then it seems. Al-Jazeerah, however have accomplished the unimaginable, and we must ask how?
Al-Jazeerah exposed the aggression of Israel, and it not only reported the details on bombings and attacks by oppressive force(s) (extra ‘s’ for its supporting allies), but also revealed the human sufferings caused as a result, the pains and suffering of people whose family members have been martyred, how they has been treated by authorities … it also reported the economic difficulties faced by them as a result, and eventualities on future of their children. Al-Jazeerah uncovered these issues with such a detail that it was never done before, sparking a reaction against Israelis and Americans.
If all the print and electronic media of Muslim world would have the spirit Al-Jazeerah had, then the ball game would have been very different, knowing the fact that the American and Allies in Afghanistan have been defeated. Our media could have then played a pivotal role in uplifting the moral of the Muslim Ummah, and would have in turn achieved a psychological victory against the so called imperial masters.
Muslim Ummah has been a sufferer of inferiority complex since a long time; blind folded by a perception that we are deprived of resources, wealth, technology, etc, which is why western civilization have all the power and might … but remain ignorant to the fact that an Ummah who can defeat two super powers in just twenty years, must have some extraordinary qualities.
People generally believe that Americans are fighting Afghans in Afghanistan, but that’s not really the case … in reality it’s a war being won by ‘Faith’ against ‘state of the art technology’, on one side and on the other, triumph of ‘intense desire to die for a cause’ (read martyrdom) against ‘world’s greatest military might’; it is undeniably changing the face of the history forever…
Despite all this, Muslim Ummah is unaware of the glory, and ironically we don’t even have a tool to wake ourselves from the slumber.
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