1. The Malaysian Insider (http://www.themalaysianinsider.com)
Reporting religion faithfully, 23 November 2012
by Mustafa K. Anuar
NOV 23 — In a multicultural and multi-religious society such as Malaysia’s, the fault lines that exist easily lend themselves to conflicts, in particular, those of a religious nature.
In fact, religious tension and conflicts may well be exploited by unscrupulous politicians and other like-minded groups whose political survival depends on appealing to the primordial instincts of their respective constituencies.
And herein lies the important social role of journalists in reporting religious matters, especially on tensions and conflicts. They should not only report faithfully what they observe on the ground, but also write in a manner that helps people understand better the root causes of tensions and conflicts that will hopefully lead to some form of reconciliation and healing among the stakeholders.
At the very least, journalists ought to lay bare the hidden agenda of the perpetrators behind these religious conflicts to prevent further attempts at staging these disagreements for their own narrow ends that will eventually damage the fabric of our multi-religious society.
Besides, these people should be exposed for what they are — a minority that do not necessarily represent the faith and religious community they profess to stand for, judging from the kind of questionable actions they take, which harms the good name of their own religions.
Indeed, religion is an emotive issue for many, if not most, adherents and must thus be handled carefully by conscientious journalists who take pride in their profession.
In the case of Malaysia, a religious controversy or conflict may become more complicated as it can degenerate into something ethnic as well, given the nature of our society where ethnicity is part of an ugly political game intertwined with religion, particularly when it comes to the Malay-Muslim community.
The recent report about the hidden agenda of the Christian community to allegedly replace Islam with Christianity as the official religion of Muslim-majority Malaysia and to eventually install a Christian prime minister is a case in point.
An allegation of this magnitude requires more than merely splashing it on the front page, as Utusan Malaysia did, especially when it was merely based on claims made by supposedly Umno-friendly bloggers.
Moreover, this kind of story could cause, and indeed did cause, unnecessary anxiety, suspicion and even tension among a faith’s believers.
Responsible journalism would have gone deeper than merely scratching the surface. The reporter should have, for instance, chased after the bloggers who made the allegations for clarification apart from getting the response of religious leaders and politicians.
In addition, the voices of moderation and bridge builders should have been given adequate space in these moments of tension and anxiety; in fact, they should have got more space to share their views than other stakeholders.
But more than that, ethical reporting on religion would have provided the social context in which this type of allegation arose. For example, could it be possible that these claims of a Christian agenda emerged in the context of a political game of wooing a certain ethno-religious community to a particular political party?
Would a manufactured siege mentality benefit a certain group of politicians? Would demonising a religious community help salvage the political fortunes of certain political personalities?
Of similar concern is the dire warning issued by the MCA leadership about PAS’s syariah project which, according to the Chinese-based party’s leaders, purportedly allows, if not encourages, male Muslims to rape almost any moving non-Muslim woman! This alarm, raised no less by the party leadership, surely demands swift and lengthy investigation by responsible journalists.
Again, if unchecked, this so-called warning could lead to further demonisation of Islam, which would then trigger a wave of Islamophobic hysteria among certain sections of the non-Malay and non-Muslim communities.
While the intended target of the MCA leadership was, and is, PAS, wouldn’t such a scathing remark also have the effect of besmirching Islam? And wouldn’t it have the effect of pitting one religious and ethnic community against another?
Responsible journalism demands that the larger context of a religious tension or conflict be adequately explained to the public so that they can connect the crucial dots, and in the process, hopefully lower the political temperature and let common sense prevail.
It goes without saying that irresponsible reporting on religious issues can whip up the sentiments of not only the bigots, but also unsuspecting believers, into doing what they would not normally do, especially when they are made to believe that their religious community is under siege. Unless checked, such frenzy could transform level-headed adherents into dreadful religious extremists.
Having said that, this type of investigative journalism can only thrive in an environment where the media are free and responsible.
Probing questions are most likely to be asked by journalists working in a newspaper organisation that is not beholden to any political party or a media mogul closely aligned to a particular party, especially one that panders to the ethnic and religious sentiments of one’s constituency.
Contrary to the myth peddled by the state, a free and responsible press is essential to the national project to help build a harmonious multi-ethnic, multicultural and multi-religious society.
At the same time, the credibility and professionalism of a free and responsible press, as a whole, is enhanced when it asks tough questions to get to the truth, particularly when it pertains to tensions and conflicts of a religious nature.
Indeed, to pursue truth religiously in the inherent desire for peace and social justice is not only a professional calling, but also a spiritual one. — aliran.com
・Dr Mustafa K. Anuar is the honorary secretary ofAliran
・This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.
2. WorldWide Religious News（http://wwrn.org）
(1) Ordinary Britons are comfortable with Christianity. Teachers and government aren't, though.
by Christina Odone ("The Daily Telegraph," November 26, 2012)
Here's a survey that I hope David Cameron and George Osborne will digest, before going into battle to force the gay marriage law through. Oxford University has asked 1,800 people whether they want the majority religion taught in schools. Two thirds said it was vital to include the subject in the curriculum; two thirds also felt Christianity was key to an understanding of British culture. And a minority (one third) even thought there was a place for (gulp) Bible studies in RE classes.
In other words, Britons feel comfortable with Christianity. It's teachers, who aren't. Had Oxford conducted the survey on teachers and heads, the result would have looked very very different – even in the case of RE teachers. Look at the way the bible of the educational establishment, the TES, covers faith schools and you'll be left in no doubt about the hostility religion sparks in teachers, heads and TAs. Somewhere along the way, schools decided that religion, especially Christianity, was to be avoided, its teaching curtailed, and its message muzzled.
This rejection of a huge part of Britain's legacy was blessed by successive governments – incredibly, even this Government. In pursuit of its multi-faith agenda, the Coalition fears anything remotely connected with Christianity, lest it be misinterpreted as cultural imperialism. No wonder teachers follow suit, they don't want to appear "evangelising". What would the Muslims and Jews in class say?
More powerful than the fear of appearing superior to members of minority faiths is the fear of appearing religious, or pro-religion, to the secular bien pensants who fill key education posts. RE must be demoted to bottom of the syllabus pile. Christian stories and values must be glided over as anachronistic quirks in the otherwise modern and monochrome curriculum. In other words, teach Christianity at your peril.
The result is that Christians and others in this country, are slowly but surely losing their sense of identity. It's enough to shake one's faith in the educational establishment.
・Disclaimer: WWRN does not endorse or adhere to views or opinions expressed in the articles posted. This is purely a n information site, to inform interested parties of religious trends.
(2) U.S. dominates list of world’s’500 Most Influential Muslims’, 28 November 2012
by Omar Sacirbey ("The Washington Post," November 28, 2012)
There are more Muslims from America than any other country on this year’s “The Muslim 500: The World’s 500 Most Influential Muslims,” compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre, a respected think tank in Jordan, including two in the top 50.
Sheikh Hamza Yusuf Hanson, a California-born convert who founded Zaytuna College, an Islamic college in Berkeley, Calif., and is a leading Islamic authority in America, ranked No. 42, two places ahead of Seyyed Hossein Nasr, an Islamic studies professor at George Washington University known for his work in Islamic philosophy.
America’s roughly 2.6 million Muslims are a tiny fraction of the world’s 1.6 billion Muslims, but they took 41 spots on the 500 list. Countries with the next highest number of names were Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom, with 25 Muslims each, followed by Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, with 24.
“Compared to the global Muslim population, the representation of U.S. Muslims in this list is disproportionate, but yet representative in the way they shape global discourse,” said Duke University Islamic studies professor Ebrahim Moosa.
The third annual compilation lists the winners according to 13 categories, including spiritual guides, Quran reciters, scholars, politicians, celebrities, sports figures, radicals, and media leaders. Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah took the list’s No. 1 spot.
Other Americans to make the list include:
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, all-time NBA scoring leader, and boxing legend Muhammad Ali
— Umar Faruq Abdullah, a convert who founded the Nawawi Foundation, an educational nonprofit organization in Chicago
— Azizah Al-Hibri, chairwoman of Karamah: Muslim Women Lawyers for Human Rights, appointed in 2011 by President Obama to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
— Sheikh Muhammad Bin Yahya Al Husayni Al-Ninowy, imam at the Masjid al-Madina in Atlanta, and a descendant of Prophet Muhammad’s daughter Fatima
— Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations in Washington, D.C.
— Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., and Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the only two Muslim members of Congress
— Mohamed El-Erian, CEO of the global investment management firm Pimco and one of the world’s most respected economists
— Sheikh Yusuf Estes, former chaplain for the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and internationally known preacher
— Imam Mohamed Magid, president of the Islamic Society of North America
— Aasif Mandvi, actor, frequently appears on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show”
・Disclaimer: WWRN does not endorse or adhere to views or opinions expressed in the articles posted. This is purely an information site, to inform interested parties of religious trends.
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