A Study on the Role of the Media and Its Effect on the Identity of Muslim (Part 33)
The Islamic World and the Approach of the Media
Power has always occupied the first position, standing as the pinnacle and center of discussions and decisions. Every person in power has managed to dominate all other voices and perspectives, with their words prevailing. No one has dared to resist or stand firm against power. The greater the power of an individual, the more extensive their influence and impact. Power has always had various symbols and representations. In every era, the manifestation of power has been depicted according to the circumstances of the time.
In the past, and before the contemporary era, having vast armies and abundant weaponry was the most prominent symbol of power. Even today, these instruments of power remain significant and have not diminished in value, although their use and application have been minimized. They are no longer the first option for displaying power. Instead, other powerful tools have emerged that are more influential, widely used, and less costly in terms of casualties. The media is the most penetrating weapon of the current age, yielding swift and visible results and seizing control over everything.
Many contemporary thinkers believe that whoever dominates mass media will gain control over one of the most powerful and influential sectors in the world and can even achieve a level of power surpassing that of governments. The Jews, especially in the West, were quick to grasp the importance of this matter and succeeded in gaining complete control over the world’s major mass media outlets. From print media to cinema, radio, television networks, and social media, they have monopolized all these tools.
Through this control, they have managed to expand their dominance and pursue their dark objectives: absolute global domination and an invisible grip over the politics, culture, and minds of nations. They have manipulated global realities and historical events, imposing their ideologies on other nations and even subjugating the world’s people. Particularly since the United States and certain Jewish factions initiated organized efforts to dominate the world—specifically the Middle East—and to establish the illegitimate state of Israel in Palestinian lands, Western leaders have sought to achieve their imperialistic objectives. They have monopolized the basic needs of many nations, exerted authoritarian control over media outlets, and extended their overt and covert influence globally, even steering various governments, especially in the U.S., towards their aims.
The Nature of Media and the West’s Relentless Efforts for Domination
Herbert Marshall McLuhan, in the introduction to his book Understanding Media, writes: “After three thousand years in which mechanical and fragmenting technologies created disintegration and explosion, it seems that the Western world is once again becoming unified. During the mechanical era, we extended our bodies into space. Today, after more than a century of dominance by electrical technology, it is the central nervous system that has spread like a web across the globe, at least on our planet, dissolving time and space and rapidly approaching the ultimate human aspiration: establishing a technology of awareness and information.”
Rabbi Hashuron, one of the prominent Jewish rabbis in Eastern Europe, also emphasized the importance of media, stating: “If gold is our first tool for dominating the world, undoubtedly, the press (media) is the second.”
Thus, over the past hundred years, particularly since the mid-20th century, the West has extended its shadow over most of the world’s mass media. It has gained such extensive power and influence over many sensitive international centers that it seems no other race, religion, ideology, or system can compete with it.
Using these tools, the West has carried out its insidious schemes against the Islamic world and Muslims, and through its dependent media, it increasingly threatens humanity as a whole.
The West has never allowed any independent political movement or state to expand its media influence globally, especially if that entity opposes the imperialistic agendas of the West. The history of recent decades clearly illustrates the colonial and subversive policies of the West and the global hegemonic system.
Despite waging an undeclared war against nations, especially the Islamic world and anti-Western regimes, through its media, the West has never tolerated even a small independent media outlet, such as a newspaper, belonging to its opponents.
Any independent media initiative has been met with a massive psychological and propaganda war orchestrated by Western-dependent mass media. They have portrayed such independent outlets to global public opinion as violent, warmongering, fanatical, and enemies of global peace, stability, and security.
Whenever independent states have sought to expose the crimes of the West, they have immediately become targets of propaganda and psychological attacks by the imperialist media network. This shows that the Western hegemonic system considers the production of independent Islamic programming or the establishment of independent TV networks contrary to its objectives and plans. Despite its global media dominance, it fiercely opposes these initiatives under various pretexts and spares no effort in countering them.
Given the sensitivity of the Western imperialist media system and the profound impact media can have in shaping global public opinion—by presenting and clarifying the true, dynamic face of Islam—it is imperative for the Islamic world to invest more than ever in this critical domain. A substantial portion of their efforts should be devoted to advancing this cause.
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