A Study on the Role of the Media and Its Effect on the Identity of Muslims (Part 35)
The Islamic World and the Approach of the Media
In the previous note, we examined the stages of the emergence and formation of media in print and other forms as a result of the reciprocal reaction to and the intense need to confront Western media. In this note, we will explore the incremental steps, growth, strengthening, and updating of this process.
The rapid growth of modern mass media in the Islamic world was initially shaped by governmental intervention in the production and distribution of the press, along with the influence of both religious and secular leaders. This led to reforms in the use of the press for social and political change. In the past two decades of the 19th century, two types of media emerged and were active in the Islamic world:
1. Media led primarily by educated elites trained in the West, which promoted secular, liberal, and nationalist ideas from modern Europe.
2. Media pioneered by religious leaders and Islamic reformers, such as Sayyed Jamal al-Din al-Afghani and Rashid Rida, who advocated for a united Islamic community across the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa. The influence of Sayyed Jamal al-Din was significant in many Islamic countries, especially Egypt. He and his followers published several newspapers, including the well-known “Al-‘Urwah al-Wuthqa,” which circulated in many Islamic countries.
At the beginning of the 20th century, new tools of journalism and modern communication media began to emerge in Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. In 1908, the Young Turks’ uprising against the Sultan led to a sudden surge in some newspapers in the Arabic-speaking regions of the Ottoman Empire. Anti-colonial movements and the struggle for independence in India, Indonesia, Morocco, and Algeria led to the growth of the press, political parties, and numerous ideological movements, ranging from radical Islamism to communist socialism. Thus, a defining characteristic of the 20th century was the rise of modern mass communication in the Islamic world.
The decolonization process in several Islamic countries in Asia and Africa was accompanied by the formation of economic classes. In the Central Asian republics, where media patterns of the former Soviet Union were dominant, Islamic communication institutions like mosques and schools were controlled and supervised by the state. In the newly independent states of North and West Africa, media developed along French and English language lines. As a result, the West has striven to shape public opinion and has had some success in this area. A large part of the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate can be attributed to Western propaganda, particularly from France, which launched a sophisticated and extensive campaign, as the Islamic world at the time suffered from a lack of powerful media. Today, the West still sees itself as a dominant force in this field and does not tolerate competing media.
If we pay attention to the negative propaganda against Islam, we will find that the stereotypical images presented about Islam have a long history, as this issue has persisted for centuries. During the time of the Crusades, Islam and Christianity were in conflict, and the battle for control of Morocco and Ottoman territories became a major challenge. Islam was spreading rapidly in the West, and the position of the Christian Church and its leaders was under threat. Consequently, Western leaders, especially politicians and clergy, sought to present a negative image of Islam. As a result, in addition to their military confrontation with Islam, they waged a war of words to ensure that no new Muslims or supporters of Islam would emerge in the West. Thus, the current actions and sentiments in the West against Islam and Muslims have deep historical roots rooted in a legacy of conspiracy, scheming, and resentment.
In the West, misunderstandings and misrepresentations about Islam have arisen due to media propaganda, false prejudices, and the neglect of certain realities, becoming deeply embedded in society. In most cases, Islam is viewed through labels such as “extremism,” “terrorism,” and “fundamentalism,” and is referred to by these terms whenever it is mentioned. Influenced by this planned and exploitative propaganda, many individuals turn away from Islam and do not seek to learn its true teachings.
In many cases, the reports published by the media about Islam are incorrect and misleading, as they are based on a distorted narrative shaped by the enemies’ propaganda. Therefore, there is little correct understanding of Islam in the West, and the intellectual and ideological foundations of individuals are shaky and unstable. However, it should be understood that contrary to the perceptions of many in the West, Islam is a religion of peace that does not encourage any of the violent or terrorist activities attributed to it.
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