International
News Service Editor Nor Faridah Abd Rashid, in Tehran to cover the 10th Islamic Conference
of Information Ministers (ICIM), reported about Malaysia’s call for
OIC member countries to be more proactive in utilising the convergent media to project the positive values of Islam.
Malaysian
Ambassador to Iran, Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin said Muslims worldwide should use
media convergence to present "our story" so that the world
will understand the Muslims better.
"We
should seize the opportunities that convergent media present to engage and
interact with a wide spectrum of the faithful, quickly and effectively.
"We
can put our minds together and produce common story boards of the positive
aspects of our religion," he said at the two-day Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation (OIC) conference themed, `Media Convergence For Establishment of
Peace And Calm In the Islamic World,' which ends on Thursday.
The
57-member state OIC, based in Jeddah, is the second largest inter-governmental
organisation after the United Nations, with its member states spread over four
continents.
Raja
Nushirwan, who represented Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri
Ahmad Shabery Cheek at the conference, noted that advances in technology occurred
at a time when the Muslim world was facing deep divisions in terms of ideology,
beliefs and practices among the faithful.
"And
that extremists had been very adept in using these technologies to spread their
ideology of hate," he said.
Raja
Nushirwan said the fact that the mainstream media, including in the West, had
now described these extremists as `technologically-savvy' and `astute media
manipulators' had only served to give them false legitimacy in the eyes of the
impressionable young.
"As
a consequence, externally, more and more, we now have to deal with various
perceptions of Islam which has led to unwarranted antagonism towards the
religion and its followers, or what is now termed as Islamophobia,"
explained the Malaysian ambassador.
Thus,
he proposed that the Muslim world work with Internet search engines and video
streaming services to ensure that websites which sow religious discord or cast
aspersions on the sanctity of Islam were kept in check.
He
said that there was a necessity to instill in the Muslim ummah the need to use
the new media and communication technologies responsibly and ethically,
pointing out that the ummah must also be selective and discerning in accessing
news and information on the web.
"This
is critical as the new media platforms have become avenues for spreading
falsehood, deviant teaching and recruitment of followers to serve misguided and
wrongful causes," stressed Raja Nushirwan.
He
pointed out that in Muslim countries like all others, a balance was needed to
be struck between ensuring the freedom of expression and ensuring that these
liberties were not abused to the detriment of society.
"It
is equally important for us to recognise not only the negative implications of
these new technologies, but also its vast potential to educate, create and
empower, as well as the fact that they are here to stay," he explained.
Raja
Nushirwan noted that many centuries ago, Muslims led the world in science and
technology, which was the bedrock of Islam's predominant place in the world;
however in time, Islam's intellectual tradition ossified, signaling its
civilisation's decline.
"We
must not make the same mistake and instead, use these new technologies so that
the Muslim world can take its rightful place in the international
community," he said.
However,
despite embracing new technologies, efforts aimed at establishing peace and
calm in the troubled Muslim world hinged on unity amongst Muslims based on the
teachings of the Prophet and the tenets of the Islamic religion.
"Our
unity is the surest and strongest defence against any onslaught that the
changing media landscape may pose to our efforts to ensure the Islamic world
and its people live in peace and harmony," he concluded.
--BERNAMA
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