I disagree in the name of Allah, the beneficent and the most merciful, with those who advocate violence and terror in the name of Islam. And I am deeply and completely convinced by the truth that the act of terror has nothing to do with the set of guidelines exemplified categorically in the holy Quran and of course with those people who have better understanding of Quranic revelations and certainly not with those who go astray. But having said that; the portrayal of Islam and Islamic world based on a very bigotry and intolerant propaganda of popular media which has been the characteristic of the narrow mindedness of the western perception of Islam and Islamic culture is something which can never be accepted. To understand the core issues and conflicts in the current Islamic world in a fair and unbiased perspective, one has to primarily use common sense which unfortunately often appears to be largely uncommon in the midst of economic and political interests. Getting a legitimate portrait of the colossal turmoil and disruption in the Arab lands, with the reality as it cannot be detached from its contexts of immense significance, appears to be risky and impossible to an extent. We have been discussing a historic Israel- Palestine conflict over a hell a lot of period, fighting and executing the nasty autocrats of the north African and middle east region and imposing a well structured ‘Democratic’ or ‘Transitional’ governments. The leading link throughout the sequences of events which craft the exclusive story lines of ‘Islamic Middle East’ is nothing but massacres and unending causalities. Consequently people in the Middle East are destined to live in deep crisis no matter whatever names like ‘Palestine conflict’, ‘overthrowing autocracy’, ‘UN- Resolution’, NATO-Intervention’ , ‘war on terror’ and recently ‘Arab Spring’ you may suggest to the entire process of Zionist propaganda.
As long as the politics of portrayal and the propaganda of broadcasting of Islam and Islamic world continue to be the same as it has been over a period of technological and economic ‘paramountcy’ of western and Zionist lobby; the process of regulated system of stereotyping Muslims and Islamic way of life will prevail. As one among those millions who have been continuously and systematically misrepresented and misinterpreted, I would certainly not demand any ample alternative means of covering Islam and portraying middle east, but at the same time as an Indian, who learned to respect the diversity for the sake of unity, I would plead my friends to realise the reality rather than advocating the stereotypes. All the burning conflicts in the region possess a long history and an origin which can be traced back to several decades. Since Israel came in to being as a self declared Jewish State in 1948 the entire history of the Palestinians as they are the legitimate owners of the land seemed to have been forgotten. Since then the entire torture under which the innocent Palestinians suffered severe cruelty from the Zionist extremists appeared to have been portrayed a legitimate counter attack from the Israel in order to prevent Islamic extremism. The irony of the history and the tactics of the portrayal succeeded to an extent which made us forget the fact that the innocent Palestinians were paying the price for what happened to Jews under European racism and holocaust in which Islamic world has nothing to do with. Today we are forced to start our debate by beginning with the rights of Israelis.
Muslims as a community and Islam as their religion and Middle East as their land are very familiar to western world not necessarily through an impartial and fair perspective but certainly through an embedded and well structured portrayal. Muslims usually play the role of villain in their movies. ‘Jihad in America’ is a notorious example. The western media funded and controlled by the Zionists made the perception by and large throughout the world by repeating the sensational revelations on a daily basis that the Islamic threat is a perpetuating danger which we have to live with. This is how the course of stereotyping succeeds in creating misconceptions among the people in western world. Religious identities of Islam like ‘Burqa wearing woman’ and ‘man with a long beard’ helped their job easy to mark the link between Islam and extremism more colourful. I do not wonder how the atrocious Israel succeeded to be recognised by the international community while the legitimate owners of the Palestine that is the innocent Palestinians are still left at the mercy of the brutal Israel forces. But I certainly wonder how the resistance of these innocent people has been portrayed and identified as the violent act of Islamic extremists..!!
I have genuine reason to say a million ‘No’ to these cliché portrayals and repeated misrepresentations of Islam and Muslim world by the western popular media. And I certainly do not believe that the ongoing outrage against Islam is a spontaneous response but I find it rather a pre planned and well routed paranoia which has been deployed systematically throughout the western world. That is the reason why we have seen in Italy the state banned burqa where a total population is nearly 60 million out of which the Muslim population is less than one and a half million. Imagine how small the number of Muslim women even if the whole Muslim women wear a burqa. The number is undoubtedly e negligible. But burqa has been banned and wearing burqa is punishable. What a ludicrous act..?!. I am extremely worried about the fact that this culture of news broadcasting and portrayal of Islam not only through the news channels but through the films will have serious impact in future with more severe dangers. As the western youth seems to be the most entertained and least informed generation the world has ever seen, seeing their hero chasing and killing the Islamic extremists in a thrilling movie; creating the notion that Islam is of terror and Muslims are terrorists and they are the enemies of the west. So in that world the heroism is eradicating the Islam as it is perceived as the major threat.
As the repertory of Islam by the western popular media succeeded in creating the picture of Islam as a spectrum of representatives starts from Bin Laden from one end , Saddam Hussein next, Hosni Mubarak and Colonel Gaddafi in the line; the entire world tend to take the stereotype in to account. So many questions which make me worry as a Muslim. Why don’t the philanthropists identify those who want a never ending turmoil in the Middle East? Why do the Arabs not want the rest of the world to identify the Middle East as the real beneficiaries of Islam? Why does ‘Middle East’ always appear related to bombing and insurgency? Why there is nothing good about the Middles East comes out through the televisions in our dining room?
I am extremely unhappy that the number of people who strongly believe that Islam is of terror is large in number all around me. I hardly get chance to talk to them. And it makes me feel very bad to understand the fact that if I am this much worried how worried the Palestinians would be?!!; Who have been tortured, attacked, deprived of dignity and dispossessed and displaced to refugee camps for a long period of time. This note is certainly to my friends to whom I wish to talk about these controversial issues. This note is to those friends of mine who recently willingly or unwillingly favoured the Zionist screenplay and the repertory by popular media of the portrayal of Islam. God save innocents all over the world.
