delivered by:
Dr. Chandra Muzaffar, Professor of Global Studies
at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia
and President of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST)
at the International Media Dialogue on CULTURES AND RELIGIONS
The media has two major missions vis-à-vis religion in the contemporary world, one more obvious than the other.
The media, whether old or new, mainstream or alternative, never fails to report and analyze all sorts of conflicts and upheavals including those that appear to have a religious thrust. Instead of just reporting and analyzing, the media must now ask itself: how can it help to contain these conflicts, minimize the violence, reduce the killings, ameliorate the pain and suffering of the people? Since conflicts with a religious edge are pervasive —- and it is through the media that the world comes to know of these conflicts—the media cannot abdicate its responsibility to society. There are perhaps seven principles that the media could observe in reporting and analyzing these conflicts.
One, do not present the conflict as a “religious conflict” when the religious factor may be secondary or of little consequence. Just because the individuals involved in a conflict may come from different religious communities one should not assume that the causes of the conflict are also “religious
Two, analyze as lucidly as possible the real causes of the conflict. Inform the public of these causes without hesitation and without delay. Very often, the real causes are political or economic or a combination of both. Religious doctrine or ritual which may reflect differences between religions are not the cause of conflict as such. Power rather than prayer is at the root of many a conflict.
Three, do not equate the violence that mars the conflict with the religion of the militants involved. No religion cherishes violence. Every religion abjures extremism, bigotry and hatred of the other. If individuals or groups within a particular religious community preach and practice violence, condemn it as a wrongdoing without tarnishing the entire religious tradition.
Four, if individuals and groups attempt to justify violence or bigotry in the name of their religion, expose them for their dishonesty and deception. The media should show their viewers or listeners or readers how a particular text has been distorted or taken out of context.
Five, in condemning violence or exposing religious bigotry do not be selective. Do not highlight such misdeeds when the perpetrators are from a certain religious community and downplay these wrongdoings when they come from another religious community. Bigots and extremists are found in all communities. Our recent history has shown us that no one community has the monopoly of religious militancy.
Six, focus upon prominent individuals and groups from the communities embroiled in the conflict, especially those with strong religious credentials, who have the courage and the conviction to condemn the wrongdoings committed by their own kind. The media should give equal attention to ordinary women and men who are revolted by the misuse and abuse of religion and yearn for justice and righteousness.
Seven, the media should also bring to the fore instances of individuals and families from a party caught in the conflict reaching out to their counterparts on the other side. It is remarkable how in every conflict situation there are instances of this sort, of individuals and families protecting the victim of some atrocity committed by “one’s own people” so to speak. In many cases, the protector chooses to attribute his magnanimity to his faith.
The seven principles outlined here— there must be many others— are by no means alien to the media. They have been observed to a lesser or greater degree by segments of the media in a number of countries over a period of time. What has yet to happen is a conscious, consistent, concerted articulation and application of these and other principles to conflict situations by the media community as a whole.
This brings us to the media’s second mission. The media should show some appreciation of how the universal spiritual and moral values and principles embodied in all our religions can be harnessed to overcome some of the gravest challenges facing humanity today. I shall discuss briefly four such challenges in relation to spiritual and moral values and the failure of the media in establishing the nexus between the two. I shall also argue that the media has done very little to nurture popular consciousness on the pivotal importance of these values.
First, perhaps the greatest threat to the continued existence of life on our planet at this point in time: the environmental challenge. Not many in the media are aware that in all our religions there are powerful teachings that implore us to live in harmony with nature; to use God’s bounties in a judicious manner with the unborn generations of tomorrow in mind; to fulfill our responsibility as trustees on earth by preserving that delicate ecological balance upon which our collective survival depends. The media should highlight these teachings as a spiritual-moral message that all religions share.
Second, the media should also emphasize the relevance of a spiritual-moral perspective on the other monumental challenge confronting the entire human race— the global economic crisis. Every aspect of the crisis— the widening chasm between those who have a lot and those who have a little; the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few; the excessive consumerism of the upper echelons of society; the huge debt burden that many economies bear; and the preponderance of speculative capital in the global economy that has given rise to the phenomenon of casino capitalism — is a violation of spiritual-moral principles. At the root of this crisis are two human traits which every religion condemns: selfishness and greed. In the midst of the current global economic crisis, most media outlets have failed to tell the truth about how and why the global economy and almost all our national economies transgress the essence of faith.
Three, neither has the media told us that the continuous drive to enhance military power by a number of countries does not accord with a spiritual-moral worldview. That military expenditure in 2008 was a whopping 1.4 trillion US dollars is a damning indictment upon the rulers of the world. It is the sort of money that could have been used to provide the basic needs of more than three billion human beings on the planet who live on less than 2 US dollars a day. This vulgar inversion of priorities at the national and global level is nothing less than a gross betrayal of humanity’s moral conscience. And yet the media— specifically the mainstream media— has been deafeningly silent on this.
Four, most of the mainstream media has also been silent on how mammoth military expenditure, the spread of casino capitalism and the environmental crisis, are related, directly or indirectly, to the drive for global hegemony by a global elite. This pursuit for global dominance and control is undoubtedly one of the most serious challenges confronting humankind today. The occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq, the subjugation of the Palestinians, the looming threat of military action against Iran, the conflicts in the Horn of Africa, the big power tussle over natural resources in the African continent, and the attempts to create instability in Bolivia and Venezuela, are all consequences of that hegemonic drive. The media reports on events associated with these crisis zones but it does not join the dots and make its audiences aware of the quest for global hegemonic power and why it is happening. For those who subscribe to spiritual and moral values and principles, the elite drive for hegemony is simply anathema. For no individual or group has the right to control, dominate and subjugate other human beings since the human being’s ultimate loyalty— his engaged surrender— is to God, and God alone.
How does one enhance the media’s awareness of, and commitment to, its dual mission of comprehending conflicts with a religious dimension in depth, on the one hand, and understanding of the significance of spiritual-moral values and principles in addressing some fundamental global challenges in the contemporary world, on the other? Including the philosophies and histories of the various religions, their values and principles, and their rituals and practices in the curricula of media studies in universities and other institutions of higher learning would be a step in the right direction. For serving media practitioners, there should be courses and workshops which emphasize the same themes and subjects of study. It is important that both categories are also exposed to the interface between religion and society, and some of the theories and concepts associated with this interface. Neither the conflicts of our time nor the challenges of our age— and the role of religion in them— can be understood in any depth without the benefit of ideas drawn from sociology, political science, economics, psychology and other social science disciplines.
It is quite conceivable that media students and media practitioners may be somewhat reluctant to incorporate religion into their knowledge base since both the discipline and many individuals in the profession appear to be estranged from matters of faith. Expanding one’s knowledge base to include religion does not require a person to commit herself to a particular religion. In any case, those who are averse to any attachment to religion because of the bigotry of some theologians, or the obsession with rituals and rules, should realize that the sort of approach and understanding to religion that I am proposing here would bring to the surface the universal and inclusive, humane and enlightened essence of faith that has been pushed to the margins in recent decades in many parts of the world.
However, even if media practitioners develop a more profound understanding of the nexus between religion and society, and are more appreciative of the role of spiritual-moral values in resolving fundamental contemporary challenges, there is no guarantee that there will be a significant change in the media’s outlook and role. For in the ultimate analysis, how a mainstream media channel views conflicts or challenges is determined to a great extent by the powerful interests that shape media policy. To put it differently, there are vested interests that would want to stereotype the followers of a particular religion because it serves their larger political agenda. They may be opposed to enlightened voices within different religious communities coming together in solidarity to protest against global casino capitalism or global militarism or global hegemony for the simple reason that their action would undermine their interests.
This is why we should not expect the mainstream media as a whole to play a role of any significance in fulfilling the dual mission of the media, enunciated at the outset of this presentation. The best we can hope for are individual media practitioners here and there to commit themselves to reporting and analyzing conflicts with a deeper understanding of the role of religion. There may also be minor media outlets that are cognizant of the potential contribution of spiritual-moral principles to the shaping of a just and compassionate civilization. The alternative media which is less encumbered by vested interests may be in a better position to pursue the media’s dual mission. But even the alternative media— or certain structures associated with it— has links to the global power stratum.
At the end of the day we should perhaps look beyond the media to propel the changes we envisage. It is when the larger situation itself begins to change that popular consciousness will also begin to change. For instance, it is because the environmental crisis has become so pronounced that more people today are turning to values embodied in religion for answers. Similarly, the economic crisis has compelled more individuals and groups including diehard secularists to explore principles pertaining to finance and the management of money in a religion like Islam.
What this means is that the great global challenges that face us will force the media to develop more empathy for religion and the spiritual and moral values it enshrines. The media will not be a trail- blazer but it will certainly follow the trail.
The article is a keynote address delivered at the International Media Dialogue on Cultures and Religions on 24th May 2010 in Beijing China.
Dr Chandra Muzaffar is a President of International Movement For A Just World.