The Lies They Tell - Essay Example

The Lies They Tell The Islam, when directly translated, means peace but today, it seems the world equate it with terrorism and consider it as an extremist and intolerant religion. Does the world really know what Islam is all about? In this paper I would like to explain how the media distorts the facts in such a way that it creates a negative and unfair image for Moslems across the world. Such stereotyping goes against what Islam stands for and what Moslems really are. Jihad A recent survey by the Pew Foundation found that more Americans are distrustful of Islam than ever before. (Badaracco 2005, p. 124) To them, Islam is not peace or humility; it is violence and bloodshed. It is important to note that Americans get most of their information from the news media and that they think they know what jihad is because they have been told they’re watching live on FOX News. Here, Americans are supposedly witnesses to people who call themselves Moslems fighting and killing in the name of religion. But the truth is that these images that they see does not represent Islam and the Moslems. Rather what they see is confusion, hatred, and, in some cases, ignorance. These Moslems that they see on television have turned Islam’s ideals of peace and harmony on its head and they are not a significant number at all of the Moslem population. The media reporters and commentators rarely mention that such actions are not permitted by religion and have no place within Islam. In Quran, the primary meaning of jihad is not “holy war” but “struggle” It refers to the hardship and effort that is needed to put God’s will into practice at every level of people’s lives – from personal, to social and political. Unfortunately, the way jihad is being portrayed in the media has much to do with the negative perception of Islam. The present portrayal of jihad by “terrorists” has great audience appeal and that it allows for media twists and their hunger for controversy and drama. The issue about “jihad” brings us to another perspective about violence and bloodshed. At the end of World War II, Germany had much of Norway under siege and occupied. It was little. The Norwegian resistance movement was launched and that brave Norwegians blew up ships, railroad and the German military infrastructure. History called these Norwegians as saboteurs and freedom fighters. They are hailed as heroes today. Now, is the struggle by the brave Norwegians against the occupying German forces any different from the Moslems in Palestine, Somalia. Chechnya, Kashmir, Iraq and Afghanistan? The Moslems in these countries are merely resisting in order to keep their lands from foreign invaders. Some of them are just defending their homes and their families. Unfortunately, people who are resisting against an occupying military power are branded as terrorists instead of freedom fighters. Since 9/11 the media has consistently pumped us with information fear mongering that led to this kind of thinking. The Quran is a book of ideology; hence struggle should be the tool to achieve one’s noble ends through peaceful means and methods and final aim ought to be to win hearts and minds of people. Finally, jihad is a peaceful activism of non-violent activism. Then there’s the concept of qatal which is the violent activism and in Islam it is emphasized that one may win territory through this means but not the heart and minds of people. Although war is not prohibited in the Quran, there are specific requirements wherein war can be allowed and justified. According to the Quran: Fight for the sake of God against those who fight against you, but do not be aggressive which expression clearly implies that war is not to be initiated but resisted for the sake of self defense only. (2: 190) Moslem Society Even the Moslem society and Islamic values and beliefs are being distorted in the media. Here are some examples that media have taught us, which were actually contrary to what Islam promotes: In Islam, you are forced to marry whom your parents choose for you and that any resistance will not be tolerated. In the Quran, this is not so. The Moslem woman has the freedom of marital choice: she is free to choose her prospective husband, look at him and get to know him without pressure on the part of the father or other relatives. If force or pressure takes place, she has the right to appeal to the court to redress the wrong. The Prophet have made the following statements: “A previously married woman shall not be married till she gives her consent, nor should a virgin be married till her consent is sought.” “A grownup girl shall be asked permission about herself. If she is silent, it is her permission; if she declines, there shall be no compulsion on her.” (Bano 2003, p. 80) Then the Quran says: And whoever among you cannot afford to marry free believing women, (let him marry) such of your believing maidens as your right hands possess.” (4:25) This, among other verses from the Quran, show that compulsion is not present in marriage. Furthermore, Moslem women are acknowledged as free and have rights. A marriage, for example, is a contract between a man and a woman; even after marriage, within the basic family the man and the woman both keep the ownership of their individual properties separately. Most importantly, women can participate in the legal process as individuals, separate from their husbands; they can sue, be sued, serve as witnesses and be parties to contracts. Then, there’s also the issue about how the media reports that Moslem men are free to hit women as they please or that Islamic societies favor oppression and bloodshed. But in Quran, especially on matters about marriage and divorce, men are admonished not to commit tyranny and aggression. The Holy Quran specifically said: Retain them not to their hurt so that ye transgresses (the limit). He who doeth that hath wronged hi spul. Make not the revelations of Allah a laughing stock. (2:231) In this verse men are forbidden from tyranny, oppression and, most importantly, the persecution of women. The Holy Prophet has observed that no one should beat a woman like a servant and then next day go to her for sexual gratification. Mohammad in his famous historical address added: Instruct each other to do good to your womenfolk for they are assigned to you and have no control over anything by themselves and if they are guilty of immodesty, you are allowed to beat them without leaving (serious) injury. But if they repent you must treat them better. Lo! You have your rights against your wives and they have theirs against you. It is their duty to observe chastity and to avoid immorality and their against you is that you must feed and clothe them with fairness. (Tirmidhi; cited in Bano, p. 149) In regard to violence, again I emphasize that the philosophy of Quran is about peace. Islam is even related to the Hebrew word shalom, meaning peace and peace is one of the attributes of God, the Quran says. To Moslems, peace is the same as a situation that is more than just the absence of war. It is a state of well-being that covers all aspects of life in both the immediate present and in the hereafter. It is sometimes said that if the goal of Christianity is salvation, the goal of Islam is peace. The Quran calls peace as “The paths of places.” Islam teaches that peace must begin within the individual human heart before it can find expression in the external world. According to Quran nature is also governed by certain established rules and it guides us that “the sun is not allowed to overtake the moon, nor does the night outpace the day, as each of it runs in its own orbit.” (36: 43) Here we can see that the Quran teaches harmony as part of God’s divine plan. The prophet Mohammad has himself said that “God grants to gentleness what he does not grant to violence.” (cited in Singh, p. 49) Mercy is another attribute of God and a word that is constantly mentioned in the Quran. Along with peace, it is one of the eternal attributes of God that Moslems must follow. God’s mercy is a gift to believers in particular but also extends to all of humanity no matter what their beliefs are. Like Christianity, Islam teaches that those who want God’s mercy must give it to others as well. It praises the virtuous individual who return good for an evil done and emphasizes that God’s forgiveness is plenty especially for those who want it. “But those to those who have done evil, then afterward repent and believe, thy Lord will thereafter be lenient, merciful.” (Sura 7:152) So why does the world see Islam in a negative light? The answer is that since 9/11 the discrimination against Moslems that have started since the Middle Ages have been reinforced day after day. The power of the media to reach people with the unfair and wrong images that are in themselves edited and are selective to serve political purposes and sometimes Western bias unfortunately tell us that this problem will continue to haunt Moslems today and the immediate future. Unless people start to speak out and correct these mistakes the problem will only get worse. Unfortunately, this does not affect the Moslem community exclusively. This kind of media reporting and Moslem stereotyping only drive people with different religion farther from each other. It alienates Christians and Moslems more and more. Now is absolutely the time to be responsible and be objective with how Islam is being reported in the media. Otherwise, resentment will only grow. Works Cited Badaracco, Claire. Quoting God: How Media Shape Ideas About Religion and Culture. Baylor University Press, 2005. Bano, Afsar. Status of Women in Islamic Society. Anmol Publications PVT. Ltd., 2003 Read More