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After 1947 whatever remained of the
Muslim community media (newspapers, magazines) in India was mostly
in Urdu language. Gradually this Urdu media which only few Indians
could read, also limited the reporting of events from the entire
country to the affairs of the Muslim community. Even in reporting
about the Muslim community the focus shrank to the sufferings,
poverty, backwardness and injustice to Muslims from the government
and the majority community.
While it is true that in the decades following independence the
Muslim community as a whole suffered much deprivations, injustice
and anti-Muslim violence, yet a small number of them, say about
4%, managed to acquire good education, good jobs, good business
opportunities. This is well below their population proportion of
about 15%, yet it is there. Also in the field of sports a few
Muslims did well at the national level. However, the Muslim
community media which was mostly Urdu based, gave very little
coverage to any success stories from the Muslim community.
Despite many Muslims being conversant in English language, and at
least 4% of them being financially and intellectually well off, in
65 years the 170 million strong Indian Muslim community, did not
establish a single credible English language newspaper or
electronic news service, whereas a lot of people from other Indian
communities established newspapers that have thrived as India's
economy has grown significantly. Thus the entire Muslim community
has had no media-means to convey their concerns and issues to the
vast number of Indians, Muslims and non-Muslims, who did not read
Urdu.
Since Muslims at large felt that the mainstream Indian media was
not giving adequate coverage to the issues of their community, a
handful of Muslims started a few biweekly newspapers and online
news services in the English language in the last about five to
ten years. The intent was to reach the Indian mainstream and
non-Muslim population across the country, through English that is
spoken throughout the country, to report on mainstream events and
issues while giving adequate coverage to the events and issues of
the Muslims. That was good news.
However, as things have developed over the last about five years,
these English language Muslim news services and newspapers have
followed the pattern set by their Urdu media friends in earlier
decades. The readability of these news services is again getting
confined to the Muslim community, as their coverage is getting
confined to the Muslim community and most reports are about the
deprivations of the community as victims. Only rarely one finds
introspection of the community's internal problems, corruption,
lack of effort to progress, lack of self-help programs.
For instance, if you look at the performance of the Muslim English
media in the last one year, you find that they rarely reported on
major movements or events in the country that were not
Muslim-specific. Some examples are: Massive upsurge of corruption
including among India's cabinet ministers, senior government
officials etal; Anna Hazare's massive nationwide anti corruption
movement; substantial inflation and increase in prices of consumer
goods at all levels; significant slowdown of India's economy;
massive power shutdown in July 2012 that affected about half of
the country; widespread political turmoil in the Indian parliament
on the performance of PM Manmohan Singh and the literal shutdown
of the parliament for about half of its monsoon session; the high
performance of Sania Mirza - India's star international tennis
player; the high performance of Azim Premji's WIPRO - an
international information technology company; the high performance
of many large Indian corporations that grew substantially; the
growth of high quality educational institutions .
Amazingly, the English language Muslim media, just like the Urdu
media, provided hardly any coverage to these very major mainstream
occurrences. This was a contrast to the mainstream Indian media
that gave much coverage to these national issues. The reason:
these issues though major at national level were not Muslim-specific. It is very strange that the Muslim media should think
that issues of corruption, turndown of economy, parliament in
turmoil or successes of Indian stars does not affect India's
Muslim community. Instead the major focus of the Muslim English
media is unlimited stories of injustice and violence to Muslims,
government neglect of Muslims, conspiracy theories with BJP-RSS at
their center, write-ups on the Muslim clerics and the absence of
write-ups on Muslim intelligentsia. Although all those are true
yet should they be given saturation coverage while mainstream
subjects are shut out?
What is surprising is the very brief coverage of the success
stories and stars from the Muslim community and the lack of
interest in promoting them as role models for the youth. Instead
focus seems to be on orthodox religious Muslim organizations and
individuals who appear to be detached from modern India and appear
to have a 19th century outlook and lifestyle. Do majority of
Indian Muslims fit this profile and does it motivate them?
Now think of the non-Muslim readers and youth who browse the
Muslim English media looking for the pulse of the Indian Muslims.
Think how readable the Muslim English media is. Think how little
it does to make mainstream non-Muslim Indians get interested in
the Muslim community. Think of how little it helps to generate
public opinion among non-Muslims for the pressing needs of
Muslims. Think of what it does to the aspirations of the Muslim
youth for an equal place in the Indian sun.
India's Muslim English media has a
special responsibility. They have to communicate with the modern
educated non-Muslim Indians telling them that Muslims are like
them, progress oriented and wanting to move into 21st century
India. Observing their religion faithfully yet not wearing it on
their sleeve and not letting instances of injustice to the
community demoralize them into thinking of themselves as victims;
looking for fair opportunities in various arenas but not handouts.
Another important need is that the Muslim intelligentsia that does
not support the Muslim English media must do that providing
intellectual and financial support to them so that they can break
a path forward for the Muslim community that has been stereotyped
for too long. How long can the Indian Muslim community live
without a relevant media of its own that serves the most basic
needs of the community?
The writer can
be reached on: kaleemkawaja@gmail.com
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