Muslims praise media for unbiased coverage of Gujarat violence

By Ehtashamuddin Khan, Indo-Asian News Service

New Delhi, Mar 16 (IANS) Muslims have found redemption in the mainstream
Indian media for their staunch defence of secularism and are appreciating
its unbiased coverage of the Gujarat violence.

Muslims, largely hurt by the apathy and even silent support of state and
federal authorities to Hindu hardliners in the sectarian violence that
followed the Godhra train carnage, are praising the media for its role in
bringing out the truth before the world without fear or favour.

The community, which has found itself being stereotyped by the press that
has often highlighted its orthodoxy and negative social traits, says had the
media not pressured the government to act, even worse violence could have
followed.

The press, especially some television channels, has been hailed for
presenting the "true picture" of Muslims as the main victims of the riots
while in many cases the police played the spectator's role.

Journalist Zafar Agha said: "It was for the first time that we saw the
madness unleashed by the people virtually live. And how the government was a
mute spectator to all this bloodbath."

Journalists were seen risking their lives to take shots of stone- pelting
rioters and burning of shops and factories. Haunting front-page photographs
of a Muslim man begging for his life or of Muslim babies swathed in bandages
tugged at people's heartstrings and made the moderate majority wonder where
things were going.

"They did a wonderful job. Most of the television channels and newspapers
were fair. They made the government accountable. This made us believe that
secularism of the country is still alive," Yusuf Hathim Muchala,
spokesperson of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), who is
also a lawyer, told IANS.

"The role of media was quite satisfactory. It pressured the government and
helped in forcing them to maintain law and order. It was only because of the
media that the opposition parties were able to sharply focus the issue. It
did a great job in mobilising civil society," said Mohammed Sajjad, lecturer
in the department of history at Jamia Milia Islamia university.

Amir Ali, 25, a research student at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), said:
"Though communal riots have earlier been reported, it was for the first time
the media penetrated so deep. Finer details were given from the spot right
at the time of the occurrence of the violence. It was praiseworthy. They
brought the true picture."

Computer professional Karim Shujat, 30, said: "After the terrorist attack on
the World Trade Centre in the U.S. last year the media had shown only a
negative image of Muslims. But this time India's free media by and large did
very well. This gave us confidence (about the future of the community)."

But he said media failed to show how the Godhra incident, from where the
violence began, actually broke and who sparked them off.

"The coverage was fair enough but it was not an exception. Earlier too,
media has always stood with the victims - be it anti-Sikh riots in Delhi or
anti-Muslim riots in Meerut, Mumbai, Bhagalpur or elsewhere."

Maulana Abdul Qayyum of the Jamiat-e-Islami Hind said: "It was only because
of the media, mainly the electronic media, that the exact picture had come
out. The journalists risked their lives. Not only Muslims but the whole
country is proud of them."

--Indo-Asian News Service