Muslim media practitioners urged to be ‘different’

MUSLIM media practitioners have been charged to be different in positive ways in the discharge of their professional duty.

Speaking at the maiden national conference of the Muslim Media-Watch Group of Nigeria (MMWG) with the theme, “Adoption of Media for Da’awah: Issues and Perspectives,” in Ilorin last weekend, a legal icon, Mallam Yusuf Ali (SAN), said Muslim media practitioners all over the world were in a disadvantaged position.

Mallam Ali, who said that Islam and Muslims were disadvantaged due to activities of some extremists and negative impression of some people against the religion and adherents, advised media practitioners to rise above all considerations and show best professional performance.

He said they should always promote Islam as contained in the Qur’an, adding that they should avoid such a situation where Islam would be degraded.

“For those of you lucky to be in media practice today, you owe Nigerian society a service to be the best and surpass good and best practices of your predecessors by rendering quality reportage of news items. You must be different in positive ways and Islam should not place second fiddle in all you do. Once you do that, every other thing would become easy for you,” he said.

Also speaking, the Emir of Shonga, Alhaji Haliru Yahaya, called on media practitioners to discourage obscenity, which he said had been prevalent in the Nigeria media.

The Emir, who expressed worry over the development, argued that approach of political politeness to the issue by authorities concerned would not help the matter.

He said that God would fight sodomy with destruction as He did before, adding that children should be guided on the use of social media so that they are not lost to unreal world and cultural invasion.

He also said that young ones should be directed to right ways early in their life so that they were not misled by the unreal world.

In his address, the national coordinator of the MMWG, Alhaji Abdullahi Ibrahim, said the aims and objectives of the group include promotion of quality Islamic broadcasting in media organisations all over the country.

He also said that the group was out to encourage fair play, justice and equity in dissemination of religious programmes in electronic and print media, adding that it ensures transparency in news coverage among all faiths so as to maintain equity and justice.