TV reports on Islam damaging

From Republika

Television is an audiovisual media with an edge on other means of information and communications. No doubt television broadcasts, state-owned or private, are instrumental in shaping people's opinion.

Recent television reports, however, have not been objective. They have created an unfavorable image of the Moslem world. Words like "fundamentalist", "terrorist" and "hard-line group" were commonly used in relation to crisis-ridden countries such as Palestine.

As a result, many Moslems in Indonesia have been unsympathetic toward the so-called fundamentalists, terrorists and hard-line groups.

In fact, we first have to find out who coined these terms. Westerners or Moslems themselves?

Unfortunately, these terms have created a conflict of ideas (ghuzwul fikri) among Moslems.

In reality, the people referred to by these terrifying terms are Moslems who want to apply the teaching of Islam correctly in their own countries, resist colonialism, fight the annexation of their land and ward off capitalism, liberalism and the like.

But many Indonesian Moslems have unknowingly harbored a dislike for those referred to as fundamentalists, terrorists and hard-line groups.

Reports in the mass media, particularly the television, are responsible for this situation. Can we, Indonesian Moslems, still open our eyes and accept the true struggle waged by those referred to by these terms?

MUH. ZAHRUDDIN HODSAY

Palembang