Role of media in islamic countries in the face of current challenges

• Main Authors: Mohd El Din Abu Houl, Ibrahim Khalaf Khalidi, Siti Rugayah Hj Tibek
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Institut Kajian Rantau Asia Barat 2009
• Online Access: http://journalarticle.ukm.my/252/1/1.pdf; http://journalarticle.ukm.my/252/
• Institution: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Debate with regard to the role of media in the face of challenges have been taking place since a long time ago. To this end, some political schools of thought have categorized media as at the same level as the military and economic powers in the world. As can be seen, developed countries used the media industry to serve their interests. Although Islamic countries got their political independence, they failed to get independence in other areas. Islamic countries’ reaction towards the West came in the form of unequal clashes which resulted in accumulation of multiple defeats including moral aspects. This could be due to the nature of obstacles and challenges faced by the media in Islamic countries. Consequently, the war between Muslims and the West is due partly to the negligence of the Muslims in developing a more advanced media that would have eliminated uncertainty and antagonism between the two parties. These are some of the challenges facing media in Islamic countries which require special attention from Muslim ummah.