Indian Jamaat-e-Islami’s Media after Presenting True Image of Islam
India’s leading Islamic movement, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, spares no effort in presenting the true picture of Islam and removing misgivings about the divine religion and its followers among the one billion non-Muslims in the country, says one of its prominent leaders.
Sheikh Muhammad Karakkunnu, deputy ameer of Jamaat in the south Indian state of Kerala, said the organization has also been extending outstanding contributions in shaping the public opinion and highlighting the issues of the weaker and marginalized sections in the Indian society through its presence in both the print and electronic media. “In shouldering this great responsibility, we tap all the available resources and utilize highly advanced facilities brought about by the information technology, the latest of which is launching a channel in the regional language of Malayalam,” he said.
In an exclusive interview with the International Islamic News Agency (IINA), Sheikh Muhammad said that new channel namely ‘Media One’ will formally be launched on February 10. Media One, with a capital of more than $25 million (1.3 billion Indian rupees), will be a channel catering to not only Muslims but non-Muslims as well. Muslims make up around 200 million among the 1.22 billion population of India, which is the largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world. Indian Muslims are the world’s third largest, after Indonesia and Pakistan. “The courageous experiment, made by Jamaat nearly a quarter of a century ago to launch a newspaper for the general public, was a resounding success. “The newspaper in Malayalam, called Madhymam (which means medium), is now the third largest circulated daily in Kerala and the number one Malayalam daily read by hundreds of thousands of Indians from Kerala living abroad, especially in the GCC states, “ he said while noting that the new channel is coming from the Madhymam Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Jamaat.
According to Sheikh Muhammad, Jamaat is instrumental in realizing what he called an ‘Islamic renaissance’ in Kerala, thanks to its publications and Dawa work. Jamaat’s publications include Prabhodhanam (which means Dawa) weekly and Bodhanam monthly. “Prabhodanam, the largest circulated Islamic weekly in the state, has played a remarkable role in triggering an unprecedented religious awakening among the predominantly orthodox Muslim community. Prabodhanam was the only Islamic weekly in Malayalam when it started publishing six decades ago. For more than half a century, it continues its mission of presenting the true picture of Islam and making aware of the members of the Muslim Ummah to confront potential challenges in addition to spread the messages of tolerance and communal amity in the pluralist society,” he said adding that it also gave an opportunity for at least a section of non-Muslims to understand Islam in the true sense.
The Islamic Publishing House (IPH) is another stellar pillar of the Islamic activities being carried out by Jamaat. Referring to its activities, Sheikh Muhammad said: IPH, founded in 1945, has to its credit more than 600 books, dealing with various topics focusing on the comprehensiveness of Islam and presenting Islam as a complete code of life for the success of life in this world and hereafter. Tafheemul Qur’an, one of the widely read and authentic Qur’an translations and interpretations in the modern age, is the most important among them. The work, originally in Urdu, was the magnum opus of the internationally renowned Islamic scholar and thinker Maulana Sayyid Abul A'ala Maududi, the first recipient of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. Maulana Maududi is the founder ofJamaat-e-Islami.
Sheikh Muhammad, who served as director of IPH for about 25 years, said that IPH published books on Qur’an, Uloomul Qur’an, Hadith, jurisprudence, Islamic history, Islamic economy, and science in Qur’an, in addition to translations of many Islamic best sellers in the modern time, the latest which is the translation of the autobiography of Tunisian Muslim leader Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi. Sheikh Muhammad, a well-known writer and orator in Kerala, is the author of more than 70 books in Malayalam. “The Islamic Encyclopedia, being published by IPH, is also contributing substantially to the intellectual revolution being spearheaded by Jamaat. So far, 10 volumes of the encyclopedia have been published; each volume of which contains between 3000 and 5000 titles.
The Jamaat leader congratulated Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his historic initiative for interfaith dialogue and outstanding contributions toward promoting world peace and peaceful coexistence of followers of various religions. Sheikh Muhammad is one of the prominent figures who strove to conduct interfaith dialogue forums and table talks with the objective of spreading the true nature of Islam as a religion of peace, tolerance and mercy to the mankind. “We conducted dialogue forums in various parts of Kerala in which many religious leaders, scholars and intellectuals from the majority Hindu community as well as Christian priests participated. These conferences were a resounding success in promoting communal amity as well as in removing misunderstanding about Islam and other religions,” he said while noting that the late Kamala Surayya, the world renowned English poetess and Malayalam novelist and story writer from Kerala, had embraced Islam after understanding about Islam mainly from Jamaat’s publications.
Jamaat is also conducting several relief and welfare programs to alleviate the suffering of the weaker sections in the society, especially the poor and needy. Referring to these activities, P. Mujeeburahman, general secretary of Jamaat in Kerala, said that his organization is in the forefront of several relief works and humanitarian initiatives. “We are making great endeavors to alleviate the suffering of people afflicted with both natural and man-made disasters. The latest example of our relief works was dispatching humanitarian aid to the victims of communal riots in the northeastern state of Assam,” said Mujeeburahman, who was a member of the Jamaat delegation which visited the riot-stricken regions. Jamaat’s relief works for the victims of Tsunami in the southern coastal areas and victims of aerial spraying of pesticide endosulfan in the northern district of Kasargode were remarkable. Mujeeburahman, a well-known orator and former president of Solidarity, the youth wing of Jamaat, said that Solidarity is in the forefront of other youth organizations in taking up common issues affecting the public, especially environmental issues, as well as in shouldering welfare programs like construction of houses for the poor. “Solidarity has become a role model for other youth organizations in the state in taking up public causes such as the struggle for drinking water and fight against denial of justice and deprivation of civil rights,” he added.
Source: iinanews.com
In an exclusive interview with the International Islamic News Agency (IINA), Sheikh Muhammad said that new channel namely ‘Media One’ will formally be launched on February 10. Media One, with a capital of more than $25 million (1.3 billion Indian rupees), will be a channel catering to not only Muslims but non-Muslims as well. Muslims make up around 200 million among the 1.22 billion population of India, which is the largest democracy and the second most populous country in the world. Indian Muslims are the world’s third largest, after Indonesia and Pakistan. “The courageous experiment, made by Jamaat nearly a quarter of a century ago to launch a newspaper for the general public, was a resounding success. “The newspaper in Malayalam, called Madhymam (which means medium), is now the third largest circulated daily in Kerala and the number one Malayalam daily read by hundreds of thousands of Indians from Kerala living abroad, especially in the GCC states, “ he said while noting that the new channel is coming from the Madhymam Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Jamaat.
According to Sheikh Muhammad, Jamaat is instrumental in realizing what he called an ‘Islamic renaissance’ in Kerala, thanks to its publications and Dawa work. Jamaat’s publications include Prabhodhanam (which means Dawa) weekly and Bodhanam monthly. “Prabhodanam, the largest circulated Islamic weekly in the state, has played a remarkable role in triggering an unprecedented religious awakening among the predominantly orthodox Muslim community. Prabodhanam was the only Islamic weekly in Malayalam when it started publishing six decades ago. For more than half a century, it continues its mission of presenting the true picture of Islam and making aware of the members of the Muslim Ummah to confront potential challenges in addition to spread the messages of tolerance and communal amity in the pluralist society,” he said adding that it also gave an opportunity for at least a section of non-Muslims to understand Islam in the true sense.
The Islamic Publishing House (IPH) is another stellar pillar of the Islamic activities being carried out by Jamaat. Referring to its activities, Sheikh Muhammad said: IPH, founded in 1945, has to its credit more than 600 books, dealing with various topics focusing on the comprehensiveness of Islam and presenting Islam as a complete code of life for the success of life in this world and hereafter. Tafheemul Qur’an, one of the widely read and authentic Qur’an translations and interpretations in the modern age, is the most important among them. The work, originally in Urdu, was the magnum opus of the internationally renowned Islamic scholar and thinker Maulana Sayyid Abul A'ala Maududi, the first recipient of the King Faisal International Prize for Service to Islam. Maulana Maududi is the founder ofJamaat-e-Islami.
Sheikh Muhammad, who served as director of IPH for about 25 years, said that IPH published books on Qur’an, Uloomul Qur’an, Hadith, jurisprudence, Islamic history, Islamic economy, and science in Qur’an, in addition to translations of many Islamic best sellers in the modern time, the latest which is the translation of the autobiography of Tunisian Muslim leader Sheikh Rachid Ghannouchi. Sheikh Muhammad, a well-known writer and orator in Kerala, is the author of more than 70 books in Malayalam. “The Islamic Encyclopedia, being published by IPH, is also contributing substantially to the intellectual revolution being spearheaded by Jamaat. So far, 10 volumes of the encyclopedia have been published; each volume of which contains between 3000 and 5000 titles.
The Jamaat leader congratulated Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his historic initiative for interfaith dialogue and outstanding contributions toward promoting world peace and peaceful coexistence of followers of various religions. Sheikh Muhammad is one of the prominent figures who strove to conduct interfaith dialogue forums and table talks with the objective of spreading the true nature of Islam as a religion of peace, tolerance and mercy to the mankind. “We conducted dialogue forums in various parts of Kerala in which many religious leaders, scholars and intellectuals from the majority Hindu community as well as Christian priests participated. These conferences were a resounding success in promoting communal amity as well as in removing misunderstanding about Islam and other religions,” he said while noting that the late Kamala Surayya, the world renowned English poetess and Malayalam novelist and story writer from Kerala, had embraced Islam after understanding about Islam mainly from Jamaat’s publications.
Jamaat is also conducting several relief and welfare programs to alleviate the suffering of the weaker sections in the society, especially the poor and needy. Referring to these activities, P. Mujeeburahman, general secretary of Jamaat in Kerala, said that his organization is in the forefront of several relief works and humanitarian initiatives. “We are making great endeavors to alleviate the suffering of people afflicted with both natural and man-made disasters. The latest example of our relief works was dispatching humanitarian aid to the victims of communal riots in the northeastern state of Assam,” said Mujeeburahman, who was a member of the Jamaat delegation which visited the riot-stricken regions. Jamaat’s relief works for the victims of Tsunami in the southern coastal areas and victims of aerial spraying of pesticide endosulfan in the northern district of Kasargode were remarkable. Mujeeburahman, a well-known orator and former president of Solidarity, the youth wing of Jamaat, said that Solidarity is in the forefront of other youth organizations in taking up common issues affecting the public, especially environmental issues, as well as in shouldering welfare programs like construction of houses for the poor. “Solidarity has become a role model for other youth organizations in the state in taking up public causes such as the struggle for drinking water and fight against denial of justice and deprivation of civil rights,” he added.
Source: iinanews.com
