The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

The need for developing media for the Muslims to face the challenges of the 21st century was underlined at a seminar organised at the National Press Club yesterday.

The Chief Editor of the Qatar News Agency Sheikh Khalid Abdullah Al-Ziarah who was the keynote speaker at the seminar called for making two clear distinctions between serving the spiritual demands of people and meeting the cultural and socio-economic demands of Muslims through the media.

He said that in the absence strong media organisations in the Muslim world the Western media was distorting events taking place and ideas emanating from this part of the globe. He said that the Muslim World was aware of the influence of the international media controlled by the West. Their objective was to increase the spheres of influence of the powerful countries.

Sheikh Al-Ziarah said that the influence of the media of the second and third world countries was minimal because of their limited economic power and limited access to technology. The Muslims should counteract the influence of the Western media by acquiring latest technology and strengthening economic muscles.

Prof. Jashim Uddin Ahmed, former Vice Chancellor of Jahangirnagar university was the chief guest at the seminar presided over by Mufti Izhar Chowdhury. Harun Izhar presented a paper at the seminar which was organised by the Islamic Social Welfare Organisation Bangladesh.

The seminar was also addressed by senior journalist Ziaul Huq, Mostafa Kamal Majumder, Editor, The New Nation. AKM Khalid Hasan, Dr Shahidul Islam, Ashraf Khan, Jamaluddin Bari, AKM Ruhul Amin and Shaukat Kamran among others.

The speakers noted the initiatives taken at different parts of the Muslim World to develop news media organisations to cater their needs, but said that they are still very inadequate.