Letter: Claims about IS are audacious

The Media Review Network has responded to an article which suggests that Africa is the new target of IS. Here armed guards are seen during a wreath laying ceremony at the site of a terror attack on tourists on a holiday resort in Tunisia. Photo: EPA

The Media Review Network has responded to an article which suggests that Africa is the new target of IS. Here armed guards are seen during a wreath laying ceremony at the site of a terror attack on tourists on a holiday resort in Tunisia. Photo: EPA

Published Jul 7, 2015

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The media has a mammoth responsibility in shaping current affairs, writes Dr Aayesha Soni.

 

“Africa is the new Syria.” Shannon Ebrahim sets the tone for her article with this exceptionally bold statement, and what follows is a string of audacious claims all knotted together, ultimately resulting in what is a very poor piece of journalism (“IS targeting Africa, even us in the south”, Pretoria News, July 3).

In the current political climate, it has become abundantly clear that media plays a fundamental role in shaping public perceptions, thus dictating what governments are allowed to get away with.

The power of the media to inject fear into the public psyche is tremendous.

I have therefore come to appreciate that the media has a mammoth responsibility in shaping current affairs, and with journalism of the quality of this piece my hope in justice dwindles.

Ebrahim makes a barrage of unfounded claims, from lambasting the youth of Roshnee for joining IS and threatening their fathers, to quoting a “Gauteng government official” with no concrete evidence provided whatsoever.

The secretary-general of the Jamiatul Ulama, Moulana Ebrahim Bham, even gets thrown into the mix with a quote that could very easily be from one of his weekly sermons encouraging people to be more socially aware – distorted to somehow justify why South African Muslim youth would be drawn into joining IS.

While reading the article it was very difficult to ascertain any remote link to accountable and intelligent reporting, leaving one begging for clarification.

Articles like this, whose only purpose serves to flame the fires of fear and hate among the masses, do much more harm, than good. In a country like South Africa, where the Muslim community plays a pivotal role in the social, economical, political and humanitarian spheres, there can be no gain in vilifying an entire community based on unsubstantiated claims and poor sources.

Leaving such irresponsible journalism unchallenged might very easily result in us living in a state of heightened tension, such as that experienced post-9/11.

I am sure Ebrahim will agree that this is a very dangerous situation to open the door to, looking not too far back in our past to see the numerous human rights violations that occurred justified by the “War on Terror”. In its quest to eliminate terror, defined singularly by one religion, the US had led a global rampage that every democracy-loving individual should be ashamed of.

The emergence of ground-breaking discoveries, such as the 6 000 page Senate Intelligence Committee Report on CIA Torture have enlightened us to the exact extent of one of the greatest disgraces of our time.

It contains admissions to torture, documented narratives where innocent individuals were detained without trial based solely on their religion, and instances where women and children were imprisoned without charge. This monster was allowed to be bred out of the womb of fear, just as pieces such as Ebrahim’s are setting the stage for.

Unsubstantiated assumptions and isolated quotes do not constitute truthful reporting and responsible journalism, and must be challenged in order to counter the growing worldwide trend of Islamophobia.

Fear-mongering will only result in the unnecessary vilification of entire communities, and it is our job to remain vigilant in the face of accusations that will affect a mass number of people.

Dr Aayesha J Soni

Media Review Network

Gauteng

 

* Ebrahim responds:

Ibrahim Vawda of the MRN claims that it was never verified that a 15-year-old Cape Town girl was taken off a plane in Cape Town.

In fact, the Minister of State Security David Mahlobo verified this on Easter Monday.

I never said that Muslim doctors, lawyers and engineers from South Africa had been recruited to IS. What I said was that they are being targeted by IS. It is a fact that they are being targeted and this I can say with confidence from a number of sources.

Aayesha Soni from the MRN says I lambasted South Africans for joining IS. If you read my column I never lambasted anyone, but merely stated that youngsters did attempt to join IS recently from Roshnee, which is a fact and widely reported on.

I had an obligation to protect the identity of the Gauteng official who shared what one Roshnee youngster said to his father, given the sensitivity of the matter and their connections with the Roshnee community. The same way I protected the identity of the 15-year-old Cape Town girl who tried to join IS, even though I had her name and photograph.

The point is not fear-mongering, but highlighting the extent to which IS manages to brainwash the youngsters they target. The MRN may try to make out that what I wrote vilified an entire community, but in fact it is out of concern for the community, of which I have regular and meaningful engagements, that I wanted to warn of the continuing dangers of IS’s aggressive recruitment.

I have asked MRN to sit down and discuss these issues with me face-to-face this week.

Pretoria News

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