"There is no denying that there is an agenda to belittle Islam and Muslims among certain quarters in the West, using the media," Zainuddin said.

BY Abdul Rahman Khaizran, IOL Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, May 3, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Muslim heavyweight Malaysia has proposed setting up an international Islamic journalism center to counter mounting Islamophobia and coach non-Muslim journalists about Islam and Muslims, reported the official Bernama news agency.

"This center can be set up along the lines of several international journalism institutes that are already in existence, offering training and fellowship programs," Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said on Tuesday, May 2.

He told a workshop for Arab journalists that the proposed center would provide a meeting point for Muslim journalists to discuss common issues.

The International Islamic Journalism Center would offer training courses and fellowship for Muslim journalists, he added.

The minister said it would also organize workshops to discuss issues concerning Islam and the Muslim world.

Media representatives from 15 Arabic-speaking countries are attending a five-day workshop organized by Bernama and UNESCO in tandem with the Malaysian Information Ministry.

Antidote

The center would also coach non-Muslim journalists about the tenets of Islam to counter the rising Islamophobia in the West, Zainuddin said.

"We don't want to fight with the west (by setting up this center), we only want to inform (the international community) about the real situation in the Islamic world," he added.

"This center will organize journalism courses like other journalism institutes in the west. We don't want it to be regarded as a center to spread Islam."

The minister blamed certain parties in the West for fueling the anti-Muslim campaigns.

"There is no denying that there is an agenda to belittle Islam and Muslims among certain quarters in the West, using the media," he said.

"Various tactics, including deception, are used in the onslaught against Muslims to work up their emotions because these people know full well that Muslims would respond in full agitation when their religion is attacked."

US academic Stephen Schwartz on August 31 criticized the western media for failing to meet the challenge of reporting on Islam after the 9/11 attacks.

Arnold Hottinger, a prominent Swiss expert, had also said that the West misjudged Islam and did it injustice, largely because of shallow knowledge of the Muslim faith driven from the distorted writings of early Orientalists.

Muslim Example

The information minister said Malaysia was willing to partially fund the center.

"If the center is established here, we hope to show the world the example of a developed Islamic nation, Muslims who are Hadhari and able to live with people of other faiths."

Islam Hadhari is the brainchild of Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, who maintains it is derived from the core principles and teachings of Islam.

He believes the concept has the capacity to generate strength for a nation because it gives emphasis to various matters including knowledge, economy, culture, moral values and defense.

Zainuddin called for activating the Jeddah-based International Islamic News Agency (IINA).

He also urged Muslim countries to benefit from all media outlets to promote a tolerant and peaceful image of Islam.

"We should make full use of our media organizations to expound our views and opinions about our culture, our society and above all, our religion, so that others may know what Islam is really all about."

Changing Perceptions

Media practitioners from Arab countries welcomed the proposal, hoping it would help change the perception of the world toward Muslims.

"Through the center, we can give the true perspective on the peace-loving Islamic world to non-Muslim journalists that will participate in its program," said Qatari News Agency executive director Abdullah A. Rahman Al-Muzaffar.

He regretted that presently "there are many misconceptions about the ummah, and Islamic world was often linked to terrorism."

Abdullah suggested the center to be initiated by the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).

He said with the OIC's involvement, the center could play its role more effectively because it would be supported by all Muslim countries.