The PUNCH editorial got Aregbesola wrong
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- Category: Philosofaith
- Written by M.U Ndagi
- Hits: 713
The Executive Governor of Osun state, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, declared November 15, 2012 as a public holiday in the state to mark the beginning of the Islamic lunar year; otherwise called the Hijrah calendar. Like the Gregorian calendar in Christendom; the Hijrah calendar has religious and historical implications for Muslims. Within the Hijrah calendar are four months classified as consecrated; during which Muslims are forbidden from fighting any wars. Specific days of the year (like Tasu’a and Ashura) have also been identified for voluntary fast to be observed by Muslims. Each of the twelve lunar months of the Hijrah year has peculiar virtues that define its spiritual position. The Hijrah calendar is thus a vital component of the culture of Muslims, which therefore reveals its significance in the life of Muslims.
However, Governor Aregbesola’s open-minded declaration of a public holiday to commemorate the commencement of the Islamic year offended the Punch newspaper, which reacted to Aregbesola’s action with an editorial comment published in its edition of November 20, 2012. Journalism is one profession that requires practitioners to rise above sentiments regardless of the facts of birth, gender, religion, intelligence, tribe, time and place. On the contrary, the Punch editorial under reference is one comment too Islamophobic. This tendency, as unfortunate as it appears, is unmistakably typical of a section of the Nigerian media otherwise labeled as the “southern press”.With my though limited knowledge of and experience in the principles and practice of journalism, I nonetheless have the moral justification to discountenance an editorial comment which contents, structure of arguments and common sense sprout from sentiments that are prejudicial to common national interests. The Punch editorial, for example, failed to successfully convince readers of the Boko Haram dimension it desperately attempted to link to the Hijrah public holiday declared by Governor Aregbesola in Osun state.
The cynicism of the Punch editorial is further revealed in the second paragraph of the comment wherein it affirmed that Aregbesola’s action was in harmony with the provisions of the law. Now, if the governor was constitutionally right in declaring the first day of the Hijrah calendar as a public holiday in Osun state; what then makes the decision, in the words of Punch, “odd and totally uncalled for”? If we may also ask members of the Punch Editorial Board, does the declaration of a public holiday to mark a Muslim festival amount to Islamizing or infringing upon the fundamental human rights of followers of other religions in Osun state? If the observance by Muslims in Nigeria of the New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, Boxing day, as well as Saturdays and Sundays as public holidays have never Christianized Muslims or seen by them as an attempt to convert their faith in to Christianity; why then (if we may still ask) all the ruckus by the Punch about Aregbesola’s Hijrah holiday in Osun state? I think the Punch editorial got Aregbesola wrong.
Even if the newspaper felt so offended by Aregbesola’s constitutional decision, the editorial should have, as a matter of moral responsibility, shun the use of vituperative expressions (such as “frivolous holiday”) which implicitly does not only speak of the “poverty” of professionalism at the media house but also of how the newspaper could be easily overwhelmed by emotions; depicting its low level of enlightenment and civility. While the Punch found it convenient to describe Aregbesola’s action as “abusive manipulation of religious causes…” it forgot to pen a comment when President Goodluck Jonathan as part of activities to mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day on January 8, chose the National Christian Centre Abuja as the best place to make statements about the state of insecurity in the country.
There, he described Boko Haram as worse than the three-year civil war that started in 1967. Book Haram, he said, are everywhere. “Some of them” he added, “are in the executive arm of government; some of them are in the parliamentary/legislative arm while some are in the judiciary. Some are also in the Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies”. Yet the prejudiced and subjective southern press never saw anything wrong with Mr. President making such utterances at a church service. A media that operates with preconceived notions is no doubt part of the challenges hindering Nigeria’s desire to achieving religious and communal harmony.
The media may have their biases but media practitioners owe it a duty to suppress all tendencies that could lead to the breakdown of reason or sense of judgment especially in a country beclouded with fear such as the one orchestrated by insurgency, kidnapping, rape and armed robbery. It is relevant at this point to quote from the key speech of my elder brother, the ever courageous and erudite columnist for two national dailies (The Nation and Daily Trust newspapers), Mohammed Haruna, which he delivered at Alausa, Lagos on July 13, 2012 at the 4th Media Lecture Series of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism. The speech titled “Media and civil liberties when the cloud of fear gathers” reads in part: ‘But then it is in times of conflict that the media ought to strive even harder for accuracy, balance, fairness and objectivity in their news coverage if not in their commentary. The reason is simple. Only an adherence to this and other time-honoured tenets of professionalism can protect the media from being used by either side in a conflict for propaganda’.
Let us, as patriotic and peace-loving citizens, and for the sake of greater Nigeria bring the fear of God to bear on our thoughts, words and actions as we report, comment and analyze issues and events in the Nigerian public space. May Allah (SWT) guide us against becoming victims of the devil’s vicious domination, amin.
Articles
The PUNCH editorial got Aregbesola wrong
Category: Philosofaith Written by M.U Ndagi Hits: 713
The Executive Governor of Osun state, Alhaji Rauf Aregbesola, declared November 15, 2012 as a public holiday in the state to mark the beginning of the Islamic lunar year; otherwise called the Hijrah calendar. Like the Gregorian calendar in Christendom; the Hijrah calendar has religious and historical implications for Muslims. Within the Hijrah calendar are four months classified as consecrated; during which Muslims are forbidden from fighting any wars. Specific days of the year (like Tasu’a and Ashura) have also been identified for voluntary fast to be observed by Muslims. Each of the twelve lunar months of the Hijrah year has peculiar virtues that define its spiritual position. The Hijrah calendar is thus a vital component of the culture of Muslims, which therefore reveals its significance in the life of Muslims.
However, Governor Aregbesola’s open-minded declaration of a public holiday to commemorate the commencement of the Islamic year offended the Punch newspaper, which reacted to Aregbesola’s action with an editorial comment published in its edition of November 20, 2012. Journalism is one profession that requires practitioners to rise above sentiments regardless of the facts of birth, gender, religion, intelligence, tribe, time and place. On the contrary, the Punch editorial under reference is one comment too Islamophobic. This tendency, as unfortunate as it appears, is unmistakably typical of a section of the Nigerian media otherwise labeled as the “southern press”.With my though limited knowledge of and experience in the principles and practice of journalism, I nonetheless have the moral justification to discountenance an editorial comment which contents, structure of arguments and common sense sprout from sentiments that are prejudicial to common national interests. The Punch editorial, for example, failed to successfully convince readers of the Boko Haram dimension it desperately attempted to link to the Hijrah public holiday declared by Governor Aregbesola in Osun state.
The cynicism of the Punch editorial is further revealed in the second paragraph of the comment wherein it affirmed that Aregbesola’s action was in harmony with the provisions of the law. Now, if the governor was constitutionally right in declaring the first day of the Hijrah calendar as a public holiday in Osun state; what then makes the decision, in the words of Punch, “odd and totally uncalled for”? If we may also ask members of the Punch Editorial Board, does the declaration of a public holiday to mark a Muslim festival amount to Islamizing or infringing upon the fundamental human rights of followers of other religions in Osun state? If the observance by Muslims in Nigeria of the New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Christmas Day, Boxing day, as well as Saturdays and Sundays as public holidays have never Christianized Muslims or seen by them as an attempt to convert their faith in to Christianity; why then (if we may still ask) all the ruckus by the Punch about Aregbesola’s Hijrah holiday in Osun state? I think the Punch editorial got Aregbesola wrong.
Even if the newspaper felt so offended by Aregbesola’s constitutional decision, the editorial should have, as a matter of moral responsibility, shun the use of vituperative expressions (such as “frivolous holiday”) which implicitly does not only speak of the “poverty” of professionalism at the media house but also of how the newspaper could be easily overwhelmed by emotions; depicting its low level of enlightenment and civility. While the Punch found it convenient to describe Aregbesola’s action as “abusive manipulation of religious causes…” it forgot to pen a comment when President Goodluck Jonathan as part of activities to mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day on January 8, chose the National Christian Centre Abuja as the best place to make statements about the state of insecurity in the country.
There, he described Boko Haram as worse than the three-year civil war that started in 1967. Book Haram, he said, are everywhere. “Some of them” he added, “are in the executive arm of government; some of them are in the parliamentary/legislative arm while some are in the judiciary. Some are also in the Armed Forces, the Police and other security agencies”. Yet the prejudiced and subjective southern press never saw anything wrong with Mr. President making such utterances at a church service. A media that operates with preconceived notions is no doubt part of the challenges hindering Nigeria’s desire to achieving religious and communal harmony.
The media may have their biases but media practitioners owe it a duty to suppress all tendencies that could lead to the breakdown of reason or sense of judgment especially in a country beclouded with fear such as the one orchestrated by insurgency, kidnapping, rape and armed robbery. It is relevant at this point to quote from the key speech of my elder brother, the ever courageous and erudite columnist for two national dailies (The Nation and Daily Trust newspapers), Mohammed Haruna, which he delivered at Alausa, Lagos on July 13, 2012 at the 4th Media Lecture Series of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism. The speech titled “Media and civil liberties when the cloud of fear gathers” reads in part: ‘But then it is in times of conflict that the media ought to strive even harder for accuracy, balance, fairness and objectivity in their news coverage if not in their commentary. The reason is simple. Only an adherence to this and other time-honoured tenets of professionalism can protect the media from being used by either side in a conflict for propaganda’.
Let us, as patriotic and peace-loving citizens, and for the sake of greater Nigeria bring the fear of God to bear on our thoughts, words and actions as we report, comment and analyze issues and events in the Nigerian public space. May Allah (SWT) guide us against becoming victims of the devil’s vicious domination, amin.