Injuries Considered, Death Ignored

“Kanada actor Sudeep suffered minor injuries when a cracker exploded during shooting of a film...Sudeep sustained injuries in the back and bruises on the legs.” This is a front page news of Bangalore edition of a leading newspaper.

Some days ago, in the same paper after immense and thorough search I failed to locate even a few lines hidden in the inner pages about the death of world-reputed personality Maulana Marghoob-ur-Rahman. Maulana who died on December 08, 2010 was the rector of Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband. While all editions of Urdu newspapers devoted a considerable space for the news of his death and the tributes that flooded from across India by various organizations’ leaders, the English dailies did not find it worth news.

Inclusion of English, computer and journalism departments in Dar-ul-Uloom, are some of the initiatives for which Marghoob-ur-Rahman will always be remembered. To his credit goes the establishment of a body that interconnects the madaris spanning throughout India. During his tenure, that covers around three decades, as supervisor over the management, the University found it has a better and wider infrastructure.
Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband is well known for its contribution towards freedom struggle of India. It is a resort of the students seeking speciality in Islamic theology. People attached to it, automatically attract public attention and public is interested to know about them. The death of its rector should have found vast coverage.

Unfortunately, media is not interested in highlighting the positive figures of Dar-ul-Uloom. Had it been a fatwa which could provide the media with an opportunity to misquote it and then instigate an unnecessary debate over so-called rights of women, it would have hastened to it. It is by the virtue of media that DUD is now known as an agency producing fatwas. Media has tried to make people forget its contributions for the country and the name and fame it earned to it.

This attitude questions the credibility of media and its neutrality. Excuse may be given that it was a judgment error in selecting news. But to ignore a big news is unforgivable in the world of journalism.

By A H Y