Turno de palabra

Seminarios

Islamic fundamentalism: evil of the second millennium?

Comunicación presentada al Congreso Mundial del IPI celebrado en Granada en marzo de 1997

We media and journalists here in the West are being held increasingly responsible for the often negative image our societies have of others, in this case, neighbouring Islam. We are blamed for the vision, at times xenophobic, at others folkloric, and often simply ignorant, that the media project of those different societies and cultures.

The most typical attitudes, for whose existence and widespread belief we journalists must take some of the responsibility, describe the Islamic world as being torn apart by medieval religious controversies, swept along on a tide which is inclined towards the reclusion of women and the restriction of their civil and political rights, a world governed by men and feudal castes who do not adhere to a Western-style democracy and controlled by Constitutions which refer the basic power to God and permit that He exercise that power in an absolute and unquestionable manner.

Supposing these accusations to be correct, some journalists and certain media, too, proceed to admonish themselves. And here lies the controversy, the classic and oft recurring debate on the role of the journalist and the media: should we merely transmit reality and the facts as is or should we take on the role of forming and educating public opinion?

We are confused and added to that confusion are voices which predict a confrontation between civilisations and cultures and, whether or not personal interests enter into the question, they maintain that the militant Islam which we observe with horror in Egypt, Algeria, Sudan, Iran or Afghanistan, is equivalent to the threat which has been posed by Communism throughout this century which is now coming to a close.

The first thing we should do, as journalists, is to have a thorough knowledge of what we are talking or writing about and not confuse the issue with ignorant attitudes or unnecessary confessions of mea culpa. In other words, it is imperative, as it is too with any aspect related to the task of informing the public, to dedicate time to acquire knowledge and learn about the subject on which we are reporting.

Islamism and Fundamentalism

As far as the phenomenon which the press have called Islamic fundamentalism is concerned it is necessary to begin by pointing out the problem that surrounds the terminology itself. The media make no distinction between "Islamic fundamentalism", "Islamic terrorism" or simply "Islamism". Apart from pointing out that, in each case, the qualifier "Islam" is unnecessary because it refers to the religion which is not responsible for mans' actions, or even the actions of the men of religion. It should be pointed out that it is not the same to say fundamentalism and Islamism, etc.

I believe, and this is what I am referring to in this article, that what is of concern in the West, but even more so in the Islamic countries themselves, is the contemporary phenomenon of the assault on power by a group who use religion as a vehicle for mobilizing and appropriating, frequently with violence or using terrorist tactics, the universal principles that that religion professes, which are interpreted, of course, according to the group's interests. The majority of scholars of that phenomenon prefer to call it Islamism.

However, the term "Islamism" is not sufficiently comprehensive enough a word to explain what is occurring in this respect in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iran, to mention only a few examples. There are as many variations of "Islamism", of that attack on power in the name of religion, as there are Islamic countries and, when it comes down to it, in order to be able to talk about them, it is necessary to apply the same differentiation that we use, for example, with the IRA, the Walloons, or the mafias in Moscow.

The term "Islamism" is insufficient because it is not just a question of an attack on power. At the same time something much more important and unforeseeable is taking place, which is the monopolisation of the truth and Western democratic values, the search for the very roots of civilisation and culture, suppressed during the last lengthy period of colonization.

The perception that the West's media and journalists have of Islamism and which they pass on is influenced by our own text books, our way of relating history, our traditions, sayings, literature and jokes even. Educating the journalist implies first revising all those ideological instruments at our disposal in order to take a position regarding "the others".

Fortunately, there are already numerous scholars who, in the peaceful atmosphere of their academic existence, try to arrive at a less partial, more objective representation of the past, both ours and that of other civilisations. The presence of communities, progressively larger in number, from Islamic countries with their own cultural and social necessities, obliges, fortunately, governments and society to dwell deeper into understanding the "others".

Apocalyptic Visions

Our Western culture favourably disposes us to apocalyptic visions and prophets who predict that the new millennium will usher in disaster and evil. As the year 2000 draws nearer the omens predict that Asia will be the dominant civilization in the next millennium and that Islam will be the fifth rider of the new Apocalypse. But, apart from the fact that when the year 2000 arrives two-thirds of humanity will be 3,000 or 4,000 years ahead, or half a millennium behind the West, the most likely possibility is that another 1,000 years on the inhabitants of the year 3000 will be pleased that this time the predictions were not correct.

However, it is not out of the question that the Islamic world finds its own niche since the present day version of Islamism with shades of terrorism is circumstantial and marginal, even in countries such as Algeria where it gives the impression of dominating everything. Migration is making societies in Mediterranean countries more and more multiethnic and the legislation concerning immigrants and other cultures does exist could serve to mitigate some of the differences that history, tradition and conflicts of interest have perpetuated.

Authoritative voices have frequently been heard, even within the EU, proposing restrictive legislation as a means of resolving this problem. Green books, parliamentary propositions, business alternatives... In other words, limitations and restrictions which would offer a solution within a constitutional framework of evidently liberal tendency and of course within the structure of a market economy. And here is the great incoherence to which we were referring: in order to encourage that liberty we would have to take measures which would seem to run counter to our ultimate objective since it is quite unlikely, considering the situation of the enormous sector that is the media, that the size of the companies will stabilize and that, of course, they do not become even smaller.

Evidently, this does not help to diminish the worry regarding the harsh reality of the growing concentration of journalistic and informative companies and their multimedia character, which is of concern not only in our country but in the whole of the democratic world.

Anyone connected with the world of communications is aware that, at this moment, the viability of the informative companies passes through the increasing concentration of companies and media, producing a more efficient collaboration which makes the products and specific professional activities profitworthy.

For example, if one were to consider the necessity of specialising the content more, then one has to contemplate wider multimedia journalistic structures. A journalist who specializes in economy, science, culture or education would not be able to survive as such a spe-' uliiicd jimiiiuli;il in a company il'liia work were not profitable and his work could not be transmitted, with different messages and different presentations, by the various media and to a different, more or less, specialized public. The economic information which can be transmitted by a specific audiovisual medium can subsequently be treated for broadcast on the radio or for publication in a newspaper or general interest or specialist magazine with the only requirement, in each case, that the information be adapted to the media in question with the appropriate professionalism.

But the positive aspect of the question of concentration of the media is completely outweighed by the professional's loss of freedom of control over the content to the dictates of the company. It is only possible to maintain these new structures if we allow the professional total and absolute responsibility for deciding content. Liberty and responsibility, actions which only correspond to man and not to the media or companies who do not have attributes that do not correspond to them. Consequently, the responsibility of the media is now motivated by economic considerations and that is the reason why the inexorable tendency towards media concentration is so worrying because we have not yet learned to identify the function of the information professionals.

If we do not completely professionalize the world of information, the process of internationalization and concentration will become an even greater worry. A recent study by top experts in European communications confirmed that the situation "is becoming frequently too much for the capacity of the national administrations to regulate and the concentration of the media could permit a privileged group of efficient lobbyists and political actors to channel the massive media." As if that weren't already happening with total impunity!

The Only Recourse

The only solution, the only recourse left to society, is to trust in their professionals as free, independent, responsible, professionally-associated members, subjected to strict self control. Furthermore, since the process of concentration and internationalization is taking place at a devilish rate the need is even more urgent. In 1995 the USA gave a startling warning by announcing the fusion of Turner with Time Warner, ABC with Disney and NEC with General Electric. 1996 and 1997 have continued with fearful alliances between companies involved in information, leisure, distribution or capillary treatments and clients such as electricity and water companies... Digitalization and high definition are joining forces and threatening to swamp us. Views are becoming polarized, arms are being prepared, the situation is dramatized to the maximum and in Spain we are assisting incredulously to the most cruel, useless, out of proportion and artificial discussion between one business consortium and another. And what of the professional? What if we were to let him do as he see fit? AH a citizen of a democratic society, I personally would be grateful.