Game has changed

The game has changed. And if it ever was, being right is no longer enough. I refer to the recent protests and their aftermath.

Images of violence, arson, weapons, and vandalism dominated the television coverage of the day. No matter how hoarse the protagonists may cry themselves about the day being peaceful in the rest of the country, the televised images will always speak louder.

The message is simple. In the day and age of technology, Muslims need to raise their game. The advent of satellite communication means the space for public discourse has gone global. What we do in Karachi on a sunny afternoon is being telecast live on the other side of the world. Alien cultures are coming face to face on an unprecedented scale.

While we demand that the rest of the world should make an effort to understand Islam, we need to place a similar demand on ourselves to present a sensible argument for our point of view.

Media loves a spectacle and no matter how many millions turned out in peaceful protest that day, the violent mob got all the attention.

Considering the communal nature of the cause, it was the government’s duty to hire professionals to choreograph the day, to send out the elusive image of a peaceful Islam everyone seems to go blue in the face declaring a love for.

Perhaps a silent demonstration of people holding the holy symbols of all major religions of the world would have demonstrated clearly that Muslims are required by faith to respect all religions. It would have been a far more potent example.

The subsequent efforts by the youngsters to clean up the mess are commendable. However, the battle was lost and it was just that, a cleaning up after. While it works on a different level for our country, it does nothing for the day of shame we brought upon ourselves. It was yet another lost opportunity to present our best image when the world was looking.

Those who feel betrayed by a biased media, need to realize that the turf under their feet has changed colours. The sooner we learn to respond to media attention with grace and ingenuity, the better it will be for our collective peace of mind.