Opinion Meeting the BJP

According to the report,Umri told reporters in New Delhi that “we do not have to be concerned at the recent meeting of (the Shia leader) Maulana Kalbe Sadiq with the former RSS chief,K. Sudarshan. Muslims can never accept the RSS and,therefore,Maulana Kalbe Sadiq’s meeting with the RSS chief was based on his personal opinion.”

“Jamaat-e-Islami is not a political organisation,but it does have a political message… The Jamaat has decided to take serious steps regarding Muslims’ issues,including reservations,action on the recommendations of the Ranganath Mishra Commission,and the anti-communal violence bill. We will try to persuade the parties to chart special plans for improvements in the present political,educational and economic conditions of Muslims,among other things,” Umri said,according to the report.

There is no mention in the newspaper report of the Jamaat’s present role in a recently formed political party,which has many luminaries of the Jamaat as its top office-bearers.

On Justice Katju

Justice Katju,of the Press Council,has found many cheerleaders in the Urdu press. The daily Sahafat,published from Mumbai,Delhi,Lucknow and Dehradun,in its November 2 editorial,says that it is almost impossible to differ with him on his statement about the “standards of journalism and journalists (most journalists being not fully oriented to the complexities of literature,economics,political science and philosophy)”. The paper says that those shortcomings are seen not only in English and Hindi and some other languages; “the situation is worse in Urdu journalism.”

Hyderabad’s leading daily,Munsif,in its editorial titled ‘Media’s enmity with Muslims’,writes: “It cannot be denied that Justice Katju has caught the media out (dukhti rag par haath rakha hai). His criticism of the anti-Muslim attitude of the media is right. Most of channels are owned by so-called secular persons/organisations or those associated with communal elements and their allies. In such a situation,how can one expect a non-partisan approach from the media?”

A commentary in Inquilab,on November 6,titled,‘Haan! yeh sahafat naheen hai,Editor sahib!’ (‘Yes,this not journalism,Mr Editor!’),argues: “Today,the pain of every serious and accomplished mediaperson is exactly as Justice Katju has stated. They themselves express anxiety in the same words,at the infiltration of ‘illiterates’ in the media and a flood of elements in the media devoid of journalistic honour (sahafat ki akhlaqiyaat say aari) and the dim future of journalism. We can,at best,tell the Press Council chief not to use the same stick for everyone (ek hi laathi say sab ko naa haankein).”

The Fixers of Cricket

The daily Inquilab,in its November 5 editorial titled ‘Pakistan cricket: Doob marney ka muqaam’ (‘Pakistan cricket: extreme shamelessness’),writes: “We should remember that match-fixing is an old ailment of Pakistani cricket,proved by the fact that four inquiry commissions have been appointed,and have submitted reports for diagnosing and treating it… Experts say that if action had been taken on those recommendations,it would have at least resulted in the creation of a sense of accountability among players.”

On the same day,Rashtriya Sahara,in its editorial titled ‘Gentleman’s game,phir daaghdaar’ (‘Gentleman’s game scarred again’),writes: “It is almost impossible to put an end to the evil of fixing merely by punishing a few cricketers. If viewed closely,cricketers are only a weak link in the chain of fixing. Those really involved operate from behind the curtain,and they compel cricketers from different countries to commit the crime of fixing by luring or threatening cricketers,officials or umpires. These big fish are still out of reach.”

Sahafat,in its November 4 editorial,writes: “In any case,one positive aspect has come out: the Pakistani media and its eminent cricketers have,instead of blaming the court and criticising its jury,undertaken some self-introspection and made efforts towards self-accountability.”