RTÜK President Şahin: ‘Anti-Islamic minds have turned digital media into a kind of weapon’
Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) President Ebubekir Şahin said, “Anti-Islamic minds have turned digital media alongside traditional mass media such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television into a kind of weapon.”
The 2nd International Media and Islamophobia Forum, the Executive Board Presidency of which assumed by the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK), organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs, Erciyes University and Ankara Science University, and supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Directorate of Communications, started at the ATO Congresium. The opening speech of the program was made by the Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun, President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş and RTÜK President Ebubekir Şahin. Şahin, in his speech, defined Islamophobia as ‘hostility towards Islam’.
“Islamophobia, in its shortest definition, is hostility towards Islam”
Mentioning that the fight against Islamophobia is inevitable, Şahin pointed out that anti-Islamism reached a higher point especially after the September 11 attacks, and said, “As you know, Islamophobia is spreading like cancer cells in the world, especially in the West, and therefore the fight against Islamophobia has become inevitable. The fight against Islamophobia is not only a matter of Türkiye. Our country proudly leads the way in the fight against Islamophobia under the leadership of our President. Islamophobia, in its shortest definition, is hostility towards Islam. Islamophobia, which can be defined as meaningless prejudice and irrational hatred against Islam, can be called as a “disease” in the world. Islamophobia reached its peak especially after the September 11 attacks. The strategy of ‘othering Muslims’ initiated by the US after the attacks on the twin towers triggered the virus of Islamophobia that had already present in the cultural structure of many societies. Even though racism against Muslims is tried to be softened with the definition of ‘Islamophobia’, what is actually done is hostility towards Islam”.
“It is essential to establish a media order that can prevent misperceptions about Islam”
Stating that he clearly sees the Islamic values in the world under threat, RTÜK President Şahin emphasized that Islamophobia is spreading rapidly and said, “Today, we clearly see that Islamic values are under threat in the world. Racism and Islamophobia are spreading rapidly in countries considered as the cradle of democracy. An insidious plan against Islam has been regularly implemented. As you know, the evolving media has increased its power of changing people's behaviours by influencing their perceptions and thoughts. In the Western world and especially in Europe, the media plays the biggest role in creating and spreading negative perceptions and behaviours towards Islam and Muslims. Today's Islamophobic circles are actively using the digital space, and we see that new ways to keep hatred, racism and Islamophobia on the agenda have been found. Anti-Islamic minds have turned digital media alongside traditional mass media such as newspapers, magazines, radio and television into a weapon. At this point, we, as the media of the Islamic geography, have vital duties against the western media. It is essential to establish a media order that can prevent misperceptions about Islam.”