[Reader-list] Insights into Madrasa Media

[arshad amanullah]

Maulana Khushtar Noorani Aligh is the editor-in-chief of the
Jaam-e-Noor, a monthly madrasa magazine from Delhi. He, in this
interview with Arshad Amanullah, provides insights into the domain of
the madrasa media and while critiquing it, he speaks of his vision for
introducing professional ethos in this sector. The discussion situated
within the post September 11 context, lays bare how the mainstream
media is perceived in the space of this lesser known media.


Q: When you started Jaam-e-Noor?

A: It is not me who started Jaam-e-Noor. My grandfather Allama
Arshadul Qadari (d: 2002) founded a magazine with the same name in
Kolkata in 1963. It had to shut down in 1964 due to his increasing
preoccupations with other projects. Thus, Jaam-e-Noor is not a new
magazine in the circle of madrasa journalism, though it is new in its
present avatar.


Q: How did you get the idea to revive it?

A: During my academic soujorn (1996-1998) to Libya, I've closely
observed how the journalism is practiced in the Arab world. My Diploma
in Print Journalism (2001) from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi
helped me in developing my own vision of quality journalism. My
sensibility got bruised when I used to see the way the madrasa
journals were brought out. That is why I was very eagerly looking for
an opportunity to translate my vision into reality.  On the occasion
of chahlum (a ceremony held on the 40th day from the date of a
person's demise) of my grandfather in 2002, I announced that I would
revive Jaam-e-Noor as a monthly magazine in his memoriam.


Q: Would you like to elaborate your views on the way journalism is
practiced in the madrasa journals?

A: In madrasas, journalism per se has never been taken seriously. The
motive behind these journals has either been to raise funds or to keep
the community informed of the activities of the institution. The
editors send to the press whatever articles they get without going
through them. Lessons from the Qur'an, Lessons from the Hadees, the
Chapter of Fatwas, etc are 4-5 archaic columns which you find almost
every madrasa magazine. Their editors simply do not think on issues,
like what are the present socio-economic realities of the Indian
Muslims, what they need, what ails them and what they can offer to the
community through these magazines. The reason is that they are not the
professional ones. Whoever has a certain amount of mastery on the
language of Urdu, is considered to be eligible for the post of editor.
Thus, every editor of a madrasa journal simultaneously happens to be
either a teacher, or an imam, or a principal, etc. So it is not
difficult to imagine the standard of the journalism they practice.
They just keep on reproducing stuffs relating to namaz, fasting,
miracles and prophecies. One can find them in the religious books
available in the market. What new things you are offering through your
journal to the readers? Besides all these, the editors lament of their
low circulation. Obviously, if you are not a professional editor, the
reading material you are providing are not upto the expectations of
the readers, why should they buy your magazine?


Q: What are you aiming at through the publication of this magazine?

A: With the help of this magazine, first, I wanted to show how
journalism is practiced and why it should be attuned to the
contemporary time. Second, the ulama have been exercising a sort of
control on the society. There is an unstated rule that none could
utter or write a single word against the mistakes they make. They use
these magazines as a tool to perpetuate their sway over the masses. I
want to break this hegemony of the ulama. In editorials, I write
against them without paying any heed to their status or age. Many
people said, "It was very courageous on your part that you have
written publicly on the issues people were afraid of mentioning them
in their private chambers. We wonder how they have spared you from the
fatwa yet". As a number of people have now started writing on these,
once considered to be untouchable, issues, I've, I think, achieved my
goal.

Q: How people reacted to it?

A: A lot of debate and hullabaloo followed it. But as I never wrote
against a particular individual, I remained untargeted. None can
target you or reply back to you if you write on issues.

Q: Apart from this, how your magazine is different from the rest of the pack?

A: I have introduced a number of innovations in it: selected headlines
on the cover-page, suggesting what the magazine has to offer, visual
representation of the themes of the articles in the cover-design, and
to get it laminated. All these are brand new in the circle of madarasa
journalism of Ahl-e-Sunnat sect. For example, the cover page of the
special issue on Jihad carries the image of globe wrapped in the
national flag of the USA and a hand which has a sleeve made of the
flag of Israel. All these symbols have been put in a manner which
suggests that Israel, with the help of the USA, is trying to capture
the entire world.


Q: How do you plan the content of your magazine?

A: The magazine which contains 64 pages, is divided into regular
columns and it strictly adheres to this column design. Its editorial,
being a full-fledged article on an important current issue, runs into
6-8 pages. For Tahriri Mobahasa (debate), a regular column, I select a
theme and invite experts to express their opinions on the same in 2-3
pages. This concept I have actually borrowed from the Sunday edition
of The Times of India which provides diverse views by experts on a
chosen theme. The next column is Fikr-o-Nazar (Views).This column is
devoted to the views of those readers who are not columnists or
scribes but they have some important issue to share with others,
though in brief, say only in 10 lines. You can sense a sort of
democracy in this column. The magazine has a regular column of the
interviews which is very popular among the readers. As it is a
religious magazine, interviews of only eminent Muslim personalities or
of renowned literary persons get published in it. Khama Talashi
(academic interrogation) is another interesting column. A columnist,
under the pen name of Abul Faiz Moinee, critically analyses every
issue of Jaam-e-Noor. He even does not spare me and I publish his
scathing remarks because I want to spread the message that democracy
and the freedom of expression are two key components of journalism.


Q: Does your magazine have a special column for fatwas?

A: Yes, the magazine has a regular column called "Shar'I Adalat" (In
the Court of Sharia) devoted to the publication of fatwas. Readers
send their queries by postal service, telephony or email whatever
means they are comfortable with, to the Mufti of Jaam-e-Noor who is
based in the qasba of Ghosi, Mau. The column publishes the question,
full address and the full text of the fatwa every month. Normally,
only 2-3 fatwas get printed in the column.Most of the fatwas are about
the moa'mlat (practical issues), rather than, idabaat (prayers). This
is in complete contrast to the norm within the madrasa journalism
circle regarding the fatwa column, i.e., reproduction of fatwas in the
magazine from the register of Darul Ifta of a madrasa without
considering how old they are.

Q: Do papers based on empirical studies appear in your journal?

A: If someone sends such a piece, I welcome it. But the magazine, on
its own, does not have the resources to conduct survey and fieldwork,
inseparable ingredients of the empirical studies.

Q: The madrasa magazines are full of repetitions. Does it, in your
views, put a question mark on the intellectual output and originality
of the ulama?

A: Of course, it does. The reason is that the madrasa people have
confined themselves within the boundary of madrasas. That is why I've,
through this magazine, raised the voice that besides the religious
subjects, secular subjects should also be taught in madrasas.This does
not mean that the madrasa boys should attain mastery over modern
sciences, however the knowledge of their basic concepts is a must.
Madrasa students, after the completion of their religious studies,
should enroll themselves into the government universities and observe
the world. All this will contribute in broadening their intellectual
horizon.


Q: Which kind of scribes contribute in your magazine?

A: Mostly I engage the young generation of the ulama, especially those
who are exposed to the modern education as well. They usually are free
to write whatever they fancy to write about. However, sometimes I
brief them regarding the content and the perspective.


Q: Do the non-ulama also contribute to your magazine?

A: Quite often. They constitute about 50 % of the contributors.


Q: How writings of the ulama are different from those of the non-ulama?

A: Writings of the ulama are marked with artificiality, difficult
words, unwanted phrases and a plenty of synonyms. They lack in
easiness (barjastagi). However, the newcomers assiduously avoid these
shortcomings in their writings.


Q: Do women also contribute to your magazine?

A: In the religious circle, there is almost a dearth of those women
who take to the writing. Earlier there were no madrasas for girls but
now a number of them have come up and began producing alimas and
fazilas (women ulama). Women scribes constitute around 5% of the
contributors. The issue of February, 2006 carries piece of Yasmin
Zaidi who is based in the US. Likewise, the special issue on Jihad
itself opens with an article of Dr.Shagufta Ne'mat who is from the
Aligarh Muslim University. Women contributors generally happen to be
the teacher in a university or a college.


. Q: Do you have any editorial board?

A: No. I only have an assistant who helps me in putting the magazine together.


Q: Do you pay the contributors?

A: No. Their contribution is completely voluntary.


Q: What is the circulation pattern of your magazine?

A: Total circulation of the magazine stands at 8000.This is the only
madrasa journal whose 2000 copies are consumed in Pakistan. A madrasa
magazine usually has its total circulation lower than it. Every copy
of my magazine, according to an estimate, is read by at least four
persons. Thus, my readership is placed at 30000. In India, UP has the
biggest number of subscribers which is 2000. Apart form it, a good
number of copies are sold in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Rajsthan,
Maharashtra, J&K and Gujarat. In the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Uttranchal, Goa, etc subscription is very
low. The madrasa students and the ulama, especially the younger lots
form the 70 % of my readers. University teachers, literary persons and
intellectuals also buy the magazine. Around 50 imams of the mosques
from the UK are among the subscribers of the monthly.


Q: What is the rate of growth in your readership?

A: Though it's difficult to find readers for a quality magazine in
Urdu, Jaam-e-Noor gets around 150-200 new customers every month, out
of them, 90 % are from India.


Q: Do you also get all those government facilities which a mainstream
magazine avails?

A: I've never tried to avail the government facilities. This is a
shortcoming on my part.


Q: What is the monthly printing cost?

A: The printing business cost me something around Rs.30-35000.The
situation is that the magazine is not incurring any loss and we manage
to get a very meager amount as profit.


Q: Do you accept all kinds of ads?

A: I can not accept those ads which are antithesis to the teachings of
Islam. For example, I can not advertise for alcohol. However, I get a
lot of other kind of ads as the magazine is very popular.


Q: What is your marketing strategy?

A: To speak the truth, I am yet to develop any marketing technique. On
the occasion of the urs of A'ala Hazrat Fazile Barailvi which is held
in Bareilly, this year I offered an attractive subscription marketing
scheme for which I had advertised in my magazine only. I made it a
point that though the lucky participants got the subscription for
free, rest of them also benefited from the scheme in a way or another.
Consequently, I ended up making 350 new subscribers to the magazine.


Q: Did you ever try to make your magazine available at the newsstands?

A: As the magazine is religious in nature, I don't think I need to
introduce it at newsstands.


Q: Do you publish human photographs also?

A: No. But I've begun to put blurred human images. It also sparked a
heated discussion in the pages of Jaam-e-Noor. A lot of writings
appeared in favour of my stand. So, I keep on publishing them.



Q: What do you think of the way madrasas are projected in the mainstream media?

A: Mainstream media is not honest in its portrayal of the madrasas.
This can be attributed to mainly two reasons: those who do so, don't
have any knowledge of madrasas.They are fed with staple diet of
rumours regarding madrasas.Drawing on these hearsays, they come up
with superficial analysis of the phenomena, lacking any documentary
evidence to support their own arguments; there are others who
consciously do so.Thus, media is totally against madrasas. It's always
alleged that madrasas are the breeding grounds for terrorism. After
all, I am also from madrasa and there are thousands like me who, in
their own individual capacities, are contributing towards the making
of a developed and prosperous nation.



Q: Is a communication gap between the madrasa community and the media
persons is responsible for this negative portrayal?

A: I don't think so. How can one accept that communication gap is
proving a deterrent for those media persons who managed to discover
the hideouts of Nirbhay Gujjar, Phoolan Devi, Veerappan, etc and to do
interviews with them, while the forces of 2-3 states were biting dust
in search of these dreaded criminals? The main issue is lack of the
will. They simply don't want to do it.


Q: How did you as the editor of a monthly journal reacted to the
anti-madrasa propaganda in the wake of September 11?

A: My reaction to it got many manifestations. I have published several
pieces. Also, I brought out a special issue on Jihad and provided a
range of reading materials on the theme so that misconception
regarding it could be allayed. Through another special publication on
the Cartoon controversy, I have again tried to present all dimensions
of the issue, hoping that it will help in clearing the muddied climate
regarding Islam and Muslims.



Q: Why did you prefer to bring out your magazine in the language of Urdu?

A: As Urdu is the language of the religious circle and my magazine is
also a religious one, it is in Urdu. Though hardly 1% of the circle is
familiar with English, I'm very soon launching an English magazine as
well. It will cater to the policy makers and media persons. General
masses are good for nothing. If I manage to convey the real message of
Islam to these chosen few, the situation can be ameliorated to a
certain extent. It is only the religious elites, I have targeted
through Jaam-e-Noor.

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