Information is power. It can make or mar. An informer must be informed. He must know what information to disseminate. He must know, not only when and where to disseminate such information but also why and how to do it. These are the qualities that make trained journalists professionals in their calling.
Journalism as a profession is not about news gathering and news reporting alone. It is also about education dissemination as well as entertainment all of which require common sense. That is why a journalist is perceived as a professional who knows or should know something about everything.
To be a thorough professional, a journalist must be familiar with virtually all the temporal and spiritual spheres of life. He cannot report space exploration without some scientific knowledge of astronomy. He cannot report agriculture without some knowledge of soil, plants, rainfall, aquatics and even husbandry. Neither can he report war without some knowledge of weaponry and the geography of the war areas as well as the sociological and political history of the involved warring groups. No journalist of worth can report a religious festival or service without knowing some terms relating to the norms and regulations of the religion in question. That is why media establishments often earmark certain beats for effective coverage.
And, of course, in the process of filing his/her reports, a journalist must be conscious of the technical sequence to be followed. This is generally known in the profession as the ‘five W’s plus H’. The coded cliché here is interpreted as follows: “Who (does) what? Where? When? Why? And How?” Without practical knowledge of that sequence, a journalist cannot be worth his professional status.
From whatever angle journalism is viewed, knowledge remains the main axis around which journalists’ activities rotate. No ignorant person should have any business with that noble profession to which yours sincerely fortunately and proudly belongs.
It is, however, unfortunate, these days, that the conduct of some Nigerian media practitioners constitutes an embarrassing nuisance to the well informed Nigerian public as much as it does to those practitioners themselves. Most Nigerian journalists of the present generation seem to be more preoccupied by pecuniary gain than the value of their profession, an indication that journalism has seriously deteriorated in Nigeria. And this seems to be a justification for the notion of ‘BROWN ENVELOPE’ often attributed to Nigerian journalists by the public. A typical example is last Tuesday’s editorial opinion of a supposed front line newspaper in the Southwest of Nigeria, which expectedly exhibited blatant ignorance about Hijrah calendar even perhaps to the embarrassment of the publishers of that newspaper.
In its rambling official opinion called editorial, the paper threw knowledge and decency to the winds as it shamelessly promoted religious bigotry to the front burner. And in its attempt to vilify the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, for declaring a public holiday for Hijrah in his State, albeit constitutionally, the so-called editorial displayed so much ignorance that it could not even spell the words Hijrah and Muhammad correctly as it kept repeating ‘Hejira’ and ‘Muhammed’ which came to remind us of the anachronistic media style of deliberately denigrating Islam during the colonial era. In the glorious days of journalism in Nigeria, misspelling a person’s name or that of a place in the course of reporting was enough reason to sack a journalist. But this is no longer the case as journalism has virtually become a matter of cash and carry.
While basking in the usual euphoria of ignorance and fanaticism, the paper forgot that the world is now a global village where no charlatan can take the public for a ride any longer by dishing out obsolete garbage in the name of information and expect such garbage to be swallowed hook, line and sinker . The Nigerian reading public has outgrown that stage and has become much more informed about the happenings around the world than any parochial journalist or newspaper would vaingloriously want them to believe. The claim in that grossly uninformed and parochial editorial that countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar and Turkey do not declare public holiday for Hijrah is not only a shameless lie but also a glaring evidence of blatant ignorance on the part of the paper as well as its employed journalists. On the contrary, all of those mentioned countries do not only declare public holiday for Hijrah with reverence as a religious tradition, they also celebrate it with fanfare. This may be verified on the internet or through their embassies in Nigeria.
And even if those countries do not declare any holiday at all for Hijrah celebration is that a logical justification for the fanatical newspaper to write a garbage in the name of editorial as a way of preventing Nigerian Muslims from getting justice which had long been denied to them? Who says the yardstick for practising Islam in Nigeria is domiciled in Saudi Arabia or Turkey?
And in a bid to justify its vilification of Ogbeni Aregbesola, the newspaper rhetorically cited the example of the late Ziaul Haqqi of Pakistan who it accused of turning secular Pakistan into an Islamic State. But rather than going that far to cite an example of a perceived religious lopsidedness, one would have expected an informed newspaper to cite a closer and more relevant Nigerian example of when General Yakubau Gowon (a Christian), as Head of State, unilaterally declared Saturday as national public holiday in 1972 on the demand of a Christian denomination (the Seventh Day Adventists), without any protest from the Muslims. After all, before that time, Nigeria was a six working day country though Saturday was half work day.
For 99 years of the colonial rule (1861 to 1960) Nigerian Muslims, especially those of the south, were never granted any holiday for any festival be it Eidul Fitr or Eidul Adha. It was the late Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa who, after becoming the Prime Minister, declared a national public holiday for both Muslim festivals and gave Nigerian Muslims a sense of justice for the first time. Today, while Nigerian Christians enjoy a minimum of 108 days (Saturdays and Sundays) of public holiday in the 54 weeks of the year, the Muslims enjoy nothing and they are not complaining. Yet, the only time that public holiday is being granted them for Hijrah as a matter of right in a state, a section of Nigerian media is characteristically but fanatically challenging it in a way of adding to religious tension in the land through unnecessary media bullying and intimidation.
One conspicuous fact about religion in Nigeria which Nigerian media have deliberately and consistently refused to acknowledge is that Nigerian Muslims neither make frivolous religious demands nor unnecessarily oppose the demand of their Christian counterparts. If anything is responsible for religious tension in Nigeria it is provocation (as championed by Nigerian media) and not intolerance often hypocritically claimed by the same Nigerian media. This is the time to let it be known that an unjust status quo cannot be maintained indefinitely. That was the spirit behind fighting for Nigerian independence. And that same spirit cannot be killed in other matters of injustice.
In journalism, the general norm is that ‘when you are in doubt (on an issue), leave out’. This is to save the practitioners any embarrassment which public exhibition of ignorance may cause for them. In writing its deceptive editorial, the concerned paper did not consider that ethical norm. The ‘Message’ hereby challenges the newspaper in reference to show evidence of its claim on the cited examples in its misinforming editorial. Yours sincerely studied and lived in the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia just as I traversed the entire Arab countries (23 of them) plus Iran, Pakistan and Turkey in series of journeys until I became familiar with their traditions as well as their systems of governance, especially as I speak Arabic language. And I do not know anyone of those countries that does not celebrate Hijrah year with public holiday. So, where did the paper get its published fabrication?
As far back as over 1,000 years ago, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) had foreseen the likelihood of this kind of misinformation and deliberate falsification of facts which was why he recommended the permanent notion of seeking knowledge to the Muslims by saying: “Seek knowledge even if you will have to travel to China”. At that time, China was known to be the farthest place from Arabia where the Prophet resided. Nothing in the life of man is comparable to knowledge. As a matter of fact, life can only be deemed worthwhile if it is based on knowledge.
Perhaps that was why the message of Islam through the revelation of the Qur’an started on the premise of knowledge. The very first chapter of that Sacred Book commenced thus: “Read in the name of your Lord who created; He created man from clots of congealed blood. Read! Your Lord is the Most Bountiful One, who taught by the pen. He taught man what he (man) did not know…” And, to further emphasise this, the Prophet said that “knowledge is missing, Muslims should search for it and pick it wherever they can find it”. He did not restrict such knowledge to religion neither did he exclude religion in it.
In the same editorial, a pointed question was raised about the person of Aregbesola vis a vis the declared holiday thus: “what is the interest of Aregbesola? The newspaper may wish to know that the same interest which prompted General Yakubu Gowon in 1972, to declare Saturday a national public holiday with fiat in favour of a Christian denomination is that of Aregbesola in 2012. That interest may be justice which has all along been denied to Nigerian Muslims.
For the information of the uniformed writer of that controversial editorial and any other Nigerian journalist, the new Islamic year begins on the first day of the month of Muharram which is the first of the 12 months in the Islamic calendar. The other months are: Safar; Rabi‘ul Awwal; Rabi‘ut-Thani; Jumadal ‘Ula; Jumadat-Thaniyah; Rajab; Sha‘aban; Ramadan; Shawwal; Dhul Qa‘adah; and Dhul Hijjah. Each of these months contains either 30 or 29 days.
The first day of Muharram is celebrated every Hijrah year by all Muslims throughout the world not only as a commemoration of the great success of Islamic religion but also as a token of rejuvenation of faith, peaceful co-existence, love and humility to which all Muslims are expected to sincerely adhere.
It must be recalled that this calendar came into existence in commemoration of the inspired bravery and humility of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) who, under the guidance of Allah, brought a revolution called Islam into the world at a time when the world was adrift almost uncontrollably with ungodly human activities. The Prophet’s emigration from the evil machinations of Makkah to the spiritual serenity of Madinah in 622 C. E was the catalyst for the success of Islam as a revolution. That historic adventure thus marked the beginning of Islamic calendar which now serves as a good reminder of what the religion of Islam demands from an average Muslim.
Basically Hijrah institutionalised three important aspects of Muslim life: social, economic and political in addition to spirituality. In the social sphere, when the first revelation came to the Prophet (SAW) a period of twelve (12) years was devoted by him to inculcating religion in the minds of individuals while no pattern of a collective life based on true religious concepts could yet be presented to the world. The status of the Muslim individuals in Makkah thus gave rise to the general misconception that Islam was only a personal affair which pertained to the hereafter and had nothing to do with any collective life here on earth.
It was only after Hijrah that people began to see clearly that Islam was a total way of life which pays attention to and reforms every facet of human existence as it began to give directions regarding virtually every moment of one’s conscious time. Hijrah also enabled the Arabs in particular, to see what a Muslim house-hold should be in a Muslim society. Hence, it was only after this great event that the world could see the aspect of social decency and decorum encapsulated in Islam.
The second reason for the importance of Hijrah is its economic aspect. The economic effects were due to the permanent emigration to Madinah by the earliest Muslims. The matchless hospitality of the people of Madinah towards the Muslims immigrants did not only provide a new peaceful home for the newcomers, but also showed the hosts’ passionate self-sacrifice. And with Hijrah, the immigrants vividly came in contact with agriculture and artisan-ship resulting in an economic revolution for the place. Thus, it was only after Hijrah that agriculture, industry and trade freely helped the Muslims to bring about an integrated, balanced and unfettered economy for the Ummah. And, as a result, every one of them adopted legitimate means of righteous earning without having to depend on anybody again.
The third reason which made Hijrah a very important event is the political freedom for the Muslims. Before Hijrah the Muslims had no say in any matter, internal or external. They were considered a minority against whom the hearts of the majority were full of enmity as they (the Muslims) were an insignificant part of a set of dominating unbelievers in Makkah. It was Hijrah that made the Muslims Masters of their internal affairs, external relations and matters relating to war and peace. There was great understanding among the Muslims. For instance, in the case of any difference that might occur between them and non-Muslims the final decision was to be made by the Prophet. This showed an autonomous set up of a Muslim Ummah just emerging. And this was the beginning of a city-state which, within ten years during the life time of Prophet Muhammad expanded to the entire Arabian Peninsula and from there to the rest of the world. Today, with a population of about 1.7 billion Muslims in the world, Islam has come to stay despite the wreath of thorns being frequently put on its way.
