Subject: 4th Posting:NEW TRENDS IN MADRASA JOURNALISM - msg#00117

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NEW TRENDS IN MADRASA JOURNALISM

Though the term madrasa stands for old, oriental and obscurant, new
writings on the same

have proved that the real situation inside these reminiscents of the
old education system

is diverse enough to break the stereotype. So is the case with the
journalism practiced

there. It took me around four months to discover that new things are
taking place in the

domain of the madrasa journalism, though slowly.

It started in January of the year when Maulana Mohd Sajjad Rizvi, one
of my friends,

informed me about a magazine called "Jaam-e-Noor", Delhi and suggested
me to include it in

my study. But as the magazine has seen only three springs of its life
and I have been

looking at the five years of the magazines, I did not take the advice
seriously. Though a

couple of things about it remained fresh in my memory, I could not
decide what to do with

it which was hinting the advent of a new brand of journalism in the
sphere of madrasas.

During the course of my fieldwork, I discovered two more magazines,
Maah-e-Noor and Tooba,

both from Delhi .Now, I was convinced that a wave of new trends was
very soon going to

sweep the field and the process had already been unleashed.
THE JAAM-E-NOOR STORY

What I found interesting about Jaam-e-Noor, the first magazine of this
sort I came across,

was the screaming headline on its laminated title page: "Sania Mirza
ka Libas Koi Masla

Nahi Hai." (What Sania Mirza wears is a non-issue.) .This headline
suggests that the

magazine, in its content and approach, is sailing against the
direction wind blows in

madrasa journalism. The driving force behind bringing out this
magazine is Maulana Khushtar

Noorani, a graduate from the Islamic Call College, Tripoli, Libya in
1998. A chubby and

bearded young man in his late 20s was posing for being photographed by
another bearded but

slim man when I entered 422, Matia Mahal, Jama Masjid, the office of
Jaam-e-Noor to

interview its editor. The person with camera turned out to be a fan of
the magazine and was

trying to capture a moment of his meeting with the editor, Khushtar
Noorani. This visitor

from Lahore was the evidence of name and fame he was enjoying in
Pakistan where 2000 copies

of his magazines are consumed, a record by any standard of the
religious journalism, as the

total circulation of the most of the madrasa journals does not exceed
2000 copies. However,

there are other contributory factors too which set ground for the
heights of popularity

Jaam-e-Noor and his editor is scaling nowadays.

Religious education runs into the family of Khushtar Noorani. Allama
Arshadul Qadri, his

paternal grandfather, is an ideologue and the best-seller pen
of international
fame within the circle of the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect. Though his body
of work is comprised

of more than a dozen books, Zer-o-Zabar, Zalzala and Lalazaar are
supposed to be his magnum

opus in which he engages in the polemics with the Deobandi ulama at an
unprecedented plane.

According to Mohd Arif Barakati, a student of Al Jamiatul Ashrafia,
Mobarakpur, Azamgarh,

Jaam-e-Noor was a familiar name within the circle of Ahl-e-Sunnat as
the personality of

Allama Arshadul Qadri had been associated with it. In 1963, he
started a magazine called

Jaam-e-Noor from Kolkata. But it had to shut down in 1964 because his
involvement in an

increasing number of projects left him with almost no time for the
magazine. When Maulana

Khushtar announced in 2002 on the occasion of the Chehlum ceremony of
Allama Qadri, to

bring out the deceased magazine in a new avatar, every body hailed the
decision. The

magazine is so popular among the students of Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, the
Oxford of the

Ahl-e-Sunnat sect that Paigham-e-Islam, one of the student
associations in the institution

orders for 200 copies of Jaam-e-Noor every month. Imtiaz Ahmed,
President of the

association and also a student at the Ashrafia madrasa, is of the
opinion that "apart from

the subscribers, at least 5-7 talibilms read a copy of the magazine".

Not counting its historical importance, Jaam-e-Noor owes its
unprecedented popularity to

novelty of the approach it adopts towards the content and its
presentation technique as

well. This glaring difference between it and other madrasa journals is
a conscious effort

on the part of the editor Khushtar. During his academic sojourn
(1996-1998) to Libya, he

had closely observed how the journalism is practiced in the Arab
world. Returning to India,

he took a diploma in Print Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New
Delhi in 2001. All

this helped him in evolving his own vision of quality journalism. He
has been a bitter

critic of the madrasa journalism. Articulating his views on the theme,
he says that

"journalism per se has never been taken seriously in madrasas. The
motive behind bringing

out these journals has either been to manage funds or to keep the
community informed of the

daily routine of the pir of the shrine. These magazines have been
reduced to the status of

the mere mouthpiece of the institution". Those who are at the helm of
affairs, Khushtar

continues, "are simply not concerned with what are the current ground
realities of the

Indian Muslims, what they need, what ails them and what the earlier
can offer to the

community through their magazines. One of the reasons responsible for
this phenomenon is

that the editors of madrasa journals are not the professional and
trained ones. Without

having any idea how to plan the content of the magazine and how to
introduce diversity in

it ,they just keep on reproducing stuff relating to namaz , fasting,
miracles and

prophecies. One can find them in the religious books, easily 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 offering are not upto the expectations of
the readers, why

should they buy your magazine? That's why these magazines soon cease
publication".

Jaam-e-Noor is the incarnation of the vision Khushtar has regarding
journalism and bringing

out a magazine. In fact the magazine has introduced, Khushtar claims,
a number of

innovations in the field of madrasa journalism. The magazine contains
64 pages which are

divided into regular columns and it strictly sticks to this column
design. Its editorial

runs into 6-8 pages and is per se a full-fledged article dealing with
an important current

issue. There is a column of Tahriri Mobahasa (debate in writing). He
relates passionately

how the idea of this column originated: "This concept I've borrowed
from The Times of India

which in its Sunday edition provides diverse views of experts on a
chosen theme. I also

select a theme and request experts to express their opinions in 2-3
pages." In one of his

columns entitled Fikr-o-Nazar, he publishes 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"
informs Khushtar

happily. He has a regular column devoted to interviews, which carries
every month an

interview of one of eminent Muslim personalities or of renowned
literary persons. Letters

of the readers suggest that this column is amazingly popular among
them. Khama Talashi is

another interesting column. In fact; the phrase khama talashi itself
is new to the

dictionary of Urdu. Khama stands for pen and talashi for
interrogation. Thus, khama talashi

means academic interrogation. "I've commissioned one of my most
talented friends for this

column. He writes under the pen name of Abul Faiz Moinee. In his three
paged column, he

critically analyses all what gets published in 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", exclaims

Khushtar proudly.

What really worked miracles for Jaam-e-Noor is the tone and tenor of
its editorials.

Khushtar, in his long and uncompromising editorials, blasted madrasa
system and attacked

the ulama community vociferously. This created a lot of controversy
among the religious

sphere of the sub-continent, resulting in carving out a niche for the
magazine among both

the critics and the criticized. In his own words, "the ulama were
exercising a sort of

control on the society. There was unstated rules that none could utter
or write a single

word against the mistakes they makeâ.. I wanted to break this hegemony
on the part of the

ulema. In my editorials, I started writing against them and without
paying any heed to

their status or age." Here it will not be out of place to have a look
at some of the issues

discussed in his editorials.

The Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema have a history of polemecising against each
other on a certain

theological issue in the pages of Dabdaba-e-Sikandari, a weekly
newspaper from Rampur which

began its publication around 1864, as Usha Sanyal has mentioned in her
seminal work

Devotional Islam and Politics in British India. (P.188-98.OUP, 1996).
Contrary to this, no

magazine has ever criticized the way they engage the laymen of the
sect or questioned the

efficacy of methods they are employing to counter the arguments of the
'others'. Khushtar

Noorani in his editorial entitled "An overview of the conventional and
path-breaking

activities of the Ahl-e-Sunnat" (April 2005) discusses the following
evils prevalent in his

sect:

1. Craze for the admission in madrasas
2. Obsession with the rebuttal of the Wahabis
3. Eloquence of Oratory
4. Establishment of the Jurisprudential Board
5. Flood of journals

There used to be a time when there was a craze among Muslims to send
their children into

madrasas while the current trend is that only poor students study
there or those children

are spared for madrasas who do not show any penchant for studies. This
attitude of the

Muslims is responsible, according to Khushtar, for the constant
degradation in the standard

of madrasa education and, also, provided 'others' (defined in terms of
Islamists and

secular modernists) with the opportunity to question their relevance.
Lambasting on the

obsession of the ulema of the Ahl-e-Sunnat with rebuttal of the
Wahabism, he says, we have

a tradition of countering the Wahabis with both pen and speech since
the inception of this

stray sect. Though a number of very important areas merit the urgent
attention of the

ulema, the problem is that nobody has time to give them a thought
because of their

obsession with this anti-Wahabi spree. Worse, they are not ready to
mellow down their tone

in rebuttal of the Wahabis. Moving to the next point of the editorial,
Khushtar writes that

there is no denial of the fact that oratory, like writing, is a tested
device of

propagation. So, some of the Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema also started using
oratory to enhance the

mass appeal of the sect. Later on, a number of ulema introduced new
elements in their

oratory to multiply their impact on the masses. As the popularity of
the orator is directly

linked to his monetary income, madrasa students went mad in seeking
excellence in the field

and the whole night oratory session became recurrent phenomena within
the religious circle,

forcing the neighborhood to spend a sleepless night.

In 1992, under the auspices of Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Mobarakpur, the
Jurisprudential Board

was set up as a splendid body of Muftis, envisioning it as a platform
where important

decisions relating to Sharia, will be finalized with consensus. The
event sent waves of

happiness across the Ahl-e-Sunnat. Though the body made it a point to
incorporate all the

renowned muftis of the sect, it was not long before a number of such
bodies started

mushrooming in the length and breadth of Jahan-e-Riza (the world of
the followers of Imam

Ahmed Riza Khan).Khushtar writes with astonishment: "I am at loss to
understand the use of

establishing all these small and big Jurisprudential Boards if their
decisions are not

followed by others". He, taking a dig on theses muftis or the towering
ulema, bitterly

notes that though they think these enterprises as noble deeds, to me,
the latter are not

more than "just a waste of time and money". The only way to transform
them into a fruitful

exercise, he suggests, is to constitute a co-ordination committee of
these Jurisprudential

Boards which can strive for making decisions of one of them acceptable
to the most of the

rest.

Khushtar has devoted the concluding paragraphs to the religious
journalism practiced within

the circle of the Ahl-e-Sunnat. He, in his own singular style, very
succinctly bares the

fact about it. He says that till date I am at loss to get appropriate
words to describe

these magazines: whether they are "anthology of essays taken from
religious books", "bundle

of personal advertisements", or "dazzling blood-drops of journalism on
white papers".(p.5).

However, there are instances from the history that some magazines
really did well and are

still remembered. .Khushtar is of the opinion that their success can
not be termed as the

success of the magazine per se as they were not different from others
from the pack. It was

the personal writings of their editors the popularity of the magazines
springs from. What

baffles him is the herd mentality prevalent in the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect.
None is ready to do

any sort of experiment. Every body wants to trade on the trodden path,
resulting in

unnecessary crowd in some fields while in want of appropriate man
power in others which are

by no standards less important.

Jaam-e-Noor came as a fresh gust of air to the readers of the madrasa
journals. Khushtar's

editorials provided them with a new vision of journalism. In past, no
body mustered the

courage to express such daring views regarding the shortcomings of the
Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema.

Started in 2002, his magazine is about to successfully complete its
four years in a couple

of months. He says that many persons wonder: "It was very courageous
on your part that you

have written publicly on the issues people were afraid of mentioning
in their private

chambers. We wonder how they have spared you from the fatwa yet".
Maulana Qamar Ahmed

Ashrafi Misbahi, a graduate from Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Mobarakpur, is
the advisor-in-chief

of Jaam-e-Noor. Trying to analyze the factors behind the success of
the magazine, Qamar

says: "There was a discomfort among the new generation of the
Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema regarding

the scheme of things in the sect. But they were afraid of being
ostracized or the backlash

from the elder ones .So, they were looking for someone who is immune
to this sort of

reaction. Khushtar was a perfect case as he was the grandson of Allama
Arshadul Qadri whose

towering stature and contribution to the Ahl-e-Sunnat was
undisputable. Surrounded by this

hallow of familial linkage to Allama, he was shielded from any direct
reaction on the part

of the elder ulema. Moreover, a number of leading ulema demised during
this decade, leaving

an intellectual and authoritarian vacuum behind them. In addition to
this, he had advantage

of being educated in Libya and was one of those few who had a degree
in journalism from a

recognized government institution. He had a great passion for
journalism and was

impatiently looking for the opportunity to tap his potentials.
Besides, he did not owe

allegiance towards any khanqah, excluding any chance of being
pressurized by his pir. Last

but not the least; Jaam-e-Noor is published by Maktaba Jaam-e-Noor
publishing house, owned

by Ghulam Rabbani, Khushtar's father. In other words, Khushtar is not
a servent-editor but

is the editor cum proprietor. So, he needed not to be afraid of being
thrown out of his

job. Thus, all these factors worked in his favor and he became the
vehicle for the

dissemination of the thoughts of the agitated young ulema who extended
to him tremendous

support: intellectual, moral and in form of articles". Had there been
someone else in his

place, he would have been either silenced or a fatwa would have been
issued against him.

Self-criticism is intrinsic to the vision of Jaam-e-Noor. It is this
call of introspection

which it gives time and again to the laymen and ulema of the
Ahl-e-Sunnat, keeps its

readership graph up. In February 2005, Khushtar as the editor of the
magazine went on a

tour to Pakistan and interacted there with a range of ulema of his
sect. His editorial of

the month of May, 2005 is a sort of travelogue of this trip.
Interestingly, he has

mentioned a couple of differences, which he observed, between the
ulema of India and

Pakistan. "It should be acknowledged that in the period of last 2-3
decades, the

contribution of the Pakistani ulema has outnumbered that of their
Indian counterparts. The

propagation of the thoughts of Imam Ahmad Riza has been carried out on
a scale which is

unparallel in the world."(p5).Consequently, he continues, "Pakistani
literature constitutes

today 70% of what the Indian publishing houses are churning out". It
suggests, on the one

hand, the paucity in the intellectual production of the Ahl-e-Sunnat
ulema of India, and it

speaks volumes about the state of original contribution and
publication in the language of

Urdu on the other hand. He, in the later part of the editorial,
emphasizes that contrary to

the Indian ulema, their Pakistani counterparts are more open to find
out people-friendly

legal solutions of the problems posed by the innovations in the field
of science and

technology. He is amazed at the glaring difference between the ulema
of both countries in

their approach to the day-to-day issues, despite the fact that all of
them adhere to the

same sect. Then he goes on to elaborate it with the help of an
example. On the question of

the legitimacy of Videography and photography, the Ahl-e-Sunnat of
India is divided into

two camps, triggering a series of writings and counter-writings on the issue.

Interestingly, on the other side of the border, it is simply a
non-issue. The Pakistani

ulema find videography and photography useful in spreading the views
of their sect.

Critiquing those who consider the use of videography illegal, Khushtar
argues, what they

mean by "majority" (Jamhoor) when they refer to their stand as
representing that of jamhoor

while the reality is that it is legal in all parts of the Muslim
world, including Pakistan.

So, in majority are those who see its use lawful, contrary to the
arguments of those who

are against it. (p6). It is this position of the editor which makes
Jaam-e-Noor perhaps the

only Ahl-e-Sunnat magazine which publishes blurred photographs of
human beings on its title

page.

Hamrey Masail (Our Problems) is a weekly program telecast by ETV Urdu.
Devoted to the

discussion on one of the current issues relating to Muslims, Obaid
Siddiqui anchors the

programme amidst the invited experts and a number of participant
audiences. In one of its

episodes, Khushtar was invited as the representative of the
Ahl-e-Sunnat sect to express

his view regarding the Division in the All India Muslim Personal Law
Board. His reaction to

the arguments of Shaista Amber, President of Women Personal Law Board
makes an interesting

reading as it provides a glimpse of his thoughts regarding the secular
reformist Muslim

women. He writes in his editorial that the session started with the
question: why Shias,

Barelwis and women, breaking away from the All India Muslim Personal
Law Board, have formed

their own boards? It was Shaista Amber who spoke first. Listening to
her words, I felt

that "she is suffering from the labor pain (emphasis mine) caused by
the birth of

rebellious mentality in the women against men and specially against
ulema, springing from

western thoughts, superficial study of Islam, limited knowledge,
borrowed insights and

ordinary power of perception.".(Jaam-e-Noor, June 2005, pp 3-4). In
the concluding

paragraph of the editorial, he summarizes what he spoke in the
program. In his words: "If

the representatives of the AIMPLB believe that drafting a model
Nikahnama, they can solve

the familial disputes and social tension, and if women, forming their
own personal law

boards, think that this will add to their prestige in the society, and
they will not be

meted with any injustice and atrocities in their homes as well as the
incidents of talaq

will stop, I think, they are chasing the mirage and nothing more". The
tranquility and

peace can not prevail in the society unless initiatives to implement
Islamic injunctions in

the society are taken. (Ibid, p5).

In an editorial on the electoral politics in Bihar, Khushtar has
presented a detailed

analysis of the dynamics of the Laloo Prasad vs. Ram Vilas Paswan
scenario. Subheadings

like the Muslim situation in the post 1990 Bihar, role of media in the
politics of Bihar,

an overview of the Paswan's love for democracy, the reality of the
slogan of Muslim chief

minister, use of puppet ulema by Paswan in the election campaign are
enough to suggest that

the editorial has a pro-Laloo and anti-Paswan tilt. It highlights how
Laloo has made riots

an alien phenomenon in Bihar which had been the worst-hit state by the
recurrent communal

violence under the Congress regime. After the demolition, Muslims got
disenchanted with it

and started voting different secular parties in the different parts of
the country. This

strategy on the part of Muslims divided their votes, culminating in
the emergence of the

BJP as the single largest political party in the 14th Loksabha
election. He has shown how

Paswan's secular credentials kept oscillating from Laloo to NDA to
Congress. That's why he

should not be given a chance any more. Then, Khushtar argues how the
consolidated Muslim

votes to Congress in the general election of 2004 has breathed a new
life into it, reduced

to almost a dead party then. "The need of the hour is that Muslims of
every state, using

their foresight, should vote for only that party which is capable of
stopping the rising

tides of communalism and which guarantees for their development in
different walks of life

", concludes Khushtar.(Jaam-e-Noor, December 2005.p9).

When it comes to the international affairs, Jaam-e-Noor is no
different from other

traditional madrasa magazines. Muslim world and how the US engages it,
is what dominates

most of the writings on international politics in the magazine. Also,
they have great

appetite for the hear-say about the Zionist lobby. Like any other
traditional alim,

Khushtar Noorani too has his own understanding of what takes place in
the arena of

international relations. It will not be out of context to reproduce
here a couple of

paragraphs from one of his editorials entitled: "Well-Planned Designs
of the US against the

Muslim World and the Reality of our Silent Protests":

1. "After the 2nd World War the US and Soviet Russia emerged as two
superpowers on the

world map. But
after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 9th decade of the
20th century, the

United States became the sole super power .Now it got involved in its
retaliatory actions

against the Muslim world, for which the whole western Christianity and
Zionism have been

preparing since 15th century after their defeat in the
Crusades".(Jaam-e-Noor,July

2005,p3).

2. "If we chronologically analyze the meticulous planning behind these
regular attacks on

the Muslim world then we come to know that when Muslim world was
celebrating its victory on

the West in the Crusades, vows were being solemnized in the churches
of the West to erase

the contours of the Muslim world from the world map. According to this
plan when Europe was

struggling hard to wake up afresh, mustering its courage, Muslim
rulers and nobility were

leading lavish life in their palaces and were busy in wine sessions.
In the 16th century,

two movements swept Europe: Renaissance and Reformation. The earlier
made Europe shine with

the light of knowledge and paved the way for establishing of
universities of Oxford and

Cambridge, institutions of international repute, while the latter led
to the emergence of

the Protestants as a sect. At that time the Muslim rulers were busy in
composing verses in

praise of their beloved and were putting all the might of their
kingdom at disposal to

erect wonderful monuments like Taj Mahal to please the souls of their
dead soulmates. In

the 17th century there started an age of scientific and material
development in Europe and

till the 18th century they, to subjugate the world and especially the
Muslim world, were

successful in inventing arms and ammunitions which were earlier beyond
imaginationâ ".

(Jaam-e-Noor, July 2005, pp3-4).

Among other eye-catching columns of Jaam-e-Noor, those of interview,
tahriri mobahsa and

Khama Talashi worth mentioning here. As far as the interview column is
concerned, it's

really an innovation in the field of madrasa journalism. That the
magazine unfailingly

publishes a fresh interview every month exudes how serious the editor
is about the quality

he promises to his readers. Some of personalities whose interviews
have already been

published in it is : Maulana Mansha Tabish Qasuri ,Lahore; Dr.Syed
Aleem Ashraf Jayesi,UP;

Mohd.Arif Iqbal, editor, the monthly Urdu Book Review; Mosharraf Alam
Zauqi, the novelist;

Maulana Kaukab Noorani,Karachi; Dr.Monazir Aashiq Harganwi,Bhagalpur
University,etc.

Tahriri Mobahsa (discussion) is another interesting column which is
exclusive to

Jaam-e-Noor. It should be borne in the mind that in the Muslim
religious circle, dissenting

voices even in the matters concerning academics are shortly silenced
by one means or

another. This column, through its debate on a range of issues, has
established, on one

hand, how ulema of a particular sect differ from each other in their
opinions on a given

topic while on the other hand; it reiterated the need to tolerate
differences in opinions.

Some of the topics of this column are as follows: How to save the
world from the scourge of

terrorism? , What should be the role of ulema in the general
election?; Should Urdu be

included in the curricula of madrasas?; How useful is the university
education for the

madrasa graduates?.

The last question was thrown for the discussion in the month of April,
2005(pp21-27). Views

of five madrasa graduates on the topic have been published. Here is
what the editor has put

in boxes as the summary of their views:
1. University education widens the mentalscape of the madrasa
graduates, revitalizes

their views and makes their arguments serious and factual. (Tanveer
Arshad, Department of

Arabic, JNU).
2. People should stop bothering about the shortcomings of the modern
educational

institutions because every coin has two sides. (Samrul Hoda Noori, 4th
semester, Faculty of

Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi).
3. In the contemporary time, one can not properly render his services
to Islam on the

global scale unless one is trained in the modern sciences. This
underlines the need for the

modern education. (Shaukat Ali, Department Urdu, Jamia Millia Islamia).
4. Today it's obligatory for every Muslim child to marry religious
education with

modern one so that he, retaining his identity, can lead a dignified
life. (Sadrul Islam

Misbahi.Department of Arabic, University of Delhi).
5. Modern education, through some of the madrasa graduates, will steer
the course of

the history of the Ahl-e-Sunnat towards a new direction. It's started
making its effects

felt since now. (Zishan Ahmed Misbahi, sub-editor, monthly Jaam-e-Noor).

The column of Khama Talashi (Academic Interrogation) adds one more
feather to the cap of

Jaam-e-Noor. This style of self-criticism is not only praiseworthy but
is a contributory

factor towards emergence of a culture of tolerance and internal
dialogue among religious

elites. Abul Faiz Moinee, who writes the column with unmatched
fearlessness and erudition,

is extremely popular among the readers. He starts one of his columns
narrating an incident

of Josh Malihabadi: "Josh Malihabadi sent a copy of his autobiography
entitled 'Yaadon ki

Baarat' to Mahirul Qadri, editor of the monthly 'Faraan' with this
note: Janab Mahir!

Lijiye bakra hazir hai.Shauq se zabah farmaiye. (Mr.Mahir! The lamb is
here before you.

Please butcher it.).Then Mr. Mahir butchers the lamb with his own
style .i.e., wrote a 60

pages treatise as a critique of the book. My friend Maulana Khushtar
Noorani too every

month sends me a copy of Jaam-e-Noor with an identical note on it.
It's a matter of

coincidence that till date it's his own writings which have been
slaughtered at the altar

of criticism".(Jaam-e-Noor, October 2005, p55). In the present column, he first

congratulated the editor on having designed such a wonderful title
page, and that's without

including any dome or minaret. Then he wonders how the editorial has
adopted a soft line

towards the ulema as the editor has a reputation of being extremely
critical of ulema.

Further, he mentions an article which seeks to analyze observations of
some oriental

scholars regarding the Hadis literature. He writes: "Though the piece
is informative and

analytical, there are few places where my eyes stopped" due to
mistakes in the years of

birth and death mentioned. Commenting on the debate on the topic of
"Whether the suicide

bombing may be a form of jihad or is just a waste of human life", he
criticizes a

participant for the mistake he committed in translating an Arabic
sentence while takes a

dig on the other for using jargon-laden language, almost
incomprehensible for the masses.

Assessing the next piece which is a travelogue by Maulana Kaukab
Noorani, Moinee writes in

a lighter vein: "I went through the piece, the first part of a two
part-series and am

eagerly waiting for the next part as the earlier has nothing
substantial in it." (p 55).

Thus, every column of Khama Talashi makes a hilarious reading,
especially when you are

aware of the content of the previous issue of the magazine.

Besides all these, Jaam-e-Noor is an Ahl-e-Sunnat magazine to the core
of its content.

Though I came across a couple of non-Ahl-e-Sunnat fans of Khushtar's
writings, being an

Ahl-e-Sunnat magazine is central to its identity. That's why themes
which distinguish the

sect from 'others' frequently find place in the pages of the magazine.
Even Khushtar, in

some of his editorials, writes on these issues. Apart from the content
of Shari' Adalat,

the fatwa column, which reinforces the Ahl-e-Sunnat identity of the
magazine, other columns

also time and again keep raising these issues. For example, articles
like 'Of course, there

is no sect called Barelwi' (February, 2006), 'Accounts of Oral
Contestations (Monazara)

with Deobandis' (July, 2005), 'Seeking help from the grave of the
deceased Shah Saud'

(November, 2005) suggest that polemics are not completely out. Thus,
university education

and a degree in journalism has engendered in the editor's approach a
tilt towards providing

choices to the readers but while doing so he has to be careful enough
not to cross lakshman

rekha of the sect. On the other hand, the journalism course has
enabled him to package the

commodity called magazine in an eye-catching manner and then to adopt
marketing techniques

to lure the consumers (here readers) and increase its salability. In a
way, with advent of

this professionalism, a shift, though unacknowledged and not much
pronounced, takes place

in the approach of the madrasa journalism: from dawah-oriented to
economy oriented, though

in a limited sense. Thus, these new trends in this genre of journalism
don't signify a

paradigm shift, rather 'shifts within the paradigm'.

OTHER NEW TRENDS

Maah-e-Noor, another praiseworthy adventure of the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect
into the madrasa

journalism, came into the picture in May, 2005. This monthly is
brought out by a publishing

house named Maktaba Maah-e-Noor, located in Matia Mahal, Jama Masjid,
Delhi. Though the

magazine has just celebrated its first birth anniversary, it has seen
more than one

reshuffling in its editorial board. From the 1st of June, 2006, Afzal
Misbahi has joined it

as the editor, a post which was lying vacant for months. A graduate of
Al Jamiatul Ashrafia

in 1997, Afzal has worked for 7 years with the Delhi and Gorakhpur
bureau of Rashtriya

Sahara, the largest Urdu daily of North India. Enrolled in the
University of Delhi as a PhD

candidate on the theme of "Urdu Journalism in India after
Independence", Afzal has

extensively interviewed veteran political leaders for and considerably
contributed to the

daily in his Sahara days.

As a madrasa monthly, Maah-e-Noor is no different from others of the
pack in any

considerable way when it comes to the content. However, what
distinguishes it from others,

including Jaam-e-Noor, is the remuneration it offers to everybody who
contributes to its

content. "This is the first magazine which pays to its contributors",
exclaims Afzal with

pride. According to the system of gradation it observes, it pays
Rs.300, Rs.400 and Rs.500

to respectively amateurs, regular and senior scribes. Though it's a
meager amount compared

to what a mainstream magazine offers, it is a pointer of the change
which is slowly

creeping in the sphere of madrasa journalism. Even the acquiring
services of someone like

Afzal who has experience of working for years in the mainstream media;
itself has no

parallel in the history of religious journals. As he is just one month
old in his new

office, his own vision of journalism is yet to be translated into the
reality. However, in

the very first issue of the journal under his editorship, under the
heading of Special

Articles, he has published on the contemporary reality of Muslims some
pieces by Dr.Mushtaq

Sadaf, Ahmed Javed and Mohd Aurangzeb Khan, all from the mainstream
media. Also, his

editorial on the controversial film The Da Vince Code reflects his
willingness to make his

magazine relevant to the modern time, not divorced from the current
issues. Though the

editorial is rich in its content, ideologically speaking it mirrors
the concerns of the

religious conservatives. Interestingly, Maulana Abul Hasan Ashrafi
Miyan, the editor

âin-chief cum proprietor of the magazine is based in London and makes
frequent visits to

India. Its finances are met with what Ashrafi Miyan manages to garner
from the Ahl-e-Sunnat

diaspora of UK. It also gets funded by Choksi Brothers & Sisters,
Toronto, a private firm

run by the Indian diaspora.

Unlike these two magazines, Tooba, the next one in this league is the
organ of an

Ahl-e-Hadis madrasa Jamia Ibn-e-Taimiya, Chandanwara, East Champaran
of Bihar and its

research wing Allama Abdul Aziz bin Baz Islamic Studies Centre, Darya
Ganj, Delhi. The

monthly is consistently in publication since it started in 2001.
Maulana Zillur Rehman

Taimi, associated with the magazine since its inception, has been
promoted to the post of

the editor in May, 2006. It is he who was instrumental in bringing the
editorial work of

the magazine to India from Riyadh, its former workplace. As he is
enrolled as a research

scholar with the department of Arabic in JNU, Zillur Rehman has a
degree of journalism from

the same university. In this way, he belongs to the new generation of
the madrasa editors

who, having received religious education in a proper madrasa went to
the government

universities for higher education and, also, have a degree in
journalism under their belt

from a reputed institution. Zillur Rehman says stressing on the fact
that it has the policy

of not publishing any thing which may lead to widening the
intra-community divide among

Muslims. This policy, according to him, "distinguishes Tooba from
other madrasa magazines".

Though the Ahl-e-Hadis have earned a reputation of being obsessed with
the rebuttal of

other Muslim sects, the magazine has, amazingly, sticked to the policy
in its five years of

life span. However, the magazine is open to any piece which observes
the academic

parameters to prove its hypotheses, irrespective of its being against
the popular practices

of the Ahl-e-Hadis. In this connection, Zillur Rehman narrates an
incident that once we

received an article in favor of calling two azans for the prayer of
Juma' .In stead of its

being against the common practice of the Ahl-e-Hadis, we published it.

Running into 66 pages, the magazine is strictly divided into more that
15 regular columns.

Unlike Jaam-e-Noor which has no fixed columnists for its regular
columns, Tooba has its

fixed columnists for all its columns. This column design is a
contributory factor to its

popularity as Shahnawaz Alam, a student of Jamia Salafia, Varanasi
puts it: "It gives you

a sort of satisfaction to go through a range of information
encapsulated in a single issue.

To me it's possible only because of the meticulous column planning on
the part of its

editor". Interestingly, most of its columnists are those who teach at
Jamia Ibn-e-Taimiya,

Chandanwara. It's obligatory for them to contribute to the magazine
under their assigned

columns. However, couple of its columnists doesn't belong to the
teaching community of the

madrasa. For example, Yusuf Nazim, a celebrated satirist of Urdu,
regularly writes a column

for the magazine and is paid for the same, although a very meager
amount of money. In this

respect, Tooba has partial resemblance with Maah-e-Noor which pays for
every word published

in it. Zillur Rehman has been conducting interviews of the Muslim
celebrities for Tooba but

unlike Jaam-e-Noor, it is yet to maintain consistency in this regard.
The total circulation

of the Tooba stands at 3000. That its 1400 subscribers are the
students of Jamia

Ibn-e-Taimiya is an interesting feature of the magazine. Every student
has to subscribe it

as its subscription fee is included in the admission fee of the Jamia.
Though the

institution receives generous donations from the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia, this unique

feature of Tooba is a step towards making it economically independent.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

In the light of what have been discussed till now, it would be fair to
conclude that:

1. Those youngsters who are university educated and trained in journalism are
increasingly donning the cap of editors of madrasa journals.
2. They are trying their best to observe the norms of mainstream
journalism in their
respective journals.
3. They are taking measures to make the magazine more participatory
for the readers.
4. They tend to publish the writings of young ulema who are enrolled
in the government
universities.
5 Some magazines have started paying a token amount of money to the scribes.
6. Self-correction is going to be the buzzword in the case of some of
the magazines,
although the bashing of the 'others' has not lost all of its charm.

arshad amanullah
35,masihgarh,
jamia nagar
new delhi-25.
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Fwd: Invitation to the Launch of The Mirpur Connection

Fwd. massage ---------------------- Invitation to the Launch of The Mirpur Connection Recently a five strong delegation from Bradford travelled to Pakistan and to the Mirpur District in particular to endeavour to foster links with educational institutions. The group, a collaboration between the University of Bradford, Education Bradford, Bradford Achievement Forum, Bradford Confederations and a Keighley based Businessman, visited a range of schools, colleges and universities and held a press conference and meetings with colleagues from a variety of institutions, including; Professor Dr Atta-ur-Rahman, Federal Minister and Chairman of the Higher Education Commission, representatives of the Mirpur District Education Department, the Mirpur Degree College, the Kashmir Institute for Special Education, the Vice Chancellors of Mohiuddin University and University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the British Council in Islamabad. As a result of this visit a report has been compiled relating to potential education links between Bradford and the Mirpur region, we would like to invite you to join us for this event, which will be launched by the Vice Chancellor of Azad Jammu Kashmir University, Professor Manzoor Khan, on: Thursday July 13th 2006 Richmond Building C7, University of Bradford 3.45-5.30pm Places are limited, to reserve your seat please reply to Tom Clayton (01274 236068 or t.clayton@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx) by Friday July 7th Further details will be forwarded upon confirmation of your place. Nadira Mirza Deputy Dean School of Lifelong Education and Development University of Bradford __________________________________________________Do You Yahoo!?Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request@xxxxxxxxx with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>

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The Film, Then the Road

June 28 Dear All, Here's my -- I've lost count -- next post on my theme, "Village in the City". I want to express here a note of thanks to Mamta Mantri, fellow fellow, who took me to the film mentioned. Comments welcome. More on the way. cheers, dilip d'souza ------------------ The Film, Then the Road ----------------------- Dilip D'Souza The attraction is two-fold. One, it fits with my recent forays into Bombay neighbourhoods -- its "villages in a city" -- that I do not ordinarily frequent. Two, it takes me to one of this city's older (-est?) cinema theatres. They're a vanishing breed, these single-screen affairs, with a character all their own. So when I get the chance to see a film in the area known as Playhouse, I jump at it. Talk about multiplexes -- true, everyone appreciates the choice of films they give you, all under one roof. But apart from the roof, it's close to being the same in this area. The choice, I mean. Within a 150 metre radius from the Falkland Rd/Grant Rd junction, there are at least 9 theatres. Novelty, Super, Nishat, Alfred, Gulshan, New Royal, Roshan and some more whose names escape me. So my first task in Playhouse was to decide which theatre to visit. Two things had some bearing on the decision: I've always wanted to see a Bhojpuri film, and I've long wanted to see a film at Alfred on Falkland Road. The latter, because I have an soft corner for theatres that still use those rosy-cheeked lurid hand-painted posters, and Alfred is one of those. So Super was showing "Pyaar ke Bandhan" in Bhojpuri. That was a possibility. But in the end, I chose Alfred. (Super, next time). Not that the film at Alfred was much of an attraction: Himmat from 1996, starring Sunny Deol, Tabu, Naseeruddin Shah and Shilpa Shetty. "Superstar kalakar ka jhamela dekhiye!" ("See the drama of the superstars!") says a hand-lettered poster in the theatre, not much of an attraction either. We enter a good 30-45 minutes late, leave after an hour. But as always with such films, it hardly matters when you enter or leave. You still get the same cocktail of deafening music, execrable songs, meaningless plot sequences and horrifying acting. Naseeruddin Shah probably shudders -- well, I hope he does -- when he remembers his performance in this one. Tabu is tall, dressed gaudily and does little of any note. Shilpa Shetty is all cleavage and simper, which grows old fast. (Yes, I said that). Sunny Deol, the man should pick any vocation but acting. Enough said. But of course, my feeling is that people come to see a film like <i>Himmat</i> only for the pretty faces and the melodrama. Who cares about acting ability? And so this is the usual delightful Bollywood film experience. I have myself an absolute all-round blast. Alfred is old all right, but it's not as if Alfred is gorgeous heritage-value art-deco. It does have a cavernous hall, long poles from the ceiling that whirring fans hang from, an obvious stage in front on which the curved screen is mounted, and a steeply-sloped balcony. Given where we are in this city, the general seediness here, I naively expected dirt and a noisy audience. But even with the hall packed as it is, it is surprisingly quiet. No cellphones go off, nobody has to be asked to hush. Several women are watching the film, some with kids, some clearly on their own. My companion tells me that this is one of the few theatres in the city where women feel comfortable enough to come alone. Oh yes, no rats, and it is about as clean as any other theatre I've been to. And outside the hall, plenty of open space, long silent gleaming corridors (remember we walked out while the movie is still on) where you hear every footfall, big windows to let in the evening air and sounds. Those windows! Through them drift the sounds and sights of this heart and soul of the city: traffic, horns, brisk walkers, lights, signs, cafes. Opposite is "Pestonji Building, 1928" -- home to the temptingly lit and crowded Nekzad Restaurant. And there are posters plastered in every direction for the new film Mobile Phone ("This film is inspired by famous MMS scandal of New Delhi"). All I can say about that is that the cleavage on display on those posters comfortably shades Shilpa Shetty in Himmat. It's been a delicious 90 minutes or so. When done, I stand at that bustling junction for a long time, looking around. Firdos Guest House is across the road, promising "homely comfort". Cafe Heaven is over there too. I look over at Nekzad ("Just tonight, I stood before the tavern/Nothing seemed the way it used to be", Mary Hopkin's throaty voice comes back to me), wondering if I have the time to go have a coffee. Have to return soon to see another film at one of the other little theatres here. That Bhojpuri one first, but I want to come back after it. And again. *** See a film, see a road ... Falkland Road is, of course, really Patthe Bapurao Marg. You knew that. It angles jauntily off the severe east-west gauntlet of Maulana Shaukatali Road, stretching actually from the Tardeo junction to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Road. It is only the final segment -- from Maulana Shaukatali Road to Sardar VP Road -- that is, of course, Bombay's long-time red-light district. Speaking of cleavage. Many others have written far more eloquently than I could about the sex-workers of Falkland Road; and it's unlikely I can find something new to say about them. Yet even so, it is a sobering experience to walk down this street. Never has so much flesh looked so sordidly sad, and I truly mean no offence when I say that. The females of the species who stand on the road are certainly past adolescence -- their tight blouses leave you in no doubt of that -- yet most of them have an air of utterly tragic youth. Oh, they wear those lurid petticoats, they probably pad their blouses, they paint themselves thick with lipstick, some dust themselves with powder to look fairer. And they meet the eye of every male who passes with an unmistakable, disconcerting, yet somehow still imperceptible, inquiry. This is adult territory in every sense. Yet so many of these women are so obviously children. What are they doing here? Silly question, yes. What's the point of bemoaning the second-oldest profession? Of all the incongruous thoughts, this is the one on my mind as we walk this street. There is, never mind the girls, plenty else to see here too. One strip of shops has both Ma's Dental Clinic (where the dentist is Dr HK Ma) and Dr CH Yi's all-purpose clinic. There's also the "Indo-Chinese Institute for Medicine", which pursues "Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture and Allied Sciences". What Chinese doctors and dentists have meant to this part of Bombay is another story altogether, worth its own exploration. Close by is one more of those theatres, Silver Talkies ("Balcony Ticket Rs 16"). Today the feature is "Swiging Love in Pagal Diwani" (sic), which sounds intriguing enough to miss. I could say the same about New Roshan Talkies, even if the feature there is the more demure "Sher-E-Hindustan." Then there's Pila House, marked by a number of this city's ornate horse-drawn rickshaws parked on the road outside (tight-bloused girls pouting behind). Inside is a small yard which houses, incredibly, dozens more of these horse-carts and the horses themselves. All getting a morning cleanup. Plenty to see, yes, but on Falkland Road it's really about the women. Reminders of that everywhere. On that balcony, a sheaf of coloured saris, drying in the sun. That building, a long row of dark cages, women standing outside. Many more women, many more of those famous cages. Then, as we approach the Alfred theatre and Maulana Shaukatali Road, right up against a row of those cages, I see the sign. And for some inexplicable reason, it seems to sum up this neighbourhood of clinics and horse-carts and theatres and Chinese medicine and girls, girls, girls. It says: "Coffin will be issued free of charge to any people and caste indeed no relation." _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request@xxxxxxxxx with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>

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4th Posting:NEW TRENDS IN MADRASA JOURNALISM

NEW TRENDS IN MADRASA JOURNALISM Though the term madrasa stands for old, oriental and obscurant, new writings on the same have proved that the real situation inside these reminiscents of the old education system is diverse enough to break the stereotype. So is the case with the journalism practiced there. It took me around four months to discover that new things are taking place in the domain of the madrasa journalism, though slowly. It started in January of the year when Maulana Mohd Sajjad Rizvi, one of my friends, informed me about a magazine called "Jaam-e-Noor", Delhi and suggested me to include it in my study. But as the magazine has seen only three springs of its life and I have been looking at the five years of the magazines, I did not take the advice seriously. Though a couple of things about it remained fresh in my memory, I could not decide what to do with it which was hinting the advent of a new brand of journalism in the sphere of madrasas. During the course of my fieldwork, I discovered two more magazines, Maah-e-Noor and Tooba, both from Delhi .Now, I was convinced that a wave of new trends was very soon going to sweep the field and the process had already been unleashed. THE JAAM-E-NOOR STORY What I found interesting about Jaam-e-Noor, the first magazine of this sort I came across, was the screaming headline on its laminated title page: "Sania Mirza ka Libas Koi Masla Nahi Hai." (What Sania Mirza wears is a non-issue.) .This headline suggests that the magazine, in its content and approach, is sailing against the direction wind blows in madrasa journalism. The driving force behind bringing out this magazine is Maulana Khushtar Noorani, a graduate from the Islamic Call College, Tripoli, Libya in 1998. A chubby and bearded young man in his late 20s was posing for being photographed by another bearded but slim man when I entered 422, Matia Mahal, Jama Masjid, the office of Jaam-e-Noor to interview its editor. The person with camera turned out to be a fan of the magazine and was trying to capture a moment of his meeting with the editor, Khushtar Noorani. This visitor from Lahore was the evidence of name and fame he was enjoying in Pakistan where 2000 copies of his magazines are consumed, a record by any standard of the religious journalism, as the total circulation of the most of the madrasa journals does not exceed 2000 copies. However, there are other contributory factors too which set ground for the heights of popularity Jaam-e-Noor and his editor is scaling nowadays. Religious education runs into the family of Khushtar Noorani. Allama Arshadul Qadri, his paternal grandfather, is an ideologue and the best-seller pen of international fame within the circle of the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect. Though his body of work is comprised of more than a dozen books, Zer-o-Zabar, Zalzala and Lalazaar are supposed to be his magnum opus in which he engages in the polemics with the Deobandi ulama at an unprecedented plane. According to Mohd Arif Barakati, a student of Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Mobarakpur, Azamgarh, Jaam-e-Noor was a familiar name within the circle of Ahl-e-Sunnat as the personality of Allama Arshadul Qadri had been associated with it. In 1963, he started a magazine called Jaam-e-Noor from Kolkata. But it had to shut down in 1964 because his involvement in an increasing number of projects left him with almost no time for the magazine. When Maulana Khushtar announced in 2002 on the occasion of the Chehlum ceremony of Allama Qadri, to bring out the deceased magazine in a new avatar, every body hailed the decision. The magazine is so popular among the students of Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, the Oxford of the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect that Paigham-e-Islam, one of the student associations in the institution orders for 200 copies of Jaam-e-Noor every month. Imtiaz Ahmed, President of the association and also a student at the Ashrafia madrasa, is of the opinion that "apart from the subscribers, at least 5-7 talibilms read a copy of the magazine". Not counting its historical importance, Jaam-e-Noor owes its unprecedented popularity to novelty of the approach it adopts towards the content and its presentation technique as well. This glaring difference between it and other madrasa journals is a conscious effort on the part of the editor Khushtar. During his academic sojourn (1996-1998) to Libya, he had closely observed how the journalism is practiced in the Arab world. Returning to India, he took a diploma in Print Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhi in 2001. All this helped him in evolving his own vision of quality journalism. He has been a bitter critic of the madrasa journalism. Articulating his views on the theme, he says that "journalism per se has never been taken seriously in madrasas. The motive behind bringing out these journals has either been to manage funds or to keep the community informed of the daily routine of the pir of the shrine. These magazines have been reduced to the status of the mere mouthpiece of the institution". Those who are at the helm of affairs, Khushtar continues, "are simply not concerned with what are the current ground realities of the Indian Muslims, what they need, what ails them and what the earlier can offer to the community through their magazines. One of the reasons responsible for this phenomenon is that the editors of madrasa journals are not the professional and trained ones. Without having any idea how to plan the content of the magazine and how to introduce diversity in it ,they just keep on reproducing stuff relating to namaz , fasting, miracles and prophecies. One can find them in the religious books, easily 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 offering are not upto the expectations of the readers, why should they buy your magazine? That's why these magazines soon cease publication". Jaam-e-Noor is the incarnation of the vision Khushtar has regarding journalism and bringing out a magazine. In fact the magazine has introduced, Khushtar claims, a number of innovations in the field of madrasa journalism. The magazine contains 64 pages which are divided into regular columns and it strictly sticks to this column design. Its editorial runs into 6-8 pages and is per se a full-fledged article dealing with an important current issue. There is a column of Tahriri Mobahasa (debate in writing). He relates passionately how the idea of this column originated: "This concept I've borrowed from The Times of India which in its Sunday edition provides diverse views of experts on a chosen theme. I also select a theme and request experts to express their opinions in 2-3 pages." In one of his columns entitled Fikr-o-Nazar, he publishes 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" informs Khushtar happily. He has a regular column devoted to interviews, which carries every month an interview of one of eminent Muslim personalities or of renowned literary persons. Letters of the readers suggest that this column is amazingly popular among them. Khama Talashi is another interesting column. In fact; the phrase khama talashi itself is new to the dictionary of Urdu. Khama stands for pen and talashi for interrogation. Thus, khama talashi means academic interrogation. "I've commissioned one of my most talented friends for this column. He writes under the pen name of Abul Faiz Moinee. In his three paged column, he critically analyses all what gets published in 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", exclaims Khushtar proudly. What really worked miracles for Jaam-e-Noor is the tone and tenor of its editorials. Khushtar, in his long and uncompromising editorials, blasted madrasa system and attacked the ulama community vociferously. This created a lot of controversy among the religious sphere of the sub-continent, resulting in carving out a niche for the magazine among both the critics and the criticized. In his own words, "the ulama were exercising a sort of control on the society. There was unstated rules that none could utter or write a single word against the mistakes they make….. I wanted to break this hegemony on the part of the ulema. In my editorials, I started writing against them and without paying any heed to their status or age." Here it will not be out of place to have a look at some of the issues discussed in his editorials. The Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema have a history of polemecising against each other on a certain theological issue in the pages of Dabdaba-e-Sikandari, a weekly newspaper from Rampur which began its publication around 1864, as Usha Sanyal has mentioned in her seminal work Devotional Islam and Politics in British India. (P.188-98.OUP, 1996). Contrary to this, no magazine has ever criticized the way they engage the laymen of the sect or questioned the efficacy of methods they are employing to counter the arguments of the 'others'. Khushtar Noorani in his editorial entitled "An overview of the conventional and path-breaking activities of the Ahl-e-Sunnat" (April 2005) discusses the following evils prevalent in his sect: 1. Craze for the admission in madrasas2. Obsession with the rebuttal of the Wahabis3. Eloquence of Oratory4. Establishment of the Jurisprudential Board 5. Flood of journals There used to be a time when there was a craze among Muslims to send their children into madrasas while the current trend is that only poor students study there or those children are spared for madrasas who do not show any penchant for studies. This attitude of the Muslims is responsible, according to Khushtar, for the constant degradation in the standard of madrasa education and, also, provided 'others' (defined in terms of Islamists and secular modernists) with the opportunity to question their relevance. Lambasting on the obsession of the ulema of the Ahl-e-Sunnat with rebuttal of the Wahabism, he says, we have a tradition of countering the Wahabis with both pen and speech since the inception of this stray sect. Though a number of very important areas merit the urgent attention of the ulema, the problem is that nobody has time to give them a thought because of their obsession with this anti-Wahabi spree. Worse, they are not ready to mellow down their tone in rebuttal of the Wahabis. Moving to the next point of the editorial, Khushtar writes that there is no denial of the fact that oratory, like writing, is a tested device of propagation. So, some of the Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema also started using oratory to enhance the mass appeal of the sect. Later on, a number of ulema introduced new elements in their oratory to multiply their impact on the masses. As the popularity of the orator is directly linked to his monetary income, madrasa students went mad in seeking excellence in the field and the whole night oratory session became recurrent phenomena within the religious circle, forcing the neighborhood to spend a sleepless night. In 1992, under the auspices of Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Mobarakpur, the Jurisprudential Board was set up as a splendid body of Muftis, envisioning it as a platform where important decisions relating to Sharia, will be finalized with consensus. The event sent waves of happiness across the Ahl-e-Sunnat. Though the body made it a point to incorporate all the renowned muftis of the sect, it was not long before a number of such bodies started mushrooming in the length and breadth of Jahan-e-Riza (the world of the followers of Imam Ahmed Riza Khan).Khushtar writes with astonishment: "I am at loss to understand the use of establishing all these small and big Jurisprudential Boards if their decisions are not followed by others". He, taking a dig on theses muftis or the towering ulema, bitterly notes that though they think these enterprises as noble deeds, to me, the latter are not more than "just a waste of time and money". The only way to transform them into a fruitful exercise, he suggests, is to constitute a co-ordination committee of these Jurisprudential Boards which can strive for making decisions of one of them acceptable to the most of the rest. Khushtar has devoted the concluding paragraphs to the religious journalism practiced within the circle of the Ahl-e-Sunnat. He, in his own singular style, very succinctly bares the fact about it. He says that till date I am at loss to get appropriate words to describe these magazines: whether they are "anthology of essays taken from religious books", "bundle of personal advertisements", or "dazzling blood-drops of journalism on white papers".(p.5). However, there are instances from the history that some magazines really did well and are still remembered. .Khushtar is of the opinion that their success can not be termed as the success of the magazine per se as they were not different from others from the pack. It was the personal writings of their editors the popularity of the magazines springs from. What baffles him is the herd mentality prevalent in the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect. None is ready to do any sort of experiment. Every body wants to trade on the trodden path, resulting in unnecessary crowd in some fields while in want of appropriate man power in others which are by no standards less important. Jaam-e-Noor came as a fresh gust of air to the readers of the madrasa journals. Khushtar's editorials provided them with a new vision of journalism. In past, no body mustered the courage to express such daring views regarding the shortcomings of the Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema. Started in 2002, his magazine is about to successfully complete its four years in a couple of months. He says that many persons wonder: "It was very courageous on your part that you have written publicly on the issues people were afraid of mentioning in their private chambers. We wonder how they have spared you from the fatwa yet". Maulana Qamar Ahmed Ashrafi Misbahi, a graduate from Al Jamiatul Ashrafia, Mobarakpur, is the advisor-in-chief of Jaam-e-Noor. Trying to analyze the factors behind the success of the magazine, Qamar says: "There was a discomfort among the new generation of the Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema regarding the scheme of things in the sect. But they were afraid of being ostracized or the backlash from the elder ones .So, they were looking for someone who is immune to this sort of reaction. Khushtar was a perfect case as he was the grandson of Allama Arshadul Qadri whose towering stature and contribution to the Ahl-e-Sunnat was undisputable. Surrounded by this hallow of familial linkage to Allama, he was shielded from any direct reaction on the part of the elder ulema. Moreover, a number of leading ulema demised during this decade, leaving an intellectual and authoritarian vacuum behind them. In addition to this, he had advantage of being educated in Libya and was one of those few who had a degree in journalism from a recognized government institution. He had a great passion for journalism and was impatiently looking for the opportunity to tap his potentials. Besides, he did not owe allegiance towards any khanqah, excluding any chance of being pressurized by his pir. Last but not the least; Jaam-e-Noor is published by Maktaba Jaam-e-Noor publishing house, owned by Ghulam Rabbani, Khushtar's father. In other words, Khushtar is not a servent-editor but is the editor cum proprietor. So, he needed not to be afraid of being thrown out of his job. Thus, all these factors worked in his favor and he became the vehicle for the dissemination of the thoughts of the agitated young ulema who extended to him tremendous support: intellectual, moral and in form of articles". Had there been someone else in his place, he would have been either silenced or a fatwa would have been issued against him. Self-criticism is intrinsic to the vision of Jaam-e-Noor. It is this call of introspection which it gives time and again to the laymen and ulema of the Ahl-e-Sunnat, keeps its readership graph up. In February 2005, Khushtar as the editor of the magazine went on a tour to Pakistan and interacted there with a range of ulema of his sect. His editorial of the month of May, 2005 is a sort of travelogue of this trip. Interestingly, he has mentioned a couple of differences, which he observed, between the ulema of India and Pakistan. "It should be acknowledged that in the period of last 2-3 decades, the contribution of the Pakistani ulema has outnumbered that of their Indian counterparts. The propagation of the thoughts of Imam Ahmad Riza has been carried out on a scale which is unparallel in the world."(p5).Consequently, he continues, "Pakistani literature constitutes today 70% of what the Indian publishing houses are churning out". It suggests, on the one hand, the paucity in the intellectual production of the Ahl-e-Sunnat ulema of India, and it speaks volumes about the state of original contribution and publication in the language of Urdu on the other hand. He, in the later part of the editorial, emphasizes that contrary to the Indian ulema, their Pakistani counterparts are more open to find out people-friendly legal solutions of the problems posed by the innovations in the field of science and technology. He is amazed at the glaring difference between the ulema of both countries in their approach to the day-to-day issues, despite the fact that all of them adhere to the same sect. Then he goes on to elaborate it with the help of an example. On the question of the legitimacy of Videography and photography, the Ahl-e-Sunnat of India is divided into two camps, triggering a series of writings and counter-writings on the issue. Interestingly, on the other side of the border, it is simply a non-issue. The Pakistani ulema find videography and photography useful in spreading the views of their sect. Critiquing those who consider the use of videography illegal, Khushtar argues, what they mean by "majority" (Jamhoor) when they refer to their stand as representing that of jamhoor while the reality is that it is legal in all parts of the Muslim world, including Pakistan. So, in majority are those who see its use lawful, contrary to the arguments of those who are against it. (p6). It is this position of the editor which makes Jaam-e-Noor perhaps the only Ahl-e-Sunnat magazine which publishes blurred photographs of human beings on its title page. Hamrey Masail (Our Problems) is a weekly program telecast by ETV Urdu. Devoted to the discussion on one of the current issues relating to Muslims, Obaid Siddiqui anchors the programme amidst the invited experts and a number of participant audiences. In one of its episodes, Khushtar was invited as the representative of the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect to express his view regarding the Division in the All India Muslim Personal Law Board. His reaction to the arguments of Shaista Amber, President of Women Personal Law Board makes an interesting reading as it provides a glimpse of his thoughts regarding the secular reformist Muslim women. He writes in his editorial that the session started with the question: why Shias, Barelwis and women, breaking away from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, have formed their own boards? It was Shaista Amber who spoke first. Listening to her words, I felt that "she is suffering from the labor pain (emphasis mine) caused by the birth of rebellious mentality in the women against men and specially against ulema, springing from western thoughts, superficial study of Islam, limited knowledge, borrowed insights and ordinary power of perception.".(Jaam-e-Noor, June 2005, pp 3-4). In the concluding paragraph of the editorial, he summarizes what he spoke in the program. In his words: "If the representatives of the AIMPLB believe that drafting a model Nikahnama, they can solve the familial disputes and social tension, and if women, forming their own personal law boards, think that this will add to their prestige in the society, and they will not be meted with any injustice and atrocities in their homes as well as the incidents of talaq will stop, I think, they are chasing the mirage and nothing more". The tranquility and peace can not prevail in the society unless initiatives to implement Islamic injunctions in the society are taken. (Ibid, p5). In an editorial on the electoral politics in Bihar, Khushtar has presented a detailed analysis of the dynamics of the Laloo Prasad vs. Ram Vilas Paswan scenario. Subheadings like the Muslim situation in the post 1990 Bihar, role of media in the politics of Bihar, an overview of the Paswan's love for democracy, the reality of the slogan of Muslim chief minister, use of puppet ulema by Paswan in the election campaign are enough to suggest that the editorial has a pro-Laloo and anti-Paswan tilt. It highlights how Laloo has made riots an alien phenomenon in Bihar which had been the worst-hit state by the recurrent communal violence under the Congress regime. After the demolition, Muslims got disenchanted with it and started voting different secular parties in the different parts of the country. This strategy on the part of Muslims divided their votes, culminating in the emergence of the BJP as the single largest political party in the 14th Loksabha election. He has shown how Paswan's secular credentials kept oscillating from Laloo to NDA to Congress. That's why he should not be given a chance any more. Then, Khushtar argues how the consolidated Muslim votes to Congress in the general election of 2004 has breathed a new life into it, reduced to almost a dead party then. "The need of the hour is that Muslims of every state, using their foresight, should vote for only that party which is capable of stopping the rising tides of communalism and which guarantees for their development in different walks of life ", concludes Khushtar.(Jaam-e-Noor, December 2005.p9). When it comes to the international affairs, Jaam-e-Noor is no different from other traditional madrasa magazines. Muslim world and how the US engages it, is what dominates most of the writings on international politics in the magazine. Also, they have great appetite for the hear-say about the Zionist lobby. Like any other traditional alim, Khushtar Noorani too has his own understanding of what takes place in the arena of international relations. It will not be out of context to reproduce here a couple of paragraphs from one of his editorials entitled: "Well-Planned Designs of the US against the Muslim World and the Reality of our Silent Protests": 1. "After the 2nd World War the US and Soviet Russia emerged as two superpowers on the world map. But after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the 9th decade of the 20th century, the United States became the sole super power .Now it got involved in its retaliatory actions against the Muslim world, for which the whole western Christianity and Zionism have been preparing since 15th century after their defeat in the Crusades".(Jaam-e-Noor,July 2005,p3). 2. "If we chronologically analyze the meticulous planning behind these regular attacks on the Muslim world then we come to know that when Muslim world was celebrating its victory on the West in the Crusades, vows were being solemnized in the churches of the West to erase the contours of the Muslim world from the world map. According to this plan when Europe was struggling hard to wake up afresh, mustering its courage, Muslim rulers and nobility were leading lavish life in their palaces and were busy in wine sessions. In the 16th century, two movements swept Europe: Renaissance and Reformation. The earlier made Europe shine with the light of knowledge and paved the way for establishing of universities of Oxford and Cambridge, institutions of international repute, while the latter led to the emergence of the Protestants as a sect. At that time the Muslim rulers were busy in composing verses in praise of their beloved and were putting all the might of their kingdom at disposal to erect wonderful monuments like Taj Mahal to please the souls of their dead soulmates. In the 17th century there started an age of scientific and material development in Europe and till the 18th century they, to subjugate the world and especially the Muslim world, were successful in inventing arms and ammunitions which were earlier beyond imagination… ". (Jaam-e-Noor, July 2005, pp3-4). Among other eye-catching columns of Jaam-e-Noor, those of interview, tahriri mobahsa and Khama Talashi worth mentioning here. As far as the interview column is concerned, it's really an innovation in the field of madrasa journalism. That the magazine unfailingly publishes a fresh interview every month exudes how serious the editor is about the quality he promises to his readers. Some of personalities whose interviews have already been published in it is : Maulana Mansha Tabish Qasuri ,Lahore; Dr.Syed Aleem Ashraf Jayesi,UP; Mohd.Arif Iqbal, editor, the monthly Urdu Book Review; Mosharraf Alam Zauqi, the novelist; Maulana Kaukab Noorani,Karachi; Dr.Monazir Aashiq Harganwi,Bhagalpur University,etc. Tahriri Mobahsa (discussion) is another interesting column which is exclusive to Jaam-e-Noor. It should be borne in the mind that in the Muslim religious circle, dissenting voices even in the matters concerning academics are shortly silenced by one means or another. This column, through its debate on a range of issues, has established, on one hand, how ulema of a particular sect differ from each other in their opinions on a given topic while on the other hand; it reiterated the need to tolerate differences in opinions. Some of the topics of this column are as follows: How to save the world from the scourge of terrorism? , What should be the role of ulema in the general election?; Should Urdu be included in the curricula of madrasas?; How useful is the university education for the madrasa graduates?. The last question was thrown for the discussion in the month of April, 2005(pp21-27). Views of five madrasa graduates on the topic have been published. Here is what the editor has put in boxes as the summary of their views:1. University education widens the mentalscape of the madrasa graduates, revitalizes their views and makes their arguments serious and factual. (Tanveer Arshad, Department of Arabic, JNU).2. People should stop bothering about the shortcomings of the modern educational institutions because every coin has two sides. (Samrul Hoda Noori, 4th semester, Faculty of Medicine, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi).3. In the contemporary time, one can not properly render his services to Islam on the global scale unless one is trained in the modern sciences. This underlines the need for the modern education. (Shaukat Ali, Department Urdu, Jamia Millia Islamia).4. Today it's obligatory for every Muslim child to marry religious education with modern one so that he, retaining his identity, can lead a dignified life. (Sadrul Islam Misbahi.Department of Arabic, University of Delhi).5. Modern education, through some of the madrasa graduates, will steer the course of the history of the Ahl-e-Sunnat towards a new direction. It's started making its effects felt since now. (Zishan Ahmed Misbahi, sub-editor, monthly Jaam-e-Noor). The column of Khama Talashi (Academic Interrogation) adds one more feather to the cap of Jaam-e-Noor. This style of self-criticism is not only praiseworthy but is a contributory factor towards emergence of a culture of tolerance and internal dialogue among religious elites. Abul Faiz Moinee, who writes the column with unmatched fearlessness and erudition, is extremely popular among the readers. He starts one of his columns narrating an incident of Josh Malihabadi: "Josh Malihabadi sent a copy of his autobiography entitled 'Yaadon ki Baarat' to Mahirul Qadri, editor of the monthly 'Faraan' with this note: Janab Mahir! Lijiye bakra hazir hai.Shauq se zabah farmaiye. (Mr.Mahir! The lamb is here before you. Please butcher it.).Then Mr. Mahir butchers the lamb with his own style .i.e., wrote a 60 pages treatise as a critique of the book. My friend Maulana Khushtar Noorani too every month sends me a copy of Jaam-e-Noor with an identical note on it. It's a matter of coincidence that till date it's his own writings which have been slaughtered at the altar of criticism".(Jaam-e-Noor, October 2005, p55). In the present column, he first congratulated the editor on having designed such a wonderful title page, and that's without including any dome or minaret. Then he wonders how the editorial has adopted a soft line towards the ulema as the editor has a reputation of being extremely critical of ulema. Further, he mentions an article which seeks to analyze observations of some oriental scholars regarding the Hadis literature. He writes: "Though the piece is informative and analytical, there are few places where my eyes stopped" due to mistakes in the years of birth and death mentioned. Commenting on the debate on the topic of "Whether the suicide bombing may be a form of jihad or is just a waste of human life", he criticizes a participant for the mistake he committed in translating an Arabic sentence while takes a dig on the other for using jargon-laden language, almost incomprehensible for the masses. Assessing the next piece which is a travelogue by Maulana Kaukab Noorani, Moinee writes in a lighter vein: "I went through the piece, the first part of a two part-series and am eagerly waiting for the next part as the earlier has nothing substantial in it." (p 55). Thus, every column of Khama Talashi makes a hilarious reading, especially when you are aware of the content of the previous issue of the magazine. Besides all these, Jaam-e-Noor is an Ahl-e-Sunnat magazine to the core of its content. Though I came across a couple of non-Ahl-e-Sunnat fans of Khushtar's writings, being an Ahl-e-Sunnat magazine is central to its identity. That's why themes which distinguish the sect from 'others' frequently find place in the pages of the magazine. Even Khushtar, in some of his editorials, writes on these issues. Apart from the content of Shari' Adalat, the fatwa column, which reinforces the Ahl-e-Sunnat identity of the magazine, other columns also time and again keep raising these issues. For example, articles like 'Of course, there is no sect called Barelwi' (February, 2006), 'Accounts of Oral Contestations (Monazara) with Deobandis' (July, 2005), 'Seeking help from the grave of the deceased Shah Saud' (November, 2005) suggest that polemics are not completely out. Thus, university education and a degree in journalism has engendered in the editor's approach a tilt towards providing choices to the readers but while doing so he has to be careful enough not to cross lakshman rekha of the sect. On the other hand, the journalism course has enabled him to package the commodity called magazine in an eye-catching manner and then to adopt marketing techniques to lure the consumers (here readers) and increase its salability. In a way, with advent of this professionalism, a shift, though unacknowledged and not much pronounced, takes place in the approach of the madrasa journalism: from dawah-oriented to economy oriented, though in a limited sense. Thus, these new trends in this genre of journalism don't signify a paradigm shift, rather 'shifts within the paradigm'. OTHER NEW TRENDS Maah-e-Noor, another praiseworthy adventure of the Ahl-e-Sunnat sect into the madrasa journalism, came into the picture in May, 2005. This monthly is brought out by a publishing house named Maktaba Maah-e-Noor, located in Matia Mahal, Jama Masjid, Delhi. Though the magazine has just celebrated its first birth anniversary, it has seen more than one reshuffling in its editorial board. From the 1st of June, 2006, Afzal Misbahi has joined it as the editor, a post which was lying vacant for months. A graduate of Al Jamiatul Ashrafia in 1997, Afzal has worked for 7 years with the Delhi and Gorakhpur bureau of Rashtriya Sahara, the largest Urdu daily of North India. Enrolled in the University of Delhi as a PhD candidate on the theme of "Urdu Journalism in India after Independence", Afzal has extensively interviewed veteran political leaders for and considerably contributed to the daily in his Sahara days. As a madrasa monthly, Maah-e-Noor is no different from others of the pack in any considerable way when it comes to the content. However, what distinguishes it from others, including Jaam-e-Noor, is the remuneration it offers to everybody who contributes to its content. "This is the first magazine which pays to its contributors", exclaims Afzal with pride. According to the system of gradation it observes, it pays Rs.300, Rs.400 and Rs.500 to respectively amateurs, regular and senior scribes. Though it's a meager amount compared to what a mainstream magazine offers, it is a pointer of the change which is slowly creeping in the sphere of madrasa journalism. Even the acquiring services of someone like Afzal who has experience of working for years in the mainstream media; itself has no parallel in the history of religious journals. As he is just one month old in his new office, his own vision of journalism is yet to be translated into the reality. However, in the very first issue of the journal under his editorship, under the heading of Special Articles, he has published on the contemporary reality of Muslims some pieces by Dr.Mushtaq Sadaf, Ahmed Javed and Mohd Aurangzeb Khan, all from the mainstream media. Also, his editorial on the controversial film The Da Vince Code reflects his willingness to make his magazine relevant to the modern time, not divorced from the current issues. Though the editorial is rich in its content, ideologically speaking it mirrors the concerns of the religious conservatives. Interestingly, Maulana Abul Hasan Ashrafi Miyan, the editor –in-chief cum proprietor of the magazine is based in London and makes frequent visits to India. Its finances are met with what Ashrafi Miyan manages to garner from the Ahl-e-Sunnat diaspora of UK. It also gets funded by Choksi Brothers & Sisters, Toronto, a private firm run by the Indian diaspora. Unlike these two magazines, Tooba, the next one in this league is the organ of an Ahl-e-Hadis madrasa Jamia Ibn-e-Taimiya, Chandanwara, East Champaran of Bihar and its research wing Allama Abdul Aziz bin Baz Islamic Studies Centre, Darya Ganj, Delhi. The monthly is consistently in publication since it started in 2001. Maulana Zillur Rehman Taimi, associated with the magazine since its inception, has been promoted to the post of the editor in May, 2006. It is he who was instrumental in bringing the editorial work of the magazine to India from Riyadh, its former workplace. As he is enrolled as a research scholar with the department of Arabic in JNU, Zillur Rehman has a degree of journalism from the same university. In this way, he belongs to the new generation of the madrasa editors who, having received religious education in a proper madrasa went to the government universities for higher education and, also, have a degree in journalism under their belt from a reputed institution. Zillur Rehman says stressing on the fact that it has the policy of not publishing any thing which may lead to widening the intra-community divide among Muslims. This policy, according to him, "distinguishes Tooba from other madrasa magazines". Though the Ahl-e-Hadis have earned a reputation of being obsessed with the rebuttal of other Muslim sects, the magazine has, amazingly, sticked to the policy in its five years of life span. However, the magazine is open to any piece which observes the academic parameters to prove its hypotheses, irrespective of its being against the popular practices of the Ahl-e-Hadis. In this connection, Zillur Rehman narrates an incident that once we received an article in favor of calling two azans for the prayer of Juma' .In stead of its being against the common practice of the Ahl-e-Hadis, we published it. Running into 66 pages, the magazine is strictly divided into more that 15 regular columns. Unlike Jaam-e-Noor which has no fixed columnists for its regular columns, Tooba has its fixed columnists for all its columns. This column design is a contributory factor to its popularity as Shahnawaz Alam, a student of Jamia Salafia, Varanasi puts it: "It gives you a sort of satisfaction to go through a range of information encapsulated in a single issue. To me it's possible only because of the meticulous column planning on the part of its editor". Interestingly, most of its columnists are those who teach at Jamia Ibn-e-Taimiya, Chandanwara. It's obligatory for them to contribute to the magazine under their assigned columns. However, couple of its columnists doesn't belong to the teaching community of the madrasa. For example, Yusuf Nazim, a celebrated satirist of Urdu, regularly writes a column for the magazine and is paid for the same, although a very meager amount of money. In this respect, Tooba has partial resemblance with Maah-e-Noor which pays for every word published in it. Zillur Rehman has been conducting interviews of the Muslim celebrities for Tooba but unlike Jaam-e-Noor, it is yet to maintain consistency in this regard. The total circulation of the Tooba stands at 3000. That its 1400 subscribers are the students of Jamia Ibn-e-Taimiya is an interesting feature of the magazine. Every student has to subscribe it as its subscription fee is included in the admission fee of the Jamia. Though the institution receives generous donations from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, this unique feature of Tooba is a step towards making it economically independent. CONCLUDING REMARKS In the light of what have been discussed till now, it would be fair to conclude that: 1. Those youngsters who are university educated and trained in journalism are increasingly donning the cap of editors of madrasa journals. 2. They are trying their best to observe the norms of mainstream journalism in their respective journals.3. They are taking measures to make the magazine more participatory for the readers.4. They tend to publish the writings of young ulema who are enrolled in the government universities. 5 Some magazines have started paying a token amount of money to the scribes.6. Self-correction is going to be the buzzword in the case of some of the magazines, although the bashing of the 'others' has not lost all of its charm. arshad amanullah35,masihgarh,jamia nagarnew delhi-25. _________________________________________ reader-list: an open discussion list on media and the city. Critiques & Collaborations To subscribe: send an email to reader-list-request@xxxxxxxxx with subscribe in the subject header. List archive: <https://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/reader-list/>

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--MIMEStream=_1+300248_17075694212480_4891018663 Content-Type: text/html; charset="WINDOWS-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable 13th International = Symposium for Electronic ArtAugu= st 7-13 San Jose CaliforniaISEA2006 emphasizes conversation= and discoursehttp://01sj.org/content/blogcategory= /13/102/=A0There will be NO reading of papers! There will be ample opport= unity for interaction with keynotes and paper authors during the extended s= essions. Presentations of projects by artists will run continuously. A re:mote sympo= sium wil= l take place concurrently featuring presentations of those who physically c= annot attend. All of the Symposium events are integrated into the ZeroOne S= an Jose Festival via streaming. Most importantly, the Symposium proceedings= and environment are structured to encourage audience participation. Over 70 papers, artists= presentations and posters are will be showcased. Scheduled Keynotes includ= e=A0Saski= a Sassen= and Raqs= Media Collective.Register before June 30 and receive a 33% discount.http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=3D110251Those that = take advantage of Early Bird Registration will receive a print copy of Intelligent Agent, the official ISEA2006 Papers Publication and a free copy of the= special edition issue of the Leonardo Journal, published in conjunction with the Pacific R= im New Media Summit.Come early for pre-symposium Summits=A0= http://01sj.org/content/blogcategory/95/134/Focused topics through peer to= peer knowledge sharing:=A0Interactive City=97Berkeley Intel Labs= Pacific Rim New Media Summit=97SJSU CADRE Laboratory.= = ISEA2006 Symposium HighlightsPAPERShttp://01sj.org/content/blogcategory/135/144/Allison Sant, Redefining the Basemap= Current collaborative mapping projec= ts using locative media technologies have often overlooked the conventions = of the basemap as a site for reinvention. Although these projects imagine a= lternative organizations of urban space through the way it is digitally map= ped, they remain bounded by datasets that reinforce a Cartesian and static = notion of urban space. This paper questions the methodology of the basemap,= as it is utilized in these projects, and proposes alternative tactics for = "" the city.Other Papers by: Trebor Scholz, Kevin Hamilton, Sharon Daniel, Joline Blais, = Mara Traumane, Mirjam Struppek, Tapio M=E4kel=E4, Franck Ancel, Timothy Mur= ray, Machiko Kusahara, Ned Rossiter, Steve Anderson, Jon Ippolito, Oron Cat= ts, Ionat Zurr, Josephine Bosma, Gheorghe Dan, Alisa Andrasek, Valentina Ni= si, Dr. Mads Haahr and Dr. Ian OakleyARTIST PRESENTATIONShttp://01sj.org= /content/blogcategory/137/146/= Bioteknica: Laboratory Re:Mix =96 Jenn= ifer Willet and Shawn Bailey= BIOTEKNICA is a fictitious corporation, generating desi= gner organisms on demand. Irrational and grotesque, our specimens are model= ed on the Teratoma, a cancerous multi-tissue growth. Initially virtual, our= organisms are now under laboratory development using living tissue. BIOTEK= NICA both embraces and critiques biotechnology, considering the contradicti= ons and complexities that these technologies offer the future of humanity.Other Artis= t presentations: Ben Rubin, Norene Leddy, Andrew Milmoe, Thom Kubli, Markus Schneid= er, Christian Riekoff, Paula Levine, Atteqa Malik, Tamiko Thiel, Mara Trall= a, Angelo Vermeulen, Luc De Meester, Elio Caccavale, Matt Gorbet Design Inc= ., GORBET + BANERJEE, Christian Hubler, Felix Stalder, Jill Scott, Bill Dol= son, Randall Packer, Julie Andreyev, Andrea Polli, David Drake, Frederic Ma= dre, Ursula Damm, Matthias Weber, Peter Serocka, Nigel Helyer a.k.a. Dr. So= nique, Peter Agostino, Silavn Zurbruegg a.k.a. etoy.SILVAN, Robert Neiderfe= r, Olga Kessila, Steve Wilson, Jody Zellen, Burak Arikan, Vincent Leclerc ,= Vincent Kraeutler a.k.a Etoy.VINCENT, Gisselle Beiguelman, Tiffany Holmes,= Jennifer Willet, Pia Tikka, Mauri Kaipainen George Legrady, Rama Hoetzlein= , Mathias Fuchs, Shona Kitchen, Ben HookerPOSTERShttp://01sj.org/content= /blogcategory/136/145/A Metro of Meaning: Understanding the = semantic meaning of a city. =96 Matthew Hockenberry and Rob GensCan computers understand what= a space means to us? We think so, and demonstrate a system that seems to f= eel the same way. By making use of common-sense knowledge what an average p= erson takes a way from a place we can build visualizations that aren't depe= ndent on what we put in a database - just what we can describe with languag= e.= Other Pos= ters by:= Steve Anderson, Tara McPherson , Stanislav Roudavski, Giorgos Artopoulos, = Diego Diaz, Wei Liu, Clara Boj, Chris Byrne, Atau Tanaka, Petra Gemeinboeck= , Kuljit Chuhan, Dennis Kaspori, Kenneth Fields, Ajaykumar, Julie Freeman, = David Muth, Maria Mencia, Peter Hasdell, Vladimir Todorovic, Goran Andrejin= , Keng Soon Teh, Adrian Cheok, Roger Tan, Shang Ping Lee, Casey Reas, Ben F= ry, Francis Li, Inga Zimprich, Elliot Anderson, Stefan Riekeles, Andy Bilch= baum, Nathalie Magnan, Gissle Geiguelman, Burak ArikanPANELS= SoundCulture Panel =97 Shawn Deck= er, Ed Osborn, Nigel Helyer a.k.a. Dr. SoniqueSoundCulture is an international collec= tive doing sound-related work that explores artistic and cultural contexts = for this work outside of the traditional modes of presentation of music. So= undCulture artists will discuss this aspect of their current practices in p= articular, and how working from a background in sound informs these other a= ctivities.O= ther Panels: WETWARE Hackers Discussed =96 Paul Vanouse, Natalie Jeremijenko, Beatr= iz da Costa, Oron CattsDiscounted Events Tickets for Symposium Registrantshttp://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=3D110251Ryoji Ikeda - C41 and DatamaticsBuilders Associat= ion/dBox - Super = VisionPerformative Cinema with Michael Lew; Morten S= chjodtPeter Greenaway - VJ Tulse LuperSurvival Res= earch LabsLynn Hershman Leeson - Strange Culture 'Work-in-Progress' special showingTroika Ranch - 16 [R]evolutionsCommonwealth Club Lecture= - David Kelley; Bill ViolaPlease pass this in= formation along to colleagues, students, and local networks.Thanks.Steve + Joel Joel SlaytonChair, = ISEA2006 Symposium += Ze= roOne San Jose: A Global Festival of Art on the Edge

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