Victim of fake news
What happened to the AB Islamic Studies program of AdDU opens our eyes on how certain individuals think and how they promote sectarian divides
On April 9, 2018, the AB Islamic Studies of the Ateneo de Davao University (AdDU) became a victim of fake news that attacked the program as a course that promotes a single type of Islamic school of thought. This was circulated on Facebook.
Students of the said program were quick to issue a statement saying, “The Bachelor of Arts in Ateneo Islamic Studies major in Political Economy is a program in Ateneo de Davao University that is under the Social Sciences... The curriculum that this course is following is from Ched. This course is...a study of political economy in the Islamic perspective. It is a course wherein we get to understand Islam’s history, culture, philosophy, law, and related studies to its political economy...”
What is fake news? For us in Al Qalam, fake news is information that is incorrect, done either unintentionally or intentionally to attack other people for political and economic interests.
This is a serious concern because it has bearing on the trust that the public has on certain people and institutions. It also impacts the narrative being created against a person or a program.
Parents, religious authorities and teachers should teach young people how to identify fake news. Our youth must look beyond social media as source of information. They need to accept and understand that it is okay to exchange ideas and allow inter-faith and intra-faith discussions to take place online and off-line.
As part of the academe, our role is to also equip young people with the skills needed to use the digital world critically and to recognize information and unreliable claims and falsified news with the purpose of persecuting other views and religions.
Moreover, we need our youth today to be critical and to distinguish what is true from what is not true. We need to encourage them to see the world through different perspectives, appreciate different ideas, be open to different cultures. In today’s world, we need to understand and recognize diversity. We need to engage other groups who may have different views from us without attacking them or putting down their dignity as a human being.
The Holy Quran mentioned, “Believers, if a troublemaker brings you news, check it first, in case you wrong others unwittingly and later regret what you have done, and be aware that it is God’s Messenger who is among you: in many matters you would certainly suffer if he were to follow your wishes. God has endeared faith to you and made it beautiful to your hearts; He has made disbelief, mischief, and disobedience hateful to you. It is people like this who are rightly guided through God’s favor and blessing: God is all knowing and all wise.” (Quran 49:6-8)
What happened to the AB Islamic Studies program of AdDU opens our eyes on how certain individuals think and how they promote sectarian divides. This act is similar to the Arab practice called Takfir, “the pronouncement that someone is an unbeliever (kafir) and no longer Muslim.”
I hope that this will not grow into something big, one that will encourage religious intolerance, violence, bigotry, and misunderstanding within our communities. Inter-faith and intra-faith dialogue must bridge us and not divide us.--from SunStar Davao