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By S. Ghauri

The Milli Gazette Online

British High Commission in India has started the publication of a bi-monthly Urdu journal British Jaeza. According to the British High Commissioner, Michel Arther, the aim of the journal is to provide news and information about Britain and Indo-British cooperation to Urdu readers. Famous Urdu journalist M. Afzal, while inaugurating the magazine, said that after 9/11 even countries like America and Britain have realised the necessity of reaching out to Urdu-speaking people and it should be welcomed. 

During the cold war days there was a media war between Soviet Union and USA to win over world public opinion, especially in the Third World. Both the countries had flooded the world with magazines and journals in different regional languages but even during those days the USA did not feel the need of reaching out to Urdu-speaking masses of the country or to try to placate Muslim leaders. But after 9/11, the American administration has started mobilising its propaganda machine in the Arab world, among Indian ulama and the Urdu-speaking people of the country. Under this propaganda blitz USA has started Arabic radio and TV stations like Al-Hurrah, while pressuring channels like Al-Jazeera to cool down on the US misdeeds.

The American embassy in India too has started publishing the Urdu version of Span and now the British High Commission has started British Jaeza. America, Britain and other western countries are now at war with the Islamic world and suppressing Muslim countries one after the other by using brute force disguised as war for democracy. But at the same time they have indulged in propaganda through media to mislead Muslims in order to disunite them. The irony is that they are utilising the services of Muslims themselves for the fullfilment of their divisive agenda. Indian ulama are being invited to USA as state guests and lavishly feted there. After returning from America they are all praise for American hospitality and friendship to Muslims and Islam. For this service they are given a few coins of silver. The services of ulama who were associated with Islamic movements are being utilised at the US embassy in Delhi for planning the visits of other ulama to the USA. Reportedly two million US dollars have been set aside for this programme. A similar “two million dollar” programme to train Indonesian military officiers in the US in the 1950s paved the way to Suharto’s coup in 1965. One shudders to think of what these “two million dollars” will do to our community in the years to come. Besides, the American embassy has been utilising the services of a writer, associated with the Islamic movement for three decades, to bring out its Urdu edition of Span.

It is a great irony that people who had once struggled for Islamic revolution are now serving Uncle Sam’s vested interests. 

But the fact remains that there is no proper system to profitably utilise the genius of the 150 million Muslims of the country. It is a pity that in these days of intellectual bankruptcy, talents of a few capable sons of the community are being used against the interests of the Ummah. «