'News with a Christian twist'
India's overtly secular media is also heavily influenced by foreign organizations, which helps plant devout Christian journalists to serve their interests. An example of such a journalists is Jennifer Arul, who wields considerable clout as someonne with more than thirty years of experience as a broadcast journalist and media executive in Asia. She regularly visits evangelical educational institutions in the West to address students. When she visited Point Loma Nazarene University (USA), which calls itself ' one of the leading Christian universities in the country', the journalism students described the focus of her discussion as 'fighting against violence in th cast system and standing up for the rights of women and mistreated children'. She spoke of her campaign to educate 'her native India to the effects of dowry deaths that, according to her research, took the lives of twenty thousand Indian women' in one year alone. Arul told the students that her solution to dowry deaths was to bring Christianity to India, saying, 'I think that we should use our Christian faith to help people speak out and tell the truth'. It was noted that she always keeps her cross necklace visible when she reports. She explains: 'As a journalist, you can't remain uninvolved. If I can bring this little Christian twist to my story, I'll do it'.
What she avoids mentioning is that dowry deaths are evenly distributed across the Indian religions, including Indian Christianity. In fact, there are especially high levels of this crime in the predominately Christian state of Kerala. When this problem in their own communities was pointed out, church leaders were hesitant to forthrightly condemn the practice. Instead, the main church denominations in Kerala (the Syro-Malabar, Marthoma and Jacobite churches) asked their followers to merely 'reduce the wedding expenses', but did no condemn the dowry system. On the other hand, the head acharya of Kanchi, considered one of the most orthodox Hindu leaders of India, condemns dowry repeatedly as being against Indian culture and tradition. While dowry abuse and coercion was not a social phenomenon in pre-colonial India, it was practiced until modern times in Christian countries.
Gegrapha and Indian Christian Journalists
Gegrapha is a transnational para-church organization founded by David Aikman, a Christian fundamentalist fighting scientific evolution theory ho also declared that Christianity had made George Bush a better president. Gegrapha's official mission statement is a 'call to all journalists who are Christians - Protestants, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox - at all stages ot their career....'
Aikman elaborates :
in 1997, Aikman produced atrocity literature about India that was outright false. just before the 1999 General Elections in India, Jennifer Arul was featured prominently at the Gegrapha International Conference in England, and she said :
At another international meeting of Gegrapha, Arul spoke again about the role of a Christian journalist operating in a non-Christian environment. She referred to non-Christian Indian journalists as those 'who follow different paths', while praising the Christian journalist as someone who has the 'responsibility of telling the truth'. Criticizing the limits placed on evangelism in government media channels, she praised her ability to use private satellite channels to report exclusively on the problems of Hindu society. She advocated that the 'Christian journalist has to bring a perspective to every story', and said that she did not care about being 'accused of inciting violence and not promoting religious tolerance'. Before her applauding Western Christian sponsors, she made it clear that the Christian identity in her takes precedence over the journalist :
Gegrapha is a facilitator of Christian journalists who ground their professional work in personal faith and use their transnational connections. Stephen David is another strategically placed Gegrapha member who is the principal correspondent on political and current affairs for India Today, the country's largest news weekly. Such journalists now comprise a rapidly growing group across India's media, where they can act behind the scenes in framing the news. Yet, the impressions that are created internationally by John Dayal, Jennifer Arul and other high-profile indian Christian journalists, is that the Indian media is anti-Christian, that Hindus terrorize Christians, and hence foreign intervention is necessary for justice in India. This is music to the cars of their sponsors, who naturally, reach for the pocket book.
NOTE
Based in Chennai, she is the resident editor and bureau chief in South India for New Delhi Television Ltd., Jennifer Arul is also chief operating officer of an Indonesian news and information channel, Astro Awani, honored in its first year for best current affairs programme in Indonesia. (Bio-data of Jennifer Arul as presented in 'Journalism Through the Eyes of Faith' section of Bethel University : URL : http://www.bethel.edu/special-events/jtef/bios). In 2007, she launched a similar Astro service in Malaysia. According to ChennaiTVNews.com, Jennifer Arul has been made the managing editor of a new channel in association with 'The Hindu' newspaper. (ChennaiTVNews.com 2008)
(Excerpt taken from pages 360-362; for all original references kindly refer the book)
India's overtly secular media is also heavily influenced by foreign organizations, which helps plant devout Christian journalists to serve their interests. An example of such a journalists is Jennifer Arul, who wields considerable clout as someonne with more than thirty years of experience as a broadcast journalist and media executive in Asia. She regularly visits evangelical educational institutions in the West to address students. When she visited Point Loma Nazarene University (USA), which calls itself ' one of the leading Christian universities in the country', the journalism students described the focus of her discussion as 'fighting against violence in th cast system and standing up for the rights of women and mistreated children'. She spoke of her campaign to educate 'her native India to the effects of dowry deaths that, according to her research, took the lives of twenty thousand Indian women' in one year alone. Arul told the students that her solution to dowry deaths was to bring Christianity to India, saying, 'I think that we should use our Christian faith to help people speak out and tell the truth'. It was noted that she always keeps her cross necklace visible when she reports. She explains: 'As a journalist, you can't remain uninvolved. If I can bring this little Christian twist to my story, I'll do it'.
What she avoids mentioning is that dowry deaths are evenly distributed across the Indian religions, including Indian Christianity. In fact, there are especially high levels of this crime in the predominately Christian state of Kerala. When this problem in their own communities was pointed out, church leaders were hesitant to forthrightly condemn the practice. Instead, the main church denominations in Kerala (the Syro-Malabar, Marthoma and Jacobite churches) asked their followers to merely 'reduce the wedding expenses', but did no condemn the dowry system. On the other hand, the head acharya of Kanchi, considered one of the most orthodox Hindu leaders of India, condemns dowry repeatedly as being against Indian culture and tradition. While dowry abuse and coercion was not a social phenomenon in pre-colonial India, it was practiced until modern times in Christian countries.
Gegrapha and Indian Christian Journalists
Gegrapha is a transnational para-church organization founded by David Aikman, a Christian fundamentalist fighting scientific evolution theory ho also declared that Christianity had made George Bush a better president. Gegrapha's official mission statement is a 'call to all journalists who are Christians - Protestants, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox - at all stages ot their career....'
Aikman elaborates :
As journalists all over the world, many of us operate in cultures which either do not acknowledge truth to exist or are hostile to those who claim that it exists and can be known. In this climate, we need to remind ourselves that we serve a King [i.e. Jesus] who embodies both truth and justice, and who indeed is the truth (John 14 : 6).
in 1997, Aikman produced atrocity literature about India that was outright false. just before the 1999 General Elections in India, Jennifer Arul was featured prominently at the Gegrapha International Conference in England, and she said :
The burning of a missionary, the rape of nuns, the destruction of churches, the assault on a priest, are ominous signals to Christians of all denominations.... How many perpetrators against the Christian community in Indian have been brought to book? Commissions of inquiry are appointed but very little comes out of them. Action? Seldom! A true picture or a report objectively and dispassionately, to be correct and impartial. It is no wonder that those who try to do their Christian duty are branded as activists. Talking of activists, three days before I left Chennai I met John Dayal, the editor of the midday newspaper, based in Delhi. he has involved himself in the United Christian Council, which is currently involved in telling Christians about various anti-Christian activities around India, activities which, as a journalist, he obviously is privy to. We are due to have our general election during the month of September and the information he gave at that meeting was most valuable. I heard him and I also saw the reaction from the six hundred organisations that were represented.... Christian media persons like ourselves have to use the power we have to influence.
At another international meeting of Gegrapha, Arul spoke again about the role of a Christian journalist operating in a non-Christian environment. She referred to non-Christian Indian journalists as those 'who follow different paths', while praising the Christian journalist as someone who has the 'responsibility of telling the truth'. Criticizing the limits placed on evangelism in government media channels, she praised her ability to use private satellite channels to report exclusively on the problems of Hindu society. She advocated that the 'Christian journalist has to bring a perspective to every story', and said that she did not care about being 'accused of inciting violence and not promoting religious tolerance'. Before her applauding Western Christian sponsors, she made it clear that the Christian identity in her takes precedence over the journalist :
Do we believe we are journalists first and foremost and only then does the Christian label get tagged on? It's a tricky question and one that needs thinking about. As for me, I believe that being a Christian journalist puts me in a uniquely privileged position to bring the truth , as I see it, to my 375 millions viewers who are of course the public Square.
Gegrapha is a facilitator of Christian journalists who ground their professional work in personal faith and use their transnational connections. Stephen David is another strategically placed Gegrapha member who is the principal correspondent on political and current affairs for India Today, the country's largest news weekly. Such journalists now comprise a rapidly growing group across India's media, where they can act behind the scenes in framing the news. Yet, the impressions that are created internationally by John Dayal, Jennifer Arul and other high-profile indian Christian journalists, is that the Indian media is anti-Christian, that Hindus terrorize Christians, and hence foreign intervention is necessary for justice in India. This is music to the cars of their sponsors, who naturally, reach for the pocket book.
NOTE
Based in Chennai, she is the resident editor and bureau chief in South India for New Delhi Television Ltd., Jennifer Arul is also chief operating officer of an Indonesian news and information channel, Astro Awani, honored in its first year for best current affairs programme in Indonesia. (Bio-data of Jennifer Arul as presented in 'Journalism Through the Eyes of Faith' section of Bethel University : URL : http://www.bethel.edu/special-events/jtef/bios). In 2007, she launched a similar Astro service in Malaysia. According to ChennaiTVNews.com, Jennifer Arul has been made the managing editor of a new channel in association with 'The Hindu' newspaper. (ChennaiTVNews.com 2008)
(Excerpt taken from pages 360-362; for all original references kindly refer the book)
Explosive stuff!Even though we knew their apparent motives it is obnoxious to know this self righteous peddling of their communal agenda so brazenly.
ReplyDeleteA "journalist" with a missionary position, eh?
ReplyDeletewonderful article exposing ndtv again
ReplyDeleteSTOP BLAMING HINDUS AND PROTECTING THOSE WHO INTRODUCED DOWRY IN INDIA AND THEN WASHED THEIR HANDS AWAY - In India all Christians are Convertees and that too not very long ago, therefore they borrow freely from western culture and are easily influenced, while Hindus have our traditions based on thousands of years of practice ... in fact Divorce is something that is introduced by Christians and Muslims who are comfortable in frequent marriages and divorces, dowry is also a common practice in Christianity, in fact it is a word introduced by the British as it is their tradition to give a dower at time of marriage - remember the Divide and Rule strategy -- hence as Hindus we need not bear the guilt of dowry at all - a Hindu father is only expected to ensure that the marriage party is comfortable after their long trip and to give his daughter gifts as per his status, in fact Hindu marriages as described in the vedas are very simple. Can the educated Journalist please tell me where in Hinduism/Hindi/Sanskrit the word DOWRY is written. It is common knowledge that Britishers used to marry their daughters and sons to noblemen and kings to acquire land, property and titles -- even though they were unhappily married without taking into factor age, compatibility and education.
ReplyDeleteSo 'Hindu Journalists' can bring their biases in and that is alright. They can peddle hatred in the name of reporting and that is laudable.
ReplyDeleteWhich "Hindu journalist" has peddled hatred in the name of reporting? Why won't you create a blog yourself for those biases, since they they exist in your fantasy world!
DeleteWhy don't you open up your mind and see the world without the filtered orange glasses?. The piece has no merit excpet in your convoluted mind. Fact that you have gone to an extent as to run a blog piece to pick on a journalist who has consistently stood for all sections of the society (despite the limitations imposed by commercialised journalistic pressures), says a lot about your own narrow confines and textured motives. Seriously, get a life.
ReplyDeleteThe article is an excerpt from a book, co-authored by the eminent scholar, Mr Rajiv Malhotra. Let's see if you have hard evidence to prove his writings have no "merit". Else, your comment is nothing more than from a world that you see with your filtered red glasses!
DeleteI want to tell people that Mr. Rajiv Malhotra is a pucca fraud.He talks nonsense about so-called 'Breakage' of India, airing nonsense from his racist Brahmin brain, and is making money off it. First Malhotra is not even an Indian citizen. The guy is a USA citizen. If this fellow loves India 'so much', why is he holding US citizenship? Why did this guy run off from India to study in the West? This fraud Malhotra lives in America, where he got good education and good life for his family and yet he talks nonsense about America and the West. Malhotra has a group of fooools as fans, all of who are hypocrites, all of who ran away from India for a better life in America and are all USA citizens( many of whom are Engineers, Doctors and IITians!). Isnt Malhotra therefore a pucca fraud and a hypocrite????? Write to me at g_sur@yahoo.com My name is Suresh Ganapathy and i am in Pearland TX USA.
ReplyDeletegreat piece of Info. Actually the west want to convert we Indian Hindus to Christians because their people do not believe in Christianity. Actually Dowry is the concept of the west not India. In Kerala the Christian communities are the people who gives the maximum amount of Dowry. We have to stop the intellectual atrocities of the christian journalists. Otherwise we Hindus will be in deep problem.
ReplyDelete