This document discusses the need for grassroots interfaith dialogue to counter media myths about religious fundamentalism. It argues that media coverage often promotes stereotypes, fear, and ignorance about religious minorities. This leads to a "culture of suspicion, confrontation, and violence." Instead, grassroots dialogue can help establish direct communication, remove ignorance, and build relationships based on accepting others and listening to their perspectives. The goal is to move from a culture fueled by myths to one of dialogue and different religious communities living together in peace.

1. Media’s Myths of Fundamentalism
and Need for a Dialogue at
Grassroots
Presented at PTCA studies
program in Taiwan
By Rev Dr Joshva Raja

2. Myths of Fundamentalism
A Myth is widely held story or belief.
The myths of fundamentalism refer to those
mediated stories or reports or narratives that contain
details about fundamentalists or communal forces
that belong to a particular sect or group within a
particular religion
Fundamentalism is understood as the strict
maintenance of traditional orthodox religious beliefs
or doctrines especially belief in the inerrancy of
scripture and literal acceptance of the creeds as
fundamentals of one’s own religion (The New Shorter
Oxford Dictionary). Fundamentalism in simple words
can be explained as an act of return to the
fundamentals of a particular religion which people
believe to be literally true.

3. Myths and Media
-Created
-Constructed
-reiterated

4. Media
Market Pressure/Profit
motive/increasing space
Negative
/Stereotype
reporting as
Practice
Popularizing
strange things -
fundamentalism
Constructing
Realities:
Turning reality
into a myth…
Media refers to TV/Radio/Newspapers/Magazines/Internet…
Information
Communication
Entertainment

5. Mediated Myths of
Fundamentalism

6. Media, Myth and Ignorance
Huntington’s thesis on Clash of Civilization
Edward Said’s Clash of Ignorance
Ignorance does not refer to ‘not-knowing the other’ rather
means to ‘knowing more or only the negative side of the
other’. It is often articulated by the vested groups and so
can be identified as ‘articulated ignorance’ of the other.

7. Examples of Myths of Fundamentalism
Religious activities are often reported when they have
negative or unexpected characteristics
The news media popularises the fundamentalist aspect of
every religion.
Media have a Dualistic representation – Majority vs Minority
The media often tend to show their national identity
They fear of being blamed for siding with the outside
terrorists
This is what people like to read or view or see in our media

8. Years
No of
rel. news
Hindutva[1
]/Hindus
On
Muslim
s
Other
Rels
1981 119 54 42 23
1992 172 77 59 36
2002 348 126 173 49
Years
Total
Rel issues
Hindutva
/ Hindus
Muslms Other
Rel
1995 270 93 118 59
2002 336 124 168 44

9. No of
articles
related
to
Pak/
Afgan/
S.Arabi
a
Kashm
ir/
terroris
ts/
Hindu
vs
Islam
Terr
orist
s/
Jiha
d/
extr
emis
ts
Editori
al /
Politic
al
comm
ents
Photo
Pictur
es
India
Today
56 107 22 46 9 73
Frontli
ne
87 69 17 21 6 42

10. India Today
No of articles
Islam Vs
Hinduism
Terrorism(Islami
c)Vs
Nationalism
Iconic clashes -
Picts
Colours (green
vs saffron)
1981 3 7 00
1992 14 21 08
2002 56 73 17
Frontline
No of
articles
Islam Vs
Hinduism
Terrorism
(Islamic)
Vs
Nationalism
Iconic
Clashes
Pictures
1995 12 8 3
2002 71 79 17

11. Media and Mythical statements
• ‘Christianity is a slow poison which is the
cause of peace and family felling among
the tribals. Christian missionaries have
made use of Government resources for
the purposes of conversions’. – Sandesh
Newspaper
• missionaries do forceful conversion in
Gujarat -Gujarat Samachar (a daily
newspaper), Nav Gujarat (a daily),

12. Attacks on the churches in Gujarat
after these reports

13. Pre and Post Godhra Myth

14. Muslim
Refugees
Dead bodies from
the train
Bogie on fire
Post Godhra
hatredness
hum paanch,
hamaare pachhis
(we are five and
we will be twenty
five).

15. ‘minorities have to earn majority's goodwill’
“70 HINDUS ARE BURNT ALIVE” as Headlines.
“AVENGE BLOOD WITH BLOOD” This is a quote from a
statement issued by a VHP leader
THE ROLE OF NEWSPAPERS DURING THE GUJARAT
CARNAGE
HINDUS BEWARE: HAJ PILGRIMS RETURN WITH A
DEADLY CONSPIRACY
Boycott of Muslims
India will be a Hindu rashtra in two years…

16. culture of
suspicion
culture of
confrontation
culture of
violence
e.g.
Islamophobia

20. culture of dialogue
culture of reconciliation
a chance for inescapable mission of
inter-religious dialogue
a need for theology of dialogue
particularly at grassroots

21. Dialogue at Grassroots?
Dialogue as attempt to impose an exclusive pluralism
dialogue as an intellectual exercise
to eliminate evangelism and proclamation of the gospel
identifying the fundamentalist groups with these evangelicals,
Pentecostals and Charismatic groups who are popular among public
An approach which is neither completely exclusive nor inclusive nor
pluralist - possible?

22. Dialogue for Co-existence
Forthe sake of dialogue neither Christians norHindus should beasked tochangetheirfaith
orbeliefs
Thebasic purpose dialogue at grassrootsis to reducethe suspicion that onecommunity
or personhasabout the other
Accepting the other
Listening to the other
Living together with the other

23. Prophetic
Liberative
Nourishes
Culture
Building
Communities
Development-
oriented
Dialogic
Plurality
of Mission
Evangelization
conversion

24. Jesus accepted his listeners
‘as they were’
Jesus often listens to his
audiences
Jesus Engaged in others’ search
for meanings

25. Grassroots Dialogue
Establishes Direct Contact and
Communication
Removes Ignorance and establishes
relationship
From myths of ignorance and clashes
to a culture of dialogue and a life
together