* Faith & the City

To begin with, I would like to acknowledge the opportunities that the local media has recently offered to the faith community. This includes programme such as “Faith in the City” by BBC, media coverage of “Interfaith Memorial Service for Tsunami Victims” and its subsequent royal visit, the regular coverage of Interfaith events such as “Peace Walk”, the Daily Echo weekly religious portrait by Mr Paul Eddy, BBC Radio Solent interviews with local people with different religious background and inviting all faiths to offer their thoughts on its morning programme by Rev. David Adcock. For that the Hampshire Baha’is are grateful to be given yet another opportunity next week to put forward their view.

In order to illustrate the need for strengthening the collaboration between the media and religion, we may look at the roles and the nature of these two phenomena.

- We may agree that the media is a device that can successfully inform the public of local, national and international revelations.
- We may also acknowledge the powerful influence of the media in creating or guiding the public’s mood.
- On the other hand Religion is a comprehensive collection of ideologies together with a roadmap that points out the direction for achieving certain goals, which are revealed by a few spiritual/divine geniuses/grate thinkers/philosophers that are commonly referred to as the prophets of God or founders of the religion.
- The religious ideology like any other relies heavily on some form of media in order to live within the community. The format of this media, however, varies according to the culture and its available technology.
Up to 20th century the media were limited to books, story telling, literature, visual art and music. At present time, however, with the emergence of the analogue and then digital media, religion requires access to the modern media.
- The media by itself in a spiritual, moral and humanitarian vacuum is not but a sophisticated piece of machinery looking for a mission. Religion in absence of the media is not but a willing and trained driver looking for a sound vehicle.
- Together they form a strong body and soul that is capable of serving the community in their full strength.
Together we can eliminate social diseases such as cultural ignorance, disunity, vandalism and antisocial behaviour, the breakdown of family units, alcohol and drag abuse, and the culture of “you can do what you can get away with”.
- Practical suggestions:
- To develop mutual understanding about the role of the media and religion.
- To maintain and expand the present channels of co-operation as well as exploring original areas.
“If only the laws and precepts of the prophets of God had been believed, understood and followed, wars would no longer darken the face of the earth.”
`Abdu'l-Bahá, Paris Talks

Delivered by Parvaneh Farid at CDAGM (Cultural Diversity Advisory Group to the Media) Meeting with BBC South, Meridian TV and the Daily Echo
28th Januarry 2005
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