Leaders of Muslim organisations in Nigeria have showered accolades on Muslim News, Nigeria’s most authoritative Islamic newspaper as it celebrates its second anniversary of existence.
The medium, created in August 2018, was founded to serve as a mouthpiece for Muslim achievers and Islamic events while covering the gap of bias reportage tilted against the Muslims.
Reviewing its operations two years down the line, top religious leaders and scholars passed a vote of confidence on the medium that has trumpeted Islamic events, achievements and stories overtime.
It is doing great in changing the narratives – Femi Abbas
A media big wig, Alhaji Femi Abbas said, “Muslim News is doing very well. It is a medium that is making the Muslims feel they have a means of getting information and disseminating information for Muslims in Nigeria that was not in existence before.
“Muslim News is giving us the impression that this is the ground for Muslims to feel the need to be part of the media. Long before now, the media was exclusively for the non-Muslims, and they use it to exploit the Muslims – not the Muslims per say, but Islam and when you exploit Islam, you exploit the Muslims.
“I think, the social media is particularly meant for the Muslims to communicate. And Muslim News has provided that forum effectively. So, the Islamic Newspaper is commended and I only hope the Muslims will take advantage of it and be serious this time.
“I think I am experienced and qualified enough to say that my impression of the Muslims in Nigeria is that they do not read. But now, Rasheed Abubakar has provided the right platform for those who are willing to read and contribute.
“If you observe very well, however, you will notice that Muslims are not taking the effective advantage of the platform the young brother has provided.”
The popular Islamic columnist with The Nation newspaper alluded that he follows the platform (website www.muslimnews.com.ng) very well and observed that Muslims have not been contributing significantly to the medium in terms of followership and readership.
According to him, “I can say that the contributions of Muslim readers are very scanty. If that kind of platform were to be for the Christians, they would have taken advantage of it and everyone would have seen the difference. I pray to Almighty Allah to grant him (and his team) long life with sound health and protection and the wherewithal with which he gets to the highest pedestal.”
Alhaji Abbas, meanwhile, implored the management of the medium to boost its interaction base, advising that programmes that draw public reactions be initiated. He added that Muslim News has succeeded in its news coverage and analyses, noting that there is no confutation about that fact.
“The platform has been provided. The only angle I will want him to add is that of response. That’s how to monitor the readership of the platform. Creating forums for people to react to certain things through questions sometimes, bring out a programme or a story that can draw reactions, and periodically publish those reactions because people like to read themselves in news. So that is the only angle I think the medium needs”.
“I read the medium very well; it covers stories locally and internationally. And it does sometimes do thorough analyses of certain things/issues. Muslim News reportage is very good. There is no doubt about it for anybody who wants to read. But that is the only angle you need, for people to contribute. Most Muslims do not know that they can contribute. And that’s because most Muslims do not read. They may open the platform,read the headline of a story, but do incomplete reading. So, they won’t be able to contribute. But when the platform is channelled for them to contribute and react, they would find this as an opportunity for them to be read too.”
