Politicians discuss role of media in cultural dialogue

Media can be useful in bridging the gap between views or dividing them, if used to fuel tension without offering solutions, several officials said on Monday. Bahrain's Minister of Information Samira Rajab said that dialogue between cultures is linked to globilisation both of which have grown thanks to the information technology boom. This should aid in bridging points of view, however, "conflicts have been on the rise," she said in her contribution to a debate at the 11th Arab Media Forum currently being held in Kuwait. Some news outlets have become tools to divide societies through members of a single community's different descriptions. This has given people who have taken on board these descriptions a cause for conflict. Bahrain has brought together different intellectual and religious backgrounds and has allowed religions the right to practice their beliefs. The country has never known discrimination, she added. Meanwhile, Egyptian Minister of Information Durriyah Sharaf Ad-Deen said media should not enter debates over religion or culture as "this is a dangerous idea." Changes that have swept the Arab region have led to the introduction of what she described as "unprofessionals" to journalism. The Arab League's Assistant Secretary General for Media and Communications Haifa Abu Ghazaleh blamed the media for spreading "negative sentiments" that have widened the gap between religions. There is a wide-scale and fierce campaign currently being taken out against Islam, she added, stating that the mistake should not be made twice through spreading the same message on the inside. For his part, UN information officer Najib Freiji said that people's views of the facts are directly linked to their own cultural references. Despite this we are largely affected by the media. Globalisation is not only an economic term, but extends far beyond that to interaction between nations and cultures despite their different approaches. Dialogue between cultures and the respect of diversity are two components that are crucial for human rights to thrive, he said