| |||
Sat, Aug 16th, 2008 6:39 pm BdST
Dhaka, Aug 16 (bdnews24.com) - Malaysian blogger and rights activist Marina Mahathir has urged women to express themselves on blogs on political and social issues following in the footsteps of Malaysian women.
Speaking at a conference on "Gender equity in media" at Dhaka University on Saturday, she said hundreds of Malaysian women are posting blogs on different political and social issues.
"The old media is facing challenge from new media like internet. Anybody can spread his opinions throughout the world using internet. Women are no exception in this regard," she said.
"If the traditional media fail to face the challenge of the new media and give space to women they will lag behind."
The daughter of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said, "Blogging is a new trend and women are involved with it. There is a website named blogher solely for women and it has 13000 members all over the world."
Stressing on the importance of media she said, "Media is one of the most powerful tools that we have to shape the world we live in.
"Through the media and the information it provides, we are able to influence what people know (and what they don't know) and their attitudes about almost everything and everyone."
Mahathir said, "From September 11, or even earlier from the time of the Iranian revolution, we are seen as a violent people, stern and dour and who impose oppressive rules on society, especially on women.
"This stereotype disregards the diversity of the Muslim world and the many good aspects of our societies."
"Coverage of the more sensational violent and salacious stories about the West causes our people to view the West as an immoral and dangerous place and ignores admirable traits such as volunteerism and community spirit.
"We are often as guilty of imbalance as the West is."
Referring to a UNESCO research in 1995, she said, "In all parts of the world, women are not a significant part of the media workforce. In Asia, they make up 21 percent of the workforce, in Latin America 25 percent, in southern Africa 27 percent and in Western Europe and the United States 35 percent.
The conference adopted Dhaka Declaration 2008 that called for policies to give women scope in participation in policymaking by increasing their presence in media.
Women's leader and litterateur Selina Hossain read out the Dhaka Declaration.
Dhaka University vice chancellor Prof SMA Faiz was the chief guest at the conference.
Bangladesh Centre for Development Journalism and Communication (BCDJ) organised the conference with financial assistance from the European Union.
Professor Abul Monsur Ahmed of Dhaka University's Department of Mass Communication and Journalism read out a paper.
BCDJC president Naimul Islam Khan and Bangladeshi women journalists were present.
BRAC VISIT
Earlier, Mahathir praised Brac's grassroots reach as she visited a slum facility in the capital run by the world's largest NGO, Brac said in a statement.
"Brac's reach at the grassroots level is unprecedented," she was quoted as saying.
She spent time with children at a primary school and spoke to women at a health care centre.
Prior to her trip to the slum in the city's Gulshan area, she met with Brac senior officials at the NGO's headquarters.
bdnews24.com/sm/msi/rb/eh/bd/1745hours
Speaking at a conference on "Gender equity in media" at Dhaka University on Saturday, she said hundreds of Malaysian women are posting blogs on different political and social issues.
"The old media is facing challenge from new media like internet. Anybody can spread his opinions throughout the world using internet. Women are no exception in this regard," she said.
"If the traditional media fail to face the challenge of the new media and give space to women they will lag behind."
The daughter of former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said, "Blogging is a new trend and women are involved with it. There is a website named blogher solely for women and it has 13000 members all over the world."
Stressing on the importance of media she said, "Media is one of the most powerful tools that we have to shape the world we live in.
"Through the media and the information it provides, we are able to influence what people know (and what they don't know) and their attitudes about almost everything and everyone."
Mahathir said, "From September 11, or even earlier from the time of the Iranian revolution, we are seen as a violent people, stern and dour and who impose oppressive rules on society, especially on women.
"This stereotype disregards the diversity of the Muslim world and the many good aspects of our societies."
"Coverage of the more sensational violent and salacious stories about the West causes our people to view the West as an immoral and dangerous place and ignores admirable traits such as volunteerism and community spirit.
"We are often as guilty of imbalance as the West is."
Referring to a UNESCO research in 1995, she said, "In all parts of the world, women are not a significant part of the media workforce. In Asia, they make up 21 percent of the workforce, in Latin America 25 percent, in southern Africa 27 percent and in Western Europe and the United States 35 percent.
The conference adopted Dhaka Declaration 2008 that called for policies to give women scope in participation in policymaking by increasing their presence in media.
Women's leader and litterateur Selina Hossain read out the Dhaka Declaration.
Dhaka University vice chancellor Prof SMA Faiz was the chief guest at the conference.
Bangladesh Centre for Development Journalism and Communication (BCDJ) organised the conference with financial assistance from the European Union.
Professor Abul Monsur Ahmed of Dhaka University's Department of Mass Communication and Journalism read out a paper.
BCDJC president Naimul Islam Khan and Bangladeshi women journalists were present.
BRAC VISIT
Earlier, Mahathir praised Brac's grassroots reach as she visited a slum facility in the capital run by the world's largest NGO, Brac said in a statement.
"Brac's reach at the grassroots level is unprecedented," she was quoted as saying.
She spent time with children at a primary school and spoke to women at a health care centre.
Prior to her trip to the slum in the city's Gulshan area, she met with Brac senior officials at the NGO's headquarters.
bdnews24.com/sm/msi/rb/eh/bd/1745hours
AIDS fight needs input of religious leaders: Mahathir
Bangladesh News 24 hours (subscription), Bangladesh - Aug 12, 2008
Dhaka, Aug 12 (bdnews24.com) – Involving religious leaders is an essential measure to address HIV/AIDS issue in Muslim countries, said visiting human-rights ...
Bangladesh News 24 hours (subscription), Bangladesh - Aug 12, 2008
Dhaka, Aug 12 (bdnews24.com) – Involving religious leaders is an essential measure to address HIV/AIDS issue in Muslim countries, said visiting human-rights ...
[* Moderator's Note - CHOTTALA is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political and non-discriminatory organization.
* Disclaimer: Any posting to the CHOTTALA are the opinion of the author. Authors of the messages to the CHOTTALA are responsible for the accuracy of their information and the conformance of their material with applicable copyright and other laws. Many people will read your post, and it will be archived for a very long time. The act of posting to the CHOTTALA indicates the subscriber's agreement to accept the adjudications of the moderator]
Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe
__,_._,___
