There is very good reason why the present age is known as the ‘information age.’ Never before has mankind experienced such a deluge of information as we are witnessing in present times. We are literally ‘bombarded’ from every direction with information in its various forms, from every part of the globe, largely thanks to the electronic media, although the print media plays a considerable part.

The problem with this information flood, however, is that the bulk of it is nothing more than meaningless chatter and cheap propaganda, where useless ‘infotainment’ claptrap is cleverly disguised as news and information, and presented in such a way as to serve the needs of greedy, power-hungry media moguls and governments. Herein lay some of the most challenging questions of our times: How do we separate the good from the bad and the ugly, and how do we penetrate the layers of propaganda to see the real information beneath? Also, how do we relate the global issues to ourselves as Muslims? And very importantly, what is the Islamic perspective on all this?

Sure enough, we claim that Islam is a comprehensive way of life, and has a solution for every aspect of life, but really speaking, does Islam say anything at all about global current affairs? Does Islam offer solutions to the multitude of problems that plague the world today, such as war, poverty, severe economic imbalance, political crisis, injustice and oppression? Does Islam have the potential to make the world a better place? If Islam does indeed offer any solutions, are these solutions pragmatic and viable, especially in today’s times? The answer to all of these questions is an emphatic ‘yes!’. Islam is without doubt a universal creed, a living way of life, a guiding light; and Islam is as relevant today as it was in the days of the Prophet (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam).

But a skeptic will be perfectly justified in doubting this, because there is not a country in the world where Islam’s solutions are being successfully implemented. Nor is there some place where one can at least learn about Islam’s solutions. And if the Muslims themselves are clueless, as is certainly the case, what can be said of the masses out there? But this problem exists not because Islam does not offer any solutions, but because in general its followers have failed to live up to modern challenges by studying the teachings of Islam in order to search for solutions, and to present them to the world. The result? Global turmoil.

Enough about the problems, time for solutions. A very good start would be a journal where current news-making events are sifted and analyzed by various Ulama and the Islamic perspective given, along with insights and possible solutions from the Quran and Hadith. It must be presented in layman’s terms, so that every Muslim has the opportunity of learning and practicing. Is there such a journal? The Jamiat News & Views is a new online newsletter which is published by the Jamiatul Ulama KwaZulu Natal with the specific aim of addressing these issues. For anyone who is keen to know the Islamic perspective on modern issues, and to go about making the world a better place, the Jamiat News and Views will be a good starting place.

The Jamiat News & Views newsletter is available to all members of our mailing list. Should you wish to join the Jamiat’s mailing list, kindly contact us