Journal articles on the topic 'Jews – Russia (Federation) – Intellectual life'

Public control is one of the main methods to protect the most wide range of consumers of our country and also an instrument of its modernization. Today there is a need to expand the coverage of public control. Only a United force of the citizens themselves and their intelligence and cohesion will be able to provide a decent level of life in our country and make it more effective any authority, forcing the authority to act in the interests of the people. In this article we consider possibilities of public control in the sphere of protection of the rights of consumers, legislation improvement in the sphere of public control, cooperation between the government and society when carrying out public control. There is also brought an example of successful collaboration when carrying out actions of public control. In this article the main problems of development of system of public control in the Russian Federation are described, the author offers solutions of these problems.

The subject of the research is digital technologies regarded as a priority in the economic development of Russia. The objectives of the research are a comprehensive study of the digital economy in Russia and abroad; the analysis of the Digital Economy program as a priority in the economic policy of the country; determining the prospects for the digitalization of the economy. Conclusions. Russia has all the prerequisites needed for further realization of the digital potential and acceleration of the economy digitalization. New technologies will have a significant impact on the development of business and public management, the growth of the life quality, the emergence of new forms of socialization of people and their communications. Russia has the necessary intellectual and scientific base; there are original organizational and technological solutions to create an effective infrastructure of the digital economy. For the implementation of the “Digital Economy of the Russian Federation” program the volume of the R&D funding should be increased and the staff training in the field of high technologies improved.

The article deals with the socio-economic and ideological orientations of scientific and journalistic works of N.I. Ryzhkov, united in the author's 10-volume edition under the general title «In the fields of historical memory. Time. Events. People». Particular attention is paid to the reflections of the former Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR on the ways, programs, methods, forms and methods of restructuring the socio-political and socio-economic life of the Country of the Soviets. Emphasizes the importance and relevance of reflection N.I. Ryzhkov about the historical mission of Russia, the multifaceted appearance of its national idea, the exploits of Russia on the fields of its combat, labor, scientific and intellectual glory. On the red line is estimated the scientific component of the collected and analyzed N.I. Ryzhkov extensive statistical data on the economic support of the USSR's victory over Nazi Germany. The variants of Russian answers to the civilizational challenges of the XXI century facing the Russian Federation are compared with the established public discourse proposed by N.I. Ryzhkov.

Inclusive education of people with disabilities today is a fairly popular object of research among a wide range of specialists (sociologists, psychologists, social workers); however, disabilities are far from the only factor of social exclusion, and education is not the only process aimed at increasing the inclusiveness of society. The multidimensionality of social inclusion makes it possible, in the framework of this study, to single out the aspect of inclusive living. This aspect is revealed in the ideas of inclusive design of dwellings themselves and the urban space in general, is ensured by the construction of inclusive housing, and is supported by the inclusive housing policy of the state. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify and conceptualize inclusive living as an aspect of multidimensional social inclusion in the context of the transformation of social and legal institutions in Russia. During the study, the general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison, and analogy were used. The theoretical basis of the study was the works of Russian and mainly foreign researchers in the field of inclusive housing policy, inclusive housing, inclusive design, etc. The legal framework for the study was the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, federal laws of the Russian Federation, resolutions of the Government of the Russian Federation, orders of ministries, national standards, etc. As a result of the study, the authors' definition of the concept of inclusive living is proposed: it is a living socially autonomous from the helping subject, in which each person, regardless of the physical, intellectual and other characteristics, is provided with a socioeconomic opportunity to choose the place of residence (a specific house or apartment) and roommates (regardless of gender and age) they like, and freely interact with neighbors (for example, at general meetings). In the course of the study, some assessment is also given to the transformation of social and legal institutions in Russia aimed at increasing the inclusiveness of the residence of certain social groups (disabled people, elderly people, etc.). In addition, the authors suggest that the inclusiveness of living can be considered as one of the indicators of the quality of life of the population of a particular state, which requires further research on the institutional factors that determine social inclusion or exclusion in this context.

In the article there is a judgment of the current state of religious education in Russia by the example of comprehensive schools and higher education institutions of Rostov-on-Don. The authors mark a number of problems preventing high-quality improvement of religious education in the Russian Federation and also speak about the achievements in this sphere made lately. In the article the need of improvement of quality of religious education in Russia contacts a huge number of destructive information in the Internet space and its adverse effect on the modern Russian youth and also the substitution of real life by virtual reality and the related with them falling of the intellectual level of development of the young generation which has received the manifestation in ignorance of history and culture of their own country. The authors argue about the changes of the meaning of the category “value” in the modern Russian society. They compare modern understanding of “value” with understanding of “value” of the beginning of the 20th century. A set of traditional cultural values is given in the article, it is necessary to impart these values to the young generation to protect it from the adverse effect of the Internet space and to develop the critical relation to the obtained information.

Introduction: building an information society in modern Russia is taking place at an active pace. Digital technologies are penetrating all spheres of public life. These processes are objective, but also require control and management by the state, which must create an adequate regulatory framework regulating a new type of postindustrial (information and digital) relations. To this end, it is necessary to form and implement a purposeful state and legal policy in the space of the functioning of information and telecommunications systems, through which it will be possible to effectively solve all the main tasks. Purpose: to identify the main problems of the formation and implementation of state and legal policy in the space of the functioning of information and telecommunications systems and to formulate directions for their solution. Methods: the methodological framework for the research is the dialectical approach, the information approach, the system method, the methods of analysis and synthesis, the methods of modeling and forecasting, the comparative law approach, the formal-legal method. The provisions of the theory of the information society, the theory of state and legal policy, and the theory of intellectual rights were used as the methodological guidelines for thinking in the framework of the study. Results: the current stage of development of the Russian Federation demonstrates the expansion of the information and digital sphere of social life. This changes the nature and algorithm of public relations, which accordingly sets the state to the task of creating a new legal climate that can ensure law and order in the space of functioning of information and telecommunications systems and the effective implementation of the entire range of subjective rights and obligations of participants in information and digital relations. Conclusions: it is established that to ensure proper organizational and legal conditions in the space of functioning information and telecommunications systems, it is necessary to form and implement a purposeful state and legal policy that is based on the solid scientific foundations, following the principles of consistency and continuality in the development and decision-making, can create adequate and stable organizational and legal foundations for the dynamics of public relations in the new digital reality that modern Russia faces. Some specific legal measures are proposed, including those related to the adoption of the Digital Code, improvement of the mechanism of the legal regulation of intellectual rights arising and implemented in the parameters of information and telecommunications systems, etc.

The article provides the comparative analysis of the current positions of the regional economic systems of the Southern Federal District (SFD) under the first phase of the fourth industrial revolution in Russia in the following key aspects: socio-economic situation, level of scientific, technological and innovative development, and digital transformation. The broad empirical basis of the study involves the reports of the European Commission, the World Economic Forum, the International Institute for Management Development, the World Intellectual Property Organization, official data from the Rosstat, the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, the specialized studies of Russian and foreign analytical companies, research divisions of the Higher School of Economics, the Moscow School of Management Skolkovo, the Leontief Center - AV Group Consortium, specialized associations, public organizations, which are summarized in the ranking tables with their subsequent analytical interpretation. The research concluded that, in line with the global trends, achieving high competitiveness by the SFD leading regions and keeping their advanced socio-economic position is supported by their advanced scientific, technological and innovative development, high level of digitalization in all spheres of life, broad application of information and communication technologies by households and organizations, and development of digital skills. In this regard, the author substantiates the necessity of forming a complementary system of human, material and natural, technical and technological, institutional, organizational and informational factors in all the SFD regions to provide the regional economy development in the context of the Industry 4.0 priorities.

Abstract For many years in ELT methodology the questions of teaching writing in ELT coursebooks have been given much attention in terms of its nature, differences between written and spoken speech, ELT objectives and approaches to teaching writing, types of writing genres, writing assessment. But one rather neglected area in that regard is a graded teaching of creative writing to FL learners. The fifteen-year experience with organizing language-and-culture competitions launched by the Research Centre “Euroschool” for foreign language /FL/ students across Russia have proved that even intermediate FL learners, not to speak about advanced students are quite capable of writing in a FL: a) poems and songs expressing their ideas about teenagers’ lifestyle & visions of contemporary world; b) short stories describing family and school life experiences of their own or their peers; c) essays based on their comparative study of native and foreign cultures; d) presentations of Russian culture & other cultures of the Russian Federation in an English environment while being on exchange visits; e) translations of English poetry, short stories, excerpts from humours books, stripes of comics. The paper compares teaching creative writing in Russian and English, discusses the questions arisen from the outcomes of the language-and-culture competitions, arguing that effective teaching of creative writing presupposes: 1) teaching a FL in the context of the dialogue of cultures and civilizations, 2) introducing creative writing into a FL curriculum, 3) designing a package of thought-provoking teaching materials aiming at developing communicative, intellectual & mediating learners’ powers, 4) applying appropriate assessment scales for observing the dynamics of learners’ development as creative writers, 5) marrying students’ bilingual and crosscultural/ pluricultural classroom activities stimulating their participation in language-and-culture competitions.

Abstract The present article studies the thematic ways in which Jewish childhood was represented in Russian Jewish art and visual media from the 1850s to the 1930s. During this period, Russian Jewry was undergoing important transformations. It saw the establishment of a traditional model of religious life, a subsequent process of modernization and acculturation, and finally the education of the “New Jew” as part of post-Revolutionary secular culture, as well as the seeding of extreme forms of radicalization that would develop in the Soviet era. Jewish art and visual media were always a documentary means of representing collective ideals, key among which was the value associated with Jewish children’s future. The images preserved in art, photography, and print show how diligent study for boys and young men was extolled in traditional communities; this resulted in the formation of an intellectual elite that served as a bulwark of religious and spiritual self-consciousness against outside cultural influences. Along with historical-statistical studies and memoirs, these images recreate a psycho-emotional and social background for the traditional model of children’s education. On the one hand, this model perpetuated the lifestyle and values established over the centuries, yet on the other, it sparked charges of anachronism and fanaticism, which intensified the antagonism of Russian society toward its Jewish minority. The same model proved to be extremely influential for the Jewish masses; it came by its iconic visual representation in various “Cheder” compositions and portraits of the “Talmudist Iluy.” Both types of works brought out the value of religious education. Later artistic depictions demonstrated that upon passing through the grinder of the Soviet atheist system, this model inspired the zeal that Jews had for secular education and the prospect of their children’s being granted equal opportunity, resulting in the loss of their ethno-cultural identity in the new Soviet reality.

The necessary level of development of psychophysiological, physiological, school-significant functions at the time of the child's admission to school is the determining condition for the successful acquisition of knowledge and social adaptation. The psychophysiological development of a child depends on various factors that affect him at different age periods. Favorable early stages of the child's ontogenesis determine the timely development of brain structures and the formation of higher mental functions of the body. The effects of negative risk factors, burdened heredity, and the unfavorable course of prenatal development can lead to developmental delays in later periods of ontogenesis. Early identification of damaging factors and elimination of their influence will help to minimize the long-term consequences on the development of the physical and intellectual spheres of life. The aim of the study was to determine the dependence of psychophysiological characteristics on risk factors of the perinatal period in primary-school children permanently residing in the Arctic territory of the Northwest of the Russian Federation. To estimate the prevalence of risk factors for the early development, the analysis of children's medical records and surveys for parents, reflecting the development of the child in different age periods, was carried out. To evaluate the indicators of psychophysiological development, a complex diagnosis was carried out using different methodologies. In the process of the investigation, it was demonstrated that children that have many risk factors in early dysontogenesis get lower rates of speech development and verbal thinking in comparison with children with unburdened anamnesis.

The demographic situation and the level of socio-economic development of the Russian Federation require new consolidated solutions that can ensure the dynamic socio-economic development of the country, ensure an increase in the quality of life of the population, its well-being, and, as a result, improve the demographic situation. One of the key decisions on budget consolidation is the national projects adopted by the decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated May 7, 2018 for the period up to 2024. National projects are developed in three areas: “Human capital”, “Comfortable living environment” and “Economic growth”. Achieving the targets and additional indicators that are defined in the passports of national projects is a key aspect of the implementation of national projects. The passports refer to improving the network of health facilities (FAP and outpatient clinics), educational facilities (schools), the network of educational institutions, projects for creating a comfortable urban environment, etc. To date, Russia does not have a monitoring system based on intellectual and innovative technologies that allows a comprehensive approach to the stages of implementation of national projects, to assess the effects (including changes in the socio-demographic situation) that the implementation of projects should provoke. Such technologies include geo-information systems and modern cartography. Based on international experience in creating various monitoring systems, as well as personal experience in organizing geo-information systems for monitoring ethno-demographic and migration processes, and territorial planning, the authors propose the concept of mapping and geo-information support for national projects, which is presented in the form of “GIS-national projects”. According to the idea, this GIS will improve the quality of management decision-making at all large-scale levels (country, subject, municipal district, locality), and will make it possible to understand the effects of the implementation of national projects.

The paper seeks to explore main stages of the lifeline of S. Shelukhyn as well as characterize his public and political activities, the scholarly achievements, literary and publicistic legacy of the scholar and politician. His classical graduate studies, professional and career background of the lawyer-practician, a shaping of his social and political views and scholarly interests are revealed in the historical circumstances of that time. A particular attention has been paid to his public activities. He was an active founder and member of the socio-political organizations signi ficantly contributing into a development of the national movement. With the beginning of the Ukrainian Revolution, S. Shelukhyn as a delegate, a leading member of the Ukrainian Party of the Socialists-Federalists to the Ukrainian parliament, the Ukrainian Central Council (Rada), was particularly engaged in social and political work. After the proclamation of the UNR, holding high-ranking state posts, he opposed the federation with Russia. The positive aspects of his political life are establishment and activities of the public organi zations, scientific institutions, teaching at the Ukrainian high schools, a fruitful collaboration with the press. The S. Shelukhyn’s scholarly heritage is represented here. Specifically, the studies in history and origin of the Rus-Ukraine, history of the Ukrainian law (in particular, in the field of the criminal and civil law), political sciences and so on, are presented here. The article distinguishes a particularly active scholar ship of S. Shelukhyn in the émigré period. One of the biggest achieve ments of this historian and scholar is the making of argumentation basis for legitimization of the right of the Ukrainian people at restoration and building of the independent state. His beloved interest to literature and creative talent fostered poetry printing on the pages of many press publi cations, mainly of the citizen and patriotic motifs as well as translations of the belles lettres. His publicistic texts were a continuation of his social and political work. They conveyed to the readers his views, senti ments and beliefs shaping the self-consciousness of the Ukrainian nation and broadening horizons of knowledge. Keywords: Serhiy Shelukhyn, the Ukrai nian Central Council (Rada), social and political work, etatist ideology, the Ukrai nian law, emigration, scholarship, publicism, literary works.

Introduction. Analysis and generalization of the results of scientific research of the institutions of the Federal Service for Supervision in Protection of the Rights of Consumer and Man Wellbeing (Rospotrebnadzor)institutions of a hygienic profile are extremely important in the scientific substantiation of ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being and managing risks to the health of the Russian population. The purpose of the study is to analyze the results, achievements and prospects of the scientific substantiation of ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being and managing risks to the health of the population of the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. An expert-analytical study was carried out. The analysis materials are the main results of the activities of scientific institutions of the Rospotrebnadzor of the hygienic profile in the implementation of the industry research program of Rospotrebnadzor for 2021-2025. “Scientific substantiation of the national system for ensuring sanitary and epidemiological well-being, managing health risks and improving the quality of life of the population of Russia”, as well as of the Federal Program (FP) “Clean Air” of the National Project (NP) “Ecology”, FP “Clean Water” NP “Housing and Urban Environment”, FP “Strengthening Public Health” NP “Demography”, the State Program “Provision of chemical and biological safety of the Russian Federation for the period 2021-2024”, the Federal Target Program “Ensuring nuclear and radiation safety for 2016-2020 and for the period up to 2030”. Results. Within the framework of the industry program, in the first year of its implementation, six SanPiNs, 668 hygienic standards were approved, 20 analytical reviews were prepared. 23 patents for inventions, 45 - for industrial designs, 34 - certificates for computer programs, 178 objects of intellectual activity were registered. Based on the materials of scientific research, 95 articles were published in the journals Web of Science, 328 - Scopus, 802 - RSCI. 40 monographs, books and manuals have been published. 11 PhD, 2 doctoral dissertations were defended. Limitations. The research materials are limited to the results of scientific research of the Research Institute of Hygienic Profile of Rospotrebnadzor, obtained in 2021. Conclusion. The results of the activities of the NIO Rospotrebnadzor in 2021 indicate that the set of tasks assigned to them to ensure the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population is being successfully implemented. Further development of interagency cooperation is required (with scientific institutions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, other ministries and departments, with medical universities); interaction with problem committees of the Scientific Council of Rospotrebnadzor, as well as further modernization and renovation of the park of laboratory and medical equipment of scientific organizations.

The strengthening of the role of religion in post-Soviet Russian society, the growing dynamism and instability of processes in the religious sphere led to the inclusion of the religious situation in the range of priority areas of modern religious studies. Of particular relevance is the systematic study of the dynamics of the religious situation in large cities, which are characterized by a complex multi-confessional composition of the population and an accelerated pace of social life. These include the West Siberian city. Omsk: from the very beginning of its history (XVIII century), representatives of different faiths – Orthodox, Muslims, Lutherans, Catholics, Jews, etc. - lived together in it. In the post-Soviet period, there was an increase in the heterogeneity of the composi- tion of citizens on religious grounds. As a result, according to official data From the Department of the Ministry of justice of the Russian Federation for the Omsk region, as of January 2020, only 110 registered religious organizations (excluding religious groups) operate in Omsk, representing 23 confessional areas. Under these conditions, both the scientific and practical significance of monitoring the ethnoconfessional situation in Omsk, which is carried out on an institutional basis, is obvious – in particular, it is provided for in the Plan of main measures to ensure interaction with national-cultural and religious associations operating on the territory of Omsk for 2018 – 2020, approved by the decree of the Omsk city Administration of December 29, 2017. No. 1426-p. The article analyzes the main results of a sociological study conducted as part of the monitoring of the ethnoconfessional situation in Omsk in 2020, commissioned by the city Administration by the Center for humanitarian, socio – economic and political research-2 (GEPICenter-2). It is concluded that at present, traditional positive stability and harmony are preserved in the sphere of inter-confessional relations in Omsk. At the same time, attention is drawn to the growing negative attitude in the public opinion of Omsk residents towards new religious movements and non-traditional confessions in Russia.

The article is devoted to student letters "to the authorities" in 1918 – early 1920s, taken as a source for studying the student corporation during the Civil War. The research is limited to the Cossack regions of the Russian South – Don and Kuban, centers of the armed struggle against the Bolsheviks. Higher education institutions were founded there shortly before the revolution. As a result of a powerful intellectual migration from Petrograd and Moscow, new universities were founded in 1918–1919. Student letters used in the study were obtained from the archival funds of higher educational institutions, government and administrative bodies of the State Archive of Krasnodar region, the State Archive of Rostov region, and the Professional Education Department Main Collection of the State Archive of the Russian Federation. Recipients’ and addressee’ statuses, time, subject, and motivation for writing are taken as parameters and considered in the analysis of letters. Attention is given to notes, official inscriptions on the documents, as well as accompanying letters, official answers, autobiographies, questionnaires, etc. The content of letters is examined within the context of the higher education space formation, along with migration processes of the revolutionary years, and the situation of civil confrontation in the South of Russia. Later, the authors of some letters became known in various fields; the discovered texts help recreate the milestones of their early biographies, especially since many tried to conceal the fact of their life and schooling on non-Soviet territories. The research reveals specific themes and plots of student letters "to the authorities", their value as an authentic source of information. These themes are admission / transfer to another institution, student mobilization, ways of solving material problems, and the activities of student organizations. The author notes how the contradictions within the anti-Bolshevik camp (clearly pronounced on the Don and Kuban) influenced the content of the texts. This is especially true for collective messages "to the authorities" that defended the interests of particular groups or students as a whole. It is shown that the interpretation of certain events and processes was determined both by the real needs of the authors of the letters and by the current political situation. In general, letters "to authorities" are an important source for reconstructing students’ daily life and the vital functions of higher education institutions in extreme conditions.

Introduction. The health of the younger generation determines the intellectual potential and prospects for the socio-economic development of Russia [1]. Taking into account the urgency of the problem, we carried out a hygienic study, the purpose of which was to assess the lifestyle of university students with the subsequent development and registration the software that assesses a health risk group. Materials and methods. The study of the way of life was carried out among university students in Ufa (1820 people). Based on data obtained, Software for assessing the conditions and lifestyle of university students was developed and registered. The assessment of the lifestyle of students at the University of Sheffield was carried out through an anonymous survey (116 people). Results. The hygienic analysis of the lifestyle of students revealed a number of unfavourable features: prolonged stay in social networks (on average 4.8 ± 0.2 hours on weekdays), non-observance of the required duration of night sleep (6.4 ± 0.3 hours), significant coverage of tobacco smoking (21.2% of boys and 9.1% of girls), etc. A comparative analysis of the lifestyle of students of the Russian Federation (Ufa) and Great Britain (Sheffield) was carried out, a number of advantages of the Russian educational system in relation to the health preservation of young people (arrangement of physical activity, provision of dormitories with minimal living costs, etc.), and some limitations. To assess the risk group for the health of students, depending on the lifestyle, software has been developed and registered. Limitations. The study was conducted on the basis of four different universities in Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan (12 universities and branches in total), which provided a representative sample of the volume. The subject of further research will be the study of the conditions of education in other universities in Ufa. Conclusion. The lifestyle and the system of value orientations of students in relation to their own health are irrational in a number of indicators, which indicates the need to carry out preventive work within educational institutions aimed at preserving and strengthening the health of students.

The article substantiates the basis of a constructive approach to solving the problem of positive transformations in the psychology of the Moscovites based on processing the work of unsurpassed connoisseurs of the psychology of peoples and masses and dictators of the 19-20th centuries. It also reflects the reasons for the formation of those personality traits of Putin in his childhood and adolescence, united in the desire for power. It is shown that despite Putin’s pathologic negligence, kleptomania, and mafia-bandit mentality, signs of a paranoid form of schizophrenia are found in his activities: ideas-fixes, persecution mania, etc. Probably, he also has mental pathology, which was studied and called ‘disintegration syndrome’ by E. Fromm. They are necrophiles, meaning they love death, the dead, and destruction. Moreover, we also analysed the psychological mechanisms of the transformation of the masses into ‘cattle mass’, which succeeds under certain conditions. Such conditions were and are in Muscovy-Russia. The main one is the tendency of Moscovites to slavery. There are facts confirming that in the functioning of propensities and other components of orientation (value orientations, worldviews, etc.) as a matrix of motivational dynamics of ethno-national communities the bio-genetic factor does not play a role. The main means of formation and functioning of this matrix is tradition – the main form of representation and affirmation of society, in which it fixes basic knowledge about itself, its spiritual values, etc. Changing traditions is very difficult, but not impossible. It is capable and should be carried out by the intellectual elite of the nation and the state created by it, first of all, its part, which cherishes humanistic spiritual values – orientation to the good. The key task of this work is justified: the formation of a type of character based on independence, persistence, ingenuity, and biophilia – the love of life. The article also proposes the necessary conditions for the success of this work: 1) the awareness of the oppressed population of the regions of the Russian Federation of their self-sufficiency and their ability to dispose of the wealth of their own land; 2) the rejection of nuclear weapons and the final collapse of the Moscow Empire so that these factors do not support the illusion of greatness; 3) the philosophy and psychology of remorse for all the horrific crimes committed by the Moscow State against humanity; and 4) quality humanistic education, primarily – a truthful history.

PurposeOne in every four graduates of the world will be the product of Indian higher education system by the year 2030 as per a report issued by the FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) in 2015. This brings out the growing significance of higher education sector and purpose of the study. The present study tries to explore the relationship between intellectual capital of universities and their performance.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling (SEM) was applied on the dataset of 590 respondents, and the suggested model reiterate that human capital, organizational capital and relational capital have a significant influence on a university's performance.FindingsHuman capital, organizational capital and relational capital have a significant influence on a university's performance. The study strongly recommends that factors like research facilitation, quality of work life, knowledge sharing, industry academia relationship and information disclosure have a strong influence on performance.Originality/valueNot just India, but policymakers across Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) can strategize around intellectual capital to give a push to the fast-growing higher education sector.

Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties. —John Milton (1608-1674) Introduction The publication of 12 cartoons depicting images of Prophet Mohammed [Peace Be Upon Him] first in Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005, and later reprinted in European media and two New Zealand newspapers, sparked protests around the Muslim world. The Australian newspapers – with the exception of The Courier-Mail, which published one cartoon – refrained from reprinting the cartoons, acknowledging that depictions of the Prophet are regarded as “blasphemous by Muslims”. How is this apparent act of restraint to be assessed? Edward Said, in his book Covering Islam has acknowledged that there have been many Muslim provocations and troubling incidents by Islamic countries such as Iran, Libya, Sudan, and others in the 1980s. However, he contends that the use of the label “Islam” by non-Muslim commentators, either to explain or indiscriminately condemn “Islam”, ends up becoming a form of attack, which in turn provokes more hostility (xv-xvi). This article examines how two Australian newspapers – The Australian and The West Australian – handled the debate on the Prophet Muhammad cartoons and considers whether in the name of “free speech” it ended in “a form of attack” on Australian Muslims. It also considers the media’s treatment of Muslim Australians’ “free speech” on previous occasions. This article is drawn from the oral testimonies of Muslims of diverse ethnic background. Since 1998, as part of PhD and post-doctoral research on Muslims in Australia, the author conducted 130 face-to-face, in-depth, taped interviews of Muslims, aged 18-90, both male and female. While speaking about their settlement experience, several interviewees made unsolicited remarks about Western/Australian media, all of them making the point that Muslims were being demonised. Australian Muslims Many of Australia’s 281,578 Muslims — 1.5 per cent of the total population (Australian Bureau of Statistics) — believe that as a result of media bias, they are vilified in society as “terrorists”, and discriminated in the workplace (Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission; Dreher 13; Kabir 266-277). The ABS figures support their claim of discrimination in the workplace; in 1996 the unemployment rate for Muslim Australians was 25 per cent, compared to 9 per cent for the national total. In 2001, it was reduced to 18.5 per cent, compared to 6.8 per cent for the national total, but the ratio of underprivileged positions in the labour market remained almost three times higher than for the wider community. Instead of reflecting on Muslims’ labour market issues or highlighting the social issues confronting Muslims since 9/11, some Australian media, in the name of “free speech”, reinforce negative perceptions of Muslims through images, cartoons and headlines. In 2004, one Muslim informant offered their perceptions of Australian media: I think the Australian media are quite prejudiced, and they only do show one side of the story, which is quite pro-Bush, pro-Howard, pro-war. Probably the least prejudiced media would be ABC or SBS, but the most pro-Jewish, pro-America, would be Channel Seven, Channel Nine, Channel Ten. They only ever show things from one side of the story. This article considers the validity of the Muslim interviewee’s perception that Australian media representation is one-sided. On 26 October 2005, under the headline: “Draw a Cartoon about Mohammed and You Must Die”, The Australian warned its readers: ISLAM is no laughing matter. Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, is being protected by security guards and several cartoonists have gone into hiding after the newspaper published a series of 12 cartoons about the prophet Mohammed. According to Islam, it is blasphemous to make images of the prophet. Muslim fundamentalists have threatened to bomb the paper’s offices and kill the cartoonists (17). Militant Muslims The most provocative cartoons appearing in the Danish media are probably those showing a Muhammad-like figure wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse coming out of it, or a queue of smoking suicide bombers on a cloud with an Islamic cleric saying, “Stop stop we have run out of virgins”. Another showed a blindfolded Muslim man with two veiled Muslim women standing behind him. These messages appeared to be concerned with Islam’s repression of women (Jyllands-Posten), and possibly with the American channel CBS airing an interview in August 2001 of a Palestinian Hamas activist, Muhammad Abu Wardeh, who recruited terrorists for suicide bombings in Israel. Abu Wardeh was quoted as saying: “I described to him [the suicide bomber] how God would compensate the martyr for sacrificing his life for his land. If you become a martyr, God will give you 70 virgins, 70 wives and everlasting happiness” (The Guardian). Perhaps to serve their goals, the militants have re-interpreted the verses of the Holy Quran (Sura 44:51-54; 55:56) where it is said that Muslims who perform good deeds will be blessed by the huris or “pure being” (Ali 1290-1291; 1404). However, since 9/11, it is also clear that the Muslim militant groups such as the Al-Qaeda have become the “new enemy” of the West. They have used religion to justify the terrorist acts and suicide bombings that have impacted on Western interests in New York, Washington, Bali, Madrid amongst other places. But it should be noted that there are Muslim critics, such as Pakistani-born writer, Irshad Manji, Bangladeshi-born writer Taslima Nasreen and Somalian-born Dutch parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who have been constant critics of Muslim men’s oppression of women and have urged reformation. However, their extremist fellow believers threatened them with a death sentence for their “free speech” (Chadwick). The non-Muslim Dutch film director, Theo van Gogh, also a critic of Islam and a supporter of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, advocated a reduction in immigration into Holland, especially by Muslims. Both van Gogh and Hirsi Ali – who co-scripted and co-produced the film Submission – received death threats from Muslim extremists because the film exhibited the verses of the Quran across the chest, stomach and thighs of an almost naked girl, and featured four women in see-through robes showing their breasts, with texts from the Quran daubed on their bodies, talking about the abuse they had suffered under Islam (Anon 25). Whereas there may be some justification for the claim made in the film, that some Muslim men interpret the Quran to oppress women (Doogue and Kirkwood 220), the writing of the Quranic verses on almost-naked women is surely offensive to all Muslims because the Quran teaches Muslim women to dress modestly (Sura 24: 30-31; Ali 873). On 4 November 2004, The West Australian reported that the Dutch director Theo van Gogh was murdered by a 26-year-old Dutch-Moroccan Muslim on 2 November 2004 (27). Hirsi Ali, the co-producer of the film was forced to go into hiding after van Gogh’s murder. In the face of a growing clamour from both the Dutch Muslims and the secular communities to silence her, Ayaan Hirsi Ali resigned from the Dutch Parliament in May 2006 and decided to re-settle in Washington (Jardine 2006). It should be noted that militant Muslims form a tiny but forceful minority of the 1.4 billion Muslims worldwide. The Muslim majority are moderate and peaceful (Doogue and Kirkwood 79-80). Some Muslim scholars argue that there is specific instruction in the Quran for people to apply their knowledge and arrive at whatever interpretation is of greatest benefit to the community. It may be that stricter practitioners would not agree with the moderate interpretation of the Quran and vice versa (Doogue and Kirkwood 232). Therefore, when the Western media makes a mockery of the Muslim religion or their Prophet in the name of “free speech”, or generalises all Muslims for the acts of a few through headlines or cartoons, it impacts on the Muslims residing in the West. Prophet Muhammad’s Cartoons With the above-mentioned publication of Prophet Muhammad’s cartoons in Denmark, Islamic critics charged that the cartoons were a deliberate provocation and insult to their religion, designed to incite hatred and polarise people of different faiths. In February 2006, regrettably, violent reactions took place in the Middle East, Europe and in Asia. Danish embassies were attacked and, in some instances, were set on fire. The demonstrators chanted, “With our blood and souls we defend you, O Prophet of God!”. Some replaced the Danish flag with a green one printed with the first pillar of Islam (Kalima): “There is no god but God and Mohammed is the messenger of God”. Some considered the cartoons “an unforgivable insult” that merited punishment by death (The Age). A debate on “free speech” soon emerged in newspapers throughout the world. On 7 February 2006 the editorial in The West Australian, “World Has Had Enough of Muslim Fanatics”, stated that the newspaper would not publish cartoons of Mohammad that have drawn protests from Muslims around the world. The newspaper acknowledged that depictions of the prophet are regarded as “blasphemous by Muslims” (18). However, the editorial was juxtaposed with another article “Can Liberty Survive a Clash of Cultures?”, with an image of bearded men wearing Muslim head coverings, holding Arabic placards and chanting slogans, implying the violent nature of Islam. And in the letters page of this newspaper, published on the same day, appeared the following headlines (20): Another Excuse for Muslims to Threaten Us Islam Attacked Cartoon Rage: Greatest Threat to World Peace We’re Living in Dangerous Times Why Treat Embassies with Contempt? Muslim Religion Is Not So Soft Civilised World Is Threatened The West Australian is a state-based newspaper that tends to side with the conservative Liberal party, and is designed to appeal to the “man in the street”. The West Australian did not republish the Prophet Muhammad cartoon, but for 8 days from 7 to 15 February 2006 the letters to the editor and opinion columns consistently criticised Islam and upheld “superior” Western secular values. During this period, the newspaper did publish a few letters that condemned the Danish cartoonist, including the author’s letter, which also condemned the Muslims’ attack on the embassies. But the overall message was that Western secular values were superior to Islamic values. In other words, the newspaper adopted a jingoistic posture and asserted the cultural superiority of mainstream Australians. The Danish cartoons also sparked a debate on “free speech” in Australia’s leading newspaper, The Australian, which is a national newspaper that also tends to reflect the values of the ruling national government – also the conservative Liberal party. And it followed a similar pattern of debate as The West Australian. On 14 February 2006, The Australian (13) published a reader’s criticism of The Australian for not republishing the cartoons. The author questioned whether the Muslims deserved any tolerance because their Holy Book teaches intolerance. The Koran [Quran] (22:19) says: Garments of fire have been prepared for the unbelievers. Scalding water shall be poured upon their heads, melting their skins and that which is in their bellies. Perhaps this reader did not find the three cartoons published in The Australian a few days earlier to be ‘offensive’ to the Australian Muslims. In the first, on 6 February 2006, the cartoonist Bill Leak showed that his head was chopped off by some masked people (8), implying that Muslim militants, such as the Hamas, would commit such a brutal act. The Palestinian Hamas group often appear in masks before the media. In this context, it is important to note that Israel is an ally of Australia and the United States, whereas the Hamas is Israel’s enemy whose political ideology goes against Israel’s national interest. On 25 January 2006, the Hamas won a landslide victory in the Palestine elections but Israel refused to recognise this government because Hamas has not abandoned its militant ideology (Page 13). The cartoon, therefore, probably means that the cartoonist or perhaps The Australian has taken sides on behalf of Australia’s ally Israel. In the second cartoon, on 7 February 2006, Bill Leak sketched an Arab raising his sword over a school boy who was drawing in a classroom. The caption read, “One more line and I’ll chop your hand off!” (12). And in the third, on 10 February 2006, Bill Leak sketched Mr Mohammed’s shadow holding a sword with the caption: “The unacceptable face of fanaticism”. A reporter asked: “And so, Mr Mohammed, what do you have to say about the current crisis?” to which Mr Mohammed replied, “I refuse to be drawn on the subject” (16). The cartoonist also thought that the Danish cartoons should have been republished in the Australian newspapers (Insight). Cartoons are supposed to reflect the theme of the day. Therefore, Bill Leak’s cartoons were certainly topical. But his cartoons reveal that his or The Australian’s “freedom of expression” has been one-sided, all depicting Islam as representing violence. For example, after the Bali bombing on 21 November 2002, Leak sketched two fully veiled women, one carrying explosives under her veil and asking the other, “Does my bomb look big in this”? The cartoonist’s immediate response to criticism of the cartoon in a television programme was, “inevitably, when you look at a cartoon such as that one, the first thing you’ve got to do is remember that as a daily editorial cartoonist, you’re commenting first and foremost on the events of the day. They’re very ephemeral things”. He added, “It was…drawn about three years ago after a spate of suicide bombing attacks in Israel” (Insight). Earlier events also suggested that that The Australian resolutely supports Australia’s ally, Israel. On 13-14 November 2004 Bill Leak caricatured the recently deceased Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in The Weekend Australian (18). In the cartoon, God appeared to be displeased with him and would not allow him to enter paradise. Arafat was shown with explosives strapped to his body and threatening God by saying, “A cloud to myself or the whole place goes up….”. On the other hand, on 6 January 2006 the same cartoonist sympathetically portrayed ailing Israeli leader Ariel Sharon as a decent man wearing a black suit, with God willing to accept him (10); and the next day Sharon was portrayed as “a Man of Peace” (12). Politics and Religion Thus, the anecdotal evidence so far reveals that in the name of “freedom of expression”, or “free speech” The West Australian and The Australian newspapers have taken sides – either glorifying their “superior” Western culture or taking sides on behalf of its allies. On the other hand, these print media would not tolerate the “free speech” of a Muslim leader who spoke against their ally or another religious group. From the 1980s until recently, some print media, particularly The Australian, have been critical of the Egyptian-born Muslim spiritual leader Imam Taj el din al-Hilali for his “free speech”. In 1988 the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils bestowed the title of Mufti to Imam al- Hilali, and al-Hilali was elevated to a position of national religious leadership. Al-Hilali became a controversial figure after 1988 when he gave a speech to the Muslim students at Sydney University and accused Jews of trying to control the world through “sex, then sexual perversion, then the promotion of espionage, treason and economic hoarding” (Hewett 7). The Imam started being identified as a “Muslim chief” in the news headlines once he directly criticised American foreign policy during the 1990-91 Gulf crisis. The Imam interpreted US intervention in Kuwait as a “political dictatorship” that was exploiting the Gulf crisis because it was seen as a threat to its oil supply (Hewett 7). After the Bali bombings in 2002, the Howard government distributed information on terrorism through the “Alert and Alarmed” kit as part of its campaign of public awareness. The first casualty of the “Be alert, but not alarmed” campaign was the Imam al-Hilali. On 6 January 2003, police saw a tube of plastic protruding from a passenger door window and suspected that al-Hilali might have been carrying a gun when they pulled him over for traffic infringements. Sheikh al-Hilali was charged with resisting arrest and assaulting police (Morris 1, 4). On 8 January 2003 The Australian reminded its readers “Arrest Adds to Mufti’s Mystery” (9). The same issue of The Australian portrayed the Sheikh being stripped of his clothes by two policemen. The letter page also contained some unsympathetic opinions under the headline: “Mufti Deserved No Special Treatment” (10). In January 2004, al-Hilali was again brought under the spotlight. The Australian media alleged that al-Hilali praised the suicide bombers at a Mosque in Lebanon and said that the destruction of the World Trade Center was “God’s work against oppressors” (Guillatt 24). Without further investigation, The Australian again reported his alleged inflammatory comments. Under the headline, “Muslim Leader’s Jihad Call”, it condemned al-Hilali and accused him of strongly endorsing “terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas, during his visit to Lebanon”. Federal Labor Member of Parliament Michael Danby said, “Hilali’s presence in Australia is a mistake. He and his associates must give authorities an assurance he will not assist future homicide attacks” (Chulov 1, 5). Later investigations by Sydney’s Good Weekend Magazine and SBS Television found that al-Hilali’s speech had been mistranslated (Guillatt 24). However, the selected print media that had been very critical of the Sheikh did not highlight the mistranslation. On the other hand, the Archbishop of Sydney, Cardinal George Pell has been critical of Islam and is also opposed to Australia’s involvement in the Iraq war in 2003, but the print media appeared to ignore his “free speech” (Dateline). In November 2004, Dr Pell said that secular liberal democracy was empty and selfish, and Islam was emerging as an alternative world view that attracted the alienated (Zwartz 3). In May 2006, Dr Pell said that he tried to reconcile claims that Islam was a faith of peace with those that suggested the Quran legitimised the killings of non-Muslims but: In my own reading of the Koran [Quran], I began to note down invocations to violence. There are so many of them, however, that I abandoned this exercise after 50 or 60 or 70 pages (Morris). Muslim leaders regarded Dr Pell’s anti-Islam statement as “inflammatory” (Morris). However, both the newspapers, The Australian and The West Australian remained uncritical of Dr Pell’s “free speech” against Islam. Conclusion Edward Said believed that media images are informed by official definitions of Islam that serve the interests of government and business. The success of the images is not in their accuracy but in the power of the people who produce them, the triumph of which is hardly challenged. “Labels have survived many experiences and have been capable of adapting to new events, information and realities” (9). In this paper the author accepts that, in the Australian context, militant Muslims are the “enemy of the West”. However, they are also the enemy of most moderate Australian Muslims. When some selected media take sides on behalf of the hegemony, or Australia’s “allies”, and offend moderate Australian Muslims, the media’s claim of “free speech” or “freedom of expression” remains highly questionable. Muslim interviewees in this study have noted a systemic bias in some Australian media, but they are not alone in detecting this bias (see the “Abu Who?” segment of Media Watch on ABC TV, 31 July 2006). To address this concern, Australian Muslim leaders need to play an active role in monitoring the media. This might take the form of a watchdog body within the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils. If the media bias is found to be persistent, the AFIC might then recommend legislative intervention or application of existing anti-discrimination policies; alternatively, AFIC could seek sanctions from within the Australian journalistic community. One way or another this practice should be stopped. References Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. The Holy Quran: Text, Translation and Commentary. New Revised Ed. Maryland, USA: Amana Corporation, 1989. Anonymous. “Dutch Courage in Aftermath of Film-Maker’s Slaying.” The Weekend Australian 6-7 Nov. 2004. 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Submission. “Film Clip from Short Submission.” Submission. 11 June 2006. http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2655656?htv=12> The Age. “Embassies Torched over Cartoons.” 5 Feb. 2006. http://www.theage.com.au>. The Guardian. “Virgins? What Virgins?” 12 Jan. 2002. 4 June 2006 http://www.guardian.co.uk/>. Zwartz, Barney. “Islam Could Be New Communism, Pell Tells US Audience.” Sydney Morning Herald 12 Nov. 2004. Citation reference for this article MLA Style Kabir, Nahid. "Depiction of Muslims in Selected Australian Media: Free Speech or Taking Sides." M/C Journal 9.4 (2006). echo date('d M. Y'); ?> <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0609/1-kabir.php>. APA Style Kabir, N. (Sep. 2006) "Depiction of Muslims in Selected Australian Media: Free Speech or Taking Sides," M/C Journal, 9(4). Retrieved echo date('d M. Y'); ?> from <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/0609/1-kabir.php>.