Adem Özkan, Chairman of TRT Broadcasting Inspection and Coordination Board, Lecturer at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Communication, Department of New Media and Communication, penned an article on "Media, Religion and Communication" in the October issue of Zafer Magazine.
Here is Özkan’s article…
From a communication perspective: “Master of the Day of Judgment”
For the past 5 years, I have been teaching the "Media, Religion and Communication" course to students of the Faculty of Communication. This course is a first in Turkey. Every year, an unexpected number of Generation Z students choose this course. For the last two years, students from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences have also joined this course. The students' interest in the course makes me happy and always keeps my hopes for the future fresh.
When I ask my students why they choose this course, they state that they want to closely understand the Media-Religion relationship and are even curious about what connection it might have.
“How does Allah communicate with us?”
“The place of Holy Books and Prophets in our communication with Allah”
“What is the role of Religion in Communication with Life?”
Our lessons, which begin with titles like these, lead to new insights with new questions and approaches.
In our discussions on "The Form of Communication in Basmala and Surah Al-Fatiha," I explain that the Creator does not communicate in an aloof manner; rather, from the very beginning, He introduces Himself as ‘Compassionate and Merciful,’ thereby establishing ‘love and trust’ in communication. Due to the value He places on humanity, He speaks to them through a vast Book, offering roadmaps for both their worldly and eternal lives. Furthermore, to serve as an example and model, He chose the most trustworthy person as a prophet, demonstrating communication with its most fundamental arguments. These expressions, which they hear for the first time, open the doors to warm communication with my students.
For 'Reminder and Preparation,' I offer them a new perspective on communication, one that transcends worldly boundaries and indicates its continuation, through the lens of 'Master of the Day of Judgment':
"Yevmiddin" is the Day of Resurrection and Reckoning, when every good and evil deed we commit in the world, regardless of size, will surely be recompensed. "Maliki Yevmiddin" means "Allah is the Owner and Sovereign of That Day." Every human is a traveler in the guesthouse of the world. Rich or poor, superior or subordinate, oppressor or oppressed, they pass through. Final settlements and reckonings are made, or not made, before departure. Is this not a deficiency? Should everyone not be recompensed for everything they have done? All minds and consciences undoubtedly lean towards ‘everyone seeing the consequences of their actions’ in response to this question.
The Creator has taken every measure to ensure that deeds are fairly recompensed. Like two cameras, our two eyes flawlessly record 24/7 footage of a lifetime into our 'flash drive' memory.
As of today, the human eye possesses a much, much higher resolution than the highest-resolution camera. It is estimated that our eyes can ideally recognize approximately 2 million different colors. Since the camera's focus settings are pre-adjusted, our recordings are extremely clear and smooth. There is no blurriness whatsoever. Two magnificent eye cameras and memory cards for recording have been perfectly delivered to everyone.
On this occasion, it is also necessary to point out a miracle in our eyes: looking at a single object with two eyes and seeing it as a single image is a great act of mercy we never even consider, and a seal of divine unity imprinted on the eye. From the first human to the present, this has always continued and will continue until the Day of Judgment. Today, giant firms in camera technology have only just begun to attempt this. However, they still haven't managed to make two cameras look at the same image and obtain a single image simultaneously.
The footage recorded by our two eyes, acting as two cameras, serves as our audio-visual documents, always featuring ourselves in the leading role. We can call these our own film or documentary.
“On that Day the Spirit and the angels will stand in rows. None will speak except he whom the Most Merciful permits, and he will speak what is right. That is the Day of Truth…” (An-Naba, 38-39)
On that Day, when the reckoning begins and the button of our film is pressed, the story of a lifetime, with all its vibrancy, clarity, and color, will be watched swiftly and completely by the gathered multitudes, much like a 'time-lapse' technique.
For 'That Day,' so that no injustice is done to anyone, another recording is made besides our 'two-eyed camera.' This is done by the 'Writing Angels.' In the past, recording was only possible by writing. That's why they were called 'Writing Angels.' Today, the visual technology produced by the modern age has changed this designation. Camera recording systems, inspired by human creation and mimicking the relationship between the eye and memory, suggest a new name for the 'Writing Angels': 'Recording Angels.'
The 'Recording Angels' are angels specifically tasked by the Almighty Creator with this duty. They record for us day and night, from the age when good and evil, right and wrong, profit and loss are clearly understood, until our last breath. The reason is quite clear and precise: no one will be held accountable for anything they did not do, nor will they be rewarded for it. With this truth, humanity will continue to live in peace and confidence, knowing that their Creator will never allow even the slightest injustice to be done to them or to anyone else.
This film, which belongs to us in its entirety, from the opening credits to the end roll caption, has an audience, a reward, and a recompense that are incomparable to anything in the world. This is because, until that day, no such film has ever been screened before such a vast audience, without distinctions of 'in front of' or 'behind the camera,' and without censorship.
Even in this world, those who wish to win awards by being favored by jury panels at national and international film festivals, and to achieve the highest audience records, work with great meticulousness and incredible effort, leaving no detail overlooked and nothing to chance, for this success. The result: people's approval, applause, and a material reward.
However, the jury and audience of our film are: Allah, the Owner of the heavens and the earth, prophets, saints, angels, and all people, past and present.
Its reward: an eternal and endless Paradise. Its beauty has been seen by no eye, heard by no ear, nor has it ever crossed the imagination of any human being.
And its punishment: Hell, which, as its name suggests, causes distress and agony.
Up until the finale, no one has been subjected to the slightest pressure; the door of reason has been opened, and free will has not been taken away. Everyone has sought both reward and punishment with their free will. In this case, it can be said: "Paradise is not cheap, nor is Hell unnecessary."
Now, turning to ourselves, it is clear how meticulously and carefully we must prepare our film, starting today, for 'that screening day' and 'finale' that challenges our minds and imaginations.
If a film we watch at home or in the cinema ends with a 'happy ending,' it's enough to make us happy too. Even if we know it's part of a script, we enjoy it. The 'happy ending' of our own life film on 'That Day' will make you and me the happiest. The opposite, however, will sadden you and me the most.
In conclusion, we can say that the Almighty Creator's reminder of the final scene with "Master of the Day of Judgment" in Surah Al-Fatiha, on the very first page of the Holy Quran, His book of communication with humanity, is nothing but His immense love and compassion for humankind. For He deems humanity, whom He said "I created in the best form," worthy of Paradise. And Paradise, in turn, awaits a 'film' from humanity that is worthy of it.