India Tomorrow
NEW DELHI, OCTOBER 28— Sixty-year-old esteemed Urdu biweekly ‘Sehroza Dawat’ was re-launched as Dawat Weekly in tabloid form here on Saturday. The Dawat Weekly’s web edition and mobile app were also launched at the event attended by top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, senior journalists and eminent persons from different walks of life.
Addressing the launch ceremony at its headquarters, Jamaat chief Syed Saadatullah Husaini said that the values and high standards of journalism set during the long journey of Dawat will always be maintained and the new requirements for which the new weekly being launched will be fulfilled.
“Journalism is like the torch in the hands of travellers walking in the dark with the help of which they steer clear of the way and save themselves from harmful animals and enemy. Today the importance of this torch is all-time high. Journalism is facing lots of challenges today. Post-truth and post-human rights phenomena are creating havocs in the world. In this situation, truth is completely getting suppressed. There is flood of news and information. What is most necessary is to strengthen and spread the voice of truth,” said Jamaat chief adding that Dawat will fulfill these requirements.
Chief Guest of the event and chairperson of Delhi Minorities Commission Dr. Zafarul Islam Khan said that “the articles and standard of presentation of news items in the media today show how low ebb we have fallen to. What is getting published should not be published. We should know what is actually happening in different states, interior parts of the country and abroad.”
Recalling his attachment with the Dawat newspaper, Dr. Khan said: “My relation with Dawat is 46-years-old. I want to tell this honestly that I had written my first article for Dawat. This paper does not only publish articles and news but it also produces journalists, builds their personality and gives them thoughts and viewpoints.”
Drawing the attention of Jamaat leaders, he said that besides the weekly, there is an urgent need for a daily Dawat so that people could be informed timely and with correct news. He expressed hope that Dawat news portal will fulfill those requirements.
Jamaat’s former president and eminent Islamic scholar Maulana Syed Jalaluddin Umari also addressed the gathering.
He said: “Since the beginning, the Jamaat has been of the view that there should be our own media outlet. Those who want to know about the viewpoints of Jamaat and the community they consider Dawat their own voice and think that whatever Dawat writes will be representative of the Millat to an extent.”
He said that it is the history that Dawat has never published irresponsible and sensational things. It has always talked with sensitivity and logics and this has been its chief feature.
Expressing happiness over the launch of new Dawat Weekly, he said that it should become the spokesperson of the country and the community. The trust enjoyed by Dawat should be maintained, he urged.
Throwing the light on the history of Dawat, newspaper’s former Chief Editor Parwaz Rahmani said that to inform the members of Jamaat about the news, a paper by the name of Al-Insaaf was launched in 1948. In 1953, Dawat Weekly was launched. In 1960, Jamaat decided to bring out Dawat Daily which continued till 1982. During that period, a Dawat Biweekly (popularly known as Sehroza Dawat) was also brought out. The Dawat Biweekly continued till August 7 this year. And now the Dawat Weekly has been launched.
Besides Jamaat chief, other top leaders of Jamaat were also present on the occasion. They included Vice Presidents Mohammad Jafar, Mohammad Salim Engineer and S Aminul Hasan.
