MI’RAJ NEWS AGENCY EXPLORES COOPERATION WITH ANTARA

      Jakarta, 19 Rajab 1434/29 May 2013 (MINA) – Mi’raj News Agency (MINA) is seeking the possibility of cooperation with ANTARA, the National News Agency of Indonesia (LKBN ANTARA), especially in producing and distributing news in Arabic.

MINA is an international Islamic news agency based in Jakarta that was officially launched December 18th, 2012. Mi’raj News Agency broadcasts news around the world in three languages namely Indonesian, English and Arabic, said MINA Deputy Editor-in-Chief I, Syarif Hidayat during a meeting with ANTARA Editor-in-Chief Akhmad Kusaeni in Jakarta, Wednesday afternoon.

“MINA news broadcasts in Arabic is our comparative advantage that we can offer to ANTARA for possible cooperation,” said Syarif Hidayat, who is a senior journalist and former ANTARA Bureau in The Hague, the Netherlands. He pensioned from ANTARA in March, 2008 and since December 2012, he was recruited by the General Manager/Editor-in-Chief of MINA Imaam M. Hamidy to join MINA.

Akhmad Kusaeni said ANTARA welcomed the offer of cooperation from MINA which has the same mission in the news reporting as ANTARA is doing.

“We welcome the cooperation proposal from MINA, especially the Islamic news agency that upholds the Islamic value of rahmatan lil alamin (blessings to the whole universe and its contents), has a great chance of possible cooperation with ANTARA,” said Akhmad Kusaeni who is also a former Chief of ANTARA New York Bureau when he received the visit of the MINA chief editor, sub-editors and reporters at the ANTARA office.

“ANTARA and MINA have a common mission in producing and distributing accurate, complete and independent news,” he said.

Akhmad Kusaeni also revealed that ANTARA plans to add news portal in Arabic language version of which he thought, could open the opportunity to cooperate with MINA that is supported by the Islamic school-educated staffs and has a team of Arabic translators.

“We are also planning to add a news broadcast in Arabic. This opens opportunities for cooperation between MINA and ANTARA. In addition to the possibility of other forms of cooperation, such as the news exchange, internships for aspiring MINA journalists, and etc,” said the News Director of ANTARA who spoke at ASEAN-Russian media summit in Moscow few weeks ago.

MINA Deputy Editor-in-Chief II who’s also its editorial secretary Ali Farkhan Tsani said MINA’s presence under the direction of former of ANTARA corporate secretary H.M. Hamidy focuses on Islamic message of rahmatan lil alamin through online media.

“MINA was born at Al-Aqsa International Conference on Palestine in Bandung last year, when the committee recommended the need for an advocacy of the media image of Islam and Muslims,” said Ali, who is also a preacher at Al-Fatah boarding school in Bogor.

According to Ali, the five-month-old MINA, will improve its service into eight languages from now which have only three languages namely Arabic, English and Indonesian. MINA to add more languages such as Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish, and Portuguese. “We are grateful to be able to work together in goodness and piety with ANTARA,” Ali added. (L/P03/E1). 

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)