[Marxism] unintelligent design on al-jazeera

[Sudhir Devadas <sudhirdin@xxxxxxxxx>]

will the paragons of democracy, bush and blair, care to provide an answer?

sudhir


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Why did you want to bomb me, Mr Bush and Mr Blair?
Al-Jazeera's quest for answers has been met with silence from both the
White House and Downing Street
Wadah Khanfar
Thursday December 01 2005
The Guardian


I have lost count of the number of accusations levelled against
al-Jazeera and the incidents of harassment to which it has been
subjected since it was founded in 1996. It was rumoured to have been
set up by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency with the purpose of
improving Israel's standing in the Arab world. It has also been
accused of being a CIA mouthpiece designed to disseminate western
culture among the Arabs. Some have suggested that it is part of an
international conspiracy to break up the Arab world by means of
stirring up discord and creating problems for the Arab regimes. Others
decided it was a front for Osama bin Laden and the Taliban; or funded
by Saddam Hussein. And, at the same time, it has been condemned by Abu
Musab al-Zarqawi and bitterly criticised by Donald Rumsfeld.

We know that the intelligence services of some Arab regimes have
resorted to spreading rumours about al-Jazeera in an effort to deter
Arab viewers from watching it. These are the same regimes that
recalled ambassadors from Qatar in protest at its hosting al-Jazeera,
and the same regimes that closed the station's offices in their
countries and detained its correspondents.

Until 2001, al-Jazeera was perceived in a positive way in the west as
a whole and the US in particular. It was seen as the single most
important force for reform and democracy across the Arab region.
Harassment by Arab regimes was considered proof of its professionalism
and testimony to its objectivity. Indeed, al-Jazeera had from its
foundation the slogan of "the opinion and the other opinion" and
refused to favour one side over another at the expense of truth. As a
result, in record time al-Jazeera became the Arabs' number one
channel, and last year it was voted the fifth most influential brand
name in the world, after Starbucks, Ikea, Apple and Google.

In the aftermath of the September 11 events, al-Jazeera found itself
on the frontline of media coverage in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The
greater its reputation became globally, the more frustrated some
western governments became. The "other opinion" this time did not seem
to suit international decision-makers. Criticisms started pouring in
and created an opportunity for some Arab regimes to incite the US
administration against al-Jazeera; some have even gone as far as
demanding the closure of al-Jazeera as a precondition for full
cooperation with the US.

Iraq has been a crucial turning point not only in al-Jazeera's work
but for media coverage as a whole; 74 journalists, crew and their
translators have lost their lives since the start of the war - two of
them belonging to al-Jazeera. As far as harassment goes, al-Jazeera
has incurred the biggest share. It has been accused by the US of
inciting violence through the broadcast of al-Qaida tapes and of
playing footage of beheadings. Our viewers know that no beheadings
whatsoever were shown on our screens. And we follow strict
professional rules in handling the tapes of Bin Laden and other
al-Qaida leaders; we only play short, carefully selected and clearly
newsworthy clips, and they are followed by analytical discussion,
frequently including American commentators.

Al-Jazeera's offices in Kabul and Baghdad were bombed; we were told at
the time that both bombings were mistakes. We pushed for an official
investigation, but thus far have received neither the findings of any
investigation nor any official apology. The al-Jazeera cameraman Sami
al-Hajj was arrested in Afghanistan and has for the past four years
been detained in Guantonamo. We have repeatedly asked for an
explanation, but none has been given to us.

We believe that all this harassment has been a worthwhile price for
our professional commitment to reporting the truth. However, the story
in the Daily Mirror, which published a leaked document it claimed was
a transcript of a meeting in April 2004 between George Bush and Tony
Blair, points to a level of threat to our very existence that had
never occurred to us or to our viewers before. If it is true that Bush
had indeed thought of bombing the al-Jazeera headquarters in Doha,
this will undoubtedly constitute a watershed in the relationship
between government authorities and the free media. I decided, in view
of the great shock and bewilderment felt by many people around the
world, to travel to London to look for the truth behind a press report
whose reverberations across the Middle East - where reform and
democracy have been promised - are far from over.

My colleagues have submitted a memorandum to 10 Downing Street, urging
the British government to reveal the truth about the alleged document,
and stressing that publishing the part within it relating to
al-Jazeera is essential to put an end to speculation. After all, the
matter concerns an institution that has never perceived itself to be
an enemy of anyone. Our journalists are civilians who have gained the
confidence of most Arabic-speaking viewers around the world. The
failure to disclose the contents of the memo will cause a great deal
of harm and will seriously undermine relations between media and
government, and between the western and Arab worlds.

I brought many questions with me to London; it would seem that I shall
return to Doha - where al-Jazeera is based - with even more
misgivings. Officials in Britain have come up with nothing, and their
silence is likely to reinforce suspicion and mistrust. This will not
be the end of the road; we are taking legal advice and won't rest
until we know the full truth.

However, I shall be returning to Doha with a lot of hope. The support
and sympathy that I have sensed from colleagues in the British media
represent the best consolation for me and my colleagues at al-Jazeera,
whose viewers have seen for themselves the view of British and other
western journalists that the truth should be disclosed in full. The
issue does not only concern al-Jazeera; it concerns the truth for
which we have withstood nine years of pressure and harassment, and for
which many journalists around the world have endured all forms of
intimidation; it is the truth for which Tayseer Allouni is serving a
prison sentence in Spain, for which Sami Al-Hajj continues to be
detained in Guantonamo and for which Tariq Ayoub died in Iraq.

Wadah Khanfar is the director general of al-Jazeera manager@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited

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