Press Freedom in Egypt
October 8th, 2008 by Jason
Daily News Egypt has more information on President Mubarak’s pardon of Al-Dostour editor Ibrahim Eissa. The pardon was championed and mediated by the head of the Journalists’ Syndicate in Egypt. Going forward, the Syndicate said it wants to implement a Journalists’ code of ethics that it alone can enforce, as well as introduce a freedom-of-information act to allow easier access to official state information.
An editorial in Al-Dostour states that “the newspaper welcomes and greets the pardon, yet will continue to fight and stand against corruption of all types and will still continue challenging the current regime…the pardon only corrects a wrong decision that should not have been made in the first place, as all of the laws that stand against freedom of the press should be eliminated at the roots.”
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Freedom, Journalism | Comment »
Egyptian Journalist Ibrahim Eissa Pardoned
October 7th, 2008 by Jason
Hosni Mubarak has pardoned Ibrahim Eissa, editor of the Egyptian independent daily Al-Dostour. Eissa was sentenced to two months in prison by an appeals court last month for publishing rumors about Mubarak’s health.
After the sentencing, the influential Journalists’ Syndicate organized a protest and called for a postponement of the prison sentence. This seems to have been a deciding factor in gaining the pardon.
In a statement Eissa said, “While I welcome this ruling, I think the issue is larger than that between one reporter and the president. The issue is that of Egyptian journalism, which suffers from an arsenal of laws that negate freedoms.”
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism | Comment »
This Message Was Paid For By the U.S. Government
October 6th, 2008 by Sarah
After the Washington Post reported that the Defense Department “will pay private U.S. contractors in Iraq up to $300 million over the next three years to produce news stories, entertainment programs and public service advertisements for the Iraqi media in an effort to ‘engage and inspire’ the local population to support U.S. objectives and the Iraqi government,” Marc Lynch at Abu Aardvark warns that this strategy is deeply flawed. When U.S. involvement is inevitably exposed, not only are the specific messages discredited, “but also every other pro-U.S. message which will quite reasonably then be dismissed as ‘paid for by the United States.’” Lynch also argues that it compromises “the long-term objective of building free, credible and independent media as the foundation of a democratic system.”
Posted in Arab media, Iraq, Journalism, US foreign policy | Comment »
Arab Media and Society
October 2nd, 2008 by Jason
There’s a new update over at Arab Media and Society. They have a series of articles investigating the political impact of the growth of blogging and social networking sites in Egypt. There’s also a report on how the Lebanese media covered the most recent bout of political violence. All well worth checking out.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Lebanon | Comment »
“Fatwa Chaos” in the Arab World
October 1st, 2008 by Jason
Khalil Al-Anani writes in Daily News Egypt of the recent wave of fatwas that sanction murder and violence, emanating from Saudi clerics and the conservative scholars of Arab satellite television.
It’s quite fun to pick through and deride such inanity as the recent edict sanctioning the execution of “Mickey Mouse”. But Al-Anani worries about the “salifization” gaining ground in Arab media, and “the state of intellectual and cultural emptiness in Arab societies” that allows such fringe and incendiary characters to dominate religious discourse.
Posted in Arab media | Comment »
Media Suppression in Iran
August 4th, 2008 by Sarah
Tony Perry at Babylon and Beyond reviews “Head Wind,” a documentary by director Mohammad Rasoulof on how the Iranian government attempts to isolate its citizens from the global community by “banning satellite dishes, western movies and music videos, and other “immoral” content.” The film follows a dangerous profession: those who illegal install satellite dishes and clandestinely translate the content into Farsi.
Posted in Arab media, Iraq, Journalism | Comment »
Cracking Down on Speech
July 28th, 2008 by Sarah
Egypt has banned a book by British journalist John R. Bradley about Egyptian politics and society entitled “Inside Egypt: The Land of the Pharaohs on the Brink of a Revolution.”
In a similar move, the Egyptian government continues to target Facebook users. Noha El-Hennawy at Babylon and Beyond reports that last weekend, Egyptian police arrested about 14 Facebook activists who earlier this year called for a national strike over inflation. The arrests come a month after the proposal of draft legislation that would open Facebook activists and bloggers up to legal liability.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Freedom, Journalism, Legislation | Comment »
Mubarak’s Media Monopoly
July 15th, 2008 by Adam
Noha El-Hennawy at Babylon & Beyond writes about the leak of an alleged draft bill that would grant the Egyptian government sweeping powers in controlling the media in order to uphold, “social peace, national unity, citizenship, public order and morals.” The bill, which is expected to be considered in the fall, has provoked outrage due to the vague wording which many believe could be used as a pretext to crack down on journalists, political opponents, and other activists. If enacted, the bill would provide the government greater control over the internet and allow them to potentially silence Facebook activists and bloggers, which have been important in mobilizing Egyptian opposition forces.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Technology | 2 Comments »
Border Trouble in Pakistan
July 15th, 2008 by Sarah
An editorial in the Daily Times (Pakistan) highlights consensus in Pakistan against an “American military intervention in Pakistan to sort out America’s Al Qaeda problem.” The editorial warns that such an intervention will irreparably damage Pakistan’s economy. “What is needed is not the back-breaking preparation for a defensive war but peace diplomacy.”
Posted in Arab media, Pakistan, Terrorism, US foreign policy | Comment »
2008: Obama’s Problem With Arab Opinion-Makers, Ctd.
July 14th, 2008 by Matt
Taking the cue perfectly from last week’s post on the tempered enthusiasm for Barack Obama among many Arab and Muslim commentators, Anayat Durrani takes a comprehensive look at the Middle East-related policies of both candidates in Al-Ahram Weekly, concluding that although there are some clear differences, for the most part American policy in the region will not undergo a dramatic transformation.
Posted in Arab media, Election 08, US foreign policy | Comment »
2008: Scaling Back Arab/Muslim Hopes for Obama
July 10th, 2008 by Matt
A couple recent articles dispute the widely-held notion that the Arab/Muslim world is almost universally holding its collective breath with hopes for a victory by Barack Obama in November. Writing in The New Republic, Josie Delap and Robert Lane Greene say that while it’s true that many foreigners are fascinated and enthusiastic about Obama’s potential, Arab opinion-makers and pundits are “almost unanimous in their skepticism of him”, reining in much of the excitement by frequently arguing that Obama is nothing more than a conventional American politician, especially with regard to Middle East policy.
In an electorally important part of the upper Midwest, meanwhile, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune last week carried an op-ed by Yousef Munayyer, who argued that some of Obama’s words and actions throughout the campaign have severely damaged his relationships with American Arabs and Muslims, perhaps irreparably.
Posted in Arab media, Election 08, Public Opinion, US foreign policy, US politics | 1 Comment »
Death Penalty for Blogging?
July 8th, 2008 by Adam
Hamid Tehrani at Global Voices Online (Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan) reports on Iran’s parliament voting to discuss a draft bill that would make, “establishing websites and weblogs promoting corruption, prostitution and apostasy,” punishable by death. The bill, its proponents argue, is necessary to, “toughen punishment for disturbing mental security in society.” However, bloggers fear this vague definition is a prelude to a much more lethal, arbitrary crackdown, and that if the bill passes their lives could be in serious danger.
Posted in Arab media, Iran, Journalism, Technology | Comment »
Iraqi Media in the War of Ideas
July 7th, 2008 by Sarah
In this month’s Military Review, Lt. Col. Frank DeCarvalho, Maj. Spring Kivett, and Capt. Matthew Lindsey examine the use of the Iraqi media to influence Iraqi attitudes towards the United States. This technique is successful because “an Iraqi reporter talking to fellow Iraqis has a much greater effect on the Iraqi psyche than if a coalition reporter told the story.”
Abu Aardvark questions whether this eventually will discredit the Iraqi media or compromise its independence?
Posted in Arab media, Iraq, Journalism, Military, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
Facebook Showdown
July 3rd, 2008 by Sarah
Sherif Mansour reports at Freedom House on the Egyptian government’s attempts to block access to Facebook and the significance of the site as a tool to organize Egyptian dissidents. Unless the international community pressures the Egyptian government to keep Facebook accessible, Mubarak’s “self-fulfilling prophesy as the only alternative to the Muslim Brotherhood will continue to hold Egypt back from the democracy its people deserve.”
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Muslim Brotherhood, Technology | Comment »
Arresting Bloggers
July 2nd, 2008 by Sarah
Syria Comment reports that Syria has arrested at least 5 bloggers as “an additional attempt to intimidate and silence dissidents.” Reporters Without Borders claims this makes Syria “the Arab world’s most repressive country towards people who post news and information online.”
Posted in Arab media, Freedom, Journalism, Syria | Comment »
POMED NOTES: Does the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict Still Matter
July 1st, 2008 by Sarah
The Saban Center for Middle East Policy invited Shibley Telhami, a Senior Fellow at the Saban Center and Steven Kull, Director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, to discuss polls from the Arab world and beyond on attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestianian conflict. Both speakers agreed that public opinion supports a more even-handed approach by the U.S. to resolving the conflict. Martin S. Indyk, Senior Fellow and Director of The Saban Center, introduced the speakers and moderated the event.
For POMED’s full notes, click here.
Posted in Arab media, Event Notes, Hamas, Mideast Peace Plan, Public Opinion, US foreign policy | Comment »
Al-Hurra Flops
June 23rd, 2008 by Adam
The Washington Post details the problems of Al-Hurra, the U.S.-backed Arabic language television network. The network, meant to be the War on Terror’s Radio Free Europe, has failed to gain traction in the Arab World since it was founded four years ago as an attempt to win Arab hearts and minds and bolster democracy, while providing an alternative to Al-Jazeera.
GrandMasta Splash at Arabic Media Shack provides further analysis.
Posted in Arab media, Democracy Promotion | Comment »
2008: Views of Obama From the Middle East
June 16th, 2008 by Matt
Since Barack Obama secured the Democratic nomination for president a couple weeks ago, reaction from the Middle East has been mostly favorable. Below are a few editorials and opinion columns from Middle East media outlets illustrating the response to Obama’s win.
Egyptian journalist Yasser Khalil explains his optimism in an op-ed for the Christian Science Monitor.
The Saudi Arabia-based Arab News editorializes on why it believes Obama’s nomination is “good news”.
The Kurdish Globe is slightly more circumspect, predicting that regardless of who wins in November, U.S.-Kurdish relations will not be greatly affected.
Hayat Alvi Aziz, writing in the Middle East Times, is decidedly more pessimistic as he takes a look at the policy proposals of the two remaining candidates, as well as Hillary Clinton.
Posted in Arab media, Election 08, US foreign policy, US politics | Comment »
Fascinating Article on Kurdish Journalists
June 12th, 2008 by Sarah
Sam Dagher of The Christian Science Monitor published a fascinating article on Kurdish journalists, based in Iraq, who advocate for reforms in Kurdistan. They risk imprisonment, torture, and death, yet the journalists continue to push envelopes. “We have a long way to reach a democratic country and civil society based on equality and human rights.”
Posted in Arab media, Freedom, Iraq, Journalism, Kurds | Comment »
Egypt to Block Access to Facebook?
June 3rd, 2008 by Sarah
Sherif Mansour at Freedom House reports that Egypt is considering blocking access to the social networking site Facebook that has helped to mobilize dissenting voices in Egypt. Mansour calls upon the international community to pressure the Egyptian government to support Internet freedom and keep Facebook accessible to Egyptians.
Posted in Arab media, Egypt, Journalism, Technology | Comment »
