Al Jazeera Reporter Denounces ‘Evil’ of Western Nations
EmailAn Al Jazeera reporter doing a report about the Arab news channel’s tenth anniversary signed off by saying Arabs need to protect themselves against the "evil" of Western nations. "More importantly, as the people of Al Jazeera here say, now that we have recovered from the ordeal of our initial launch, our channel is about to broadcast in the language of nations, whose evil we, as Arabs, are in dire need of protection from," said Majed Abdel Hadi at the end of a report aired on Al Jazeera today. Abdel Hadi appears to indicate that Arabs need to protect themselves from the "evil" of Western nations and that the new Al Jazeera International, which is set to be launched on Nov. 15, might help accomplish that. Abdel Hadi was standing in Al Jazeera’s headquarters in Doha, Qatar. THE BLOTTER RECOMMENDS Exclusive: U.S. Troops Abandoned Me, Says Convoy Driver Iraqi Government Pulls the Plug on TV Station Click Here to Check Out More of the Brian Ross Page The report was part of a major self-congratulatory celebration on the Al Jazeera network marking the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Arabic language satellite channel. Reaching more than 40 million people, Al Jazeera has become, by far, the most watched media outlet in the Arab world. "I am shocked by the inflammatory language," said Professor Fawaz Gerges of Sarah Lawrence University, who is an ABC News consultant. "It is one thing to criticize Western foreign policies. But the ‘evil of Western nations?’" The report by Mr. Abdel Hadi included an interview with Al Jazeera’s Director General Wadah Khanfar. Reached by telephone in Doha by ABC News, Mr. Khanfar claimed to be unaware of the inflammatory language, "I have not seen that. That is impossible. That cannot be the language of Al Jazeera." The chief editor of the network, Ahmed Sheikh, later conceded to ABC News that the reporter had made the comments, "I know, I was not aware of it. It wasn’t proper. It is an old saying, but he used it in the wrong way. We do not believe in this…We believe that the role of the media is to bring people together, not drive them apart." Mr. Sheikh said the reporter would be disciplined. Professor Gerges, who has recently returned from an extended tour of the Middle East, said that he noticed an alarming increase in rage against the West, which many Arabs believe is "waging a crusade against the Muslim world." Comments such as those made by the Al Jazeera reporter would appear to play to this audience, said Mr. Gerges. ABC News’ Mimi Daher contributed to this report.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Yeah, let’s just keep the pot stirred up all you media junkies. It’s all about “how much share” are we getting.
Mr. Bush…., it’s time to bring ‘em home and let these folks continue to fight among themselves. They truly don’t need our help for that……….or our protection from those continue to incite the violent acts of reprisals.
Posted by: dreek | November 2, 2006, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
I must admit something: I really don’t care what some half-wit tells people watching Al-Jazeera. He can say that the West is evil or oppressive or whatever, but the bottom line is, it doesn’t matter. I believe in something called freedom of speech. Let this guy say what he wants. In the end, he’s keeping Al-Jazeera viewers happy, which is no different from western media or politicians.
A few years ago, Bush called Syria, Iran, and North Korea a new “Axis of Evil.” ABC News didn’t report then Fawad Gerges condemning Bush’s remarks and calling for a retraction; if I recall, Americans were fairly pleased that he used this language, despite its utter lack of substance whatsoever. Let’s get real; Al-Jazeera exists to make money by pleasing viewers. Right now, clerics are very powerful in the middle east, and so it seems obvious that Al-Jazeera would align itself with a popular belief held by many clerics. I don’t really see the purpose of this post, but rather see it as an attempt for ABC News to bash a potential competitor. It’s a wonder no one’s crying foul now, as well.
Posted by: Andrew Elgert | November 2, 2006, 2:08 pm 2:08 pm
Aren’t the continuing to incite violent acts BECAUSE we’re still there? Does 1 + 1 not equal 2 anymore??
Posted by: Doug | November 2, 2006, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
It is a reflection on the fact that BUSHS preemptive strike idiocy and his “sudden” baptist jihad of 1979 is a christian crusade in their view and also in the view of many who know about the SBC move in 1979 along with the neo-cons from college and their takeover of the media they accomplished at the same time pretending the media was liberally biased…case closed
Posted by: frodaddy | November 2, 2006, 4:30 pm 4:30 pm
You guys amaze me. You think they’ve got freedom of speech, or women of freedom of anything in most Middle East arab nations? Al-Jazeera is a propaganda machine for Islamic extremists, and creates more of them through its diatribes about the West, televised beheadings, sniper-shots that get aired on CNN, and roadside bombings.
We are talking about a network that incites jihad, promotes suicide bombings, and inflames idealistic/hopeless youth who don’t know any better than the hate they are taught in school and see on TV.
Watch out ABC, Al-Jazeera is your competitor now….and CNN appears to be their partner in crime in at least one instance of insensitive and un-American “news.”
Posted by: Cole | November 2, 2006, 5:25 pm 5:25 pm
Bush goes to war in Iraq and the U.S. uses and supplies phosporphous and cluster bombs for use against Arabs. I agree, the U.S. is a bunch of selfish, arrogant aggressors. The founding fathers new that. Remember the phase “All men created equal”. It should have continued with “…but if you are black, then after you are created, you become a slave.”
Posted by: James | November 2, 2006, 6:50 pm 6:50 pm
James, the founding fathers knew what…that they were being oppressed by the British? They demanded freedom, and fought for it. We are helping Iraq and Afghanistan achieve that same goal, just as we helped the former Yugoslavia, and through our presence in Europe and support of Afghans against the Russians, helped end the cold war. Did other founding fathers later not fight a Civil war, not over minor religious differences, but over the need for a union of united states that included abolition of slavery? Did we screw up with the Indians? Yeah, but they could have assimilated into our melting pot, just as current legal immigrants are trying to assimilate, while illegal ones are not.
We use cluster bombs against massed enemy forces in the open, not in close proximity to civilians. Same for white phosphorus. No other nation on earth is more careful to limit collateral damage. Contrast that with beheadings and mutilations inflicted by our opponents.
Our military forces have some of the most outstanding, unselfish intelligent Americans with the flexibility to adapt to a thinking enemy, and balance power with assistance to the needy. Then we have bozos like Senator Kerry, who make idiotic statements about our troops while living a life of luxury and ease off of the wife’s money. He is the epitomy of the limousine liberal willing to injure soldier morale to gain a political advantage in this election. You should see some of the cartoons and photos floating around right now about Kerry, generated by our troops.
Posted by: Cole | November 3, 2006, 12:15 pm 12:15 pm
Al-Jazeera is Al-Sahab.
Si vis pacem para bellum.
Posted by: Napolean | November 3, 2006, 4:45 pm 4:45 pm
Simply amazing how this story inspires a few commenters to rail upon President Bush. What exactly does Bush have to do with an Al Jazeera reporter saying, essentially, the West is evil? Does Bush somehow control the minds of Al Jazeera editors to include violent images and force a slant in favor of the Islamist movement, such a slant in fact the network has been suspended on numerous occassions by the government of Iraq?
Thanks for my daily laugh. You people are a riot.
Posted by: Matt | November 3, 2006, 6:31 pm 6:31 pm
This condescending piece of drivel is a waste of ink and paper.
The US has killed at least 50,000 Iraqi’s (not one for 9/11 as they just weren’t responsible in any way) we have invaded, bombed, burnt, dozed, blown up, torn-up
and occupied their country for a time longer than WWII.
What have they to show for it?
What did they do to deserve it ?
Face it America, Iraq has suffered a tremendous loss of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness while the US has re-established a state oil monopoly under the contol of people like Bob McVee ex-ceo of Conoco Oil, and now oil is over $55 a barrel.
Is why the oil won’t pay for the war ? Dah ! – Gee we simply neglected to privatize it,so now, we don’t even have the oil to show for all the US’s deaths and maiming.
This goes down as one of the worst bungled attacks in world history and poor ‘wittle’ ABC’s nose gets wrinkled when an Al Jazeera reporter denounces the ‘Evil’ of Western Nations.
Oh golly gee, aren’t you (ABC) being just a tad ignoble ?
R Root
Posted by: Robert Root | November 3, 2006, 8:43 pm 8:43 pm
Mr Cole,
Please do not try to justify the abominable action of your armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. These countries have not ‘achieved’ any goals of freedom since the constant bombings. Your indignation that ‘no other nation is more careful to limit collateral damage’ is unfounded, perhaps you have not seen the disaster trail that has been left behind -in person?
Another point, you insist that the Indians should have submerged into your culture – why? Your ancestors in no why tried to limit the collateral damage inflicted on them (although I appreciate that you are not accountable for the actions of your forefathers), to destroy inhabitants homes, lives and freedom for GREED (sounds rather familar, doesn’t it?) is just not acceptable.
Posted by: Chloe | November 20, 2006, 12:51 pm 12:51 pm