The Guardian - 1 December 2005
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1654481,00.html
Why did you want to bomb me, Mr Bush and Mr Blair?
By Wadah Khanfar
Director General, Al-Jazeera
Al-Jazeera's quest for answers has been met with silence from both the White
House and Downing Street
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 Guantanamo. 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 Guantanamo and for which Tariq Ayoub died in
Iraq.
[Wadah Khanfar is the director general of al-Jazeera.]
Serbian News Network - SNN
[email protected]
http://www.antic.org/
