Newly Free Iraq Closes Down Al Jazeera

[Subversive Pessimist]

Al Jazeera banned in Iraq (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1091873782747&call_pageid=968332188854&col=968350060724)


BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government closed the Iraqi offices of the Arab television station Al-Jazeera for 30 days, accusing it today of inciting violence.
A spokesman for Al-Jazeera called the closure "unwise" and said it restrained freedom of the press.
"It is a regrettable decision, but Al-Jazeera will endeavour to cover the situation in Iraq as best as we can within the constraints," spokesman Jihad Ballout said.

Al Jazeera was banned from Iraq by the last administration for not toeing the party line. History, it seems, repeats itself.

[Guerrilla22]

Indeed, I wonder if an Arabic language version of Fox News will be avaible in Iraq anytime soon.

[Subversive Pessimist]

I wonder if an Arabic language version of Fox News will be avaible in Iraq anytime soon.

Already done.



http://www.muslimwakeup.com/archives/images/alhurra300.gif

America's latest attempt to win the hearts and minds of Arabs launched this week in the form of an Arabic satellite news channel called Al Hurra, meaning "the free one."

The station, based in Virginia, is funded by the US government and hopes to compete with popular news channels like Qatar-based Al Jazeera and Dubai-based Al Arabiyya.

Most reports about the launch were not very laudatory. But what struck me the most is the name and logo of the new station. If the US was pumping in $62 million (great to see our tax dollars doing good things once more) on a slick propaganda project like this, you'd think they'd at least think long and hard about the project's brand and logo.

With the addition of one little dot (see above), the Arabic letter "ha" become a "kha," thus changing the word al-hurra, 'the free one,' into al-khara, 'the piece of shit.'

Hopefully, Al Hurra is not planning a billboard and poster campaign on the streets of Cairo any time soon.

[DRS]

Oh Horray, another way for the american goverment to try to sell off their fake lies to the mass audience.

something makes me feel that the truth has now been replaced by lies by the yanks

[18tir]

The Iraqi government closed the Iraqi offices of the Arab television station Al-Jazeera for 30 days, accusing it today of inciting violence.

This is not entirely untrue. Watching Al-Jazeera might cause people to attack US soldiers. It's not difficult to see why. Unlike the other news stations, Al-Jazeera reports what's really going on. They're not afraid to report the facts. They are the only ones exposing the crimes of the US occupation forces. So when an Iraqi watches Al-Jazeera and learns about how his country is being raped, he'll get mad and want to go out and fight for his people.

I've been to their site many times and I've seen nothing there that indicates any support for terrorists. Their reporting of the news is a lot more truthful and honest than Fox and a lot of the other stations.

[h&s]

Just how are they going to stop people watching al-Jazeera? Can they block the satellite? And what is going to stop al-Jazeera getting their reports off freelance journalists?

[bunk]

Didn't they only close down Al-Jazeera's Baghdad office, as hammer&sickleforever said they can easily continue reporting from Iraq unless Us troops are tol to physically apprehend their reporters.

[h&s]

they can easily continue reporting from Iraq unless Us troops are tol to physically apprehend their reporters.
Yeah, but does anyone here actually believe that the U$ troops will be able to recognise al-Jazeera people over other journalists?
Oh yeah, remember the shock+awe(=illegal war) campaign where al-Jazeera (along with all news networks) gave their office's co-ordinates to the U$ to prevent them from being bombed, and then their office was hit by a precision bomb!
There have also been claims from al-Jazeera that 4 of their reporters in Iraq were detained by U$ troops in Iraq, and tortured.

[refuse_resist]

First they reinstate the death penalty, now this. This new Iraqi lackey government sure is a real tool.

[Intifada]

They might aswell bring back Saddam.

Allawi is a thug.