Thursday, September 23, 2004
Understanding Muslim Media
There is one site that never disappoints me when I'm looking for the more deranged stories in the Islamicate press. Khalifa dot com (they're not getting a link from me) is a news site from a group dedicated to restoring the Islamic Caliphate. So of course it's ironic when they post a headline like this: "War against any muslim that rejects western imperialism (House muslims welcome)". Like many of there stories, it's based on a regular wire service report, in this case APF. The actual headline was "Berlin Bans Islamic Conference Which Calls For Resistance In Iraq". Khalifa demonstrates that they not only support the organizers in the "struggle against the American-Zionist hegemony and occupation" but that any that don't support them are imperialist warmongers. The comment in parentheses shows how completely the jihadis have adopted leftist idiom: "House muslims welcome". If you'll recall, Harry Belafonte referred to Colin Powell as Bush's "House Negro" not too long ago.
As the US and European wire services become more propaganda-like in their increasingly blatant stance against Bush and the US in general, the better they play to the "Muslim street", such as this headline Khalifa posts, also from AFP: "Kerry blasts Iraq invasion as 'historic' failure". Then there is the ever popular Judenhass: "The US Is Arming Israel Against Iran". This was extrapolated from a story in Der Spiegel about the US providing Israel with bunker busters.
Elsewhere the stories are similar. Arutz Sheva recently had an article about how the Palestinian Authority's television station broadcasts a different message in Arabic than it's office spokesperson delivers to the Western press in English.
While PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's chief English spokesperson, Hanan Ashrawi, speaks of peace and human rights, the Palestinian Authority television station broadcasts the opposite message to the Arab residents...
In honor of the International Day of Prayer for Peace, the World Council of Churches posted on its website today an eloquent video message from PA spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi, who declares, "Peace with justice is not an abstract value; it is a real determining factor of our lives. It is a most basic human right, and we appreciate everything you've done, in order not just to talk about peace with justice for Palestine and Israel, but also to act on that basis."
At the same time, a video address from the same Ramallah offices was broadcasting a very different message.Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) captured footage of two PA TV programs in three recent days showing official religious leaders openly calling for the genocide of Jews.
I think it's impossible to completely understand the Muslim media without understanding their audience. I'm considering a post or two on some recent insights I've gleaned.
As the US and European wire services become more propaganda-like in their increasingly blatant stance against Bush and the US in general, the better they play to the "Muslim street", such as this headline Khalifa posts, also from AFP: "Kerry blasts Iraq invasion as 'historic' failure". Then there is the ever popular Judenhass: "The US Is Arming Israel Against Iran". This was extrapolated from a story in Der Spiegel about the US providing Israel with bunker busters.
Elsewhere the stories are similar. Arutz Sheva recently had an article about how the Palestinian Authority's television station broadcasts a different message in Arabic than it's office spokesperson delivers to the Western press in English.
While PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's chief English spokesperson, Hanan Ashrawi, speaks of peace and human rights, the Palestinian Authority television station broadcasts the opposite message to the Arab residents...
In honor of the International Day of Prayer for Peace, the World Council of Churches posted on its website today an eloquent video message from PA spokesperson Hanan Ashrawi, who declares, "Peace with justice is not an abstract value; it is a real determining factor of our lives. It is a most basic human right, and we appreciate everything you've done, in order not just to talk about peace with justice for Palestine and Israel, but also to act on that basis."
At the same time, a video address from the same Ramallah offices was broadcasting a very different message.Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) captured footage of two PA TV programs in three recent days showing official religious leaders openly calling for the genocide of Jews.
I think it's impossible to completely understand the Muslim media without understanding their audience. I'm considering a post or two on some recent insights I've gleaned.
papijoe 9:11 AM
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