Friday, August 10, 2007

Arab Mass Media Fan Over Ethnic, Religious War in Iraq

Paris, 12 June (IPS) In a rare attack on the Arab media, an influential Iranian think tank urged the regime’s diplomacy to be “more vigilant” on the vicious and warmongering role the Arab mass media plays against Iran in the one hand and exacerbating the inter-communal and inter-religious war in Iraq on the other.

“Ever since the occupation of Iraq by American forces, the Arab media in the region has always worked in concordance with the position of the Sunni Arab leaders concerning the problems in the region, their opposition to the democratic process in Iraq, which obviously leads to the dominant position of the Shi’as and giving importance and backing to the armed paramilitary groups”, the Majles’ Research Centre noted.

The horrible events in Iraq is the result of the regrettable role the Arab media plays in fomenting the inter-ethnic war.

Political analysts say it is the first time that such influential think tanks like the Parliament’s Research Centre, witch has the important role of informing and briefing both lawmakers and high-ranking officials of the regime about important events inside and outside the country is making such an direct attack on Arab media, particularly televisions like the Qatari-owned Al-Jazeera and the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya.
Analysing the role and the influence of the Arab mass media, particularly the pan-Arab and international televisions in “fanning” the inter-religious, inter-ethnic and inter-communal war in Iraq, the Centre says “the horrible daily events in Iraq is the result of the regrettable role these media plays in fomenting the inter-ethnic war” and warns that this issue must find its place in the security considerations of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
In another part of its unprecedented review of the negative role of the Arab media in Iraq, the Centre observes that the “takfiri” (heretic) and baathist groups, whom the study describes as the “main responsible” for the “tragic ethnic divide in Iraq, have “salafist-Wahabi (al Qa’eda) or pan-Arabist, anti-Iranian (Baathist) thinking and actually uses the media of some Arab countries, mostly the most influential ones like Al Jazeera of Qatar and Al-Arabiya of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Eirates that have millions of viewers to propagate their baathist, heretic, anti-Iranian opinions”.
Quoted on 10 June by the semi-official Iranian Students news agency ISNA, the study adds that “these media, acting as basis for the heretics and baathists, broadcast most of the time one sided information, news and views, including interviews with paramilitary groups, throw fire over the Sunni-Shi’a fire and increases sensibilities of the Iraqi society”.
Though ruling Iranian ayatollahs insist that Shi'as and Sunnis are the "two wings" of Islam, but it is a well-know fact that the situation of the Sunni Muslims in Iran is the most tragic of all other religious minorities.
While the sunnis, who makes the overwhelming majority of the one billion plus Muslims in the World, considers the Shi'as as "heretics", the Shi'as, in turn, but mostly Iranians, "hates" both the Sunnis and the Arabs, to the degree that if someone rally wants to insult an Iranian, he has just to tell him he is Arab.
Analysts notes that the surprise attack on the Arab mass media, especially Al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera is interesting, because, they say, not only the Arab media in general and Al-Jazeera in particular, are accused of supporting Iranian official’s anti-American, anti-Israeli outbursts, but also are among the very few media in the world that Iranian officials like to talk to, giving them interviews.
Arab mass media acts as basis for salafist-wahabist, heretics, baathists, anti-Iranian forces in the region
“At the same time, media in countries like Jordan, the satellite television station Nile TV of Egypt, other television and radio stations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, also, with commentaries and contradictory information and biased news, also aggravte the debate on ethnic divide in Iraq”, the study concluded, urging the regime’s diplomacy to be “study more carefully the analysis and commentaries offered by the Arab media like Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya on the ethnic and religious situation in Iraq and be vigilant on their vicious role in pouring fuel over ethnic and religious wars in Iraq”, the Majles’ Research Centre warns. ENDS ARAB MEDIA ACCUSED 12607.

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