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April 04, 2003
Arab media portray war as a killing field: NY Times
As the Iraq war moved into its third week, the media in the region have increasingly fused images and enemies from this and other conflicts into a single bloodstained tableau of Arab grievance. The Israeli flag is superimposed on the American flag. The Crusades and the 13th-century Mongul sack of Baghdad, recalled as barbarian attacks on Arab civilization, are used as synonyms for the American-led invasion of Iraq. Horrific vignettes of the helpless — armless children, crushed babies, stunned mothers — cascade into Arab living rooms from the front pages of newspapers and television screens. For Arab leaders and Arab moderates, supported by Washington, the war has become a political crisis of street protests, militant calls for holy war and bitter public criticism of their ties to the United States. Posted By Allison (An Unsealed Room) at April 4, 2003 12:07 AM | TrackBackComments
The images they don't see on tv are the victims of Saddam's regime. The people tossed head or feet first into shredders. The women hung upside down while menstruating. The people poisoned, shot, beheaded, stoned. The women raped. The families terrorized and extorted. But they don't need tv for that. Many of them have seen it up close and personal for years. Posted by: Steve at April 4, 2003 12:14 AMAs long as the Arab world is led by dictators, benevolent or otherwise, the Arab media will be the complete joke that it is. The Saudis, Egyptians, and even Jordanians could never allow a free and unbiased media to represent the Arab world, because the pursuit of freedom and democracy would be just too tempting for their people. Get the word out, folks. Tyrants, dictators, and terrorists, beware: we are on the side of your own people. And you and your jackass media puppets cannot hide that fact forever. Democracy! Whiskey! And Sexy! Posted by: Cowboy Bob at April 4, 2003 12:14 AMHere's an idea... after the war why don't we encourage Iraqi based news broadcasting that is competetive with Al Jazeera. I'm sure that hardliner's will deride it as US-dominated media, but I don't think the perspective of the Iraqi civilians is reaching the Arab world. Freedom of the press in Iraq combined with the prespective of citizens we recently liberated would be the best PR the US has had since 1945. Posted by: Australopithecus at April 4, 2003 12:30 AMNothing we can do but grin and bear, and hold steady. Posted by: Whackadoodle at April 4, 2003 12:35 AMThe Arabs need to start taking some responsibility for their own ignorance and misconceptions. They also need to start understanding that they are not the only people on the planet who has a right to get angry. When you jump on a bus full of children and blow yourself up, you cross the line from being angry to being an animal. I would be far more willing to listen to their grievances if they start behaving like human beings. Posted by: Poep at April 4, 2003 01:19 AMMuslims are moon-god worshiping nitwits. All you can do is beat the hell out of them if they get too jiggy... Posted by: americanstreet at April 4, 2003 01:22 AMArab media are completely under the control of their various tyrannical governments. Their spewing of lies and hatred for the West is a deliberate choice on the part of dictators. Stop sending them money, and topple them. We need to bring individual rights and free markets to the Middle East. Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) at April 4, 2003 01:51 AMPost a comment
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