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| Al-Jazeera kills Arizona border reports |
| 2005-06-29 |
| The Arab television network Al-Jazeera pulled the plug Monday on a series of news reports about the Arizona-Mexico border amid criticism that the information could help terrorists slip into the United States. Al-Jazeera planned to launch the series this week with coverage of a Phoenix rally by the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a volunteer civilian border-watch group that has attracted international media attention. "I wanted to cover the story from the human point of view," said Nasreddine Hssaini, the Washington, D.C.-based Al-Jazeera reporter behind the series. "I wanted to go to Tombstone and Sasabe. I wanted to tell the story of democracy in action." The network canceled the project, Hssaini said, after Minuteman organizer Chris Simcox refused to cooperate and then notified the Border Patrol and members of the state's congressional delegation about Al-Jazeera's plans. "They decided it wasn't worth it," the reporter said. Al-Jazeera has attracted millions of viewers throughout the Arab world with its coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and its airing of tapes of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. But Al-Jazeera's growing popularity has brought greater scrutiny. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused the Qatar-based network of encouraging militants by airing hostage executions. For Simcox, Al-Jazeera and al-Qaida are virtually one and the same. They wanted to come to Arizona "to do reconnaissance," he said. "I will not have a part in that. I will not work with the enemy." U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., noting that Al-Jazeera has been known to broadcast messages from the al-Qaida leadership to terrorist cells around the globe, was outraged that the network planned to visit Arizona. "It is insane policy to allow Al-Jazeera to film Arizona's unsecured border with Mexico and then broadcast it to the very people who perpetrated 9/11," Franks said. Hssaini, who described himself as a Moroccan-born citizen of Canada working legally in the United States, dismissed the suggestion that his motive for coming to Arizona concerned something other than journalism. "I am a professional journalist. They think bin Laden himself is sending me out there," he said. "I find it a little bit racist." Local journalism professors sided with Hssaini and defended Al-Jazeera as a serious news outlet. "They are a legitimate news organization," said Jacqueline Sharkey, head of the journalism department at the University of Arizona. "There has been criticism in some of the ways they have covered the war in Iraq - just as there's been criticism of the way some of the U.S. media have covered the war in Iraq." The U.S.-Mexico border has also been the source of much concern that terrorists could easily slip across it. U.S. officials have been saying since the Sept. 11 terror attacks that a group such as al-Qaida may use the open border with Mexico to slip across. With constant news that Middle Easterners may try to slip through Mexico, it's no wonder that an Arab news channel would also be interested, said Alan Weisman, a UA journalism professor. "Al-Jazeera is a legitimate news organization. If we have the right to go into Middle Eastern countries to cover issues, why on earth shouldn't we allow them to come here, particularly since we allege that Middle Easterners might try to cross the border? That's a story of great journalistic interest," Weisman said. "I certainly defend the right of any journalist to go anywhere to cover any story." |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #17 Now that's an authoritative and complete response! Kudos, ed. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-06-29 23:22 |
| #16 Whoops. Thats: You are thinkng of "taqiyya". Here is an islamic explanation of it: part 1 part 2 part 3 |
| Posted by: ed 2005-06-29 23:14 |
| #15 Enough, You are thinkng of "taqiyya". Here is an islamic explanation of it: part 1 part 1 part 1 There is also "kitman": concealment of malevolent intentions. Taqiyya and kitman: The role of Deception in Islamic terrorism Finally there are the "takfiri": those who discard muslim practice in order to blend in to infidel society to kill them. Zawahiri, Zarqawi, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman (mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) and Mohammed Atta and the Hamburg cell of AQ that did 9/11 were thought to belong to Al Takfir Wal Hijra. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-06-29 23:12 |
| #14 Not to mention, I've an abundance to share. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-29 23:00 |
| #13 fortunately, both Fred and .com knew the answer. as for repeating the question, i didn't realize the multiple posts would somehow offend someone or be impolite. Thanks for the sarcasm! |
| Posted by: Just About Enough! 2005-06-29 22:59 |
| #12 No. I am ignorant of the kram. Prehaps posting the question 10 or 12 times on one site will help. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-06-29 22:55 |
| #11 Can one of the more enlighted scholars here help me> I recently read about a doctrine in islam, or at least a branch of islam that permits deception, disinformation and outright lies by their followers if it serves the casue of jihad and they are weak. Can anyone point me to it. I need to be able to confront some public statements by imams by questioning their truthfulness in light of this doctrine. Any help? |
| Posted by: Just About Enough! 2005-06-29 22:32 |
| #10 Delicatessen* Damn I hate when I do that. Oh, and then her lips fell off. |
| Posted by: 98zulu 2005-06-29 19:50 |
| #9 Local journalism professors sided with Hssaini and defended Al-Jazeera as a serious news outlet. "They are a legitimate news organization," said Jacqueline Sharkey, head of the journalism department at the University of Looney Left Liberal Hack Journalism and Delicatesain. |
| Posted by: 98zulu 2005-06-29 19:48 |
| #8 Keep trying there, Nasdarooney. It worked for me. They thought I was a friggin saint at the Times. Me and Joe Stalin laugh about that all time when they're not shoving hot pokers up our asses here in Hell. |
| Posted by: The Ghost of Walter Duranty 2005-06-29 17:04 |
| #7 "They are a legitimate news organization," said Jacqueline Sharkey Yeah, and so was Pravda. Jacqueline Sharkey is a standard leftist professor type, who repeatedly has claimed that Cheney is trying to censor the media. |
| Posted by: Jackal 2005-06-29 16:57 |
| #6 I wonder if Al Jazeera would have made it clear that the folks are trying to get into America (helpful for Al Queda) or make it look as though folks are trying to get out of America (helpful for Arab propoganda in general). |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-06-29 15:34 |
| #5 I wanted to tell the story of democracy in action. Oh, I'll bet you did. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-06-29 14:35 |
| #4 "I am a professional journalist. They think bin Laden himself is sending me out there," he said. "I find it a little bit racist." Well, I find you more-than-a-little-bit stupid. Leave us assume for the moment you are exactly who you say you are, with motives as pure as the driven snow. Will you bet me your life that there will be nothing in the report the bad guys can use? Any bad guys? I didn't think so. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-06-29 13:26 |
| #3 The network canceled the project, Hssaini said, after Minuteman organizer Chris Simcox refused to cooperate and then notified the Border Patrol and members of the state's congressional delegation about Al-Jazeera's plans. "They decided it wasn't worth it," the reporter said. "After all," he continued, "now that the Border Patrol is aware, there's a chance they might beef up patrols in the areas we cover. If some of our sponsors get arrested, they might think we set them up." |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-06-29 12:51 |
| #2 "They are a legitimate news organization," said Jacqueline Sharkey, head of the journalism department at the University of Arizona. "There has been criticism in some of the ways they have covered the war in Iraq - just as there's been criticism of the way some of the U.S. media have covered the war in Iraq." Damn, the rot is deep. |
| Posted by: docob 2005-06-29 12:42 |
| #1 AJ - darn, that Simcox guy didn't play and blew our cover. I guess we'll have to go undercover now to get the intel we need. Beware minutemen! |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-06-29 11:53 |