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BBC and the leading lights of the Arab media
world. War was the topic and politics the subtext.
Now I can personally confirm the accuracy of
recent studies that show that love of American
culture and hatred of American policies coexist,
with the latter becoming more intense. I tried by
my own presence and statements to make clear
that the United States and the Bush Administration
are not one and the same – just as Iraq is not
a synonym for Saddam.
There was lots of ventilation at this event –
expressions of the hurt, frustration and humiliation
that many Arabs feel about US policies in
Iraq and towards Israel, and the refusal of many
US media outlets to tell this story in an ongoing,
fair and responsible way. “The western media”
was denounced frequently but all too often
viewed as a monolith, as all one big evil entity.
There were lots of good arguments made about
what we are doing wrong. High up on the list was
failing to properly inform the American people
about the region and the human consequences
of our policies. By going there, to the United
Arab Emirates, a place once called the Trucial
Coast, I came to see that this part of Arabia is not
just some sand lot, oil well or filling station but a
vibrant hub of culture and consciousness.
CONTRADICTIONS AND CRITICISM
DUBAI is of course also riddled with contradictions
with feudal and tribal traditions – rule by
Highnesses and Emirs seems at odds with modern
societies but in fact, are co-existing with
them. The society is hardly democratic – and
many fear criticizing the men at the top. At the
same time, they seem to be bent on modernizing
the culture. I had never been around so much
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elegant looking bearded royalty in white garb, or
so many Muslim young people who want to forge
modern lives and a new media environment. I
was impressed by a group of bright and energetic
media students who sat in on the conference.
It seems as if the Sheikh has been particularly
forceful in encouraging women to participate
and train for opportunities in the media.
Two royal figures opened the event. One was
“His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed bin
Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and
UAE Defense Minister.” When I think of Defense
Minister, I think Rumsfeld, not Rashid – but I was
pleasantly surprised by his remarks which
affirmed the importance of media to society and
the same time admitted that the Arab media has
shortcomings. A surprise guest, without too
much to say on the subject was none other than
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. This is
not the sort of company your News Dissector is
used to.
ARAB LEADER CRITICIZES ARAB MEDIA
THE Sheikh condemned Israel’s recent attack on
Syria, while at the same time taking a poke at his
own media. He was frank: “Being fully frank, we
can state simply, that before the war, Arab media
failed to expose the true nature of the Iraqi
regime. We all know that it was based on terrorism
and oppression, and that it had waged more
than one war against its neighbors, and that it
had occupied a neighboring country and had
tried to erase that country from the political
map.
“Yet the Arab media forgot, or appeared to
forget all that, and failed to explain it to its audiences.
Over and above that, Arab media dealt