The West needs eduction, Al-Jazeerah TV in English, by Hassan El-Najjar and Brian Kane

The West needs education: Al-Jazeerah TV in English

An Interactive Editorial

By Hassan A. El-najjar and Brian Kane

10/15/02

Brian Kane:

I am an Australian of Irish and German parents, I am sympathetic to the problems of the middle east, and have a few questions and suggestions. Being brought up in an an open minded household, I was taught to read between the lines and to make my own conclusions about many things. I was always told to not believe everything you read in the newspaper or see on television, unfortunately many people in this country do. After much research on the internet I have come to the conclusion that the Zionist extremist (policies) discussed, are in fact the main cause of much of the conflict in your region. I feel the only way these extremists can be stopped is to publicise their actions, which I understand is a big problem, being that in many countries these extremists actually control the media.

I have some suggestions that I hope may help. When we hear Zionist spokespeople talking on television, they speak with very cultured American accents and speak like lawyers, in calm logical tones. When we hear Arab spokespeople they generally seem like fanatical madmen making unfounded accusations against their aggressors. (I can understand why they react this way, but for the purpose of educating the world, a calm logical approach would be far more beneficial)

Do you think the media in my country is censored as is the case in America? With the recent bombing in Bali killing many Australian people, I have great fears that this Zionist caused conflict between Muslims and westerners will end in a great many deaths. I feel the western world may be ready to listen to logic rather than Zionist propaganda, if the message was put forward in a clear logical way. We have community run television stations that seem to be unaffected by censorship, maybe they would be a good place to start to spread the real word about what is going on.

But rather than point the finger at Zionists directly, have people ask questions which require specific answers. For example, why are so many Zionist people in positions of authority in America, and why does America give so much military funding to Israel ?

How can the press in America tell the truth when it is owned by Zionists? Make a documentary on the subject questioning American motives in Middle East conflicts. Many people I talk to in Australia believe there is a conspiracy going on, they just need more information to really understand. The time is now to educate the rest of the world. Maybe the American public will be the last to understand, but with the rest of the world on your side, you have a good chance of changing things. I have seen your Televison show via satellite, but it is in Arabic, is there any way some of your reports can be broadcast with English translations, or subtitles. The world is ready to listen. Goodluck.

Hassan El-Najjar:

You are right in your observations. Israel and its Zionist supporters have succeeded in dragging America to fight their war of hegemony and expansion against Arabs and Muslims starting with the 1991 Gulf War. America has dragged the other English-speaking countries (Australia, Britain, and Canada) to the conflict. This could not have happened without the historical confluence of interests between Israel, oil interests, and interests of the military industrial complex (Read my articles for elaboration). In essence, these are the main beneficiaries of Cold War II, in which Muslims and their resources are the target.

Concerning your question about who owns the media in the West, read "Global media giants: Who own them and what is their goal?." You'll find that the Australian Rupert Murdock is one of the few world media giant owners. The only hope for less biased media is the publicly-owned or the community-owned ones. The problem is in the news feed from news agencies. That's why a media unit should depend on sufficient and diverse pool of journalists and editors to ensure less bias.

The problem is not caused by the pro-Israel media only. Rather, some Church leaders, such as Falwell, play a major role in supporting Israel and its Zionist scheme and demonizing Islam and Muslims. Their faulty reading of the Bible has led them to a distorted interpretation of who were the Holy Land promised to. They have used this distortion as a pretext for their support of Israel. Thus doing, they have been helping Israel in its war against the true descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that is the Palestinian people, the rightful owners of the Holy Land.

The Congress of the United States has also been instrumental in supporting Israel against Arabs and Muslims. It is responsible for funding the Zionist scheme with about $4 billion a year. In addition, it has always been used by Zionists to pressure US administrations to provide more support for Israel, as a leverage and show of power vis-a-vis administrations. Consider for example the Congress resolution of April 2002, that supported the Israeli government, which had just committed the Jenin massacre. The Congress has also passed the Jerusalem resolution, in violation of US policy which has maintained that the status of Jerusalem should be settled by negotiations. Members of Congress who dare to criticize Israeli practices lose their jobs, like what happened to representatives McKinney and Hilliard.

With the power of Zionism as such, the job of educating the West is so humongous that Arab and Muslim intellectuals cannot do it alone. There have to be serious efforts by Westerners themselves to have the job done in their communities and countries. If people's indifference continues, God forbid, we will see another Cold War that will span most of this century. It will consume people's energies, time, and wealth. The whole world has a vested interest in stopping the war hawks from proceeding to the horrible bloodbath they plan.

Finally, concerning your request of an Al-Jazeerah TV channel in English, I support that whleheartedly. Al-Jazeerah Information Center, that issues this website, is not related to Al-Jazeera Arabic TV. However, it is our intention to work towards that goal as soon as possible. And it is my intention that if such English channel is ever to see light, and to show light, it will be independent from influences of governments and special interests. It will be an island of truth, as I wrote in the Mission statement.

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah's.