Here is the latest development in the Mamnou channel controversy.The new network took the controversial show al-Shatat off the air. In the US, the Jordanian Embassy released this statement.
It has come to our attention that a controversial program entitled "Al-Shatat" or "The Diaspora" has been broadcast from an independent/private channel entitled "Mamnou’" operating from the Media Free Zone in Jordan, which is not subject to Jordanian Law. The program itself was not broadcast from any Jordanian channel.
"Al-Shatat" drew concerns for inciting hate. Accordingly, the program has been stopped from the private channel as of Tuesday, October 25th 2005. The stoppage was only done through personal intervention of responsible Jordanians.
The Free Media Zone broadcasts different programs through 84 different channels and more channels are expected to emerge from the zone in the near future. The Government of Jordan does not monitor or control the content of any program broadcasting from the free zone, whether it is cultural, political, or otherwise. This is in accordance with the agreement between the government of Jordan and the Media Free Zone which is, in turn, affiliated with the Arab Media Company ART.
Frankly, I’m pleased. I hated to see Jordan’s name associated with inflammatory shows that incite hatred.
“Do two wrongs make a right? ”
huh? are you saying that freedom of expression is wrong?
I am a an ardent supporter of all freedom of expression and speech. freedom of expression means you get to say things that others may like or may not like, right or wrong. freedom of expression’s ultimate test is when you can listen to something you don’t like but accept the other person’s right to say it.
Now there are legal protections from defmation and liabl. but never in the history of American democracy and free speech did those protections extend to non-persons, like a state or political movement. Yet here we are being subjected to an outragous form of repression where the US and Israel can STOP a TV show from airing NOT because it attacks a person but because it’s critical of a political ideology and a country. GOD GOOD!!! Are we so easy?
I can understabd if I say something terrible about a person and that person takes me to court. But for a super power to tell me what I can or cannot air about another country and a political ideology, zionism. At least humour me and pretend there is due process and a court hearing. IS THAT THE FRIGGIN DEMOCRACY WE ARE ABOUT TO COME OUR WAY?
That’s the sort of freedom the US wants to bring to us, a mutant, crippled, 3-rd rate version that does not exist except in George Orwell’s imagination.
Repeat after me: I AM FREE…FREE…FREEE. Now go back to your prison cells and be good boys.
Do two wrongs make a right? The fact that you know about Shaheen’s work at all is a good thing: the bias is being exposed, not surpressed. It says there needs to be change. His recent discussions about that book, in the last month, suggest some change has come. Wrongs occurring elsewhere shouldn’t justify them in another space. Sakhafaat, the two versions of which you speak does is not just an Arab problem. Look around, it’s everywhere.
There are two versions of free speech today, one for US/Israel and one for Arabs. IN the US, you can make films that trash Arabs. When you protest, the answer given to me once is “we are a democracy, we can’t tell poeple what to say. get used to freedom, this is not like the place where you came from.”
But when Arabs started producing TV shows and films or print something the US or Israeli does not like, it’s hate, racism, undemocratic, uncivilized, anti-semitic, anti-american, anti…STOP THE PRESS!!!
Go read Jack Shaheen’s book REEL BAD ARABS, which can be found on Amazon. It describes the hundreds, not tens, but hundreds of hateful movies about those nasty arabs. those films were made in American. Ironically, many of the vicious movies were made by Jewish producers, including Israeli ones. no conspiricay theory, it’s the hard facts collected and presented by one of the most credible secular Arab American acedimics.
Or search on the web for some info:
Some links:
http://www.thirdway.org/files/articles/antiarab.html
http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lormand/agenda/0204/books.htm
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/1566563887/ref=sib_dp_pt/102-3359196-5400114#reader-link
Welcome to the Neo World Order where there is “Liberalism” for the US and a “For Export Only” version of liberalism just for you and me.
And who exactly would those “responsible jordanians” be again?
Not surprising that. What is interesting, knowing a bit how these things percolate, is that this meeting took place in mid-September and that the show went on air and ran until just recently, the end of October. It’s no surprise that there was external pressure from the usual sources. But it’s of note that whomever is punching things out for this new network would have delayed any ‘recommendations’ from outside to pull the series before its airing. Instead they went ahead with things for a good portion of the series before ‘responsible Jordanians’ got involved likely knowing full well that it would end before running in its entirety. It certainly generated some publicity for Mamnou and perhaps gave it some legitimacy on the street.
Seems like there has been a bit of external influence on such a decision
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=55676
That Pat Robertson thing blew up in the USA. He was lambasted, yet again, for his extremist approach to things. No one could quite rationalize such nuttiness. But it was a one time outburst. And he later made a strange apology. He wouldn’t have been indicted regardless. But I didn’t see anywhere mentioned that Mamnou was going to be indicted over the program anyway.
Robertson’s comments really are an orange to this apple — not the same. I don’t know what his motivation was, besides thinking Chavez was nuts, in attacking him. It didn’t have a religious or racial component as far as I’m aware, although he is a relgious leader. Either way he retracted his comments.
Additionally, I think Natasha found the information about this via the Jordanian Embassy in the US. But that’s not to suggest that’s where it originated. There may be just such an announcement circulating in Jordan. I don’t know anything about the program but if it is inciting hatred in some way, those areas are generally not protected as ‘free speech.’
Hate speech does not fall under that banner on this side of the Atlantic, which is something that benefits those Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, black, white, green, etc. Those that have views that contradict those in power, have a particular agenda, etc are allowed to speak but their is a fine line drawn on hate speech. I suppose someone put this program on the other side of that line, though I think where things fall is much as Hareega describes.
Also interesting to hear the embassy clearly separate itself from the channel since Mamnou is part of this ‘Free Media Zone’ & to indicate that the Jordanian government didn’t take it off the air but that ‘responsible Jordanians’ did. If it is there position, it might have been more clear to state that hate speech is prohibited in the kingdom so that their position on this is known.
I’m not with broadcasting the show if it was encouraging hatred against Jews per se. However I don’t think there’s anything wrong in a show attacking Israel and its goal of establishing a Jewish country.
And just a thought, even if the show was against Judaism …. why should the announcement come from our embassy in DC?? Where is Israel really located?
American news channels were cussing France, Germnay, Russia, China and all other anti-war countries with the people themselves all during the gulf war, why can’t other countries do the same??
I don’t know about that Natasha! It is true that hate is learned in a social context. In the mean time, nobody indite Pat Robertson when he called publically to assassinate a president of another sovereign state
Another blow to free speech in Jordan. Agains, we are back to being in america and israel’s back pocket. So it’s better if we rationalize another round of humiliating israeli dictates in our internal affair as some sort of voluntary act of moral restraint, when it’s nothing more than walking the right rope of kosher speech held on one side by the USA and on the other side by Israe. But we have gotten used to this by now, havent we.