Armies of Liberation

very good article on al-Hurra

If al-Hurra has corrupted Washington, how can it reform the Arabs?

Reform is a major issue for the benevolent forces in the region and international powers which hope to realize the good things in life for Arab peoples as an assurance to help them avoid the frustration and despair that motivate suicide and terrorism and negatively impact Western countries and countries of the region alike. I believe that the desired reform will not be achieved without mutual effort by the forces of reform and the superpowers that now wish to tie their interests to the welfare of the Arab citizen after long decades of being tied to the interests of dictatorial regimes pursuing a mirage of fragile stability which was never achieved.

Arab reformers realize full well, as do the powers in the West that support them, that the current conflict in the region is first and foremost a struggle of ideas and that the very notion of reform encounters a full-scale attack from both those who embrace the ideology of provocation and terrorism and from dictatorial regimes. The establishment of the al-Hurra channel, which broadcasts in Arabic, was supposed to give a strong push to Arab reformers given that they would have a forerunner in the media with which to plunge themselves into the intellectual battle with great confidence no less than that of the world superpower that had moved to launch the channel.

Unfortunately, however, and by no means an overstatement, Arab backwardness has achieved an overwhelming victory in the heart of the American capital which is no less serious than that achieved by terrorism in its attack on New York and Washington on September 11, 2001. As someone in Washington put it: “Mohammed Ata steering a Boeing 747 airplane caused great damage, but to a lesser extent than the damage which has arisen from handing a budget of 100 million dollars for an institution the size of al-Hurra over to one person who does not accept advice and relies solely on his own moods to make decisions.” I do not blame him for this in any way at all. Rather, I blame the American administration that handed a project over to him which he manages as if it were personal property or a gas station with which to supply foreign companies with fuel rather than a television station with which to provoke thought and stimulate minds.

Thus, instead of the al-Hurra project contributing to the reform of Arabs and educating them about a new culture based on transparency, freedom and democracy, the American political institution and decision makers in Washington have learned dictatorial concepts which, incidentally, have led to squandering millions of dollars of the hard-earned money of taxpayers. This money has benefited companies in Beirut, Dubai and Rabat which are not the slightest bit concerned about reform in the Arab World or with promoting the principles of democracy and justice. This is what has led to the transformation of what was supposed to be an American forerunner into a lame mule with hardly a leg to stand on. It is rumored in the American capital at present that there are members of the administration who are negotiating behind closed doors for certain Arab media officials to take over leadership roles at al-Hurra in hopes that they will carry out reform. It is not certain just how valid these rumors are. But if they are true, the negotiations will do nothing more than remedy one mistake with one bigger still. For management values in America are based on announcing vacant positions to the general public so that those qualified can apply and compete for them. In the end, the person who is the most proficient and with the highest scores in exams and interviews supervised by specialized committees — not subjected to the whims of one or two people — fills the position.

I do not think that the positions of news director or chief editor at al-Hurra are ones which requires political appointment by the White House so that contact with candidates must be made in secret. Rather, they are specialized positions equal to Grade 15 (GS-15) in the governmental system that must be announced so that all can compete for it and applicants can undergo examinations to measure their journalistic and managerial competency as is the case in all other American institutions distant from Middle Eastern influence.

At al-Hurra, unfortunately, the management has not been selected in the customary manner so that the channel could benefit from the best of the managerial and journalistic expertise so plentiful in Washington. This issue might have arisen with the best of intentions or perhaps from trust inaptly placed in the hands of the current management. However, for the lowest-level employees and editors at the station to be selected in the same manner — without applicants being subject to fair competition — is something we do not witness at al-Jazeera, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), or even the lamest of Arabic stations. Therefore, one finds that al-Jazeera has been able to attract the finest professionals. Likewise, the work at BBC requires that applicants pass numerous levels of testing and personal interviews which is possible for only those with the highest skills so that no one can doubt the abilities of employees there. At al-Hurra, however, it appears that personal whims have prevailed over hiring practices so that the channel is now characterized by two types of workers. Those of the first type possess certifiable skills and expertise but lack decision-making power, presence and real participation. Those of the second type are new additions to the media profession and yet have been entrusted with the full range of editorial and executive tasks. The values and morals of the latter are reflected on the screen of al-Hurra as well as on the reputation of the United States within the Arab World and each Arab home.

The United States is not as bad as it appears to be on the screen of al-Hurra and one would never have imagined that American citizens would pay out of their own pockets to ruin the reputation of their country and further kindle hatred against it. America is a great country and worthy society based on diversity and pluralism, not one controlled by a single nationality or religious faction. A dear friend of mine in Washington who is a member of the Maronite faith in Lebanon spoke to me and stated: “I am Lebanese and a Maronite but nonetheless reject the fact that 80% of the journalists at al-Hurra are from the Maronite faith or of Lebanese nationality. In my opinion, this is behavior which does not support winning the hearts and minds of the rest of Arabs.” The author of this article tries to understand this type of statement and at the same time I do not believe that al-Hurra is an Arab league which needs to maintain the demographic balance of the region but that it does have to pay attention to professional skills and modern methods of hiring. I believe that in doing so it will find that media skills are possessed by all nationalities and faiths without exception. I also try to understand that the focus of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and Department of Homeland Security in seeking the aid of a larger number of Arab Christians and believe this is acceptable for two reasons. First of all, the percentage of Arab Christians who are American citizens exceeds 75% whereas that of Arab Muslims is not more than 25%. Secondly, the war on terror, whether we like it or not, is a war on Muslim terrorists and it is therefore difficult for many Arab Muslims to obtain the desired security score on the “security clearance” necessary for work with national agencies and review of confidential documents. This is especially true for those who have traveled to Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Iraq of Saddam Hussein, or other countries — not to mention those who were born in countries which produce and incubate terrorists.

However, it is not necessary to apply the hiring procedures for security agencies at the al-Hurra channel. The objective of al-Hurra is to address the hearts and minds of Arab Muslims — not to spy on them. Thus, Arab Muslims deserve to see on Alhurra�s screen names such as Mohammed, Ahmed, and Hassan just as much as we have to present them with names such as Joe, Michel, and Antonio. With regards to one faction monopolizing most of the editorial positions at an American station, this is unacceptable unless these are Americans with the same right to compete as the others and they have not been brought from failed stations in distant countries. Likewise, they should be required to pass the types of proficiency examinations that would leave us paying tribute to them saying: “The al-Hurra channel where they work has succeeded in stirring the hearts and minds of viewers — not arousing their scorn and disapproval.”

Al-Hurra is not a place where one person whose hostilities, rivalries, maneuvers and work practices will be reflected on a station funded by Congress should be placed in the driver’s seat. Rather, it could be appropriately managed by an administrative board similar to that of the al-Jazeera channel which, no matter how much one may differ with its policies, has achieved great professional success according to its agenda.

In my opinion, it is very improper to say that al-Hurra is unable to find employees when it has refused to bring on board a capable broadcaster such as Jamal Riyan simply because he is Palestinian. The appearance of Jamal Riyan on al-Hurra, who was the first person to read the news on al-Jazeera, would have given the new channel a great degree of credibility for a large audience of viewers. One cannot be certain if it was the good fortune of Jamal Riyan or the misfortune of al-Hurra that it did not even bother to respond to his e-mail message when the channel was still just an idea on paper. Rejecting someone simply because they are Palestinian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Yemeni, or from the Emirates is far being a function of proficiency and one of the most serious mistakes an institution can make — not to mention a media institution which is supposed to promote the values of justice and avoiding discrimination. Thus, I say that in order for the American administration to succeed in reforming the Arab World, it will first need to reform al-Hurra.

Related Observations

1. Sources in the U.S. Congress have mentioned to the author of this article that an investigator who participated in exposing violations of the “Oil for Food” program has been appointed to review the contractual documents between al-Hurra and companies in Lebanon, Morocco, and the Emirates. The same sources indicate that there are those who are trying to intervene to stop the investigation in a characteristically Arabic manner.

2. It is the opinion of an informed source — who has worked at al-Hurra since its establishment and up until a few weeks ago — that the top official for the Middle East in the U.S. Broadcasting Board of Governors, Norman Pattiz, truly believes that al-Hurra has been a success. He bases this belief on opinion polls conducted in Arab countries by a single company for the benefit of al-Hurra following the broadcast of special programs in which those polled were asked if they have watched al-Hurra. The results of viewer opinions of the channel are not published and likewise no polls are conducted by any other institution. The informed source believes that Pattiz is an American citizen who does not want to harm his country but who relies on one portal for viewing all that is Arab. This failure on the part of Pattiz has led to non-renewal of his position despite the fact that no alternate has been appointed thus far. In accordance with the system of the Board of Governors, he will perform his work until such time when an alternate has been appointed or his position renewed.

3. U.S. labor laws require that all institutions give priority to U.S. citizens or permanent residents in obtaining vacant positions. This does not apply to al-Hurra since the visas granted to the majority of employees are J-1 visas — designated for cultural exchange — and not H-1 visas. In accordance with the laws pertaining to H-1 visas, institutions must advertise all vacant positions in domestic newspapers before giving them to any foreigner.

4. Some American newspapers have begun to conduct journalistic investigations of al-Hurra which are in the process of being published. These investigations coincide with the approaching discussion of funding for the channel by the External Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is more than a remote possibility that the scandals brought to light will lead to reduction of al-Hurra’s budget. This would come at a time when the project is in need of reform — not cuts or termination — since the presence of an American channel, broadcasting in Arabic, is of utmost importance. The channel should be made as successful as possible and its defects remedied if we are serious about supporting programs for political reform in the Arab region.

5. Over recent months, al-Hurra has spent more than 500,000 dollars to design a website using a company in Lebanon, despite the fact that American companies are more experienced and capable of designing websites in record time. This website has yet to materialize.

6. Media officials including four American Egyptians, one America Syrian and one American Yemeni have filed lawsuits against Radio Sawa, charging the station with not hiring them due to their ethnic background. If they are victorious in these suits, the American taxpayer will suffer enormous losses as a result of policies of racial discrimination which are prohibited in U.S. society.

7. Last April, President Bush decided to address the Lebanese people and sought the aid of a Lebanese station, rather than al-Hurra, to communicate his message. It is unclear how the news director of al-Hurra was able to convince media officials at the White House that his wife, a well-known media official herself named Paula Yacoubian, was better suited to conduct the interview than the director of the al-Hayat office (LBC), especially given that Lebanese people are aware that she does not work for the station. Despite the appreciation of the Lebanese public for this media official, the interview appeared to be staged. The American president likewise appeared to be a conspirator in the event since the person conducting the interview was the wife of a federal government employee. Had the White House colluded in the staging of this event or had it simply fallen victim to deception itself?!

8. The management of al-Hurra has decided to dismiss the Egyptian-American media official, Majdi Khalil, despite having described him as a “good intellectual.” Mr. Khalil happens to be well-known for his support of issues of democracy, modernization in the Arab region, and fighting terrorist thought. In addition to Mr. Khalil, the services of one of the best Arab commentators, Salama Naamat, have been done away with. Mr. Naamat is the director of the al-Hayat office in Washington. The reason given for his dismissal was that his visa does not permit him to be a commentator at al-Hurra. However, since Mr. Naamat already been a commentator at the channel for more than a year the question remains: was al-Hurra in violation of the law during this entire period and was this simply an excuse to rid the station of strong opinions?

Yemeni-American Journalist – Washington