Bottom-line: NZZ is a newspaper with a very liberal line; not in the american sense but in the classic, John Locke sense: it is opposed to excessive state-intervention and insists on responsibilsation of the individual.

no offense taken.

I described it as liberal because of the history of the newspaper.

If one would connect the NZZ with a political party it would be the FDP (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Democratic_Party_of_Switzerland) in Switzerland which calls itself “die liberalen” or the liberals. The ties between the NZZ and the FDP are relatively strong. The president of the FDP automatically has a seat ion the board of directors of NZZ and to own shares you have to be a member of the FDP at least that once was the case.

But probably there is a different meening to the word liberal in Switzerland and the US. You should be able to clarify that :-)

Marcus

And I got a hell of a chuckle reading that you are a “eine schiitische Monarchistin”…does that mean a “shitty queen”? Hehehe.

Great work in many more ways, than you might think.

I myself am US and Swiss Citizen and subscribe to the NZZ, which ( sorry Marcus) would in American Terms be considered as the last truly conservative (not liberal) Paper in Switzerland. You should not be surprised about the amount of visitors, as the NZZ most definitely in Europe is in the same league as the Washington Post, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, or Intl. Herald Tribune in terms of Reputation and Credibility.
IN Europe, after 8 years of GWB, the image of the ugly American has become as penetrated as never before. It is definitely nice to see a bit of great press to the contrary, demonstrating that we, the people actually mean it, when we talk about the freedoms so nicely defined in the US Constitution – these freedoms we like to share with so many suppressed people. Many Europeans have forgotten that they always could count on us, when these liberties were threatened. They see us as Oil grabbing invaders and do not realize that the American People, as represented by you, actually believe in the right of every individual to enjoy those liberties we Westerners so often take for granted.
It does not come as a surprise to me, that a Swiss Paper took up your story, the Swiss having one of the longest history of fiercely defending their democratic freedoms. I just wish that the Europeans would do more walking rather than talking, as we have a moral obligation to help evolve these autocratic, theocratic, genocidal regimes throughout the middle east towards a regiion with stable democracies, where anyone can pursue his/her own individual happiness.
Keep up the great work, Jane.

I got here through the Link on NZZ and when I saw this post I thought why not leave some additional Information, maybe someone will appreciate it.

First, I wasn’t really up to date with the situation in Yemen but your blog opened my eyes and I think not only mine…

NZZ is a very respected newspaper published in Switzerland and widely distributed. It is mainly read in business cycles and has a strong emphasis on liberal values. More Information you can find for example on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZZ

Now I think you probably want to know what NZZ wrote about you, this is why I translated the article:

—-

If a newspaper in Yemen wants to sell more copies it publishes a picture of Jane Novak. The 46 year old American housewife and mother of two children has reached surprising popularity in the southern Arabic country. All because of her Internet Blog. For the Yemeni government she has become something like enemy of the state number one.

The descriptions and names of Jane Novak are diverse: A member of al-kaida, an American secret agent, a Shiite monarchist, a Zionist – that’s what representatives from the Yemeni Government have called the women on different occasions. A women which sits some thousand kilometers away on a different continent, in front of her a Laptop-Computer blogging. Assumed her children are in school and she has time at the moment.

The 46 year old housewife out of the American state of New Jersey openly admits to have known almost nothing about Yemen just a few years ago. In the meantime she is known in Yemen by her given name “Jane”. Also she possibly is the best known foreigner in the country even though the opinions about har greatly differ. Already the name and the graphical design of her Website, in the colors of the American flag ought to be enough to get the blood of Islamists and arabic governments rushing through their veins.

Everything began with a petition

Everything began in the year 2004 with a petition to free the Yemenite journalist Karim al-Khaiwani. Khaiwani had attracted his governments anger, because he dared to write about a rebellion in the north of the country. He was charged with high treason and theoretically he has to fear the death penalty.

Out of the simple appeal on the Internet developed a Blog, which stood at the beginning of a campaign whose momentum holds steadily. The Website has developed into a kind of bulletin board for Journalists which are particular near to the countries opposition and oppositional politicians. They send emails which provide new information and make the blog into more than the hobby of a dilettante. One thing lead to another: But mainly the Yemeni government made the mistake to created the concept of the enemy “Jane” which made her an icon. By now Novak also publishes in the English “Yemen Times”. Her articles show a considerable knowledge of the inner workings.

Talk guest on “al-Jazira”

2005 Novak was a first time guest in a discussion on the arabic television station al-Jazira. When it was the speaker of the Yemeni governments turn he began with a tirade against Novak: You don not speak arabic, you never were in Yemen and you aren’t even a journalist. Everything you have is a website you are using to smear Yemen.

No “normal” activist

Reading her biografy the 46 year old doesn’t really fit the picture of an activist who fights for the rights of people in an exotic country. According to “The New York Times” she was working as sales manager for a textile company before she became a mother. When a Yemeni Minister visited Washington last year he offered to meet “Jane”. She refused because the trip to Washington was to expensive and the complications in securing the supervision for her children.

Bloody conflict

Through her campaign Novak was sucked into one of the least known and most complex conflicts in the middle east. In the southern Arabic country, which formerly was divided into Northern and Southern Yemen, a rebellion of tribes in the north west has existed for years. The rebels which are located near the border to Saudi Arabia are fighting against the central government who accuses the rebels of being supported by Iran. The death toll is located in the thousands. The Journalist Karim al-Khaiwani whom Novak supports wrote, in spite of an official embargo, about the conflict on his webiste. This was the reason for the charge against him.

The Yemeni government accuses him of being a supporter of the “Terrorists”, which is the governments take on the rebels. According to Novak this is a bitter irony because the stance of the regime on this subject has to be called ambivalent. Numerous Prisoners which were incarcerated because there existed the suspicion of ties to al-Kaida have been freed in spite of protests from the West. The twilight of the global terror networks also lies on the small country on th southern tip of the Arabic peninsula. The definition of friend and foe is seldom definite.

That al-Khaiwani is on the right side Noavk is convinced of. The two have never met but are still corresponding by email. By the way, it took Novak months until Novak confessed to her protégé that she isn’t a Jorunalsit or Expert but a housewife with a Laptop at home.

—-

I hope the translation is readable, my english isn’t that good and I’m stil trying to improve. The translation was somewhat difficult because the NZZ is known for using a diverse vocabulary :-)

Best,

Marcus