VOL. IV NO. 26, December 05-December 18, 2008

A Breach Towards Freedom

King Abdullah of Jordan's latest decree ensuring that Jordanian journalists will no longer be subject to jail sentences for editorial reasons was announced although barely covered in the region, according to the International Herald Tribune. "Detention of journalists is prohibited," he said. "I do not see a reason for detaining a journalist because he/she wrote something or for expressing a view."

In the Arab World, the lack media freedom has become the status quo for years, while censorship and harassment have become the norm for journalists in the Middle East.

However, Jordanian journalists are not convinced that this royal decree will result in any tangible changes. There are over twenty other laws in Jordan which continue to restrict the rights of journalists. In the Press freedom index, Jordan currently ranks 128th in the world.

The International Herald Tribune suggests that King Abdullah's declaration must not be forgotten, and that it is also important for journalists and NGOs to hold the Jordanian king accountable to his latest decree.

Tunisia has also tried to improve its media outlets, but to no avail. Kamal Labidi, in an interview with the Arabic Press Media, noted that Tunisia has invested heavily in the education of journalists, but since the reign of Ben Ali, Tunisian journalists have fallen victim to oppression.

Meanwhile,World Magazine centered on the talk show of a Coptic Egyptian priest Zakaria Botros. Fr. Botros uses his television program to confront Islam and defend Middle Eastern Christians, much to the dismay of Al-Jazeera's Muslim viewers.

"When I started to preach this way many or most Christians refused the style. They were afraid. For 14 centuries we [Middle East Christians] are under the threat of the sword of Islam...But after I preached the gospel and spoke in this manner for years now, many of them now say, 'We are no longer ashamed of our religion when Muslims attack us,'" exclaims Boutros on his show.

Botros's castigation of Islam has earned him numerous death threats and jihadists reportedly posted a $60 million reward on his head.

The Saudi London-based newspaper Al-Hayat called journalism in the Middle East the profession of misfortune. In the Palestinian Territories, attacks against journalists by both the Hamas and Fatah governments have risen. In Iraq, over 110 journalists and 40 media staff have been killed since March 2003.

Finally, a letter by a reader to the editor in the Wall Street Journal noted the media's manipulation of words and facts can lead to a distortion of the truth. The letter points out that the BBC downplays the presence of indigenous Jews in the Middle East prior to the 19th century, in addition to accusing media outlets of rationalizing the deeds of Islamic militants "while any Christian, Hindu, or Jewish response is castigated."

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