Pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Arabiya has received attention recently for its anti-terrorism show ‘Death Making,’ reports Fox News. The show, anchored by Lebanese female host Rima Salha, “is a unique program that lets jihadists tell their stories, and then shows the results of their actions,” continues Fox.
Salha and her crew interview members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, visit their homes in refugee camps, and then attempt to explain and emphasize the ramifications of terrorist acts. She has had access to senior Al-Qaeda leaders, presumably because they intend to use her show as a platform for their own beliefs.
Salha and her crew have received numerous death threats, accusing her of resisting jihad and “destroying the image of Islam.”
“The program is just trying to show some facts about terrorism and these so-called jihadists. Of course I receive threats on a regular basis, but that does not prevent me from doing my mission,” Salha said in an interview with Fox.
“We are targeting [brainwashed Muslims] and trying to explain to them that terrorism is not a good thing,” she continued.
"It's not enough to tell you that Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization. You have to understand why, what it means, how everything works, and what the end goal is for them," Al-Arabia's general manager Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed explains.
Peter Neumann, Author of "Old and New Terrorism" and the director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence at King's College says the fact that "Death Making" airs on an Arab television station is significant.
"From that point of view this is a very positive development which is likely to have an impact and further undermine the credibility and legitimacy of organizations like Al Qaeda," says Neuman.
‘Death Making’ combats the image that Arabs are “too often bombarded with;” “romanticized coverage” of terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda, says James Philips on a Heritage Foundation blog.
“One can only hope that other Arab journalists… follow [Salha’s] lead and report honestly on the mass murderers of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups,” concludes Philips.
‘Death Making’ is currently in its third year and broadcasts in Arabic.