Welcome to Layalina Productions

The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 9, April 10-April 27, 2009

Egypt Turns off Hezbollah TV

In the latest bout between pro-establishment forces and Hezbollah representatives in Egypt, a petition was submitted to an Egyptian court asking to revoke the license of the organization's television station - Al-Manar, reports Ynet News.

The petition maintains that the Shia-affiliated station recently began broadcasting false news reports about Egypt. Among these, Al-Manar was said to have accused Egypt of collaborating with the United States, promoting Jewish interests and trying to "implement the Zionist agenda."

The broadcasts, provided by the Egyptian satellite service 'Nilesat', make Al-Manar, along with hundreds of other Arab-language channels, available to millions in the country.

"This constitutes a national humiliation, creates confusion with our neighbors and sectarianism about different groups," the petition claimed. Three weeks prior, Egypt boycotted an Arab League summit in protest to similar coverage by Al-Jazeera, whose headquarters are located in the summit's host nation of Qatar.

Egypt's petition against Al-Manar demanded that the station "stop using Egyptian broadcasting satellite Nilesat," notes Naharnet. The lawsuit also criticized Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for "insulting the government, the president and the people by allowing Al-Manar to broadcast fabricated news about Egypt."

Diane Mukkaled with Asharq-Alwasat commented that Egyptian media attacked Hezbollah and its Secretary General, which was "unprecedented as part of a campaign by state television programs, newspapers, anchors and websites, all replete with disdain and accusations that crossed the media line."

Mukkaled points out that besides violating the sovereignty of another state, "which in actual fact was the case in spite of what is said about supporting the Palestinians and providing them with weapons, Hezbollah is dragging itself and Lebanon more importantly, into a regional conflict that Lebanon could not handle." Hezbollah could further weaken the position of Lebanon in the region while destabilizing very fragile regional stability.

"Blatant sectarianism and the attacks against minorities by officials and commentators as a way of dealing with such ultra-sensitive and dangerous issues are as much at fault as Hezbollah’s action itself," she states.

The violation of Egypt’s sovereignty, territory and interests is enough for Egypt to gain the support of others; it does not need to evoke illusions about the "Shiafication of Egypt or to use street language describing others as 'monkeys', which only adds to the tension."

Back to articles