Iskander Adel - Al-jazeera: the Story of the Network that is Rattling

In a time when opportunists in politics point to the writings of a handful of doomsday writers who warn of an inevitable clash of civilizations between the Western world and the Arab Middle East, we see the need for mutual understanding. The attacks of September 11, 2001, and the ensuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq reflect an absence of meaningful understanding between peoples. We do not subscribe to such prophecies of doom, yet they are increasingly difficult to counter given all the rhetoric about unbridgeable differences between West and East, Americans and Arabs.

The true clash of civilizations, however, is not being forged on the battlefields of war but in our very own living rooms and in our mind-sets. Contentious ideas about the other are the staple of modern war coverage in the media, each idea promising to tell something more real about the enemy. Although we try to avoid shoehorning people into generalized groups, we promise here to reveal a glimpse of the Middle East in a way that helps readers comprehend the origins of strife and explain the roots of turmoil.

We wholeheartedly believe in intercultural, interreligious, and interracial dialogue for better understanding our common humanity. This book should be read as not only a historical account of how a satellite television network emerged in the Middle East; it is also the story of peoples quest for freedom of opinion and expression, a quest that if curtailedas it has been for many yearscan lead to catastrophes like those the world witnessed on September 11. The emergence of militant religious fundamentalism is a product of decades of oppressive regimes and the virtual nonexistence of a public sphere where issues are discussed and resolved.

Since the original publication of this book, Al-Jazeera has become a global trendsetter among mass media networks, shaping public opinion and politics from London to Jakarta. The war on Iraq has also served to place Al-Jazeera among the elite of television broadcasters worldwide. Likewise, the remarkable attention this book has received has been extremely encouraging, offering us a glimmer of hope that public opinion in the Arab world matters to the American people and to the future of peace. We are gratified to know that this volume provides the only meticulously concise, fair, and balanced account of this unique and revolutionary phenomenon to date.

The success of the Al-Jazeera effect is evident in the way it has transformed the media environment in the Middle East, giving rise to several similar and semi-independent satellite stations, while at the same time maintaining the Al-Jazeera trademark of holding world governments from Washington to Islamabad accountable for their foreign policies.

The realization that there is a definite dearth of information about media in the Middle East, and little data about how the Arab public living there responds to current events, provided the greatest motivation to undertake this project. Although a book of this sort is overdue, the need was accelerated by the recent crisis. It not only catapulted the Al-Jazeera network to international celebrity; it also demanded a deeper understanding of the medias effect on the Arab worlds religious, political, and economic communities.

More important, in a world where agendas are determined by channels of interest, readers should understand that the authors of this book remain independent, autonomous of any governmental or personal influence; they are not connected to any vested media interest. If we have any agenda, it is to support and promote free democratic expression in the Arab world even as we illuminate realities about this world to Americans. We have conducted extensive research on Al-Jazeera for years, monitoring virtually every aspect of the stations operation. Here we attempt to bring forth all possible perspectives on Al-Jazeera and its audience, reserving our opinions for the most important issues in the debate. We also take care to present as many other opinions as possible and have labored to present the reader a perspective that is fair, untainted, and insightful.

Sometimes the only way to accomplish these goals was to assure confidentiality to our sources. Therefore, we use pseudonyms when necessary to protect sources privacy and ensure their anonymity. We see this as the only way to present an unvarnished view of Al-Jazeera, its audience, and recent world events.

While we were putting this book together, countless people have supported us throughout.

Our sincere appreciation goes to both our families. We offer our deepest regards to Rasha El-Gendi (Mohammed el- Nawawys wife) for her continuous support and encouragement. Thanks to Adel Iskandars family, Dr. Talaat I. Farag, Essam Farag, and the late Magda El-Badramany for their unceasing support. We are also thankful to the renowned Egyptian cartoonist Ahmed Toughan for his generous contribution to this book. Special thanks go to Dr. Douglas A. Boyd at the University of Kentucky for his continuous support of this project. We are indebted to Holly Hodder, our extraordinary publisher and editor, our publicist, Greg Houle, and all the staff at Westview Press and the Perseus Books Group. We owe much gratitude to Davide Girardelli for his innovative ideas from the very inception of the book. We would also like to thank Khalid Al-Jaber, a Qatari graduate student at the University of West Floridas Communication Arts Department, for his help with facilitating interviews between the authors and Al-Jazeeras management.