Media, Terrorism, and Reality
Remarks by Khaled al-Maeena
13th Arab-U.S. Policymakers Conference
Washington, DC
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Khaled
Al-Saffuri: This is a
very important panel. We have a
very distinguished group that will be speaking.
I will first introduce Mr. Khaled Al-Maenna.
He is a well-known journalist from Saudi Arabia.
He's the editor of Arab News
and is also very active in social affairs in the Kingdom.
Mr. Khaled Al-Maenna..
 Khaled
Al-Maeena: Thank you
Khaled. Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I will be talking about the media, terrorism and the reality
of the situation. I would like to
talk about the media as somebody who has a foot in both "medias" --
the American media and the Gulf or the Saudi media.
As such I think I'll be in a slightly better position to focus and
critique.
I'm not going to get into the blame
game. I tell Saudis there is no
such thing as the "Western media."
There is the American media, the British media and so on.
We in the Arab world tend to put all the blame on the "Western
media."
As one who has been following the media, and especially since my focus
will be post-9/11, we are very pained that most of the articles, most of the
words that were used, most of the columnists had absolutely no idea about what
they were talking about. There
was no critical thinking. There
was lazy journalism. Sometimes,
they would hear something, some rumors, that turned into myths and then into
facts, and this was very painful.
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We always looked upon the media in
the West, if I may use both Britain and others, as a model of truth, as people
who call a spade a spade, and that would not try to cover up.
But, what has really upset people in the Arab and Islamic world has
been the demonization of our people.
It is true there were people from our
part of the world who caused a lot of chaos, who were responsible for so the
incidents that resulted in the death of thousands of people.
However, it was unfair to see the application of the principle of
collective guilt on all of us. We
were all demonized. We all became
criminals.
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..what has really upset
people in the Arab and
Islamic world has
been
the demonization of our
people.. |
Those in America who tried to use
their pens or their laptops or their PCs to speak about reality and try to
defend us found their voices or their words drowned.
Many journalists from this country said that if they write an article
that is "fair and balanced," as Fox News terms it, found that not a
word appeared in these papers. There
were incidents where TV bosses told their people who were filming to use words
that were not part of their vocabulary. Senior
journalists told me that. I think
there was a concerted effort. Marwan
[Bishara] spoke about the "Israelization" of America. I think it has also started with the media.
The media here started to look at us with inimical eyes.
I am not wallowing in self-pity or
groveling, but what I'm telling you are facts.
These things really pain us -- that some are trying to ignore the fact
that we too are part of the heritage of the three great religions, that we are
also part of humanity. To divest
us of this is really causing more harm because on the other side, there are
people who see it.
| For years, the
Arab media was a recipient media, meaning that we take everything that
was dished out, from Reuters, AP, AFP, the New
York Times. And,
you would take it, and paste it right in our papers.
But, right now, you have a breed of Arab journalists, who are
qualified, competent and who watch, read and see, and they answer
back. You also have a
large Arab population that is seeing about 500 TV channels, that
watches the same news that you watch, that also has better access
because being nearer to Asia and Europe, they get better insight.
So, these people are getting angry.
I think what we need is a
responsible media on the part of the media here in the United States
-- a media that does not take sides, a media that really tries to seek
truth and not try to demonize us and use words that our so-called
enemies use upon us. We
get upset about it. |
(Photo by S.M. Amin, Sa'id Ghamidi/Aramco/PADIA)
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I do hope and pray that in the
future, if there is any sort of judgment to be made on us, it should be made
by people who are competent and who are peers and who know about us.
I have seen lies in the print media here and on TV here.
I am a liberal. I support criticism. I
want the free press. I want the
press to be really free, but sometimes, you wonder if the press here is free
enough to tell the truth about
other countries, other religions, especially about countries that for years
were allies of the United States.
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Terrorism has become a part of the
media jargon but it upsets us to hear the expression "Islamic
terror." I told Dan Rather
once that terrorism has no religion. There
is a Muslim who's a terrorist as there can be a Christian terrorist, a Jewish
terrorist, or a Buddhist terrorist. But,
then, to apply this word "Islamic terrorist" and "Islamic
terror" and creating this "Islamophobia," only strengthens the
resolve of those on the other side who feel that America is out to get them.
It's unfortunate because America has
never been a colonizing power. America
has always been a friend of the Muslim world.
It was a natural ally of the Muslims in the 1950s and 1960s.
You had the Central Treaty Organization, CENTO, which came in after the
Baghdad pact. So, there was no
animosity, but unfortunately, America has sided against us for a reason we
know not. I'm speaking of the
actions before 9/11. After 9/11,
everything went haywire.
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..terrorism has no
religion..
..to apply this word
"Islamic terrorist"
and "Islamic
terror"
and creating this
"Islamophobia," only
strengthens the
resolve of those on
the other side who
feel that America is
out to get them.. |
We really feel that to associate us
with terror is really something that we oppose.
We know there are terrorists among us.
We know that there are evil people amongst us, as there are evil people
all over the world. We are
accused of being anti-Semitic when we criticize the Likud party. We are accused of being anti-Semitic when we talk about the
dehumanization of oppressed people.
The United States has moved heaven
and earth to implement resolutions on Iraq, on Iran and Lebanon, whatever the
case may be. But, UN Security
Council Resolutions 242 and 338 are lying in the dust.
And, when people talk about occupation in Palestine, they say "No,
no, no." There are so many
maps coming up, and all these maps lead to nowhere.
So, how do you expect the Arab people, especially the young people, who
are now seeing this and watching this, not side with those who are now
shouting and saying that "America is our enemy?"
| I don't believe that it is a matter
of terrorism, the situation that leads to this blanket judgment on all of us.
I think again, as I was saying this morning, it's a low level
insurgency. People feel their
grief. So, we have to go to the
root cause of terror. There is no
cause that justifies the murder of 3,000 people on a September morning.
But, at the same time, I think we have to see what is happening.
The United States is perceived as being a partner in an evil act upon
us by certain people in certain countries.
I think the United States is a strong power.
It has a lot of morality in it. It
has to come out and be a champion of justice.
It has to come out and play the role of an honest broker.
People in the United States and the media should come up and say,
"These people, the Arabs and the Muslims, are not our enemies.
We may have some differences with them, but at the same time, we should
try to resolve our differences with them." |
People in the United States
and the media should say,
"These people,
the Arabs and the Muslims,
are not our enemies.
We
may have some differences
with them, but at the same
time, we should
try to
resolve our differences with
them." |
The reality of the situation is that
this wedge is growing. This wedge
is growing because of ignorance, I would say, on both sides but more so on the
part of the United States, where there are a lot of good people.
We as a newspaper on the Web receive many emails each day from the
United States. There are lots of
people who say that after having read some of the media in the Arab world and
in the Muslim world, we now have a better understanding of what's going on.
In fact, many people apologize to us for the indiscriminant bombing and
the killing of innocent people, like the wedding party in Afghanistan, the one
on the Syrian border.
I think it's the responsibility of
the media also to focus on the truth. I
am again, as I said, not in the blame game.
I'm not going to say that any particular segment of society controls
the media. All I ask is to have a
fair hearing. All we ask is to
see that people come out and seek the truth, not necessarily to side with us.
We know that the United States has
strategic interests and strategic alliances with certain countries.
We don't ask you to disrupt that relationship. All we ask for is a fair hearing. All we ask for is to let the people know that we do not hate
them, we mean well. Americans
should know that you cannot ignore 1.2 billion Muslims. They can�t be painted with one brush and claims they are
enemies and terrorists. They
can�t be hurt by attacking their religion, attacking their prophets, and
attacking their institutions.
We are in for criticism.
We welcome it, but at the same time, we don't want these venomous
articles and the other kinds of poisonous things that are being used to
demonize us. That is resented by
all of us, by the so-called extremists, by people like me who consider
themselves liberal, and by the rest of the population.
Thank you.
The following are excerpts from the question
and answer session, which followed the panel discussion, that were posed to
Mr. Al-Maeena.
Khaled
Al-Saffuri: The
first question is for Mr. Al-Maeena. How
much attention do the Saudi media give to intolerant preaching in Saudi
mosques?
Khaled
Al-Maeena: In the last
two years or more, there has been a great emphasis and focus on those people
who espouse hatred and violence. Personally,
I would like to see more attention on this issue.
By and large, there have been certain actions by the government itself
to remove some people. But, I
don't think it is the mosques that are preaching intolerance.
I think there are people in society in our part of the world who are
using the media, who are using the Internet and using other means of
communication. I think the idea
is that it is not the mosques that preach intolerance; it's people who do so
using modern methods of communication. But,
I think now what happened was that the journalists and the media people came
out openly and have started writing against them using newspapers.
They have started talking about them in talk shows, radio shows and on
TV. As such, we have sort of
preempted any action they would have sprung up.
Khaled
Al-Saffuri: Does
Al Jazeera set the example for free expression in the Arab media?
 Khaled
Al-Maeena: Well, I
think Al Jazeera has set the environment for dialogue.
It has also let the genie out of the bottle, and there is no going
back. Al Jazeera is highlighting
several issues, local and domestic. By
local, I mean what's happening in the Gulf area, domestic -- in the Arab world
-- and foreign. And as such, it
has provided us with some insights. I
think it is a healthy trend. Because
of Al Jazeera, you have Al Arabiya and other new outlets coming. People are now talking about ratings. I think that is a very healthy sign for Arab TV journalism.
Khaled
Al-Saffuri: Can you
honestly say there is a vibrant, self-critical debate within the Arab media
vis-a-vis acts of terror whether within the U.S. or in Saudi Arabia?
Khaled
Al-Maeena: I think,
yes, there is a healthy debate. The
last four years, and even before September 11th, there was a change in the
Saudi media and Gulf media, especially when people began to probe and to ask
and to question. There was a need
for accountability. The
parameters of questions and answers were widened.
I think when September 11th came, people asked the question, "Why
are these people from this part of the world?"
Yes, there is a need. There
is soul-searching among the writers and intellectuals.
But, remember how many years of being stagnant in thought, and suddenly
this thing opening up has also helped a lot.
I really believe the outcome has been very positive.
Khaled
Al-Saffuri: Our last
question is directed to Mr. Al-Maeena. How
much play would the Arab media give to the UN Human Development report?
Did it get much debate in the Arab society?
Khaled
Al-Maeena: Yes, both
in print and on TV. In fact, that
was used as a cudgel, or a stick, to hit at Arab governments.
People use this because it is a UN report done by Arabs for Arabs.
There was no fear that people would say that this has come across from
another country. In fact, there
were debates, editorials, and it was used by many agencies to ask Arab
governments to be more accountable to the needs and aspirations of the people,
and to fault them for years of neglect, wrongdoing and corruption.
I think that was very highly played.
Mr.
Khaled Al-Maeena, a well-known public relations consultant, media
personality, editor, and journalist in Saudi Arabia, has been Editor-in-Chief
of Arab News, the largest English daily newspaper in the Middle East,
for over 15 years. He first joined the newspaper as Editor-in-Chief from
June 1982 until February 1993 and rejoined in March 1998. He was Chief
Executive Officer of the Saudi Public Relations Company (SPRC) from 1993 until
2000. He served as an anchor and hosted popular talk shows on Saudi
Television (STV), and has also worked as a radio announcer and TV program
director.
Mr. Al-Maeena has represented the
Saudi Arabian media at several important summit meetings in the Arab world,
including the Arab summits of Baghdad and Morocco. He was a member of a Saudi Arabian diplomatic delegation to both the People's Republic of China and
Russia after diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and
those countries were established.
Mr. Al-Maeena has extensive knowledge
of the Western media. Throughout his professional life, he has made
frequent visits to the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Gulf countries,
and he has been a guest lecturer at a number of internationally renowned
universities, colleges, and institutions.
Mr. Al-Maeena has interviewed
numerous heads of state and has himself appeared on CNN, CBS, and STAR TV,
especially during the Gulf War. He steered the Arab News team
during the Gulf crisis and is credited with being the first to bring
newspapers back into liberated Kuwait.
A regular political and social
columnist for Gulf News, Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Eqtisadiah, Arab
News, Times of Oman, Asian Age, and The China Post,
Mr. Al-Maeena is also a committed sports promoter and has successfully
promoted squash and tennis tournaments in Saudi Arabia.
In 1982, Mr. Al-Maeena joined Saudi
Arabian Airlines (Saudia). He has served there in various capacities,
including public relations advisor to the airline and Editor-in-Chief of Saudia
World.
Mr. Al-Maeena received his education
in several countries, including the United States, Britain, and
Pakistan. He is fluent in English, Arabic, and
Urdu.
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