newswire

Bringing Sesame Street back to Palestine

RAMALLAH - A US-funded, Palestinian-produced version of Sesame Street, or Shara'a Simsim in Arabic, is poised to hit the market in early 2009. Daoud Kuttab, Director of Pen Media, a Palestinian educational media organization, and the local Executive Producer for the series, said Sesame Street in Palestine is about giving back pride to the Palestinian youth.

"Whether it's the television program, special appearances, or outreach initiatives, Shara'a Simsim goals are to serve as a catalyst for positive change by promoting Palestinian children’s sense of their own identity." But this is not an easy task.

Launching at a tough time

Abdel-Hakim Abu-Jamous, Director of Media for the Palestinian Ministry of Education told MENASSAT that the trouble is dealing with the trauma and fear that has made living in the Palestinian Territories a nightmare for Palestinian children. "We have to provide a sense of calm to show children that there is hope," Abu-Jamous said.

Source: [MENASSAT]

Continue reading " Bringing Sesame Street back to Palestine"

How al-Arabiya Got the Obama Interview

By Scott MacLeod

How did a journalist for an Arab-language broadcaster score the first television interview granted by President Barack Obama? Well, at first, Hisham Melhem, the Washington bureau chief for al-Arabiya, a Saudi-backed news channel headquartered in Dubai, thought he was getting someone else. Not that he hadn't tried — like everyone else in Washington — to snag the historic first.

When Melhem's bosses in Dubai got a feeler from the White House on Sunday, it seemed that al-Arabiya was about to get an exclusive interview not with Obama but with new Middle East envoy George Mitchell. The previous Friday, Melhem had begun pressing for an interview with Mitchell after learning from sources that the former U.S. Senator and Northern Ireland peace negotiator was heading to the Middle East almost immediately. The White House told al-Arabiya execs to be ready for a major interview on Monday. (See pictures of Obama's campaign behind the scenes.)

Shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday, Melhem knew from the caller ID on his BlackBerry that the White House was phoning him. As Melhem remembers it, "This man says, 'My name is so-and-so, and I'm either going to make your day or ruin your day. Would you like to chat with the President about 5 p.m. today?' I joked, 'I guess I can accommodate the President.' "

Source: [Time]

Continue reading "How al-Arabiya Got the Obama Interview"

Arabs hail shoe-hurling journalist

BAGHDAD - Thousands of Iraqis took to the streets Monday to demand the release of a reporter who threw his shoes at President George W. Bush, as Arabs across many parts of the Middle East hailed the journalist as a hero and praised his insult as a proper send-off to the unpopular U.S. president.

The protests came as suicide bombers and gunmen targeted Iraqi police, U.S.-allied Sunni guards and civilians in a series of attacks Monday that killed at least 17 people and wounded more than a dozen others, officials said.

Journalist Muntadhar al-Zeidi, a 28-year-old unmarried Shiite, was kidnapped by militants last year and, separately, detained briefly by the U.S. military prior to this incident — a story of getting hit from all sides that is bitterly familiar to many Iraqis. Over time, he came to hate both the U.S. military occupation and Iran's interference in Iraq, his family told The Associated Press on Monday.

Source: [MSNBC]

Continue reading "Arabs hail shoe-hurling journalist"

Cairo Activists Use Facebook to Rattle Regime

By David Wolman

July 23, 2008: Under the scorching sun on a beach in Alexandria, Egypt, a few dozen political activists snap digital pictures and chatter nervously. Many of them wear matchingwhite T-shirts emblazoned with the image of a fist raised in solidarity and the words "April 6 Youth" splashed across the back. A few of them get to work constructing a giant kite out of bamboo poles and a sheet of plastic painted to look like the Egyptian flag. Most are in their twenties, some younger; one teenage girl wears a teddy bear backpack.

Before the group can get the kite aloft, and well before they have a chance to distribute their pro-democracy leaflets, state security agents swarm across the sand. The cops shout threats to break up what is, by Western standards, a tiny demonstration. The activists disperse from the beach, feeling hot and frustrated; they didn't even get a chance to fly their kite. Joining up with other friends, they walk together toward the neighborhood of Loran, singing patriotic songs.

Then, as they turn down another street, a group of security agents jump out of nowhere. It's a coordinated assault that explodes into a frenzy of punches and shoves. There are screams and grunts as about a dozen kids fall or are knocked to the ground. The other 30 or so scatter, sprinting for blocks in all directions before slowing enough to send each other hurried text messages: Where are you? What happened?

Source: [Wired]

Continue reading "Cairo Activists Use Facebook to Rattle Regime"

Jordanian film shows Zarqawi in different light

AMMAN (AP) Zarqa, a low-income industrial city near the Jordanian capital Amman, is best known as the birthplace of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who led a campaign of suicide bombings in Iraq that killed hundreds of civilians before he died in a U.S. airstrike in 2006.

But Zarqa native and filmmaker Mahmoud Massad has sought to portray a very different and more nuanced image of his hometown in his new documentary "Recycle," which won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival's World Documentary Cinematography award.

This beautifully shot film examines ex-mujaheddin fighter Abu Ammar, who is trying, but failing, to build a normal life. It is a disturbing and bleak portrait of a man struggling to support eight children and two wives on meager earnings he gets from scrounging for recyclable cardboard.

But the film's title also alludes to the masses of unemployed young men in much of the Arab world who become recyclable fodder for militants. Director Massad turns Zarqa's rundown slums into an intriguing web of visuals of the city's underclass, trying to show it is not just a breeding ground for violent extremists.

Source: [International Herald Tribune]

Continue reading "Jordanian film shows Zarqawi in different light"

Rachael Ray ad pulled as pundit sees terror link

Dunkin’ Donuts has pulled an online advertisement featuring Rachael Ray after complaints that a fringed black-and-white scarf that the celebrity chef wore in the ad offers symbolic support for Muslim extremism and terrorism.

The coffee and baked goods chain said the ad that began appearing online May 7 was pulled over the past weekend because “the possibility of misperception detracted from its original intention to promote our iced coffee.” In the spot, Ray holds an iced coffee while standing in front of trees with pink blossoms.

Critics, including conservative commentator Michelle Malkin, complained that the scarf wrapped around her looked like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress. Critics who fueled online complaints about the ad in blogs say such scarves have come to symbolize Muslim extremism and terrorism.

Source: [MSNBC]

Continue reading "Rachael Ray ad pulled as pundit sees terror link"

Al-Jazeera criticises Middle East media code

Television network al-Jazeera has said a media code adopted by Arab countries could curb freedom of expression. The code allows authorities to withdraw permits from satellite channels deemed to have offended Arab leaders or national or religious symbols.

It was adopted this week by ministers from the 22-member Arab League at a meeting called by Egypt and Saudi Arabia. But Qatar, where al-Jazeera is based, refused to sign up.

The network said on Friday that it considered the charter "a risk to the freedom of expression in the Arab world". It warned that some of the charter's language was ambiguous and "could be interpreted to actively hinder independent reporting from the region".

Source: [BBC]

Continue reading "Al-Jazeera criticises Middle East media code"

Al-Jazeera English TV channel facing 'staffing crisis'

Al-Jazeera's troubled English language news channel is facing a "serious staffing crisis" after scores of journalists left or have not had contracts renewed amid claims of a revolt over working conditions. Staff at the Doha-based 24-hour news channel - which only reached its first birthday in November -- have told MediaGuardian.co.uk of a series of issues including the removal of benefits and a lack of pay rises which have led many to resign or look to leave.

The staff unrest comes amid speculation that al-Jazeera English is set to relaunch in the second quarter of this year with new schedules and new studios in Gaza and Nairobi.

According to insiders, resignations have occurred across the board, including the director of human resources, the director of operations, producers, senior camera operators and editors. One source said that the general belief among staff was that the English language rolling news service "cost so much to set up that they are now cutting costs at the expense of quality and quantity".

Source: [Guardian Media]

Continue reading "Al-Jazeera English TV channel facing 'staffing crisis'"

Arab TV broadcasters face curbs

Arab countries have agreed to allow punishment of satellite channels deemed to have offended Arab leaders or national or religious symbols.

At a meeting in Cairo called by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, a charter was adopted allowing authorities to withdraw permits from offending channels. The only country to refuse to endorse the charter was Qatar, the home of leading satellite station al-Jazeera.

Correspondents say the satellite channels have thrived on controversy. The often privately financed stations give airtime to government critics and viewers, and discuss issues which state channels would never dare approach, says the BBC's Heba Saleh in Cairo.

Source: [BBC]

Continue reading " Arab TV broadcasters face curbs"

TV poetry is epic success as Arabs return to roots

By Roula Khalaf

Poetry, more than other art forms that have sometimes been frowned on by the religious establishment, has long held a special power to enchant in the Arab world. Although it remains popular, and is still published on newspapers' front pages, its pre-eminence has been diluted by the dizzying offerings of more modern entertainment.

Thanks to a hit show on Abu Dhabi television, however, poetry is not only back but is now also capturing the imagination of a younger generation. Now in its second season, the Million's Poet show, loosely modelled on American Idol , is part of Abu Dhabi's attempt to use its oil surplus to enhance its cultural credentials.

The success of the show - it has spurred copycats, a television station that broadcasts only reruns and a slew of websites and blogs - has stunned even its creators. "Everybody laughed at us when we said we were doing a poetry show because the media focuses on looks rather than substance, or it's political or musical," says Nashwa al-Ruwaini, head of Pyramedia, producer of the show. "But we won the bet - people found it brought them back to their roots."

Source: [Financial Times Deutchland]

Continue reading "TV poetry is epic success as Arabs return to roots"