Arab American journalists often speak out about the unending bias and discrimination against them here in the United States, but do we do and write enough about the discrimination that exists in the Arab World against Arab journalists.
Last December, Fouad al-Farhan was imprisoned by the government of Saudi Arabia, allegedly for expressing anti-government views. He was finally released this past week but only after journalists in the Arab World came to his aid. There were some voices in the United States, the vanguard of professional journalism, but not enough. Most silent were Arab American journalists themselves.
Although NAAJA issued a very strong statement condemning the Saudi Governments actions in arrestinf al-Farhan, few Arab American journalists picked up the call. There are more than 82 Arab American publications in the United States and very few even bothered to write about the story.
Most Arab American journalists focus on the Palestine-Israel conflict, and rightly so. As we approach the 60th Anniversary of Israel, the Palestinian side of the story, of course, is getting pushed to the side. Conservative pundits are inaccurately interpretting that the Arabic term of the 1948 conflict, "al-Nakba" means that Israel's creation was a "catastrophe." In fact, the word "al-Nakba" does mean "catastrophe," but it refers mainly to the failure of the Arab World to defend the rights of Palestinians and the failure to create one secular, Democratic state in 1948. Instead, Palestine was divided into two "states," based on a crisscrossing checkberboard of six regions (3 Jewish and 3 Arab) that was impossible to succeed. As a consequence, both sides broke out into a conflict that has yet to be resolved.
The Palestine-Israel conflict is important and impacts ever aspect of the rising conflicts in the Middle East. You can't really bring Democracy to Iraq without resolving the Palestine Questions. Arabs are not monolithic, but they do share the same important causes.
Still, Arab Americans must broaden their issues. We are fighting on several fronts. We're demanding parity on UNITY: Journalists of Color. We are demanding fairness in coverage of the 60th Anniversary not just of Israel, but of the 1948 conflict. And, we must also demand Democracy and freedoms in the Arab and Islamic Worlds. We can't sitr back silent on issues involving Arab journalists in the Middle East and then wonder why mainstream American media do not treat us fairly. If we want respect, we have to show respect to the issues in our own backyards.
Two Kurdish journalists were arrested by the Iranians and two weeks ago were sentenced to death. One of the few sites that championed the release of al-Farhan was www.MidEastYouth.com., one of the Internet most popular news/blogs on Middle East and Arab issues. And, this week, they also launched a campaign to pressure the Iranian government to suspended the death sentences of Hiwa Butimar and Adnan Hasanpoor.
Ray Hanania
www.ArabWritersGroup.com
Published Sunday, April 27, 2008 8:45 PM by RayHanania
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