Arab TV network plays key, disputed role in Afghan war

Al Jazeera gained exclusive access to Iraq in 1998, giving Mr. Hussein an opportunity to speak directly to the Arab world. But it also later aired a story about an extravagant birthday party thrown by the Iraqi leader for himself.

Many at Al Jazeera say it is highly ironic for the US, with its long history of a free press, to criticize an Arab television station famous for its free-speech approach. "They are adopting the official Arab strategy toward the media, which is censorship, censorship, censorship," says Maher Abdallah, host of the popular Al Jazeera program "Religion and Life."

"Who is teaching whom?" Mr. Abdallah asks.

Officials at Al Jazeera say that if the US and Britain object to the opinions they see expressed on the station's programs, they are welcome to equal air time in which to respond. Indeed, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and US Secretary of State Colin Powell have both appeared on the station. A request for an interview with President Bush is pending.

"This station has been established on a free and independent basis," says Abdullah Ibrahim al-Haj, Al Jazeera's assistant general manager at the modern but small building in Doha. He says editors and reporters seek to comply with the station's motto: "The opinion, and the other opinion." That is the approach editors say they intend to follow in their continuing coverage of Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden. "Why do we have to take sides?" asks Ibrahim Hilal, Al Jazeera's chief editor.

By obtaining exclusive access inside the Taliban-controlled majority of Afghanistan, Al Jazeera pulled off a major coup in the high stakes business of international news. How Al Jazeera wields its newfound power may firmly establish its credibility as a world-class news organization. Or it may confirm the station's harshest critics, who say the so-called Arab version of CNN is nothing more than a "nasty little propaganda channel."

Al Jazeera staffers - many of whom started their careers working for the BBC - deny charges of bias. Instead, there is a strong sense of pride at working for an organization that has broken more than its share of big stories in the past month.

"This is our chance now to be No. 1. CNN was No. 1 in the Gulf War, and now we are No. 1," says Tawfiq Taha, an Al Jazeera news anchor.

But it isn't just about scoops and access. Some analysts warn that bin Laden's carefully scripted televised statements are a source of inspiration for militant Muslims and could spark instability that threatens US allies such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, among others.

Even the free speech protections of the First Amendment of the US Constitution do not allow someone the unfettered ability to yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater.

But others say the dangers of such speech stem not from the content of the message, but from the current atmosphere. These analysts say that rather than trying to censor certain words, the US should be working for democratic reforms throughout the Middle East.

"The question should be why 90 percent of the audience is watching Al Jazeera," says Khaled Saffuri of the Washington-based Islamic Institute.

"I think Al Jazeera reflects the feelings on the street and whether those sentiments are reasonable or extreme reflects the people on the street," he says. "If there was a real democratic debate I don't think you would see much sympathy for radical ideas."

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