Muzzling the Egyptian media
Over the last few month, we have witnessed a bitter campaign in Egypt directed against those Arab and Western media organizations that the interim government and military authorities have described as ’misleading’, writes the editorial in the London- based pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi (6th of September)
CRITICISM OF AMBASSADORS: This campaign was accompanied by some strong criticism of foreign ambassadors. The [leading pro-government daily] Al-Ahram even accused U.S. ambassador Ann Paterson of being ’part of a plot by the Muslim Brotherhood and foreign militants designed to undermine Egypt’s stability and divide the country in two.’
With the growing complexity of the political crisis in Egypt, Egyptians have turned against some countries just because they have called for moderation or defended the legitimacy of an elected president [Mursi]. In this polarized climate, journalists began trying to exclude their colleagues just because they worked for certain news organizations.
The Egyptian judiciary has recently moved to underwrite this erroneous behavior on the part of some political parties and official circles against certain media outlets. A few days after its office was raided by the police, a court issued a ruling closing down [Qatari-based] Al-Jazeera’s ‘Egypt Direct’ channel. Al-Jazeera English had already been raided and three of its foreign journalists expelled.
To be sure, that was not the first time that al-Jazeera has been targeted by the Egyptian authorities. The channel was also targeted at the beginning of the Egyptian revolution in 2011 before president Mubarak was overthrown. At the time, the Mubarak authorities also targeted other channels such as [Saudi] al-Arabiya and the BBC. Al-Jazeera was also targeted by the Syrian and former Libyan regimes.
The ongoing campaign against freedom of speech in Egypt has been joined by many Egyptian media outlets, which have been raising crude slogans such as ’Egypt is fighting terrorism.’ It seems that the Egyptian media, whether public or privately owned, is becoming more and more one-eyed. This does not serve the truth, or the final goal of establishing a civil state that embraces all Egyptians. On the contrary, such a policy increases the very divisions that every Egyptian has complained about since the last presidential election. What we are witnessing now is a process of strengthening one side at the expense of the other. It is also an attempt to recreate the old [Mubarak] order, albeit in a new and ‘improved’ form.
What is even more dangerous is the fact that this media exclusion conceals an attempt to silence certain political views. This has never succeeded anywhere, and will certainly not succeed in Egypt. This policy will certainly not figure as a high point in the interim government’s record; quite the contrary. While pretending to pursue a policy of national reconciliation, the government has been gagging the opposition. How can the interim government make people believe that it wants to draft a constitution that respects public liberties while it is so obviously against alternative opinions? Besides, is the blocking of broadcasts not now a relic of the past, which only used to be practiced by tyrannies?
This is not the way to counter alternative opinions, nor is it the best way to settle scores with al-Jazeera or any other outlet. Far better to allow all opinions to be aired freely. Let the people decide.
For a military or political authority to muzzle media outlets or drive them off the air means that it does not feel secure in its position nor in the choices it is offering the Egyptian people.
