In a February 28, 2009 interview on Abu Dhabi TV, Lebanese journalist Ziyad Nujeim criticized the state of freedom of speech in Arab countries. He said that these countries regularly violated the charter of principles of satellite broadcasting, that minorities in them could not express their views, and that journalist Muntazir Al-Zaidi, who famously threw his shoe at U.S. president George W. Bush, would have done better to throw it "at the leader who buried Iraqis in the ground."
To view this MEMRI TV clip, visit http://www.memritv.org/clip/en/2051.htm.
"I Have Reread the Charter of Principles of Satellite Broadcasting, Which Was Adopted by the Arab Information Ministers... I Don't Know Whether to Laugh or Cry"
Ziyad Nujeim: "Does a UAE journalist dare to criticize the UAE leader and government? Does a journalist from Al-Jazeera TV dare to criticize the Emir of Qatar? Does a journalist from Al-Arabiya TV dare to criticize the Saudi king?
[...]
"I have reread the charter of principles of satellite broadcasting, which was adopted by the Arab information ministers. The charter says, for instance, that human dignity must be respected. I ask you: Do the Arab regimes respect human dignity? The charter says that there must be no discrimination. Do these regimes refrain from discriminating between their supporters and their opponents? The charter says that it is forbidden to affront the monotheistic religions. Does this mean it is allowed to affront non-monotheistic religions? As for the monotheistic religions, do the same rules that apply to the noble religions of Islam and Christianity apply to the noble Jewish religion? For example, I have heard the Lebanese singer Julia - no disrespect intended - attacking Jews and Judaism on Lebanese New TV. Maybe she meant to attack the Zionists and the Zionist political movement, but no one held her accountable. I don't know whether to laugh or cry over this charter.
[...]
"Most Arab countries, from Gibraltar to the Tigris and the Euphrates, are occupied by their own regimes. The regime itself occupies the country."
Interviewer: "Excuse me, Dr. Ziyad, you are now..."
"Can A Syrian Kurd Express His Opinion Freely? Can a Shiite Express His Opinion Freely And Independently In Bahrain Or Saudi Arabia[?]"
Ziyad Nujeim: "That's my opinion. Can a Syrian Kurd express his opinion freely? Can a Shiite express his opinion freely and independently in Bahrain or Saudi Arabia?"
[...]
Interviewer: "What's wrong with having constraints on liberties? You are familiar with the religious considerations in the Arab world. It is unacceptable to use freedom of the press to harm religion. This might be detrimental to society."
"I Actually Cried When I Read In a Lebanese Newspaper That a Monument Was Erected... of the Shoe Thrown [At U.S. President Bush]... It Would Have Been Better if [the Journalist] Had Thrown His Shoe at the Leader Who Buried Iraqis in the Ground"
Ziyad Nujeim: "None of these issues has anything to do with religion. All these issues in the Arab world are related to democracy, freedom of speech, minority [rights], freedom of action in society, and the freedom of the Arab individual which is trampled under the shoes - if you'll excuse the expression... It is trampled under the shoes of the people who have seized power, and on behalf of minorities, rule the majority. This is not the issue. There is a consensus that we must respect the various religions and faiths, but in order for the Arab media to be free, sovereign, objective, and neutral, we need journalists who are not affiliated in terms of ideology, religion, or politics.
"We must abolish the information ministries in the Arab world. Countries with a well-established tradition in this field, like France, Britain, and the US, do not have information ministries. Rather than defending the people's rights, these Arab ministries suppress them. It is necessary to establish public TV channels, which would deal with the issues, concerns, dreams, and difficulties of people throughout the Arab world.
"I'm telling you, I actually cried when I read in a Lebanese newspaper that a monument was erected in Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam Hussein, of the shoe thrown by Muntazir Al-Zaidi [at U.S. President Bush]. Today, the honor of the [Arab] people and press boils down to a man who threw his shoe at a leader. It would have been better if he had thrown his shoe at the leader who buried Iraqis in the ground. What shocks me most is that this is called a monument of 'glory and honor.' Glory and honor are not..."
Interviewer: "Thank you, Dr. Ziyad, we've got the point..."
Ziyad Nujeim: "By 'thank you' you mean 'shut up,' right?"
