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Commentaar op BBC Irak-artikel dd 8-10
Astrid Essed - 12.10.2004 06:25
In zijn kritiek op de Arabische media vanwege vermeend gebrek aan humanitaire betrokkenheid bij de gijzelingen in Irak bagatelliseert Usher de politiek-humanitaire implicaties van het Amerikaanse en Israelische militaire optreden.
In zijn kritiek op de Arabische media vanwege vermeend gebrek aan humanitaire betrokkenheid bij de gijzelingen in Irak bagatelliseert Usher de politiek-humanitaire implicaties van het Amerikaanse en Israelische militaire optreden.
Geachte Redactie en lezers,
Hieronder volgt mijn commentaar op het op de BBC online pagina geplaatste artikel van BBC-Buitenland-correspondent S. Usher getiteld''How the world learnt of Ken Bigley's death''
De URL-link is:  http://www.bbc.co.uk
Geheel onder mijn commentaar treft u de desbetreffende tekst van zijn artikel aan
Vriendelijke groeten
Astrid Essed
Aan:  newsonline@bbc.co.uk
Onderwerp: Comment on the BBC Iraq-article of Usher dd 8-10
To the Newsedition of online BBC World News
Concerning the article Sebastian Usher on the online BBC World News: dd 8-10--2004 : ''How the world learnt of Ken Bigley's death''
Dear Editor,
Being a regular reader of your online newsservice I've read the article of
your world media correspondent Sebastian Usher dd 8-10-2004 "How the world learnt of Ken Bigley's death'' with much interest.
However, in this respect I want to make some critical remarks concerning the article.
Although I appreciate the fact that Usher emphasizes the role the Arab newsmedia have played in the recent newsinformation about the hostage-taking and beheading of Bigley, it strikes me that he doesn't only undervalue their role regarding previous hostage-takings, but also is accusing them of a lack of human interest regarding the hostages, which is not the case.
Further it is also striking that he not only doesn't lay any causal connection between the Iraqi hostage-takings and the political-humanitarian situation in Iraq, but he also bagatellises the humanitarian toll of the great number of Iraqi and Palestinian civilian victims.
A The role of the Arab media concerning previous hostage-takings:
After admitting the great attention the Arab newsmedia have given to the hostage-taking of Bigley Usher quotes under his chapter ''Impassioned pleas'' the following sentence:
''There's no doubt of the weight that these Arab stations gave the story. For once, a Western victim of Islamist violence preceded Palestinian or Iraqi casualties on Arab TV.''
End of the citation of Usher
Further he quotes:
''In showing greater restraint over the hostage videos, Arab stations may even be appearing to play down the emotional impact of the killings in comparison with the intensity of their coverage of Iraqi or Palestinian casualties.
This only adds to the inevitable sense that the Arab media is most concerned and most upset by what happens to its own people.''
Yet apart from the fact, that this socalled ''coverage of Iraqi or Palestinian casualties'' is only logical because of their much greater frequency in comparison to the tragic hostage-takings and executions, the accusation that the Arab newsmedia has lesser human interest regarding Western and Asian [Usher forgets that also Asian people were killed by the hostage-takers] makes no sense, since not only previously the Arab-newsmedia, especially al-Jazeerah, gave much attention to them, but moreover unconditionally were condemning those tragic events.
B The Iraqi hostage-takings in respect with the political-humanitarian situation in Iraq:
Further it is striking, that Usher refers clearly to the inhumanity of the hostage-takings, which goes without saying, but never is referring to the deeper causes regarding this.
In fact in the last sentence of his article, he calls on the Arab media to show more ''soul-searching'' regading the ''roots'' of Islamic militancy without giving himself any explanation of those ''roots'', which has often for a great part roots in the American political-military conduct with al the humanitarian implications regarding that.
In this case, referring to the Iraqi situation, I like to fresh up his memory regarding to the followling:
Undoubtedly Usher is aware of the fact, that the in march 2003 started British-American invasion of Iraq was contrary with International Law, since there was no Security Council Mandate and no apparent Iraqi threat to the USA or Great-Britain and the weapon-inspectors who had to search for [never found, as is now officially admitted] WMD's were at the start of their activities yet.
But yet apart fro that, the British and American military powers used by their airstrikes on Iraqi cities the internationallly forbidden clusterboms, which lead to more than 6000 Iraqi civilian dead in three weeks, yet apart from extrajudicial executions of prisoners and shootings on checkpoints and at demonstrators, which demanded their humanitarian toll also.
All those deeds are being categorized as war-crimes, sinde the 4th Geneva Convention states that by military attacs there must be a strict distinction between combatants [soldiers and fighters] and non-combatants [civilians]
So in that respect the use of anti-personell weapons like clusterbombs, the indiscriminate shooting at checkpoints and multitudes who are demonstrating are striclu forbidden.
During the occupation also the arbitarily shootings on civilians were continued.
The most notorious example is the siege and bombing of Fallujah by which more than 300 Iraqi civlians were killed in order to arrest the murderers of four American civilians.
Such a siege is moreiver forbidden by International Law being a collective punishment [art 33, 4th Geneva Convention]
Also is notorious the torture and mistreatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib and othet British-American detention centra.
Of course every occupation to which is inherent humiliations and human rights violations [as described here] leads to resistance, like here the resistance against the British-American occupation-power, which is acknowledged according International Law and the rejectable executions and hostage taking of civilians which yet apart from the inhuman characher are being categorisized as terroristic deeds [real definition of terrorism: military attacks on civiilians]
C Palestinian ''casualties'' [civilian victims]
Referring to the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories [the West-Bank, the Gaza-strip and East-Jerusalem] there are similar circumstances, as usher knows.
Alos here is a 37 years Israeli occupation despite the in 1967 accepted Un-Security Resolution 242, which caled on Israel to withdraw from the in the june-war conquered areas among else the Palestinian areas.
Also here to the occupation [like to every occupation in the world] were inherent humiliations, human rights viloations and war-crimes, which stayed mostly unpunished, which led of course to resistance, the internationally-judicial accepted military attacks on the Israeli occupation-army and the rejectable suicide-attacks on Israeli civilians.
Aloso the settlements-policy [as usher shall know all in the Palestinian territories founded settlements are illegal according to International Law]lead to huge land-expropriations with as a consequence the loss of homes and lands of more than hunderdtgousand Palestinians [in the couple of years]
Some Israeli war-crimes are:
the bombing sith F-16's of refugee-camos, the arbitrarily shooting of civilians, the extrajudicial executions of prisoners, the torture of prisoners, the denying of access of ambulance and medical-personnel to sick and wounded with all the humanitarian cinsequences of this.
Other violations of human rights are the demolishing of houses and the liquidations of Palestinian political leaders or activistst, because International Law states, that every human being has a right on a trial.
Many times also innocent civilians were being killed by those liquidations.
The last Israeli military operation in North-Gaza costed in one week more than 80 Palestinian lives, under which many children, more than 60 houses were demolished, more tha 280 people were injured and there were reports of medical help-organisations, that ambulances and medical personnel were being denied at wounded and seriously ill people.
As Usher knows, the last UN-Resolution to condemn those actions, which were geatly war-crimes, was as usally vetoed by the USA.
When Usher names ''Islamic militancy'' which I denounce as long as civilians are being killed, he has to point at the causes also.
D Bagatellisation of Iraqi and Palestinian victims:
I'll citate some of Ushers remarks regarding Iraqi and Palestinian ''casualties'' [his euphemism for civilian death, due to military actions]
1 ''There's no doubt of the weight that these Arab stations gave the story. For once, a Western victim of Islamist violence preceded Palestinian or Iraqi casualties on Arab TV. ''
2 '' In showing greater restraint over the hostage videos, Arab stations may even be appearing to play down the emotional impact of the killings in comparison with the intensity of their coverage of Iraqi or Palestinian casualties.
This only adds to the inevitable sense that the Arab media is most concerned and most upset by what happens to its own people. ''
3 ''Although Arab newspapers and political and religious leaders have condemned the ruthless tactics of militants like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as completely against Islam, the resonance of these denunciations is usually drowned out quickly by the next round of Iraqi or Palestinian deaths brought in all their immediacy and anguish into Arab homes by al-Jazeera and its rivals.''
4 ''It will be interesting to see if Bigley's killing sets off more soul-searching in the Arab world about the roots of Islamic militancy - but the chances are that it will soon be seen as just another unfortunate casualty in what most people in the Middle East view as an unjustified war of aggression.''
Seen in the light of the above-named humanitarian situation it is highly recommendable when Usher in the future not only makes a thourough analysis of ''Islamic militancy'' but especially shows a fundamental humanitarian respect for the Iraqi and Palestinian civilian victims instead of quoting about ''casualties'' by which he is confirming the point of view from most Arab newsmedia, that the West shies away from the real situation in the Middle East''.
Much regards
Astrid Essed
Amsterdam [Z-O]
The Netherlands
Bij dezen het artikel van Usher:
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Arab media breaks Bigley death
By Sebastian Usher
BBC world media correspondent
It was the Arab media that broke the news of Kenneth Bigley's killing and most of the pan-Arab satellite channels led with the story after the news was officially confirmed.
Kenneth Bigley was taken hostage on 16 September
The story of Mr Bigley's kidnapping and captivity has been given plenty of coverage by Arab news stations, with his family making several appearances to plead for his release.
But it is an open question whether the family's hopes of creating a well of sympathy for Mr Bigley in the Arab world succeeded or not.
The Arab media has been demonised by some - particularly in Washington - as a source of venomous anti-Western propaganda while others see it instead as a liberating force in the Arab world.
Breaking the news
Nowhere has its role been more scrutinised than in its handling of the violence in Iraq and the series of kidnappings and killings by Islamic militants there.
With their greater access to sources on the ground, stations like al-Jazeera have consistently scooped the world in reporting the latest killing or statement from al-Qaeda's leaders.
In Bigley's case, it was a lesser known station, Abu Dhabi TV, that broke the news that everyone was dreading to hear.
This was followed up by reports on al-Jazeera and its main rival, al-Arabiya, that gave more detail, substantiating the sense that Bigley's calvary was over.
All the Arab news stations began leading with the story.
Al-Jazeera broadcast British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's statement live.
Impassioned pleas
There's no doubt of the weight that these Arab stations gave the story. For once, a Western victim of Islamist violence preceded Palestinian or Iraqi casualties on Arab TV.
This may in part be down to the way Bigley's family used Arab TV to make impassioned pleas for his release, hoping his kidnappers would hear the message and show mercy.
In this, they were following a pattern established by the relatives and governments associated with previous hostages of using the Arab media to communicate with the hostage-takers - and the Arab world at large.
This is mirrored by the kidnappers' strategy of using videos and statements sent to TV stations and posted on radical Islamist websites to get their message across.
Even after the confirmation of his brother's murder, Paul Bigley went back on al-Jazeera to denounce both the killers and the occupation of Iraq.
'Showing reality'
Apparently stung by criticism that they had originally shown too much of the distressing videos filmed by the militants of their kidnap victims, Arab TV stations have recently been much more restrained in what they show.
Abu Dhabi TV refused to show the video it said it had of Bigley's killing, while al-Jazeera and other stations have shown less and less of these distressing scenes.
They still generally feel they need to show something - if for no other reason than to prove the reality of what they're reporting.
Some Arab media commentators have argued that they should show the videos for the same reason that Arab TV stations generally show far more graphic film of the carnage in Iraq than Western TV.
They say it simply shows what the situation really is - a reality, they say, the West shies away from.
Soul-searching
In showing greater restraint over the hostage videos, Arab stations may even be appearing to play down the emotional impact of the killings in comparison with the intensity of their coverage of Iraqi or Palestinian casualties.
This only adds to the inevitable sense that the Arab media is most concerned and most upset by what happens to its own people.
Although Arab newspapers and political and religious leaders have condemned the ruthless tactics of militants like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as completely against Islam, the resonance of these denunciations is usually drowned out quickly by the next round of Iraqi or Palestinian deaths brought in all their immediacy and anguish into Arab homes by al-Jazeera and its rivals.
It will be interesting to see if Bigley's killing sets off more soul-searching in the Arab world about the roots of Islamic militancy - but the chances are that it will soon be seen as just another unfortunate casualty in what most people in the Middle East view as an unjustified war of aggression.
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BBC NEWS: VIDEO AND AUDIO
How the world learnt of Ken Bigley's death
Rescue workers are searching the scene
DEATH OF KEN BIGLEY
LATEST NEWS
Bigley killed after 'escape bid'
Hostage Bigley murdered in Iraq
Bigley's wife tells of her grief
Muslim leader condemns killing
Bigley captors made first contact
Blair 'revulsion' at Bigley death
Arab media breaks Bigley news
ANALYSIS
Sense of doom
Was Bigley's fate sealed from the start?
Profile: Ken Bigley
Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
Tawhid and Jihad group
FEATURES AND BACKGROUND
Candlelit tribute to Ken Bigley
Question marks over media role
Timeline: Ken Bigley capture
Iraq hostages: Facts and figures
IN-DEPTH COVERAGE
Iraq in transition
VIDEO AND AUDIO
TV News reports
HAVE YOUR SAY
Ken Bigley killed: Your reaction
RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Al-Jazeera
Al-Arabiya
UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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TOP MIDDLE EAST STORIES NOW
Death toll rises in Egypt blasts
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