Right now on al-Jazeera, Faisal al-Qassem's The Opposite Direction (the popular program which generated quite the firestorm with its program on Saddam's execution) is hosting a 'discussion' of Shia death squads in Iraq. To the extent that simultaneous screaming constitutes a discussion.
This should calm things down.
UPDATE: evidently, this program really pissed the Iraqi government off (thanks J for the tip) - it blasted al-Jazeera for helping to "spread death and destruction." As Reuters put it, "It gave no reason for the new criticism, but one official in the ruling Shi'ite alliance said a talk show was broadcast on Tuesday that criticized the government and Shi'ite parties." Reuters quoted Ahmed Sheikh, al-Jazeera's editor in chief, calling the statement "unjustified, baseless and ridiculous": "What did we do, nothing? The Iraqi government is looking for a scapegoat to justify their failure in bringing security and stability to Iraqis."
Who did they have on?
Posted by: Tom Scudder | February 07, 2007 at 10:00 AM
Iraqi MP Mohamed al-Daini and Talib al-Ramahi.
Posted by: aardvark | February 07, 2007 at 10:42 AM
I'm sensing some parallels to US 24/7 news coverage which pits liberals against conservatives to gain viewership, and has the effect of polarizing society. The more divisive, the better. Except with the Arab stations, they're pushing the Sunni-Shia issue, which is far more dangerous.
Posted by: Anonymous | February 07, 2007 at 10:47 AM