I fail to understand the logic of those who oppose the proposals to launch an Arab TV station telecasting in various world languages. How can the effect of such a TV can be doubted when the Muslim world is facing a siege of virulent media attack?

Israel has realized the crucial role an Arabic TV station can play in influencing the thinking of the Arab public. This is the only reason why it has launched an Arabic station. It is extremely naive to call the new Israeli media attempt a wasted effort or predict that it will not achieve its goals. We cannot afford to remain silent spectators on the assumption that Arabs will not be influenced by the Israeli propaganda. We should stop underestimating the infinite potentials of the electronic media to influence people’s thinking and attitudes. We are still thinking like the older generations, which viewed the media as mere words written on paper.

The typical Arab negligence of the risks involved in the new Zionists’ Arabic station shows that we still interact with the challenges of the changing world by burying our heads in the sand and reassuring the people with words such as "these TV stations will never change our convictions about the Palestinian issues and attitude toward Israel", as I happened to hear from a Gulf information minister recently.

Even before Israel, the United States floated a plan to launch an Arabic TV station as the only fast and effective way to counter the growing anti-American sentiments in the Arab world. The proposed US station would explain to the Arab public the logic of the US stand toward Arab issues, in addition to building the good reputation of the US and popularizing the American lifestyle in the Arab world. In other words, the station aims at Americanizing the Arabs particularly the impressionable younger generations. Should we underestimate the American effort also — to wake up later to its dangers when it is too late?

We should not underestimate these media challenges. Our strategy of countering these efforts should not be impractical demands to stop the stations or calling upon the public not to view the stations. On the other hand, we should first study the attitudes and their messages of these propagandist stations. Secondly, we should educate the people on the facts about the misleading information circulated by these stations.

However, the most important part of our countering the media challenges should be by reforming our own media. It should be done on two fronts. The thrust should be to reform the local and national media. Our media should be closer to the people’s issues, hopes and aspirations. It should present matters to the people with objectivity and truthfully. Credibility should be its hallmark representing the true voice of the people, instead of being propaganda machines. Only with these measures, the Arab public can be saved from the deceptive propaganda of hostile stations.

On the international plane also we should launch an effective Arab media capable of impressing the international audience. It should serve as the stage to speak to the world in languages and logic they can understand.

The pioneering effort by Prince Mansour ibn Naser to found an Arab TV station with programs in several international languages at an estimated cost of $160 million is highly laudable. The station, which will telecast in English in the initial stage, will, undoubtedly enable us to clear the misconceptions and distortions and tackle the hate campaigns against Islam and Arabs in a convincing manner.

20 July 2002