JEDDAH: The closure of the LBC’s Riyadh office after Mazen Abdul Jawad openly bragged about his sexual exploits on one of its programs raised the controversial question about the freedom of “the responsible media.” Some people also seized the opportunity to call for the closure of the Al-Majd space channel in the Kingdom, classifying it among fanatic channels that aim to spread superstition, trivialities and extremist ideology.
This drove Hamad Al-Majed, Islamic writer in Asharq Al-Awsat to accuse so-called liberals of practicing “distorted freedom.” He said those preaching the virtues of freedom are to be in reality practicing dictatorship through the application of a distorted principle that gives them the right to practice what they believe and to deny what others believe in. He also defended Al-Majd’s decision to broadcast a controversial interview with Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Fouzan, who repeatedly attacked some minority sects on air. This led to accusations of sectarianism against the channel, but Al-Majd claims, “[It] should not be responsible for the mistakes of the people appearing on it.”
Saud Katib, a columnist specializing in electronic media and a lecturer at the college of information at King Abdul Aziz University, says Saudi society has split into two extremities on either side of the social spectrum in light of receding economic conditions. This, in turn, has influenced some media to function in a manner that supports either position. Katib said this was apparent in the handling of the Lebanese space channels as they tackled Saudi societal issues, described as “digging in the garbage of this society.” He opposed the closure of the LBC’s office, claiming it was a pioneer in the Saudi market.
On the other hand, Muhammad Al-Tunisi, editor in chief of Okaz, described LBC’s controversial “Bold Red Line” program as unethical and unacceptable. Al-Tunisi also believes there are conditions attached to the freedom given to media in the Kingdom, “the most important of which is the preservation of the social fabric and maintaining of work ethics without shaking up the stable values.”
Those calling for the closure of Al-Majd say it represents an intellectual threat to all sectors and norms of the society. “This is more serious than Abdul Jawad bragging about his sexual adventures, which would only hurt him personally and would not create extremists who blow themselves up as a sacrifice to Satan,” Ali Al-Amri wrote on Lar electronic newspaper. Commenting on this, Al-Tunisi said we should not issue a ruling against Al-Majd before carefully analyzing what it transmits. “We should deal with the channel in a professional and systematic manner,” he added.
Katib, on the other hand, considered the accusations against the channel to be “over-exaggerated” and a form of extremism. “This society lacks the art of dialogue. This is manifested by the strong adherence to a certain ideology while ignoring the thoughts and ideologies of the other.” “Nobody should accuse Al-Majd of extremism, [it] is a moderate channel” he added, denying it was ideologically dogmatic as described by some Saudi liberals.
Katib went on to say that Al-Majd and other space channels had the right to have their own ideological agenda that is not separable from religion. “Ideology and religion usually go side by side,” he said.
He added that since it started transmission the channel has been fighting terrorism and the rhetoric of Al-Qaeda. “It is targeting 90 percent of Sunnis while retaining respect and appreciation for the remaining 10 percent who are our partners in the homeland.” The channel has also been accused of “spreading superstition and illiteracy.”
This happened when Dr. Fahd Al-Sinaidi hosted a number of superstitious guests and presented their claims as scientific fact. “What we presented was within the framework of studies from the East and the West which have scientific references,” he said at the time. While both prey and predator stick closely to the principle of freedom, it appears to be enforcing in a very ambiguous way due to the lack of professional regulations.
Al-Tunisi has called on media organizations to create a regulatory system. “What we need in the print, audio and visual media is a law,” he said adding that the irresponsible conduct by one or two organizations does not mean all are the same.
