This is a classic. Al Jazeera contacted David Frum, a conservative blogger at the National Review Online.
Inside al Jazeera
I got an email invitation the other day from a producer working for al Jazeera:
Dear Mr. Frum,
I am writing to you on behalf of Out of Office Films in London.
Our request is for you to take part in a documentary commissioned by the Al-Jazeera Network, looking at means to resolve conflict in troubled areas of the world. The six-part series will explore the status and impact of the ‘War on Terror’ globally in the aftermath of 9/11. It will be contemporary but also historical, thoughtful and analytical. It will stand back from contemporary news events and offer prescriptions on conflict resolution from leaders the world over. The series will be presented by the British journalist Phil Rees (who won more than a dozen international awards during his career covering international affairs for the BBC), lasting for approximately twenty minutes.
Please see the interview bid attached.
Mr. Rees would be most honored to meet for an interview at your convenience. He is flexible to suit your busy schedule. He will chiefly be available in the States in the first weeks of October and November.
We look forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs. Giti
Series Interview ProducerThe name Phil Rees tinkled a little bell with me, so I googled him just to be sure.
Among other things, I pulled up this:
Abu Muhammed is a courteous, intelligent man. We first met in a London hotel earlier this year. He is of slight build and softly spoken. We sipped tea and discussed events in the Middle East.
Abu Muhammed, which is not his real name, is also linked to al-Qaida and in tonight’s Dispatches on Channel 4, he justifies the July 7 bombings. “If somebody commits an aggression against you, you are allowed [in Islam] to commit an aggression against him. Millions of Iraqi children were killed as a result of the [Western] embargo and no-fly zone and we have to treat those responsible in kind. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001. And it is very clear in the Qur’an; make your punishment proportionate to what was done against you.”
He offered advice to British Muslims. “They need to arm themselves to prevent the kaffir [non-believer] from coming into their home, terrorising their families, frightening their children and invading their privacy . . . they have to be prepared to pay the price and fight back.”
Most in the UK would label Abu Muhammed as a terrorist and argue that his words are too shocking for the British audience to hear. If he is reported, his utterances must be draped in moral outrage and treated as the frothing ranting of a demented man. …
Journalists need to present the views of radical Muslims in a way that does not push them toward further violence. Journalism has a duty to reflect and not condemn the views of people such as Abu Muhammed. In denying them a voice, it is contributing to the radicalisation of British Muslims.
It occurred to me that a journalist who conceived his “duty” in this way was not somebody I wished to trust with the power to edit my words. So I wrote back to the producer declining the request.
I think I’d rather not participate in a documentary presented by a journalist who has written that he believes it is his role “to reflect and not condemn” Muslim radicals.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2007/aug/06/mondaymediasection.politicsandthemedia
There is a saying in the Talmud that those who are kind to the cruel will be cruel to the kind, and I strongly suspect that this observation will apply only too aptly to Mr. Rees’ work for al Jazeera.
Best regards,
David FrumA few minutes later I received an unintended reply. The producer had meant to forward my message to her associates – but the forward button is so often hard to distinguish from the reply button!
From: Giti
Date: August 7, 2008 10:40:17 AM EDT
To: David FrumSubject: David Frum: absolute bastard!!!
I wrote back to thank the producer for her very illuminating reply – I could not have asked for a more emphatic confirmation of my suspicions of the production’s actual intentions.
Link: http://frum.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZWU2YmEwMzBkNGM4ZGVjNjEzN2Q1YWRhYjEzNTNhNmM=
The Islamofascist mouthpiece also contacted Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs.
Link: http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/30890_We_Got_Mail_(From_Al_Jazeera)
Al Jazzera is a media wing for Islamic jihadists worldwide.
Aparrently, they’re not satisfied with all the support they get from the New York Times, the DailyKos and the Huffington Post.
The idea that they would solicit input from leading conservative bloggers for one of their propaganda ‘documentaries’, is comically stupid.
It’s as if they believe that such a collaboration would actually give them credibility.
