Counterterrorism Expert: Of Course Al Jazeera Is An Outlet For Muslim Brotherhood Propaganda

Douglas Farah has a nice counterpoint to the pro-Al Jazeera panegyrics being published by the NYT and the LAT and the Guardian and the Huffington Post:

The Global Muslim Brotherhood Daily Report … has an interesting look at the growing Islamist agenda of the al Jazeera TV station, and the roots of the shift in the Muslim Brotherhood. It is an important observation since so much of the Arab world-as well as the Western media-look to the station to portray and interpret events, particularly the Hamas-Israeli conflict. It is easy to forget (and shockingly seldom reported) that Hamas is an organic part of the global Muslim Brotherhood, according to article 2 of its own charter. So that the Ikhwan would seek to control the main medium for the outside world to interpret the conflict is not at all unusual. The report looks at Wadah Khanfar (aka Waddah Khanfar), the station’s General Manager, as the driving force behind al Jazeera’s move toward embracing the Islamist agent… I am all for freedom of expression and the rights of others to get their message out. But I am also in favor of full disclosure of ownership and interests. Al-Jazeera is losing its right to claim to represent different voices, because the Islamist agenda has made it increasingly difficult for any other voices to be heard.

And here I was hoping that the sermon they broadcast calling on Allah to “kill all the Jews” was just an editorial oversight. Ditto for their celebratory party for vicious child killer Samir Kuntar. Guess not, huh?

Of course there’s always the possibility that Al Jazeera’s anti-Western agenda is why it’s is getting props from liberal Western media outlets. But as a rule I dislike ascribing to mendacity anything that can be explained by a pathetic need to indulge in faux sophistication about the paradoxes of the Arab media. So let’s go with that. For its part, Al Jazeera is repaying the generosity by making all of its one-sided, anti-Israel images free for Western media outlets who want to rebroadcast them. I wonder if anyone will take them up on the offer.

You should definitely check out that LAT piece, though, if only for the title. It’s magical.

References and previously after the jump…

References:
* The Islamist (MB) Takeover of Al Jazeera? [Douglas Farah]
* Few in U.S. See Jazeera’s Coverage of Gaza War [NYT]
* GAZA STRIP: In praise of Al Jazeera [LAT]
* Al Jazeera’s crucial reporting role in Gaza [Guardian]
* Al Jazeera English Beats Israel’s Ban on Reporters in Gaza with Exclusive Coverage [HuffPo]
* Al Jazeera sermon: "Allah, kill all the Jews" [Elder]
* The Arab Media Paradox [Mark Lynch]
* Al Jazeera Launches Creative Commons Repository [Creative Commons]