Taking Arab message to Western audiences

The Arab world must work to build a proper media mechanism, in order to effectively convey its message to Western audiences.

Panelists who took part in the fourth session of the 2002 Arab Media Summit agreed that Arabs must pool their efforts and resources to acquire a better understanding of the inside workings of the United States, and work the system much the same way Israel has done throughout the past 50 years.

The three speakers were Tim Llewellyn of the BBC, Dr. Ahmed Al Rabae, a member of the Kuwaiti parliament, and Dr. Yousuf Al Hassan, an author and founding member of Al Khaleej newspaper and Al Sharq magazine. Dr. Mohamed Hussain Al Shaali, former UAE ambassador to the United States, served as mediator.

Israel's media strategy has been to enlist supporters who sport nice suits and speak impeccable English. These people appear "reasonable" to Western audiences, said Llewellyn. Among the usual suspects asked to comment on television, he listed Dennis Ross, Martin Indyk, James Rubin and Richard Pearl. These are the so-called "objective interlocutors".

"The way the Arab cause has been treated by the Western media is a paradigm of the way the Arab world has been treated in general," said Llewellyn, who was the BBC Middle East correspondent, based in Beirut from 1976 to 1980, and again in 1987. He recalled a comparison a Palestinian friend once made.

"The Palestinian story was recorded on a faulty computer with a virus. We were told it was recorded, but it was then deleted," he said. "It is up to you, Arabs, to tell us your story and to keep repeating it..."

According to Llewellyn, an executive board member of the Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding, the British are "sympathetic to hearing the truth told". He said that Britain is a "primary centre for telecommunications in the world and a neighbour of the Arabs".

As such, he proposed that the Arabs "invest their talent and money to create in London an Arab media institute".

This institute could serve to provide training for diplomats and spokespersons on "how to handle this aggressive monster called the Western media". It is where the Western media could find competent Arab speakers to present the Arab cause on television, he said.

"Who are the spokespersons for Iraq?" he asked, adding that there is one Iraqi gentleman who is treated like a terrorist whenever he makes guest appearances on television.

"We also have a Saudi ambassador who writes well, and speaks well, but he is one man!" he emphasised. Llewellyn pointedly criticised the BBC and others.

"The BBC and others are doing you (Arabs) a disservice," he said, by telling the story as if it involved two equivalents. The use of misleading vocabulary, such as "ceasefire" and "Palestinian forces" imply there are two equal parties, he pointed out.

"We are not reminded by the media that one is an occupier and the other is occupied – that one is the oppressor, and the other is oppressed," he continued. "It seems to me that mainstream media treat Arabs as if they were criminals, as if they were the guilty party. The Israelis are always on the defence, and the Arabs are always on the attack."

Llewellyn offered another suggestion: "Why is Fairouz performing in Dubai? Why hasn't someone sent Fairouz to sing about Jerusalem in the Albert Hall?"

He urged the audience to imagine the impact it would have on public opinion if hundreds of Arabs and supporters were to hold a candlelight vigil before the concert.

"Your have the money. You have the resources," he told the mostly Arab audience. "I want to go back and put your story to the British people and make sure it is not deleted, as it has been done in the past 50 years."

According to Dr. Ahmed Al Rabae, a former minister of higher education, breaking the Western barriers is "a difficult task, but not impossible".

His speech focused on the United States, because, as he put it: "In Europe, there remains a balanced opinion, but not in America."

"Sometimes, we look upon the U.S. as an enemy and we hate them; sometimes we ask them to interfere," he began. "What is important is that we understand the concept that is America, because it is often misunderstood."

When addressing America, Al Rabae said Arabs must consider their culture, their history and their education, and deal with them accordingly.

"We face this concept with extremism. We burn flags in demonstrations. But what we need to do is to understand it, and interact with it," he went on.

"In structuring our message, we have to take into consideration America's social, cultural and political systems. We have to put ourselves in their shoes." He proceeded to paint a picture of America's internal make-up.

"The United States is not a single entity. It is composed of different people, of different origin, who are managed by institutions. It is wrong to say that the U.S. government is run by the Democratic party, or the Republican party. These parties are windows to the lobby system."

Al Rabae explained that the Middle East crisis is not a foreign affairs issue for the United States. It may be a matter of foreign affairs for a great many countries, but for the U.S., it is very much an internal one, he indicated.

"There are two victims of Zion-ism in the world: Palestinians and Americans... The Zionists quickly understood the system in the U.S., and worked within it. The Arabs, too, need a mechanism," he maintained. "We have a fair and just cause, but that is not enough to win."

Al Rabae called for "less talk and analysis and more real concerted efforts".

"We should stop using the same cliche language," he said."And we need to become less reactionary. We should be more proactive in getting our just cause understood by the West," he concluded.

Dr Yousuf Al Hassan, Director of the Diplomatic Institute, UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, blamed the Arab media for failing to combat Western perceptions of the Arab world and the Palestinian struggle.

He said the media has not presented Israel as an invading power.

"Jerusalem has been depicted as a disputed religious site and not in terms of human rights violations. The Western media often attributes issues of poverty and unemployment to Islam. They do not have a correct reading of the cultural and economic reality in our society."

According to Al Hassan, such a view can lead to conflict and violence.