Manama: Al Jazeera satellite channel has accepted the resignations of five female presenters who clashed with management over several issues, ranging from alleged harassment to dress code, a London-based Arab newspaper has reported.
"Al Jazeera, in line with its policy of rejecting arm-twisting, has accepted the resignation of the five rebellious presenters," an official from the pan-Arab station said, quoted by Al Quds Al Arabi on Tuesday.
Jumana Nammour, Lina Zahr Al Deen, Jullinar Mousa, Nawfar Afli and Luna Al Shibl were among a group of eight women working for the Doha-based pan-Arab channel who had filed a complaint to protest against "repeated offensive public remarks" by an official from Al Jazeera about "clothes and decency".
The other three female presenters, Khadija Bin Qenna, Laila Al Shaikhli and Eman Bannoura did not hand in their resignations, Saudi paper Al Hayat reported on Sunday.
Other measures taken by the station, according to Al Quds Al Arabi, included naming Ahmad Al Shaikh, the editor in chief, consultant to Shaikh Hamad Bin Thamer, the board chairman. He will be replaced by Salah Najm who left BBC Arabic to work exclusively for Al Jazeera.
Ayman Jaballah, the deputy editor in chief, whose attitudes were cited by the women presenters in their petition as a major cause for their resignation, was appointed head of "Al Jazeera Live," one of the station’s channels.
An ad-hoc investigation committee set up by Al Jazeera to look into the presenters' petition had cleared Jaballah of the harassment complaint, saying that his attitudes and behaviour were within his prerogatives and that he did not make any remarks that could harm the presenters' reputation.
His observations were not personal and were purely professional and related to the general appearance of the presenters, the panel said.
Al Quds Al Arabi said that the source, whom it did not name, was not sure whether there would be more resignations or re-appointments in the station.
