Freedom of the press - sort of

Kuwait When Waleed Dahdouh reached for a pair of scissors to slit open the bulky envelope addressed to his boss, he figured he was holding a musical "Happy Eid" card. As he carefully snipped open the flap, he heard a snap.

Had he accidentally damaged the wiring and deprived his boss of the pleasure of a musical greeting? Furtively, he opened the envelope… Boom! It blew up in his face.

Two weeks ago, several letters allegedly filled with C4 explosives were sent out to the editors of Kuwaiti newspapers. Two of them were intercepted before reaching the intended recipients.

As for Waleed Dahdouh, it seems he had unwittingly cut one of the vital fuses while opening the envelope - an error, which considerably reduced the magnitude of the explosion and saved his life, as well as the lives of everyone standing within a five-metre radius.

The letter was addressed to Ahmed Al Jarallah, the high-profile editor-in-chief of Al Seyassah, a local Arabic daily, and its sister English-language publication, Arab Times. The news sent shockwaves across the Arab media community, as Arab editors everywhere feared they might be next.

To observers of regional affairs, the incident also showed there do exist "real" media in the Gulf, which not only serve as a mouthpiece for their respective governments, but are capable inspiring emotions among the public.

Commenting on the attempt on his life, Al Jarallah told Gulf News: "We believe what happened in Iraq was liberation. They believe it is occupation. We believe that many Arab regimes have been misleading their people since 1948... Some people are still living in the past… They think they can bring down the mountains with the horns of a goat!"

He seemed to imply that it was a matter of course that his outspokenness, especially on matters so close to the Arab heart, would draw the wrath of extremists in their midst. And in Kuwait, in spite of the stigma of repression suffered by most Gulf countries, the media is startlingly open on a wide range of issues.

"Freedom of the press in the Arab world exists only in Kuwait, Lebanon and Qatar," said Hisham Al Diwan, editor-in-chief of the London-based Arabic weekly Al Mushahid Assiyasi (political observer).

"And apart from two weekly magazines in Egypt, one in Jordan and four in Algeria, media in the Arab world are state-owned. They are financed and controlled by the government. They are false media... Not able to say anything. They serve to give more power to the leadership."

In Kuwait, there are five privately-owned Arabic newspapers, two privately-owned English dailies, one state-owned television and one state-owned radio.

Al Qabas, owned by four local businessmen, is considered the most important newspaper since it serves as de facto opposition to the ruling party.

According to Al Diwan, an Iraqi who lived and worked in Kuwait from 1974 till 1988, the media in Kuwait have always been very important.

"For 25 years, Kuwait has been under pressure from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries to reduce the level of press freedom, and limit popular political participation," he said.

"Saudi in particular was concerned that what Kuwaitis said in their newspapers could affect Saudi public opinion and create problems for the Kingdom."

Al Seyassah is owned by Al Jarallah, who has close relations with Saudi Arabia.

The most recent Kuwaiti publication, Al Ambaa, was launched in 1974. Started by a friend of the Kuwaiti Emir, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah, it has been viewed as a mouthpiece of the government.

Al Watan, on the other hand, served as an opposition paper for 35 years until the invasion of Iraq in 1990, when the owners sold it to a member of the ruling family, Sheikh Ali Khalifa Al Sabah.

Under Sheikh Ali, who also owns the Arabic Newsweek, Al Watan has adopted a more pro-government position, although it does give voice to the opposition from time to time.

Al Rai Al Am is probably the highest selling newspaper in Kuwait "because it tackles a lot of sensitive issues, and addresses all classes of society, not simply the business class or the opposition," said Al Diwan.

In spite of the relative freedom of expression the media seem to enjoy in Kuwait, there has been criticism that there actually is no freedom of press, since the government no longer grants licences for new media outlets.

"In the past, the logic was that the creation of new publications would give Saddam Hussain leeway to buy influence over Kuwaiti public opinion by secretly financing one or more of these new publications," Al Diwan speculated.

He admitted that he had learned a great deal about journalism during his 13 years in London: "In Britain, you can go directly to the point and ask very frank and direct questions. There is no fear from the person you are interviewing…"

He claims he once asked Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah how many people he had killed in order to become the leader of his movement, and whether he was an agent for Syria or Iraq. His requests for subsequent interviews were denied.

One aspect of English publications in the Gulf region most editors criticised was that the content did not reflect the Arab identity of the countries in which they operate.

"Much of the content in English papers in the Gulf is geared toward communities which are not Arab, namely Indian and Pakistani," said one editor from Saudi Arabia.

"This is a problem, but it is difficult to address since it is also tied in with advertising revenue. Still, it is something that we must work on."