Al Sharqiya has highest viewer coverage despite ban

Dubai: After the downfall of the Iraqi regime in April 2003, the airwaves were empty of any Iraqi television channel, and people only viewed Arab and foreign TV satellite channels inside Iraq.

The information apparatus in Iraq had collapsed completely, and the occupying forces started setting up the Iraqi Media Net, which was backed financed and sponsored by the US.

The US imprints were very clear in the beginning, but slowly, the Iraqi character started emerging through the various Al Iraqia programmes.

However today, we have tens of Iraqi TV channels, each with a different line of politics, reminding us of the 300 plus newspapers that were issued in Iraq after the downfall of the regime, as a result of decades of depriving Iraqis of voicing their true opinions.

Al Sharqiya is one of the most important Iraqi TV satellite channels, with a high percentage of viewers in Iraq. It is considered an unbiased neutral channel, with a cadre that worked in Al Shabab TV which belonged to Uday Saddam Hussain.

Al Sharqiya belongs to Sa'ad Al Bazaz, the Chairman of Al Zaman Establishment which is financed by many parties.
The channel carried out a number of projects, rebuilding ruined houses in Iraq which were subjected to shelling or destroyed because of US air raids.

A few weeks ago, Jawad Al Boulani, the Iraqi Minister of Interior, decided to shut the Baghdad offices of Al Sharqiya, saying that it backs sectarianism in Iraq.

Al Boulani ordered the shut down of Al Sharqiya because it "deviated from the ministry's communiques and instigated sectarian violence in Iraq".

Despite this ban, Al Sharqiya is still the highest viewed TV satellite channel in Iraq.

Al Zawraa and Saladdin, both Sunni Iraqi TV satellite channels were closed by the Ministry of Interior last November.

Al Zawraa belongs to Mishaan Al Juburi, and now airs from abroad. It features video tapes for the Iraqi resistance and insurgency against the US.

Saladdin TV channel is another Sunni Arab satellite channel, which belongs to Farhan Hawas Al Sedaid, who is an independent Iraqi politician.

It does not preach any politics and the channel's closure came as a surprise. It is not highly viewed nor does it present controversial issues. The only thing that might bother the Iraqi authorities today is that the channel is owned by a Tikriti.