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A breath of fresh air

Reader comment on item: Al-Jazeera in Al-Canada?
in response to reader comment: ALJAZEERA IN CANADA A BAD DAY FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY

Submitted by Joseph Robertson (Canada), Apr 10, 2010 at 11:58

It is refreshing that Al-Jazeera has been granted permission to broadcast in Canada. I happened to watch this channel during my many travels overseas and have begun to prefer it to the BBC. They provide solid coverage of global events and go to great lengths to get both sides of the story - including the side that many of us in the West do not get to hear through our news channels - the Islamist (not to be mistaken with the Islamic) perspective. At a time when we (Canadians) and our friends across the border in the US have sent our men and women into harms way, then it is only fitting that we get to hear that side too, particularly when it affects our foreign policy. If Bin Laden (yes, the terrorist - and yes, he IS a terrorist) issues a statement,

I, as a Canadian, would like to hear what he has to say and not have it blocked out by our regular news channels. For years, I have been distressed by the superficial and shallow ways in which our leaders explain the reasons for Islamist hatred towards us. For Bush, it was a clear case of "it's because they hate our freedoms". Al Qaeda's journalists (many of whom, by the way, are well-known and highly respected journalists who made their careers at the BBC and other such organizations) have access to an unparalleled number of sources in the Middle East. Through their coverage (which they don't necessarily endorse), they show that much of the hatred Islamists have for us has little to do with hating our freedoms, and a lot to do with the long history of Western interventions in the Middle East. Also, if anyone here had access to Al Jazeera at the time of the horrific events of 9/11, they would have known that Bin Laden's worldview was shaped by his wanting to re-create the Ottoman Empire. Silly, I know. But I didn't hear these views covered by any our our Western news channels. Al Jazeera did. And I would've loved to have heard more because rhetoric like "because they hate our freedoms" (which got top coverage by our own media) just doesn't capture the complexities of the conflict/s.

Al-Jazeera's entry into our broadcast market fills this void of having to receive one-sided (and often superficial) political rhetoric. We will have access to the views of people with whom we may fundamentally disagree with. But that is the role of any good news channel - to report on all aspects of the story. Whether we agree with the opinions of those whose voices may be heard through Al Jazeera is upto us. They should report. We will decide. And judging by what I have seen of Al Jazeera so far, I am impressed.

A note to D. Neils: Yes, I have travelled through many countries of the Middle East. And no, I am not an Islamist nut job. In fact, I strongly support the right of Israel to exist as a state, am critical of Islamist militancy, of the US's uncompromising support for Israel, and the superficial ways in which the complexities of the conflicts in the Middle East conflict/s have been mediatized by our Western news channels.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (30) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
1Big Welcome Aljazzera! [147 words]SamFeb 17, 2011 22:18182786
2May the Truth and justice Prevail...Amin!!! [184 words]PaikhawaraiMay 17, 2010 21:37172907
98SAVAGES ALLOWED TO ROAM CIVILIZED WORLD!!! SHAME ON YOU CANADA!! [86 words]Muslimk***May 15, 2010 14:53172726
Al Jazerra Canada [118 words]HowardMay 11, 2010 11:29172568
ALJAZEERA IN CANADA A BAD DAY FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY [232 words]D NeillsFeb 22, 2010 19:13169287
A breath of fresh air [543 words]Joseph RobertsonApr 10, 2010 11:58169287
Al Jazeera in Canada. [123 words]MohamedJan 18, 2010 14:13167488
ALjazeera English [93 words]MMNov 8, 2009 12:22164202
Libya [367 words]Hashim AhmadApr 23, 2011 12:02164202
"Fox News" whiners [89 words]radiorocketOct 28, 2009 22:33163726
Canadians FOR Al Jazeera [58 words]JustinJul 6, 2009 15:20158536
Oh Please Mr Justin [111 words]PPSMay 14, 2010 03:03158536
not in my experience [121 words]Margot LevyJun 30, 2009 00:29158219
Al Jazeera in Canada [119 words]NiliFeb 24, 2009 21:21151097
ddadsad [9 words]nnnadsdaadApr 29, 2009 22:14151097
1People, educate yourself [184 words]Paul-CanadaMay 17, 2011 10:44151097
1Biased? [232 words]WalleyeSep 1, 2008 23:48137818
Excellent comment! [83 words]Owen FordMar 5, 2009 17:06137818
82no oppositional opinion in muslim countries [55 words]Phil GreendJul 8, 2007 20:57103263
Aljazeera more balanced than any western News chanel [7 words]AlinoMay 11, 2010 02:21103263
aljazeera [86 words]HassèneMar 17, 2007 03:1186599
1Al Jazeera Comes to India [96 words]Swahili DinazSep 8, 2004 03:2416776
You Must be Joking [146 words]marquis du mont st michelFeb 25, 2009 11:3416776
Al-Jazeera in Israel [25 words]Dmitri SlivniakAug 17, 2004 11:4416394
UAE media: "image that many Arabs have in mind's that Israelis are killing Palestinians... which Al-Jazeera had nurtured for years." [56 words]FatimahOct 1, 2020 13:0616394
1UAE / Bahrain / Israel agreements burst fake "racism" bubble by racist Arab radicals and extremist Haaretz types [182 words]MarhabaOct 6, 2020 09:5716394
"Gambling on the losers": a storm after the Saudi prince attacked the Palestinians [152 words]ClaraOct 7, 2020 01:1916394
Infiltration [92 words]Paul RinderleAug 13, 2004 18:2916328
About the Japanese Americans who served in WWII [34 words]Rochelle MichaelsMar 30, 2008 16:3316328
Infiltration? [59 words]sunNov 20, 2008 20:0716328

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