Al Jazeera Attempts to Whitewash Al-Qaeda’s Syrian Branch
The
Al Jazeera news network has displayed surprising editorial standards
in the past, facing multiple accusations of whitewashing the Syrian
conflict. The network has now gone to new extremes, interviewing and
promoting the leader of the al-Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s arm in the
region, and a recognized terrorist organization.
Sputnik News
29 May, 2015
"We
are only here to accomplish one mission, to fight the
regime and its agents on the ground, including Hezbollah and
others," al-Nusra leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani told Al Jazeera
as part of an exclusive.
Al
Jazeera’s sympathies are clear throughout the interview,
as its paints the terrorist leader as moderate figure, even
as he makes not-so-veiled threats against Western
governments and Syrian minorities like.
Golani
also contradicts his own claims about not seeking revenge
against the Alawite minority, supporters of the Syrian
government.
"The
battle does not end in Qardaha, the Alawite village and the
birthplace of the Assad clan," he said, adding that members
of the Alawite sect should lay down their weapons and
renounce the Assad government in order to be safe.
The
al-Nusra Front, also known as Jabhat al-Nusra, is the Syrian
branch of al-Qaeda operating in Syria and Lebanon.
Described as one of the most aggressive factions in the
Syrian Civil War, it is recognized as a terrorist organization
by the United Nations, as well as Russia and the
United States.
©
AFP 2015/ FADI AL-HALABI
Supporters
of the Al Nusra Front take part in a protest against Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad and the international coalition in Aleppo on
September 26, 2014
Published
on the Qatari-owned network’s English-language site, the
interview has already raised a number of eyebrows. Syria’s
United Nations ambassador, Bashar al-Jaafari, said it was used to
"promote terrorism and make threats to the government and
people in Syria."
He
also noted that it was a clear indication of the Qatari
government’s interest in influencing the Syrian conflict.
"It
is clear that the Qatari regime is seeking with this interview,
with the head of a terrorist group as listed by the
UN Security Council, to clean up the image of Nusra
Front," he said.
A
History of Manipulation
This
isn’t the first time that the Qatari network has faced criticism
for its slanted coverage of the Syrian conflict. In 2012, a
number of high-profile employees, including the managing
director, correspondent, and producer from the Beirut office,
quit over Al Jazeera’s coverage.
They
alleged that the network refused to publish pictures
of al-Nusra’s clashes with Assad’s government forces,
and also deliberately ignored a Syrian constitutional reform
referendum which saw a 57% turnout with 90% voting for change.
Other
former employees have provided testimony indicating that Al Jazeera
has even played a direct role in fueling the conflict. Speaking
to RT, Ali Hashim, a former correspondent for the Qatari
network, says he resigned because "the channel was taking a
certain stance on one side."
"…We
were able to spot these militants and we took some footage
of those people, and later on the channel refused to air
these pictures and I was asked to forget about these
militants and I was asked to leave the whole area…"
Hashim said.
Syrian-based
investigative reporter Rafik Lotf found that the channel was
manipulating footage of smoke, making it look like amateur
video recording an explosion. He also uncovered behind-the-scenes
video of Al Jazeera producers coaching interviewees.
"The
activists who become journalists try to make their shows as hard
as possible," Lotf told RT. "The more blood and death
the higher the price."
There
is also a clear conflict of interest in that al Jazeera’s
Syrian coverage was led by the brother of a Syrian National
Council member, as evidenced through a series of hacked
emails recovered from the network’s servers. These emails were
published by al Akhbar.
©
REUTERS/ HOSAM KATAN
Members
of al Qaeda's Nusra Front prepare to fire a mortar towards forces
loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in al-Mallah farms, north
of Aleppo, February 18, 2015
"[The
emails] also confirmed an allegation Ibrahim had reportedly made
in one of her emails," al Akhbar reports. "That
Ahmad Ibrahim, who is in charge of the channel’s Syria
coverage, is the brother of Anas al-Abdeh, a leading member
of the opposition Syrian National Council. He allegedly stopped
using his family name to avoid drawing attention to the
connection."
The
bias appears to have had a major impact on al Jazeera’s
audience. A poll conducted by the network earlier this month
shows that a confounding 81% of viewers support the
self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group.
Al
Jazeera’s credibility has been gradually sinking ever since the
Syrian conflict began. A Western diplomat stationed in Doha said
that the Golani interview was proof of a new push by the
Qatari government to present al-Nusra as national movement.
These
sentiments were echoed by As’ad Abukhalil, professor
of political science at California State University, and
author of the Angry Arab News Service, who spoke to Sputnik.
"It
is very clear that Qatar is now the official sponsor of An-Nusrah
Front," Abukhalil said. "The interview was quite
significant in that Qatar is now openly advocating on behalf
of Nusrah and trying to draw an artificial ideological line
between Nusrah and ISIL while both drink from the same
ideological and philosophical well."
"Golani
basically spoke of unofficial understanding that his
organization has with the West," Abukhalil added. "That
they will spare West of attacks provided they continue
to receive Gulf arms and money, and even indirectly Western arms
and money."
Al-Nusra Front 'Not Focused' on Attacking the West
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Abu Mohammed al-Julani said al-Nusra Front was focused on toppling Bashar al-Assad's Syrian government, and not on attacking the West
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