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The MEMRI Daily — July 25, 2010

MEMRI’S Fundraising Campaign is Underway (http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4469.htm) Please Support Us Today (www.memri.org/donation) The following is research published from MEMRI's Special Dispatch series today on issues related to the Arab media. *Special Dispatch Series Special Dispatch No. 3118—Qatar Qatari Writer: Our Media Champions Foreign Causes but Keeps Silent on Domestic Issues In a June 28, 2010 article in the Qatari daily Al-Raya, Dr. Ali Khalifa Al-Kuwari, a professor of economics at the University of Qatar, lambasted the Qatari media for its self-censorship. He pointed out that this media regards itself as a mouthpiece for the oppressed around the world, and champions the values of democracy and freedom of expression in other countries – yet is strangely silent on domestic issues that concern the Qatari public, and makes a habit of gagging writers who express controversial views. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4472.htm. Special Dispatch No. 3117—Syria/Egypt/Inter-Arab Relations Syrian Daily: The Syria-Egypt Media Ceasefire Is Over In a recent article, Waddah 'Abd Rabbo, editor of the Syrian daily Al-Watan, mounted an unprecedented attack on the Egyptian regime and president, stating that this regime had taken part in a plot to redraw the map of the Middle East, and that it is oppressing its people. 'Abd Rabbo's attack came in response to a number of recent articles published in the Egyptian daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm marking the first decade of the rule of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. 'Abd Rabbo wrote that these articles had enraged him because they insulted the Syrian president as well as the Syrian people. He was also furious at the paper's interview with 'Abd Al-Halim Khaddam, a former Syrian vice president who is now a leader of the opposition to the Syrian regime; in the interview, Khaddam criticized Assad and said that he has disappointed all those who had expected him to institute reform in the Syrian regime. The Al-Masri Al-Yawm articles on the Syrian regime, which were based on assessments by Syrian and foreign journalists, on diplomatic sources, and on articles from the Western press, conceded that Assad had gained popularity at home and abroad, had dealt successfully with international pressure on him, had led Syria out of its international isolation, and had instituted a policy of economic openness. Nevertheless, the articles criticized the human rights situation in Syria, and claimed that Assad had failed to fulfill expectations in this domain. One of them cited Burhan Ghalyun, head of the Sorbonne's Center for Arab and Contemporary Oriental Studies, who assessed that there is no chance for change in Syria, and that not only is there no ideological, political, or organizational freedom for the Syrian opposition, but that there are also attempts to uproot it. 'Abd Rabbo's article is yet another manifestation of the recent escalation in tension in the media discourse between the two countries, after a period of relative calm following the March 2010 Arab summit in Libya. Prior to its publication, exchanges of harsh accusations were sparked by a visit to Egypt by Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese opposition to Syria. To read the full report, visit http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/4471.htm.