Well, what can you say about them? All we've been seeing in the newspapers these days is much more coverage on the Lebanon issue than the much-overlooked Palestine and Iraq crises. It's just that when I take a look at the first pages of most newspapers, the Palestine and Iraq conflicts are left for much later pages, even those after the Lebanese-Israeli conflict.
For example, the young yet prominent Jordanian daily, Al Ghad (supposedly meaning "Tomorrow" or "The Future", and I still don't know why they call it that), has a story on its front page depicting local news regarding the conflict, even though that most of its headlines regard Lebanon, with references to Lebanese leaders and how they want to deal with the current situation. Also, in the Latest News Section (آخر الأخبار), only 2 out of 13 stories deal with Palestine and Iraq (one for each, which talks about 8 casualties in Rafah, and 14 more in a checkpoint south of Baghdad).
Kuwait's Al Watan ("The Nation") is in a similar condition. While Gulf newspapers stick largely to local news more than others do, the International News section ("الخارجية") is riddled with tales from Lebanon, including a report on continued air strikes on Lebanon, a small primer on the Qana Massacre, and a casualty count of all Lebanese who have perished in this disproportionate war. Like Al Ghad, Al Watan has mentioned the recent Rafah killings among other things like the 30 casualties resulting from disemminated attacks in Iraq.
Now, on to another more notable newspaper, Asharq Al Awsat (thank God they have an English version for this one). The front page states a story regarding the bombing of Beirut, as well as the pseudo-comical capture of Hassan Nasrallah, a card game player who has the same name as the Hizbullah leader. There is also the story of how "boycott fever" returned because of the ongoing Lebanon and Palestine crises (I hate to admit, but boycotts, even though they work most of the time when done right, won't work on Israel due to the aid grants and military aid that it receives, though a boycott might do well to send a message).
As a last example, I present to you Al Hayat ("The Life", though I think that is a stupid name for a London-based newspaper). While I admit that the frontpage is riddled more with opinionated columns than actual news reports, most of them such as this one still pander more about the Lebanon crisis. Other opinion pieces on the site include a lambasting of Arab impotence, and a criticism of the racist impulse that gives the impression that Arab blood is "cheap". Taking a look at the other news links on my sidebar, you will find pretty much the same issue: that Palestine and Iraq have faded away from view.
What I'm trying to get at is that while I support the Lebanese people, there are a lot of victims out there who still need as much attention as the Lebanese. We have the Palestinians, who suffer from this death and destruction almost every month if not every week if not every day. We also have the Afghans who are still under U.S. occupation, along with their Iraqi brothers. We support them all because they are our Muslim and Christian Arab brothers, and they are suffering under an unjust and brutal occuppation, and are under constant threat of attack, kidnapping and bombardment. God answer our prayers at this crucial time.
Salaam, from
Saracen
For example, the young yet prominent Jordanian daily, Al Ghad (supposedly meaning "Tomorrow" or "The Future", and I still don't know why they call it that), has a story on its front page depicting local news regarding the conflict, even though that most of its headlines regard Lebanon, with references to Lebanese leaders and how they want to deal with the current situation. Also, in the Latest News Section (آخر الأخبار), only 2 out of 13 stories deal with Palestine and Iraq (one for each, which talks about 8 casualties in Rafah, and 14 more in a checkpoint south of Baghdad).
Kuwait's Al Watan ("The Nation") is in a similar condition. While Gulf newspapers stick largely to local news more than others do, the International News section ("الخارجية") is riddled with tales from Lebanon, including a report on continued air strikes on Lebanon, a small primer on the Qana Massacre, and a casualty count of all Lebanese who have perished in this disproportionate war. Like Al Ghad, Al Watan has mentioned the recent Rafah killings among other things like the 30 casualties resulting from disemminated attacks in Iraq.
Now, on to another more notable newspaper, Asharq Al Awsat (thank God they have an English version for this one). The front page states a story regarding the bombing of Beirut, as well as the pseudo-comical capture of Hassan Nasrallah, a card game player who has the same name as the Hizbullah leader. There is also the story of how "boycott fever" returned because of the ongoing Lebanon and Palestine crises (I hate to admit, but boycotts, even though they work most of the time when done right, won't work on Israel due to the aid grants and military aid that it receives, though a boycott might do well to send a message).
As a last example, I present to you Al Hayat ("The Life", though I think that is a stupid name for a London-based newspaper). While I admit that the frontpage is riddled more with opinionated columns than actual news reports, most of them such as this one still pander more about the Lebanon crisis. Other opinion pieces on the site include a lambasting of Arab impotence, and a criticism of the racist impulse that gives the impression that Arab blood is "cheap". Taking a look at the other news links on my sidebar, you will find pretty much the same issue: that Palestine and Iraq have faded away from view.
What I'm trying to get at is that while I support the Lebanese people, there are a lot of victims out there who still need as much attention as the Lebanese. We have the Palestinians, who suffer from this death and destruction almost every month if not every week if not every day. We also have the Afghans who are still under U.S. occupation, along with their Iraqi brothers. We support them all because they are our Muslim and Christian Arab brothers, and they are suffering under an unjust and brutal occuppation, and are under constant threat of attack, kidnapping and bombardment. God answer our prayers at this crucial time.
Salaam, from
Saracen
Comments
Post a Comment