Al-Jazeera “Hijacked” by Pro-Terrorist Muslim Brotherhood   August 24, 2006

Dr. Khaled Shawkat, director of the Netherlands-based Center for Promoting Democracy in the Arab World, says that Al-Jazeera TV has been “hijacked” by the Muslim Brotherhood, the group that gave rise to terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. 

Al-Jazeera, he says, was an historic opportunity to advance democracy in the Arab world but the opportunity has been lost. As reported by MEMRI, He says:

 ”Al-Jazeera has been hijacked by the Muslim Brotherhood organization – either at the wish of the channel’s owners as part of a certain political game [played] by the Qatari rulers, or out of the lack of awareness of the Qatari rulers, who think that the situation is under control and that even though they have given the Muslim Brotherhood a chance to control Al-Jazeera, for local, regional, and international considerations, they can get rid of them or restrain them any time they want… ”

This helps explain why Al-Jazeera has played a role in the rise of Hamas in the Palestinian territories and why its employees were arrested in Israel on suspicion of aiding Hezbollah. It also explains why the channel was infilitrated by and became a mouthpiece for al Qaeda. See our recent AIM Report on this matter.

He says the current managers of Al-Jazeera are “trying to preserve the channel’s popularity by distorting Arab public opinion, [which it achieves] by stirring up emotion on sensitive regional issues, such as Palestine, Iraq, and Afghanistan…”

BINGO. 

He adds, “Recently, a joke [has been going around] that explains the delay in launching the English Al-Jazeera International channel: The British director is refusing to swear loyalty to the supreme guide of the Muslim Brotherhood…” 

But is that a joke?  This is no laughing matter. This adds to our case that Al-Jazeera International must be stopped from entering U.S. media markets.

Contact your member of Congress immediately at 202-224-3121.