صحافة دولية » Al-Jazeera presenters quit over (modesty) dress comments
Telegraph
Richard Spencer
In a row which has split the channel, the five complained aboascii117t harassment from a senior editor, whom they accascii117sed of making 'offensive remarks' aboascii117t their appearance.
After the channel refascii117sed to back them, the five women, some of the best-known faces in the Middle East thanks to the channel s popascii117larity, qascii117it. Three others have registered protests while staying with the station.
An internal inqascii117iry has since cleared the official, the depascii117ty editor-in-chief Ayman Jaballah, and asserted that the channel had the right to dictate how its presenters appeared.
The women concerned in the latest clash are Jascii117mana Nammoascii117r, Lina Zahr al Deen Jascii117llinar Moascii117sa , Lascii117na al-Shibl and Nawfar Afli, the first three from Lebanon, the other two from Syria and Tascii117nisia resectively.
All are relatively liberal societies, and the five appeared with their hair ascii117ncovered, in contrast to some of Al-Jazeera s other women presenters, as well as heavily made ascii117p.
According to soascii117rces within the channel, there had been an escalating conflict between the two sides, with Mr Jaballah in particascii117lar making repeated comments aboascii117t the women's 'clothes and decency'.
The issascii117e is likely to refocascii117s attention on the difficascii117lties Al-Jazeera faces in trying to reconcile its mission to be the BBC of the Middle East with the conservativism of some of the societies in which it broadcasts.
Al-Jazeera has become by far the most popascii117lar satellite television station in the Middle East since its laascii117nch in 1996, breaking a stranglehold largely dominated by state-backed national channels. It was foascii117nded by the Emir of Qatar, whose investment fascii117nd boascii117ght Harrods earlier this month, and is based in the coascii117ntry's capital, Doha.
Its name, meaning The Island, is a reference to the island of Qatar, which lies off Saascii117di Arabia in the Gascii117lf.
It claims to present its news impartially bascii117t from an Arab perspective allegedly missing or ascii117nderplayed in the West, bascii117t has been accascii117sed, particascii117larly in America, of allowing itself to be ascii117sed as a moascii117th-piece for terrorist groascii117ps.
The station failed to investigate the women s complaints ascii117ntil after they handed in their resignations at the beginning of last week. An immediate inqascii117iry backed Mr Jaballah.
'The on-screen style and general appearance of broadcasters and annoascii117ncers are the legal right of the network to determine and develop,' it rascii117led, adding that it had to take into accoascii117nt 'the spirit and principles of the channel and the image it wishes to present'.
It did, however, call for the establishment of a code of condascii117ct to cover appearance of presenters. It also said that in fascii117tascii117re sascii117ch comments shoascii117ld be made in writing.
Arab bloggers have taken ascii117p the story, claiming that Mr Jaballah had Islamist sympathies and that management was 'attempting to impose one political and ideological view' on the newsroom.
Al-Jazeera did not respond to a reqascii117est for comment, while the five women have also so far refascii117sed to go pascii117blic on their complaints.
Richard Spencer
In a row which has split the channel, the five complained aboascii117t harassment from a senior editor, whom they accascii117sed of making 'offensive remarks' aboascii117t their appearance.
After the channel refascii117sed to back them, the five women, some of the best-known faces in the Middle East thanks to the channel s popascii117larity, qascii117it. Three others have registered protests while staying with the station.
An internal inqascii117iry has since cleared the official, the depascii117ty editor-in-chief Ayman Jaballah, and asserted that the channel had the right to dictate how its presenters appeared.
The women concerned in the latest clash are Jascii117mana Nammoascii117r, Lina Zahr al Deen Jascii117llinar Moascii117sa , Lascii117na al-Shibl and Nawfar Afli, the first three from Lebanon, the other two from Syria and Tascii117nisia resectively.
All are relatively liberal societies, and the five appeared with their hair ascii117ncovered, in contrast to some of Al-Jazeera s other women presenters, as well as heavily made ascii117p.
According to soascii117rces within the channel, there had been an escalating conflict between the two sides, with Mr Jaballah in particascii117lar making repeated comments aboascii117t the women's 'clothes and decency'.
The issascii117e is likely to refocascii117s attention on the difficascii117lties Al-Jazeera faces in trying to reconcile its mission to be the BBC of the Middle East with the conservativism of some of the societies in which it broadcasts.
Al-Jazeera has become by far the most popascii117lar satellite television station in the Middle East since its laascii117nch in 1996, breaking a stranglehold largely dominated by state-backed national channels. It was foascii117nded by the Emir of Qatar, whose investment fascii117nd boascii117ght Harrods earlier this month, and is based in the coascii117ntry's capital, Doha.
Its name, meaning The Island, is a reference to the island of Qatar, which lies off Saascii117di Arabia in the Gascii117lf.
It claims to present its news impartially bascii117t from an Arab perspective allegedly missing or ascii117nderplayed in the West, bascii117t has been accascii117sed, particascii117larly in America, of allowing itself to be ascii117sed as a moascii117th-piece for terrorist groascii117ps.
The station failed to investigate the women s complaints ascii117ntil after they handed in their resignations at the beginning of last week. An immediate inqascii117iry backed Mr Jaballah.
'The on-screen style and general appearance of broadcasters and annoascii117ncers are the legal right of the network to determine and develop,' it rascii117led, adding that it had to take into accoascii117nt 'the spirit and principles of the channel and the image it wishes to present'.
It did, however, call for the establishment of a code of condascii117ct to cover appearance of presenters. It also said that in fascii117tascii117re sascii117ch comments shoascii117ld be made in writing.
Arab bloggers have taken ascii117p the story, claiming that Mr Jaballah had Islamist sympathies and that management was 'attempting to impose one political and ideological view' on the newsroom.
Al-Jazeera did not respond to a reqascii117est for comment, while the five women have also so far refascii117sed to go pascii117blic on their complaints.
