| Submit your comments on this article |
| Europe |
| Danish PeopleÂ’s Party insists on call for Arabic TV ban |
| 2010-11-02 |
| The Danish People’s Party Leader Pia Kjærsgaard is maintaining her proposal to prevent television stations such as al-Arabiya and al-Jazeera from broadcasting to Denmark. Kjærsgaard sees a major problem in the number of Arabic-language television channels that can be received in Denmark, with claims that families watch programming that indoctrinates children. “A-Jazeera is al-Qaeda’s mouthpiece and broadcasts what Osama bin Laden has to say. They show hostage-taking and were certainly not with us during the Mohammed crisis, or 9-11. It bears the mark of imams and mosques in all its footage. There is no doubt that it is certainly against the West,” Kjærsgaard says. Despite widespread political criticism over the weekend, Kjærsgaard says she plans to go ahead with an approach to the Broadcasting Authority to determine which channels should be viewable in Denmark. The Authority is reported to have said that it is unable to do anything about television stations that are not registered in, or broadcast from, Denmark. Both the Conservative and Liberal parties have rejected the idea of banning stations. “I believe we have to protect free speech – including those that we don’t agree with. But, of course, there is the possibility of raising the issue with the Broadcasting Authority if they break the law,” says Liberal Group Chairman Kristian Jensen. “There is a lot of anti-Western and anti-Jewish propaganda on some of the Arabic channels, but I think that people should be able to receive precisely the channels that they want,” says Conservative Media Spokesman Rasmus Jarlov. “Freedom of inforation is one of our most basic freedoms. A ban would in practice fuel conspiracy theories that Denmark is trying to subdue Arabic views,” he adds. Prof. Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen of the Copenhagen University Deparment of Cross-cultural and Regional Studies says there are other stations that are affiliated to political organisations that also have a military wing. “Among others a-Manar, which is run by Hizbollah and al-Aqsa TV which is affiliated to Hamas. Both are used in anti-Israeli propaganda,” says Skovgaard-Petersen adding that there has also been an increase in the number of religious channels. “The number of religious channels has grown dramatically, particularly after 2006. It has been suggested that the cartoon issue created growth among the religious channels,” he adds. In an OPED article, Politiken’s Editor-in-Chief Tøger Seidenfaden says Kjærsgaard’s plans are tantamount to introducing North Korean or Soviet conditions in Denmark.”It’s almost embarrassing to have to put words on how far out into extremism, idiocy and anti-democratic views Pia Kjærsgaard has reached,” Seidenfaden says. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose |
| #4 Ansar al Islam broadasts in Kurdish into Sweden and Denmark were significant radicalizing influences before and for a couple years after 9/11. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-11-02 22:43 |
| #3 Children exposed to the hate-filled cartoons from the Muslim world (the PA's version of Mickey Mouse teaches toddlers that to die killing Jews is the best thing in the world) grow up to be hate-filled teens searching out martyrdom videos on jihadi websites. Children exposed to Western Sesame Street and the Czech mole cartoons (google it and enjoy) grow up to be much nicer people. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-11-02 14:02 |
| #2 If you ban these channels, the viewers will simply find the info thru the internet or on disk and drives. On the other hand, in these times there needs to some restrictions and reductions of these channels. The Danish government should set parameters for stations operating in Denmark. If the broadcasts violate these standards then and only then should they be silenced. Also the Danish government would do well to offer as many other alternative stations to let TV viewers see all sides of the issue. They could also keep track of which households watch those evil channels and profile the individuals that live there.. (hmmmm...naw) |
| Posted by: Dinah Kanser 2010-11-02 13:33 |
| #1 Is banning the most effective way to win what is an information war? People need to engage and counter Islamist propaganda. Islamism is both triumphalist and self-pitying, wallowing in victim-hood. I worry that banning stuff like Al-Jazeera makes them seem dangerous, more powerful than they actually are, and simultaneously lends credence to the idea (delusion) that Islamists are being oppressed. |
| Posted by: DJ Curtis C 2010-11-02 09:45 |