"Al Jazeera Arabic’s love affair with the Muslim Brotherhood was evident from the channel’s beginning. Its chief religious program’s main guest is none other than Yusuf Al Qaradawi, a long-time Muslim Brotherhood member and resident of Qatar who has taken that state’s citizenship.
Since the Muslim Brotherhood decided to run a candidate, the channel has spared no effort in promoting the candidate through its various channels. Al Jazeera’s management showed great foresight when, mere days after the fall of Mubarak, it launched Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr, a channel dedicated to Egypt 24/7 that by the account of a close Egyptian friend and an astute observer of Egyptian media, has been dedicating its coverage in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood around the clock.
This relationship is mutually beneficial, of course. Due to its blatant bias toward the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera has gotten to host some of the most influential political actors in Egypt, such as Khairet El Shater, the deputy supreme guide of the group on multiple occasions. Ahmed Mansour, Al Jazeera Arabic’s star anchor and Muslim Brotherhood member was rewarded with several interviews with not only Khairet El Shater, but also General Guide Mohammed Badie and Mohammed Morsi. The Brotherhood also appreciates this relationship and even bizarrely extends official congratulations and “support” to Al Jazeera on significant occasions. When Morsi’s office wanted to kill the story of what seemed to be a fabricated Iran news-agency interview with the president, it knew exactly who to call...In fact, Al Jazeera Arabic’s love affair with the Muslim Brotherhood has done damage to more than one country’s revolutionary cause. In Syria, Al Jazeera Arabic’s championing of the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated and highly ineffective opposition Syrian National Council has cost the channel much credibility. Al Jazeera Arabic refrains from criticising the group or highlighting its repeated failures. It also instructs its reporters to follow a certain narrative, prompting numerous resignations.
Simultaneously, the channel continues to host clownish supporters of the brutal Al Assad regime in order to give its viewers a certain impression. The Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar uncovered that the channel’s bias toward the SNC is due to it having assigned the “Syrian desk” to Ahmad al-Abda, who goes by the name Ahmed Ibrahim in order to hide his link to his brother Anas Al Abda, a Muslim Brotherhood member of the SNC. One Arab source within the channel confirmed this to me in a private Twitter message. Similarly, in Palestine, Al Jazeera Arabic scores major coups in uncovering the rampant corruption of the Palestinian Authority but neglects to mention democratic setbacks in the Hamas Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Gaza strip." (thanks Sultan)
Since the Muslim Brotherhood decided to run a candidate, the channel has spared no effort in promoting the candidate through its various channels. Al Jazeera’s management showed great foresight when, mere days after the fall of Mubarak, it launched Al Jazeera Mubasher Misr, a channel dedicated to Egypt 24/7 that by the account of a close Egyptian friend and an astute observer of Egyptian media, has been dedicating its coverage in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood around the clock.
This relationship is mutually beneficial, of course. Due to its blatant bias toward the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Jazeera has gotten to host some of the most influential political actors in Egypt, such as Khairet El Shater, the deputy supreme guide of the group on multiple occasions. Ahmed Mansour, Al Jazeera Arabic’s star anchor and Muslim Brotherhood member was rewarded with several interviews with not only Khairet El Shater, but also General Guide Mohammed Badie and Mohammed Morsi. The Brotherhood also appreciates this relationship and even bizarrely extends official congratulations and “support” to Al Jazeera on significant occasions. When Morsi’s office wanted to kill the story of what seemed to be a fabricated Iran news-agency interview with the president, it knew exactly who to call...In fact, Al Jazeera Arabic’s love affair with the Muslim Brotherhood has done damage to more than one country’s revolutionary cause. In Syria, Al Jazeera Arabic’s championing of the Muslim Brotherhood-dominated and highly ineffective opposition Syrian National Council has cost the channel much credibility. Al Jazeera Arabic refrains from criticising the group or highlighting its repeated failures. It also instructs its reporters to follow a certain narrative, prompting numerous resignations.
Simultaneously, the channel continues to host clownish supporters of the brutal Al Assad regime in order to give its viewers a certain impression. The Lebanese newspaper Al Akhbar uncovered that the channel’s bias toward the SNC is due to it having assigned the “Syrian desk” to Ahmad al-Abda, who goes by the name Ahmed Ibrahim in order to hide his link to his brother Anas Al Abda, a Muslim Brotherhood member of the SNC. One Arab source within the channel confirmed this to me in a private Twitter message. Similarly, in Palestine, Al Jazeera Arabic scores major coups in uncovering the rampant corruption of the Palestinian Authority but neglects to mention democratic setbacks in the Hamas Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Gaza strip." (thanks Sultan)
