Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Elder of ZiyonThe Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is currently studying the possibility of establishing a satellite television station and a number of newspapers and magazines, according to leading MB member Essam al-Arian.There is of course nothing wrong with this.
“Freedom of access to information is key to keeping up with the evolution of international media,” al-Arian told Al-Masry Al-Youm, adding that Egyptians "are fed up with biased media.”
“Soon we will begin publishing a monthly magazine called 'Al-Daawa,' in addition to a weekly newspaper,” he added.
Head of the MB's media committee Assem Shalabi said the group was preparing to publish daily, weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines.
“We're expecting amendments to Egypt's press laws that will facilitate the publication of new newspapers," said Shalabi. "This is why we are seeking to issue different publications."
The problem is that no Egyptian pro-freedom group could possibly hope to match the expected media onslaught from the Islamists.
Even worse - no Western powers are even thinking in this direction.
The Islamists show yet again, by contrast, that the West has no real strategy to effectively promote freedom in the Arab world. We are great at empty platitudes and worthless words of support, but in the end, no one is on the ground setting up a real marketplace of ideas in the Arab world where Islamism would be just one alternative among many. We think that our system is so obviously better that it doesn't have to be promoted.
Sound familiar? Yes, that's Israel's problem as well.
Strategically, the Islamists run circles around the West, and they have just proved it again.
