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MEMRI - MIDDLE EAST MEDIA RESEARCH INSTITUTE
Special Dispatch 11. September 2003
The Zayed International Centre for Coordination and
Follow-Up Closes - Part III
Nachdem MEMRI dem unter dem Dach der Arabischen Liga geführten und in
den Vereinigten Arabischen Emiraten angesiedelten Zayed International Centre
unter anderem vorwarf, Vertretern anti-semitischer Stereotype und
Holocaustleugnern eine Plattform zu bieten, geriet die Institution unter
starken Druck vor allem aus den USA. Ende August schloss der Präsident der VAE
das Institut. Der folgende Text fasst die Auseinandersetzung um das Zayed
Centre und MEMRI im Spiegel der arabischen Presse zusammen:
By Steven Stalinsky*
Table of Contents
Introduction
Arab Reactions to MEMRI's Reports
A. The Zayed Centre
B. The Arab League
C. The Arab Press
D. Arab Intellectuals
E. Arab-American Groups
In the Aftermath of the Centre's Closure
A. The Arab Media Demonize MEMRI
B. LaRouche Condemns Closure & Blames Bush Administration
Arab Self-Criticism for the Centre's Closure
A. Saudi Media
B. London Arabic Media
Introduction
The controversy surrounding the Zayed International Centre for
Coordination and Follow-Up (ZICCF)(1) began on May 23, 2002 with the release of
MEMRI's first report on the Centre's activities(2), causing it to become both
an embarrassment and a liability to the government and royal family of the
United Arab Emirates.(3)
On August 27, 2003, following international pressure and condemnation of
its activities, it was formally announced that the president of the United Arab
Emirates, Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ordered the Centre closed for
engaging "in a discourse that starkly contradicted the principles of
interfaith tolerance."(4) Sheikh Zayed's office issued a press release
stating: "His Highness Sheik Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan has always been a
strong advocate of interfaith tolerance and harmony among religions, as
constantly reflected in his words and actions. This respect for all faiths is a
basic principle of Islam, to which His Highness has firmly adhered... Thus,
when it came to the attention of His Highness that the Zayed Centre for
Coordination and Follow-Up had engaged in a discourse that starkly contradicted
the principles of interfaith tolerance, directives were issued for the
immediate closure of the Centre..."(5)
Arab Reactions to MEMRI's Report
A. The Zayed Centre
A series of responses to MEMRI and its reports were issued by the Zayed
Centre. Most recently, the Centre wrote: "On June 11, 2003, MEMRI issued a
second report on the Zayed [Centre], criticizing
some of its activities... The Zayed Centre does not engage in
disseminating anti-American literature...
The Zayed Centre is not in the business of censoring questions raised by
independent reporters nor pre-clearing answers given to these questions by
guest speakers. As an 'independent, non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)(3)
organization' seeking to bridge 'the language gap which exists between the West
and the Middle East,' MEMRI should know that freedom of expression is a
fundamental human right protected by many constitutions and international
agreements and conventions..."(6)
At the same time, consultants hired by the Zayed Centre sent a letter to
MEMRI stating that, "We have been following closely your special reports
published by MEMRI criticizing the Zayed Centre for its antisemitic and
anti-American views which were expressed on a number of occasions by some
speakers who were hosted by the Centre... Within the context, the Centre is
intent upon steering a new course which aims at establishing a genuine dialogue
between the Arab culture and the West through a series of joint seminars and
lectures under the banner of rationality." The letter continues, noting
that the Zayed Centre would extend an invitation to MEMRI's executive director
"to give a talk during which you could express your criticisms and
reservations regarding the Zayed Centre's policies and activities and exchange
views with us in an attempt to surpass the present situation and possibly plan
together for future cooperation.(7)"
B. The Arab League
While the United Arab Emirates acknowledged that they were considering
closing the Centre, the Zayed Centre's Executive Director Muhammad Khalifa
Al-Murar stated: "The Centre is here to stay and it will. You should know
that it is an Arab League organization and it is up to the Arab League to
decide on its fate..."(8) Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa added
that the League rejects all accusations against the Centre, which, he said,
were spread by the U.S. and Israeli media. He added that the Arab League
supports the Centre, calling it "a free pulpit for exchanging opinions and
ideas in support of peace and stability and against extremism and violence in
the world."(9) In another interview, Moussa explained: "It is said
such campaigns will only make the Centre more determined to work towards
revealing right and dealing with all issues in a scientific and objective way.
The Arab League has also strongly reacted to those allegations which it said
were merely part of an Israeli smear campaign against Arabs. No one can accuse
Arabs of persecuting the Jews at any time and any place."(10)
C. The Arab Press
The Arab press, including Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Palestinian Authority),
Al-Hayat (London), Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), the Gulf News (UAE), Al-Quds
Al-Arabi (London), Al-Safir (Lebanon), Al-Liwa (Lebanon), and the Jordan Times
responded to MEMRI's reports by defending the Zayed Centre and criticizing
MEMRI. For example, the Bahrain-based Khaleej Times published an article titled
"Zayed Centre Slams Smear Campaign by U.S. Outfit," stating:
"The Zayed Centre has flayed the Washington-based Middle East Media
Research Institute (MEMRI) for false accusations and unsubstantiated charges
against the Centre. The Zayed Centre yesterday issued a statement in response
to the second report brought out by MEMRI on the Centre criticizing some
of its activities. 'By issuing such a report, MEMRI reiterates its earlier
litany of false accusations and unsubstantiated charges against the
Centre...'"(11)
D. Arab Intellectuals
Thousands of Arab intellectuals opposed the closure, calling for the
Zayed Centre to continue "being a minaret to defending Arab causes."(12)
According to one report: "Hundreds of Arab intellects, writers,
journalists, and columnists signed and distributed here on Sunday a memorandum
showing consolidation with the Centre, famous for defending Arab causes. The
memorandum called on UAE President Sheikh Zayed... and Amr Moussa to work
against shutting the Centre."(13)
According to a Gulf News
report, "Officials from the... Centre expect more than 1,400 signatures
from journalists, intellectuals, writers, scholars and diplomats across the
Arab world and other countries to be sent to the Centre expressing their
solidarity and calling for its continuation... The campaign [against the Zayed
Centre] is spearheaded by the Washington-based Middle East Media Research
Institute (MEMRI)."(14)
Among the signers of the communiqué were Syrian Foreign
Ministry
Spokeswoman Buthayna Sha'ban and Haidar 'Abd Al-Shafi, who headed the
Palestinian delegation to the Madrid Conference.(15)
E. Arab-American Groups
Several Arab-American groups have defended the Zayed Centre. Dr. James
Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute (AAI), condemned the
investigation into the Centre's antisemitic and anti-American writings and
connection to Sheikh Zayed, saying that it "smacks of a witch hunt."(16)
In the August 19, 2003 issue of the Jordan Times, Zogby wrote an op-ed stating
that "the anti-Arab campaign being waged today in the United States is an
organized multi-pronged effort targeting a variety of Arab leaders,
institutions and the religion of Islam."(17) In each of his interviews and
writings in defense of the Zayed Centre, Zogby never disclosed his own
appearance at the Centre as a lecturer on July 9, 2001. During a visit to the
Middle East this summer, Zogby decided not to speak at the Zayed Centre, apparently
adhering to a recommendation by UAE officials, who feared that an appearance
might embarrass him.(18)
Additionally, the newsletter
of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and the U.S.-GCC Corporate
Cooperation Committee, GulfWire Perspectives, issued a a condemnation of MEMRI
and the "campaign" against the Centre.(19) John Duke Anthony,
president and CEO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and secretary
of the U.S.-GCC, has also spoken at the Zayed Centre, a fact which he too
failed to disclose in his writings in defense of the Centre. According to the
Zayed
Centre's website, Anthony spoke at the Centre on January 8, 2003, and
according to reports claimed that "Israel aimed at establishing an empire
on the pattern of the Roman Empire and disintegrating its larger neighbors like
Iraq into small entities..."(20)
In the Aftermath of the Centre's Closure
A. The Arab Media Demonize MEMRI
Since the Zayed Centre's closure was announced, many articles in the
Arab media have held MEMRI responsible. On August 29, 2003 ArabicNews.com
reported that "an official in the Centre said that the latter has been
exposed to a 'campaign [by the] Middle East Research Institute [sic.]...
because of hosting figures they consider as antisemitic.'"(21)
A columnist for the Kuwaiti
daily Al-Rai Al-Aam, Ahmad Al-Dayyen, also blamed MEMRI for the closure of the
Centre. "The name seems innocuous," he wrote, "but MEMRI is in
fact one of the most dangerous Zionist institutions, and has considerable influence
over decision-makers in the U.S. administration and in Congress. This institute
is their main source of information about the situation in the Middle East...!
Among MEMRI's famous 'hits' in the last two years: The dismissal of Dr. Umayma
Al-Jalahma, Saudi columnist for the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh, following the
publication of an article which contained information from Western heritage
about the Jews [i.e. the accusation that Jews use human blood for religious
purposes]. Another 'hit' was the attack on Dr. Ghazi Al-Qusseibi, former Saud i
ambassador to London, who published a poem in support of the Palestinian
resistance [in fact, Al-Qusseibi's poem praised suicide bombing] after which he
was transferred from London.
Recently, MEMRI scored a
third 'hit' against the Zayed Centre... It launched a vicious and
organized campaign against it, on the
pretext that it advocates anti-American and antisemitic ideas. Now we are told,
regretfully, that the Zayed Centre will be closed. The question is, who is next
on MEMRI's list of targets?"(22)
Fahmi Huweidi, a prominent
Egyptian journalist who has written articles in the past propagating Blood
Libel,(23) praising suicide bombings,(24) and accusing "American
extremists" and the "Israeli Mossad" of being behind September
11th,(25) also criticized MEMRI for its alleged role in the Zayed Centre's
closure: "The Cultural Zayed Centre has been the target of a literary
assassination that led to its closing. This is a dangerous precedent in the
Arab world and I am not exaggerating when I say that is a tragedy in its
significance... The ferocious campaign against the Centre was carried out by an
American institution marked by distrust and appalling precedents, it is the
Middle East Media Research Institute, known as MEMRI... And for your
information, MEMRI was the institute that did not leave a stone unturned when
Dr. Ghazi Al-Qusseibi, while he was the Saudi ambassador in London, published
his famous poem paying tribute to the Palestinian martyr Wafa Idris.
The Institute considered it
a poem that encourages and praises 'suicide bombers.' The Institute raised the
same hailstorm when it 'fished' an article by a Saudi writer, published by
Al-Riyadh newspaper, in which she used the widespread rumor that says that Jews
use the blood of Christian children to prepare their baked food for Purim. The
Institute considered such content antisemitic. We are not surprised by this
'fishing' style that tries to distort and slander when we consider the true
identity of the Institute and its close ties with the Israeli intelligence.
This is the background that we are talking about, because the
storm against the Zayed Centre was instigated by this distrustful
Institute which, just a few weeks ago, published another report repeating its
previous accusations that it [the Centre] espouses anti-Semitism and radical
positions against the U.S., the West...
"MEMRI's report was
published on July 11, and the news about closing the Centre was carried by AP
on August 18, while the actual closing took place a week later. There is no
doubting the connection between the decision to close the Centre and the
campaign waged by the American-Zionist Institute.
This is what the AP report
alluded to when it quoted an official source in Abu Dhabi that the 'UAE
expressed it concern during the last month specifically over published reports
about the Centre'. These statements reflected the pressures that tarnished the
Centre and tarnished the image of [the] UAE because the Centre carries the name
of President Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan...
“It is clear that the UAE
could not bear the pressure and wanted to put a stop to the campaign against
it... And this is what I consider to be tragic... because at issue is a
cultural Centre that was serious in carrying out its mission... an educational
mission that allows the exploration of various points of view on issues of
international significance. But it was accused of radicalism when the Americans
and Zionists did not like the opinions expressed in it... The Centre was
obliterated in order to silence it and to make an example to others. And the
astonishing thing about all this is that it happened amidst calls
to democratize the Arab world... to allow freedom of expression and to
fight despotic regimes... On another level, the success of the Zionist campaign
in tarnishing the image of the Centre and the UAE shows that the fierce
influence that Zionism has on the American decision-making has extended outside
the U.S..."(26)
B. LaRouche Condemns Closure & Blames Bush
Administration
On August 31, 2003, Lyndon LaRouche's presidential campaign issued a
press release titled "LaRouche Defends Zayed Centre." He wrote:
"It is my information, which I have received through channels which I know
to be responsible and reliable, that the closing of the Zayed Centre, where the
U.S.A.'s James Baker III once spoke, as I had done, occurred under heavy
pressure from elements within the U.S. Bush Administration. Such action by the
United States is another piece of idiocy, like the continuing U.S. war in Iraq,
which is directly contrary to the current and long-term security interests of
my republic, the U.S.A. Under the present circumstances, when I am, at this
moment, the only legally registered candidate competent to be chosen in the
2004 U.S. presidential election, I have a special responsibility to speak out,
on various occasions, in defense of the present and future
integrity of the presidency of my nation. Therefore, on this occasion,
it is my immediate duty to point out the important role which the Zayed Centre
had performed in contributing to the cause of world security and peace...
"The consequences of
the stupid and outrageous folly of some U.S. representatives' thuggish attempts
to stifle the voice of the Zayed Centre, must be assessed against that
background... U.S. pressures to shut down the Zayed Centre are disgusting to
anyone who prizes democratic freedoms of peoples.
Such disgusting measures, as
presently set against the background of Proconsul Bremer's role in supervising
the carpetbagging role of Cheney's Halliburton, are not the road to successful
diplomacy; under the circumstances, such behavior by certain U.S. officials is
less than human. The Zayed Centre's role as a place for such a forum among the
member states of the Arab League, has been proven most appropriate, and
valuable on this account. Here, the world has had the opportunity to engage in
dialogue with the Arab world most immediately, and, implicitly, with a larger
part of the world of Islamic cultures. Until now, the Zayed Centre's role in
fostering of emergent consensus among Arab states, on numerous matters, has
become a critical element in defining constructive goals among nations of the
region..."(27)
Arab Self-Criticism for the Centre's Closure
A. Saudi Media
Under the title "A lot of Right that was Lost because of Some
Wrong," Saudi journalist Sa'd Ibn Salih Al-Sirhan wrote on the closure of
the Zayed Centre: "The problem of the Zayed Centre... and its sad end
reveal a chronic mismanagement of our cultural and intellectual affairs. The
Centre committed professional mistakes and allowed itself to be dragged into
unscholarly allegations whose only purpose was to criticize America, rightly or
wrongly. It embraced a number of racist lecturers... and devoted itself to
provocations: provoking the Jews generally, both Zionist and non-Zionist, and
provoking America. When those in charge of the Centre would hear of a person
hostile to America and its policies or hostile to Israel or to Zionism or to
Jews - they would initiate an invitation to him or establish relations with him
regardless of the scholarly value of his thesis or his ideological background,
which could be totally racist.
"The Centre has hosted
every Holocaust denier and every one who downplayed the number of the victims -
a matter which is deeply rooted in Western consciousness but is of no great
interest to Arabs.
When a scandal burst out in
the media regarding the German leader Jurgen Mollemann because of statements he
made on account of which he was accused of antisemitism - those in charge of
the Centre rushed to invite him. The Centre has also established contact with
the British historian David Irving - a rightwing extremist - because he denied
the Holocaust. This Irving figured in the scandal of the notorious 'Hitler
Diaries.' The Centre also did not fail to host a certain Saudi lecturer of
mediocre
level, who wrote a racist article in a Saudi paper in which she
propagated a racist Western rumor, namely, that the Jews make the pastries of
one of their holidays with children's blood. Even though this myth refers to
one holiday only, our lecturer insisted on speaking of two holidays; in one of
them pastries are made with the blood of a Christian child while in the other the
pastries are made with the blood of a Muslim child. For that reason the Centre
hosted her.
"Nor
has the American writer Michael Collins Piper escaped from the embrace of those
in charge of the Centre. This Piper is (also) the author of a brook in which he
claims that the Mossad assassinated President Kennedy... Those in charge of the
Centre did not miss the opportunity to host the elegant French journalist
Theirry Meyssan, who is the author of the well known book, which is widely
circulating among Arabs, 'The Appalling Fraud' according to which the U.S.
administration was behind the September 11 attacks... These mistakes, committed
by the Centre, enabled its rivals – such as MEMRI - to exploit and exaggerate
them, until they [managed to] incite Western public opinion as well as official
bodies against the Centre and Sheikh Zayed himself. Yet, despite all these
criticism that were directed at the Centre, not necessarily by Zionist bodies,
those in charge have not reexamined their positions, nor have they [had] to
adopt more serious and scholarly programs. Indeed they stubbornly persisted
with their provocations until they were hit on their head, waking up one day to
hear about the closure of the Centre and its website... Will what happened to
the Centre serve as a
lesson for us, the Arab intellectual, how to handle
our causes, or will it become just another case in the huge archive of our lost
battles?"(28)
B. London Arabic Media
London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Aswat editor Abd
Al-Rahman Al-Rashed said that since the Centre was named after the founder of
the UAE and is situated in its capital, "there may not have been an
alternative to shutting it down once it became a political liability known for
its radical ideas, and after it hosted and supported people with radical
opinions. In the past," he wrote, "I was among those who criticized
the ideas presented intensively within the Centre's activities. I intentionally
refrained from identifying the Centre by name, because I thought that it was
not unique in the region [in that respect], and therefore there was no reason
to damage its reputation. Not all of the Centre's activities are bad and [not
all] should be rejected and criticized... It would be better to reform the
Centre, not close it. It should remain open as a pulpit for intellectuals, but
not for extremists... The [Centre] was free and operated without a compass.
This allowed some of its directors to impose their own ideas, even if they
contravened the Centre's interests... The Centre carried two official titles:
in addition to that of Sheikh Zayed, it carried the name of the Arab League,
and we do not know why and wherefore.
The Centre says it was established to promote Arab
unity. This is a hollow slogan reflecting nothing more than a unity that exists
in the imagination of its bearers... Few people have heard of 'Space
Exploration - An Absolute Necessity,' one of the Centre's publications, but it
is hard to believe that anyone did not hear about Thierry Meyssan's lecture and
his book. Meyssan was the one who claimed that the events of September 11 were
a lie [i.e. they were perpetrated by the U.S. government], even though bin
Laden, the White House, and millions of people unanimously agreed that they
were true.
Meyssan is
a third-rate tabloid journalist that no one here [in the West] takes seriously.
Because of its bad reputation, the Centre fell prey to those on the lookout for
Arab mistakes - such as MEMRI, which is affiliated with the Israeli ideology,
and which was able to trap the Zayed Centre easily because of its radicalism,
and [was] then [able to] kill its reputation."(29)
* Steven Stalinsky is Executive Director of MEMRI.
(1) The Centre's name for the majority of its
existence was "The Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up" (ZCCF),
and appears as such often in this report. It is the same entity as "The
Zayed International Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up" (ZICCF).
(2) MEMRI Special Dispatch, No.383 "Arab League
Think Tank Hosts Event: U.S. Military behind September 11," May 23, 2002, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP38302.
MEMRI Special Report No. 18, "The Think Tank of
the Arab League: The Zayed International Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up
- Part II," July 11, 2003,
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR1803.
MEMRI Special Report No. 16, "The Think Tank of
the Arab League: The Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-Up," May 16,
2003, http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR01603.
(3) On July 8, 2003 it was revealed in a congressional
letter that according to the State Department, "... Crown Prince Sheikh
Khalifah is moving more aggressively to end the centre's activities." (www.capousd.org/budget.htm#jun9.) See MEMRI Special Report No. 18, "The Think
Tank of the Arab League: The Zayed International Centre for Coordination and
Follow-Up - Part II," July 11, 2003, http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR1803, footnote #2.
(4) Gulf News (UAE), August 28, 2003
(5) Gulf News (UAE), August 28, 2003. This follows the
removal of the entire content of the Centre's website on August 19, 2003,
replaced by a message in English and Arabic stating: "This Site Has Been
Stopped." (http://www.zccf.org.ae)
(6) Zayed Centre website,
http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:Ui3BGCaC4XsJ:www.zccf.org.ae/e_MF_Report1.asp+memri+fabrications&hl=en&ie=UTF-8.
(7) The undated letter was received in mid-July, and
MEMRI received an email from consultants of the Zayed Centre on August 1, 2003,
as a follow-up to their letter.
(8) Gulf News (UAE), August 19, 2003
(9) Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London) August 19, 2003
(10) Gulf News (UAE), August 20, 2003
(11) Khaleej Times (Bahrain), July 17, 2003
(12) ArabicNews.com, August 18, 2003
(13) Zawya, http://www.zawya.com/printstory.cfm?storyid=KUN0057030817152019&&1=182100030.
(14) Gulf News (UAE), August 20, 2003
(15) Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), August 19, 2003
(16) CBS Evening News, May 19, 2003
(17) Jordan Times, August 19, 2003
(18) Washington Post, July 19, 2003
(19) GulfWire Perspectives, July 26, 2003
(20) Zayed Centre website,
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:MQvzFN37igsJ:www.zccf.org.ae/e_TitleDescription.asp%3FTid%3D395+zayed+centre+john+duke+anthony&hl=en&ie=UTF-8.
(21) ArabicNews.com, August 29, 2003
(22) Al-Rai Al-'Aam (Kuwait), August 20, 2003
(23) MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 107,
"French Legal Authorities Investigating Editor of Major Egyptian Daily for
Antisemitism," September 6, 2002,
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA10702.
(24) MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 265, "I Cannot
Hide My Happiness about the Martyrdom Operation that Took Place in Jerusalem:
An Op-Ed in Egypt's Leading Government Daily," August 31, 2001,
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP26501.
(25) MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 294, "Saudi
Columnists Condemn Conspiracy Theories and Anti-U.S. Sentiment in the Arab
World," October 31, 2001,
http://www.memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sd&ID=SP29401.
(26) Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 1, 2003
(27) Executive Intelligence Review, August 31, 2003
(28) Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), September 1, 2003
(29) Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), August 19, 2003
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