From: afadel@nyx.cs.du.edu (Ayman Fadel)
Subject: CBS News's Coverage of Palestine
Followup-To: alt.activism.d
Originator: rich@pencil.cs.missouri.edu
Keywords: AAADC=American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 23:43:01 GMT

>From: chrism%cirrus.com@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu (Chris Metcalfe)
>Subject: Re: Bad Logic in AAADC Letter
>Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1992 21:11:55 GMT
 
Chris Metcalfe wrote:
 
>The June 3rd Jerusalem Foundation dinner is raising a lot of dust.  A media
>watchdog group, FAIR, recently published an Op-Ed piece about it,
>"The Media tolerate anti-Arab bigotry" in the San Francisco Examiner
>(Wed, Aug. 5).  I wrote a "Letter To The Editor" that was published a few
>days later describing the problematic logic being used in this argument.
 	     
(text deleted)

>The Op-Ed piece, and the AAADC letter, slice the merest slivers of remarks
>out of the "10,000 words of unmitigated praise for Israel" that Cohen
>and Soloman report are found in the tape.  We have no idea of the paragraph
>in which Kissinger made his remark, nor of the paragraph in which
>Dan Rather used the term "Mohammedanism," the usage of which does not
>constitute an act of racism.

I don't know if racism is the right
act to accuse these people of, but not because I doubt that they aren't
racist, but because I don't care as long as they remain professional
in their behavior.  I seriously wonder if Chris Metcalfe really believes
that CBS should act as if nothing happened 
when a CBS newsman such as Dan Rather and two "experts" associated
with CBS news such as Ajami and Kissinger behave inappropriately.
The principle that is in question here is as follows:
How much of a good faith effort is CBS News making when covering
events in Palestine?

No, saying "Mohammedanism" may not be racist, but it is at least 
ignorance not tolerable from someone in a position of responsibility.

The reason it is ignorant is that it implies that Muslims worship
Muhammad [salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam-May God bless him and
preserve him], just as Christians worship Christ.

ADC mentions his ignorance alongside his partisan views of
the conflict and his tolerance of racism as the
reasons for its questioning the balance of CBS News.
To quote from ADC's letter:

     "Certainly these persons are entitled to their own opinions.
Journalists are entitled to opinions as are any other private
citizens; they should be free to express them.  However, when
opinions expressed from a CBS anchor display such strong
partisanship and ignorance, it calls into question his ability to
offer balanced reporting on Middle Eastern affairs."
 
>The Op-Ed piece tries to prove that, by his lack of protest, Dan Rather
>does, in fact, hold the same anti-Arab sentiments that Henry Kissinger
>does.

Not true, see above.

>I would like any of the authors to define what the anti-Arab views
>of Henry Kissinger are.  Can they derive an understanding of this from
>the single quote produced?  If not, how do they expect the reader to
>form a "fair" opinion?

This is incredible.  They're at a conference for Jewish settlements
in Palestine.  Everybody's saying that it's great the Zionists took
over Jerusalem.  Henry is documented as saying that he hopes the
Iraqis and the Iranians fight forever, and earlier that the Kurds
and the Iraqi government fight forever.  He spent decades of defending
the Zionists at the U.N. and other forums.  Then when you add this
context in to what he said, I can't believe a person can come to
any conclusion other than the one AAADC and FAIR came to.  

>  The Op-Ed piece goes on to say that Dan Rather's
>(now demonstrated) racist bias explains the anti-Arab bias at CBS Eveneing
>News, because he is the managing editor.  The AAADC letter, to CBS News,
>also makes this connection.
 
In fact, Chris Metcalfe is not representing Fair's Op-Ed piece accurately.
I quote the relevant section below:

	"Why didn't Rather object to Kissinger's assertion that "you can't
really believe anything an Arab says"? Perhaps the explanation has to do
with the attitudes that prevail at his workplace. To watch the CBS Evening
News is to see the Middle East through the eyes of Israel.  And in the
world view, Palestinian people look very small and far away."

What FAIR said was that Rather's silence was consistent with
CBS Evening News's coverage of Palestine.

AAADC's letter accused Rather of not objecting to racist remarks, not
himself being a racist.

As far as whether what Henry Kissinger said, I'm still in wonder as
to how anyone can believe that what he said wasn't racist.  Particularly
when this myth about Arabs being liars permeates the entire
Israeli police and occupation force security establishment, to
say nothing of the U.S.

>Cohen amd Soloman get so carried away that they smear Fouad Ajami as a
>Lebanese Uncle Tom.  Then they serve up that old Jewish-controlled-media
>canard, "To watch the CBS Evening News is to see the Middle East through
>the eyes of Israel."  They have slipped into anti-Semitism in their rush
>to accuse.  It's sad.  The AAADC letter accuses Ajami of "overtly racist
>remarks" without quoting him at all.  Who is defaming who here?

I don't understand how "To watch the CBS Evening News is
to see the Middle East through
the eyes of Israel." is serving "up that old Jewish-controlled-media
canard."  Especially since the word Jew isn't mentioned anywhere in
the whole paragraph quoted above.  FAIR criticizes almost every
aspect of the U.S. media.  Does that mean that every time FAIR criticizes
the U.S. media they are being anti-semetic?  Or does it mean every
time someone says the U.S. media is pro-Zionist he is anti-semetic?
Notice also that this is the same person who is apologizing for someone
who is reported to have said, "you can't really believe anything
an Arab says."

As far as smearing Fouad Ajami as an Uncle Tom, the appropriate quote
from the Op-Ed pieces is as follows (my emphasis added):

	"But among the many U.S. news outlets with a routinely anti-Arab
tone, one of the most flagrant is the CBS Evening News - where the task of
denigrating Palestinians and other Arabs often falls to a man considered
							      ^^^^^^^^^^
by many Arab-Americans to be equivalent of an Uncle Tom, the Lebanese-born
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Academic Fouad Ajami.
	At the Jerusalem Foundation event, Ajami drew laughs by making fun
of Bedouin Arabs.  He belittled the Palestinian cause, and repeatedly
proclaimed that Arabs were incapable of practicing democracy.
	Ajami explained his participation in the Israel benefit with these
words: "I was simply drafted for this assignment by two people I can never
	^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
say 'no' to, and Marty Peretz and Mort Zuckerman."  Ajami was expressing
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
an affinity with two of the most fervent Israel-can-do-no-wrong magnates
in the media:  Peretz of the New Republic and Zuckerman of U.S. News and
World Report."

Number 1:  Almost everyone I know who has seen Fouad Ajami on TV
or read any of his books thinks he is an Uncle Tom.  The second
sentence I underlined is about as close to "yes yawllin" as you can
be.  In addition, he used to teach at this institute called SAIS in D.C.
This is a breeding ground for CIA spooks, "think-tanks" and government
security agencies.  Finally, his position on the war against Iraq,
together with his consistently *mocking* treatment of the Palestinian
cause, is so unbelievable to most Arabs and most Muslims that we
think of him as someone who has sold out for a position in U.S.
academia and CBS News.

Additionally, he was reported by AAADC in a letter on the
subject (not the same one Chris Metcalf quoted) to have said:

 " * Fouad Ajami, CBS Middle East Consultant, was introduced by Dan
     Rather as "one of our in-house wise men."  Recounting a reluctant
     trip to a Bedouin encampment, Ajami commented, "I insisted on only
     one thing - that I be spared the ceremony of eating with a Bedouin."
     Ajami repeatly insisted that Arabs were not capable of practicing
     democracy, "I've never really wanted elections in any Arab or
     Muslim country," he declared."

I think these statements speak for themselves, especially the
Bedouin one.

Now I know that this sounds like some kind of orthodoxy that I'm
trying to impose on someone just because he was born a Muslim or he
came from Lebanon, but if he was really being sincere about
"educating" Arabs or Muslims he would be working with them, not
sarcastically making money by spouting lies in academia and the
media.

Finally, the issue is not whether or not he *has* sold out, but
whether CBS balances his views with the views of Muslims and
Arabs who think that Israel is an agressive, colonialist and racist
entity that must be resisted and that the U.S., by aiding it and
the incompetent Muslim governments which serve the U.S.'s interests, is
acting as an enemy to Muslims and Arabs and also must be
resisted by all moral people.  This is obviously not the case, since
CBS News rarely brings Edward Said, Rashid al-Khalidi or other
more accomplished academicians to discuss these issues.

Number 2)  FAIR did not accuse Ajami of being an Uncle Tom.  They said
that most Arab-Americans consider him to be an Uncle Tom.  This is a
fact that should be mentioned whenever he is put on the air.

I mean it's obvious that his national origin is the main reason he's
place on the air, because academically he is surpassed by others and
he never says anything Jewish and Christian European
Zionists haven't said before.  It's just that when anti-Muslim and 
anti-Arab views are said by a Muslim Arab it is somehow more "credible."

Number 3)  No one asked him to resign.  AAADC asked CBS to balance 
its coverage.  Here again is the quote:

"As CBS analysts, Dr. Kissinger and Dr. Ajami are presumably paid
for their opinions.  However, when two senior CBS analysts
express such remarks, we must wonder at CBS News' apparent
tolerance of anti-Arab racism and also at the lack of diversity
among its Middle East commentators.  We wonder whether CBS News
is serving itself and the public well when they restrict
themselves to commentators with such a narrow perspective.  CBS
News becomes ill-informed when its main Middle East advisor is
someone who displays such unbridled hostility towards and
alienation from the Arab world as shown by Dr. Ajami."
 
"We join the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee and
numerous other organizations in calling for a public apology from
Mr. Rather, Dr. Kissinger, and Dr. Ajami.  We request that CBS
publicly clarify both its understanding of the status of East
Jerusalem, and the guidelines it issues its correspondents for
coverage of the occupied territories, Jerusalem in particular."
 
I will say it's not a good thing to call anyone an Uncle Tom
in public, just because usually their Uncle Tom-ish actions
speak for themselves.  (Especially in this case.)

>The most laughable flaw in Cohen and Soloman's argument is their presentation
>of Dan Rather's "cheerleading" for the Afghani mujehadeen in the 1980's as an
>example of his over-enthusiastic advocacy of causes.  Excuse me, was this not
>an Islamic cause?  So how is Dan Rather anti-Arab?

The quote from Cohen and Soloman's Op-Ed is below:

    "As Rather has demonstrated in the past, a journalist claiming to be
objective will lose credibility when he or she becomes a cheerleader in a
foreign conflict.  That's what happened when Rather became an
enthusiastic advocate for the Afghan rebels in the 1980s.  CBS Evening
News, where Rather is managing editor, was shown to have aired false
reports, phony battle footage and accounts of non-existent victories by
anti government guerillas."

I don't know about this, so I can't say whether Rather made inaccurate
reports in the past.  But what's obvious is that Chris Metcalfe assumes
for some reason that support for the Afghanis' fight against the former
Soviet Union is equivalent to being pro-Arab.  Yes, it was an Islamic
cause for Muslims, but it was an anti-Communist cause for Reagan and
Bush and the U.S., who certainly are not pro-Arab.

As an aside, Muslims and Arabs are not equivalent.  Arabs can be of
any religion, and Muslims can be of any linguistic group (yes, Jewish
Arabs and Hebrew-speaking Muslims).  85-90% of Muslims are not
native Arabic speakers.

>If Dan Rather makes anti-Arab remarks during a news broadcast, then I will
>expect to hear from you, and if the case is true, I will support your
>effort to extract an apology, a retraction, or a litigation for libel.
> 

Examples of media bias (which to me means using different words
to describe the same phenomenon) include:

Arabs Isreal holds prisoner without charge for ransom are prisoners, while
Europeans in Lebanon are hostages.  Jews killed by Arabs are always
mentioned by name with pictures and funerals, while "5 Arab civilians
were killed in an Israeli retaliatory raid in Lebanon"--end of story.
Israel seizing Palestinians' land and water is never mentioned, while
experts ponder the Palestinians' xenophobia ("Is it inbred, is it religious,
is it a result of the climate or bone structure?") which prevents them
from accepting the Zionist state.  It just goes on and on, but I guess
this is not anti-Arab.

I hope people are sophisticated enought to realize that just because
you don't say "nigger" or "devil ghost" in a public forum doesn't
mean you're being objective.

>But I cannot condone any group that, using the cover of a media watchdog
>acronym or an anti-defamation acronym, publishes base smear tactics to put the
>status of East Jerusalem back in the headlines with an anti-US media
>spin.

Obviously some will be happy with any pattern of media behavior, no
matter how unethical, which makes sure that the Zionists' control of
Jerusalem and U.S. aid to Israel are never brought into question.
			
Sincerely,
Ayman Fadel					 

----- Begin Included Message [Chris Metcalf quoted this letter] -----
 
Subject:      Letter protesting CBS anti-Arab remarks
 
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee is seeking
endorsers of the following letter to CBS News protesting anti-
Arab remarks.  To sign on, contact Larry Ekin, ADC director of
outreach, at 202-244-2990 (or 202-244-3196 fax).
 
Posted by Seth Grimes, Jewish Committee for Israeli-Palestinian
Peace, jcipp@mcimail.com
 
-------------------------------------------------------------
 
Eric Ober
President, CBS News
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
 
August 11, 1992
 
Dear Mr. Ober,
 
We are deeply disturbed by recent public remarks made by your
anchor, Dan Rather, and two senior analysts closely identified
with CBS News, Dr. Henry Kissinger and Dr. Fuad Ajami.  At a June
3 fundraising banquet for the Jerusalem Foundation, Mr. Rather
presided over a panel generally expressing contempt for Arabs,
support for Israel's annexation of East Jerusalem and also
referred to "fundamental Mohammedanism."
 
[rest of letter deleted]

----------UPDATE of ADC efforts to contact CBS News---------

I spoke with a friend last Sept. 19 about this affair.  He said
that AAADC has been organizing daily demonstrations in front
of the office of CBS News in Washington for almost a month.  CBS
has not responded in any way.  He also said that one day Dan Rather
came to the Washington Bureau, and the police came in large numbers
to escort him through the demonstrators.


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