Islamic fighetrs battling the Somali government have prmoised revenge attacks after a US airstrike killed one of their top commanders. They have also warned foreigners to stay away from the country and say they could now pullout of UN-sponsored peace talks due to start a week from now. Al Jazeera has obtained exclusive pictures from the capital, Mogadishu. Yvonne Ndege reports.
In this week’s Listening Post, Richard Gizbert looks at constraints benig imposed on satellite television in the Middle East and the new wave of television preachers gaining popularity across the region.
Beginning with satellite television, we question the code of conduct recently proposed by the Arab League and its potential threat to media freedom across the Middle East.
Can journalistic integrity be maintained outside of industry self-regulation, or will satellite channels like Al Jazeera be at risk of being silenced by governments afraid of criticism?
Focusing on the Middle East, the Listening Post’s feature piece looks at the fascinating rise in popluarity of non-traditional Islamic television preachers.
This new generation of preachers is embracing alternative media and inspiring a younger, more modern audience than their more conventional contemporaries.
In Newsbytes this week, we take a look at the YouTube blackout blamed on Pakistan, violent protests in Serbia following the Kosovan declaration of independence, Malaysian newspaper censorship, the Iranian journalist on death row and US Republican front-runner John McCain’s battle with the New York Times.
101 East asks if radical Islam poses a threat to Indonesia’s stability.
The US points to the decreasing number of violent deaths in recent months as a sign the country is being brought under control. Now, however, Aljazeera has obtained pictures which appear to show that Iraq’s resistance movements are very much still in operation. The footage shows the inner workings of the Islamic Front for Iraqi Resistance, known as Jami.Formed in 2004, the group’s stated aim is to drive ALL foreign forces out of Iraq.Al Jazeera cannot indeepndently verify claims made by the group.
Al Jazeera has been given a bleak insight into the potential for a resurgence of violence in Iraq.Figures from the United States suggest the daily cycle of violecne has dropped by aorund 60 per cent.But pictures obtained by Al Jazeera show that the Islamic Front for Resistance in Iraq or Jami is obtainign newer and better weapons.And former Iraqi army officers who lost their jobs after the invasion are training young recruits to fight US troops.Our Iraq Correspondent, Hoda Abdel Hamid, has the second of our exclusive reports.