R Global Communications Global Communications Arab Media Systems EDITED BY CAROLA RICHTER AND CLAUDIA KOZMAN EDITED BY CAROLA RICHTER AND CLAUDIA KOZMAN ICHTER This volume provides a compara� ve analysis of media systems in the Arab world, AND based on criteria informed by the historical, poli� cal, social, and economic factors infl uencing a country’s media. Reaching beyond classical western media system K Arab Media Systems OZMAN Arab Media typologies, brings together contribu� ons from experts in the fi eld of media in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to provide valuable insights into the heterogeneity of this region’s media systems. It focuses on trends in government stances towards media, media ownership models, technological ( innova� on, and the role of transna� onal mobility in shaping media structure and EDS Systems prac� ces. ) Each chapter in the volume traces a specifi c country’s media — from Lebanon to A Morocco — and assesses its media system in terms of historical roots, poli� cal and legal frameworks, media economy and ownership pa� erns, technology and infrastructure, and social factors (including diversity and equality in gender, age, ethnici� es, religions, and languages). This book is a welcome contribu� on to the fi eld of media studies, cons� tu� ng the only edited collec� on in recent years to provide a comprehensive and systema� c RAB overview of Arab media systems. As such, it will be of great use to students and M scholars in media, journalism and communica� on studies, as well as poli� cal scien� sts, sociologists, and anthropologists with an interest in the MENA region. EDIA As with all Open Book publica� ons, this en� re book is available to read for free on S the publisher’s website. Printed and digital edi� ons, together with supplementary YSTEMS digital material, can also be found at www.openbookpublishers.com Cover design by Anna Gatti book eebook and OA edi� ons also available www.openbookpublishers.com OBP https://www.openbookpublishers.com © 2021 Carola Richter and Claudia Kozman. Copyright of individual chapters is maintained by the chapters’ authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). This license allows you to share, copy, distribute and transmit the text; to adapt the text and to make commercial use of the text providing attribution is made to the authors (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Attribution should include the following information: Carola Richter and Claudia Kozman (eds), Arab Media Systems. Cambridge, UK: Open Book Publishers, 2021, https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0238 In order to access detailed and updated information on the license, please visit https:// doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0238#copyright Further details about CC BY licenses are available at https://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/ All external links were active at the time of publication unless otherwise stated and have been archived via the Internet Archive Wayback Machine at https://archive.org/web Updated digital material and resources associated with this volume are available at https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0238#resources Every effort has been made to identify and contact copyright holders and any omission or error will be corrected if notification is made to the publisher. This project received support from the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) that has been funded under the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) grant 01DL20003. This publication was financed in part by the open access fund for monographs and edited volumes of the Freie Universität Berlin. ISBN Paperback: 9781800640597 ISBN Hardback: 9781800640603 ISBN Digital (PDF): 9781800640610 ISBN Digital ebook (epub): 9781800640627 ISBN Digital ebook (mobi): 9781800640634 ISBN XML: 9781800640641 DOI: 10.11647/OBP.0238 Cover design by Anna Gatti based on a photo by Duangphorn Wiriya on Unsplash at https://unsplash.com/photos/KiMpFTtuuAk 8. Qatar: A Small Country with a Global Outlook1 Ehab Galal The State of Qatar is a new, small, and extremely rich country, ruled by the Al-Thani family and with a population of which a majority are non-Qatari nationals. It is also a country mostly known for the satellite channel Al-Jazeera. This cocktail of small size, royal rule, and money is crucial for understanding the media landscape in Qatar, which in basic terms must be divided between the national media and the global satellite consortium of Al-Jazeera. Despite their different audiences, both media types are used and managed to consolidate and strengthen the rule and influence of Qatar and the Al-Thani family. Background Qatar is a peninsula of 11,500 square kilometers, located on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Surrounded by the Arabian Gulf to the north, east, and west, the coastline makes up most of the country’s borders in addition to its southern border with Saudi Arabia. The country has been an independent state since 1971, when Great Britain renounced the protectorate of Qatar that had existed since the First World War. Previously, the country had been part of the Ottoman Empire for about 400 years. However, the local power has been in the hands of the 1 The research for this article formed part of the research project Mediatized Diaspora (MEDIASP)—Contentious Politics among Arab Media Users in Europe, which is financed by the Independent Research Fund Denmark (funding ID: 8018–00038B). © Ehab Galal, CC BY 4.0 https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0238.08 128 Arab Media Systems Al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, and when Great Britain decided to withdraw, negotiating with several Gulf countries, Qatar—together with Bahrain—insisted on independence instead of becoming part of a union of smaller Gulf emirates. Thus, while the UAE became the union of seven emirates, Great Britain handed over the sovereign power to the Al-Thani family in 1971 to form the independent state of Qatar. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has been the Emir of Qatar since 2013 after he replaced his father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who ruled from 1995 until his abdication. As in other Gulf countries, the majority of inhabitants are non- nationals. Out of a population of 2.8 million people in Qatar, only about 12% are Qatari. While the total number of people fluctuates because of seasonal work, the fact that the number of men is almost three times the number of women further reflects the country’s large foreign labor force, which is employed by the oil and gas, construction, and related industries. The majority of labor immigrants are from Southeast Asia with smaller numbers from Arab countries, mainly Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt. The official language isArabic, but due to its oil and gas industry, its huge non-Qatari and non-Arab population, and the country’s attempt to play a role in the international scene, English is a widely used second language. Islam is the official religion ofQatar, and the national law is based on secular principles as well as Shar’ia law. Because of the high number of immigrants, other religions also exist. Statistics from 2010 estimate that 67.7% of the population are Muslims, 13.8% are Christians, 13.8% are Hindus, and 3.1% are Buddhists, whereas the rest belong to other religions or are unaffiliated (Pew Research Center, 2012). MostQataris are Sunni Muslims who follow the Wahhabism tradition, while from 5% to 15% are Shi’a Muslims. Qatar allows non-Muslims to worship in specially designated locations, but they are not allowed to proselytize. Public worship is restricted, and religious groups have to formally register. Once a poor British protectorate with its main income coming from pearling, Qatar became an affluent state with oil and natural gas resources after gaining independence. Although the oil production took off in the 1950s, and the high oil prices in the 1970s changed Qatar’s economy significantly, it was the natural gas that, according to the latest Human Development Index figures byUNDP, placed Qatar as the richest 8. Qatar 129 country in the world measured by gross national income per capita in 2018. Today, Qatar is the largest exporter of natural gas accounting for a third of the world trade. Due to its wealth, there is no income tax, and the state heavily supports Qatari nationals financially. When leaving its protectorates in the Gulf, Great Britain also left border conflicts to be resolved by the countries themselves. For Qatar, there were two conflicts to solve: one with Saudi Arabia about the Khafo area and one with Bahrain about the Zabaarah area. While the latter was resolved in 2001, Saudi Arabia has repeatedly claimed its right to the Khafo area. This border conflict has recurred as soon as other conflicts in the area have broken out, and in 1992, the two countries also went through a short-term armed conflict. In this continuous conflict with Saudi Arabia, Qatar realized it was falling behind when it came to media coverage. The Saudis had strong media that were available outside Saudi Arabia, while media in Qatar were weak. It was on this premise that Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani founded the satellite television channel Al-Jazeera in 1996. However, he also initiated and facilitated international involvement including more active participation in the Gulf Cooperation Council (Al-Hawik, 2013). Both Al-Jazeera and Qatar’s international involvement would later cause new conflicts. Historical Developments The media development in Qatar can be divided into three periods. In the first period, which extended from 1961 to 1995, the media were a tool for nation-building, while the second period from 1995 to 2011 was characterized by liberalization.