ANTI-AMERICANISM IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE MEDIA By Adel Darwish* Anti-Americanism in the Arabic language media has grown rapidly over the past couple of decades. Utilized for its own ends by the totalitarian Arab states and their government controlled media, anti-American news stories and analysis are common from North Africa to the Gulf. While not an indigenous phenomenon, anti-Americanism in the Middle East is a more virulent form of European anti-Americanism where lighthearted ridicule has been given a darker, more sinister tone. The future is not totally bleak, as recently, new media outlets have attempted to combat in some small way the long legacy of anti-Americanism in the Arabic language media. During a dinner in London with the Middle East. From these newspapers, British and Gulf Arab officials in early television and radio, one would hardly 2003, our conversation touched on what believe that a whole generation in Arabia, is commonly known as "the usual the Gulf, the Levant and North Africa blunders in American foreign policy." still feel any gratitude to the Americans But two senior Gulf diplomats stressed for the help they provided. another side of America, how U.S. The shape and forms of Anti- doctors treated patients at American Americanism in the Arabic language mission hospitals in Iraq, Kuwait, media is all-encompassing: Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia long --Selective showing of negative before oil was found and money lured images about America in drama, films, Western professionals to the region. literature, and news items. "We were a de-facto part of the --Selective use of phraseology and British Empire and ruled by London; yet headlines. This tactic has traditionally it was American mission hospitals to been employed to inflate the ego of which we turned when we were sick and constituency readership or to highlight a needed medicine," said one of the Gulf certain cultural or ideological bias while diplomats. A diplomat from another Gulf undermining opposition to that line. For country added that many of his fellow example, the Arabic press whose owners countrymen received their primary school come from various countries call world- education at American mission schools. renowned heart surgeon Sir Magdi That these diplomats raised the issue Yaccob--who is ethnically a non-Arab, in genuine gratitude to the United States-- Egyptian Copt(1) --an "Arabic surgeon," and perhaps to remind their old colonial while a taxi driver caught fiddling the masters how much they valued America's fare or a shoplifter is referred to as an positive contribution to their lives--was Egyptian. In such a context, Arabic striking since not a single American was subeditors deliver a subliminal message present around the dinner table that to influence readers and listeners. Such is evening. Such views greatly contrast with the case when the Arabic press highlights the editorial line taken by the majority of that "an American priest is sentenced to Arabic language media both in and out of 10 years in jail for sexually assaulting 44 Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 4 (December 2003) Anti-Americanism in the Arabic Language Media children," without mentioning that the McDonald's hamburgers the most popular victims too were Americans and Iraqi dish instead of the Masgouf fish. Christian churchgoers. --Selective edited translation of --Exaggerating or sexing up of analysis, columns and reporting from headlines without facts to back them up. American, British, European and Israeli For instance, on August 29, 2003 the press of negative writings about America. leading headline in al-Quds al-Arabi, a At the same time, other, more positive London Arabic paper, was "Sharon foreign articles about America are Coordinating with America to Attack ignored by Arabic editors. This ploy Gaza," even though there were no direct gives more credibility to anti-American quotes or any information backing up the pieces since they are written by headline. Americans or Europeans. --Selective reporting and highlighting Citing the above list makes one negative news about murder, rape, high wonder, why and when exactly did crime rates in the United States, while Americans become a target for hatred? ignoring or deemphasizing positive news. Ironically, during the past two decades --Use of cartoons carrying powerful that have witnessed the dramatic rise of images and conveying effective anti-Americanism, Americans continued messages. Most cartoons show Uncle missionary traditions throughout the Sam or American marines supporting region. The hostages kidnapped in Beirut Sharon, or Uncle Sam tilting the scales of in the 1980s or shot at in Yemen in 2002 justice, undermining the UN, or were aid and medical workers and preventing it from doing its job. In one teachers. They were all engaged in cartoon, Uncle Sam is a doctor stepping humanitarian work, belonging to on the oxygen tube that helps a organizations that can hardly be Palestinian patient to breath while the described as an instrument of American latter has his wallet stolen by Sharon. In a foreign policy, and most of them, on a similar cartoon, Sharon, blessed by Uncle personal level, are quite fond of Arabs. Sam, is sucking the blood of a It is also noticeable how the rise of Palestinian. anti-Americanism in the past two decades --Editorial writers, columnists and coincided with a massive increase in television commentators who are media outlets, such as satellite television obviously not reporters that could be services like al-Jazira, al-Arabiyya, and challenged to produce evidence or Abu Dhabi television,(2) as well as the mention facts, spin anti-Americanism in internet. In May 2003, Egyptian their columns unchallenged. Some of commentator Nabil Sharf el Dine asked them write long analytical pieces that on the Elaph.com Arabic website: "Who pass as news based entirely on rumors or has brainwashed North African students conspiracy theories, such as America is who wear American jeans, consume occupying Iraq to secure oil wealth, to American products and communicate remove a possible threat to Israel and to with each other via American computers subject Arab nations to its dominance. An and American websites to organize editorial in al-Quds al-Arabi on August demonstrations to burn the stars and 29, 2003 claimed that electric power stripes, or pelt American embassies with lines, water supplies and utilities were eggs day after day, when common sense destroyed in Iraq by fire from American indicates that they should have been invading forces, which came to colonize demonstrating to improve their meager Iraq. A columnist on August 14, 2003 lot in the first place?" claimed that America is plotting to make Middle East Review of International Affairs, Vol. 7, No. 4 (December 2003) 45 Adel Darwish Few would dispute that there are some campaigns terrorized liberal intellectuals obvious blunders in American foreign and writers of different views into either policy but there are also other, generally silence or submission. more powerful and long-term reasons for In a series of articles printed in Al- anti-Americanism in the Middle East. Hayat, a London based daily, in August The loathing or fear of democracy by 2003, about development of literature and the region's dictatorships is a major literary criticism trends, Egyptian writer factor. Equally important is European and media historian Husayn Amine influence, both colonial and post- identified Egyptian philosopher, colonial, in fostering anti-Americanism. Mahmoud Abbas al-Aqad as the only Since there is no true free contest for writer/philosopher in the late 1950s and power that tests the popularity of policy 1960s who stood up to the "left-wing in elections, autocratic rulers keep an eye Mafia of Marxists and Nasserites in the on public opinion and public mood, field of media and art who managed which in turn has a great impact on their within a decade to create an foreign policy, leading to a catch-22 unprecedented reign of terror in Egyptian situation. On the one hand, Middle intellectual life." Amine continued: Eastern leaders use anti-American public sentiment as an excuse to both distance They established their own school themselves from American foreign policy of literary criticism and art built activities which would genuinely help on Marxist fundamentalism. Their their peoples, and to manipulate that writing style and expressions were public mood to their own advantage, like harsh in their onslaught on delaying reform or blackmailing liberals not following their Washington into giving more aid. On the Marxist line. They terrorized other hand, those governments do little to artists and writers into confining persuade the media, which they often expression to what they called control, to soften or reduce the strong socialist realism. No one dared to message of anti-Americanism. There are compose a poem or write a short even occasions when those governments story or paint a picture that didn't encourage the trend of anti-Americanism, conform to Colonel Nasser's sometimes to deflect domestic criticism brand of nationalism and of their policy away from them. socialism. Most of the regional media is on automatic pilot, cruising on a course set This literary oligarchy was selective in by the editorial hierarchy during the translating American literature during the heyday of pan-Arab nationalism and so-called "thousand book project" to alliance with the Soviet bloc. Those translate into Arabic that many books editorial teams are part of mini-media every year. The project was dominated by empires where the editorial line is left Russian, Soviet bloc, French and Latin over from the days when they were American books. Those American books aspiring to positions of power in the that were translated were written by left- ruling establishment. Press clippings, wing authors who were victims of diaries of intellectuals, and literature in McCarthyism and who painted American the 1960s show how left-wing Marxist life in a negative light, omitting the fact trends, beginning with the Egyptian that American liberal democracy government-directed media during Gamal tolerated such criticism in the first place.