Iraqi interior ministry orders closure of TV station's Baghdad bureau(Sunni owned)

[maddezmom]

BAGHDAD (CNN) -- Iraqi security forces Monday shut down Al-Sharqiya's Baghdad bureau after the interior minister accused the Iraqi TV station of "spreading lies and fomenting sectarian violence and hate" in its news coverage, including the execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, interior ministry spokesman Brig. Gen. Abdul Karim Khalaf told CNN.

Al-Sharqiya -- which is owned by a London-based Iraqi media tycoon, who is a Sunni Arab -- is still on the air despite the interior minister's order to close its Baghdad office. The network has a large broadcast center in Dubai.

Khalaf said the station was warned several times about its coverage, including what he said was a false report that three girls from Baghdad University were kidnapped by militias.

"They made such a big deal out of it and it turned out to be false," he said.

link: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/01/01/monday/index.html?section=cnn_latest

[MADem]

1. It is not a good time to be sunni in Iraq right now, I fear.... NT

[cosmik debris]

2. Freedom is on the march

And it is marching out of Iraq with all the other refugees.

[Auntie Bush]

4. Wrong!

Freedom can't march out when it never marched in in the first place.

[Toots]

5. Women had more freedom under Saddam than in any other Arab Nation

The Secular State of Iraq under Saddam was actually quite free. People could come and go at will and attend major universities or other learning institutes. Troughout Iraq in most all villages leaders were elected by Democratic process. The only thing truly forbidden was the establisment of Religious rule. Iraq was the most Westernized of all Arab nations. I believe the people were as free as Americans are under the Bush* Administration. Iraq had no free speech zones. People could and did meet anywhere.

[IndianaGreen]

8. Toots is right, Auntie Bush

Iraqi women were among the most emancipated in the entire Middle East under the Baathists. Now we find women too afraid to go out in public without a veil, and we see Islamic militias enforcing sharia law even on non-Muslims.

Religious freedom has suffered a setback in Iraq since the US invasion/occupation.

Bush has done more to incite the rise of religious radicalism than bin Laden.

[Auntie Bush]

9. I see your point Indiana.

But I was kinda thinkin... along the lines that bush never gave the country freedom...so they can't take it away. Besides...I was just being a wise ass.

[Warren Stupidity]

3. So I fully expect and the hair pullers and teeth gnashers

who bemoaned the thuggery of Chavez Gone Wild just a few days ago (for an offhand remark he made that he might not renew the coup-backing RCTV license) to show up here to denounce the stalinist regime in Baghdad.

I'll start holding my breath right now ....

Oh well that didn't work.

[Ian David]

6. And right before sweeps-week, too! n/t

[Robbien]

7. Soon the only station left in Iraq will be the one funded by US taxpayers

and run by BushCo bottomfeeders.

[Supersedeas]

18. from Dubai to you.

[earlybelle]

10. And so it begins. The sectarian cleansing of Iraq with US help.

[LynnTheDem]

11. Again.

[TexasLawyer]

12. Iraq closes TV channel for inciting sectarianism

Iraq closes TV channel for inciting sectarianism

01 Jan 2007 13:33:39 GMT
Source: Reuters

BAGHDAD, Jan 1 (Reuters) - The Iraqi government ordered the closure of independent television channel Sharkiya on Monday for reporting false news and inciting sectarianism, the Interior Ministry said.

Sharkiya is owned by a London-based Iraqi businessman and says it takes an independent editorial line, although many viewers see it as leaning towards a minority Sunni Arab viewpoint.

Interior Ministry spokesman Brigadier General Abdul Karim Khalaf said the government had ordered the channel to close indefinitely. "We warned them many times not to broadcast any false news which would increase the tension in Iraq," Khalaf told Reuters, declining to specify which reports were false.

The closure took place two days after the execution of former President Saddam Hussein, which angered many of his fellow Sunni Arabs. Asked if the move was prompted by Sharkiya's coverage of the execution, Khalaf said: "In the last three days if you watch their channel you can see they are leading people to violence and increasing sectarian tension," he said.

<snip>

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAR147419.htm

[wtmusic]

13. Cool. Can we "close" FOX News for inciting sectarianism?

Freedom isn't free, baby.

[LoZoccolo]

14. This should be OK with the Chavez followers on DU, right?

Now don't flip-flop on the issue of government shutting down media outlets to prevent violence, people!

[w4rma]

16. I doubt the Shi'as are shutting this down because it may be inciting violence.

It's more likely that this is part of their agenda to destroy all Sunni "heathens" in Iraq.

I, however, know for a fact that big media in Venezuela had been inciting violence against Chavez and Venezuelan government officials.

[Tempest]

17. There's a big difference

In Venezuela, the station openly called for violence against the government.

That's not the case here.

[superconnected]

15. bushcos view on free speech.

Let's look at the puppet master and not the puppets.