One of the most contradictory media scenes is the middle east & North africa (meNa), which is a reflection of its rather contrasting, and troubled societies that suffer from the negative effects of imposed democracies, and the internal tripled-edged syndromes of illness, poverty and illiteracy. Using the metaphor of walking on egg shells, the author […]
Thinking loudly about media approaches to Islam: Understanding the Qur’anic text, or spinning a mass-mediated meaning?
Religion and the media are today intertwined in powerful and profound ways. This reflects a situation of much significance. The dilemma is that (for many) the media is the central source of information about religions other than our own, and yet it seems ill prepared for the role it plays. Besides, religion can no longer […]
Journalism Curricula in the Arab region: ‘False Starts’ and Wrong Ends’
This paper attempts to address and evaluate the UNESCO Model Curricula that was releasedduring the first (WJEC) in Singapore in 2007 after a regional consultation meeting on the possibilities ofadaptation of the model in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of the Arab region at theUniversity of Bahrain. It is supposed to be a generic […]
Journalism Education in Egypt: Politically Hazed and Socially Confused
The status of journalism in a country reflects the values of its society, and particularly its political environment. It is impossible to be assessed away from its local sociopolitical and economic context. Although, on average, most Western societies spend 2% to 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on research and development, Arab states dedicate […]
Journalism Education in Egypt: Politically Hazed and Socially Confused
The status of journalism in a country reflects the values of its society, and particularly its political environment. It is impossible to be assessed away from its local sociopolitical and economic context. Although, on average, most Western societies spend 2% to 3% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on research and development, Arab states dedicate […]
Internet & governance in Egypt: A story of savage grace
The classical tragedy that surrounds media in Egypt is related to the lack of proper boundaries between journalism practice, and education through the prism of civil society. Indeed, there is a dysfunctional relationship between the public and the state, which created a situation of dissonance and continuous fighting against each other on one hand, and […]
The Iceberg facing Public Diplomacy: A triangle of arrogance, ignorance, and obnoxious management
It is very important to assess how audiences in the region perceive the Arabic TV services of International Satellite Broadcasters such as Deutsche Welle, France 24 and Russia Today. Most of the time, foreign Arabic-speaking channels fail “to win the hearts and minds” of the Arab public for three reasons: arrogance, impatience, and lack of […]
Quran Translations & Steering Public Opinion Against Islam :Reasons for the Negative Image of Islam
Quran translations are supposed to provide “an authentic point of reference from which to examine the biased stereotypes of Islam to which Westerners are habitually exposed to.” However, unfortunately, most of these translations have not fulfilled this function. They either fail to give a precise image of Islam, or give a negative distorted one, says […]
Behind the Percentages: Insights into American and Middle-Eastern Students’ Views on Terrorism
In recent years, many educators, public officials, and political observers have argued that the notion that international affairs is solely the business of experts is incompatible with the healthy functioning of a democracy, particularly one so involved in world affairs as the United States. Researchers have instituted a series of National Issues Forums, or deliberative […]
Living in a Lie and Dying in Silence: The Trauma of Civil Society in the Middle East and North Africa
Veteran political activists and NGOs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) express concern over the future of civil liberties. There is consensus that the region is currently witnessing a genuine crisis as a result of recent government efforts to crush political dissent in Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Tunisia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and […]