MEDIA REACTION: DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM OF OPINION IN THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000788 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA; INR/B; RRU-NEA IIP/G/NEA-SA WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC SECDEF FOR OASD/PA USCINCCENT FOR POLAD LONDON FOR ERELI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM OF OPINION IN THE MIDDLE EAST ¶1. SUMMARY: A UAE intellectual in "Al-Khaleej" wonders if it is violence that impedes political reform or the absence of democracy that breeds violence in the Arab world. A UAE columnist in "Al-Khaleej" is critical of Syria's imprisonment of Michelle Kilo and other prisoners of conscience. A Qatari intellectual in "Al-Bayan" suggests that Arabs are in need of a culture that appreciates life and the art of tolerance. A UAE female columnist in "Al-Bayan" wonders whether the recent visits to the region by U.S. officials are out of tiredness from their wars or for waging a new destructive war. End Summary. ¶2. Under the headline "The most violent and the least democratic", UAE intellectual, Dr. Abdul-Khaliq Abdullah, wrote 05/15 in "Al-Khaleej": "The Arab region is the most violent and also the least democratic in the entire world... More than 28,000 Arabs were killed in Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Somalia, Yemen and the Western Arab countries in one year. That means that 77 Arabs are unlawfully killed everyday because of violence by tyrants, fanatics and invaders... The underlying question here is: Does violence hamper political reform or is the absence of democratic reform responsible for the chronic violence in the Arab world? The fundamental challenge is how to build democracy in an area fraught with violence?" ¶3. Under the headline "Arab prisoners of conscience", a UAE columnist, known as Ibn Al-Deera, wrote in his daily column 05/15 in Sharjah-based Arabic daily "Al-Khaleej": "...Especially in today's world, a person cannot be separated from his political position. It is not realistic to have someone punished just for a difference in his or her position or viewpoint. This is an obstacle in the Arab world. Our nations are not biased towards freedom and respect for the opinions of others. Without this respect, there will be no Arab progress keeping pace with other nations' advanced progress. Michelle Kilo is in his prison today, as are other prisoners of conscience. They do not only represent themselves, but represent the freedom of opinion that is unfairly surrounded and aggrieved. Life experience has proven that freedom of opinion far exceeds any prison or prison warden." ¶4. Under the headline "How to make our youth love their lives?", a Qatari Intellectual Dr. Abdul Hamid Al-Ansari wrote a 05/14 op-ed in Dubai-based Arabic daily "Al-Bayan: "Terrorism is the fruit of the hatred of life, civilization, community and the nation as whole... I wonder how our young men could be turned into killing tools and human bombs. It is because they are the sons of hatred and the products of fundamentalism and extreme ideologies that have no consideration towards life; the gift of God... We Arabs are in need of a culture that considers life and its human value. A culture that makes our youth appreciate art, teaches them the art of tolerance, and enlightens their brains... Arab political and religious regimes are responsible for this." ¶5. Under the headline "When will they ever get tired?", a UAE female columnist Aisha Sultan wrote a 05/14 op-ed in Dubai-based Arabic daily "Al-Bayan": "Within their huge military legacy, the ancient Chinese system had a moral military education that was very strict and wise enough to achieve a real triumph. Sun Tsu, the Chinese writer of the "The art of war" said that there are countries that are not meant to be attacked. If only America realized this, it would have not attacked Iraq in this barbaric way. If America had read history and the Middle East map and seen how the region underwent many wars like the Moguls and how the region's map was later drawn by the UK and France (Sykes Picot Agreement),it would not have sent its troops there. Apparently America is too busy writing the region's future... The recent visits of senior U.S. officials to the region either reflect how tired and desperate the Americans are becoming, or show that they are planning to wage some more map-changing wars... I hope ABU DHABI 00000788 002 OF 002 they are tired of their wars... The Arabs are tired. They want to sit quietly and think of the future as it is, and not how the superpower wants them to act in it." QUINN