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

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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."


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