REQUEST TO CLOSE DOWN AL-RAFIDAYN SATELLITE TV

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 05 BAGHDAD 000984

SIPDIS

NOFORN
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/30/2018
TAGS: PREL PROP PTER EG IZ
SUBJECT: REQUEST TO CLOSE DOWN AL-RAFIDAYN SATELLITE TV

Classified By: POL-MIL MINISTER-COUNSELOR MARCIE B. RIES, REASONS 1.4(B
) AND (D)


1. (SBU) The Al-Rafidayn Satellite Channel is a Cairo-based
Iraqi television channel that appears to be affiliated with
the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS) -- a group of Sunni
clerics led by Harith al-Dari -- and which adopts a
pro-resistance, anti-U.S., anti-Iraqi Government, and
anti-Iran editorial line, according to a survey conducted
between February 24 and March 8, 2008. Al-Rafidayn's
newscasts highlight statements by the AMS and use value-laden
terminology venerating the "resistance" and disparaging the
U.S. "occupation" and the Iraqi Government. Its talk shows
feature commentators who adopt a similar line. The channel
also broadcasts short videos, poems, and songs that promote
the "valiant resistance" and its attacks on U.S. forces.

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REQUEST FOR INSTRUCTIONS
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2. (S/NF) Post requests that the Department instruct Embassy
Cairo to urge the Government of Egypt to take action against
Al-Rafidayn Satellite Channel based on its incitement of acts
of terror against the Iraqi government and Coalition Forces
in Iraq and its apparent efforts to radicalize its viewers.

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GENERAL BACKGROUND
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3. (SBU) The following background material, provided for the
use of the Department and Embassy Cairo, was drawn from an
Open Source Center Media Aid report entitled "Iraq -- Survey
of Al-Rafidayn Satellite Channel" dated March 17, 2008.


4. (SBU) Al-Rafidayn began broadcasting from Cairo's Media
City on April 10, 2006, after approximately six months of
test transmissions. Officials affiliated with the channel say
that it seeks to present an independent Iraqi perspective.
According to Al-Rafidayn's website (www.alrafidain.tv),the
channel has offices currently operating in Damascus, Amman,
and Gaza. Its main offices are in Cairo. In a November 14,
2007 report, the Egyptian Government news agency MENA
reported that the Egyptian Media Production City "contracted
with Al-Rafidayn to lease Bourse Studio for broadcasting the
station's programs as of March 2008."

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PRO-AMS, PRO-'RESISTANCE' EDITORIAL LINE
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5. (U) During the survey period, the channel led its daily
six newscasts and five news summaries with statements or
press releases by the AMS or its leaders. In its main
newscasts, the station typically carried entire statements or
press releases posted on the AMS website. An interview with
an AMS leader or figure often followed.


6. (U) The station aired claims of responsibility for attacks
on US forces by "resistance factions" and showed footage of
the attacks with the logo of the armed group claiming credit.
Al-Rafidayn broadcast eight videos during the 14-day survey
period, excluding repeats in subsequent newscasts during the
day.

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ANTI-U.S., ANTI-GOI LINE
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7. (U) Al-Rafidayn consistently highlighted U.S. casualties
at the hands of the "valiant Iraqi resistance" and cited
"eyewitness" accounts of "atrocities" and "violations"
committed by U.S. and Iraqi forces. The station's
anchorpersons posed no critical questions to the
"eyewitnesses" or challenged their assertions.


8. (U) On February 29, Al-Rafidayn cited "eyewitnesses" as
saying that "U.S. occupation troops executed five members of
a family and arrested a woman and a child in Al-Hamad village
in southern Ba'qubah."


9. (U) On February 24, the channel reported that the "U.S.
occupation is in a bitter situation in Iraq. Its human and
material losses at the hands of the men of the valiant Iraqi
resistance, who dealt hard blows to the occupation's targets

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and strategic centers and undoubtedly made Iraq a graveyard
for the U.S. Army, are constantly increasing. In only two
days, the U.S. occupation suffered heavy human losses as five
of its soldiers were killed in two separate operations in
Baghdad and Mosul."


10. (U) The channel's announcers were observed to
editorialize when introducing reports of U.S. and Iraqi
forces' operations, using inflammatory language to disparage
the "occupation." In its March 7 newscast, the channel
reported on a bombing in Al-Karradah, saying that "the
situation in Iraq is nothing but destruction and damage. The
smell of death is everywhere. It (Iraqi Government) has
turned a blind eye to the bitter conditions in which Iraqis
are living and sought to achieve their ambitions and serve
the goals of its masters in the White House and elsewhere.
The victim is always the Iraqi citizen."


11. (U) On February 24, the station reported on security
incidents across Iraq by saying: "Moving to the deteriorating
security situation in the country, where the acts of killing,
violence, and destruction at the hands of the occupation
forces, the current government, and the sectarian militias
claim the lives of Iraqis, six people were killed or wounded
when an explosive charge went off in the Al-Saydiyah area in
southwestern Baghdad."


12. (U) The station used terms such as "agent" and "current
government" -- implying that the government is temporary --
when referring to the Iraqi Government. The channel adopted
similar terms for the Iraqi Army other Iraqi security
services. The channel was not observed to use the term
"martyred" when referring to Iraqi security personnel who
were killed in armed operations or terrorist attacks, a term
it did use when reporting the deaths of "resistance men."

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'EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW' PROGRAM
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13. (U) "Exclusive Interview" is a 55-minute program
presented by Layth al-Hasani. The program is carried at 2000
on Fridays. On February 29, the program discussed the
"culture of resistance and its Iraqi, Arab, and international
dimensions." The program discussed various facets of Iraqi
"resistance," including the concept, methods, and difference
between "resistance and terrorism." The program guests were
Dr Nizar al-Samarra'i, writer and political analyst, and Dr
Fadil al-Rubay'i, Iraqi writer and researcher. Al-Samarra'i
argued that the "Americans have come with their modern war
machine(to subdue the will of the Iraqi people." He added
that the Iraqi "resistance" is not carried out by
"infiltrators" and is the Iraqis' "natural" reaction.
Al-Samarra'i called on all Muslims to engage in jihad. He
claimed that there is a "limited" number of Arabs fighting in
Iraq."

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'YOU ARE MOST WELCOME' PROGRAM
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14. (U) "You Are Most Welcome" is a live phone-in program
presented by Sarmad Akram and carried at 1730 GMT on
Thursdays and repeated at 1307 GMT on Fridays, at 0805 on
Saturdays, and at 1100 on Mondays. The program invites
callers to discuss topics that Akram introduces.


15. (U) On February 28, the presenter stated, "Iraq and the
bitter harvest. In 2003, the forces of destruction
collectively attacked Iraq under many pretexts(during the
horrible incursion, America and those with it used the most
powerful and state-of-the-art bombs to spread what America
perceives as merciful democracy. Baghdad did not see anything
from the democracy of the cowboys, other than killing, rape,
arrests, and unidentified bodies." The program took calls
from Iraqis who spoke about a "real tragedy" and criticized
the "democracy of killing and displacement."

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'IN SEARCH OF LOST JOY' PROGRAM
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16, (U) "In Search of Lost Joy" is 25-minute program focusing
on the medical treatment that Iraqi children receive who have
sustained injuries during military operations in Iraq. On 2
March, the show showed a little girl infirmed in a Jordanian

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hospital saying, "we daily pray may God kill the Americans."

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PRO-RESISTANCE, ANTI-U.S. PROMOTIONAL MATERIAL AIRED
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17. (U) Al-Rafidayn carried inflammatory videos, poems, and
songs to promote its opposition to the "U.S. occupation" and
to support the "valiant resistance" and its attacks on U.S.
forces. These videos run throughout the day, similar to
commercial advertisements.


18. (U) "Al-Fallujah of Pride," an approximately seven-minute
long poem in Iraqi dialect by Iraqi poet Ghadir al-Shammari,
calls for dealing blows to "the enemy" and making it pay the
price for its acts in Al-Fallujah," which should "be
avenged." It praises "heroes" who do not fear the "enemy" and
seek to defend the honor of Iraqi women and prisoners. The
poem promises victory over the "enemy" and "infidels." It is
carried against the backdrop of footage showing masked gunmen
firing rockets and RPGs, attacks on U.S. vehicles, and Iraqi
women weeping.


19. (U) The five-minute song "Amal al-Juburi (an Iraqi poet)
and the Master of the White House" calls on President Bush to
return Iraq as it was*a country without "coffins." It says
that "freedom is absent( When it came, extremism came with
it, and violence spawned, death proliferated, fear grew
rampant, and tyrants multiplied." It addresses the U.S.
President, saying "you are not the Christ. All the dead in my
country and your country shout. For the sake of my country, I
will not forgive you, O master of the White House." The song
is carried against footage of President Bush in meetings,
Iraqis carrying coffins, crying women, war protests, U..S
soldiers, bodies on the ground, and children in hospitals.


20. (U) The two-minute promotion spot "Democracy, the
American Way," opens with a fast-moving video collage showing
a U.S. soldier pointing his gun, a mosque's dome being
shelled, a U.S. soldier giving the thumbs up, U.S. soldiers
taking position behind a window, a U.S. tank breaching a
wall, U.S. soldiers on rooftops taking aim, a U.S. soldier
dragging a person by the collar, and soldiers pulling a
person out of his car. An unidentified Iraqi says that on
March 12, 2006, "someone told me all members of the family of
the late Qasim Hamzah Rashid were killed and their house was
burned. I entered the house with my wife and was shocked and
horrified. I saw Qasim's daughter's body on fire and her head
completely smashed. When I searched for the other members of
the family, I found them in another room. The father's head
was completely smashed. I also found the body of a
three-or-four-year-old girl with bullet holes, lying on the
floor near her father." He claimed the first daughter "was
raped."


21. (U) Another promotion spot on the "suffering" of Iraqi
kids said: "A joy killed by the occupation; a childhood
deprived of life; shining lips and faces the occupation has
deprived of smiles; their play and fun turned into horror and
fear. That is what the occupation has done to the kids of
Iraq." The one-minute spot is carried against the backdrop of
children at play.


22. (U) The promotion spot "I am an Iraqi Child" showed a
child saying: "I am an Iraqi child. Despite my weak body,
although they stole love from me, and despite the war against
the innocence of childhood you see on my face and in my
drawings, the pulse in my veins will tell those who are
trying to kill me: I am alive; I am an Iraqi child." The
one-minute promo is carried against footage of Iraqi children
playing, U.S. soldiers raiding a house, and Iraqi students
going to school.

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PRO-HAMAS SONGS
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23. (U) Additionally, Al-Rafidayn aired songs highlighting
the Palestinians' "suffering," including one that aired on 5
March praising the late HAMAS spiritual leader, Shaykh Ahmad
Yasin.

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SHORT PROGRAMS ON SUFFERING UNDER U.S. 'OCCUPATION'
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24. (U) In addition, the channel carried short programs
showing the "suffering" and "miseries" of Iraqi children and
Iraqis in general caused by the "US occupation." A 15-minute
program entitled "Miseries Caused by The Occupation" about a
girl who is a double amputee said, "The occupation, with its
new democracy, caused another disaster(. The acts of killing
and torture and the raids on secure people in their homes
still occur under the pretext of combating terrorism and
pursuing criminals. They now view all Iraqis as criminals and
terrorists after they discovered that all Iraqis reject the
occupation and its schemes. The soldiers of alleged
liberation, therefore, vented their anger on civilians."

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SMS CRAWL ENCOURAGES 'JIHAD' AGAINST 'OCCUPIER' IN IRAQ
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25. (U) Al-Rafidayn ran a Short Message Service (SMS) crawl
answering questions on religious and social questions
presumably sent by viewers on issues of marriage, divorce,
inheritance, and "jihad," which was shown during a variety of
programming. The following are some examples. Question: "I am
an Arab citizen. Is jihad against the occupier in an occupied
Arab country permitted, despite the fact that I do not fast
or pray?" Answer: "Jihad is permitted. Pray and fast. Praying
and fasting are religious duties imposed upon believers by
God."


26. (U) Question: "Some say that the honorable messenger,
God's peace and prayers be upon him, favored the pursuit of
education over jihad. Is that true?" Answer: "If jihad is an
individual duty, as is the case in Iraq to expel the
occupation, nothing tops that, not even the pursuit of
education."


27. (U) Question: "I am an 18-year-old student. Is jihad one
of my duties?" Answer: "Jihad in Iraq is an individual duty
imposed upon every Muslim man and woman, provided that he or
she is capable of it."


28. (U) Question: "I am a mujahid and want to fight the
occupier, but my mother objects because she is worried about
me. Would martyrdom be permissible without her consent?"
Answer: "Fighting the occupiers is an individual duty, and
neither the father nor the mother has a say in it."

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WEBSITE AND ADDRESS INFORMATION
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29. (U) The channel's website (www.alrafidain.tv) is under
construction. Links on the home page -- Home, News, Programs,
Reports, Articles, Who We Are, Members' Mail -- are inactive,
except for the "News Headlines" link.


30. (U) A "Whois" search produced the following:

Registrant:
Al Rafidine Company For Radio & TV
Media Production City, PO Box 15
6th October City, Giza Giza
EG

Administrative and Technical Contact:
Alaubaidi, Abdullah
Media Production City, PO Box 15
6th October City, Giza Giza
EG
2.028555789

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AL-RAFIDAYN PROGRAMMING STATISTICS
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31. To determine the percentage of programming Al-Rafidayn
devoted against Coalition forces, OSC quantified broadcast
material according to the following categories:
anti-Coalition; anti-Iraqi Government; reportage of Coalition
materiel being damaged or destroyed including soldiers'
deaths; anti-Iran; anti-sectarianism; neutral; AMS
statements; and pro-terrorism. The following is a summary of
the findings.

Total items observed: 2,415
Items with anti-Coalition message, explicit or implied: 719
(29.8%)

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Items with anti-Iraqi Government message: 80 (3.3%)
Items stating damage to Coalition: 126 (5.2%)
Items with anti-Iran message: 66 (2.7%)
Items with anti-sectarian message: 41 (1.7%)
Neutral items: 1,328 (55%)
Items dealing with AMS not falling into another category: 55
(2.3%)
CROCKER