FDD

Coalition Against Terrorist Media Calls on Egypt, Saudi Arabia to Stop Broadcasting Terrorist Television

Following Egypt’s decision to pull an Iraqi television station accused of supporting terrorism from its NileSat satellite system, the Coalition Against Terrorist Media -- a project of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies -- today called on Egyptian and Saudi officials to remove two other stations used to support terrorism, Hezbollah’s al-Manar and Hamas’s al-Aqsa, from their state-controlled satellite networks.

Al-Aqsa TV

FDD's Jonathan Snow describes Hamas's media empire in today's Providence Journal.

The law and terrorist charities (AV)

In this morning's National Review online, I have an article with Howard Anglin, Esq. on a recent judicial decision out of California authored by Judge Audrey Collins that seriously hampers the government's efforts to restrict terrorist financing. Read the article.

To be fair to Judge Collins, her opinion is nothing like the hatchet job performed by Judge Anna Diggs Taylor on the NSA’s terrorist-surveillance program earlier this year. Judge Taylor’s opinion was roundly — and rightly — condemned as poorly reasoned and unworthy of the legal craft by lawyers from across the political spectrum. Judge Collins’s decision, by contrast, is neither overtly partisan nor irrational. With one exception it is a workmanlike application of precedent to fact. Unfortunately, that one exception has catastrophic potential.

...

There is, however, a compelling basis for a government ban on any assistance — even self-described humanitarian aid — to terrorists. Because terrorist organizations are not known as models of corporate transparency, there is no way of knowing whether a terrorist entity’s humanitarian arm is funneling money to its militant one. What is more, the fungible nature of money means that donations to the peaceful arm free up money to be spent by the militant arm.

Hamas' Terrorist Media (BM)

FDD Manager of Research Jon Snow has an op-ed in today's Philadelphia Inquirer showing how Hamas uses its many media properties to support its terrorist operations, including its recent radio broadcasts orchestrating the rescue of scores of terrorists encircled by Israeli forces.

Last month, FDD COO Mark Dubowitz and Jon Snow exposed Hamas' plans to take its terror television broadcast global in this Wall Street Journal op-ed.  A sample:

For a preview of things to come, it's worth looking into the Palestinian terror group's media operations at home. Like Hezbollah, Hamas uses its propaganda network to support terror activities, including recruiting suicide bombers, inculcating hatred, raising funds and providing direct operational support to terrorist operations.

Al Aqsa TV routinely broadcasts Hamas leaders calling for jihad, songs of incitement to murder, and videos of Hamas gunmen. Just like Hamas newspapers, magazines, and websites, Al Aqsa programs typically feature splashy stories glorifying the actions of "martyrs" and assurances that through their sacrifices the "Zionist Entity" will be destroyed.

For more on how FDD's Coalition Against Terrorist Media is fighting the proliferation of terrorist owned and operated media outlets, including Hezbollah's al-Manar and Hamas' al-Aqsa TV stations, please visit www.stopterroristmedia.org.

Hezbollah's al-Manar Television in New York?

The US Attorney's office announced the arrest yesterday of a Pakistani national living in New York for the broadcasting of Hezbollah's television station al-Manar to his U.S. customers. 

In March 2006, the US government designated al-Manar as a specially designated global terrorist entity making it illegal to provide support to the terrorist station.  In December 2004, the U.S. State Department placed al-Manar on its Terrorism Exclusion List. 

Al-Manar is owned and operated by Hezbollah and financed by the Iranian regime.  It has an estimated 10-15 million daily viewers and broadcasts a steady diet of incitement to violence, glorification of suicide bombings and calls for death to Americans and Israelis. 

It has also been banned by a number of European governments for its racist and anti-Semitic programming which included a 28-part series played over the Muslim holy month of Ramadan depicting an Orthodox Jew slitting the throat of a Christian child and draining the child's blood to make food for the Passover holiday. 

FDD's Coalition Against Terrorist Media, comprised of Muslim, Christian, Jewish and secular organizations - American and European - has worked with governments and the private sector to remove al-Manar from broadcasting on eight out of ten satellite providers, deny the terrorist station millions of dollars in corporate advertising and encourage the designaton of al-Manar as a terrorist organization.

More information on the arrest can be found here, here, here and here.

UPDATE: Further information is now here.

War crimes through the looking glass [AV]

Peter Bouckaert, the Emergencies Director at Human Rights Watch, claims in the Guardian newspaper that "our investigations have not found evidence to support Israeli allegations that Hizbullah are intentionally endangering Lebanese civilians by systematically fighting from civilian positions."

Really?

I found this image telling.
As well as this video of Hezbollah launching Katyusha rockets from civilian areas.

Also, it's worth pointing out that, by Human Rights Watch's own definition, "Hezbollah is an organized political Islamist group based in Lebanon, with a military arm and a civilian arm, and is represented in the Lebanese parliament and government." Since Hezbollah is not the same thing as the Lebanese army, any area the group operates out of is by definition a civilian area.

Watching al-Manar

Mark Dubowitz argues that Hezbollah’s al-Manar television is a terrorist communications system that incites attacks, recruits suicide bombers, and sends messages to fighters in the field.  Despite claims by media advocates, Israel's attacks against al-Manar’s headquarters in Beirut and its broadcasting infrastructure in the Bekaa Valley were justified to protect innocent lives.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar Television Station Legitimate Target of Israeli Response

Washington, D.C. (July 13, 2006) – FDD’s Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) today said that Hezbollah’s al-Manar television station is a legitimate communications target in Israel’s response to an act of war.

“Hezbollah uses al-Manar to recruit terrorists, incite violent attacks, conduct operational surveillance, raise funding and communicate with its forces,” said Mark Dubowitz, chief operating officer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.  “Israel has every right to defend itself.   This attack was meant to cripple Hezbollah’s communications at a time when it holds two Israeli soldiers hostage and is indiscriminately attacking Israeli civilians.”

Dubowitz noted that earlier this year, the U.S. Treasury Department named al-Manar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) organization.  Al-Manar is the only media outlet to be included on the Treasury Department’s terrorist sanctions list.

"A More Serious Threat than the al-Quaeda Network" (BM)

The Wall Street Journal reports today the Bush administration is stepping up its efforts against the Lebanese based terrorist group Hezbollah:

The Bush administration is intensifying efforts to cut off funding to Hezbollah, the Shiite organization the U.S. believes is Iran's principal vehicle for conducting terrorist attacks globally.

The moves come as counterterrorism officials grow concerned that if the standoff between Washington and Tehran over Iran's suspected nuclear-weapons program heightens tension between the two sides, that could fuel terrorist strikes against Western targets in Iraq and Afghanistan and other nations where American forces are active.

Many U.S. intelligence officials say they believe Hezbollah could pose a more serious threat than the al Qaeda terrorist network, because of its structured military command and decades of experience.

Hezbollah, which means "Party of God," is a militia and sociopolitical party based in Lebanon with a global following and infrastructure that could allow it to conduct operations in Europe, Latin America and even the U.S., counterterrorism experts say. They note that Tehran has used Hezbollah as a proxy in its conflict with the U.S., as evidenced by the group's attacks against American and Israeli targets in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Argentina over the past three decades.

Washington's focus on Hezbollah "is at a pretty high level now," says Kevin Brock, the deputy director of the U.S. government's National Counterterrorism Center. "There are active investigations" going on against the Islamist organization's global activities, he said.

The rest is here (subscription required).

One element of the strategy discussed briefly in the article is limiting funding to Hezbollah's media properties, including al-Manar television and al-Manar radio.  FDD's Coalition Against Terrorist Media has prevented nearly $2 million worth of advertising on al-Manar, worked closely with administration officials to have al-Manar and al-Nour designated as terrorist organizations, and has been instrumental in removing al-Manar from eight satellites around the world.  More here.

A Bipartisan Effort in the War on Terror

Mark Dubowitz in today's Wall Street Journal:

Your April 4 editorial "Terror TV" on terrorist media highlights the legal consequences and symbolic importance of the Treasury Department naming the Iranian-funded, Hezbollah-operated al-Manar television and al-Nour radio as Specially Designated Global Terrorist entities. As you note, this is a victory for the good guys against the pernicious influence of the Iranian regime.

It should also be noted that this was an important victory for bipartisan cooperation in the war on terror. Led by Sens. Bill Nelson (D., Fla.) and Gordon Smith (R., Ore.) and Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R., Fla.), Tom Lantos (D., Calif.), Gary Ackerman (D., N.Y.), Mike Pence (R., Ind.) and Robert Wexler (D., Fla.), Congress worked closely with the administration to raise awareness of al-Manar and encourage a strong response.

Washington can be effective only when we stand united against America's enemies. The Treasury designation is a good example.

More information on the impact of the Treasury's decision is here.

New Satellite Companies Remove Hezbollah's Terrorist Radio

FDD and its Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM), congratulates France Telecom’s GlobeCast satellite distributor and the Spanish satellite provider Hispasat for removing Hezbollah’s al-Nour radio from broadcast over three satellites reaching Latin America, Asia and Europe.   

The move followed the designation last week of Hezbollah’s al-Manar television station, al-Nour radio, and the parent company of both, the Lebanese Media Group, as Specially Designated Global Terrorist entities by the U.S. Treasury Department. [Read More]

Are you Ready for Hizbollah's Preventive Terror? (WP)

In an article titled “Attacking Iran May Trigger Terrorism” in the Washington Post, journalist Dana Priest says “U.S. Experts wary of Military Action over Nuclear Program.” The gist of the piece is clear: If –or when the US- will engage in military activities against the Iranian regime over the nuclear crisis, one has to expect that Tehran would use its assets to respond against US targets in the region and beyond. The article goes on to explain the mechanisms of this equation.

While I certainly agree that Iran will respond to American measures, I believe that the piece follows what the French calls une verite de la palice (a fact so well accepted). In short, of course Tehran will respond; obviously it had already considered, planned and even deployed its assets in that regard; and mais bien sur it will use its own intelligence services, Hizbollah and its other allies. From that angle, the sources the article refers to seem to fall a little bit behind in the strategic analysis, or at least this would be what their quotes seems to show. Priest writes: “Citing prohibitions against discussing classified information, U.S. intelligence officials declined to say whether they have detected preparatory measures, such as increased surveillance, counter-surveillance or message traffic, on the part of Iran's foreign-based intelligence operatives.”

Here again, five years after al Qaida’s 9/11, the talk in America is about “potential Iranian action” against the US and its allies, and the questions are about “detection of preparatory measures, and message –traffic, etc.” While a future Jihad analysis leads directly to a conclusion asserting the inevitability of an Iranian counter-strike, my concern is that Washington is still struggling with its possibility not with its certainty. That a Washington Post article is raising media eye brows just because it is warning about that “possibility,” raises our eye brows about the readiness to the Iran noises of War. In short: we should not allow another 9/11 to surprise us, let alone to even occur. In shorter: The Khumeinists are preparing for it, and that shouldn’t surprise us.

And in this line of thinking, another reality shouldn’t be vague in our minds: If Tehran wants to confront the US and the international community over nuclear power, Hizbollah is its prime weapon of mass terror.

Continuing the Fight (BM)

The Wall Street Journal correctly notes the Treasury Department's designation of al-Manar as a terrorist organization sets the right precedent -- but that the fight against al-Manar and other terrorist-controlled media outlets must continue:

The terrorist designation should also help put pressure on Al-Manar's last remaining satellite carriers. In its heyday, Al-Manar was transmitted via French Telecom's Globecast satellite, and for a while could be seen in the U.S. thanks to Barbados-based Intelsat and Brazil's Hispamar. But a concerted lobbying effort by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies succeeded in persuading most of the carriers to drop Al-Manar.

Today, only Saudi Arabia's Arabsat and Egypt's Nilesat carry the station, and both governments have rebuffed U.S. entreaties to take it off the air. That may change if either company turns out to be liable to designated-terror penalties. The Bush Administration might also consider a wider range of sanctions, such as barring Arabsat and Nilesat executives from entering the U.S. until Al-Manar is taken off the air.

Al-Manar is hardly the only Arab channel that routinely broadcasts murderously anti-Semitic or anti-American shows. Nor is it likely that simply putting Al-Manar out of business will end terrorist media: The Iranian chapter of Hezbollah has announced its intention to set up a new channel, Khaiber TV. But by taking action against Al-Manar, the Bush Administration has set the right precedent against the worst offender. Let's hope it can enforce it.

The entire piece is here.

West Bank Suicide Bombing Kills Three

A new offshoot of the Fatah party has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack in the West Bank this evening that killed three Israelis.  The claim of responsibility was first broadcast on Hezbollah-controlled al-Manar television in Lebanon.  This is the first suicide attack against Israelis that has been claimed by a group other than Islamic Jihad since February 2005.

Turning Off Terrorist Television

Cliff May's Scripps Howard column discusses a recent success in the war on terrorism - the Treasury Department's decision to name Hezbollah's al-Manar television a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity.

The Al-Manar Twofer (BM)

Today's Forward explains why the Treasury Department's designation of Hezbollah's al-Manar television as a terrorist organization was a victory on two fronts:  Hezbollah's use of its television broadcast as an operational weapon and the Iranian regime's use of terrorist surrogates like Hezbollah to promote its radical, violent ideology.

The entire story -- worth reading for its concise history of the effort led by our Coalition Against Terrorist Media to win this designation -- is here.

More Al-Manar Reaction (BM)

The JTA has a long piece on Treasury Department's  designation of Hezbollah's al-Manar television as a terrorist organization and the Coalition Against Terrorist Media's lead role in it here.

Why would al-Manar interest a local alderman?  Read his letter to the Newton (Mass.) TAB here.

Washington Times: "A Victory Over Terrorist Media" (BM)

The following Washington Times editorial is an excellent analysis of the why the Treasury Department designation of Hezbollah's al-Manar television as a terrorist organization is both necessary and right:

The Treasury Department struck a blow against one branch of Iran's propaganda network on Thursday, designating Hezbollah's al Manar satellite television operation as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization. The designation prohibits transactions between Americans and U.S. entities and al Manar, and freezes any assets al Manar may have under American jurisdiction. It constitutes a huge victory for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the Coalition Against Terrorist Media, an organization founded by FDD in an effort to press foreign governments to impose sanctions against al Manar and to discourage satellite providers from carrying it.

Al Manar had hoped to stave off the designation as a terrorist entity by framing criticism of its connection to Hezbollah as an effort to deprive it of its First Amendment rights. But as the Treasury Department made clear, the issue is not al Manar's role as a television station but its role in facilitating the activities of Hezbollah, an organization that has killed more Americans than every other terrorist group save al Qaeda.

"Any entity maintained by a terrorist group -- whether masquerading as a charity, a business or a media outlet -- is as culpable as the terrorist group itself," said Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Stuart Levey. The Treasury Department cited an incident in which an al Manar employee carried out operational surveillance for Hezbollah while acting under cover of employment by al Manar.

Moreover, the organization has supported Hezbollah's fundraising and recruitment efforts, and Hezbollah-affiliated charities have aired commercials on al Manar, providing bank account numbers for donations. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah publicized an invitation for all Lebanese citizens to volunteer for Hezbollah military training on al Manar. And in addition to supporting Hezbollah, Treasury said, "al Manar has also provided support to other designated terrorist organizations, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, notably transferring tens of thousands of dollars for a PIJ-controlled charity."

It should also be pointed out that, since the war in Iraq began three years ago, al Manar has specialized in depicting American soldiers as war criminals. The Treasury Department gets it right: Al Manar is a propaganda arm of the Islamofascists who are fighting against the United States.

U.S. Treasury Department Strikes Blow Against Terrorist Media (BM)

Ever since FDD founded the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) in 2004, our number one goal in the U.S. has been to have the Treasury Department name Hezbollah's al-Manar television as a terrorist organization.

Today, Treasury did just that.  By identifying al-Manar as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity, it gave the U.S. government the power to go after al-Manar's sources of funding and organizations that do business with it.  It also sent a clear message to the Iranian regime: we won't tolerate your terrorist surrogates waging war against free societies.

Al-Manar reportedly receives a substantial portion of its operating budget from the Iranian regime.  It has employed these funds -- estimated to be well into the millions per year -- to build state of the art studios and the infrastructure needed to broadcast around the world.

Al-Manar is no mere propaganda tool.  It is an operational weapon in the hands of one of the world's most dangerous terrorist organizations.  Hezbollah -- and by extension its benefactors in the Iranian regime -- uses al-Manar to recruit suicide bombers, incite violent attacks, raise money for terrorist operations, and promote a message of hatred around the world. 

While it was once carried by 10 satellites, CATM has led the fight to roll al-Manar back to just two:  ARABSAT (majority-owned by Saudi Arabia) and Nilesat (majority-owned by Egypt).  But these still reach millions in the Middle East, North Africa, and throughout Europe.

Today's designation gives the U.S. a powerful new weapon in the fight against al Manar.

Our press release on the decision is here.

The U.S. Treasury site seems to be down, but when it is up we'll add a link to their strongly worded press release.  UPDATE:  the link is here.

Learn more about our Coalition Against Terrorist Media and al-Manar here.

Iran, Hezbollah, and Iraq (BM)

This Washington Times editorial sums up Iran's insidious influence in Iraq -- including how Iranian funding for Hezbollah's al-Manar television is used to inspire attacks against coalition forces:

A major beneficiary of the violence following the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra, Iraq -- one of the holiest sites in Shi'ite Islam -- is the Shi'ite clerical dictatorship in Iran. Within hours of the crime, Tehran began trying to exploit it in an effort to foment violence against the United States and Israel.

"They invade the shrine and bomb there because they oppose God and justice," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said. He declared that such actions "are the acts of a group of defeated Zionists and occupiers."

Of course, this is absurd. The primary suspect in the mosque bombing is Abu Musab Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq. Much of the suspicion focuses on Zarqawi, a Sunni Muslim, due to the fact that he declared war against Iraqi Shi'ites and has written of his desire to spark a civil war in that country. But Mr. Ahmadinejad's assertion still must be taken seriously due to Tehran's sometime alliance with Zarqawi and its consistent efforts to portray Washington as a force for evil.

One of the most virulent opponents of coalition military operations in Iraq is al-Manar, a television station run by the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, a group which receives upwards of $100 million annually from the Iranian regime. Less than a week before the start of the war in March 2003, al-Manar, which can be seen in much of the Arab world, broadcast a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah telling American troops that "our slogan was and will remain 'death to America.' " After the war began, al-Manar broadcast video that ended with footage showing suicide bombers as they blew themselves up and likening President Bush to Adolf Hitler.

Time and again since the war began, U.S. and British officials have pointed to the role of Iran and its allies in engaging in violence and sabotaging postwar reconstruction in Iraq.

The rest is here.

A Peek at the Iranian Playbook (BM)

In today's Wall Street Journal, AEI's Michael Rubin argues that Iran is using the same tactics in Iraq that it developed in Lebanon with Hezbollah:

While journalists concentrate on the daily blood, Iraqis describe a larger pattern which U.S. officials have failed to acknowledge let alone address: Step-by-step, Iranian authorities are replicating in Iraq the strategy which allowed Hezbollah to take over southern Lebanon in the 1980s. The playbook -- military, economic and information operation -- is almost identical.

One of those tactics, Rubin says, is to recruit hearts and minds to terrorism and extremism through mass media channels:

The final part of Hezbollah's strategy is information warfare. Since 1991, it has used al-Manar TV to spread its message. Iran founded Al-Alam for the same purpose and succeeded in beginning three months before the U.S.-funded Iraqi Media Network commenced broadcasts. Well-endowed, al-Alam provided cars and video cameras to students, making them correspondents and promising rewards to those providing footage embarrassing to the U.S. mission.

It's worth noting that Hezbollah's Al-Manar television was set up with an explicit goal of recruiting terrorists and inspiring acts of violence.  One high ranking official candidly admitted that the station intends to "help people on the way to committing what you call in the West a suicide mission."

FDD, through our Coalition Against Terrorist Media, has been instrumental in removing al-Manar from eight satellites around the world.  As a result, Al-Manar can no longer promote terrorism in the United States, Canada, South and Central America, Asia, and Australia.  It still broadcasts throughout Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa  via two satellites:  ARABSAT in Saudi Arabia and Nilesat in Egypt.

Iran supplies al-Manar with a large portion of its operating budget.  In addition, al-Manar has traditionally received some money from corporate sponsors, though those dollars/euros/yen/etc. have begun to dry up after after CATM started alerting major corporations to al-Manar's support for terrorism. 

Last week, Secretary Rumsfeld argued that the U.S. needs to rethink its efforts to win the global airwaves.  Part of that strategy must be countering Iranian-funded terrorist media.  And it should include some tough steps to put an end to al-Manar's international broadcasts.  More on what can be done here.

CATM Praises the Netherlands for Banning Iranian-Backed Terrorist Broadcasts

Washington, D.C. (Jan. 31, 2006) -- The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) today praised the Netherlands for banning two Iranian-funded television stations – Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV and Iranian Sahar TV1 – after concluding that both sought to spread hatred and inspire acts of terrorism.

“As Dutch Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner said, there needs to be a strong European-wide response to al-Manar and other terrorist media,” said Roberta Bonazzi, Executive Director of the European Foundation for Democracy, a founding member of CATM.  “Given the Iranian regime's avowed hatred of the West and its ongoing efforts to build nuclear weapons, European officials must act now to stop these Iranian-backed stations from inspiring new acts of terrorism on European soil.”

Read the full press release.

CATM Removes Hezbollah's Al-Manar Television from Satellite Broadcasting into North and South America

Washington, D.C. (December 29, 2005) – The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) today praised satellite company Hispamar for removing the terrorist group Hezbollah's al-Manar television station from broadcast into North and South America.  This marks the second time that CATM has taken al-Manar off the airwaves in the United States and throughout the Americas.  [Read Full Press Release]

CATM Applauds Jordan for Removing Terrorist TV Series

The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) applauded the Jordanian government for pulling from broadcast an infamous anti-Semitic television program that has become staple fare for terrorists seeking to incite hatred and violence.

Read the full press release and related media.

CATM Praises U.S. Senate Action Against Hezbollah's Al-Manar Television

Washington, D.C. (October 21, 2005) – The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) praised the Senate for unanimously adopting an amendment aimed at naming Hezbollah's global satellite channel, al-Manar, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) entity.

The amendment was introduced to the Transportation-Treasury Appropriations bill by Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Gordon Smith (R-OR).  It urges the Treasury Department to name al-Manar to the SDGT list. The unanimous voice vote yesterday puts the entire Senate on record in its concern about al-Manar. 

Read the full press release.

Advertising on Terror TV

From the Wall Street Journal:

In one episode of the 29-part Ramadan special "Al-Shatat, The Diaspora," a rabbi orders his young son to kidnap a Christian friend so that his throat can be slit and the blood drained into a bedpan to be used to make food for Passover. The rest of the series tells the usual anti-Semitic plot of alleged Jewish aspirations for world domination. This TV show is just one example of the programming run by Hezbollah's global satellite channel, al-Manar. While the spread of this kind of hatred is despicable in any context, when it is broadcast to millions of viewers by terrorists intent on destroying lives, it becomes a weapon of global jihad.

CATM Praises European Commission for Urging Ban of Hezbollah's Al-Manar Television

Washington, D.C. (September 21, 2005) – The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) today praised the European Commission for singling out Hezbollah’s al-Manar television in its recommendation to ban terrorist broadcasts from European territory.

“This is a clear recognition that terrorist media, especially Hezbollah’s al-Manar television, is just as deadly as those who make the bombs and plan the attacks,” said Roberta Bonazzi, the executive director of the European Foundation for Democracy, a Brussels-based think tank and advocacy group, and a member of CATM.  “Terrorist propaganda that encourages children to strap on suicide belts and slaughter innocents must never be tolerated.” Read More.

WALID PHARES: Lebanon Security Arrests Could Lead to Syria and Hizbollah

Today, the Lebanese Government accepted a UN investigation commission request to have a number of former security chiefs brought in for interrogation in the Hariri assassination. The three directors detained were:  Maj. Gen. Jamil Sayyed, the former chief of General Security; Maj. Gen. Ali Hajj, the former director general of the Internal Security Forces; and Brig. Gen. Raymond Azar, the former director general of military intelligence. The commander of the Presidential Guards, Brig. Gen. Mustafa Hamdan, also appeared before the U.N. investigation in response to a summons. The Commission ordered former pro-Syrian MP Nasser Kandil to appear as well. But according to official sources, he has taken refuge in the Syrian capital. The four former security officials are considered as the strategic arm of the Lebanese regime and the umbrella that protected Hizbollah under Syrian Baathist supervision. Jamil Sayyed, according to well-informed Lebanese sources was the highest Syrian Mukhabarat “man” inside the Lebanese apparatus since the early 1990s. Mustafa Hamdan, commander of the Harass al Jamhuri, Lebanon’s version of the “Republican Guards,” is accused of masterminding many assassinations, and potentially part of the conspiracy to kill Hariri. Sources in Lebanon believe that the UN investigation may well link the Lebanese regime, Assad’s agencies and Hizbollah to the assassination.

CATM Removes Hezbollah's Al-Manar Website From Service Provider

Washington, D.C. (August 30, 2005) – The Coalition Against Terrorist Media said that the website of Hezbollah's al-Manar television (www.manartv.com.lb) was taken down over the weekend and forced to move to a new address, www.almanar.com.lb, on a server in India. Read More.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar Television Focus of National Press Club "Afternoon Newsmaker"

UPDATE: This event has been cancelled. 

Washington, D.C. (August 26, 2005) – Avi Jorisch, the executive director of the Coalition Against Terrorist Media, will appear at a National Press Club "Afternoon Newsmaker" to discuss the coalition's efforts to prevent Hezbollah's al-Manar television from inciting hatred and violence, on Tuesday, August 30, at 2 p.m.

He will show examples of al-Manar’s programming and discuss how Hezbollah, a global terrorist organization that has killed thousands, uses al-Manar as an operational weapon.  Hezbollah’s al-Manar television is not like other channels.  Its programming includes videos glorifying suicide bombers, calls for Jihadists to attack U.S. troops in Iraq, and virulently anti-Semitic and anti-American propaganda. Read More.

ANDY McCARTHY: Palestinian Clerics Assn & al-Manar: Perfect Together!

The indispensable MEMRI reports on comments this week by Palestinian Clerics Association Deputy Director Sheikh Muhammad Ali, on Hizballah's Al-Manar TV: "We will enter Palestineas conquerors, not through negotiations but through jihad; according to prophetic tradition, all Palestine will be liberated and the Zionist entity wiped out.” Read more here.

UPDATE: Coalition Against Terrorist Media Condemns al-Manar Television Interview with Known Terrorist

Washington, D.C. (August 19, 2005) – The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) said that a recent interview in which Hezbollah’s al-Manar television promoted the extremist views of a known terrorist is yet another example of why al-Manar must be removed from broadcast.  Read the full press release.

Learn more about CATM's efforts to remove al-Manar from the airwaves.

Al-Manar TV: In Support of Terror Attacks in London

Link: MEMRI: Latest News.

Lebanese Terrorist-Turned-Researcher Anis Al-Naqqash on Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV: In Support of Terror Attacks in London, the U.S., and Arab Countries

Anis Al-Naqqash, a Lebanese researcher and former terrorist, was involved in the December 21, 1975 attack on an OPEC oil ministers' conference in Vienna in which three were killed and 70 were taken hostage, flown to Algeria, and released for ransom. [1] He was also involved in the failed assassination attempt in France against former Iranian prime minister under the Shah Shapour Bakhtiar, July 18, 1980, in which two were killed. Al-Naqqash was sentenced in France to life in prison; however, he was released a decade later.

The following are excerpts from interviews with Anis Al-Naqqash and footage can be found here and here.

HEZBOLLAH'S AL-MANAR TV: 7 DOWN, 2 TO GO

Every day that Hezbollah’s al-Manar television remains on the air, someone somewhere will answer its call to Jihad.  And sadly, someone else will lose their life, a limb, or a loved one as a result.

The Coalition Against Terrorist Media, a group of Muslims, Christians, Jews and secular organizations, was created by FDD to remove al-Manar from the global airwaves.

AL-MANAR IS 24/7 TERRORIST TV:
Al-Manar is an operational weapon used by Hezbollah, one of the world's most deadly terrorist organizations.  Until recently, al-Manar freely broadcast across the globe -- six continents, 15 million viewers a day -- calling for suicide bombers to slaughter U.S. soldiers in Iraq, inciting anti-Semitic and anti-American hatred, recruiting new followers to its cult of death, and featuring afternoon videos glorifying terrorism to children.

 

Watch examples of al-Manar's programming here AND here, including al-Manar's "blood libel" ( 34 MB pictured above), which broadcast the vicious lie that Jews kill children to make Passover Matzah, and other videos inciting violence and promoting terrorism.

7 DOWN, 2 TO GO:

Over the past year, the Coalition and its members have been instrumental in taking al-Manar down from seven satellite providers.

The Coalition has met with hundreds of government officials in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, recruited allies all over the world, and launched an intensive advocacy campaign to remove al-Manar.

As a result, Hezbollah’s television broadcast is no longer viewable in North American, South and Central America, Asia, Australia, and much of Africa.

But there’s still much more to be done.  And we need your help. Now is the time to take al-Manar off the air once and for all.

Al-Manar Seeks Alternative Satellites and Sticks to its Policy

From August 14th's Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat:

American sources in Washington report on the success of the campaign led by The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM), which, as explained by Bill McCarthy, head of communications at the Coalition, resulted in France Telecom dropping Al-Manar from its programming to AsiaSat.  Read the full English translation.

Read the original article in Arabic.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar Television Dropped Again

Washington, D.C. - GlobeCast, a division of France Telecom, dropped Hezbollah's al-Manar television from its programming to AsiaSat, bringing to seven the number of satellite companies no longer carrying al-Manar. This action removes al-Manar from broadcast to Asia, leaving only two satellite providers in Egypt and Saudi Arabia still airing the station after months of intense advocacy by the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM). [Read More]

Senators Call on President Bush to Act Against Hezbollah's Al-Manar Television

Washington, D.C. (August 2, 2005) – The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) today praised the 51 U.S. Senators (26 Democrats and 25 Republicans) who signed a letter calling on President Bush to identify Hezbollah's Al-Manar television as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization. This designation will allow the government to take action against al-Manar's sources of funding and organizations that do business with the station.

The bipartisan letter reads in part:  “We write to urge you to place al-Manar, the official television station of Hezbollah on the Treasury Department's Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity list (SDGT) and to aggressively target the organizations that aid in its broadcast.  Hezbollah, a known terrorist organization funds al-Manar, calling it a ‘station of resistance.'  Viewed via satellite throughout the Muslim world, al-Manar promotes suicide attacks against American and Israeli targets and encourages Iraqi insurgents to attack U.S. troops.”

And We're Off... Again

With only a few weeks to go before Europeans take off on vacation to escape the summer heat and the American tourists, FDD Senior Fellow Avi Jorisch and I are off to Europe again to continue CATM's campaign against Hezbollah television.  This trip's target... the French satellite company Globecast.  Wish us luck!  Not only must we face down opponents of America but we may have to brave another heatwave similar to the one that hit us last trip.   The global war on terrorism does not come with air conditioning.

Spain Says Adios to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar Television

The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM) today praised Spanish-owned Hispasat and Spanish authorities for removing the  terrorist group Hezbollah’s al-Manar television from broadcast to Latin America. Read the full press release.

Learn more about the CATM!

Europe -- No Air Conditioning But All the Terrorist TV You Can Watch

Avi Jorisch and I just returned from Europe after thirty-three meetings in five days in the blistering heat in Paris and Brussels.  The government buildings housing France and Europe's power centers were magnificent but there was no air conditioning and these two Washingtonians were not going to let the Europeans see us sweat.  The trip was part of a sucessful year-long campaign by the FDD project the Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM), in Europe, North America and the Middle East against Hezbollah's terrorist television al-Manar.

But the sweat was worth it! Just a few days after our return, Spain announced that the Spanish owned satelitte company Hispsat was removing Al-Manar television from its broadcasts.  So that's 5 satellites down, 3 more to go.

What is the CATM? Why is al-Manar so dangerous? Read on!

The Coalition Against Terrorist Media (CATM)

The Coalition Against Terrorist Media, an organization of Christian, Muslim, Jewish and secular groups, has come together to urge action against terrorist owned and operated media outlets.

The coalition, which was organized by the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, is particularly focused on Hezbollah's al-Manar television station.  It has been working informally for more than three months briefing government officials and educating the American people about the threat that al-Manar poses. Read More.

Learn more about the CATM!