Thread: Al-Jazeera kills Arizona border reports

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Al-Jazeera kills Arizona border reports

By C.J. Karamargin and Michael Marizco
ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The Arab television network Al-Jazeera pulled the plug Monday on a series of news reports about the Arizona-Mexico border amid criticism that the information could help terrorists slip into the United States.

Al-Jazeera planned to launch the series this week with coverage of a Phoenix rally by the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, a volunteer civilian border-watch group that has attracted international media attention.

"I wanted to cover the story from the human point of view," said Nasreddine Hssaini, the Washington, D.C.-based Al-Jazeera reporter behind the series. "I wanted to go to Tombstone and Sasabe. I wanted to tell the story of democracy in action."

The network canceled the project, Hssaini said, after Minuteman organizer Chris Simcox refused to cooperate and then notified the Border Patrol and members of the state's congressional delegation about Al-Jazeera's plans.

"They decided it wasn't worth it," the reporter said.

Al-Jazeera has attracted millions of viewers throughout the Arab world with its coverage of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and its airing of tapes of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

But Al-Jazeera's growing popularity has brought greater scrutiny. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused the Qatar-based network of encouraging militants by airing hostage executions.

For Simcox, Al-Jazeera and al-Qaida are virtually one and the same. They wanted to come to Arizona "to do reconnaissance," he said. "I will not have a part in that. I will not work with the enemy."

U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., noting that Al-Jazeera has been known to broadcast messages from the al-Qaida leadership to terrorist cells around the globe, was outraged that the network planned to visit Arizona.

"It is insane policy to allow Al-Jazeera to film Arizona's unsecured border with Mexico and then broadcast it to the very people who perpetrated 9/11," Franks said. Hssaini, who described himself as a Moroccan-born citizen of Canada working legally in the United States, dismissed the suggestion that his motive for coming to Arizona concerned something other than journalism.

"I am a professional journalist. They think bin Laden himself is sending me out there," he said. "I find it a little bit racist."

Local journalism professors sided with Hssaini and defended Al-Jazeera as a serious news outlet.

"They are a legitimate news organization," said Jacqueline Sharkey, head of the journalism department at the University of Arizona. "There has been criticism in some of the ways they have covered the war in Iraq - just as there's been criticism of the way some of the U.S. media have covered the war in Iraq."

The U.S.-Mexico border has also been the source of much concern that terrorists could easily slip across it. U.S. officials have been saying since the Sept. 11 terror attacks that a group such as al-Qaida may use the open border with Mexico to slip across.

With constant news that Middle Easterners may try to slip through Mexico, it's no wonder that an Arab news channel would also be interested, said Alan Weisman, a UA journalism professor.

"Al-Jazeera is a legitimate news organization. If we have the right to go into Middle Eastern countries to cover issues, why on earth shouldn't we allow them to come here, particularly since we allege that Middle Easterners might try to cross the border? That's a story of great journalistic interest," Weisman said.

"I certainly defend the right of any journalist to go anywhere to cover any story."

From my email...a first hand account:



> Folks,
> You HAVE to read this! Alkerzera TV is planning on
> being with us at the border on July 1st, and Chris
> asks us to tell EVERYONE to come.
> ~CL

Actually I may have been the catalyst for all this
happening. For those that don’t know me to well, my
name is Michael one of several spokesmen chosen by
Chris Simcox to speak on his behalf at functions or
special event here in California and most recently at
the big Tennessee Rally early this month. Here in my
neck of the woods of Northern Cal. we’ve been dealing
with what appears to be an Al Queda link with the
arrest of several Pakistanis.

On June 16th CAIR (Council on American-Islamic
Relations) held a news conference at the federal
building in downtown Sacramento. Part of my duties
with the MinutemanHQ is to keep media outlets and
interested organizations here in Nor Cal updated with
information on the progress of the Minuteman Project.
One of these media outlets is my bi- monthly radio
talk show with Mark Williams at KFBK 1530 news talk.
He notified me about the news conference since we have
in the past touched on the growing apprehending of
OTM’s including Muslims on the border.

Since I hold a Tombstone Tumbleweed correspondence
badge I went to the press conference. Needless to say
it wasn’t much of a press conference. They spouted the
usual rhetoric while members of other groups including
pro Mexican Migrants and of course the ACLU stood
behind them. Mark Williams asked the first question
and asked “Why no one from CAIR as taken my offer to
hold a rally with local Muslims against terrorism in
their name?� Mark did not get more than 10 seconds
into his question when the main CAIR spokesman
interrupted Mark with “We don’t talk to bigots or
racist� Mark continued with his question over the
rambling of the CAIR spokesman with continued racist
allegations.

When that exchange was over a few other reporters
threw in some soft ball questions, then it was my
turn. I introduced my self and title and asked, “Can
you gave me a reference source as to what prominent
Muslim leader here in the America, abroad or with in
your organization that publicly condemns Terrorism in
your name?� He looked at me and at my badge and did
not actually answer the question but referred to their
website. At that point he declared the press
conference over and thanked everyone for coming.

As the press conference ended, people traded
salutations with the leaders and I stepped up to ask
another question in relationship to “How their
organization feels or have any comments in regards to
an increase in number of OTM Muslims trying to cross
our southern border? He looked at me with contempt
and fell to the usual “Your Racist!� comment. As I
walked away to talk to Mark Williams I was fallowed by
the CAIR spokesman, he was trying to take pictures of
me; Hey being on the border in Arizona and having the
Mexican and their ACLU stools following me around
taking pictures was not big deal. But I stopped and
turned to him and asked “Aren’t you right now doing
exactly what you are accusing the FBI of doing; being
followed around and having pictures being taken of
you? All you have to do is ask me for a picture and
I’ll say no problem� He took the picture and asked if
I were a Minuteman, I replied yes, and gave him my
card with my name, email address and the MinutemanHQ
info.

Since them I’ve received hate mail sprinkled with
invitations to discuss over tea or coffee my
questions. All of them I simply referred to contact
Chris Simcox since he’s the head of the organizations.
Subsequently what came out of this and the talk show
that show that Mark and I did that night is, Mark did
get his Muslim march and rally; check this link out
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1427873/posts
(I posted under Allons), and it seems all of a sudden
Alajazeera is no interested in exploring the OTM issue
concerning Muslims and I’m still receiving e-mails
from Muslims asking to meet, which I just keep
forwarding to Chris Simcox…Stay tuned!


Michael de Leon
Nor Cal Minuteman Support
If not us, then who? If not now, then When?













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The report would have prompted immediate action to do something because the government officials would held be accountable if any terrorist got in and caused harm.

The reporter from Al-Jazeera who wanted to cover the story of our border problem states he "just wanted to cover democracy in action".

What in the hell does that mean?

Do Arab reporters think illegal border crossings have something to do with "democracy"?

They don't. Try to cross a border into Communist China or North Korea and see what happens.

Or wait!! Just recall as vividly as you can the shoot-down of the Korean Airliner when all it did was enter Soviet Airspace at 25,000 feet!

Borders have nothing to do with democracy. Borders have to do with national sovereignty whether you are a democratic, socialist, communist or dictatorial nation.

Borders are governed by the laws of the nations on either side of the border.

Violators of those borders are thiefs and/or terrorists, period, whether they are the democratic, socialist, commie or dictator variety. On THAT we can all agree.

Al-Jazeera also filmed "Ambushes" of American Soldiers.
Thay also read the "Koran" The Book Who`s God tells them to go out and Kill Children.
These people are different,and they lie alot.
American Veteran[/b]