U.S. Arab-Language Broadcast to be Transmitted to Europe

February 27, 2005

Source: Aljazeera

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C46CF566-EB57-490C-829D-B63FF75C4C85.htm

On February 27, 2005 Aljazeera reported, "The US plans to begin Arab-language television broadcasts to Europe later this year to try and win the hearts and minds of Arab Muslims there, officials say. Three and a half years after Islamic activists based in Germany allegedly helped mount the 11 September 2001 attacks, US-backed TV channel Al-Hurra expects to transmit 24-hour programming to European Muslim communities seen as potentially hostile to the US. France and Germany, which have Western Europe's largest Muslim populations, will be a special focus for news and current affairs programmes intended to promote an American ethic of free speech and open debate, officials say. 'The 9/11 hijackers came largely from Europe. It's a significant gap that we were not broadcasting in Arabic to Europe,' said Kenneth Tomlinson, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the US agency in charge of US civilian TV and radio broadcasts overseas."