[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022ds-1col clearfix\u0022\u003E\n\n  \n\n  \n  \u003Cp\u003EWhile Al Jazeera gave prominent airtime to al-Qaradawi and other Islamists affiliated with the Brotherhood, numerous Saudi-owned papers took the opposite approach, depicting an ominous rise of Islamist and Salafist parties in Egypt and lamenting the failure of liberal youth movements to organize politically. In July 2011, Tariq al-Homayed, the former editor-in-chief of the Saudi-owned, London-based \u003Cem\u003EAsharq Al-Awsat\u003C\/em\u003E newspaper, wrote an op-ed titled, \u201cAre We Looking at Egyptistan?\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ETariq al-Homayed, \u201cAre We Looking at Egyptistan?,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAsharq Al-Awsat\u003C\/em\u003E (London), July 31, 2011, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2011\/07\/article55245604\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2011\/07\/article55245604\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Though al-Homayed granted that the Islamists had the right to express their opinions, \u201cwhether we like it or not,\u201d he concluded by asking, \u201cWill the [Egyptian] political forces\u2014particularly the youth and liberals\u2014wake up from their delusions today\u2026 or will they continue to waste these historic opportunities to build a democratic Egypt?\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003ETariq al-Homayed, \u201cAre We Looking at Egyptistan?,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAsharq Al-Awsat\u003C\/em\u003E (London), July 31, 2011, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2011\/07\/article55245604\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2011\/07\/article55245604\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOther Saudi and Saudi-owned pan-Arab media also voiced their concerns about the Brotherhood after its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, won Egypt\u2019s presidential election in June 2012. Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, general manager of the Al Arabiya news channel, noted that while Morsi gave the Gulf states assurances that he would not interfere with their affairs, \u201c[W]hat would he do if Israel attacked Hamas in Gaza?\u201d He also wondered which Palestinian faction Morsi would support, and whether he would \u201cremain silent about Iran\u2019s ideological and religious activities\u2026as seen in Tehran\u2019s support for local groups and attempts to spread the Shiite ideology amongst some Egyptian circles?\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAbdulrahman Al-Rashed, \u201cWhat Will Mursi Do?,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAsharq Al-Awsat\u003C\/em\u003E (London), July 2, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2012\/07\/article55241509\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2012\/07\/article55241509\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThroughout the first half of 2013, tensions persisted between Morsi and the judiciary, which struck down Morsi\u2019s request for early parliamentary elections, as well as between Morsi and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Morsi\u2019s government also made headlines for harassing journalists who were accused of insulting the president. Al Arabiya published a scathing report in April titled, \u201cBassem Youssef and the Muslim Brotherhood\u2019s War on Media in Egypt.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAkram Alfi, \u201cBassem Youssef and the Muslim Brotherhood\u2019s War on Media in Egypt,\u201d Al Arabiya, April 2, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/perspective\/alarabiya-studies\/2013\/04\/02\/Bassem-Youssef-and-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-s-war-on-Egyptian-media.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/perspective\/alarabiya-studies\/2013\/04\/02\/Bassem-Youssef-and-the-Muslim-Brotherhood-s-war-on-Egyptian-media.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter the Egyptian military set a 48-hour deadline on July 1 for all political parties to resolve their differences, Al Arabiya mockingly reported on the new clock set up by the Egyptian grassroots movement Tamarod to count the hours and minutes until Morsi\u2019s resignation with the headline, \u201cMove over, MorsiMeter! \u2018MorsiTimer\u2019 Counts down Egypt Army Deadline.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cMove over, MorsiMeter! \u2018MorsiTimer\u2019 counts down Egypt Army Deadline,\u201d Al Arabiya English, July 3, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/variety\/2013\/07\/03\/Move-over-MorsiMeter-MorsiTimer-counts-down-president-s-final-hours-.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/variety\/2013\/07\/03\/Move-over-MorsiMeter-MorsiTimer-counts-down-president-s-final-hours-.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHours after the military removed Morsi from office on July 3, the Saudi paper \u003Cem\u003Eal-Riyadh\u003C\/em\u003E published the \u201ccable of congratulations\u201d that King Abdullah sent to interim Egyptian President Adli Mansour and the Egyptian military, in which he praised Egyptian army chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for managing \u201cto save Egypt at this critical moment from a dark tunnel God on could apprehend its dimensions and repercussions\u2026.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cKing Abdullah Congratulates Chancellor Adli Mansour, President of Egypt,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAl-Riyadh\u003C\/em\u003E, July 4, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.alriyadh.com\/en\/article\/849408\/King-Abdullah-congratulates-Chancellor-Adli-Mansour-President-of-Egypt\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.alriyadh.com\/en\/article\/849408\/King-Abdullah-congratulates-Chancellor-Adli-Mansour-President-of-Egypt\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EJust months after Morsi took office, Saudi outlets were already mocking him by reporting on the \u201cMorsi Meter,\u201d a tool created by Morsi\u2019s activist opponents to track his lack of progress in fulfilling campaign pledges.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cThe Final Countdown: \u2018Morsi Meter\u2019 Clock Ticking for Egypt\u2019s President,\u201d Al Arabiya English, August 30, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/articles\/2012\/08\/30\/235204.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/articles\/2012\/08\/30\/235204.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Saudi-based paper \u003Cem\u003Eal-Eqtisadiya\u003C\/em\u003E reported on the protests in support of and against Morsi\u2019s decree, giving far more space to the latter. The paper quoted protesters chanting \u201cDown with Morsi,\u201d and \u201cDown, Down with the Guide\u2019s rule.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cMisr: Ihtijajaat Dud Ialaan Dusturi Asdarahu Morsi wa Mudhaharaat Muayida Lahu,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAl-Eqtisadiya\u003C\/em\u003E (Riyadh), November 23, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aleqt.com\/2012\/11\/23\/article_711870.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aleqt.com\/2012\/11\/23\/article_711870.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERefusing to accept the interim military rule, Morsi\u2019s Islamist supporters staged sit-ins in Cairo\u2019s Rabia al-Adawiya Square and Nahda Square. In late July, security forces clashed with Brotherhood supporters there, reportedly killing and injuring hundreds of protesters. On July 27, Al Jazeera broadcast scenes from a local hospital where the wounded were being treated, as an angry doctor at the hospital shamed the army for carrying out such violence.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cMiat al-Qitla wa al-Jurha bi Maidan Rabia,\u201d Al Jazeera, July 27, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aljazeera.net\/news\/pages\/c0a88f85-3af5-4002-b46b-b8996f44fd5b\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aljazeera.net\/news\/pages\/c0a88f85-3af5-4002-b46b-b8996f44fd5b\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E In August, Al Jazeera produced a documentary detailing its side of the Rabia story. The documentary shows the crowd there ostensibly protesting peacefully before being shot by Egyptian soldiers firing live-ammunition.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cMassacre of Rabiaa-Egypt 08-14-2013 Documentary Al Jazeera,\u201d YouTube, August 22, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SxjyqwM8tus\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SxjyqwM8tus\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, the extent of the carnage in Rabia al-Adawiya Square became a point of contention. The Muslim Brotherhood reported at the end of August that over 4,000 protesters had been killed.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cGlobal Demonstrations in Solidarity with Egypt\u2019s Pro-Democracy Movement,\u201d Ikhwanweb: The Muslim Brotherhood\u2019s Official English web site, August 30, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ikhwanweb.com\/article.php?id=31277\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.ikhwanweb.com\/article.php?id=31277\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E In contrast, the military claimed that on August 14, the day that it invaded the square to break up the protests, \u201cbetween 683 and 1,000 people, including 43 police officers\u201d died in the carnage.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EKareem Fahim and Mayy El Sheikh, \u201cMemory of a Mass Killing becomes Another Casualty of Egyptian Protests, \u003Cem\u003ENew York Times\u003C\/em\u003E, November 13, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/11\/14\/world\/middleeast\/memory-egypt-mass-killing.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/11\/14\/world\/middleeast\/memory-egypt-mass-killing.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWriting for Al Arabiya, Abdallah Schleifer seemed to take sides with the interim government, as he wondered how much attention European and American leaders would pay to the killings of policemen by the Brotherhood. He criticized the Brotherhood\u2019s allegedly non-violent approach, writing, \u201cNon-violence does not mean building barricades to hold off the Egyptian riot police and breaking up pavement stones to throw at them.\u201d He added that a BBC cameraman who caught footage of the Rabia al-Awaiya mosque\u2019s roof noted that \u201cgunfire was not just coming in, but also going out, from the mosque at the same time.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAbdallah Schleifer, \u201cMisinformation about Egypt\u2019s \u2018Massacre\u2019,\u201d Al Arabiya English, August 15, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/views\/news\/middle-east\/2013\/08\/15\/Misinformation-about-Egypt-s-massacre-.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/views\/news\/middle-east\/2013\/08\/15\/Misinformation-about-Egypt-s-massacre-.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen Saudi-owned \u003Cem\u003EAsharq al-Awsat\u003C\/em\u003E reported on the government\u2019s intensified crackdown, it interviewed anonymous Egyptian security officials who \u201caffirmed that the Muslim Brotherhood had allied itself with two Al-Qaeda linked groups, Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis and the Al-Furqan Brigade.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAbdul Sattar Hatita, \u201cEgypt: Cairo Intensifies Muslim Brotherhood Crackdown,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAsharq Al-Awsat English\u003C\/em\u003E (London), December 26, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2013\/12\/article55325915\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.aawsat.net\/2013\/12\/article55325915\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEven Al Arabiya described Sisi\u2019s victory as \u201cpyrrhic,\u201d because while Sisi wanted \u201can overwhelming turnout that would accord legitimacy to his July ouster\u201d of Mohammed Morsi, only about 44 percent of Egyptians voted. The low turnout came despite the government\u2019s extension of voting for an extra day and declaration of a national holiday so that citizens could make it to the polls.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cIn Egypt, a Pyrrhic Landslide Victory after a Disappointing Turnout,\u201d Al Arabiya English, May 28, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/special-reports\/egypt-elections-2014\/2014\/05\/29\/In-Egypt-a-pyrrhic-landslide-victory.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/special-reports\/egypt-elections-2014\/2014\/05\/29\/In-Egypt-a-pyrrhic-landslide-victory.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOn March 24, an Egyptian court sentenced 529 Brotherhood members to death for various charges, including murder, \u201cviolence, inciting murder, storming a police station, attacking persons and damaging public and private property.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cEgypt Sentences 529 Brotherhood Members to Death,\u201d Al Arabiya English, March 24, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/News\/middle-east\/2014\/03\/24\/Egypt-529-Mursi-supporters-sentenced-to-death.html\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/english.alarabiya.net\/en\/News\/middle-east\/2014\/03\/24\/Egypt-529-Mursi-supporters-sentenced-to-death.html\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Al Arabiya struck a vastly different tone with its coverage than Al Jazeera, with the Saudi-owned station simply laying out the charges, while including a short section on U.S. government concern about the death sentences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMorsi\u2019s constitutional decree in November 2012 also drew scorn from his opponents within Egypt. Cairo\u2019s \u003Cem\u003EAl Ahram\u003C\/em\u003E, traditionally close to the Mubarak regime, ran an article summarizing the reaction from American media outlets: \u201cPresident Morsi\u2019s Decisions Creating New Pharoah.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cAl-Suhuf Al-Amrikiya,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EAl-Ahram\u003C\/em\u003E (Cairo), November 23, 2012, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/shabab.ahram.org.eg\/NewsContent\/7\/99\/\u0635\u0627\u0644\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u0631\u064a\u0631\/\u062a\u0642\u0627\u0631\u064a\u0631\/\u0627\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0641-\u0627\u0644\u0623\u0645\u0631\u064a\u0643\u064a\u0629--\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0631\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633-\u0645\u0631\u0633\u0649-\u062a\u0635\u0646\u0639-\u0641\u0631\u0639\u0648\u0646\u0627-\u062c\u062f\/7520.aspx\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/shabab.ahram.org.eg\/NewsContent\/7\/99\/\u0635\u0627\u0644\u0629-\u0627\u0644\u062a\u062d\u0631\u064a\u0631\/\u062a\u0642\u0627\u0631\u064a\u0631\/\u0627\u0644\u0635\u062d\u0641-\u0627\u0644\u0623\u0645\u0631\u064a\u0643\u064a\u0629--\u0642\u0631\u0627\u0631\u0627\u062a-\u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633-\u0645\u0631\u0633\u0649-\u062a\u0635\u0646\u0639-\u0641\u0631\u0639\u0648\u0646\u0627-\u062c\u062f\/7520.aspx\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAmid the Morsi government\u2019s ineptitude, corruption, and unfulfilled promises, the Tamarod youth movement emerged, seeking to garner 15 million votes in order to force Morsi out of office on June 30.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAhram Online, \u201cEgypt\u2019s President Morsi in Power: A Timeline,\u201d Jadaliyya, July 22, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.jadaliyya.com\/pages\/index\/13101\/egypts-president-morsi-in-power_a-timeline-\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.jadaliyya.com\/pages\/index\/13101\/egypts-president-morsi-in-power_a-timeline-\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E Part of the large shift against the Brotherhood may also be due to an alleged pact by Egypt\u2019s six main television stations to characterize the organization as a terrorist group. According to the \u003Cem\u003EWall Street Journal\u003C\/em\u003E, anchors from each channel thanked the military for overthrowing Morsi and covered themselves in Egyptian flags on air while playing the national anthem.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cEgyptian TV\u2019s Campaign to Label the Muslim Brotherhood as \u2018Terrorists\u2019,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EWall Street Journal\u003C\/em\u003E, May 28, 2014, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/live.wsj.com\/video\/egyptian-tvs-bias-against-muslim-brotherhood\/887F7039-E89B-41D4-B726-6D6648C8C4C0.html?mod=trending_now_video_5#!887F7039-E89B-41D4-B726-6D6648C8C4C0\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/live.wsj.com\/video\/egyptian-tvs-bias-against-muslim-brotherhood\/887F7039-E89B-41D4-B726-6D6648C8C4C0.html?mod=trending_now_video_5#!887F7039-E89B-41D4-B726-6D6648C8C4C0\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBy mid-June 2013, Tamarod had garnered massive support throughout Egypt, with protesters swelling the streets of major cities. Egypt\u2019s \u003Cem\u003Eal-Masry al-Youm\u003C\/em\u003E reported that Tamarod activists were being harassed and attacked by Muslim Brotherhood \u201cmilitias\u201d during their peaceful demonstrations.\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003E\u201cTamarod Tataham Milishiyaat al-Ikhwan biltadi ala al-Musharikeen fi Mudhaharaat Dud al-Muhafidheen al-Judud,\u201d \u003Cem\u003Eal-Masry al-Youm\u003C\/em\u003E (Cairo), June 19, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.almasryalyoum.com\/news\/details\/223318\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/www.almasryalyoum.com\/news\/details\/223318\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt is important to note that at least 22 Al Jazeera staff members from the Egypt office resigned on July 8 over what they described as the network\u2019s \u201cbiased coverage\u201d on Egypt. One of the anchors interviewed by Dubai\u2019s \u003Cem\u003EGulf News\u003C\/em\u003E reported that \u201cthe management in Doha provokes sedition among the Egyptian people and has an agenda against Egypt and other Arab countries.\u201d\u003Cspan class=\u0022footnote\u0022\u003EAyman Sharaf, \u201cAl Jazeera Staff Resign after \u2018Biased\u2019 Egypt Coverage,\u201d \u003Cem\u003EGulf News\u003C\/em\u003E (Dubai), July 8, 2013, \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/gulfnews.com\/news\/region\/egypt\/al-jazeera-staff-resign-after-biased-egypt-coverage-1.1206924\u0022\u003Ehttp:\/\/gulfnews.com\/news\/region\/egypt\/al-jazeera-staff-resign-after-biased-egypt-coverage-1.1206924\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n","dialogOptions":{"minWidth":850,"resizable":true,"modal":true,"title":"Largely anti-Muslim Brotherhood Media"}},{"command":"doFootnotes"}]