Stonehill College Professor: Leading Scholar of Arab TV Network Al-Jazeera

Mohammed el-Nawawy is a communications professor at Stonehill College in Easton, Mass., and an expert source on the Arab satellite TV network al-Jazeera. He is co-author of the recently published book Al-Jazeera: How the Free Arab News Network Scooped the World and Changed the Middle East (2002, Westview Press).

The book represents the first comprehensive analysis of the network's origins and growth."Al-Jazeera's development has gained impact from the events of the past year," says el-Nawawy, "and the network's audience and critics now see it in a much different light as a news and information organization."

Acording to the Stonehill professor, the United States has learned from its war in Afghanistan that winning an information battle can sometimes be even more important than scoring a military victory. "Now that the U.S. and the Middle East are on a new collision course over a possible U.S. military action against Iraq," he says, "U.S. officials need to exert more effort to communicate with the Arab people through effective channels like Al-Jazeera satellite network".

An ongoing obstacle facing the United States, el-Nawawy maintains, is the "misguided perception" that Al-Jazeera is an anti-American network that increases Arabs' animosity towards the United States. "The reality is that Al-Jazeera is a mere vehicle for information, a vessel through which ideas and opinions from all possible sides are disseminated and public discourse is forged."

Mohammed el-Nawawy, Egyptian born and raised, has worked as a journalist in the Middle East and the United States. His experience includes working for the Associated Press in Cairo, the Middle East News agency and The Baltimore Sun. El-Nawawy has a Ph.D. in journalism and is professor of communication at Stonehill College. He joined the Stonehill faculty after having previously taught journalism at the University of West Florida.

Al-Jazeera, the independent, all-Arab television news network based in Qatar, has emerged as ambassador to the Arab world in the events following the September 11 terrorist attacks and the war waged in Afghanistan. More than a channel reporting the news as it happens, Al-Jazeera (Arabic for "the island") has access to the Arab world and is "scooping" the western media conglomerates, according to el-Nawawy and his co-author, Adel Iskander.

The satellite TV network has emerged as an international-relations player on the world stage with its exclusive access to Osama Bin Laden and members of the Taliban, says el-Nawawy. "Its reputation has been burnishing quickly through its daily exposure on CNN in the U.S., even as it strives to maintain its independence as an international free press news network."

The book sheds light on the origins of the network, its operation and programming, its impact on Arab viewers, and its role in the struggle for a free press and public opinion in the Arab world. While many Western leaders may dismiss Al-Jazeera as an Islamic "700 Club," el-Nawawy argues that the satellite network's influence is significant. "In light of strategic efforts to reach out to the Arab world," he says, "it may be more important than ever to consider it as a legitimate and valuable resource--especially given its impact and growing credibility regionally and globally."

In addition to his insights on the Arab news network, Mohammed el-Nawawy is insightful, articulate and quotable on the media and the Middle East.