This month, MEMRI TV celebrated an important milestone: the release of its Clip No. 5,000.
The MEMRI TV Project:
* Launched in 2004
* The only project in the world translating Arab, Iranian, and South Asian television.
* Monitoring the 100 most important TV channels (including online) around the clock
* Providing open-source broadcast content to Western governments, military, law enforcement, media, and academia, as well as to the public at large.
* Maintaining the world's largest archives of footage translated from Arab and Iranian television.
* MEMRI TV clips, comprising over 20,000 minutes of footage, have been viewed more than 125 million times.
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A WINDOW TO UNDERSTANDING THE ARAB AND MUSLIM WORLD
MEMRI TV provides a crucial window to understanding the Arab and Muslim world, with a focus on some of the most critical issues in the region: anti-West sentiment; jihad and terrorism; hatred of non-Muslims, including antisemitism, Holocaust denial, and anti-Christian sentiment; and reform, including women's rights, pro-democracy activism, and promotion of liberal voices.
This content is a vital resource for decision- and public opinion-makers worldwide; for example, just this month, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and New York Times columnist Thomas Freidman wrote about, and linked to, a MEMRI TV clip of Saudi author Turki Al-Hamad discussing the extremist discourse prevalent in Saudi Arabia that leads many young Saudis to join ISIS, and saying, "In order to stop ISIS, you must first dry up this ideology at the source." Since MEMRI TV's launch, Friedman has referenced its clips many times, calling it "the invaluable MEMRI TV Project."
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CREATING MEMRI TV CLIPS - A TREMENDOUS UNDERTAKING
The process and resources that go into creating just one MEMRI TV clip are extremely intensive. First, our technicians record many hours of programming; our translators then sift through it to select the most important content, transcribe it, and translate it. The translation then goes to our English-language editors and video editors, for subtitling and for fine tuning, using sophisticated equipment to make sure it meets all technical requirements and limitations. Our senior editors then review and approve it, ordering a final transcript of the English before the final clip is uploaded to three separate platforms - www.MEMRITV.org, the MEMRI YouTube channel, and the MEMRI TV app for Apple and for Android. These platforms also provide embed codes for embedding the clip, and share buttons to easily distribute it via all major social media. This is a tremendous undertaking.
USED BY MEDIA WORLDWIDE
Major media outlets worldwide have been using MEMRI TV clips for well over a decade; today, they are used almost daily by major U.S., Western, and international broadcast and written media. In the U.S. alone, CNN, NBC, ABC, and FOX News regularly include excerpts from them; some are referenced, quoted, and cited by leading columnists; and they receive millions of views.
USED BY GOVERNMENTS, MILITARY WORLDWIDE
On a daily basis, MEMRI TV clips are used and requested by U.S., European, and other governments and militaries in the fight against extremism, particularly in light of the ongoing grave shortage of translators. MEMRI TV clips have been referenced, cited, and quoted at the highest levels of U.S. and other Western governments, and have formed the basis for significant legislation banning incitement, prohibiting extremists from entering countries, and more.
MONITORING IRANIAN CHANNELS
Additionally, since its beginning, MEMRI TV has been monitoring, translating, and publishing content from Iranian television channels. These clips include statements and discussions by Iranian military, religious, and political leaders and nuclear officials, as well as Iranian TV simulations of attacks on the U.S. and Israel and showcasing of Iranian military capabilities.
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MEMRI TV CLIPS SERVE AS LEGAL BASIS FOR ACTION AGAINST INCITEMENT
MEMRI TV clips not only educate on a vast range of regional issues; they make a direct impact by leading to shutdowns of television channels broadcasting extremist content, bringing regional civil rights issues into international focus; forming the basis for bans on extremists' entry into Western countries as well as for other legislation, documenting statements by leaders in the region that contradict the positions publicly taken in the West, and more.
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MEMRI TV - OVER A DECADE OF IMPACT WORLDWIDE
The Birth Of MEMRI TV
A few years after MEMRI's founding 17 years ago, we began to occasionally translate and release videos from Arab and Iranian TV focusing on Palestinian incitement and antisemitism and anti-U.S. sentiment in the region, including anti-U.S. content on Iranian TV. This early content was used, inter alia, in media interviews with leading Palestinian figures. It was the great interest and high demand for these clips, from Western governments, militaries, and media, and from MEMRI's own supporters, that led to the establishment and launch of MEMRI TV in 2004.
Below you will find representative highlights of MEMRI TV's impact over the past 15 years - a celebration of what your support has achieved. These highlights include the use of MEMRI TV clips by media outlets in the U.S. and internationally; statements and warnings in Arab media about MEMRI TV; antisemitic and anti-West statements by extremist clerics that led to legal action and deportation; and much more.
2001: In Interview With Hanan Ashrawi, Fox News Sunday Uses MEMRI Video To Question Her About Incitement To Kill Jews On Palestinian Authority State TV
Since 2001, MEMRI TV has played an important role in exposing the extent of antisemitic content in Middle East media, prompting lawmakers in the U.S. and Europe to act. The first time MEMRI video was used by major media - even before MEMRI TV was formally established - was on the August 19, 2001 edition of Fox News Sunday. On the show, Tony Snow screened text from a MEMRI video of a sermon in which Sheikh Ibrahim Mahdi incited to attacks and suicide bombings against the "filthy" Jews, that had been broadcast by the Palestinian Authority's state television channel, and questioned Hanan Ashrawi about the statements:
Tony Snow: What I would like to do is read to you just a few statements that appeared on Palestinian TV on August 3 of this year, in a sermon broadcast over the television network, here is the quote: "All weapons must be aimed at the Jews whom the Koran describes as monkeys and pigs. Whoever can fight the Jews with his weapons should go out to the battle; whoever can fight with a machine gun should go out; whoever can fight with a sword or knife should go out; whoever can fight them with his hands should go out Nothing will deter them, except the color of their filthy people's blood; nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst." That is from Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi. Now, the question is, that being on your national TV, should people not view that as an endorsement of those tactics?
Hanan Ashrawi: Well, frankly, I haven't heard this sermon, but had it been actually said, I certainly question the sources, but had it been broadcast, certainly I would condemn it.
Tony Snow: We understand that, as a matter of fact, hate language is used by both sides. The unusual factor here is that it is on a television channel that you and the Legislative Council and Yasser Arafat control. You're responsible for the content
Hanan Ashrawi: No, we don't control it.
Tony Snow: You don't control your own television network?
Hanan Ashrawi: No, no. There is no censorship or control on those and I never heard this speech, and I will have to take your word for it, although I would like to know your sources.
2002: ABC's Nightline Interviews MEMRI President On Reform In The Arab World And In Islam
On January 8, 2002, ABC's Nightline highlighted MEMRI and interviewed MEMRI President Yigal Carmon speaking about Arab writers who are opposed to the prevailing anti-West attitudes in the Arab and Muslim world and who represent the growing desire for reform in Islam and in the region.
2002: In Interview With Yasser Arafat, CBS's 60 Minutes Questions Yasser Arafat Based On MEMRI Video Of Incitement To Kill Jews On Palestinian Authority State TV - Including About 70 Virgins, Martyrdom
In a February 12, 2002 CBS 60 Minutes interview with Yasser Arafat, Mike Wallace used, and screened, the same MEMRI video of the sheikh's incitement to kill Jews that aired on Palestinian Authority state TV, and questioned Arafat about the sheikh's statements - including his assertion that "martyrs will go to paradise and marry 70 beautiful virgins."
60 Minutes airs MEMRI TV clips of antisemitic incitement on Palestinian Authority TV.
Wallace: On your state-controlled television, a few months ago, a cleric
Mr. Arafat: Yes.
Wallace:Here's what he said
Mr. Arafat: Yes.
Wallace:On your television: 'Whoever can fight them with his weapons should go out to battle.
Nothing will deter the Jews except for the color of their filthy people's blood. Nothing will deter them except for us voluntarily detonating ourselves in their midst.' I found it difficult to believe.
Mr. Arafat: I didn't --- I didn't hear it.
Wallace: (Voiceover) He said he didn't hear it himself, and he blamed the rhetoric on radicals who he says control many of the mosques, the same groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that he blames for the suicide attacks. The chairman didn't want to go anywhere near my next question.
Your state-controlled television carried a sermon by a sheik telling worshippers that martyrs will go to paradise and marry 70 beautiful virgins. Do you believe that's a correct interpretation of the Koran?
Mr. Arafat: I am not now in a position to translate for you what had been mentioned in our Koran.
Wallace: Will martyrs be met in heaven by 70 virgins?
Mr. Arafat: Well, I--- I will not inter---- It's better not to, because I am not a--- and I---- and I'm (unintelligible), I am not a scholar.
2002: MEMRI Translation Used To Challenge Arab, Saudi Spokesmen On CNN's Crossfire, NBC Nightly News About "The Zionists" Being Behind 9/11
On the December 3, 2002 edition of CNN's Crossfire, following Saudi statements that, in the program's words, the country "would be getting tough on terrorism and do a better job of tracking money flowing out of the country through so-called charities," program host Paul Begala highlighted a MEMRI translation of statements by Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-Aziz in a Saudi government publication accusing "the Zionists" of being behind 9/11. Begala then used the MEMRI translation to question Arab American Institute president James Zogby about the meaning of the prince's statements.
Two days later, on December 5, on NBC Nightly News, Tom Brokaw used the same MEMRI translation to challenge Saudi Foreign Ministry advisor Adel Al-Jubeir about the sincerity of the $10 million Saudi campaign advertising its commitment to the war on terror. The program went on to quote Prince Nayef bin Abd Al-Aziz again, and to feature Sen. Charles Schumer condemning the statements and the disparity between them and the Saudi public relations effort.
2002-2003-2004: MEMRI Exposes Egyptian And Syrian Ramadan TV Series Based On "Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion" - Prompting International Condemnation, Bans On Channels Airing Them
In 2002, MEMRI focused international attention, including from Capitol Hill, on antisemitism in the Egyptian media, with its translation and publication of segments from Egypt's 30-episode prime-time Ramadan television series "Horseman Without a Horse," based on the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, that aired in December 2001. This was the first time many in the West had an opportunity to see Middle East television in translation.
The series was widely criticized in the West, including by the U.S. administration, Congress, and the American press; one result of this criticism was that other Arab channels refrained from broadcasting it. It was also condemned in the Arab world, on a number of occasions. Subsequently, in January 2003, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's political advisor Osama Al-Baz wrote a series of articles condemning antisemitism that were published by the English-language Egyptian Al-Ahram Weekly Online and were also released by the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
On January 9, 2003, CNN's Wolf Blitzer interviewed MEMRI President Yigal Carmon about MEMRI's translation of the series.
After MEMRI TV released translated clips from another Protocols-based antisemitic series, the 30-episode Al-Shatat, in December 2003, the channel that broadcast it, Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV, was banned by France - and also by Jordan. In a December 2004 editorial titled "Al-Manar Poison," the leading French daily Le Monde called on France to ban the channel, extensively quoting MEMRI research.
2005: Jon Stewart Screens MEMRI TV Clip Of Iranian Policewomen Training
The April 14, 2005 edition of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart featured a MEMRI TV clip of Iranian policewomen in chadors rappelling down buildings, practicing martial arts, and firing weapons.
2004: MEMRI TV Clip Of Saudi Crown Prince Blaming "Zionism" For Terrorist Attack In Kingdom Featured Three Times In One Month On CNN, NBC
On May 4, 2004, CNN's Wolf Blitzer reported that following a blast in Saudi Arabia that killed five international oil workers, including two Americans, Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah had said on Saudi state television that "Zionist hands" were behind the attack, screened a MEMRI TV clip of the prince's statements, and explained that MEMRI monitors the media in the region.
On May 13, 2004, Wolf Blitzer challenged Al-Jubeir, now foreign policy advisor to Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah, on the crown prince's statements, again using the MEMRI TV clip. Blitzer asked Al-Jubeir whether he would apologize for the statements by the prince, but Al-Jubair declined to do so, saying that no apology was necessary.
On June 15, 2004, an NBC Nightly News report also featured the MEMRI TV clip of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah blaming "Zionism" for the explosion, in addition to condemnation of the statements by Sen. Susan Collins, then-Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee.
2004: CNN Reports On Launch Of MEMRI TV Project
On June 30, 2004, CNN Headline News reported on the launch of the MEMRI TV project, describing it and featuring images of the MEMRI TV website.
2004: UAE University History Department Head: MEMRI's Goal "Is To Monitor Television Programs... To Find Out What The Arab Man On The Street Thinks"
MEMRI TV was noticed in the Arab and Muslim world as early as 2004; for example, in September of that year, Dr. Fatima Al-Sayyegh, dean of the history department at UAE University, said on the UAE's Al-Shariqa TV in reference to "the website of the Middle East Research Institute - MEMRI" that it was "established by an institute in the U.S. Its goal is to monitor television programs, mostly, talk shows and religious programs and to analyze them, in order to find out what the Arab man on the street thinks, what is the discourse in the Arab media that is directed at the Arab public." (View a compilation of mentions of MEMRI on Arab TV here.)
2004: MEMRI TV Translation Of Osama Bin Laden's Attempt To Influence U.S. Presidential Election Outcome Covered By Major Media
On November 1, 2004, the day before the U.S. presidential election, major U.S. media, including MSNBC and Fox News, reported on and discussed an October 29, 2014 MEMRI TV translation of a video recording by Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden that differed in a significant detail from the widely accepted translation. According to the MEMRI TV translation, and to the analysis of it and its ramifications by MEMRI President Yigal Carmon, bin Laden was specifically threatening each U.S. state that would vote for George W. Bush, in an attempt to influence the outcome of the election, by saying, "Any U.S. state that does not toy with our security automatically guarantees its own security."
2004: NBC News Report On Saudi Incitement Against Jews, Christians Features MEMRI TV Clips
On November 22, 2004, an NBC News report featured MEMRI TV clips of Saudi clerics blaming Zionists for the 9/11 attacks, and calling to pray for the destruction of Jews and Christians.
2005: MEMRI TV Clip Of Antisemitic Sermon On Palestinian Authority TV Prompts 34 Congressmen To Urge President Bush To Act
Following the release of a May 2005 MEMRI TV clip of an antisemitic sermon that aired on Palestinian Authority TV in which the speaker called Jews a virus resembling AIDS, 34 members of the U.S. House of Representatives wrote to President Bush to urge him to pressure Palestinian leaders to act against incitement.
2005: European Countries Ban Iran's Sahar TV Following MEMRI TV's Release Of Clips Of Its Drama Series On Israelis Harvesting Palestinian Children's Organs
In early 2005, Iran's Sahar TV was banned in a number of European countries, including France, following MEMRI TV's release of translated episodes of Sahar's December 2004-January 2005 drama series Zahra's Blue Eyes, depicting Israeli government, military, and civilian personnel (some wearing the traditional clothing of religious Jews) conspiring to steal the eyes of Palestinian children. The series was produced by a former official of the Iranian Education Ministry.
On January 12, 2005 15 members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, wrote to the director of the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Jazini, to condemn the series. Their letter stated: "We are writing to express our grave concern about a television series entitled 'Zahra's Blue Eyes'... This weekly Iranian television series offered a libelous, odious, and highly inflammatory fiction..."
Stills from Zahra's Blue Eyes
The next month, France announced plans to stop broadcasting Sahar TV. Subsequently, on March 13, 2005, Sahar TV discussed the ban and said that MEMRI TV was responsible for its removal from European satellites.
2005: MEMRI TV Used At Highest Levels Of U.S. Gov't - President Bush Quotes Verbatim From MEMRI TV Reform Project Clip
Over the past decade, MEMRI TV clips have been cited at the highest levels of the U.S. government, including from the MEMRI Reform Project, as early as 2005. That year, President Bush quoted a MEMRI TV translation from the Reform Project, of a moderate Arab cleric's denunciation of the July 7, 2005 terrorist attacks in London.
President Bush quotes verbatim from a MEMRI TV clip of an imam denouncing terror attacks in London.
2005: London-Based Islamist Hani Al-Siba'i: MEMRI TV "Got Me Placed On UN Watch List"
In 2005, Egyptian-born London-based Islamist Hani Al-Siba'i, director of London's Al-Maqreze Centre for Historical Studies, was placed on the UN's Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee (1267) list of banned individuals, and on the U.S. Treasury List of Specially Designated Nationals. In October 2005, he stated that MEMRI TV content had gotten him "placed on the international blacklist, together with seven other Egyptian Islamists." He also warned, "The website of MEMRI lies in wait for the Muslims and distorts their words."
2006: MEMRI TV Clip Of Wafa Sultan Leads To Front-Page New York Times Article On Her - And Her Inclusion In Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People
After a February 2006 MEMRI TV clip showed Syrian expatriate Dr. Wafa Sultan, a forceful opponent of religious extremism, arguing down an Islamist sheikh on Al-Jazeera TV, millions viewed the clip and The New York Times published a front-page article about her and her message. She was chosen by Time magazine as one of its 100 Most Influential People worldwide. The clip was aired by major U.S. media, including CNN and NPR, and it has since been viewed over 50 million times.
Time, CNN feature Dr. Wafa Sultan after her statements were publicized in a MEMRI TV clip.
2007: MEMRI TV Clip Of Saudi Sheikh's Promotion Of Wife-Beating Leads To Netherlands Ban
Following the release of a September 2007 MEMRI TV clip of Saudi sheikh Muhammad Al-Arifi legitimizing wife-beating, the sheikh was banned from entering the Netherlands.
Sheikh Muhammad Al-Arifi
2007: Prominent Arab Columnist Says MEMRI TV "[Produces] Accurate And Correct Translations," Has "Extraordinary Monitoring Capabilities" - "If An Imam... Says Anything Against The Jews... They Translate It And Place It On The Desks Of 435 Congressmen And 100 Senators"
In November 2007, influential Arab columnist Jihad Al-Khazen said that MEMRI TV "[produces] accurate and correct translations... If an imam in a small mosque in some village... says anything against the Jews, they translate it and place it on the desks of 435 Congressmen and 100 senators. They have extraordinary monitoring capabilities, and they can cause damage."
Jihad Al-Khazen: MEMRI TV is "accurate and correct," has "extraordinary monitoring capabilities," and "can cause damage."
2008: MEMRI TV Assists Congressman In Proposing Bill Condemning Middle East Media Promoting Hatred, Violence, Antisemitism - In December 2009, Bill Passes 409-1
In 2008, MEMRI assisted U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis in proposing a bill condemning various Middle East media outlets for promoting hatred, violence, and anti-American sentiment. MEMRI TV provided clips from Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV, Hizbullah Al-Manar TV, and other channels, including one of a puppet show portraying the stabbing of President Bush.
MEMRI TV clips provided to U.S. Congressmen inciting children to violence and antisemitism.
In December 2009, the bill, H.R. 2278, passed 409-1. Four days after the passage of the bill, Mish'an Al-Jabouri, the owner of the jihadi Syrian TV channel Arrai TV, said in an interview that the channel would "lower the tone a little in order to defuse the situation with MEMRI." The interviewer explained to "the viewers about MEMRI," saying, "MEMRI is an intelligence website - the Middle East Media Research Institute. It is run by Yigal Carmon, a colonel in Israeli intelligence and a former security advisor to Shamir and to Rabin. This man is entrusted with the task of giving testimony in Congress about anything related to the Middle East media. Yigal Carmon is responsible for most of the media catastrophes you see... [M]aybe MEMRI is recording us [right now]." Al-Jabouri added: "Let me tell Mr. MEMRI that I am really proud to help [the resistance] and call upon people to fight the occupation." MEMRI, he noted, was "the direct reason" for the bill and that "by the way, in every session of the U.S. Congress, Yigal Carmon... Bush's war on terror in 2001 began with his [Carmon's] testimony in Congress that the Arabs covered the 9/11 incidents in a negative way."
Shortly thereafter, on January 19, 2010, the liberal U.S.-Based Egyptian journalist Magdi Khalil discussed incitement on Arab TV channels with Jabouri. Khalil told him: "First of all, with regard to MEMRI - it is headed by someone [i.e. Yigal Carmon] who speaks Arabic. You can have him on your show, and he is capable of responding to all your claims against him."
2008, 2012: MEMRI Research Leads To U.K., France Bans On Highly Influential Sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi
MEMRI TV's contribution to the 2008 U.K. ban on allowing prominent Sunni sheikh Yousuf Al-Qaradhawi was termed "crucial" by UK media, as MEMRI TV clips clearly revealed his beliefs. MEMRI research on Al-Qaradhawi was instrumental in the U.K. ban, and has also been used by the media and by government bodies in the U.S. and throughout Europe. In one clip, for example, Al-Qaradhawi praises the Holocaust and expresses the hope that the Muslims will carry out a future Holocaust.
Subsequently, in March 2012, the renowned French Algerian author and leading intellectual Mohamed Sifaoui wrote an open letter to French President Nicolas Sarkozy criticizing the upcoming conference in Paris of the French Islamist organization UOIF (Union des Organisations Islamiques de France), particularly the expected participation of Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi, using a MEMRI TV clip to expose Al-Qaradhawi's genocidal incitement. As a result, the following day, President Sarkozy banned Al-Qaradhawi from entering France. Al-Qaradhawi has been barred from entering the U.S. since 1999.
2008: MEMRI TV Clip Of Saudi Women's Rights Activist Wajeha Al-Huwaidar Driving A Car Brings International Attention To Her And To Saudi Ban On Women Driving
In a March 2008 MEMRI TV clip, Saudi women's rights activist Wajeha Al-Huwaidar defied Saudi law by driving a car; the clip was covered by major Western media outlets. Previously, Ms. Al-Huwaidar had been featured in a 2007 MEMRI TV clip in which she criticized Arab men and Saudi society over their treatment of women. As a result, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has written about Wajeha Al-Huwaidar's struggle, citing MEMRI. The Wall Street Journal heralded her courageous efforts, and called for her to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Her movement was the subject of a feature story in The Washington Post, and was featured prominently by numerous other Western newspapers, including The Wall Street Journal, The Scotsman, and The Guardian, as well as by the Associated Press. In 2011, she was included in the Daily Beast's 2011 "Women in the World" summit.
2008: Saudi Sheikh Who Called For Mickey Mouse To Be Killed Aired By Major News Networks Worldwide
A September 2008 MEMRI TV clip of remarks by prominent Saudi cleric Sheikh Muhammad Al-Munajid discussing Islamic law on Saudi television, in which he called for Mickey Mouse to be killed, was broadcast by major U.S. and international news outlets. Sheikh Al-Munajid once worked in Washington, at the Saudi Islamic Affairs Department of the Saudi Embassy, but had been stripped of his diplomatic credentials.
Other controversial statements by Sheikh Al-Munajid have also made international news: about Hurricane Sandy as punishment from Allah for Afghanistan and Iraq, about the Beijing "Bikini" Olympics and women's participation in them, and about the 2005 tsunami and earthquake as punishment for sex tourism.
2008: Syrian TV Channel Says MEMRI TV Translations Prompted U.S. Treasury To Add It To Terror List
In September 2008, the Syrian TV channel Al-Rai complained that MEMRI TV coverage and translation of its reporting had prompted the U.S. Treasury to include it on its list of terrorist organizations.
2009: MEMRI TV Clips Of Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi Praising Holocaust Leads To U.K., France Bans
In 2009, after MEMRI TV's release of a clip of Sheikh Al-Qaradhawi praising the Holocaust and expressing hope that Muslims would carry out a future Holocaust, he was banned from entering the U.K. In 2012, additional MEMRI TV clips led to Al-Qaradhawi's ban from France as well.
2009: MEMRI TV Clips Of Antisemitic Statements On Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV Lead To European Bans On Channel
Following the April 2009 release of a MEMRI TV clip from Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV portraying Jews as blood drinkers and a May 2009 clip showing an Egyptian psychologist saying that the Jews deserved their annihilation by Hitler, and more, the channel was banned in several European countries.
2009: Arab Anti-Discrimination Organization Announces: We Have To Shut Down For Lack Of Arab Funding - While MEMRI's Annual Budget Is $40 Million
In December 2009, the Arab Anti-Discrimination Organization, that was founded in 2003 to "respond to MEMRI's efforts," announced that the organization was shutting down "for lack of Arab funding" and added that MEMRI "monitors everything that appears in the Egyptian media - whether on TV channels, in the electronic or printed press, or in sermons in mosques - and distributes it among the intellectuals in Europe."
2010: Lebanese Channel Says Hamas Children's TV Mickey Mouse-Like Character Prompted Ban On Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV
In June 2010, following the banning of Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV from the Eutelsat satellite, a Lebanese channel aired MEMRI TV clips and concluded that what had prompted the ban was Hamas' Mickey Mouse-like character Farfour, on the Hamas children's show Pioneers of Tomorrow.
2010: MEMRI TV Clips Of Antisemitic Incitement Lead France To Ban Egyptian Channel
In 2010, France banned Egypt's Al-Rahma TV, after the release of a number of MEMRI TV clips from the channel showing Islamic clerics inciting violence against Jews; one January 2009 clip showed an Egyptian cleric saying, "If only we could strangle the Jews with our bare hands, and bite their heads off with our teeth," and another that month showed clerics encouraging martyrdom in Gaza, exhorting viewers, "We must love death." The French prime minister also ordered an assessment of antisemitism in broadcasts in France.
2010: Director Of Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV: MEMRI To Blame For France's Ban On Our Channel
A June 2010 MEMRI TV clip from Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV showed the director of Hizbullah's Al-Manar TV accusing MEMRI of having "built the case against" Al-Manar TV in France, leading to its banning there.
Al-Manar TV director accusing MEMRI
2010: Owner Of Egyptian Channel That Aired Virulent Anti-Semitic, Anti-U.S. Content: MEMRI TV To Blame For Channel's Closure
In a December 2010 MEMRI TV clip, the owner of the Egyptian Al-Faraeen channel blamed MEMRI TV for the channel's closure, after MEMRI TV clips featured the station's virulently anti-American and antisemitic content.
2010, 2011: Al-Jazeera English Channel Airs Two Programs On MEMRI TV Impact
On December 24, 2010 and July 2, 2011, Al-Jazeera English aired programs focusing on MEMRI's impact in the media and U.S. government. The programs featured numerous clips and images from the MEMRI TV website, as well as statements by MEMRI founder and president Yigal Carmon.
2011: MEMRI TV Clips Of Pakistani Actress Vena Malik Receives Worldwide Media Coverage - And Inclusion In Forbes "Power List" Of Women
One of MEMRI TV's most-viewed clips is the January 2011 clip of Pakistani actress Veena Malik defending her rights as a Pakistani woman against an Islamist mullah and her criticism of elements of Pakistani society, which became an online sensation, receiving worldwide media coverage. Numerous Western media sources reported on the MEMRI TV clip, and The Los Angeles Times wrote: "In a widely circulating video, Veena Malik... tears apart a smug Islamist mullah berating her for being 'un-Islamic.'" Following MEMRI's release of the clip, Malik was named to Forbes magazine's "Power List" of women, and the clip was viewed over a million times on YouTube alone.
Pakistani actress Veena Malik defends herself against Islamist mullah.
2012: Following MEMRI TV Clip Of Antisemitic Statements By Tunisian Imam, Tunisian Association Files Complaint Against Him
Following the November 2012 release of MEMRI TV Clip No. 3666, Tunisian Cleric Ahmad Al-Suhayli Calls the Jews Prophet Slayers and Apes, Prays for Allah to Annihilate Them, of a sermon which aired November 30, 2012 on Tunisia's Hannibal TV, and after the clip was translated into French and sent to MEMRI's French mailing list, the French daily Le Figaro reported: "The Tunisian association in support of minorities filed a complaint against a Tunisian imam whose sermon called for the genocide of the Jews and was broadcast live on November 30... 'We filed a complaint to the Court of First Instance of Ben Arous on behalf of the association against the imam of the mosque of Rades, Sheikh Ahmed S'hili [sic] - for incitement to hatred,' said association lawyer Kaïs Baltagi... Hannibal TV, which aired the sermon, was not targeted [in the complaint] because the broadcast was live... The imam... called on God to eliminate the Jews."
A month later, following international pressure, in December 2012, Al-Suhayli qualified his statements, saying that he had not in fact called for killing "all" the Jews - saying that he was "referring to a sect among the Jews - the racist Zionists."
2012: Leading London-Based Islamist: Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV Banned Because Of MEMRI, Advises Arab Channels: Be "Very Careful When We Use The Term 'Jews''; "Denying The Holocaust Is Unwise, Because It Did Happen"
A March 2012 MEMRI TV clip featured an interview on Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV in which Azzam Al-Tamimi, director of the London-based Institute of Political Thought, explained how the channel had been banned from Eutelsat and could no longer broadcast on European satellites. This, he said, was due to "people who lie in wait for the Arabic TV channels. There is an organization called MEMRI..." He went on to advise Al-Aqsa and the other Arab channels "to obey the broadcasting laws and to be ÔÇ£very careful when we use the term ÔÇÿJews.'ÔÇØ He added, ÔÇ£Denying the Holocaust... is considered a crime in the WestÔÇØ and notes, ÔÇ£By the way, denying the Holocaust is unwise, because it did happen.ÔÇØ
Al-Tamimi explains the European ban on Al-Aqsa TV.
2012: MEMRI TV Clip Of Saudi Woman At Mall Harassed By Religious Police For Wearing Nail Polish Viewed Over 2 Million Times, Sparks Saudi Debate
In May 2012, MEMRI TV translated and released a clip of a Saudi woman at a shopping mall telling off religious police who harassed her for wearing nail polish, and threatening to expose them on Twitter and Facebook. The clip, which was viewed over two million times on YouTube and MEMRI's website and covered by hundreds of major media outlets worldwide, sparked debate in Saudi Arabia about the treatment of women.
Video posted by Saudi woman harassed by religious police at shopping mall.
2013: MEMRI TV Clip Of Antisemitic Statements By Egyptian President Morsi In 2010 Covered Internationally - U.S., Western Governments Demand Retraction
MEMRI TV's January 2013 clip of antisemitic statements by Egyptian president Muhammad Morsi in 2010, before his presidency, in which he referred to the Jews as "descendants of apes and pigs" and rejected the possibility of peace with them, garnered worldwide attention in leading media outlets. His remarks were reported worldwide, prompting condemnation and a demand for a retraction by the U.S. as well as similar criticism and condemnation from other Western governments. Morsi was also condemned by media internationally - including in Egypt.
2013: Lebanese National Media Council Offers "Support And Solidarity" To Iran's Al-Alam TV Following Its Removal From Eutelsat - And Mentions MEMRI As Main Factor In Removal
In response to the removal of Iran's Al-Alam TV from Eutelsat, on March 14, 2013 the Lebanese National Media Council in an announcement offered its "support and solidarity" with the channel, calling the move "illegitimate" and saying that it "harms freedom of expression." Stressing that "the right of freedom to convey information is anchored in international law... There is no doubt that in the matter of Al-Alam TV, there is a violation [of international law] on the part of the European Union and the Arab countries," and that "in particular... MEMRI plays a part in this decision - because MEMRI conveys to the EU mistaken information about the Arab and Islamic media, and accuses them of antisemitism..." The statements were also covered by Syrian TV.
Lebanese National Media Council President Abdel Hadi Mahfouz delivering council's statement of solidarity with Iran's Al-Alam TV, March 14, 2013.
2013: MEMRI TV Clip Of 11-Year Old Yemeni Girl Who Ran Away From Home To Avoid Forced Marriage Viewed Over 8 Million Times, Sparks International Discussion
A July 2013 MEMRI TV clip of 11-year-old Nada Al-Ahdal, a Yemini girl who ran away from home to avoid a forced marriage, saying "I'd rather kill myself" and discussing the situation of child brides in her country immediately went viral. It was viewed over 8 million times on YouTube, and her story was reported on and discussed by media, including The Washington Post, ABC News, and the UK Daily Mail; it was tweeted by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, and covered by major media outlets in at least 23 countries, receiving attention from international human rights NGOs and even Hollywood celebrities.
Eleven-year-old Nada Al-Ahdal.
2013: MEMRI TV Clip Of Australian Sheikh Calling President Obama "Enemy Of Allah," Calling To Kill Buddhists, Hindus Leads To Government Action In Australia
Following the release, in August 2013, of a MEMRI TV clip showing Australian sheikh Sharif Hussein calling President Obama an "enemy of Allah" who "kiss[es] the shoes and feet of the Jews" and called for his followers to kill every last Buddhist and Hindu, numerous Australian politicians and officials denounced the sheikh's statements. Multicultural Affairs Minister Jennifer Rankine said, "His disgusting words are not representative of our diverse and multicultural community." Liberal South Australian Senator Cory Bernardi said, "This video and transcript suggest that we can no longer afford to ignore these radical elements within our community and say they don't exist here, because clearly they do." All major Australian outlets reported on the clip and on the official reactions to it.
Australian sheikh Sharif Hussein
2014: "Daily Show" With Jon Stewart Uses MEMRI TV Clip
On February 5, 2014, a MEMRI TV clip was used in a segment on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The segment, and the clip, focused on Al-Qaeda's announcement that it was cutting ties with ISIS.
The Daily Show has used MEMRI TV clips a number of times, including on September 17, 2012.
2014: Tunisian Journalist Complains About MEMRI Influence In Washington And Around The World - And Its Impact In Fighting Anti-Semitism
In an April 25, 2014 program on Tunisia TV, Tunisian journalist Amal Belhaj Ali discussed MEMRI and its impact. Explaining that MEMRI would accuse Tunisia of antisemitism if it prevented Israeli tourists from visiting the country, she said: "In MEMRI, they read very well... If they find even something trivial that is said in the Arab world against the Jews, they translate it into 70 languages, and send it to all the decision-makers worldwide - to the U.S. Congress, to the Duma, to Germany, to France. [If we bar the entrance of Israeli tourists to Tunisia] I am worried about a campaign against tourism here, claiming that Tunisia is a backward, anti-Semitic country."
2014: MEMRI TV Clip Of Kuwaiti Minister's Antisemitic Statements Leads To His Resignation
In April 2014, Kuwait's Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs resigned following accusations by U.S. Treasury Undersecretary David Cohen that he had called Jews "evil," "apes and pigs," and "the scum of mankind." The minister's statements, on Kuwait TV, were released in a November 2011 MEMRI TV clip.
2014: In Germany, Berlin Police Investigate Danish Imam Shown In MEMRI TV Clip Of Antisemitic Sermon
Following the July 18, 2014 release of a MEMRI TV clip of Danish imam Abu Bilal Ismail in a sermon in Berlin praying for the annihilation of the Jews, German police launched an investigation into his activities in Germany as well as into the growing antisemitic sentiment in the country. Following the clip's release, the imam's statements were reported on worldwide, including by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, CTV News, Spiegel Online, Die Welt, and The Forward. The imam said: "Oh Allah, destroy the Zionist Jews.... Count them and kill them to the very last one. Don't spare a single one of them... Make them suffer terribly... They behave tyrannically all over the world and spread corruption. Oh Lord, bring torment upon them."
2014: U.S. House Of Representatives Includes MEMRI TV Clip In Press Release On Resolution Condemning Use Of Human Shields By Palestinians
A July 30, 2014 U.S. House of Representatives press release announcing the passage of a Resolution condemning the use of human shields by Hamas and other terror groups included a MEMRI TV translation of Hamas officials encouraging the use of human shields: "[People going onto rooftops] attests to the character of our noble, jihad-fighting people... We in Hamas call upon our people to adopt this policy."
2014: CNN Host Jake Tapper Uses MEMRI TV Clip To Rebut Former PLO Legal Advisor's Claims
Earlier that month, CNN host Jack Tapper had used the same MEMRI TV clip to rebut Palestinian spokeswoman and former PLO legal advisor Diana Buttu's claim that Gazans had not been encouraged by Hamas to remain in their homes during Israeli air strikes even if the IDF has warned them to leave.
2014: CNN Anchor Wolf Blitzer Uses MEMRI TV Clip To Challenge Hamas Spokesman On His Blood Libel Accusations
In August 2014, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer used a MEMRI TV clip to challenge Hamas spokesman Osama Hamdan on his statements in the clip that "it is a fact" that "the Jews used to slaughter Christians, in order to mix their blood in their holy matzos."
2014: Imams In Italy, Spain, Denmark Deported, Investigated Following Release Of MEMRI TV Clips Show Them Calling To Kill Jews
In August 2014, a Moroccan imam residing in Italy was deported after a July 2014 MEMRI TV clip showed him calling, in a sermon, for Allah to "kill [the Jews] to the very last one." Italian and other media, including the Washington Post, reported on the expulsion and on the MEMRI TV clip of the sermon.
Spanish prosecutors launched an investigation of an imam who, in an August 2014 MEMRI TV clip, had exhorted, "Allah, destroy the plundering Jews... do not spare a single one."
2014: Danish Authorities Look Into Legal Charges Against Antisemitic Sheikh In MEMRI TV Clip
Following the September 2014 release of a MEMRI TV Clip of an imam at a Danish mosque, Sheikh Muhammad Khaled Samha, who called the Jews "the offspring of apes and pigs" and added, "Oh Muslim, oh Servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him," Danish authorities began looking into legal charges against him.
2014: Jerusalem District Attorney Indicts Sheikh For Sermon At Al-Aqsa Mosque Who Exhorted Audience To Kill Jews
Following the November 2014 release of a MEMRI TV clip of Sheikh Omar Abu Sara calling for slaughtering the Jews "without mercy" and calling them "the most evil of Allah's creations, the sheikh was indicted by the Jerusalem District Attorney.
2014: MEMRI TV Clip Used By Comedy Central's Colbert Report
On November 20, 2014, the Comedy Central show The Colbert Report used a MEMRI TV clip of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claiming that Muslims discovered America three centuries before Columbus.
2015: Following Release Of MEMRI TV Clip Of Berlin Imam Stating That Women Should Be Confined To Home, Never Refuse Sex With Husband, Members Of German Gov't Call For Imam's Expulsion, File Official Complaints, Call For Banning Mosque
A MEMRI TV clip of a January 23, 2015 Friday sermon at the Al-Nur mosque in Berlin showing Sheikh Abdel Moez Al-Eila explaining that not only should women be confined to the home and not go out to work without their husband's permission, but that they must not at any time refuse sex with their husbands generated considerable official reaction in Germany. These reactions included calls for his expulsion and for banning the mosque where he spoke, and the filing of official complaints. Additionally, it received extensive media coverage.
2015: Australian Authorities Act Against Australian Islamist Leader Who Incited Jihad Against The Jews
Following the March 3, 2015 release of a MEMRI TV clip of Australian Islamist leader Ismail Al-Wahwah inciting to jihad against the Jews, calling them "the most evil creatures of Allah" and adding that "they will pay with blood... and with destruction," the Anti-Discrimination Board NSW of Australia sent Australia's Director of Public Prosecutions videos of the incitement.
2015: MEMRI TV Clip Of Lebanese TV Hostess Clashing With UK-Based Islamist Becomes International Sensation - Over 8 Million Views In Just Days
In a MEMRI TV clip posted March 4, 2015, Lebanese TV hostess Rima Karaki interviewed London-based Islamist Hani Al-Siba'i. When Al-Siba'i, who in 2005 had said, "The website of MEMRI lies in wait for the Muslims and distorts their words," refused to answer her questions and told her "It's beneath me to be interviewed by you. You are a woman..." and "Shut up so I can talk," she cut the interview short, saying "Either there is mutual respect or the conversation is over." Within a week, the clip had amassed nearly 8 million views on the MEMRI YouTube page; it was widely covered by media outlets, in both the Arab world and the West, and spread rapidly across social media, including with its own Twitter hashtag, #RimaKaraki. Ms. Karaki's statements were considered particularly relevant as the interview was held, and the MEMRI TV clip released, just before International Women's Day, March 8. For example, an excerpt from Ms. Karaki's statements was tweeted by American actress and comedienne Amy Poehler, and Ms. Karaki was broadly congratulated by many Twitter users.
Rima Karaki ends interview with London-based Islamist Hani Al-Siba'i
