AWMC

MEDIA WATCH NETWORK

Media watch members details please go here

Media watch job and brief work descriptions in Arabic, please click here

AWMC membership - internationally

1. AWMC is a member in ALF region Jordan to view membership please click here

2. Also member in PAX Christi International of ME region - Jordan to view please go here

3. ICFJ, International Center for Journalists please go here 

4. KAS  -  The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung  and AWMC established good contacts and cooperation - KAS are our main partner in 4 Arab women journalists' conferences - last was 6th June 25-29-2007 - to view please go here

MEDIA R&D and responds

AWMC is a member in ALF region Jordan to view membership please click here

Anna Lindh Foundation condemns the short movie ‘Fitna’
 

The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures deeply regrets the release of the short-movie ‘Fitna’ for Geert Wilders, an extreme-right member of the Dutch Parliament.
The Foundation considers its content as being a misleading aggregation of extreme images and abusive extracts, aiming at discrediting Islam as a religion.
We need to be very clear on this matter: we shall not fruitlessly oppose – as it was the case during the polemic arisen by the publication of the cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). There are two principles which are fully legitimate: on the one hand, the principle of freedom of expression and on the other hand, the respect of the others’ principles and beliefs, the result being reciprocal accusations of intolerance. In reality, the true intolerance consists in willing to force the other to accept what he/she finds morally offensive.
The ban on Wilders' short movie has nothing to do with the principle of freedom of expression. Indeed, its content, the political roots of its authors as well as the message, it is conveying, demonstrates that its only aim is to increase feelings of religious hatred. For this specific reason, the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures considers that the work of Wilders should be without any doubt.

The Foundation also condemns, and will always condemn any action - violent or verbal - coming from any source whose aim is to endanger the coexistence between people and communities from different nationalities or religions.

AWMC; member of PAX Christi International of ME region - Jordan to view please go here

IKV Pax Christi's reaction to the film Fitna The Movie made by Dutch populist MP Geert Wilders, which was published on Thursday night on the internet.

Fitna the movie: foolish and dangerous

The Dutch populist politician Geert Wilders launched his film Fitna. It is an anti-Islamic pamphlet full of generalizations, sending out a message that Islam is the source of violence. In a very suggestive way he uses well-known and terrifying images of terror against citizens to underpin his message.
Wilders’ logic is all in all foolish. According to him violent extremists justify their deeds referring to the Koran and thus Islam is violent. Such generalizations are foolish, but also dangerous. It is of utmost importance to make a difference between religion and religious people on the one hand and the way in which politics misuses religion on the other.
Fitna is the ideal recruitment film for violent extremists. The style of Fitna shows remarkable similarities with the ideological propaganda of extremist movements. Authoritarian regimes will present the film as yet another new sign of western imposition and will use it as a license for their repressive regime. Those people in the Middle East who commit themselves to peace, human rights and democratization are not being helped, on the contrary.

IKV Pax Christi stays committed to countering the existence of enemy images by means of constructive dialogue in the Middle East and outside. We stand for an international political approach to the Middle East which does not apply double standards, but which is led by international law.
It cannot be coincidental that Wilders uses generalizations, which form the basis of totalitarian regimes he claims to combat. Wilders resists violence, but at the same time he provokes violence with Fitna. That is either naïve or malicious. Two characteristics which are little helpful in politics.

IKV Pax Christi trusts that the Dutch society will not let itself be led by fear, but will be led by common values and a joint effort to commit itself to peaceful coexistence.

Jordanian NGOs Oral Statement
Presented to the CEDAW Committee
39th Session – 30th of July 2007- NYC

Jordanian NGOs are:
Arab women media center [AWMC]
Karameh
Arab women association.
Arab Organization for Human rights

FWD by MS. Advocate Nour Al emam

AWMC Legal advisor

Details please go here

Gov’t pledges to amend discriminatory laws - women activists

 By Rana Husseini - JT

Lawyer Nour Emam, a legal advisor and member of the Arab Women Media Centre, also helped to compile the report.
Emam said the “shadow report” called on the government to lift the reservations it made on CEDAW.
AMMAN - Jordan Times, Women activists said the government had promised to work on amending all laws that discriminate against women within the next two years.
“We received positive assurances from Jordanian government officials in New York City last week that they will amend discriminatory laws affecting Jordanian women’s lives and also draft a special law to address domestic violence,” Arab Women Organisation (AWO) programme director Layla Naffa announced
For details please click here

International and regional support systems for Arab media women
by Naomi Sakr - UK

MEDITERRANEAN AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA WATCH REPORTS

International journalists' Association accuses the army of "brutality and deliberate targeting"
 

Saturday July 07, 2007 12:06
by Ameen Abu Wardeh -

The International journalists Association condemned Israeli for attacking journalists, and demanded a full investigation of the case of severely injuring a Palestinian camera man in the Thursday invasion into Gaza.

To view on line please go here

Under patronage of HRH Princes Basma Bint Talal

6th Arab women journalists conference will commence soon

In Amman - Jordan - June 25-29 - 2007

The conference on line please go here

5th Arab women journalists conference commenced

In Amman - Jordan - Sep 19-21 - 2006

MAIN SUBJECT - ARAB MEDIA ADDRESSING OTHERS

Tentative Agenda Please click here

Ms. Miki and AWMC Director Ms. Mahasen Al emam

Ms. Miki is a journalist volunteer from Germany, hosted by AWMC since Oct 2nd - 2006, she has an impression on our work and role, so here is her story:

Arab Women Media Center
My „place to be“ in Amman.
 

Last year, at the beginning of December my chief editor in Germany, Ilona Marenbach (radiomultikulti, RBB), asked me, if I would like to do an internship in an Islamic country. I’ve never been to an Islamic country before; it would be my first experience.
I thought about it and decided to try my luck. I had to apply for it. The IFA, the German Institute for Foreign Affairs is organizing Cross Culture Internships since 2005. They are sending young Europeans to countries in the Middle East and young people from the Middle East to Germany. Dialogue between the cultures is on of the main topics of the IFA.
My application for the Internship was successful and so I started my adventure in Jordan on the 2nd of October 2006. My hosting Organization is the Arab Women Media Center - AWMC in Amman, Jordan.
The AWMC is an NGO – a non-government organization, which is unique in Jordan and the Arabic countries. Unique in the function that they follow. They are describing their work as an umbrella, an umbrella that protects journalists, female journalists in Jordan and the surrounding countries.

Miki next to Umbrella

 And journalists means in this case from all media – print, radio, TV and online. Because, as I had to learn, there is a Press Union in Jordan, but it only takes care about journalists, who are working in Print media, at newspapers and magazines. No one cared about all the other journalists, especially not about female journalists. This gap closes the AWMC since it was established in December 1999.
Every female journalist can be member of the AWMC and benefit of the network that the AWMC has built. It is a network between the journalists.
The biggest event of year is the Arab Women Media Conference. For the 5th time it took place from the 19. -21. September 2006. Under the title “Arab Media in Dialogue with Others” 33 participants discussed the topic. I am really sad, that I wasn’t here during the conference, because I’m sure, that it was an extremely interesting happening.
My experience in Jordan and in the center was really exciting, because everything was and is new for me. It is my first contact with an NGO, where the work has to be done from just a few people, because there is no money, to employ more people. The main work is to keep the contacts and to find people, who are interested in the work of the center and who believe in the same things as the center. The creative part of the work is to think about new projects that will help to achieve the set objectives.
“The long-term goals of the AWMC are to strengthen the independence, transparency and quality of the Jordanian press and to enhance the role of women in the media, and in the political and economic life of the country. The Center’s work includes convening regional conferences, publishing reports and conducting training on topics to advancing media freedom and democratic development, and how women can be more involved in these processes. “
The newest idea is to establish a radio station, a female radio station, made from women for women. The employees will be members of the AWMC, women, who have no jobs at the moment. It will all be about women issues. A place where their dreams, wishes and daily problems will be discussed and heard! I think, that this radio station is a brilliant idea, because I feel, that there is still a long way to go till the women will really be emancipated. For me as European women it’s really different to get along with the picture of women. I think, that it is really necessary to do something to change the point the view in the broad public. That does not mean, that the society should be changed to a European way of life, but it should be taught for more tolerance. Because I think, that one of the biggest problems is a lack of tolerance and also a kind of fear of the new. And it will be something new to talk and hear about women issues on a radio station, something new that will surely have to face a lot of critics and skepticism. But hopefully after some time it will change the critics and skepticism to a positive and successful discussion.

ACTIVIST  MAGDA ABU-FADIL

AUB Journalism Training Program kicks off with workshop on investigative reporting

To view activity please click here

This is to announce the second in our series of workshops JTP to view program on line please go here

And we would like to invite colleagues from across the Arab world to participate. So if you know of any who would be interested, kindly ask them to apply by August 10, 2007, as per the attached announcement.
We will be organizing other interesting workshops in the coming months, so keep checking the American University of Beirut website at www.aub.edu.lb
 

Author:
Magda Abu-Fadil,
Director, Journalism Training Program,
Regional External Programs,
ma145@aub.edu.lb

sana'-maf: Asharq Al-Awsat editor/correspondent Sana' El Jack and Magda Abu-Fadil

IPJ promotes professionalism at Dubai Media Conference
The Institute for Professional Journalists' (IPJ) director Magda Abu-Fadil attended the "Arab and World Media Conference 2005: Getting it Right" that drew 1,000 participants representing media experts, journalists, academics, advertising and high-tech organizations from around the world to discuss ways of bridging the East-West cultural divide.
Conference topics included insights into the world press, censorship, reporting on political Islam, citizen journalism, covering the war on terror, social responsibility, freedom and propaganda, and the roots of prejudice.

The event was organized by the Arab Thought Foundation (ATF) and the Dubai Press Club. Abu-Fadil wrote an article on the need for professionalism and ethics in media for "Hewar Al Arab" (The Arabs' Dialogue), a monthly journal published by the ATF. please click here to view - Text in Arabic.

IPJ Contributes to International Journalism Education Model
Elsewhere, international experts met in Paris, at the invitation of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural  Organization (UNESCO), to design model journalism curricula and their talks led to plans for the first world journalism education congress scheduled for 2007 in Singapore.
The meeting, grouping academics, journalists and media trainers, and entitled "Experts Consultative Meeting on Journalism Education," was held at UNESCO headquarters December 14-16, 2005, to focus on the context of journalism education, curricula, educators, and students, and featured several workshops on course requirements for journalism programs.

Magda Audio able release; on MR. Hariri assassinations via  on line radio station, KBIA, is an affiliate of National Public Radio at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and the show can be heard online at http://www.globaljournalist.org/radio/2005/2005-11-03.html.
Just returned from Nairobi where she spoke at the International Press
Institute's World Congress & 54th General Assembly. she said event was a terrific and I was the only Arab panelist/delegate there.
Magda speech/Power Point presentation please click here

DAKAR - MAY 1: Magda Abu-Fadil, director of the Institute for Professional Journalists at Beirut's Lebanese American University at the conference on Media and Good Governance on May 1, 2005 in Dakar, Senegal. The conference was organized by UNESCO to mark World Press Freedom Day.

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