Dubai TV
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Al-Arabiya
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Al-Arabiya has been regularly criticized by the U.S. government for their news coverage of Iraq, which the U.S. alleges incites violence against its coalition there. After broadcasting footage of masked men inciting attacks against Iraqi Governing Council members as well as U.S. interests in Iraq, Al-Arabiya was banned several times from attending official Iraqi Governing Council meetings. Their Baghdad office was shut down and their equipment seized following the airing of an audio tape in November 2003 that claimed to be the voice of deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein calling on the Iraqi people to resist the U.S.- led forces.
Though its coverage is sometimes viewed as provocative, founder Walid al Ibrahim reportedly views the work of the station as a step toward advancing the Arab World and freeing it from dictatorship and repression. The network's founders promised that their coverage would be objective and accurate.
Al Arabiya is one of the most watched satellite news networks in the Arab world. The BBC reported, "Across the Arab world, Al-Arabiya probably has about 20 million viewers, as compared to Al-Jazeera's 35 million."
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BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
QUICK FACTS:
| Population: | |
| 2,484,818 | |
| Total Area: | |
| 82,880 sq km | |
| slightly smaller than Maine | |
| Government Type: | |
| Federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates. | |
| Currency: | |
| Emirati dirham (AED) | |
| Religions: | |
| Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%) | |
| Christian, Hindu, and other 4% | |
| Languages: | |
| Arabic (official) | |
| Persian | |
| English | |
| Hindi | |
| Urdu | |
| Legal System: | |
| Federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts. | |
| Suffrage: | |
| None | |
Dubai TV is government-owned and operated by the United Arab Emirates' Department of Information. Part of a larger media network, Dubai TV's programming is varied and includes coverage of news, sports, finance and business, in addition to family shows. A pioneer in the field of satellite broadcasting in the Arab World, Dubai TV was the first station in the region to broadcast its programming via satellite to Europe and North America.