Iranian aid for Bahrain pushed away

Fubar--Interesting editorial. I had not seen it.

The Qataris are not yet sophisticated enough to understand how to deal with global media and publicity. They are new to this and are not used to dealing with independent media. They hire publicity firms without understanding their limitations, fire them, and then hire worse ones. With experience they might get better at it, but it will be a steep learning curve.

Did anyone else read the weird editorial from the front page of today's Peninsula?

http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/qatar/152579-al-jazeera-what-is-it-up-to.html

Usually the editorials aren't that bad. But this one is clearly the product of some sort of outside influence, as there is no flow to the logic or reasoning.

One of the howlers is this statement:

"I wonder if any of the Qatari board members in Al Jazeera knew that they had an undercover reporter in Bahrain doing stories about the Shia issues while here in Qatar they detained a Swiss TV crew because they were filming without permission. Also, it’s quite surprising for the Bahrain government to say that they have no record of this undercover reporter entering their country.

This confuses us. We don’t know whether to believe Al Jazeera English or the Bahrain government."

Firstly, when he says 'they detained' does he mean the board of Al Jazeera was responsible for arresting cameramen for filming illegally? Or is he simply pointing out that despite all the unrest in Bahrain, their media and government is still more liberal than 'at peace' Qatar?

And in any case, his real question is should we believe Al Jazeera, who say they have a reporter in Bahrain, or the Bahraini government, who deny his presence??

Given that the Al Jazeera reporter appears ON CAMERA, IN BAHRAIN, I think it's safe to assume that we ought to believe Al Jazeera, and can conclude that the Bahraini government is lying?

Perhaps it is, in the end, this final statement that reveals the Editor's real feelings:

"They should shed more light on these important sectors and not only focus on the bloodshed and the dictators and their regime, which could affect the image of Qatar and increasing hatred towards Qatari people."

In other words, Qatar wants to play on the world stage, and march around the globe bringing peace to Sudan and Lebanon and searching out injustice everywhere. But not if it means that anyone says anything bad about Qatar. Because isn't it more important that a news organisation portrays its home country as nice people who get along with everyone, rather reporting on the news in an unbiased way.

Now THAT would be interesting.

maybe sunni should send ships to irani ahwaz too

I'm no foreign policy person. But...

I think they want the Bahraini Shi'ites to read the newspaper and hear that the aid meant for them didn't reach them. Ergo, the King and government and Sunni rulers are discriminating against the Shi'ites and are not fit to rule their Shi'ite majority, and ultimately to provoke further uprising.

Not sure if they want to replace the King with another monarch, or call for total democratic reform. I rather think the latter. Which is what is getting the other GCC countries so worried.

After all, the GCC is really nothing more than a club for unelected dictatorial monarchs, hence the invitation for Jordan and Morocco to join the King-club.

So what's their endgame then? They want something besides some publicity.

I agree with Brit. I don't think there was any intention for the Iranian ship to actually dock, or to actually provide aid. All they wanted to do was get some media attention about Saudi influence of domestic Bahraini affairs. And to highlight that the unrest in Bahrain is getting worse, not better.

What is up with this insane dude?

It affects us because if there is a mushroom cloud over the Gulf, then flights in and out of Doha International Airport will be severely disrupted :O)

@ Lincol hahaha your so mean! lol

As LP says, this affects us how?

Iran stops activists sailing to Bahrain

Agencies/Tehran

Iran yesterday ordered the return home of two boats carrying Iranian “activists” to Bahrain to express solidarity with Shia-led protests there, the English-language Press TV said.

Yip Gulf times has it lob sided, or does the Washington post?

http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=435167&version=1&template_id=37&parent_id=17

Iranians are not stupid. Bahrain is home to U.S. Fifth Fleet.

As they say , they will retaliate if attacked by the U.S. I don't think that's a likelyhood. Iran is just trying to play the Shiite card and highlight the issues in Bahrain.

now thats pure gulf politics! dont count me in :P

s_isale--Gulf Times reporting the opposite of what credible newspapers report . . . now there is a surprise!

Hope you are right britexpat. Iran has already stated that it will retaliate against Gulf states like Qatar if it is attacked by the US. I hope that it does not try to extend its umbrella of protection to Bahraini shiites.

in Gulf TImes it was the opposite I think.

Just sabre rattling and gamesmanship. Both sides knew what was going to happen. Nothing to worry about ;o)

Who cares? It's Bahrain, not Qatar!

s_isale--From the article:

The Shiite activists, members of the Islamic Revolution Supporters Association, said the Iranian government did not prevent them from sailing. But halfway to Bahrain, they decided to return to Iranian waters because of “the emergence of threats from the ships of the Peninsula Shield Force and the possibility of attacks,” the Hameyema Web site stated Monday.

Iran stopped the flotilla from moving.