Daily Life in the Middle East - Essay Example

Daily Life in the Middle East al affiliation Daily Life in the Middle East Introduction The term media refers to various means of communication e.g. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, books and pamphlets. Over the years, new types of media have developed due to the various technological innovations in the past few decades. The internet and mobile phones are referred to as the new age media. The media covers the good, the bad and the ugly. Sometimes the media has been used by influential people to serve their selfish motives and agendas. The Middle East has been in the limelight over the years due to security reasons. The war in Iraq, the gulf war and the never ending war between Israel and Palestinians. This has drawn the attention of the media from all parts of the world. Different media stations have a different things to say about the situation on the ground in the Middle East. This paper will examine the difference between what the international media and local media covers about the daily life of the people in the Middle East. The local media It is interesting to note that by the year 2002, most of the media stations in Iraq were controlled by the government. The then president, Saddam Hussein, had put his son by the name Uday to control the media. Uday controlled about a dozen dailies and also sat on the editorial boards of all of the most influential newspapers in Iraq. The government of Iraq also happened to control all the influential radio stations and television stations in Iraq (Lynch). All the influential televisions were state owed. Satellite television was at that time expensive and only the wealthy few would afford to enjoy satellite television. The internet was distributed by the government and locals were not allowed to access emails from most of the state owed cyber cafes. This was the problem with the then administration. The media did not have enough freedom to convey to the people what was really happening. The media was a puppet of Saddam Hussein’s administration. A research that was conducted early 2000 reveals that indeed Iraq happens to be among 10 nations in the world that are most hostile to journalists and the media in general. The government had also made it impossible for the journalists to obtain truthful information as most Iraqi citizens were afraid to criticize the Saddam Hussein’s administration. People who spoke ill of the administration were publicly executed. The United States of America invaded Iraq in April 2003 in a bid to oust the then sitting President Saddam Hussein’s. After the war, the media gained some of its freedoms and was now effectively able to report on the happenings on the ground (Ghattas). The American forces were able to capture Saddam and was eventually hanged after being convicted with murder. This left Iraq without a government for some time and the military took over the reins of power before a new democratic government was put in place. However, after the American invasion the local media began to document some of the ‘evils’ the war had brought about. In the town of Fallujah, the American forces had used depleted uranium and white phosphorus during the invasion. The use of these weapons has had disastrous effects to the locals. The medical fraternity describes the effects as catastrophic. This is due to the number of children born with birth defects and various abnormalities (Ghattas). There are no medical terms to describe the defects and the doctors claim to have never seen such abnormalities before. Most of these babies die shortly after being born. Those who survive are finding it difficult to cope at school and are even at times forced to drop off. There has also been increased cancer cases reported since the American attack. The local media has continually questioned the planning of the American attacks. After the invasion and the capture of Saddam Hussein, the American forces were at a loss of what to do with the nation. They had no idea of how to start rebuilding the nation they had destroyed. Plus, they had anticipated no resistance from the people of the Iraq. Sycophants of Saddam Hussein rebelled, and this caused a major security scare (Ghattas). The government that has since taken the reins of power has done nothing to alleviate the people of Iraq from the highest poverty, unemployment and the ever rising inflation rates. They were just misguided politicians that used political power for personal gain. The ‘democratic government’ that took the reins of power plugged Iraq into problems with widespread corruption, a non-functioning economy and the security threats. The nation has also lost its sovereignty due to influence from the west. The media has argued that democracy and freedom without stability is worth little. The invasion lasted about 10 years. Hundreds of lives were lost. The economy suffered and the nation buildings and streets were destroyed. The media has continually questioned the attacks on Iraq. The United Nations Security Council had not given the United States and the British the go ahead to attack Iraq. The other three permanent members of the Security Council were opposed to the move. Local media argues that the United States did not have any reason whatsoever to invade Iraq. The international media The local media in the early 2000, as we have seen earlier, was mainly controlled by the government of Iraq. This curtailed media freedom to a large extent as people were not able to criticize the administration. People who were against the government were publicly executed. The Saddam Hussein’s administration did not spare the international media too. The government at that time had put in place stringent measures that had to be fulfilled in totality for an international journalist to be accepted in Iraq. Journalists had to send their applications to the Iraqi consulate that was located in Washington. After which the consulate would sit down and decide on the journalists they wished to go to Iraq. They would then be interviewed. Another team that was based in Baghdad reviewed the applications (Haviland Fedorak & Lee 2005). Once in the country, the government employed various techniques to ensure that the movements of the foreign journalists were curtailed. The ministry of information gave them individuals (who were loyal to the government) to arrange the places the journalist would go and the people they would interview. These individuals also doubled up as language translators. Their visas were also confiscated if they violated any rules. The foreign journalists went out of their way to make sure the rest of the world knew what exactly was happening in Iraq. Some even risked their lives just to make sure that the world was aware of the both the good and the bad that had been going on in Iraq (Kiley). One of the international media houses visited one of the refugee camps in Amman to interview people who had fled away from Iraq. The people had different views concerning the impending attack on Iraq by the American forces (Falk). However, a good number of the refugees wanted Saddam Hussein and his government removed from power. They believed that Iraq could do better without him as the leader. Their believed that the administration had plugged them into poverty so that they would concentrate on earning a living rather than opposing the government. This is because of the high cost of living. The international media also reported that more and more people were becoming religious due to the harsh economic conditions. The media argues that Iraq was a secular nation, but by then more women were being spotted in hijabs and the veil. The then president was also a staunch Muslim. He build many mosques and even made religion to be a compulsory subject in school (Kiley). This was in the year 1996. Students all across Iraq were required to study the Koran. The media also reported on the plight of the Iraqi people. The high unemployment rates, the diminishing middle class, high cost of living and freedom of speech. Most Iraqis are unemployed and the ones who are employed earned peanuts and they struggled to put food on their tables. The Iraqis had no freedom of speech. People were publicly executed for their stands (Kiley). Particularly those against the administration. Apart from the negative news being conveyed. The media also covered a story about art in Baghdad. The story looked at the increasing art galleries that had been on the increase. This is despite the many challenges that the Iraqi artists faced. Low quality brushes and low quality paint being the chief concern for most of the artists. The artists are also producing more and more pieces. Some of the artists that were interviewed believed that the hardship had played a major role in this. Most of the artists were inspired by the events that they had encountered in their lives. The lack of proper equipment had also forced some to be creative and use things like dried leaves and twigs in their pieces. Conclusion There is a difference between the way the local and international media covers stories about the people in the Middle East. Before the invasion the local media was controlled by the Iraqi government and thus was not reliable to say the least. The international media came up and covered stories from the Middle East. However, the international media focused more on the negative side and less on the positive side. After the invasion, the local media regained its freedom and as such it covered stories affecting the people in the Middle East. The local media also seemed to condemn the invasion of Iraq by the American forces. Due to the influence of the media, people around the world see the Middle East as the most unsafe place on the earth. This is due to the negative media coverage coming especially from the international media. People were also made to believe that Saddam Hussein’s administration had nuclear weapons. This was not the case as no nuclear weapons have been discovered. References Falk, R. (n.d.). Lessons to be learnt from the Iraq War. - Opinion. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/03/2013361029140182.html Ghattas, K. (2002, April 25). Iraqi refugees hope for US strike. BBC News. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1950517.stm Ghattas, K. (2002, April 29). Business as usual in Iraq. BBC News. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/1957596.stm Haviland, W. A., Fedorak, S. A., & Lee, R. B. (2005). Cultural anthropology (4tth ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Kiley, K. (n.d.). Truth and lies in Baghdad. PBS. Retrieved March 16, 2014, from http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/iraq/index.html Lynch, C. (n.d.). U.N. Arms Inspectors Will Not Return to Iraq. Washington post.. Retrieved March 17, 2014, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/world/iraq/index.htm Read More