Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq Al jazeera is a terrorist meda

 

#arabic_media_is_terrorist_media

 Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

The Kurdistan Regional Government ordered the suspension of Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya broadcasts across the Kurdistan Region on January 28, citing biased and harmful coverage of Kurdish issues, particularly regarding developments in Syria and Rojava. The directive was issued by the KRG Ministry of Culture and Youth through administrative order No. 123, addressed to five media distribution companies and taking effect immediately.

 

 

The order cited Instruction No. 1 of 2014, stating that the continued broadcasting of foreign and Arabic channels has contributed to social unrest and negatively affected public values in the Kurdistan Region. Both channels have faced sustained public criticism from Kurdish audiences who accuse them of misrepresenting or actively working against Kurdish interests in their coverage of the Syrian conflict and Rojava. Social media campaigns had been calling on the KRG to act for weeks before the order was issued.

The suspension is significant given the regional roles of both outlets. Al Jazeera is Qatari state-funded and has faced repeated accusations of Brotherhood-aligned editorial bias across the region. Al Arabiya is Saudi-owned.

The KRG’s decision to suspend both simultaneously signals a rare moment of Kurdish institutional pushback against dominant Arab media narratives at a time when the Kurdish role in the broader regional conflict, including CIA arming of Iranian Kurdish groups and KRG tensions with Baghdad, is under intense scrutiny.

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