Williams: The war in Iraq has quickly become a war of information as much as occupation -- both sides now fighting a television war for world opinion.
Al-Jazeera Reporter: Still many Iraqis believe they will have the final victory despite their human fear for their own lives and the future of their children.
Williams: The Arab worlds biggest TV station, Al-Jazeera, helped forecast Americas threat of shock and awe but equally as the war doesnt go all Americas way, its the first with pictures of resistance, civilian causalities or capture. Saddam hopes such vision can inflame Arab anger and undermine Americas assault leading one former commander of U.S. forces here to warn what appears on al-Jazeera could be more important than ground actions in finally deposing the Iraqi regime.
Al-Jazeera Journalist: Groups hit included Jemaat Islamiyah their leaders emphasising they were not part of any attacks against anyone all this is part of a broader action to overwhelm all the Islamic movements in the northern parts of Iraq.
Williams: And it all started on a tiny spit of land called Qatar. A country of just 200,000 nationals, Qatar was until recently known as little more than a sleepy port for fishing dhows. There was some oil and a bit of pearling hence the Big Pearl but that was about it until something happened.
Williams: It discovered gas -- the worlds biggest gas field so much gas in fact it could heat every home in America for at least a century enough to make Qatar in a few years time the richest nation per head on earth. Its buying Qatar a boom palaces emerging mirage-like from the dry desert sands, mansions springing up along its wide new boulevards. And its giving tiny Qatar a bark much bigger than its bite.
Williams: In the back blocks of Qatars capital sits the humble headquarters of a revolution. Its from here the Al-Jazeera TV station satellites 24 hours of news and views in Arabic, the first to do so and now the most popular. Its central newsroom is packed with journalists from across the Arab world their main advantage -- local knowledge. Being an Arabic channel youd think theyd have special access in Iraq. But chief news editor Ibrahim Helal admits battling the same restrictions as everyone else to keep his Baghdad bureau open.
Ibrahim: You must compromise sometimes, politically you must just do what you want. You dont want your window to be closed when the countrys going to be the heart of the news. And at the same time you cannot compromise. This is one of the hardest moments we are facing.
Williams: How Al-Jazeera reports the war in Iraq will determine how many Muslims react. But when the smoke clears from this war, Al-Jazeera will still be engaged in a much bigger campaign for freedom of speech in a region that has little.
Faisal: As far as the Arab world is concerned al-Jazeera is doing something really revolutionary
Williams: With his glasses and comb-over quiff Faisal al-Qaseem is an unlikely TV star. But Qaseems provocative programming is Al-Jazeeras highest rating show.
Faisal: Why did we fail as a civilisation culturally, religiously, economically, militarily
Williams: Hard enough to answer these questions could not even be asked until Al-Jazeera started broadcasting just a few years ago.
Faisal: You couldnt say anything, you couldnt talk even about the price of fish or lettuce. Everything is controlled because Arab governments loved to listen to their own voices.
Williams: Drawing on his drama training in England, this Syrian star has a simple strategy get two people with strongly opposing views and fan the flames of vigorous debate. Its helped pull big audiences to Al-Jazeera but whys it such a hit?
Faisal: Let us say that it is an exercise in democracy.
In the Arab world we live under political dictatorships, religious dictatorships, social dictatorships, economic dictatorships, cultural dictatorships I mean we are surrounded if you like by despots.
Williams: With whats seen by many as typical temerity, tonights topic attacks Arab reliance on America.
Faisal: Why do Arab countries put all their eggs, hens, milk, honey, oil, money, caviar in the American basket?
Guest: Being against America is the revolution of the people against their own leaders who should use these feelings against foreign powers. Our internal struggle is the loss of freedom, the lack of human rights, the misuse of money, the jailing of people and its not important that we embrace the causes of other people
Williams: Tough talk indeed, but Faisal has even riled religious leaders by questioning the Korans support for polygamy.
Faisal: We had two women to talk about this subject and it was a very hot issue and the woman that was defending the Moslem view couldnt face the music, so she went out in a dramatic way live on air from the studio and that particular edition was the talk of the Arab world for months to come. I mean every one was talking about it in mosques -- how dare you talk about polygamy, how dare you discuss the word of God we discussed the word of God.
Williams: It wasnt the word of God but the warnings of a terrorist that put Al-Jazeera on the global media map.
Eighteen months ago, as America unleashed its war on the Taliban, it was Al-Jazeeras man in Afghanistan Tayseer Allouni who received the first now famous tapes from Osama bin Laden.
Tayseer: The tapes were brought to the office the first day of the attacks against Kabul.
Williams: Why did they use al-Jazeera?
Tayseer: They didnt use al-Jazeera -- al-Jazeera was the only media near them.
Williams: Soon after the U.S. bombed Al-Jazeeras Kabul office in what they said was an accident. Then it said bin Laden was using Al-Jazeera to broadcast coded orders - a charge Tayseer once put to Osama.
Tayseer: He said the times have changed and that they have telephones and satellites so hes not in need to use such ways to send signals to his followers.
Williams: Where do you think he is and why do you think the Americans cant find him?
Tayseer: : Its difficult to answer this question. All the intelligence report are talking about that bin Laden is between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the tribal area. So this area, this zone is very, very difficult. Several mountains. Very, very hard to live there.
Williams: And supporters also?
Tayseer: Support of course!
Williams: While the west knows Al-Jazeera for its bin Laden broadcasts the Arab world tunes in for its coverage of a different conflict Palestine. Walid Al Omary is Al-Jazeeras senior journalist in Jerusalem. Widely respected as impartial -Walids reports still fuel Arab anger at whats seen as an oppressive Israel. Is it fact or pro-Arab bias?
Walid: Al-Jazeera tries all the time tries to be balanced in this news even here in West Bank and Gaza Strip in Israel and Palestinians. At the same time the al-Jazeera journalists are not from the United Nations; they belong to this area, they belong to these people here. But even in this time of war being Arab doesnt open all doors.
Walid: You know when they destroyed all of these buildings here in the compound of Arafat, I and my cameraman we were in this area.
Williams: Constantly harassed by the Israelis, Walid is also at times shut down by the Palestinians few in authority in this region like what al-Jazeera reports.
Walid: Al-Jazeera has problems with fifteen Arab regimes since the establishment of al-Jazeera before seven years. Arab regimes they try to put al-Jazeera under pressure and even some of them they ask the Qatar government to close al-Jazeera.
Williams: So far the Qatari government has failed to oblige, but the pressure is on. Just about every government in the region has for a time closed al-Jazeeras bureaux. Some ban official advertising, others have withdrawn Ambassadors from Qatar in protest. Al-Jazeera gets it from all sides
Faisal: I myself has been accused of being all sorts of things. One day I am a nationalist the next day a Zionist third day I am a fundamentalist. The fourth day I dont know all sorts of things
Williams: But today even the toughest Arab leaders have to deal with Al-Jazeera because it speaks to the people.
Faisal: He said you are making a lot of trouble and I'm sure many Arab leaders do not like what you are doing.
Williams: When Faisal was recently summoned to meet Saddam Hussein the dictator berated him for causing so much trouble then talked for two hours.
Faisal: I was really surprised to find that Saddam Hussein is extremely cool. He seemed extremely quiet he didnt give you the impression at all that he is really frightened of the Americans or what might happen to his country.
Williams: Ironically while Qatar gives voice to the Arab street, it also plays host to the military force many distrust America. Just a few kilometres from Al-Jazeera this is Centcom the U.S. militarys Central Command airlifted from Florida air-conditioned against the blinding desert heat. Its from here General Tommy Franks is commanding the invasion of Iraq and from this specially built media centre drip-feeding the worlds press. And its from here his officers are fighting the information war.
Robinson: There is a stark difference between the way we live in Florida and the way we live in Qatar.
Williams: Are there sensitivities involved as well politically with the regional governments, the host governments? I mean some people obviously, some Arabs dont like the presences of Americans in the region no matter how good a job you might be doing.
Robinson: I dont have to tell you any of those things -- all of that is obvious. What I will tell you is that were here with the permission of the Qatars and were doing our best to be good guests.
Williams: So why is Qatar risking so much? The answer is this man. Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani seized power from his father in a palace coup, started democratic reforms and spent millions setting up Al-Jazeera, which is ironic as he doesnt give interviews. Luring the Americans gave his country a powerful protector against at times aggressive neighbours but also made him some vocal critics. Najeeb al-Nuami is Qatars former Justice Minister. Like many Arabs he doesnt trust American intentions.
Najeeb al-Nuami: They want our territory, geographically speaking, you know, its a hot potato the Middle East. To have a permanent base you have to have a place that is selected. Our people here have accepted it and this is not debated with the people and it is wrong.
Williams: Now a human rights lawyer Najeeb accuses Al-Jazeera of protecting its patron - by ignoring hot topics in Qatar like the U.S. base.
Najeeb al-Nuami: Al-Jazeera?
Williams: What sort of things
Najeeb al-Nuami: Al-Jazeera should have people who are sitting there and debating issues about Qatar why not? Take for example now an agreement with the U.S. Did they ask anybody in the middle of the street did they agree or not?
Williams: To test these views we went to the street ourselves, and among the falcons and chickens of Qatars eclectic bird market we found some truth in Najeebs concerns about the American base.
Old man: This is the enemy coming in to take your property to govern you.
Young man: Well to be honest were not against it . Were not with it, but whatever our government says weve got to listen to it we obey orders and are a very peaceful country as you know.
Old man: I told you they cannot say anything, they cannot do anything. But what they feel is this is the enemy.
Williams: Most people?
Old man: Yes and why cant they say anything? Are they not allowed to speak?
Old man: Theyre afraid, theyre afraid.
Williams: Why?
Old man: You want me to say everything at one time.(laughs)
Williams: Why would they be afraid?
Old man: Why would they be afraid -- because the government is taking this line and they cannot say no.
Williams: Okay.
Old man: Okay?
Williams: Yes. Qataris are suspicious of whos receiving Americas substantial rent for the base and some insist there are even bigger issues.
Najeeb al-Nuami: To really put Qatar as a focus for enemies of America will be enemies of Qatar.
Williams: This is not being debated?
Najeeb al-Nuami: No, no, nobody debating it
Faisal: Thats not true at all actually. Ive listened to such questions a lot. As far as Qatar is concerned, when something really important or of paramount importance happening in Qatar we would definitely do something about it, definitely. But as you know not too many things happen in Qatar.
Williams: Normally, nothing much does happen here but this is the mouse that roared. Qatars support for the Americans has earned it a place among Arab powers its backing of al-Jazeera given it a voice far beyond its size. The results could be far-reaching.
Faisal: Usually press freedoms or freedom of expression goes hand in hand with political freedom. In the Arab world sadly we dont have political freedom we are doing it the other way round; we are starting with freedom of expression, hoping in the future that we will achieve some kind of political freedom. So al-Jazeera has helped quite a lot in pushing the Arab people to do something about democracy, to think about democracy. And now, thanks to al-Jazeera, democracy is the talk of the town everywhere in the Arab world.
Williams: Its a noble goal but Al-Jazeeras broad reach has a more immediate focus. As America plunges deeper inside Iraq, Saddam hopes pictures of American capture or defeat can weaken Americas resolve.
Reporter: al-Jazeera received the first pictures of the killed and imprisoned American soldiers.
Williams: And as was seen recently in Yemen.
Reporter: Its a positive reaction together with all Arabic countries against the American invasion of Iraq.
Williams: If war in Iraq drags on - the images of death and destruction it beams in to Moslem homes around the world could fuel a wave of anti-western anger with unpredictable results.
Al-Jazeera Reporter: Still many Iraqis believe they will have the final victory despite their human fear for their own lives and the future of their children.
Williams: The Arab worlds biggest TV station, Al-Jazeera, helped forecast Americas threat of shock and awe but equally as the war doesnt go all Americas way, its the first with pictures of resistance, civilian causalities or capture. Saddam hopes such vision can inflame Arab anger and undermine Americas assault leading one former commander of U.S. forces here to warn what appears on al-Jazeera could be more important than ground actions in finally deposing the Iraqi regime.
Al-Jazeera Journalist: Groups hit included Jemaat Islamiyah their leaders emphasising they were not part of any attacks against anyone all this is part of a broader action to overwhelm all the Islamic movements in the northern parts of Iraq.
Williams: And it all started on a tiny spit of land called Qatar. A country of just 200,000 nationals, Qatar was until recently known as little more than a sleepy port for fishing dhows. There was some oil and a bit of pearling hence the Big Pearl but that was about it until something happened.
Williams: It discovered gas -- the worlds biggest gas field so much gas in fact it could heat every home in America for at least a century enough to make Qatar in a few years time the richest nation per head on earth. Its buying Qatar a boom palaces emerging mirage-like from the dry desert sands, mansions springing up along its wide new boulevards. And its giving tiny Qatar a bark much bigger than its bite.
Williams: In the back blocks of Qatars capital sits the humble headquarters of a revolution. Its from here the Al-Jazeera TV station satellites 24 hours of news and views in Arabic, the first to do so and now the most popular. Its central newsroom is packed with journalists from across the Arab world their main advantage -- local knowledge. Being an Arabic channel youd think theyd have special access in Iraq. But chief news editor Ibrahim Helal admits battling the same restrictions as everyone else to keep his Baghdad bureau open.
Ibrahim: You must compromise sometimes, politically you must just do what you want. You dont want your window to be closed when the countrys going to be the heart of the news. And at the same time you cannot compromise. This is one of the hardest moments we are facing.
Williams: How Al-Jazeera reports the war in Iraq will determine how many Muslims react. But when the smoke clears from this war, Al-Jazeera will still be engaged in a much bigger campaign for freedom of speech in a region that has little.
Faisal: As far as the Arab world is concerned al-Jazeera is doing something really revolutionary
Williams: With his glasses and comb-over quiff Faisal al-Qaseem is an unlikely TV star. But Qaseems provocative programming is Al-Jazeeras highest rating show.
Faisal: Why did we fail as a civilisation culturally, religiously, economically, militarily
Williams: Hard enough to answer these questions could not even be asked until Al-Jazeera started broadcasting just a few years ago.
Faisal: You couldnt say anything, you couldnt talk even about the price of fish or lettuce. Everything is controlled because Arab governments loved to listen to their own voices.
Williams: Drawing on his drama training in England, this Syrian star has a simple strategy get two people with strongly opposing views and fan the flames of vigorous debate. Its helped pull big audiences to Al-Jazeera but whys it such a hit?
Faisal: Let us say that it is an exercise in democracy.
In the Arab world we live under political dictatorships, religious dictatorships, social dictatorships, economic dictatorships, cultural dictatorships I mean we are surrounded if you like by despots.
Williams: With whats seen by many as typical temerity, tonights topic attacks Arab reliance on America.
Faisal: Why do Arab countries put all their eggs, hens, milk, honey, oil, money, caviar in the American basket?
Guest: Being against America is the revolution of the people against their own leaders who should use these feelings against foreign powers. Our internal struggle is the loss of freedom, the lack of human rights, the misuse of money, the jailing of people and its not important that we embrace the causes of other people
Williams: Tough talk indeed, but Faisal has even riled religious leaders by questioning the Korans support for polygamy.
Faisal: We had two women to talk about this subject and it was a very hot issue and the woman that was defending the Moslem view couldnt face the music, so she went out in a dramatic way live on air from the studio and that particular edition was the talk of the Arab world for months to come. I mean every one was talking about it in mosques -- how dare you talk about polygamy, how dare you discuss the word of God we discussed the word of God.
Williams: It wasnt the word of God but the warnings of a terrorist that put Al-Jazeera on the global media map.
Eighteen months ago, as America unleashed its war on the Taliban, it was Al-Jazeeras man in Afghanistan Tayseer Allouni who received the first now famous tapes from Osama bin Laden.
Tayseer: The tapes were brought to the office the first day of the attacks against Kabul.
Williams: Why did they use al-Jazeera?
Tayseer: They didnt use al-Jazeera -- al-Jazeera was the only media near them.
Williams: Soon after the U.S. bombed Al-Jazeeras Kabul office in what they said was an accident. Then it said bin Laden was using Al-Jazeera to broadcast coded orders - a charge Tayseer once put to Osama.
Tayseer: He said the times have changed and that they have telephones and satellites so hes not in need to use such ways to send signals to his followers.
Williams: Where do you think he is and why do you think the Americans cant find him?
Tayseer: : Its difficult to answer this question. All the intelligence report are talking about that bin Laden is between Pakistan and Afghanistan in the tribal area. So this area, this zone is very, very difficult. Several mountains. Very, very hard to live there.
Williams: And supporters also?
Tayseer: Support of course!
Williams: While the west knows Al-Jazeera for its bin Laden broadcasts the Arab world tunes in for its coverage of a different conflict Palestine. Walid Al Omary is Al-Jazeeras senior journalist in Jerusalem. Widely respected as impartial -Walids reports still fuel Arab anger at whats seen as an oppressive Israel. Is it fact or pro-Arab bias?
Walid: Al-Jazeera tries all the time tries to be balanced in this news even here in West Bank and Gaza Strip in Israel and Palestinians. At the same time the al-Jazeera journalists are not from the United Nations; they belong to this area, they belong to these people here. But even in this time of war being Arab doesnt open all doors.
Walid: You know when they destroyed all of these buildings here in the compound of Arafat, I and my cameraman we were in this area.
Williams: Constantly harassed by the Israelis, Walid is also at times shut down by the Palestinians few in authority in this region like what al-Jazeera reports.
Walid: Al-Jazeera has problems with fifteen Arab regimes since the establishment of al-Jazeera before seven years. Arab regimes they try to put al-Jazeera under pressure and even some of them they ask the Qatar government to close al-Jazeera.
Williams: So far the Qatari government has failed to oblige, but the pressure is on. Just about every government in the region has for a time closed al-Jazeeras bureaux. Some ban official advertising, others have withdrawn Ambassadors from Qatar in protest. Al-Jazeera gets it from all sides
Faisal: I myself has been accused of being all sorts of things. One day I am a nationalist the next day a Zionist third day I am a fundamentalist. The fourth day I dont know all sorts of things
Williams: But today even the toughest Arab leaders have to deal with Al-Jazeera because it speaks to the people.
Faisal: He said you are making a lot of trouble and I'm sure many Arab leaders do not like what you are doing.
Williams: When Faisal was recently summoned to meet Saddam Hussein the dictator berated him for causing so much trouble then talked for two hours.
Faisal: I was really surprised to find that Saddam Hussein is extremely cool. He seemed extremely quiet he didnt give you the impression at all that he is really frightened of the Americans or what might happen to his country.
Williams: Ironically while Qatar gives voice to the Arab street, it also plays host to the military force many distrust America. Just a few kilometres from Al-Jazeera this is Centcom the U.S. militarys Central Command airlifted from Florida air-conditioned against the blinding desert heat. Its from here General Tommy Franks is commanding the invasion of Iraq and from this specially built media centre drip-feeding the worlds press. And its from here his officers are fighting the information war.
Robinson: There is a stark difference between the way we live in Florida and the way we live in Qatar.
Williams: Are there sensitivities involved as well politically with the regional governments, the host governments? I mean some people obviously, some Arabs dont like the presences of Americans in the region no matter how good a job you might be doing.
Robinson: I dont have to tell you any of those things -- all of that is obvious. What I will tell you is that were here with the permission of the Qatars and were doing our best to be good guests.
Williams: So why is Qatar risking so much? The answer is this man. Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani seized power from his father in a palace coup, started democratic reforms and spent millions setting up Al-Jazeera, which is ironic as he doesnt give interviews. Luring the Americans gave his country a powerful protector against at times aggressive neighbours but also made him some vocal critics. Najeeb al-Nuami is Qatars former Justice Minister. Like many Arabs he doesnt trust American intentions.
Najeeb al-Nuami: They want our territory, geographically speaking, you know, its a hot potato the Middle East. To have a permanent base you have to have a place that is selected. Our people here have accepted it and this is not debated with the people and it is wrong.
Williams: Now a human rights lawyer Najeeb accuses Al-Jazeera of protecting its patron - by ignoring hot topics in Qatar like the U.S. base.
Najeeb al-Nuami: Al-Jazeera?
Williams: What sort of things
Najeeb al-Nuami: Al-Jazeera should have people who are sitting there and debating issues about Qatar why not? Take for example now an agreement with the U.S. Did they ask anybody in the middle of the street did they agree or not?
Williams: To test these views we went to the street ourselves, and among the falcons and chickens of Qatars eclectic bird market we found some truth in Najeebs concerns about the American base.
Old man: This is the enemy coming in to take your property to govern you.
Young man: Well to be honest were not against it . Were not with it, but whatever our government says weve got to listen to it we obey orders and are a very peaceful country as you know.
Old man: I told you they cannot say anything, they cannot do anything. But what they feel is this is the enemy.
Williams: Most people?
Old man: Yes and why cant they say anything? Are they not allowed to speak?
Old man: Theyre afraid, theyre afraid.
Williams: Why?
Old man: You want me to say everything at one time.(laughs)
Williams: Why would they be afraid?
Old man: Why would they be afraid -- because the government is taking this line and they cannot say no.
Williams: Okay.
Old man: Okay?
Williams: Yes.
Najeeb al-Nuami: To really put Qatar as a focus for enemies of America will be enemies of Qatar.
Williams: This is not being debated?
Najeeb al-Nuami: No, no, nobody debating it
Faisal: Thats not true at all actually. Ive listened to such questions a lot. As far as Qatar is concerned, when something really important or of paramount importance happening in Qatar we would definitely do something about it, definitely. But as you know not too many things happen in Qatar.
Williams: Normally, nothing much does happen here but this is the mouse that roared. Qatars support for the Americans has earned it a place among Arab powers its backing of al-Jazeera given it a voice far beyond its size. The results could be far-reaching.
Faisal: Usually press freedoms or freedom of expression goes hand in hand with political freedom. In the Arab world sadly we dont have political freedom we are doing it the other way round; we are starting with freedom of expression, hoping in the future that we will achieve some kind of political freedom. So al-Jazeera has helped quite a lot in pushing the Arab people to do something about democracy, to think about democracy. And now, thanks to al-Jazeera, democracy is the talk of the town everywhere in the Arab world.
Williams: Its a noble goal but Al-Jazeeras broad reach has a more immediate focus. As America plunges deeper inside Iraq, Saddam hopes pictures of American capture or defeat can weaken Americas resolve.
Reporter: al-Jazeera received the first pictures of the killed and imprisoned American soldiers.
Williams: And as was seen recently in Yemen.
Reporter: Its a positive reaction together with all Arabic countries against the American invasion of Iraq.
Williams: If war in Iraq drags on - the images of death and destruction it beams in to Moslem homes around the world could fuel a wave of anti-western anger with unpredictable results.