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The '''Middle East Media Research Institute''', or '''MEMRI''' for short, is a [[Middle East]] press monitoring organization located in [[Washington, D.C.]], with branch offices in [[Jerusalem]], [[Berlin]], [[London]], and [[Tokyo]]. It provides translations of Arabic and |
The '''Middle East Media Research Institute''', or '''MEMRI''' for short, is a [[Middle East]] press monitoring organization located in [[Washington, D.C.]], with branch offices in [[Jerusalem]], [[Berlin]], [[London]], and [[Tokyo]]. It provides translations of Arabic and Persian media as well as original analyzes of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East. |
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MEMRI was founded in 1998 by its president [[Yigal Carmon]], a retired colonel from Israeli military intelligence, and the academic Dr. Meyrav Wurmser. The organization became more prominent after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], due to increased Western public interest in Arab and Iranian affairs. At that time, it expanded its staff considerably, setting up new branches outside the United States in early 2002. |
MEMRI was founded in 1998 by its president [[Yigal Carmon]], a retired colonel from Israeli military intelligence, and the academic Dr. Meyrav Wurmser. The organization became more prominent after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]], due to increased Western public interest in Arab and Iranian affairs. At that time, it expanded its staff considerably, setting up new branches outside the United States in early 2002. |
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MEMRI is one of the few free sources of English language translations of material published in Arabic and Persian. |
MEMRI is one of the few free sources of English language translations of material published in Arabic and Persian. MEMRI publishes its translations, analyzes, and in-depth reports on its Web site. MEMRI is regularly quoted by major international newspapers. The organization has attracted both praise and criticism for its work. |
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== Objectives and projects == |
== Objectives and projects == |
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MEMRI's |
MEMRI's "about us" page states, "The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the [[Western world|West]] and the [[Middle East]], providing timely translations of [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Persian language|Persian]], and [[Turkish language|Turkish]] media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."<ref name=AboutUs>[http://www.memri.org/aboutus.html MEMRI About Us], Memri.org, accessed July 23 2006</ref> |
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MEMRI's goals have evolved over the years, originally translating Arabic and Hebrew. Until 2001, its Mission Statement included a statement that "MEMRI relies on primary source material that it translates from the original Arabic and Hebrew. ... In its research, the institute emphasizes the continuing relevance of Zionism to the Jewish people and to the state of Israel."<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20010604211941/www.memri.org/about.html Memri.org Mission Statement], at web.archive.org, accessed July 2 2001</ref> |
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MEMRI's translated articles and media analysis focus on the following areas: |
MEMRI's translated articles and media analysis focus on the following areas: |
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Notable donors include the [[Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation]], $100,000 (for the "support of general operations");<ref name="MediaTransparency">[http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=2085 Recipient Grants report on MEMRI], MediaTransparency.org, accessed July 23 2006</ref> the [[Randolph Foundation]], $100,000;<ref name="MediaTransparency"/> the [[Harold Grinspoon Foundation]], (per annual report, for "Israel advocacy");<ref>[http://www.hgf.org/uploads/5436annual_report.pdf the Harold Grinspoon Foundation 2002-2004], accessed July 23 2006</ref> the [[Koret Foundation]], $20,000 (per annual report: "for Israel advocacy and education");<ref>[http://www.koretfoundation.org/pdf/spring2005.pdf Koret Foundation: Catalyst Spring 2005], accessed July 23 2006</ref> the [[Ronald & Mary Ann Lachman Foundation]], $7,500;<ref>[http://www.lachman.org/donations.html The Ronald and Mary Ann Lachman Foundation], accessed July 23 2006</ref> and the [[John M. Olin Foundation]], $5000 (for the "Jihad and Terrorism Project").<ref name="MediaTransparency"/> |
Notable donors include the [[Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation]], $100,000 (for the "support of general operations");<ref name="MediaTransparency">[http://www.mediatransparency.org/recipientgrants.php?recipientID=2085 Recipient Grants report on MEMRI], MediaTransparency.org, accessed July 23 2006</ref> the [[Randolph Foundation]], $100,000;<ref name="MediaTransparency"/> the [[Harold Grinspoon Foundation]], (per annual report, for "Israel advocacy");<ref>[http://www.hgf.org/uploads/5436annual_report.pdf the Harold Grinspoon Foundation 2002-2004], accessed July 23 2006</ref> the [[Koret Foundation]], $20,000 (per annual report: "for Israel advocacy and education");<ref>[http://www.koretfoundation.org/pdf/spring2005.pdf Koret Foundation: Catalyst Spring 2005], accessed July 23 2006</ref> the [[Ronald & Mary Ann Lachman Foundation]], $7,500;<ref>[http://www.lachman.org/donations.html The Ronald and Mary Ann Lachman Foundation], accessed July 23 2006</ref> and the [[John M. Olin Foundation]], $5000 (for the "Jihad and Terrorism Project").<ref name="MediaTransparency"/> |
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==Criticism == |
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==Anti-MEMRI and Pro-MEMRI Opinions== |
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===Anti-MEMRI=== |
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Much criticism against MEMRI is based on a pair of articles written in 2002 and 2005 respectively by [[Brian Whitaker]], the Middle East editor for the UK ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' newspaper who wrote that "the stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel."<ref name=SelectiveMemri>Brian Whitaker, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,773258,00.html Selective Memri], ''Guardian Unlimited'', Monday August 12, 2002</ref> |
Much criticism against MEMRI is based on a pair of articles written in 2002 and 2005 respectively by [[Brian Whitaker]], the Middle East editor for the UK ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' newspaper who wrote that "the stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel."<ref name=SelectiveMemri>Brian Whitaker, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,773258,00.html Selective Memri], ''Guardian Unlimited'', Monday August 12, 2002</ref> |
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[[Ibrahim Hooper]], a director of the [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]], claimed in the [[Washington Times]] that "MEMRI's intent is to find the worst possible quotes from the Muslim world and disseminate them as widely as possible."<ref name=SelectiveMemri/> |
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[[Hussein Ibish]], a spokesman for the [[American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee]] comments that "There is of course some horrific stuff in the Arab press, but one tends to forget that the American press can also be very nasty. MEMRI performs a useful function but unfortunately they have a pro-Israel, right-wing agenda."<ref name=Perelman>, Marc Perelman, “No Longer Obscure, MEMRI Translates the Arab World: But Detractors Say a Right-Wing Agenda Distorts Think-Tank's Service to Journalists,” Forward, December 7, 2001.</ref> |
[[Hussein Ibish]], a spokesman for the [[American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee]] comments that "There is of course some horrific stuff in the Arab press, but one tends to forget that the American press can also be very nasty. MEMRI performs a useful function but unfortunately they have a pro-Israel, right-wing agenda."<ref name=Perelman>, Marc Perelman, “No Longer Obscure, MEMRI Translates the Arab World: But Detractors Say a Right-Wing Agenda Distorts Think-Tank's Service to Journalists,” Forward, December 7, 2001.</ref> |
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[[Ken Livingstone]], former British MP and the current Mayor of London, has accused MEMRI of "outright distortion".<ref name=MondeDiplomatique> {{cite news | title=Propaganda that widens the Arab-West divide - Gained in translation | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://mondediplo.com/2005/10/15propaganda}} See in French (freely available) {{cite news | title=Traduction ou trahison? Désinformation à l’israélienne. | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2005/09/EL_OIFI/12796#nb11}} (Persian translation also available for free [http://ir.mondediplo.com/article716.html here])</ref> In the foreword to a report he commissioned to explain his reasons for meeting with controversial Muslim scholar [[Yusuf al-Qaradawi]], he states his opinion that MEMRI "tend to portray Islam in a very negative light." <ref name="LivingstonePress"> [http://www.london.gov.uk/news/docs/qaradawi_dossier.pdf Mayor of London Press Release]</ref> |
[[Ken Livingstone]], former British MP and the current Mayor of London, has accused MEMRI of "outright distortion".<ref name=MondeDiplomatique> {{cite news | title=Propaganda that widens the Arab-West divide - Gained in translation | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://mondediplo.com/2005/10/15propaganda}} See in French (freely available) {{cite news | title=Traduction ou trahison? Désinformation à l’israélienne. | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2005/09/EL_OIFI/12796#nb11}} (Persian translation also available for free [http://ir.mondediplo.com/article716.html here])</ref> In the foreword to a report he commissioned to explain his reasons for meeting with controversial Muslim scholar [[Yusuf al-Qaradawi]], he states his opinion that MEMRI "tend to portray Islam in a very negative light." <ref name="LivingstonePress"> [http://www.london.gov.uk/news/docs/qaradawi_dossier.pdf Mayor of London Press Release]</ref> |
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The accuracy of MEMRI's translations is sometimes disputed. For example, a controversy arose over MEMRI's translation of the Arabic word "[[wilayah]]" in the [[2004 Osama bin Laden video]] which they interpreted as "state" in the sense of a [[US state]] rather than a [[nation-state]]. This translation was widely reported since MEMRI was using their translation to suggest that bin Laden was voicing support for Kerry in the 2004 presidential election by threatening terrorist attacks only against those US states that had majority votes for Bush. mediamatters.org argues that "MEMRI's translation differed from other translations" and "MEMRI's translation has been challenged by a number of scholars and experts".<ref name=Media> [http://mediamatters.org/items/200601200010 Disputed Claim that bin Laden Warned U.S. States] MediaMatters.org January 20, 2006</ref><ref name=Osama/> Ramona Smith wrote in the ''Philadelphia Daily News'' that "Cole said the Arabic word used by bin Laden does appear to be an archaic usage but that the research institute's other assumptions made no sense." Terrorist expert Bruce Hoffman agreed with Cole's analysis, commenting that it's "a stretch to say that bin Laden is saying how each state should vote.'"<ref>Ramona Smith, "Did Osama send election threat?," ''Philadelphia Daily News'' (2 November 2004).</ref> |
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===Pro-MEMRI=== |
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[[Yigal Carmon]], MEMRI President, in response to various criticisms has denied that MEMRI has an agenda, stating that "We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it."<ref name=Debate/> Carmon has denied that MEMRI is unfairly selective in the articles that it chooses to translate: "Are the examples chosen extreme? While some of the topics covered do seem extreme to the western reader, they are an accurate representation of what appears in the Arab and Persian media. ... If mainstream papers repeatedly publish the Jewish blood libel; accuse Jews and Americans of deliberately spreading Aids or the US of dropping genetically modified foods with the intention of harming people in Afghanistan ... MEMRI is entitled to translate these articles."<ref name=Debate/> |
[[Yigal Carmon]], MEMRI President, in response to various criticisms has denied that MEMRI has an agenda, stating that "We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it."<ref name=Debate/> Carmon has denied that MEMRI is unfairly selective in the articles that it chooses to translate: "Are the examples chosen extreme? While some of the topics covered do seem extreme to the western reader, they are an accurate representation of what appears in the Arab and Persian media. ... If mainstream papers repeatedly publish the Jewish blood libel; accuse Jews and Americans of deliberately spreading Aids or the US of dropping genetically modified foods with the intention of harming people in Afghanistan ... MEMRI is entitled to translate these articles."<ref name=Debate/> |
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==Praise== |
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[[Thomas L. Friedman]], a political opinion columnist for the ''[[New York Times]]'', credits MEMRI with helping to "shine a spotlight on hate speech wherever it appears" and "presenting the voices of the...courageous Arab or Muslim intellectual, cleric or columnist (who) publishes an essay in his or her media calling on fellow Muslims to deal with the cancer in their midst. The truth tellers' words also need to be disseminated globally." Friedman quotes [[Husain Haqqani]], author of the book 'Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military': "The rulers in these countries have no interest in amplifying the voices of moderates because the moderates often disagree with the rulers as much as they disagree with the extremists...You have to deal us moderates into the game by helping to amplify our voices and exposing the extremists and their amen corner."<ref>[http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,366285,00.html Giving the Hatemongers No Place to Hide] reprinted in Der Spiegel Online</ref></blockquote> |
[[Thomas L. Friedman]], a political opinion columnist for the ''[[New York Times]]'', credits MEMRI with helping to "shine a spotlight on hate speech wherever it appears" and "presenting the voices of the...courageous Arab or Muslim intellectual, cleric or columnist (who) publishes an essay in his or her media calling on fellow Muslims to deal with the cancer in their midst. The truth tellers' words also need to be disseminated globally." Friedman quotes [[Husain Haqqani]], author of the book 'Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military': "The rulers in these countries have no interest in amplifying the voices of moderates because the moderates often disagree with the rulers as much as they disagree with the extremists...You have to deal us moderates into the game by helping to amplify our voices and exposing the extremists and their amen corner."<ref>[http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/0,1518,366285,00.html Giving the Hatemongers No Place to Hide] reprinted in Der Spiegel Online</ref></blockquote> |
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[[Brad Sherman]], a [[Congressman]] and ranking member of the [[United States]] [[House of Representatives]] International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Non-proliferation, wrote the introduction to a MEMRI report on Arab and Iranian reactions to 9/11: "Since MEMRI's inception eight years ago, Americans and others in the West have had at least one outstanding source of information on the media of the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. MEMRI provides timely translations of materials that you will find nowhere else. As a member of Congress on the House International Relations Committee, and the top Democratic member of its Terrorism Subcommittee, I have utilized MEMRI.org to better understand the Middle East and its political culture."<ref>[http://www.memrifilms.org/files/foreword.pdf Introduction to the MEMRI Compilation on the Arab and Iranian Reactions to 9/11]</ref> |
[[Brad Sherman]], a [[Congressman]] and ranking member of the [[United States]] [[House of Representatives]] International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Non-proliferation, wrote the introduction to a MEMRI report on Arab and Iranian reactions to 9/11: "Since MEMRI's inception eight years ago, Americans and others in the West have had at least one outstanding source of information on the media of the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. MEMRI provides timely translations of materials that you will find nowhere else. As a member of Congress on the House International Relations Committee, and the top Democratic member of its Terrorism Subcommittee, I have utilized MEMRI.org to better understand the Middle East and its political culture."<ref>[http://www.memrifilms.org/files/foreword.pdf Introduction to the MEMRI Compilation on the Arab and Iranian Reactions to 9/11]</ref> |
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==See also== |
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== References == |
== References == |
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* [http://www.thememriblog.org/ TheMEMRIBlog Official Site] |
* [http://www.thememriblog.org/ TheMEMRIBlog Official Site] |
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* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.memri.org MEMRI site archived - snapshots of the MEMRI site from its inception onwards] |
* [http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.memri.org MEMRI site archived - snapshots of the MEMRI site from its inception onwards] |
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===MEMRI Watch sites=== |
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* [http://www.memriwatch.org/ MEMRI Watch] |
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===Controversy=== |
===Controversy=== |
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*[http://www.counterpunch.org/harris01152003.html A Note on MEMRI & Translations]by Leah Harris, ''Counterpunch'' |
*[http://www.counterpunch.org/harris01152003.html A Note on MEMRI & Translations]by Leah Harris, ''Counterpunch'' |
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== Other sources of Arabic/Persian to English media translations == |
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*[http://www.asharqalawsat.com/english/ English translations] from ''[[Ash-Sharq al-Awsat]]'' newspaper |
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*[http://english.daralhayat.com/ English translations] from ''[[Al-Hayat]]'' newspaper |
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*[http://www.iwpr.net/index.php?iraq_ipm_index.html Iraqi Press Monitor] daily summaries from the Iraqi media from the [[Institute for War and Peace Reporting]] |
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*[http://www.mideastwire.com/index.php Mideastwire] Translation organization based in Beirut |
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[[Category:Criticism of journalism]] |
[[Category:Criticism of journalism]] |
Revision as of 12:29, 21 January 2007
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f3/Memrilogo.jpg)
The Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI for short, is a Middle East press monitoring organization located in Washington, D.C., with branch offices in Jerusalem, Berlin, London, and Tokyo. It provides translations of Arabic and Persian media as well as original analyzes of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.
MEMRI was founded in 1998 by its president Yigal Carmon, a retired colonel from Israeli military intelligence, and the academic Dr. Meyrav Wurmser. The organization became more prominent after the September 11, 2001 attacks, due to increased Western public interest in Arab and Iranian affairs. At that time, it expanded its staff considerably, setting up new branches outside the United States in early 2002.
MEMRI is one of the few free sources of English language translations of material published in Arabic and Persian. MEMRI publishes its translations, analyzes, and in-depth reports on its Web site. MEMRI is regularly quoted by major international newspapers. The organization has attracted both praise and criticism for its work.
Objectives and projects
MEMRI's "about us" page states, "The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."[1]
MEMRI's translated articles and media analysis focus on the following areas:
- Jihad and Terrorism Studies Project
- U.S. And the Middle East
- Reform in the Middle East and North Africa
- Arab-Israeli Conflict
- Inter-Arab Relations
- Antisemitism Documentation Project
In addition to press translations, it regularly publishes media analyses and in-depth studies relating to Middle Eastern affairs.
Staff
In its original website of 1998, MEMRI listed 6 staff members: its President and cofounder Yigal Carmon, cofounder Meyrav Wurmser (Executive Director), Aaron Mannes (Director of Research), Yotam Feldner (Director of Media Analysis), Stacey Lakind (Research Associate), and Aluma Solnick (Research Associate). Stacey Lakind left in late 1998, and Aaron Mannes in early 2001; the others were still MEMRI staff as of October 5, 2001, when MEMRI stopped listing its employees on its website. Meyrav Wurmser left in early 2002 to join the Hudson Institute; she was replaced as Executive Director by Steven Stalinsky.
It now has a much larger number of employees ("17, plus translators" in January 2002 [2], "over 30" in August 2002 of which 20 translators, current number unknown); citing bomb threats, it provides no information on their identities, beyond stating that they are "of different nationalities" and sometimes including by-lines on reports. Yigal Carmon has stated that "...staff include people of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths and they hold a range of political views"[3]
Prominent staff
- Yigal Carmon — MEMRI's President. He served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Intelligence Branch from 1968 to 1988. From 1977 to 1982 he was the Acting Head of Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria and the Advisor on Arab Affairs to the Civil Administration. Following Col. Carmon's retirement from the IDF he was advisor to Premiers Shamir and Rabin for Countering Terrorism from 1988 to 1993. In 1991 and 1992 he was a senior member of the Israeli Delegation to peace negotiations with Syria in Madrid and Washington.
- Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli received a Ph.D. in development planning from the University of Michigan. He spent most of his professional career at the World Bank, and has consulted for the International Monetary Fund. Dr. Raphaeli, an Iraqi-born, joined the Middle Media Research Institute (MEMRI)as a senior analyst in 2001.
- Prof. Menahem Milson (Academic Advisor), is a professor at Hebrew University in Arabic literature, and has served as head of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. He has published extensively on modern Egyptian writers. His book on Egypt's great humanist, Najib Mahfuz - Najib Mahfuz: The Novelist-Philosopher of Cairo - appeared in 1998.
Financial support
MEMRI is registered in the US with the IRS as a 501(c)3,[1] which means that it is exempt from federal taxation on income. Jay Nordlinger wrote, in the National Review, that "MEMRI exists entirely on private donations — there are about 250 donors, including some foundations — and will not accept any government money, as a matter of policy."[4]
Notable donors include the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation, $100,000 (for the "support of general operations");[5] the Randolph Foundation, $100,000;[5] the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, (per annual report, for "Israel advocacy");[6] the Koret Foundation, $20,000 (per annual report: "for Israel advocacy and education");[7] the Ronald & Mary Ann Lachman Foundation, $7,500;[8] and the John M. Olin Foundation, $5000 (for the "Jihad and Terrorism Project").[5]
Criticism
Much criticism against MEMRI is based on a pair of articles written in 2002 and 2005 respectively by Brian Whitaker, the Middle East editor for the UK Guardian newspaper who wrote that "the stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel."[9]
Ibrahim Hooper, a director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, claimed in the Washington Times that "MEMRI's intent is to find the worst possible quotes from the Muslim world and disseminate them as widely as possible."[9]
Hussein Ibish, a spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee comments that "There is of course some horrific stuff in the Arab press, but one tends to forget that the American press can also be very nasty. MEMRI performs a useful function but unfortunately they have a pro-Israel, right-wing agenda."[10]
William Rugh, former US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, describes MEMRI as a service which "does not present a balanced or complete picture of the Arab print media. ...Quotes are selected to portray Arabs as preaching hatred against Jews and westerners, praising violence and refusing any peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue."[11]
Ken Livingstone, former British MP and the current Mayor of London, has accused MEMRI of "outright distortion".[12] In the foreword to a report he commissioned to explain his reasons for meeting with controversial Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi, he states his opinion that MEMRI "tend to portray Islam in a very negative light." [13]
Response to Criticism
Yigal Carmon, MEMRI President, in response to various criticisms has denied that MEMRI has an agenda, stating that "We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it."[3] Carmon has denied that MEMRI is unfairly selective in the articles that it chooses to translate: "Are the examples chosen extreme? While some of the topics covered do seem extreme to the western reader, they are an accurate representation of what appears in the Arab and Persian media. ... If mainstream papers repeatedly publish the Jewish blood libel; accuse Jews and Americans of deliberately spreading Aids or the US of dropping genetically modified foods with the intention of harming people in Afghanistan ... MEMRI is entitled to translate these articles."[3]
Praise
Thomas L. Friedman, a political opinion columnist for the New York Times, credits MEMRI with helping to "shine a spotlight on hate speech wherever it appears" and "presenting the voices of the...courageous Arab or Muslim intellectual, cleric or columnist (who) publishes an essay in his or her media calling on fellow Muslims to deal with the cancer in their midst. The truth tellers' words also need to be disseminated globally." Friedman quotes Husain Haqqani, author of the book 'Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military': "The rulers in these countries have no interest in amplifying the voices of moderates because the moderates often disagree with the rulers as much as they disagree with the extremists...You have to deal us moderates into the game by helping to amplify our voices and exposing the extremists and their amen corner."[14]
Richard Holbrooke, a former US Assistant Secretary of State, is quoted on the MEMRI website: "Through its Reform Project, MEMRI includes the newly-emerging liberal voices of reform and hope, as well as disturbing echoes of ancient hatreds. Without the valuable research of MEMRI, the non-Arabic speaking world would not have this indispensable window. MEMRI’s Reform Project monitors advocates of reform and liberalism in the Arab and Islamic world, the issues they contend with, as well as the obstacles they face." [citation needed].
Brad Sherman, a Congressman and ranking member of the United States House of Representatives International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Non-proliferation, wrote the introduction to a MEMRI report on Arab and Iranian reactions to 9/11: "Since MEMRI's inception eight years ago, Americans and others in the West have had at least one outstanding source of information on the media of the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. MEMRI provides timely translations of materials that you will find nowhere else. As a member of Congress on the House International Relations Committee, and the top Democratic member of its Terrorism Subcommittee, I have utilized MEMRI.org to better understand the Middle East and its political culture."[15]
See also
Mosaic: World News from the Middle East -Selections of daily TV news programs produced by national broadcasters throughout the Middle East.
References
- ^ a b MEMRI About Us, Memri.org, accessed July 23 2006
- ^ Jewish Journal jewishjournal.com, January 18 2002
- ^ a b c Email debate: Yigal Carmon and Brian Whitaker at Guardian Unlimited, January 28 2003
- ^ Thanks for the MEMRI (.org) Jay Nordlinger, National Review, September 13 2004, accessed July 23 2006
- ^ a b c Recipient Grants report on MEMRI, MediaTransparency.org, accessed July 23 2006
- ^ the Harold Grinspoon Foundation 2002-2004, accessed July 23 2006
- ^ Koret Foundation: Catalyst Spring 2005, accessed July 23 2006
- ^ The Ronald and Mary Ann Lachman Foundation, accessed July 23 2006
- ^ a b Brian Whitaker, Selective Memri, Guardian Unlimited, Monday August 12, 2002
- ^ , Marc Perelman, “No Longer Obscure, MEMRI Translates the Arab World: But Detractors Say a Right-Wing Agenda Distorts Think-Tank's Service to Journalists,” Forward, December 7, 2001.
- ^ Language matters by Brian Whitaker at Guardian Unlimited. September 28, 2005
- ^ "Propaganda that widens the Arab-West divide - Gained in translation". Le Monde Diplomatique. October 2005. See in French (freely available) "Traduction ou trahison? Désinformation à l'israélienne". Le Monde Diplomatique. October 2005. (Persian translation also available for free here)
- ^ Mayor of London Press Release
- ^ Giving the Hatemongers No Place to Hide reprinted in Der Spiegel Online
- ^ Introduction to the MEMRI Compilation on the Arab and Iranian Reactions to 9/11
External links
MEMRI Web sites
- MEMRI Official Site
- MEMRI German Official Site
- MEMRITV Official Site
- TheMEMRIBlog Official Site
- MEMRI site archived - snapshots of the MEMRI site from its inception onwards
Controversy
- Thanks for the MEMRI
- Debate between Yigal Carmon and Ali Abunimah
- A Note on MEMRI & Translationsby Leah Harris, Counterpunch