Hizbullah has its own TV station. This doesn't make Hizbullah unique - the P.A. has TV stations and the Arabs often turn Western technologies against the West. But it does make it unique among acknowledged terrorist groups.

The station is called Al-Manar. The name stands for 'the Landmark'. [1] It started broadcasting in 1991 and it has grown in resources and reputation in the Arab world over the years.

The content, of course, is entirely propaganda. It is militant Islamist exhortation to violence against Israel's existence and the US presence in Iraq. Its satellite broadcasts present a broad Muslim perspective, while its terrestrial broadcasts present a more purely Shiite perspective. All things to all Muslims?

Like various other Arab countries and elements aiming to incite anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic sentiments, Al-Manar produces special series and movies for TV with anti-Semitic themes to broadcast during Ramadan [2], when television viewing is at its highest.

This is what the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special Studies (CSS) [3] in Israel has to say about al-Manar broadcasting during Ramadan. One file discribes a quiz show, where questions are just what you would expect. As background on al-Manar broadcasts, CSS writes:

"During the Moslem holy month of Ramadan, especially when the daily fast ends and socializing begins, television viewing peaks in the Arab and other Moslem countries. Al-Manar, the Hebzollah television station in Lebanon, broadcast an anti-Semitic series called al-Shataat (The Diaspora). The program's theme was an elaboration of the anti-Semitic libel which states that the Jews want to take over the world through the destabilization of world order.

"It should be noted that the program was also broadcast on al-Manar's satellite channel. It even reached Australia, where the national broadcasting authority banned the continuation of its screening in view of complaints about its blatant anti-Semitic content. In addition, the Australian Broadcasting Authority has even launched an enquiry into whether al-Manar breached anti-vilification guidelines and anti-terror laws by raising money for the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which was proscribed by the Australian government in June. (www.theage.com.au)"

al-Manar does a good many expensive dramatic programs and documentaries. CSS writes: [4]

"In 2001 and 2002 programs with anti-Semitic themes were broadcast during Ramadan and watched by millions of Moslems. In 2001 the Abu Dhabi television channel broadcast a series called Tales of Terrorism (Irhabiyyat) which featured anti-Semitic themes; for example Ariel Sharon, Israel's prime minister, was compared with Hitler and was depicted as enjoying killing Arab children and drinking their blood or using it to make matzoth at Passover (a classic anti-Semitic motif). In 2002 Egyptian television broadcast a series called Knight Without Horse, while Iranian TV broadcast a movie called Holy Mary. In late October, 2002, trailers from both the series and the movie were broadcast on al-Manar, the Lebanese television station of Hezbollah, a terrorist organization which throughout the year invests a great deal of effort in incitement against Israel and the Jewish people and in the spread of virulent anti-Semitic propaganda.

"On October 27, 2003, on the first day of Ramadan in Lebanon, al-Manar, the Hezbollah television station, broadcast the first episode of the anti-Semitic television series called al-Shataat (Disapora) on both its satellite and national channels. The series was produced in Syria where a great effort was made to finish the production in time for Ramadan. The program presents a pseudo-historical survey, riddled with distortions and lies, of the history of the Zionist movement from its beginnings in the 19th century until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. Al-Manar described he program as being the channel's leading and most important program (tuhfah) [5] for the month of Ramadan.

"In addition to the distortions and lies about the Jewish people, the Zionist movement and the State of Israel, the programs of the series are riddled with classic anti-Semitic motifs taken from the same European strain of anti-Semitism which produced The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The focus is on the "ploys and plots" of the Jews to "take over Europe and eventually the world," the existence of a global "Jewish government" [by which they mean conspiracy] to destabilize world order and the "conflict" between the Jewish people and the rest of the world."

They cite an article from Al-Hayyat al-Jadidah, October 30, 2003:

"The series was produced by Line, a company owned by the Syrian Nabil Tu'amah, at a cost of $1.5 million, the result of the series being filmed at 300 different locations in Syria. The original producer was a Jordanian named Azmi Mustafa, who planned the production but did not complete it because of "personal reasons." The script was written by Fathallah 'Amir. The production was finally completed by Nadhir Awad, a Syrian. Hundreds of Arab actors participated in the filming, among them some of Syria's most famous dramatic performers."

With this full-time station, Hizbullah reaches the entire Arab and Muslim worlds. This is terrorism with a "global reach." Al-Manar is particularly popular in Lebanon and in the P.A. It exerts a powerful effect on its audiences, second only to that of al-Jazeera. This effect bolsters its psychological warfare against Israel, and focuses the Arab world on the P.A. war on Israel. Broadcasting in Hebrew about the slaying of Israeli troops, Hizbullah hoped to dismay the Israeli public and promote defeatism. The station also hopes to undermine the US occupation of Iraq.

Despite losing money, the station bought a new building and top line equipment, and pays reporters around the world. Iran subsidizes it, but since foreign government subsidy is illegal, Iran gives the money to Hizbullah, which then turns it over to the station. The station does get foreign donations, including large ones from Muslim communities in the West. (Western governments fail to see the connection between Muslim immigration and terrorism. They are being politically correct. But it is better to be a live politically-incorrect than a dead multi-culturalist.)

Reporters get trained in subject matter and technique, sometimes by Reuters, and in propaganda. The music video fillers played between programs, constituting almost 30% of airtime, are solely propaganda. Their martial music, graphic imagery, and incitement to violence and martyrdom inspire to suicide bombing. The Hizbullah theme is that force works, viz. the precipitate Israeli retreat from Lebanon. (Actually, that retreat was not forced and Hizbullah was not winning. Leftist defeatists prompted that retreat for psycho-ideological reasons.) The same drumbeat of hatred and violence now is being directed against American leaders and policy.

Most of the male reporters were guerrillas. During the war in southern Lebanon, camera crews accompanied or even preceded the gunmen to battle scenes. They coordinated their positioning, so as to get the best footage with the greatest safety.

Now specializing in the Oslo war, al-Manar does not advise how to make explosives. Rather, it instills in audiences fervor for engaging in that war. It reports events, claims for responsibility for attacks, and terrorist strategy. Its reporters belong to or have ties with terrorist groups.

Al-Manar is not as far removed from the United States as some may think. It has picked up a mirror, the cable television program, "Mosaic: World News from the Middle East," which translates, edits and broadcasts segments of al-Manar television shows.

Diana Muir [6] writes that Al-Manar is broadcasting in the U.S.A. She cites Diana Appelbaum of Newton, Massachusetts:

"The program is available nationwide via Dish TV and Direct TV Satellite services, and over many PEG (public access cable) stations, including http://www.mnn.org (Manhattan), http://www.NewTV.org (Newton, MA) and others.

The Treasury Dept. has ruled that it is forbidden to enhance, edit, translate, or market material from listed terrorist organizations and proscribed nations. (see rulings below) If the rules can be extrapolated from printed matter to television programs, I believe that what Mosaic is doing may be prohibited. Mosaic translates some Iranian material from Farsi and probably can be said to "enhance" and "edit" the material as it selects and fits the sundry clips into a 29 minute format. There is also a prohibition on marketing material from banned countries and listed terrorist organizations, and the producers of Mosaic actively promote their program on radical list-servers and in the Arab-American media....

I live in Newton, Massachusetts, where an individual with extreme political views, Arthur Obermayer, has recently arranged for Mosaic to be carried on our Public Access cable channel. Our City Attorney believes that if it inquires into the legality of broadcasting Al Manar that the City will violate the civil rights of the individual who requested that the program be screened on our PEG channel. I am therefore writing to you in the hope that you will explore the question of whether the broadcast of Al Manar by the Mosaic program is against the law. And, I hope, spur the Treasure Department to look into the matter.

The relevant Department is Office of Foreign Assets Control, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Treasury Annex, 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Washington, DC 20220"

In the name of defending one individual's right to choose what to watch on TV - and helping thereby to choose what's available for others to watch - should the US simply wait for the troops and assassins to be flung against it? This major mass media campaign by a terrorist organization poses a threat to US interests and regional stability. The US would be wise to fight back now.

Avi Jorish, who has written an excellent and complete review of al-Manar [7], makes these recommendations for what the United States should do about al-Manar:

• "The Treasury Department should add al-Manar to the terrorism sanctions list.

• The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Asset Control should designate Hizbullah's four Lebanese banks - and other banks with which Hizbullah does business - as institutions harboring accounts of terrorist organizations. Correspondent banks could then seize their U.S.-based assets.

• The Foreign Terrorist Asset Tracking Center (FTATC), the inter-governmental task force responsible for monitoring terrorist financing, should begin monitoring al-Manar's advertised bank accounts.

• Congress should pass legislation banning American companies from advertising on any of Hizbullah's mass media outlets, and prohibiting U.S. media sources from purchasing footage or programming from al-Manar.[8]

• The United States should persuade states hosting al-Manar bureaus to close them. Additionally, Washington should work to persuade the governments of states that host al-Manar correspondents to ban them from reporting. House cleaning, however, should begin at home: the United States should close down al-Manar's Washington bureau and consider taking legal action against the bureau chief - identified as Muhammad Dalbah - as an American citizen who, in the words of U.S. law, "knowingly provides material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization."[9]

• The United States should encourage American and European satellite package providers to remove al-Manar from their packages.

• The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq should deport al-Manar's Iraq correspondents."

"Al-Manar is not a legitimate news organization or the rough equivalent of al-Jazeera. It is the propaganda arm of a listed terrorist organization, complicit in the full range of Hizbullah's activities. Treating it as such is an important first step in rolling back the gains made by Hizbullah during years of U.S. neglect."

FOOTNOTES:

[1.] Magda Abu-Fadil, "Hezbollah TV Claims Credit for Ousting Israelis," IPI Report, No.4, 2000. This article is archived at http://www.freemedia.at/IPIReport4.00/ipirep4.00_3.htm

[2.]  Ramadan is the holiest month of the Islamic religious calendar, during which Moslems fast during the daylight hours, when they often work shorter hours or stay at home.

[3.]  http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/t_as11_03/as.htm

[4.] http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/t_as11_03/as_almanar.htm

[5.]  Tuhfah is an Arabic expression with positive connotations, meaning - work of art - (usually historical). In this context it refers to a television program which in modern media-speak means the radio or television station's featured or special program.

"[6.] Diana Muir, "Al Manar, The Voice Of Hezbollah, On American Airwaves", March Blog-Ed Page, Think-Israel, March 11, 2004, (http://www.think-israel.org/mar04bloged.html).

[7.]  Avi Jorisch, "A-Manar: Hizbullah TV, 24/7", Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2004. This article is archived as http://www.meforum.org/article/583. Note that some of the material in my article is based on Jorisch's essay.

[8.]  Twenty-two members of the U.S. Congress have urged the U.S. government to prohibit U.S. companies from advertising on al-Manar; Henry Waxman letter, Dec. 10, 2002, at http://www.house.gov/waxman/news_files/pdfs/news_letters_al_manar_12_10_02.pdf.

[9.] United States Code, Title 18, Part I, Chapter 113B, Sec. 2339B.

Mr. Shulman is a veteran defender of Israel on several web-based forums. He provides cool information and right-on-target overviews. He distributes his essays by email. To subscribe, write him at ricshulman@aol.com.

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