Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center
at the Center for Special Studies (C.S.S)
 
November 6, 2005
 

The hate industry: during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan an independent Jordanian TV channel called Al-Mamnou broadcast 22 of the 29 episodes of “Al-Shatat,” an anti-Semitic Syrian-produced series (broadcast and distributed in the past by Hezbollah), causing a worldwide furor. The series exploits anti-Semitic stereotypes and myths, especially the blood libel. After Israeli and American organizations lodged protests with Jordan, the government banned the continued airing of the program. However, Al-Mamnou’s chairman said the program would return after Ramadan.

 

 
Scenes from the TV series Al-Shatat, the episode about the blood libel of killing a Christian child
for baking Passover matzoth (Al-Manar TV, October 2003)
 

During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when television viewing peaks, an independent Jordanian TV station called Al-Mamnou broadcast an anti-Semitic TV series called Al-Shatat (“The Exile” or “The Diaspora”). The series was produced in Syria and first broadcast on Hezbollah's Lebanese Al-Manar satellite channel in October-November 2003 (also during Ramadan) and by Iranian TV in 2004. That created a furor of protests around the world which led to the banning of Al-Manar broadcasts in France and other countries.

 

The series presents a warped, fallacious, anti-Semitic pseudo-historical survey of the Zionist movement from its beginnings at the turn of the 19 th century to the founding of the State of Israel. It exploits anti-Semitic myths taken whole from of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, including the blood libel, which accuses Jews of kneading the blood of a Christian child into the Passover matzoth. 1
 

Al-Mamnou 2 managed to broadcast 22 of the original 29 episodes before the Jordanians banned further broadcasting in response to pressure exerted on the government by various Israeli and American organizations (AP, October 30). After the series was taken off the air, the Jordanian embassy in the United States announced that the Jordanian government had been informed that the controversial program Al-Shatat had been aired on a private, independent channel called Al-Mamnou, operated by the Free Media City Company in Jordan which was subject to Jordanian law. 3 According to the announcement, because the series was suspected of propaganda inciting to hatred and violence, its broadcasting stopped as of October 25 (See Appendix). 4
 

Walid al-Hadidi , Al-Mamnou's chairman, said the show was taken off the air “for technical rather than political reasons.” He refused to comment as to whether the Jordanian government had exerted pressure on him. He noted that the series, which he claimed cost $1.25 million, would return after Ramadan (MEMRI report, October 23, 2005). It would therefore seem that the outrage of this blatantly crude anti-Semitic series has not yet ended.

 
Appendix
 


The text of the Jordanian Embassy's announcement about the termination of airing Al-Shatat

 

(From: MEMRI, October 28, 2005)

 

Embassy of Jordan - Washington , DC
Information Bureau
Official Statement

"It has come to our attention that a controversial program entitled 'Al-Shatat' or 'The Diaspora' has been broadcast from an independent/private channel entitled 'Mamnou' operating from the Free Media Zone in Jordan, which is not subject to Jordanian Law. The program itself was not broadcast from any Jordanian channel.
"'Al-Shatat' drew concerns for inciting hate. Accordingly, the program has been stopped from the private channel as of Tuesday, October 25th 2005. The termination was only done through personal intervention of responsible Jordanians.


"The Free Media Zone broadcasts different programs through 84 different channels and more channels are expected to emerge from the zone in the near future. The Government of Jordan does not monitor or control the content of any program broadcasting from the free zone, whether it is cultural, political, or otherwise. This is in accordance with the agreement between the government of Jordan and the Media Free Zone which is, in turn, affiliated with the Arab Media Company ART."


1 For further information see our Special Bulletins, “Terror and Anti-Semitism,” [Part 1] at http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/t_as11_03/as_almanar.htm , and http://www.intelligence.org.il/eng/sib/t_as12_03/as_tv.htm [Part 2].

2 Al-Mamnou is a new, independent satellite channel which began broadcasting in Jordan via NileSat. According to Walid al-Hadidi, Al-Mamnou's chairman, the channel will focus on social issues and a wide variety of subjects including Jordanian and Arab dramas (Jordan Times, October 13, according to www.natashatynes.org ).

3 The Free Media City Company is part of a free media zone initiated by the Jordanian government in 1999 as one aspect of an enterprise to develop Jordan 's regional media capability and help create job opportunities. According to promotional material, the company is responsible for media service investments including production and television studios, television broadcasting stations, Internet service provision, production and distribution of coded digital channels. It was officially opened by King Abdallah in March 2002, and was supposed to attract local and international investors. The Jordanian government passed special laws dealing with the ethical aspects of the zone which define the independence of the bodies active in it and which limit the Jordanian government's control over the contents of the programs broadcast. Since it was launched, 84 television channels have begun broadcasting from the zone and more are expected to join in the near future.

4 The text of the Jordanian embassy's announcement can be found in MEMRI report number 33 from October 28, 2005 (See Appendix).

 

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