Asian
Age
100 e-mails to
victory
By
Khaled Al-Maeena
November 26, 2001
The
terrible events of September 11 have pushed us onto a new
battlefield in the media war. As befits the 21st century and its
technology, the battlefield is in the electronic media.
Immediately after the incident, Arab websites were flooded with
visitors, especially from the West and all wanted accurate
information about Arabs and Muslims.
Unfortunately, not a great deal was available. A few years ago, I
set up several websites which provided basic information of the
sort people were seeking. As is so often the case with projects
which produce intangible returns, lack of support and indifference
ultimately forced us to abandon the sites.
In
the first days after the attacks, we noticed that people were
going to Arab News for information and a view that was not
available in their own countries. Our online edition registered
thousands of hits every day; at one point, there were more than
150,000 hits in a single day!
The
result of all these hits on our website was floods of e-mails from
all over the world. We have been inundated with them and to our
joy, many of them agreed with us. To be sure, there was also a
large number of hate mails mainly from the United States which
after all was the country where the attacks took place.
And
also the country whose people were most shocked and perhaps
understandably initially at least the most unwilling to look at
what might have been the causes of such horrible actions. Under
the circumstances, foul language, threats and accusations were
hurled at us; we were accused of everything that had ever gone
wrong in history; we were blamed for things which, at the time
they occurred, we Arabs knew little or nothing about.
I
made it a point to answer as many of these e-mails as possible; it
was surely a Herculean labour and my colleagues thought I had
taken leave of my senses. Nonetheless, set answers and responses
were created for recurring questions and accusations; we made a
point of focusing on the subject and not allowing our emotions to
gain the upper hand in our responses.
I
have long been a believer in the ancient saying: “A soft answer
turneth away wrath” and I found that it was still true. I wrote
polite answers to as many e-mails as possible. I offered the
writers our sympathy for what had happened and mentioned our own
horror and outrage as well. I took particular care to point out
and explain that Islam had nothing to do with the attacks. That
the attackers called themselves Muslims had no more relevance than
IRA bombers calling themselves Christians.
My
own personal experience and that of many others has been that
Americans are basically fair-minded people. They want the truth
but the truth is not always easily and readily available to them;
to their credit, they often realise this and seek information from
other sources. This is where arabnews.com has assumed an
unexpected and unforeseen importance.
Once
I had responded thoughtfully to some of the more emotional and
critical e-mails, I was amazed at what followed. The writers toned
down their aggression; they were no longer abusive and ideas began
to circulate and be exchanged. The anti-Arab and anti-Islamic
tirades were quietly forgotten and slipped into the realm of
regrettable past mistakes.
A
dialogue had begun and in it, there was understanding and concern
and a willingness to admit that, however painful it might be,
perhaps America too had its faults. This is exactly what I meant
in the opening lines about a new media battlefield, a battlefield
where we can fight with understanding, knowledge and tact. And in
so doing, we can win some important victories.
It
would surely be worthwhile to give some examples from the e-mails
which have come to us at Arab News and to me personally. Many
Americans have said that they cannot understand Washington’s blind
and uncritical support for Israel. One man criticised US President
George W. Bush very strongly for using the word “crusade”.
Young people wanted to know about the lives of Saudi youth. Many
wanted to know why we hated them. I was able to assure these
people that despite what they may have heard and what much of the
mainstream American media was telling them that we did not hate
the American people.
We
certainly are not always happy or pleased with American government
policies but we are able to make a distinction between policies
and individuals and the same things that had always attracted us
to America still attracted us: its freedom, its openness, its
frankness.
We
were also very pleased and flattered to be sent pictures of some
of the writers and their families. They invited us to visit if we
came to the United States. As they pointed out, they would hardly
have sent pictures if they had felt hate or disgust toward us.
In
conclusion, I offer a few quotes from some of the e-mails. A
Jewish woman wrote: “Your online newspaper is becoming an
increasingly valuable source of information for Europeans and
Americans who bother to search for the truth.”
And
from a Canadian, “I appreciate your coverage of the Afghan affair.
It provides a nice balance to the US coverage and even some of the
Canadian/British coverage.” A woman who identified herself as “not
Jewish, Christian or Muslim” wrote that she had been appalled by
what was going on in Palestine.
“I
searched the Internet for any Palestinian e-mail address I could
find. I wrote about 100 e-mails. I explained that I was an
American and I was saddened and sorry about the recent Israeli
transgressions... Many people wrote back. They were so happy to
get a kind and positive e-mail from an American. I have been
overwhelmed by their kindness and patience in educating me and
their willingness to be my friend. One woman passed my e-mail
address on to her sisters, brothers and her father. I have been
writing to them daily and each day I am learning more and more.” A
victory indeed on the electronic battlefield. I couldn’t be more
pleased.
Khaled Al-Maeena is the editor-in-chief of Arab News
