Nobody ever demands the closure of any media outlet. It only happens when the outlet systematically sows the seeds of hate and incites acts of terrorism, as is the case with Qatar's Al-Jazeera channel. The channel was launched on November 1, 1996, as an Arabic news channel on the lines of BBC Arabic, under the catchy slogan, "Opinion, and the other opinion." But it soon turned out to be a menacing claw, abusing and inciting everyone, everything, and everywhere. With its staff of high caliber, it grew in popularity among the Arab people. This gave it the opportunity to influence the Arab street. It exploited this leverage and adopted a suspicious agenda by hobnobbing with terrorist forces and spreading their word. It portrayed militants and criminals as clerics and politicians. It soon emerged as a popular media arm of well-known terror groups, such as Al-Qaida, Brotherhood and Daesh. When a media house turns out to be a tool for advocating killing and bloodletting, spreading hate, and promoting criminal thoughts and practices, it is far removed from the values and traditional ethics that the media is known for. It had become imperative to cut off its venomous tongue to prevent it from spewing more poison. The media is an institution, and an industry that builds credibility with its neutrality. Everyone recognizes the value of such media. But when it becomes an instrument to spark hatred far and wide, it's a different story altogether. Al-Jazeera has neglected all values, traditions and media laws. It has adopted the path of incitement. It has caused rifts in the Islamic and Arab world. The closure of Al-Jazeera and other such channels is not only the demand of governments, but also of most Arab societies. Putting a stop to the media of terror is surely a step forward in the campaign to dry up terrorist resources.
