“You signify nothing in confronting the government.” This is what Iraqi premier Nouri Al-Maliki said a few days ago in an address to Al-Anbar protesters after he had previously described them as “bubbles.” The statement came after he had threatened those organizing the protests - which were mobilized weeks ago – saying that they must “end these protests before they are finished.” The same rhetoric has repeated itself over the past three years, reaching the point of monotony. Yet, despite this, the rhetoric cannot be ignored. Such rhetoric, adopted by an official to address citizens he supposedly cares for brings to mind recent memories such as when the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi described Libyan protesters as “rats.” The public statements made by Maliki were accompanied by security activities some of which were bloody and some of which targeted the media directly by shutting down ten Iraqi satellite channels accused of not being objective and of marketing strife. Of course the decision to shut down satellite channels or media outlets did not include any channel that sympathizes with the regime and which since day one of the protests has accused protesters of treason and of being Baathists and Al-Qaeda members. What further worsened the situation is how the official media outlets dealt with the footage of members of the army who have been killed. The regime's channels repeatedly broadcast footage of their corpses in a shocking manner in order to incite sectarian emotions, and they have almost totally overlooked the murdered and injured protesters. It is true that media outlets which supported the protesters also made accusations and triggered incitement by describing the army as “safavi” and by including several sectarian issues. But the authority's transformation into a civil and sectarian party is more scandalous. It is also true that shutting down ten satellite channels will not dry up the sources of tension. Blaming the problem on the media's performance seems to be a quick, repugnant excuse which people who lack wisdom in their attempt to cover up for their violations usually resort to. In this case, blaming the problem on an uncontrolled media is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the current Iraqi crisis. Perhaps shutting down channels that oppose Maliki is a move that aims to compensate for not directly dealing with reality. The media only shows divisions but it is politics that cause them. Simplifying problems and suggesting that they have been triggered by the media is a form of escape from the bigger facts that burden Iraq today. It is true that no one is exonerated for the spilling of Iraqi blood. It is also true that the opposition has also resorted to sectarian rhetoric. But the biggest responsibility falls on the Iraqi authority. When the authority becomes sectarian, acts as such and gets involved in regional confrontations for sectarian reasons, it becomes hard to control confrontations. The solution, in this case, is saying that the media is responsible for mobilization. Then, another move that falls within a sectarian context is carried out and media outlets are shut down. And therefore, more tension builds as a result. – Diana Moukalled is the Web Editor at the Lebanon-based Future Television. Follow her on Twitter @dianamoukalled
