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Memri
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Qatar Incites Renewal Of Arab Spring, Hopes For Fall Of 'Tyrannical' Arab Regimes, Especially Egyptian Regime
In the recent months, and especially since the downfall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime in Syria in December 2024, the Qatari press, both Qatar-based and London-based, has published articles and cartoons encouraging the renewed outbreak of protests and uprising like those of the Arab Spring, but even more intensive and violent, that would lead to the collapse of the Arab regimes, in particular the regime of Egypt. The articles claim that the factors that led to the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2010 – including dire economic and social conditions, injustice, inequality and tyranny – still hold in most of the Arab countries and have even increased. These factors are therefore bound to provoke another wave of the Arab Spring, even more forceful than the previous one, which will topple the 'tyrannical regimes' in the Arab countries. The articles claim further that the fall of the Assad regime has sparked new hope in the hearts of the peoples and serves as a lesson to the tyrants who think that "they own the country and the people' and believe themselves to be 'exempt from accountability and punishment.' The resurgence of the Arab Spring, they say, is 'inevitable' and will be like a "raging flood' that will 'sweep [the tyrants] away into the trashcan of history.' The articles hint especially at the need to overthrow the Egyptian regime, by making suggestive references to 'Pharaohs,' to Tahrir Square (the name of the Cairo square that was the epicenter of the protests against the Mubarak regimes in 2011), to 'tyrannical military regimes,' hinting at the regime of Abd Al-Fattah Al-Sisi, and to the deteriorating economic situation.[1] Similar messages were conveyed on social media by journalists, public-opinion shapers and others in Qatar. Cartoon in Qatari daily: "The new Arab Spring" is reemerging from the grave (Al-Watan, Qatar, December 11, 2024) In this context it is important to note that the Qatari regime, which encouraged and fanned the flames of the Arab Spring protests that began in 2010, especially by means of its Al-Jazeera Network, is itself highly despotic, and even abolished parliamentary elections in the country recently.[2] This report presents the discourse in Qatar on the hope for a resurgence of the Arab Spring after the downfall of the Assad regime in Syria. Articles In Qatari Press: The New Arab Spring, Which Is Imminent, Will Be More Violent Than The Previous One And Will Topple The Tyrants As mentioned, since the fall of the Assad regime, the Qatari press, both within the country and outside it, has published many articles claiming that the causes of the Arab Spring are still in place and predicting that the fall of the Assad regime would reignite the Arab Spring in additional Arab countries and lead to the ouster of their 'tyrannical regimes.' Qatari Economist: The Factors That Caused The Arab Spring Have Only Grown Stronger; It Will Re-erupt In Full Force And Sweep The Tyrants Into The Trashcan Of History In an article titled 'The Pharoah Family and the Arab Spring – Is the [Arab] Spring Dead?', published in two Qatari dailies – Al-Arabi Al-Jadid and Al-Sharq – in early March 2025, Qatari economist Khalid Bin Rashed Al-Khater wrote that the factors that led to the Arab Spring are still in place, and have in fact intensified, and are therefore likely to cause a new Arab Spring, more violent than the previous one. He wrote: 'Whoever thinks the Arab Spring is over is mistaken and should think again. The proof is what transpired in Syria; the causes of the [Arab] Spring are still there and we await the next location… 'The causes of the next [Arab] Spring are valid, and when the conditions are ripe and the circumstances are fitting, [we will discover] that what we have seen of it was not the end but the beginning, and its first wave, which may be followed by waves unlike those that came before, each more powerful than the last, like rain that pours down relentlessly and [gives rise to] stronger plants and a better and more glorious spring. Whoever thinks that the Arab Spring was buried alive by the military oppression or the plots hatched with the West and the East is mistaken. On the contrary, the oppression is [just] a test, a preparation, a price that must be paid and a phase that must be experienced in advance of what is to come… Will the price be high and the change be difficult? Or will the lesson of the Syrian experience be learned, making [the trials] less difficult and easier to swallow?... 'What occurred in Syria is a lesson for the tyrants, but the Pharoah mentality is immutable… The Pharoah family seems to suffer from a particular syndrome – the Pharoah Syndrome or mental blindness, also called a 'disconnect from reality' – which tyrants contract sooner or later, as exemplified by Pharoah, Nimrod [a tyrant mentioned in the Bible and the Quran], [Muammar] Gaddafi, Bashar [Al-Assad] and others who cleave to their throne and only death can remove them from it. These are people whose arrogance and vanity cause them mental blindness and who think that they own the country and the people… and that they are exempt from accountability and punishment… 'The members of the Pharoah family are numerous. Oh how numerous they are in our time… [When I say Pharoah] the reference is clearly not just to Pharoah of Moses's time, for there are many pharaohs and tyrants like him [today], some of whom may have spilled more blood than he did, sowed devastation and destruction and tyrannized the Muslims. But it is Pharoah who represents them and he is their role model and their leader… Every despot who rules tyrannically and sows devastation and destruction everywhere, like Pharoah did, is a member of the Pharoah dynasty … 'The Arab Spring is not dead and shouldn't be dead, because the reasons for it are still alive and have even deepened. The corrupt regimes have increased their corruption and tyranny and the condition of the peoples has deteriorated. At the same time, [the peoples] have become more aware and grown in conviction, and know how to extricate themselves [from tyranny]. And whoever bets on his ability to stop them from doing so when they really want to is like one who futilely stands in the path of a raging flood that will sooner or later will sweep him away into the trashcan of history. There is no way back and no other option for these [tyrants, who must either] enact reforms or step down… 'The fear is that an Arab Spring will arrive, more violent than the previous one, as a natural reaction to: the counter-coups, the regimes' barbaric repression of the [Arab Spring's] first wave, the absence of solutions, the loss of hope, the worsening of the political and economic situation and the forcing of more debt on the state than it can endure – so much so that [the state] has shackled its own sovereignty to the long economic arm of the old Western imperialism and to a policy that pretends to be reform but in fact [only] adds fuel to the fire and makes the bad [situation] even worse. 'According to the literature on political economy, nations rise up when they see that the benefits of rebelling are greater than the benefits of refraining from doing so. The deeper the peoples' plight and despair, the stronger the motives for rebellion and the greater and more promising its anticipated rewards. In any case, the wheel of time does not turn back. There may be a delay or difficulties, and money may play some role or other, but it will not stop [the rebellion] as long as the conditions are present and the circumstances are right… 'The time for everything is inscribed in the Book'[3] and indeed this is the nation of the Quran and it shall not perish…'[4] Cartoon in Qatari daily: 'The despotic regimes' are on the brink of collapse (Al-Watan, Qatar, December 24, 2024) Article In Qatari Daily: Most Of The Despotic Arab Regimes Will Go The Way Of The Assad Regime; This Is Inevitable In his December 25, 2024 column in the London-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi, titled 'The Renewed Waves of the Arab Spring after the Fall of the Regime of the Tyrant Bashar Al-Assad,' columnist Nabil Al-Sahli likewise predicted that Assad's downfall would reignite the Arab Spring and sweep away tyrannical regimes of most Arab countries. He wrote: 'The recent overthrow of the despotic Bashar Al-Assad regime by the Syrian people strongly gives rise to several questions, chiefly: Will the squares of change and freedom[5] in most Arab countries see a second wave of the Arab Spring that will sweep away the despotic military regimes? Especially given that the phenomena of poverty and want, and the absence of justice, dignity and citizen [rights] are still prevalent… 'Those who follow [the events] see that the iron fist of the regimes that have ruled most of the Arab countries for decades is growing heavier. But the gravest thing is that, in the past decade, these countries have begun to rely, extensively and prominently, on sectarian militias and gangs, either local or cross-border ones, at the expense of the state institutions… "Arab and other Third World countries spend more on the military sphere than on economic and social development, infrastructure, job-creation, education, healthcare, scientific research and other areas… Most of the Arab peoples are collapsing under the sword of exile, poverty and want. This is in addition to the rising rates of ignorance and to the growing loss of Arab capital and human capital that goes to Western countries like the U.S. and the countries of Europe. [These countries] have strong and developed economies, whereas the external debt of Arab countries reached more than $1.5 trillion in 2023. All these dreary indications are an earthquake caused by the tyrannical Arab regimes that rule the Arab peoples. As a result, the recent fall of the regime of the tyrant Bashar Al-Assad is bound to be followed by new and wide-ranging waves of Arab Spring, in demand of justice, freedom and dignity, until the tyrannical regimes are overthrown. This is the inevitable future…'[6] Cartoon in Qatari daily: "The fate of dictators throughout history" (Al-Watan, Qatar, January 14, 2025) Qatari Journalist: The Course-Correction Of The Arab Spring Is Starting Again In Syria On December 12, 2024, shortly after the downfall of the Assad regime, Qatari journalist Abdallah Al-Amadi, a columnist for the Al-Sharq daily, wrote that the course-correction of the Arab Spring had begun, and referred to this as 'the return of [the Prophet] Muhammad's army to disseminate justice': '…Significant historical events such as these – the most recent of which was the fall of the Syrian regime – are ultimately a natural result [of the circumstances], even if they exact heavy prices. These are the rules or the norms of clash or struggle between truth and falsehood. The Arab Spring revolutions, which started a decade ago, conformed to these norms. Even if they were met with violent counterrevolutions, and went off track in all the countries where they occurred, we must [still] take the path of truth, which necessarily defeats falsehood and its army. Muhammad's army will surely return to disseminate justice, with Allah's help. It seems that the train of the Arab Spring, which started its journey in Tunisia, continued to Libya, Egypt and Yemen and broke down in Syria, is now starting again, perhaps taking a longer and wider [route]. This is a journey of strengthening and correction. A journey that begins in Syria this time, after the ember of the uprising against injustice, aggression and tyranny was ignited in the blessed land [i.e., in Palestine after the October 7 attack on Israel].'[7] Article In Qatari Daily: Assad's Ouster Will Spark A New Wave Of Revolutions In The Arab World Al-Arabi Al-Jadid columnist Bassel Saleh wrote in a similar vein in a December 18, 2024 column titled "Will Assad's Downfall Restart the Arab Spring?". He argued that this development had breached the dam, allowing "the river of the popular Arab revolution" to complete its journey across the Arab world: "What happened on the night of December 8, 2024, namely the flight of the deposed president Bashar Al-Assad following the collapse of what remained of his regime… took us back to the moment when the regimes were struggling against the momentum of the Arab Spring before the eyes and ears of the entire world… The task that was completed last week [i.e., Assad's ouster]… was the spark that renewed that momentum and took us back in time, specifically to that revolutionary moment just before the regime's forces managed to reverse the equation in their favor and launch their counter-coup, thus declaring the end of the spreading popular Arab revolution. "The ouster of the Assad regime today breaches the impenetrable dam that prevented the river of the popular Arab revolution from completing its journey, both within Syria and across the Arab [world]. So the picture we see today seems [to capture the precise] moment at which the dam burst and the river resumed its natural course. At such a moment the current is so abnormally [strong] that it is impossible to withstand. This moment, which has revived the hope in the hearts of the peoples, may provide a historic opportunity to increase the current, which will naturally become a new revolutionary wave, especially if it produces a spark that returns the Arab peoples to the moment of the [Arab] Spring…"[8] Article In Qatari Daily: The Egyptians Can't Endure The Present Regime For Even One More Day Amid fears that the toppling of the Assad regime would inspire the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to attempt the overthrow of the Egyptian regime, Muhammad Tolba Radwan, a columnist for the Qatari daily Al-Arabi Al-Jadid, wrote under the title "On the Next Revolution in Egypt": "Everyone is talking about revolution, about a protest movement and about deposing the current regime in favor of 'some future or other.' Imagine! [Even] the unknown has become better than the current reality, because it can't [possibly] be worse for anyone, with the possible exception of some people who benefit [from the present state of affairs] – and even they are talking… about the possibility of a revolution. The [regime] loyalists talk about this out of fear; the oppositionists talk about it wanting [to realize it], and the families of the [political] detainees talk about it hoping to see their [loved ones] released… The Egyptians, hostage to the reality of their lives, are [all] talking about this, hoping for salvation… "Can Egypt withstand a revolution today? Perhaps not, but neither can it stand to see the present regime endure for [even one more] day. Its enforced persistence means that Egypt's material and moral reserves are dwindling from day to day, and systematic destruction [continues]… This absurdity must end immediately. Nobody can claim to be a patriot while asking to preserve the current regime. It's one or the other: either Egypt or the current regime. That is the equation right now, which was not created by the enemies of the regime, but by the regime's own conduct, for the present Egyptian regime is its own worst enemy…"[9] Al-Jazeera Presenter: Tyrannical Arab Regimes That Will Not Reconcile With Their Peoples Will Meet A Fate Similar To Assad's On December 9, 2024, the day after the downfall of the Assad regime, Ahmad Mansour, a presenter and producer on the Al-Jazeera network, shared on his X account a picture of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and wrote: "The Al-Aqsa Flood, released by Yahya Al-Sinwar on October 7, 2023, will topple many more statues after that if Bashar Al-Assad, and change the face of the region."[10] In another post, he shared a video of prisoners being released from a Syrian jail and commented: "This is a historic opportunity for the Arab tyrants, who fill their prisons with reformists and dissidents who oppose their corrupt regimes, to voluntarily open the gates of the prisons, release the detainees and reconcile with their people before they meet the same fate as Assad: to be driven out [and wander] the world without shelter or refuge."[11] In a third post he shared photos of Assad regime's Sednaya prison, notorious for the torture and abuses that took place in it, and commented that "the tyrannical Arab regimes have dozens of such prisons, where tens of thousands of reformists and oppositionists are held in conditions no better than those endured by the oppositionists against the sectarian regime in Syria. If the tyrants do not hurry up and correct their mistakes, release the detainees and reconcile with their peoples, their fate will not be much different from that of Assad."[12] One of Mansour's posts * Z. Harel is a research fellow at MEMRI.
Memri
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood Leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan – Banned From U.S. For Terror Links – Urges Muslims In The West: We Watch Your Demonstrations On 'Blessed Al-Jazeera TV' And Expect You To Continue; Peace With The Enemies Of Allah Nullifies Jihad
Turkey-based Kuwaiti Islamic scholar and Muslim Brotherhood leader Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan discussed the role of Muslims in the West regarding the Palestinian cause during a March 23, 2025 appearance on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar). He stated that it is prohibited for Muslims to make permanent peace with the "enemies of Allah," claiming that such an act nullifies Jihad, which must continue until the Day of Judgement. He described peace or normalization agreements as heresy. Al-Suwaidan emphasized that he does not expect Muslims in Europe to change their regimes or implement Islamic rule. However, he described as "wonderful" the Muslim activism in Western countries, including Europe, America, and Australia. He highlighted the demonstrations in the West on behalf of Palestinians that are broadcast on the "blessed" Al-Jazeera TV, lamenting the lack of such demonstrations in Muslim countries. He added that he expects Muslims to continue demonstrating, pressuring their governments, and providing direct support to their counterparts in Palestine. Al-Suwaidan was dismissed as the director of the Saudi Al-Risala TV in 2013 after publicly declaring his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. Notably, Al-Suwaidan was an unindicted co-conspirator in the case against the Holy Land Foundation for funding Hamas terrorism and has been banned from entering multiple countries, including the United States and Belgium, due to his ties to terrorism and antisemitic views. Tareq Al-Suwaidan: "Check any book talking about Jihad, and you will see that it is prohibited to make permanent peace with the enemies of Allah. All Islamic scholars are in agreement that such a thing nullifies the [validity] of Jihad, which must continue until Judgment Day. These treacherous peace and normalization agreements are close to heresy – if not full on heresy – according to Islam. [...] "We do not expect from our brothers and sisters, the Muslims in Europe – with all the wonderful things that they are doing... We do not expect them to change the regimes in those countries, and instill an Islamic rule there. This is a delusion. We should start with ourselves. But the truth is that what we are seeing of this movement in the West – in Europe, America, Australia, and other Western countries – is a wonderful thing. We watch the blessed Al-Jazeera TV, and we see that all the demonstrations are in Europe, Australian, and America. Our own countries are silent. That movement is exceptional. [...] "We expect them to continue to demonstrate, to exert pressure on their regimes, to make people aware [of the situation], and to provide direct support to your brothers and sisters in Palestine. Continue to deliver aid to Palestine, because most of our routes have been blocked. We expect you to continue. There are wonderful organizations among the Islamic minorities in the West. You should support these organizations."
Memri
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Kuwaiti Muslim Brotherhood Leader Tareq Al-Suwaidan – Banned From U.S. For Terror Links – Urges Muslims In The West: We Watch Your Demonstrations On 'Blessed Al-Jazeera TV' And Expect You To Continue;
Turkey-based Kuwaiti Islamic scholar and Muslim Brotherhood leader Dr. Tareq Al-Suwaidan discussed the role of Muslims in the West regarding the Palestinian cause during a March 23, 2025 appearance on Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar). He stated that it is prohibited for Muslims to make permanent peace with the "enemies of Allah," claiming that such an act nullifies Jihad, which must continue until the Day of Judgement. He described peace or normalization agreements as heresy. Al-Suwaidan emphasized that he does not expect Muslims in Europe to change their regimes or implement Islamic rule. However, he described as "wonderful" the Muslim activism in Western countries, including Europe, America, and Australia. He highlighted the demonstrations in the West on behalf of Palestinians that are broadcast on the "blessed" Al-Jazeera TV, lamenting the lack of such demonstrations in Muslim countries. He added that he expects Muslims to continue demonstrating, pressuring their governments, and providing direct support to their counterparts in Palestine. Al-Suwaidan was dismissed as the director of the Saudi Al-Risala TV in 2013 after publicly declaring his affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood. Notably, Al-Suwaidan was an unindicted co-conspirator in the case against the Holy Land Foundation for funding Hamas terrorism and has been banned from entering multiple countries, including the United States and Belgium, due to his ties to terrorism and antisemitic views. Click here or below to view the clip on MEMRI TV: "It Is Forbidden To Make Permanent Peace With The Enemies Of Allah... Peace And Normalization Agreements Are Close To Heresy According To Islam" Tareq Al-Suwaidan: "Check any book talking about Jihad, and you will see that it is prohibited to make permanent peace with the enemies of Allah. "All Islamic scholars are in agreement that such a thing nullifies the [validity] of Jihad, which must continue until Judgment Day. "These treacherous peace and normalization agreements are close to heresy – if not full on heresy – according to Islam. [...] The Pro-Palestine Movement In The West Is "Exceptional", "A Wonderful Thing"; We Watch The Demonstrations On Blessed Al-Jazeera TV "We do not expect from our brothers and sisters, the Muslims in Europe – with all the wonderful things that they are doing... We do not expect them to change the regimes in those countries, and instill an Islamic rule there. This is a delusion. We should start with ourselves. But the truth is that what we are seeing of this movement in the West – in Europe, America, Australia, and other Western countries – is a wonderful thing. We watch the blessed Al-Jazeera TV, and we see that all the demonstrations are in Europe, Australian, and America. Our own countries are silent. That movement is exceptional. [...] "We Expect [Protesters In The West] To Continue To Demonstrate, To Exert Pressure On Their Regimes... And To Provide Direct Support To Your Brothers And Sisters In Palestine" "We expect them to continue to demonstrate, to exert pressure on their regimes, to make people aware [of the situation], and to provide direct support to your brothers and sisters in Palestine. Continue to deliver aid to Palestine, because most of our routes have been blocked. We expect you to continue. There are wonderful organizations among the Islamic minorities in the West. You should support these organizations."
Memri
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Appointment Of Hamza Al-Mustafa As Syria's New Information Minister – Another Step In Qatar's Takeover Of Syria's Media
On March 29, 2025, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa appointed the government for the transitional phase, which is slated to be in place for five years. His pick for information minister was Hamza Al-Mustafa. Al-Mustafa is known to be very close to Azmi Bishara, a senior advisor to the Qatari Emir who owns media outlets and research institutes and has significant influence on Qatar's decision-making. Al-Mustafa is also known for his ties to Yasser Abu Hilala, a former director-general of Qatar's Al-Jazeera Network, who is himself an associate of Bishara.[1] The appointment of Hamza Al-Mustafa as information minister is a further expression of Qatar's deep and direct involvement in the new Syrian administration, and especially in the Syrian media. Since the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime in December 2024 and the establishment of the new Syrian administration headed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Qatar has been conspicuously involved in shaping the new Syria, in particular its political and media spheres. Alongside various manifestations of this involvement – including highly-publicized official visits by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani and other Qatari officials in Syria, meetings between Qatari officials and officials in the new Syrian regime, and Qatari assistance in infrastructure projects and in the reconstruction of the country – Qatar has also been active in Syria through its media arms and their personnel. The Al-Jazeera Media Institute, owned by the Qatari government, has provided media training to Syria's new government ministries, including the ministries of information and of foreign affairs, and holds courses and seminars for Syrian journalists and communications students with the participation of senior Al-Jazeera media professionals.[2] Moreover, Azmi Bishara, who, as noted, is close to the Qatari Emir, has clearly gained significant influence over the media discourse in Syria. The media networks Al-Araby and Syria TV, both of which belong to the Qatari Fadaat Media network, which is overseen by Bishara, have become major outlets in Syria, and Bishara himself frequently appears on these networks, advising the new Syrian administration on how to project a democratic image and promote itself in the West.[3] Criticism of Bishara's involvement in Syria was heard soon after the overthrow of the Assad regime and after the Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) organization, headed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, took control of the country with Qatar's support.[4] This criticism appears to be validated by the appointment of Al-Mustafa, Bishara's "protégé," as information minister, an appointment which has sparked concerns that he will effectively control the Syrian media. Bishara's ties with Al-Mustafa deepened with the outbreak of the Syrian revolution in 2011, and the two have remained close. Between 2011 and 2018 Al-Mustafa was a fellow at the Doha-based Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, also known as the Doha Institute, where Bishara is director-general and a member of the executive board. From 2019 until his recent appointment as information minister, Al-Mustafa held high-level positions in the Al-Araby network and later in the Syria TV network, which, as mentioned, both belong to Faddat Media, supervised by Bishara. Prior to this, in 2017, Al-Mustafa completed a degree in political science and international relations at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, where Bishara is chairman of the board.[5] Following Al-Mustafa's appointment, many Syrians on X expressed concern that their country's media would become a branch of the Qatari regime and that Bishara would gain exclusive control over the government and non-government media, and would thus "control the Syrian minds" and "infiltrate the Syrian government." They warned that Bishara, who was a member of the Israeli Knesset from 1996 until 2007, when he fled to Qatar after being suspected of spying for Hizbullah, has pro-Iranian leanings, as does his associate Abu Hilala. Al-Mustafa, who is close to both these figures, they said, surely shares their pro-Iranian positions. Therefore, in his new role as information minister he will very likely prevent open criticism of Iran and its proxies in the Syrian media, to the detriment of Syrian interests. Some former colleagues of Al-Mustafa reported that his pro-Iranian leanings were indeed evident when he served as director-general of Syria TV. Hamza Al-Mustafa (right) and Azmi Bishara at a July 2011 conference on Syria in Qatar (Source: July 31, 2011) This report reviews posts by Syrian X users who oppose the appointment of Hamza Al-Mustafa as Syria's information minister, due to his relationship with Azmi Bishara. Syrian TV Presenter: Syria Has Nothing To Do With Al-Mustafa, Who Is A Protégé Of Azmi Bishara Asya Hesham, an anchor on the Emirati Al Mashhad channel who previously worked at Syria TV, including under Al-Mustafa, warned that the Syrian media would soon be operating under the patronage of Azmi Bishara, and that Al-Mustafa does not represent the Syrian people. She wrote on March 27, 2025, when Al-Mustafa was a candidate for information minister but not yet officially appointed: "Appointing Hamza Al-Mustafa to any position instead of holding him to account [for his poor performance as director-general of Syria TV] means that the entire Syrian media will be under the patronage of Azmi Bishara."[6] In another post she wrote: "He [Al-Mustafa] does not allow anyone to insult [slain Hizbullah Secretary-General] Hassan Nasrallah!... He [also] prevents his presenters from angering Iran or discussing the nihilist resistance axis in order to please Azmi Bishara! Is this the man who is [now] being considered for the position of information minister?!!!! What does Syria have to do with this protégé of Azmi Bishara?... I understand that he is the pampered son of Azmi and of Qatar, but what is our connection to him, as a people?..."[7] Syrian Journalist: Bishara Has Become The Supreme Leader Of The Syrian Media, And Nothing Could Be More Dangerous Syrian journalist Ahmad Kamel, who worked for the Qatari Al-Jazeera channel but is known to be a critic of Azmi Bishara, also posted on March 27, before Al-Mustafa's appointment as minister: "If Hamza Mustafa, the director of Syria TV, which is owned by Azmi Bishara, is appointed minister of information or chairman of the Media Administration, the new government will lose all the Syrian journalists, and especially the ones who worked or are working with Al-Mustafa, because they are familiar with his abilities and his subservience [to Bishara], and they are inconsistent with this serious position. Azmi Bishara is about to control 100% of the Syrian minds and to infiltrate the Syrian government, God help us." In a comment on his own post after Al-Mustafa's appointment, Kamel added: "Azmi Bishara has become the sole ruler of the government and non-government Syrian media, and nothing could be more dangerous."[8] Syrian Journalist: The Appointment Of Al-Mustafa Is The End Of The Syrian Government Media On March 28, one day before Al-Mustafa's appointment, Syrian journalist Abd Al-Jalil Al-Saeid posted a photograph of Hamza Al-Mustafa with former Al-Jazeera director-general Yasser Abu Hilala, and commented: "If Hamza Al-Mustafa is appointed Minister of Information in the new Syria, it will be the end of our government media. He is the office manager of Dr. Azmi Antoine Bishara and a diligent student of the pro-Iranian Yasser Abu Hilala. All we can do about them is trust in Allah."[9] In another post following Al-Mustafa's appointment, Al-Saeid wrote: "Based on the [previous] decisions of the new Syrian information minister, Hamza Al-Mustafa – the office manager of Azmi Bishara – any Syrian who has criticized, attacked or spoken against Dr. Azmi Antoine Bishara is now prohibited from appearing on Syria's local or satellite media channels…"[10] Syrian Artist: Whoever Has The Trust Of The Pro-Iranian Bishara Does Not Deserve The Trust Of The Syrians Ammar Agha Al-Kala, a Syrian artist, cartoonist and writer, posted on March 28: "If the news [about Al-Mustafa's appointment] is correct, what extortion compelled the Syrian government to place Hamza Mustafa, the director-general of Syria TV, on the media front of the new government? Anyone who has the trust of the pro-Iranian Azmi Bishara does not deserve the trust of the Syrians; this is indisputable. This decision will encounter strong pushback from the Syrian people, which will not end until he resigns or is dismissed…"[11] Syrian X Accounts: The Appointment Of Bishara's And Abu Hilala's Righthand Man Is A Disaster For Syria On March 29, a Syrian X account called Syrian Free Youth shared a picture of Al-Mustafa with Azmi Bishara and commented, "The appointment of Hamza Al-Mustafa as minister of information means that the Syrian media is now in the hands of the axis of pleasures [a play of words on the name of the Iran-led "axis of resistance"] under the patronage of Azmi Bishara!!"[12] Another Syrian account, Rafif #TheFreeSyria, shared a picture of Al-Mustafa with Bishara and Abu Hilala, and commented: "…The true disaster is that Hamza Al-Mustafa has been appointed minister of information. He is the righthand man of Azmi Bishara and Yasser Abu Hilala. For your information: the strongest ministry in any country – after the ministries of defense and economy – is the ministry of information."[13]
Memri
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Memri
Houthi Spokesman Nasruddin Amer: We Will Retaliate Forcefully and Reciprocally to the U.S. Aggression; Civilian and Military American Ships Will Be Denied Passage Through Bab Al-Mandab Strait; If Isra
Houthi spokesman Nasruddin Amer said in a March 16, 2025 interview with Al-Jazeera Network (Qatar) that no Israeli ships have passed through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait since the Houthi ultimatum was issued, and none will pass until the siege on Gaza is lifted. He declared that, in response to American attacks on Houthi targets, American ships—both military and civilian—will now be included in the ban. Amer announced that the Houthis would retaliate forcefully and reciprocally to American aggression. He further threatened that if 'aggression' against Gaza resumes, the Houthis would target Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities.
