Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya Blacken Image of Iraq’s Public Mobilization Forces

AhlulBayt News Agency - The Persian Gulf Arab states' media, including Al Arabiya and Al jazeera news channels, are trying to work on tarnishing the image of the Iraqi Public Mobilization Forces through depicting them as a law-violating force and as attempting to push the Sunnis in Iraq to the sidelines. The Persian Gulf's Arab media have taken the role to, journalistically, damage Iraq's image and its successes. But how can the concerted anti-Iraqi media campaign be described and why is it doomed to fail?

By tracking the Persian Gulf's media like Al Arabiya and Aljazeera, it is possible to observe these news channels' systematic and targeted political directions, as well as their efforts to damage the picture of Iraq's Public Mobilization Forces. This is considered to be a tarnish of the Iraqi government and people. Some other Persian Gulf news outlets are taking the same way, with Al Arabiya and Aljazeera channels are seen as being their major news sources. Here we point to some examples of bias of the Arab news channels to ensure that objectivity is considered in our news publishing.

"The Public Mobilization Forces in Iraq: A Militia above the Law and Government... and its Crimes against the Sunnis is Relentless." "The Public Mobilization Forces are Accused of Committing War Crimes during battle against ISIS." These are the titles of articles or reports published by Al Arabiya or of other news outlets which they have adopted from Al Arabiya. Aljazeera is not much different from its counterpart Al Arabiya. It has talked about the Sunnis in Iraq, describing their power as limited and them as “incapable of defending themselves against the popular forces' assaults." Publishing an analysis under “Baghdad Protests Remarks of Saudi Ambassador to Baghdad", Aljazeera, the voice of Qatar's policy, has tried to provoke Riyadh through shedding light on the remarks of Saudi Arabia in Baghdad about the Public Mobilization Forces.

There are a lot of examples of propaganda campaigns by these news channels. These actions are not but attempts made as part of normal direction these news channels and their owners are taking. Perhaps we need to get almost a week back and remember the Miqdadiyah explosions. Right upon taking place, Aljazeera and Al Arabiya have held the Public Mobilization Forces accountable for the attack while a short while later, the Iraqi police officials have said that they have arrested an ISIS-linked group which has admitted responsibility for the crimes and blasts in Diyala province, including the Miqdadiyah explosion.

There are points which need to be added around these channels' propaganda:

- Despite the fact that the Iraqi authorities have confirmed that ISIS terror group was responsible for the blasts, the Persian Gulf's Arab news channels still insist on presenting the popular forces as a responsible side, an effort proving the policy of these news channels which aims at sparking the disputes between the Iraqis and consequently create gaps between them.

- All these propagandistic attempts are set to backfire on the news channels because the Public Mobilization Forces are seen as an undetachable part of Iraq's popular make-up, and the Iraqis consider them as a source of national pride and glory, especially that they have presented themselves as the uniting point of the Iraqi sides politically and militarily.

- Also, the official anger in Iraq, which comes as a result of Saudi ambassador's remarks against the Public Mobilization Forces, and the calls for him to be expelled from Baghdad, show the official and popular base the Popular Mobilization Forces are enjoying in the country and discredit the Al Arabiya's claims that these forces are violating the law. This is what was highlighted officially by Baghdad's protests.

The propaganda campaigns lack the listening ears and the two news channels are not considered as referential but for like-minded people, while having in mind that the Arab nations have begun to see the realities.

More deliberations on these Arab news channels need to be made:

- The media propaganda against the Public Mobilization Forces is seen as a disappointed effort not to achieve its goals, which are damaging the successes and powers of the Public Mobilization Forces.

- Iraq's situation has now broken free from dependence on the US support or its Arab instruments. This justifies Iraq's backing of Public Mobilization Forces as its trump card especially that the Forces' members are Iraqis from all religious and political backgrounds in the country.

- As the political and military attempts to hit Iraq have proven unsuccessful, the media propaganda which seeks dividing the country would fail to make gains.

Thereby, the American policy holds not but propaganda devices capable of fueling the conflicts and splitting the nation, however, these efforts would not succeed. At the same time, this policy should be considered as posing danger to Iraq as a whole, as it can be claimed that now it is possible to depend on the Iraqi government and people for victory, specifically after they discovered the true colors of all parties and the war has turned decisive, an issue which has enabled them to identify their friends and enemies. It is also this issue that ensures us that the US and all of those following it are not trustable. Perhaps the unity of all Diyala's population is the best example indicating the failure of Iraq split plans. Al Arabiya and Aljazeera should be reminded that their efforts are far from being successful and the time when they could provoke the nations has passed away and the ears that listen to them are not but the ears of the losers. This is not adoptable on the Iraqis who are proud of their popular committees' gains and gather wholly around the Public Mobilization forces.



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