Minorities (I will not attempt to define this term here but that could be the topic of a coming post) is often a sensitive topic of research in the Middle East, not only because the region is a mosaic of cultures, religions and traditions, but also because governments, civil society organisations and the media are playing an important part in managing and (re)-creating these minorities.The way the media handles news about minorities is especially important because it can change the focus of information greatly.
Compare for instance an article in the Yemen Times (http://yementimes.com/article.shtml?i=1117&p=front&a=1) entitled “General attorney accuses security of violating constitution” with this article from the Jawa Report (http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/190629.php) entitled “Religious freedom denied in Yemen”.
Can we say here that the Jawa Report is unveiling more clearly the real purpose of the Yemen Times, which because of potential future reprisals, was not able to entitle its article in the same clear manner the Jawa Report did?
Well, possibly… but what I understand from the Yemen Times article is far more complex than what the Jawa Report writes.
For instance, in the Yemen Times,
” “This has been an on going policy by the political security under the pretext of terrorism. But the latest arrest of 8 minors on Dec. 27 for lighting fire crackers is too much,” said Ali Al-Dailami, director of the Yemeni Organization for Freedoms and Rights, who participated in the protest.”
“Ahmed Saif Hashed , MP and member of the Human Rights Committee in Parliament, argued in support of the detainees. He sent a letter to Al-Olofi endorsing the case of the detainees in Hajjah who were arrested in early January 2007 on suspicion of having relatives involved with the ongoing war in Sa’ada.”
“When the children’s relatives approached the security with enquiries about what kind of assurances they would need in order for their children to be released, they were told that they had to resist authorities in the future and cease “mischievous activities.””
To me, these statements reflect more the globalisation of human rights violations in the name of anti-terror legislation, than lack of religious freedom in Yemen per se (although it certainly is a consequence of it). And isn’t putting children to prison as important as a violation of religious freedom?
Shall we assume that both these articles report only one side of the truth? I would argue that the interaction between the facts, their context, their interpretation by the media, and how they are being received and dealt with by civil and government actors are worth analysing to get a more complete picture of events.
And that leads us to another question which will be the subject of a future post: is the politicization of minorities necessary for them to be recognised? Or does politicization end up misrepresenting them?
Recently, I watched two movies in which music was one of the main characters. Both set in the Middle-East, they give us an insight into how music can soothe the soul and go beyond conflict.
