DID WE GET IT RIGHT?
(Sunday, 19th July 1959 ~ Saturday, 11th September 2004)
Ten years ago today was the fall of Saddam Hussein’s statue in Baghdad’s Fardous Square, where the late Maher Abdullah رحمه الله commentated, with his eloquent and articulate tongue, continuously for four hours and millions of Arab-speakers came to rely on his reporting.
Other than going as a war correspondent, he went in solidarity with the people of Iraq.
Maher Abdullah’s journalistic aptitude and excellent correspondence shone through his coverage of the US-led war on Iraq, which was what he was best known for in 2003. Narrowly surviving the US missile attack on Aljazeera’s office in Baghdad in early April 2003, he was amongst the few journalists who remained until the end of the invasion.
So, for the above reasons, – and after eight-and-a-half years of my father returning to ALLÂH ﷻ, nine years since the debate and ten years after the Invasion of Iraq – I found it fitting to share the following 5-minute clip showing the late Maher Abdullah’s two pennies worth about The Media at War in Iraq and how it was wrong – egregiously so.
The debate took place on Thursday, 18th March 2004, at the University of California, Berkeley: Graduate School of Journalism.
Skilful White Clouds 
Salam,
l used to watch Maher Abdullah on Aljazeera; it’s sad to see journalists like him be silenced. Whoever defy the rulers in the Arab world becomes a victim.
Regards,
Jalal
Rabab, Greetings to you.
I did not get that that was your father. His speech and comrade with others is quite eloquent. He expresses himself with great intellect and compassion.
I really don’t believe as Americans we do understand what is happening in countries we send troops to. I assumed that like other countries, who hear what the government allows them to hear, we do too. Much has been revealed about secret activities decades down the road. I am sure we get the vision of what our military and government wants us to hear.
The debate was very good. Your father seemed like a gentle yet passionate man where truth was concerned.
Namaste,
Yisraela
Rabab, one thing I meant to say before now, – and I apologize for that – I am so sorry for the death of your father.
I enjoyed the video. He is an impassioned speaker and you can feel how he embraces his words knowing it is the truth. I always pray that people of other nations don’t convict all Americans for the ill-fated behaviors of our leaders. We aren’t privy to the truth either. And that saddens me.
I know how proud you are of your father. And rightly so.
Yisraela
Jazake Allahu Khayran
To quote another of Churchill’s comments, ‘Politics is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.’
Politicians rely on the general populous not being well informed; their very existence depends on it!
This is why we need good journalists, who are well informed and definitely not partisan: a rare commodity these days.
David.