Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
On 5th May 2015, Al Jazeera broadcast a program called ‘The Opposite Direction’, from their Qatar studio. It was hosted by the well-known and controversial presenter Dr Faisal al-Kasim. In this show, which is televised weekly, Dr al-Kasim discussed with his two guests a poll put to the Arabic-speaking audience of Al Jazeera. The poll was entitled ‘Do you think Alawites brought perdition upon themselves?’ and in discussing the outcome, Dr al-Kasim emphatically voiced this response. ‘The question should rather be, should we wipe out these Alawites in their entirety, including their children?’ Continuing, he cut short his guest’s defence of the Alawites by declaring that ‘they [the Alawites] are demons… the Devil himself is ashamed of them!’ He did not even allow his guest to voice his opinion without aggressive interruption. He summarised his views thus: ‘basically, it is the right of the people to demand the slaughter of the Alawites’. Dr Al-kasim’s views should shock and appal his viewers. That this material is presented as a topic open to, and worthy of, discussion is abhorrent. Dr Al-Kasim’s show has generated a very wide discussion and condemnations on social media and other Arab news networks and was regarded as an explicit call to kill people based on their religious affiliation.
Taking into consideration that these actions are in breach of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (9.12.1948) Article III Point C which explicitly labels ‘direct and public incitement to commit genocide’ as a punishable offence. Thus, we direct our petition to all relevant authorities to bring Faisal Al-kasim and Al Jazeera network to justice. By doing so, we are sending a clear message of zero-tolerance for public incitement of violence, and prevent others in the Future from using any media platform in incitement of violence and killing in a region where ethnic and sectarian tensions prevail and hundreds die every day.
