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Censorship in saudi arabia

Saudi Arabia: Media

If we analyze the situation of media in Saudi Arabia today, we can observe that except for some electronic sites of the political or religious opposition, the totality of the Saudi media, written press, radio and television, is placed under the political or financial control of the royal family. The censure is very powerful and is exerted in two distinct forms.

In the case of the media whose capital belongs to the royal family, self-censorship and the internal authority of the chief editor are supposed to be good enough to ensure the political conformism of the journalistic production and the diffusion of audio-visual programs. The “independent” media, i.e. whose capital is not held by the royal family, on the other hand are subjected to a severe and fastidious censure, and the journalists are obliged to daily search the approval of the Ministry of Information Censors.

Because of this excessively rigid structure, the contents of the Saudi written press seem to be very stereotyped, dully patriotic and always religiously correct. That fact can be easily checked in the following articles drawn from the Saudi press on the site pro-Israeli of the MEMRI (Middle East Media and Research Institute) available in English.

Another website site to consult is also the one of the Saudi news agency Saudi Close Agency available in Arabic and English). There are also two daily newspapers in English language, Arab News, and Saudi Gazette which enable non-Arabic-speaking readers to have an idea of the contents of the daily press.

National Daily Newspapers

The single advantage of Internet sites of the national daily newspapers is that they generally make it possible to access for free the whole electronic files of the newspaper. Unfortunately for non Arabic-speaking readers, those sites have no page in European language. The Saudi press was created in 1932 with the daily newspaper Al-Bilad available in Arabic, which at the time was diffused from Mecca.

Al-Riyadh (Arab) is the daily newspaper of the capital, which can be considered as the official journal of monarchy. The economic news is relayed by the daily newspaper Al-Iqtisadiyya, while the sports are treated by Al-Riyadhiyya available in Arabic The daily newspapers known as more “liberal” are Okaz available in Arabic, daily newspaper of Hedjaz, and Al-Watan (“the homeland) (Arab), which is the daily newspaper of Abha. Their liberalism nevertheless is limited by the capacity of their shareholders and the very powerful self-censorship of their journalists. The daily newspapers known as more “Islamic” are Al-Jazira (“the peninsula”) available in Arabic, the daily newspaper of Qasim, Al-Madina available in Arabic, the daily newspaper of Médine, and Al-Yaum (“the day”) (Arab), the daily newspaper of Dammam. Another source of information is the daily newspaper of information addressing to the young people: Shams (“sun”) (Arab).

Saudi Arabia Press Abroad

In addition to the financial power of the Kingdom, the Saudi influence on the Arab scene also goes through the investment of the Pan-Arab media field. The two daily newspapers most read by the Arab Diaspora, are published in London and are held by two princes of the Saudi royal family. The first, Al-Hayat (“life”) (Arab, English), belongs to the prince Khaled bin Sultan, son of the crown Prince and Minister of Defense, Sultan bin Abdelaziz. The newspaper Al-Hayat is considered to be liberal and pro-American. It was founded by the Lebanese Kamel Mroué in 1946, and it also relays the positions of the Kingdom, while remaining receptive to soft critics from opened minds. Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (“the Middle East”) (Arab) was repurchased in 1990 by the prince Salman bin Abdelaziz, half-brother of the king and governor of Riyadh. Its leading line reflects the broad outlines of the Saudi diplomacy.

Newspapers And Reviews On Line

Many sorts of Saudi Arabian media are available on line .The daily newspaper on line Elaph available in Arabic an example of a smooth takeover by the kingdom of an electronic publication which was supposed to be relatively independent. The daily newspaper on line the Homeland (al-Watan) available in Arabic gives from Washington a more independent vision of Saudi news. The daily newspaper the Facts (al-Haqâ ' iq) available in Arabic and English can also be consulted on line. Saudi Salafi movement is present with an online magazine, the Time (al- `Asr). Lastly, one will be able to consult the on line cultural and literary review named Horizons (Ufuq).

Magazines

The electronic version of the principal Saudi magazines, which are subjected to the same constraints as the daily press can also be found on internet. The review Al-Majalla (Arab) first of all, is mainly a translation of The Economist and claims to be the first Arab review. It diffuses a vision of the world very close to the American and British interests in the area. One of the pioneers' reviews in the country is Aramco World (English), the magazine of the oil company Aramco. The official review of the Saudi royal family is the eye of the Truth (`Ayn Al-Yâqîn) (English, Arab). The minister of education diffuses a teaching and cultural magazine, Knowledge (al-Ma ' rifa) (Arab). The Saudi armed forces are also present in the sector of the monthly press, in particular the army with the magazine Defense (al-Difâ ') (http://www.al-difaa.com) (Arab). Finally Saudi mobility salafi is not in remainder, with in particular a magazine devoted to the general questions of faith, Islamic jurisprudence and company, the Proclamation (al-Bayân) (http://albayan-magazine.com) (Arab) and a more practical and family weekly magazine, the Family (al-Usra) (http://www.alosrahmag.com) (Arab).

Radios And Televisions

Television is the principal political and ideological battle field in the Middle East. Since the years 1990, satellite channels opposed a fierce competition to the traditional national channels, and very diverse contents, often subversive, broke in Arab homes. Saudi Arabia is in the center of reaction against satellite channels and their contents considered to be dangerous for the strategic balance of the area: after having prohibited ,without effect ,the sale and the possession of satellite receivers, the Saudi State and the royal family massively invested in the sector, in order to pick up the market of Arab TV viewers and to diffuse contents considered to be in accordance with the Saudi and American domination on the Middle East.

The first Saudi terrestrial public channel of all is the nonstop information channel Al-Ikhbariyya (Arab). With the Second channel (in English language), they are the only television channels officially under the supervision of the State. The other channels are not less under narrow financial and political control of the Saudi royal family. It is naturally the case of the chain Pan Arab Al-Arabiyya (“Arabia”) English), which intends to compete with the famous Qatari channel Al-Jazeera from Dubai (“the Peninsula”) (Arab, English). The site of the one of the presenters' high-speed motorboats of the chain, Turki Al-Dakhil (http://www.turkid.net) (Arab), will give an idea of the contents of the chain, which wants to be discreetly pro-American and promotes a desired Islam “moderate”. If they are numerous to look at Al-Arabiyya, the Saudis nevertheless called it “Al `Ibriyya” (“the Hebraic one”) to mark their distance with regard to the diffused contents.

Launched to London in 1991 then transferred to Dubai in 2000, MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center) (http://www.mbc.net) (Arab, English) is historically the first chain panarabe of information and entertainment. Placed gradually under control of the Saoudi royal family, it is today one of the pillars of the setting to the ideological step of the area, with four chains diffusing exclusively American contents: MBC2, which diffuses since 2002 of American films; MBC3 (http://mbc3.mbc.net/) (Arab), which diffuses educational contents since 2004; MBC4, which diffuses since 2005 of documentary and subtitled American programs; MBC Action finally, which diffuses since 2007 of action films and other American series. Two radios which diffuse music of variety and programs informative belong to group MBC: MBC FM (http://www.mbcfm.fm/) (Arab, English) and Panorama.

Two Islamic chains, Iqra' (“Recites! ”) and Al-Majd (“Glory”), represent the other pouring of the Saoudi audio-visual domination and aim at the hearths - many - which refuse MBC and regard it as a pro-Western chain. Iqra' (http://www.iqraa-tv.net/) (Arab, English, Albanian) was created in 1998 and proposes programs dedicated to preaching, Islamic jurisprudence and the security questions; it also diffuses an Albanian version and wants to be universal. Emitting from Dubai and created in 2003, the chains Al-Majd (http://www.almajdtv.net) (Arab) are diversified and aim at the Arab world. Held partially by the Saoudi royal family, they diffuse an Islamic message which wants to be “total” but nevertheless “moderated” and “balanced”. Al-Majd includes/understands a general channel, an educational chain, a chain specialized in Coran, a chain specialized in Hadith (made and said of the Muhammad Prophet), a chain of Islamic sciences, a documentary chain, a chain of information uninterrupted and a radio.

The barometer of Freedom of the Press in 2009 RSF, classified Saudi Arabia with the 163 place on 175…… Reporters without borders classified Saudi Arabia with the 159e world rank on 167 for freedom of the press

The Saudi press is subjected to a very strong censure. Moreover, in general the journalists self-censorship themselves Inside the country, the purpose of the policy of censure is to prohibit any calling into question of the royal and religious power; while outside the country other people seek to give a progressive image of Saudi Arabia which must show itself fighting terrorism. The newspapers are private, but their directors are paid by the authorities. Many Internet sites remain blocked, but with the rise of satellite dishes and satellite antennas, the government had to give in a little ground to freedom of the press.

Saudi Arabia: A Disputed Media Hegemony

Drawing from its oil incomes, Saudi Arabia has set up for several decades a media empire panarabe whose principal function is to filter criticisms in its opposition.

“The strategy of introduction of a Saoudi media order in the Arab world goes back to the beginning of the year 1970”, writes the Moroccan political economist Mohammed El Oifi in the pages of the Diplomatic World in December 2006.

By setting up a media empire, the members and close to the Saudi royal family which hold the principal media panarabes have a double objective: to filter criticisms against the mode and make dizzy Arab audiences with blows of clips, films with the water of pink and other entertainments with high content of opium. The idea is to occupy the media ground and not to leave anybody other influence what the Arabs see, hear, read and think. Thus Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, one of the most influential titles panarabes belongs to prince Salman Ben Abdelaziz, the governor of Riyadh. El Oifi reports that this newspaper would have been launched in partnership with two former heads of the Saoudi intelligence services. Those which write there are held to respect red lines and misfortune with those which dare to cross them. They are simply thanked. One of the dismissals which probably made run the most ink these last years is that of the chroniqueuse Egyptian woman Mona El Tahawi whose free feather ended up aggravating the owner who ordered than it is congédiée.

The other famous daily newspaper panarabe, Al Hayat, which appears initially in Lebanon in 1946 will not escape Saoudi covetousnesses either. If the title launched by a Lebanese Christian, Kamel Mroué, disappears from the kiosks thirty years later during the war of Lebanon, it will be ressuscity in London by the son of its founder into 1988 only thanks to the generosities granted by Saoudi prince Khaled Ben Sultan, wire of the Minister for the defense which meanwhile put it at its escarcelle. “Preserving, pluralist and close to monarchies Saoudi and Jordanian”, it is in these terms that El Oifi describes Al Hayat. The political economist points out that others are less tender with regard to this daily newspaper and only “the newspaper of the minorities to the service of a prince sees anything else there”.

Al Hayat does not show of them less inclinations to cover the topicality in all independence, which is worth sometimes the lightnings to him of the quite light Saoudi authorities to hold up the scissors of Anastasie. Not later that in September 2007, the London daily newspaper was prohibited by Riyadh without an official explanation not being given.

Chains televised like ART or Orbit as well as group MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center), established in 1991, are also between the hands of personalities close to the Saoudi capacity. MBC has anything less than one arsenal of six televised chains of entertainments, two radio stations and a station dedicated to Al Arabiya information, launched in 2003 to make shade with Al Jazira known for its criticisms vehement of the modes and monarchy wahhabite at their head. “The daily newspaper panarabe Al Hayat tied a partnership with one of principal Lebanese televisions, LBCI (Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation International), in virtue of which it is agreed that a preferential treatment is reserved for the topicality of Saudi Arabia”, entrusted to APN a Lebanese source which required anonymity. And even in the absence of official arrangements, it is of use which the national Arab media do not chip the image of Riyadh.

Questioned on the room for maneuver of the media panarabes, this same person explained that the Saoudi supports take abroad freedoms which they cannot allow inside the country, such as for example, interview official Israelis. “This being, they are held to respect red lines and they would not even come to them to the idea to criticize the Saoudi royal family or the policies of Riyadh” it continued. Incontestably, the geopolitical and economic interests, coupled with the pressure exerted by the Occident, have an impact on the contents of the information relayed by these media, estimated our interlocutor. “Even if they cover more sensitive topics, they are still far from enjoying freedom of the press such as the Western mediums hear it”, it continued.

Saudi Arabia although strongly established in the media landscape panarabe does not hold any therefore the monopoly. The chain qatarie Al Jazira, which passes for the television most looked in the Arab world, as well as the daily newspaper al-Quds Al-Arabi appear among the rare media panarabes not to be fallen in the escarcelle Saoudi. Let us mention also Elaph, http://www.elaph.com/, first electronic daily newspaper, which although directed by the Saoudi press baron Othman Al Omeir, also escapes control from Riyadh which is avenged by blocking some the access when good seems to him thus contributing to increase its credibility established already well.

Saudi Arabia set up one of the most important filtration systems of the Internet. The authorities officially announce to block the access of almost 400.000 Web pages, this censure aiming at “preserving the citizens of contents offending or violating the principles of the Islamic religion and the social norms”.

The black list of the Saoudi Net touches with very broad fields, energy of sites of political organizations to those of not recognized islamist movements, while passing of course by any publication touching of near or by far with sexuality. The Saoudi women, who would constitute nearly two thirds of the Net surfers of the country, have access only to one bowdlerized Network of any reference to their rights, their health or their intimacy.

There does not exist law specific to Internet in the country. The Fabric in fact is thus framed by the law on the press, which imposes on all the media obtaining an authorization. Moreover, the royal family has the capacity to revoke the journalists and names the persons in charge of the media. Freedom of expression exists in Saudi Arabia, neither in the press, nor on Internet.

The Saoudi System Of Censure

The Internet Services Links (RESULTING) is in load of the maintenance of the system of censure of the Saoudi Web. It manages the footbridge used by the whole of the suppliers of local accesses. The agency can thus control the entirety of the exchanges of information circulating on the Net. It is also the RESULTING one which ensures the management of domain name country (.sa) and manages the Saoudi Network from a technical point of view. However, it does nothing but apply the instructions of the security services of the country and does not decide what must be censured.

The RESULTING one proposes a form on line and an address e-mail (abuse@ isu.net.sa) making it possible to the Net surfers to notify the sites which they wish to see blocking. Hundreds of requests of this type are received each day. They are treated by a team assigned full-time to this task.

It seems that the filters installed by the RESULTING one, with the assistance of American companies like Secure Computing, are rather easily avoidable. It is indeed possible, for a Net surfer aguerri, to reach censured sites quickly. The simplest solution is to consult one of the many discussion forums proposing a brought up to date list of waiters proxies. It should be noted that, in the large majority of the cases, these waiters relay are used to reach pornographic sites.

Blocked Contents

Saudi Arabia blocks primarily sites in matters sexual, religious - except the sites touching with Islam approved by the Kingdom - and policies. The homosexuality and the women's rights are sets of themes completely absent from the Saoudi Web. Musical sites (www.rollingstone.com), humorous (www.poopreport.com), software of translation in line (www.systransoft.com), as well as the anonymizers most known www.anonymizer.com, www.megaproxy.com), are reproduced on the black list of the RESULTING one.

On August 5, 2003, the Saoudi government closed the Jordanian site of the Information center on violence against the woman (www.amanjordan.org), following the publication of articles on the violence undergone by the woman in the Saoudi company. The blocking of the site was raised on September 30, 2003.

Censured Gay Sites

Gaymiddleeast.com, site of information intended for the homosexual community of the Middle East, was made inaccessible, at the beginning of March 2004, by the Saoudi authorities. It had already been blocked in June 2003, for one month.

This site publishes information bound for the homosexual community of fifteen countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen), in particular on undergone persecutions. It does not disseminate any information in pornographic matter. The American site 365gay.com, to which Gaymiddleeast.com is affiliated, was also blocked. Homosexuality is prohibited in Saudi Arabia. It is punished of imprisonment or scourging.

OpenNet Initiative, a university network working on the censure of the Net, made a study on the gay sites in Saudi Arabia. The organization indicated to have carried out a research on the “gay” word in Google SafeSearch (which excludes the pornographic sites) and to have selected the first 902 results. On these 902 sites, 170 are blocked by the Internet Services Links (RESULTING), of which:

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission: www.iglhrc.org

The Gay and Lesbian Arab Society: www.glas.org

The site of information: www.gay.com

In reply to a letter of Reporters without borders which required the lifting of the prohibition of Gaymiddleeast.com, Eyas Al-Hajery, director of RESULTING, wrote at the organization, on March 29: “After reception of your letter, a re-examination of these sites was carried out. No pornographic contents there not having been found, blocking were raised.” The two sites 365gay.com and Gaymiddleeast.com are indeed again consultable freely in the country.

To circumvent the censure

Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (REFLECTED), created in 1996 by Sa' AD Al-Faqih, is a very critical religious movement towards the Saoudi mode. Its site, www.miraserve.com, figure on the list of the Web pages censured by the government since the origin of the Saoudi Net. Very quickly, this movement, based in London, sought average the techniques to circumvent this censure. It thus

To reach www.miraserve.com in spite of the filter, it is enough to send email at a certain address to receive an automatic answer indicating a URL (addresses Internet exploited by the navigators) not blocked. REFLECTED set up a technology allowing him to create an unlimited number of addresses to go on its publication on line. In addition to this system, REFLECTED it proposes councils to use the anonymous Network of manner: to make use of a box email like Hotmail or Yahoo! , surfer on the Web by using the software of companies like Anonymizer or Safeweb, etc

Useful Sites

The Internet Service Links www.isu.net.sa

The study on the Saoudi gay sites of Berkman Center for Internet & Society http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/filtering/saudiarabia

Saudi Center for Human Rights Studies

http://www.saudihr.org

Saudi Institute for Development and Studies, which works with the promotion of the civil society in Saudi Arabia

www.saudiinstitute.org

Site of information on the countries of the Gulf (in Arabic)

http://www.gulfissues.net

Le DAI (DIGITAL Access Index) is an index created by the International union of telecommunications to measure the capacity of the individuals of a country given to reach information technologies and communication. The notes go from 0 (total disablement) to 1 (perfect access).

The appreciations (situation good, average, difficult, engraves) were established starting from seven criteria: cyberdissidents or journalists online killed, imprisoned, badgered, censures sites of information, existence of independent sites of information, existence of suppliers of independent accesses, abusive cost of connection.

Media

All the Saoudis are ensured to receive any Arabic information. As regards written press, which counts 10 daily newspapers and of tens of magazines Saudi Arabia adopted a policy which equips each great area d' a daily newspaper. For example, Al Madina is published in Medine, Oukaze with Djedda, Al Riyadh in the capital, etc Citons some of these newspapers, all diffused in Arabic: Al Jazirah, Asharq Al Awsat, etc Al Hayat is diffused in English Arabic and year. Washington Post and Arab News are available in English, Le Monde diplomatic in French. In the electronic media, the system is similar, but l' classical Arabic is only used for radio-television d' State. A royal decree of 1982 on the press and the publications imposes to the journalists a very strong self-censorship. It is interdict to criticize the government, the royal family, the d' chiefs; State of the friendly countries or the religious hierarchy, under sorrow d' to be continued and imprisoned. Even Internet, since its introduction in 1999, is censured by a department of the “City of king Abdul Aziz for Science and Technology”, who filters the consulted sites and blocks those which are considered to be contrary with morals or l' Islam. In 2001, a royal decree authorized the distribution d' Al Hayat (property of the prince Khaled bin Sultan, wire of the Minister for Defense) without preliminary censure, like c' was the case for some other Saoudi newspapers and the daily newspaper panarabe Asharq Al-Awsat.

Les médias

Tous les Saoudiens sont assurés de recevoir toute information en arabe. En matière de presse écrite, qui compte 10 quotidiens et des dizaines de magazines, l'Arabie Saoudite a adopté une politique qui dote chaque grande région d'un quotidien. Par exemple, Al Madina est publié à Medine, Oukaze à Djedda, Al Riyad dans la capitale, etc. Citons quelques-uns de ces journaux, tous diffusés en arabe: Al Jazirah, Asharq Al Awsat, etc. Le Al Hayat est diffusé en arabe et an anglais. Le Washington Post et Arab News sont disponibles en anglais, Le Monde diplomatique en français. Dans les médias électroniques, le système est similaire, mais l'arabe classique est seule utilisé pour la radio-télévision d'État.

Un décret royal de 1982 sur la presse et les publications impose aux journalistes une très forte autocensure. Il est interdit de critiquer le gouvernement, la famille royale, les chefs d'État des pays amis ou la hiérarchie religieuse, sous peine d'être poursuivis et incarcérés. Même Internet, depuis son introduction en 1999, est censuré par un département de la «Cité du roi Abdul Aziz pour la Science et la Technique», qui filtre les sites consultés et bloque ceux qui sont jugés contraires à la morale ou à l'islam. En 2001, un décret royal a autorisé la distribution d'Al Hayat (propriété du prince Khaled bin Sultan, fils du ministre de la Défense) sans censure préalable, comme c'était le cas pour certains autres journaux saoudiens et le quotidien panarabe Asharq al-Awsat.

Incoming press is strictly controlled by censorship officials, primarily for content of sexual nature. Foreign magazines are sold locally, but frequently censored by inking out explicit photos of women; since 2007, the inking is only on the wrapping. Meanwhile, books, videotapes and electronic media brought into the country may be subjected to censorship at customs.

Saudi Arabia directs all international Internet traffic through a proxy farm located in King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology. Content filter is implemented there, based on software by Secure Computing. Additionally, a number of sites are blocked according to two lists maintained by the Internet Services Unit (ISU) : one containing "immoral" (mostly pornographic) sites, the other based on directions from a security committee run by the Ministry of Interior (including sites critical of the Saudi government). An interesting feature of this system is that citizens are encouraged to actively report "immoral" sites for blocking, using a provided web form, which reads like this:

Dear User, عفواً، الموقع المطلوب غير متاح. Sorry, the requested page is unavailable. إن كنت ترى أن هذه الصفحة ينبغي أن لا تُحجب تفضل بالضغط هنا. If you believe the requested page should not be blocked please click here. لمزيد من المعلومات عن خدمة الإنترنت في المملكة العربية السعودية، يمكنك زيارة الموقع التالي: For more information about internet service in Saudi Arabia, please click here: www.internet.gov.sa

The legal basis for contents filtering is the resolution by Council of Ministers dated 12 February 2001. According to a study carried out in 2004 by the OpenNet Initiative:

The most aggressive censorship focused on pornography, drug use, gambling, religious conversion of Muslims, and filtering circumvention tools.

However, Saudi Arabia has been noted to also actively block and filter access to "politically astray" and other websites that the government deems inappropriate.

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