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Kuwaiti MPs Slam Al-Jazeera

Three members of the Kuwaiti parliament have requested that the government shut down offices of Al-Jazeera in the country, on the grounds that the satellite channel is giving the Gulf countries a bad reputation.

The lawmakers say the Qatar-based satellite channel is “continuing its propaganda campaign aimed at spoiling the image of the Gulf nations.”

The channel is being launched from a Gulf state without any moral guidance, they said, and the MPs are demanding that the Qatari government close the channel down, the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat reported.

MP Khalid Al-‘Adwa addressed countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Saturday, urging them to shut down Al-Jazeera’s offices because of what he called the “extensive propaganda campaign it is launching against the people and governments of the Gulf.”

He said Al-Jazeera is presenting these governments as though they are implementing American policies and disregarding their Arab and Islamic obligations.

Al-Jazeera has been broadcasting since 1996 and is regarded today as the most popular Arab satellite channel in the Middle East, with a significant impact outside the region. Al-Jazeera is also planning to launch English-language programming.

The channel, which is funded by the Qatari government, has been accused by the West of anti-American and anti-Israel bias in its reportage. However, the station has also encountered criticism from Arabs who have accused it of being a mouthpiece of the CIA and vehemently oppose their policy of giving a platform to Israeli officials.

Al-Jazeera offices have been closed in the past in some Arab countries which protested against their policies.