Al-Jazeera TV Station Shut Down

Democracy in Iraq may be taking a back seat for a while. The Iraqi government has closed the Iraqi offices of the Arab TV station Al-Jazeera for 30 days. US-backed government officials claim that the station is inciting violence, hatred , and racial tension. Prime Minister Allawi said the government looked into the problems and has monitored the daily news coverage of the station. It was decided to close the station to allow Al-Jazeera "a chance to readjust their policy against Iraq." Readjust...hmmm. Is this a euphemism for "time-out until you can start saying the things we want you to say"?

The Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib says, "We want to protect our people." I guess that's what our Patriot Act is supposed to do, too. But in the meantime, our freedoms diminish more and more.

I saw the film "Control Room" about Al-Jazeera, and I thought the station was doing a lot of good. The people who work for Al-Jazeera seemed very intelligent and well-meaning to me. I think the station has the best interests of Iraq at heart. Just my impression.

The closure of the station just reeks of inappropriate censorship. Could it be that other factors are the root cause of violence, hatred, and racial tension in Iraq?