Page 84 - Cyberculture and New Media

Mahmoud Eid 75
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environment in the Arab world will require a more pluralistic civil society,
widening access to government information, more freedom of expression and
debate on political issues, the spread of social equity, and a multi-voice,
independent media. Arab political institutions will need to remove measures
restricting the media’s ability to do their job, such as government pressure,
censorship, abuse of media personnel, regulations against privatization, and
limits on freedom of expression. The smooth, free flow of information should
be encouraged in the direction of democratization. Government fears
regarding the spread of sensitive political and religious discussions through
new media, along with its desire to protect cultural identities, should not be
used to justify control over, or ban access to, information. Instead, these fears
and desires should be properly discussed and openly communicated between
Arab governments and their publics. Internet usage should be open to those
seeking information in all fields in Arab societies and not limited to specific
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purposes such as university or corporate use.
Censorship continues to be a major problem that renders the Arab
media ideologically dependent. The Arab region is confronted with local
rather than global problems in the development of networking, for example,
restrictive media policies by their own governments and lack of acceptance of
new media by state authorities. Governments in the Arab world have adopted
various means to restrict the flow of information online. There is a tradition
of Arab ministries of information wishing to control – or at best, influence –
the information their citizens receive, often through government ownership of
electronic media. Kuwait ensures that no pornography or politically
subversive commentary is available. Abu Dhabi’s Internet clubs ban sexual,
religious, and political materials on the Internet to respect local laws.
Bahrain, which went online in December 1995 through the government-run
phone company, Batelco, installed an expensive system to block access to
certain Internet sites. Jordan’s authorities asked GlobeNet, a U.S. firm that
won a contract to provide Internet service in 1995, to install a special
screening facility to control sexually explicit material. Saudi Arabia confines
Internet access to universities and hospitals, and inspects all local accounts
through the Ministry of Interior, claiming to be protecting people from
pornographic and other harmful effects of the Internet. Morocco procures
Internet service and governs all aspects of the Internet’s operations. Internet
service is targeted at the banking and insurance sectors, universities, and
multinational corporations. Most Arab governments justify their restrictions
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on Internet access as necessary to protect cultural identity.
As a new medium in the Arab world, the Internet is facing obstacles
similar to those from which the traditional Arab media still suffer. Most
notably, censorship is targeting new media in the same way as traditional
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media. In spite of the fact that residents of the Middle East are going online
in increasing numbers, many governments in that region are hoping to control