Producer: PBS dropped 'Islam vs. Islamists' on political grounds
Dennis Wagner
The Arizona Republic
Apr. 10, 2007 12:00 AM

The producer of a tax-financed documentary on Islamic extremism claims his film has been dropped for political reasons from a television series that airs next week on more than 300 PBS stations nationwide.

Key portions of the documentary focus on Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser of Phoenix and his American Islamic Forum for Democracy, a non-profit organization of Muslim Americans who advocate patriotism, constitutional democracy and a separation of church and state.

Martyn Burke says that the Public Broadcasting Service and project managers at station WETA in Washington, D.C., excluded his documentary, Islam vs. Islamists, from the series America at a Crossroads after he refused to fire two co-producers affiliated with a conservative think tank.
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"I was ordered to fire my two partners (who brought me into this project) on political grounds," Burke said in a complaint letter to PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supplied funds for the films.

Burke wrote that his documentary depicts the plight of moderate Muslims who are silenced by Islamic extremists, adding, "Now it appears to be PBS and CPB who are silencing them."

A Jan. 30 news release by the corporation listed Islam vs. Islamists as one of eight films to be presented in the opening series.

Mary Stewart, vice president of external affairs at WETA, said Burke's documentary was not completed on time to be among 11 documentaries that will be aired beginning Sunday. Stewart said the picture may be broadcast by PBS at a later date.

"The film is a strong film," Stewart said. "I'm still hoping to see this in the Crossroads initiative."

Jeff Bieber, WETA's executive producer for Crossroads, gave a substantially different explanation. He said Burke's film had "serious structural problems (and) . . . was irresponsible because the writing was alarmist, and it wasn't fair."

"They're crying foul, and there was no foul ball," Bieber added. "The problem is in their film."

Federally funded films

The controversy involves a collection of documentaries financed with $20 million in federal grants from the corporation, which conceived Crossroads in 2004 to enhance public understanding of terrorism, homeland security and other crucial issues in the post-9/11 era. Independent filmmakers submitted 430 proposals. Full production grants were given to 21 of those, including Islam vs. Islamists, which received $700,000.

Subtitled Voices From the Muslim Center, Burke says his film "attempts to answer the question: 'Where are the moderate Muslims?' The answer is, 'Wherever they are, they are reviled and sometimes attacked' " by extremists.

Michael Levy, a spokesman for CPB, said the corporation set up the Crossroads project and provided funding, but turned over management and content control to PBS and WETA 13 months ago.

After that, Burke says in his Feb. 23 complaint letter, he "consistently encountered actions by the PBS series producers that violate the basic tenets of journalism in America."

PBS officials turned down interview requests.

Debate about bias

The dispute adds to a running debate about political bias in the nation's publicly funded television business. In 2004, filmmakers complained that CPB was pushing a right-wing agenda for the Crossroads series. A year later, CPB President Kenneth Tomlinson sought to eliminate what he saw as a liberal bias at PBS. He was forced to resign after an inspector general's report found that he violated federal rules and ethics standards in the process.

Burke's credits include Pirates of Silicon Valley, a movie about the founders of Microsoft, and The Hollywood Ten, a documentary about blacklisted leftists in the motion picture industry during the 1950s.

In the making of Islam vs. Islamists, Burke's co-producers were Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy, and Alex Alexiev, the non-profit organization's vice president. Both men are neo-conservatives who have written on the threat of "Islamofascism" to the free world.

Before filming began last year, Burke says, Bieber asked him, "Don't you check into the politics of the people you work with?"

Bieber said PBS was concerned that the Center for Security Policy is an advocacy group, so its leaders could not produce an objective picture. Because of that, he suggested that Gaffney be demoted to adviser.

Burke, who did not honor the recommendation, says that funding was delayed and WETA began to interfere with his film until it was "expelled" from Crossroads.

Among Burke's examples of tampering:

• A WETA manager pressed to eliminate a key perspective of the film: The claim that Muslim radicals are pushing to establish "parallel societies" in America and Europe governed by Shariah law rather than sectarian courts.

• After grants were issued, Crossroads managers commissioned a new film that overlapped with Islam vs. Islamists and competed for the same interview subjects.

• WETA appointed an advisory board that includes Aminah Beverly McCloud, director of World Islamic Studies at DePaul University. In an "unparalleled breach of ethics," Burke says, McCloud took rough-cut segments of the film and showed them to Nation of Islam officials, who are a subject of the documentary. They threatened to sue.

"This utterly undermines any journalistic independence," Burke wrote in an e-mail to WETA officials.

In an interview, McCloud said she showed a single video frame to a Muslim journalist who was not a Nation of Islam representative.

However, in a January e-mail, McCloud told Crossroads producers that she had spoken with Nation of Islam representatives and "invited them over to view this section." She also wrote that they were outraged "and will promptly pursue litigation."

Stewart, the WETA executive, said McCloud was admonished for "inappropriate" conduct.

Otherwise, however, Stewart said Crossroads producers have dealt with Islam vs. Islamists in a fair and professional manner.

ARTICLE: "The New Frontier: Mideast; Stocks in Persian Gulf Outpace Other Markets," by Joana Slater, Wall Street Journal, 4 April 2007, p. C1.
ARTICLE: "For Saudi Women, A Whiff of Change," by Karen Elliot House, Wall Street Journal, 7-8 April 2007, p. A1.

Watching Wall Street get more interested in "frontier markets" (I love that term) is really interesting. Most of these do not appear in global indices (good indicator of Gap-dom), but the overall trend is clear: greater transparency in local companies and more opportunities for foreigners to invest.
Big hold-up is Saudis keep foreign investment out of their companies. In general, the states there keep you out of the sacred energy sectors, so it's the other stuff that is opening up (banks, property, telecom--all nice infrastructure/connectivity-enhancing stuff).
Best recent sign? The Dutch-tulips-like bubble came and went and seems reasonably processed.
Even in Saudi Arabia, though, we find slim signs of progress. Despite being unable to drive, women are now being let into law school.
Little steps from big players, bigger steps from smaller players.
Connections to the Big Bang? Don't underestimate the sense of urgency created, or that feeling that things must change this time around or else.

Gulf states judged most competitive

The UAE has been advised to cut red tape to
further boost its growth [EPA]

The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Tunisia are the most competitive Arab nations, according to a World Economic Forum report.

Mauritania, Syria and Libya are the least competitive of 13 Arab countries surveyed for the Arab World Competitiveness Report 2007 released in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.
The UAE is the most competitive economy in the Arab world among the countries at the third and most advanced stage of development, the report said, followed by Qatar and Kuwait.
Among the countries at the second stage of development, Tunisia and Oman are the best performing Arab economies while Egypt is the regional best performer in the third group of countries.

This year's report has expanded coverage to 13 Arab economies - Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia and UAE.

Libya, Oman and Syria are assessed for the first time.

Rankings are presented in three country groups according to the stage of development to enable benchmarking against peers in other parts of the world.

Energy-driven growth

"The high energy prices of the past few years have brought the Arab world the highest growth rates in nearly three decades," said the report, written by economists including Margerita Drzeniek Hanouz of the Geneva-based World Economic Forum and Tarik Yousef from the Dubai School of Government.
Tunisia is strong in education, and has stable and efficient public institutions, according to the report.

The UAE, at rank 29, has sound economic management that has helped strengthen public institutions, the report said.

Qatar ranks 32nd in the group of 40 most advanced economies. In regional comparison, it shows a relatively good track record with respect to education at all levels, the report says.

Still, economic growth could delay the changes Arab governments need to make their economies more competitive while oil producers remain vulnerable to a decline in oil prices, the report said.

===========================
Gulf states judged most competitive

The UAE has been advised to cut red tape to
further boost its growth [EPA]

The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Tunisia are the most competitive Arab nations, according to a World Economic Forum report.

Mauritania, Syria and Libya are the least competitive of 13 Arab countries surveyed for the Arab World Competitiveness Report 2007 released in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday.
The UAE is the most competitive economy in the Arab world among the countries at the third and most advanced stage of development, the report said, followed by Qatar and Kuwait.
Among the countries at the second stage of development, Tunisia and Oman are the best performing Arab economies while Egypt is the regional best performer in the third group of countries.

This year's report has expanded coverage to 13 Arab economies - Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia and UAE.

Libya, Oman and Syria are assessed for the first time.

Rankings are presented in three country groups according to the stage of development to enable benchmarking against peers in other parts of the world.

Energy-driven growth

"The high energy prices of the past few years have brought the Arab world the highest growth rates in nearly three decades," said the report, written by economists including Margerita Drzeniek Hanouz of the Geneva-based World Economic Forum and Tarik Yousef from the Dubai School of Government.
Tunisia is strong in education, and has stable and efficient public institutions, according to the report.

The UAE, at rank 29, has sound economic management that has helped strengthen public institutions, the report said.

Qatar ranks 32nd in the group of 40 most advanced economies. In regional comparison, it shows a relatively good track record with respect to education at all levels, the report says.

Still, economic growth could delay the changes Arab governments need to make their economies more competitive while oil producers remain vulnerable to a decline in oil prices, the report said.

Marc is a great guy who was on trip during the VOICES OF SOLDIER tour July 05 to Baghdad.

He is a great American.
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April 9, 2007
GOP’s Flagg Raises Campaign Banner in Florida’s 22nd
By Rachel Kapochunas, CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY
Florida Republican Marc Flagg, a former Navy pilot whose parents were killed on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, will challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Ron Klein in the state’s 22nd District.
Flagg, who is president of the Passenger-Cargo Security Group , a trade association that aims to improve airline security, filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) April 4.
Flagg, a resident of Boca Raton who works as a flight engineer for United Parcel Service (UPS), could not be reached for comment Monday. But he has been vocal in promoting anti-terrorism and aviation security efforts, including allowing pilots to carry guns to counter deadly threats.
“Out of great personal and national tragedy, I have gained a greater sense of appreciation for our nation, our freedoms, and my responsibilities as a citizen of this great republic,” Flagg wrote in April 2006 on the Web site of Reclaiming the Sky , a nonprofit organization that supports aviation workers.
“As a result of my personal experiences I have become active in supporting measures that I believe will make another attack on the United States less likely and provide assistance for our troops in the global war on terrorism,” Flagg wrote.
Flagg is the first Republican candidate in Florida’s 22nd District to file paperwork with the FEC. Possible Republican candidates include Boca Raton mayor Steven L. Abrams and retired Army Lt. Col. Allen West. Several Republican legislators have said they will not challenge Klein.
Klein last November ousted veteran Republican Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr. from the 22nd District, a politically competitive area of south Florida that takes in parts of Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and Coral Springs.
Brian Smoot, Klein’s chief of staff and the manager of his 2006 campaign, told CQPolitics.com Monday that Klein raised about $600,000 through the end of March and banked more than $500,000 as April began — robust totals early in the 2008 campaign cycle. Klein, who raised more than $4 million for his 2006 campaign, will file his first-quarter campaign report with the FEC by April 15.
Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said Monday that it is still early in the campaign cycle and that there are many potential candidates across the country who will soon begin campaigning. “We believe at the end of the day we will be competitive,” Spain said.
© 2006 Congressional Quarterly

Huachuca Center to be Home of Human-Intel Training
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 10, 2007 – The Department of Defense is establishing a home for human intelligence at Fort Huachuca, Ariz.

Defense Intelligence Agency Director Army Lt. Gen. Michael Maples participated in ceremonies opening the new Joint Center of Excellence for Human Intelligence Training today.
The center will answer a need for developing and exploiting intelligence from human sources.
"Human intelligence within the Department of Defense needs a home," said Steve Norton, chief of the Defense Human Intelligence Management Office at DIA.
The home of infantry in DoD is Fort Benning, Ga., he said. "Where's the home for human intelligence? We have a tougher time with that," he said. "I can see this evolve into the home of human intelligence."
Human intelligence is the "coin of the realm" in America's fight against terrorism, Norton said during a recent interview. "Every commission has validated this; commanders in the field tell us it is their priority in the intelligence field."
The U.S. intelligence emphasis has shifted from exploiting nation states to infiltrating terrorist groups. With that change in emphasis the importance of information from human sources has grown, Norton said.
"In the Cold War, we had a defined enemy in a national sense," he said. "You could put your intelligence assets and train them in known areas.
"We went from communism to terrorism, and those that threaten our country, our allies, our people are everywhere in a sense," he said.
Each of the services trains its own intelligence specialists, which is not the most efficient or effective system. "If you had one entity in the department and one school, then there would be one standard," Norton said. "If you have a variety of services, combatant commands or agencies involved in human intelligence, then you have a variety of training systems that you have to look at."
The graduates of the center will be certified and have recognized capabilities, he said. The capabilities and skills that are necessary for human-intelligence collection are the same from one service or agency to the next.
"We need to be interoperable," Norton said. "We have to be able to take people who are graduates of our schools and assign them to joint commands that require their expertise."
DoD has tactical, operational and strategic intelligence collectors. Intelligence specialists are debriefers, interrogators and analysts. "It's a wide range," Norton said. "The center is not just one course, but a series (of courses) that focus on advanced human-intelligence training."
The center's faculty and students will come from all services. It will not be involved in initial training for intelligence specialists, but for mid-level officers and NCOs. One course -- military source operations -- will have roughly 250 students in the first class. Norton said he expects the center to grow as it adds more classes. Training will be hands-on, he said.
"One of the reasons we wanted to go to this joint center concept was the fact that there is limited faculty out there," he said. "In other words, there are only so many human-intelligence specialists that exist in the real world. It is critical that we get those people on the platform to teach the next generation (of human-intelligence specialists).

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Fort Huachuca, Ariz.