"Араб тіліндегі халықаралық газет: Asharq Al Awsat"

International Arabic language newspaper
the Arabic language newspaper

Asharq Al Awsat (الشرق الأوسط, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted for its distinctive green tinted pages. Although published under the name of a private company, Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), the paper was founded with the approval of the Saudi royal family and government ministers, and is noted for its support of the Saudi government. Asharq Al Awsat covers events through a network of bureaus and correspondents throughout the Arab world, Europe, the United States, and Asia. The paper also has copyright syndications with The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and Global Viewpoint, permitting it to publish Arabic translations of columnists like Thomas Friedman and David Ignatius. the paper is often billed as "the leading Arab daily newspaper," and calls itself "the premier pan Arab daily newspaper" However, reliable estimates are available only from the early 2000s, before rival Al Hayat launched a massive effort to increase circulation in Saudi Arabia. The paper's first editor in chief Jihad Khazen, now a columnist and editor emeritus for the rival pan Arab daily Al Hayat, gave credit to Hisham Hafiz, with the subsequent support of his brother Mohammed Ali Hafez, for the initial idea of establishing an Arabic language newspaper in London. Then the daily was launched in 1978. Former editor in chief Othman Al Omeir has likewise given credit to the brothers, Hisham and Mohammad Hafiz, for founding and then overseeing the paper. Together with El Khazen, the brothers set out to prove the value of the idea through a number of trial issues to the then Crown Prince and later king Fahd, who had initially warmed to the thought but then lost his enthusiasm. Asharq Al Awsat claimed in August 2006 that he had held discussions with Israeli ministers en route to the conference, briefing them on the Arab position. Sheikh Hamad denied the allegations and Asharq Al Awsat printed a second article, accusing him of lying. A third piece in March 2007, an opinion piece written by Alhomayed himself, repeated the claims. However, on another occasion Asharq Al Awsat was accused of publishing a false interview regarding football club Portsmouth. The following day The Guardian mentioned that the interview was actually true.

In 2016, Asharq al Awsat published a report accusing Iranian pilgrims taking part in the Shiite Muslim commemoration of Arbaeen in Iraq of sexually harassing women, which was proven to be false, according to Agence France Presse; the paper sacked its Baghdad correspondent over a report. The UN's health agency said no such report had been published by WHO, and condemned mentioning its name in what it called "unfounded" news. According to Rana Sidani, spokeswoman for the WHO, the organization was "shocked" by the report. She said that they were "consulting with the Iraqi ministry of health on possible legal action against the paper." Haider al Abadi, Iraqi Prime Minister, and "several other leading Shiite figures" condemned the Asharq al Awsats report and demanded an "apology". In April 2019, Saudi journalist businessman Hussein Shobakshi published a column in Asharq Al Awsat in which he condemned the prevalence of anti Semitism in Islamic culture. He claimed that this anti Semitism had led to the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim countries. "The intensity of the Jew hatred," he wrote, "disseminated by the media and art, literature, and political cartoons has reached a degree that cannot be ignored." He continued: "antisemitism in the Arab world is the product of loathsome, racist education that is rooted in the Arab mentality that is used to labeling people according to tribal, family, and racial affiliation, and according to the religious school which they belong. It is this education that prompted thousands of Jews were citizens of Arab countries to emigrate after the establishment of the State of Israel."

Though the newspaper is owned by Faisal bin Salman, and is considered more pro Saudi than its rival Al Hayat was, Asharq Al Awsat has billed itself as the "leading international Arabic paper," as it was the first Arabic daily to use satellite transmission for simultaneous printing in a number of sites across the world. The New York Times in 2005 called Asharq Al Awsat "one of the oldest and most influential in the region." The paper's chief competitors in Saudi Arabia are Al Hayat and Okaz; globally, its chief competitor is Al Hayat, though it is often paired with Al Quds Al Arabi which is considered to be its polar opposite. </blockquote>

Alhomayed responded to Eltahawy in both the English and Arabic version of Asharq Al Awsat. Eltahawy noted that in the majority of cases the writer was left to discover on their own that he or she was banned rather than receiving a reason or justification from Alhomayed. Nothing official was reported about the matter until 16 September 2010 when the paper quoted Al Rashed saying that he voluntarily stopped writing for them. On 18 September 2010, Al Rashed returned to writing in Asharq Al Awsat. As of 2021, he remains a regular contributor.