The Arab Times newspaper was founded by Osama
Fawzi in Houston, Texas and first published in print form in 1986.
In 1997, Arab Times launched an online site that complements its
print version of the newspaper at http://www.arabtimes.com.
The Arab Times focuses on political personalities and events in the
Middle East. The newspaper mainly concentrates on ruling elites,
their power struggles and antics in both the Arab world and the
Western world. In addition to political news in the Middle East, the
publication also covers issues and events that affect the Arabic
population in Europe and the United States.
Both the print and online versions of Arab Times are written mainly
in the Arabic language. However, the online version has a small
English language section.
Background
In 1997, Osama Fawzi launched www.arabtimes.com (the “Arab Times Website”), continuing with the website what he had started with the print edition of Arab Times approximately ten years earlier, but with a much larger audience and even wider dissemination. Since 2007, the Arab Times Website has gone beyond merely reporting the human rights abuses and violations of the freedom of expression prevalent in the Middle East to providing a service familiar to English-speakers in the west but scarcely permitted by Middle Eastern governments: an Arabic-language compatible, non-government, uncensored forum where readers may maintain blogs expressing their opinions. It is this forum of free expression that is now under attack.
A prominent feature of the Arab Times Website is a web-portal “blog” referred to as “Hyde Park” in which users may register and post articles concerning political news and happenings in the Middle East (or any other subject).
Arab governments
show hostility towards Mr. Fawzi, Arab Times, and
others who post on the Arab Times Website.
Because Mr. Fawzi and the Arab Times Website focus on political happenings in the Middle East, the articles on the Arab Times Website—including those of its Hyde Park portal users—usually entail discussions and criticisms of certain Middle Eastern governments, including Jordan , Syria , Bahrain , Kuwait , Libya , Oman , Sudan , UAE , Yemen , and Saudi Arabia.
Although many applaud the efforts of Arab Times to shed light on human rights abuses, the ruling families of The Arab Countries do not. They censor the Arab Times Website from their citizens—the Website cannot be accessed in those countries. Most recently, on May 4, 2009, a Jordanian government official questioned whether journalists who contributed to Arab Times should be “prosecuted” simply because “they write many things, much of it good, much of it bad.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10232069-38.html
Indeed, Jordan’s condemnation of the Arab Times Website has not been limited to censorship or public denunciation. Jordan has revoked Mr. Fawzi’s citizenship and passport and has in the past prosecuted and jailed a prominent female journalist and former Jordanian parliamentarian, Toujan al-Faisal, who posted an article on the Arab Times Website. Ms. Al-Faisal’s crime was questioning whether the Jordanian government charged too much for car insurance Because she mentioned car insurance on the Arab Times Website, Ms. Al-Faisal was sentenced to jail for “tarnishing the Jordanian state,” “defamation of the judiciary,” “uttering words” before another deemed to be “detrimental to his religious feeling,” “publishing and broadcasting false information abroad which could be detrimental to the reputation of the state,” and inciting “disturbances and killings
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10232069-38.html
http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/middle_east/jordan/hrd_jordan.htm
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE16/008/200
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE16/008/2002/en/1798d148-faf7-11dd-9fca-0d1f97c98a21/mde160082002en.pdf
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE16/008/2002
Arab Times The only known website to be censored in Qatar
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78861.htm
Arab Times The only known website to be censored in UAE
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78865.htm
Arab times and Wall street Journal
Letter from Queen Rania-Jordan
Letter from her attorney
Letter from Arab Times to her attorney
the Scandals are Eye-Popping!, January 27, 2003
Reviewer: A customer
this newspaper is one of the Few Arabic newspapers that are shining the
beginning image of Democracy in Arab Countries. Although the contents are
strictly in Arabic.
the Archive of Scandals is through and extensive. It vary to as mush as
anyone may wishes----from Arab leaders to Ambassadors to night club workers.
This website/newspaper is a must-see for every Arab who wishes to know about
how things are run in the Middle Eastern nations, espacialy, the
Arabic-Speaking one.....and the Financial/Sexual/Political scandals of Arab
leaders, polititians, and their workers and offsprings.
this is the Arabic Pravda....at it's finest!!!!
to make a long story short, THIS WEBSITE IS A MUST SEE FOR EVERY ARAB