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| MEMRI's "about us" page states, "The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the ] and the ], providing timely translations of ], ], and ] media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."<ref name=AboutUs>, Memri.org, accessed July 23 2006</ref> | MEMRI's "about us" page states, "The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the ] and the ], providing timely translations of ], ], and ] media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."<ref name=AboutUs>, Memri.org, accessed July 23 2006</ref> | ||
| MEMRI's goals have evolved over the years, originally translating Arabic and Hebrew. Until 2001, its Mission Statement included a statement that "MEMRI relies on primary source material that it translates from the original Arabic and Hebrew. ... In its research, the institute emphasizes the continuing relevance of Zionism to the Jewish people and to the state of Israel."<ref> Click "About MEMRI" at web.archive.org, July 2 2001</ref> | |||
| MEMRI's translated articles and media analysis focus on the following areas: | MEMRI's translated articles and media analysis focus on the following areas: | ||
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| ], a ] and ranking member of the ] ] International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Non-proliferation, wrote the introduction to a MEMRI report on Arab and Iranian reactions to 9/11: "Since MEMRI's inception eight years ago, Americans and others in the West have had at least one outstanding source of information on the media of the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. MEMRI provides timely translations of materials that you will find nowhere else. As a member of Congress on the House International Relations Committee, and the top Democratic member of its Terrorism Subcommittee, I have utilized MEMRI.org to better understand the Middle East and its political culture."<ref></ref> | ], a ] and ranking member of the ] ] International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Non-proliferation, wrote the introduction to a MEMRI report on Arab and Iranian reactions to 9/11: "Since MEMRI's inception eight years ago, Americans and others in the West have had at least one outstanding source of information on the media of the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. MEMRI provides timely translations of materials that you will find nowhere else. As a member of Congress on the House International Relations Committee, and the top Democratic member of its Terrorism Subcommittee, I have utilized MEMRI.org to better understand the Middle East and its political culture."<ref></ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ], MEMRI President, in response to various criticisms has denied that MEMRI has an agenda, stating that "We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it."<ref name=Debate> at ''Guardian Unlimited'' </ref> Carmon has denied that MEMRI is unfairly selective in the articles that it chooses to translate: "Are the examples chosen extreme? While some of the topics covered do seem extreme to the western reader, they are an accurate representation of what appears in the Arab and Farsi media. ... If mainstream papers repeatedly publish the Jewish blood libel; accuse Jews and Americans of deliberately spreading Aids or the US of dropping genetically modified foods with the intention of harming people in Afghanistan ... MEMRI is entitled to translate these articles."<ref name=Debate/> | ||
| ===Criticism=== | ===Criticism=== | ||
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| Much criticism against MEMRI is based on a pair of articles written in 2002 and 2005 respectively by ], the Middle East editor for the UK '']'' newspaper who wrote that "the stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel."<ref name=SelectiveMemri>, Brian Whitaker, Guardian, August 12 2002</ref> | Much criticism against MEMRI is based on a pair of articles written in 2002 and 2005 respectively by ], the Middle East editor for the UK '']'' newspaper who wrote that "the stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel."<ref name=SelectiveMemri>, Brian Whitaker, Guardian, August 12 2002</ref> | ||
| ], a director of the ], claimed in the ] that "MEMRI's intent is to find the worst possible quotes from the Muslim world and disseminate them as widely as possible."<ref name=SelectiveMemri/> | |||
| ], a spokesman for the ] comments that "There is of course some horrific stuff in the Arab press, but one tends to forget that the American press can also be very nasty. MEMRI performs a useful function but unfortunately they have a pro-Israel, right-wing agenda."<ref name=Perelman>, Marc Perelman, “No Longer Obscure, MEMRI Translates the Arab World: But Detractors Say a Right-Wing Agenda Distorts Think-Tank's Service to Journalists,” Forward, December 7, 2001.</ref> | ], a spokesman for the ] comments that "There is of course some horrific stuff in the Arab press, but one tends to forget that the American press can also be very nasty. MEMRI performs a useful function but unfortunately they have a pro-Israel, right-wing agenda."<ref name=Perelman>, Marc Perelman, “No Longer Obscure, MEMRI Translates the Arab World: But Detractors Say a Right-Wing Agenda Distorts Think-Tank's Service to Journalists,” Forward, December 7, 2001.</ref> | ||
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| ], former British MP and the current Mayor of London, has accused MEMRI of "outright distortion".<ref name=MondeDiplomatique> {{cite news | title=Propaganda that widens the Arab-West divide - Gained in translation | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://mondediplo.com/2005/10/15propaganda}} See in French (freely available) {{cite news | title=Traduction ou trahison? Désinformation à l’israélienne. | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2005/09/EL_OIFI/12796#nb11}} (Persian translation also available for free )</ref> In the forward to a report he commissioned to explain his reasons for meeting with controversial Muslim scholar ], he states his opinion that MEMRI "tend to portray Islam in a very negative light." <ref name="LivingstonePress"> </ref> | ], former British MP and the current Mayor of London, has accused MEMRI of "outright distortion".<ref name=MondeDiplomatique> {{cite news | title=Propaganda that widens the Arab-West divide - Gained in translation | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://mondediplo.com/2005/10/15propaganda}} See in French (freely available) {{cite news | title=Traduction ou trahison? Désinformation à l’israélienne. | publisher=Le Monde Diplomatique | date=October 2005 | url=http://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2005/09/EL_OIFI/12796#nb11}} (Persian translation also available for free )</ref> In the forward to a report he commissioned to explain his reasons for meeting with controversial Muslim scholar ], he states his opinion that MEMRI "tend to portray Islam in a very negative light." <ref name="LivingstonePress"> </ref> | ||
| The accuracy of MEMRI's translations is sometimes disputed. For example, a controversy arose over MEMRI's |
The accuracy of MEMRI's translations is sometimes disputed. For example, a controversy arose over MEMRI's translation of the Arabic word "]" in the ] which they interpreted as "state" in the sense of a ] rather than a ]. Ramona Smith wrote in the ''Philadelphia Daily News'' that ], Professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of Michigan , said "the Arabic word used by bin Laden does appear to be an archaic usage but that the research institutes's other assumptions made no sense. Bin Laden says 'your security doesn't depend on which candidate you put in...Your security depends on whether you leave Muslims the hell alone,' Cole said." Terrorist expert Bruce Hoffman agreed with Cole's analysis, noting that "bin Laden's main message 'was not about...affecting the results of an election,' particularly since both Bush and Kerry have vowed to track him down. In view of that common stance, Hoffman said, it's "a stretch to say that bin Laden is saying how each state should vote.'"<ref>Ramona Smith, "Did Osama send election threat?," ''Philadelphia Daily News'' (2 November 2004).</ref> However, as ] later reported in '']'', the consensus view within the ] was that "bin Laden's message was clearly designed to assist the President's reelection" (pp. 335-336). <ref>, ], Sun, Oct 29, 2006 3:23pm EST</ref><ref>], , ], July 4, 2006</ref> | ||
| ⚫ | ], MEMRI President, in response to various criticisms has denied that MEMRI has an agenda, stating that "We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it."<ref name=Debate> at ''Guardian Unlimited'' </ref> Carmon has denied that MEMRI is unfairly selective in the articles that it chooses to translate: "Are the examples chosen extreme? While some of the topics covered do seem extreme to the western reader, they are an accurate representation of what appears in the Arab and Farsi media. ... If mainstream papers repeatedly publish the Jewish blood libel; accuse Jews and Americans of deliberately spreading Aids or the US of dropping genetically modified foods with the intention of harming people in Afghanistan ... MEMRI is entitled to translate these articles."<ref name=Debate/> | ||
| == References == | == References == | ||
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| ===Controversy=== | ===Controversy=== | ||
| * - blog with critiques and analysis | |||
| * | * | ||
| * | * | ||
| *by Leah Harris, ''Counterpunch | *by Leah Harris, ''Counterpunch'' | ||
| '' | |||
| == Other sources of Arabic/Persian to English media translations == | == Other sources of Arabic/Persian to English media translations == | ||
Revision as of 14:01, 2 January 2007
The Middle East Media Research Institute, or MEMRI for short, is a Middle East press monitoring organization located in Washington, D.C., with branch offices in Jerusalem, Berlin, London, and Tokyo. It provides translations of Arabic and Farsi media as well as original analyses of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East.
MEMRI was founded in 1998 by its president Yigal Carmon, a retired colonel from Israeli military intelligence, and the academic Dr. Meyrav Wurmser. The organization became more prominent after the September 11, 2001 attacks, due to increased Western public interest in Arab and Iranian affairs. At that time, it expanded its staff considerably, setting up new branches outside the United States in early 2002.
MEMRI is one of the few free sources of English language translations of material published in Arabic and Persian. MEMRI publishes its translations, analyses, and in-depth reports on its Web site. MEMRI is regularly quoted by major international newspapers. The organization has attracted both praise and criticism for its work.
Objectives and projects
MEMRI's "about us" page states, "The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) explores the Middle East through the region's media. MEMRI bridges the language gap which exists between the West and the Middle East, providing timely translations of Arabic, Persian, and Turkish media, as well as original analysis of political, ideological, intellectual, social, cultural, and religious trends in the Middle East."
MEMRI's translated articles and media analysis focus on the following areas:
- Jihad and Terrorism Studies Project
- U.S. And the Middle East
- Reform in the Middle East and North Africa
- Arab-Israeli Conflict
- Inter-Arab Relations
- Antisemitism Documentation Project
In addition to press translations, it regularly publishes media analyses and in-depth studies relating to Middle Eastern affairs.
Staff
In its original website of 1998, MEMRI listed 6 staff members: its President and cofounder Yigal Carmon, cofounder Meyrav Wurmser (Executive Director), Aaron Mannes (Director of Research), Yotam Feldner (Director of Media Analysis), Stacey Lakind (Research Associate), and Aluma Solnick (Research Associate). Stacey Lakind left in late 1998, and Aaron Mannes in early 2001; the others were still MEMRI staff as of October 5, 2001, when MEMRI stopped listing its employees on its website. Meyrav Wurmser left in early 2002 to join the Hudson Institute; she was replaced as Executive Director by Steven Stalinsky.
It now has a much larger number of employees ("17, plus translators" in January 2002, "over 30" in August 2002 of which 20 translators, current number unknown); citing bomb threats, it provides no information on their identities, beyond stating that they are "of different nationalities" and sometimes including by-lines on reports. Yigal Carmon has stated that "...staff include people of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths and they hold a range of political views".
Prominent staff
- Yigal Carmon — MEMRI's President. He served in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Intelligence Branch from 1968 to 1988. From 1977 to 1982 he was the Acting Head of Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria and the Advisor on Arab Affairs to the Civil Administration. Following Col. Carmon's retirement from the IDF he was advisor to Premiers Shamir and Rabin for Countering Terrorism from 1988 to 1993. In 1991 and 1992 he was a senior member of the Israeli Delegation to peace negotiations with Syria in Madrid and Washington.
- Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli received a Ph.D. in development planning from the University of Michigan. He spent most of his professional career at the World Bank, and has consulted for the International Monetary Fund. Dr. Raphaeli, an Iraqi-born, joined the Middle Media Research Institute (MEMRI)as a senior analyst in 2001.
- Prof. Menahem Milson (Academic Advisor), is a professor at Hebrew University in Arabic literature, and has served as head of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities. He has published extensively on modern Egyptian writers. His book on Egypt's great humanist, Najib Mahfuz - Najib Mahfuz: The Novelist-Philosopher of Cairo - appeared in 1998.
Financial support
MEMRI is registered in the US with the IRS as a 501(c)3, which means that it is exempt from federal taxation on income. Jay Nordlinger wrote, in the National Review, that "MEMRI exists entirely on private donations — there are about 250 donors, including some foundations — and will not accept any government money, as a matter of policy."
Notable donors include the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation, $100,000 (for the "support of general operations"); the Randolph Foundation, $100,000; the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, (per annual report, for "Israel advocacy"); the Koret Foundation, $20,000 (per annual report: "for Israel advocacy and education"); the Ronald & Mary Ann Lachman Foundation, $7,500; and the John M. Olin Foundation, $5000 (for the "Jihad and Terrorism Project").
Praise and Criticism
Praise
Thomas L. Friedman, a political opinion columnist for the New York Times, credits MEMRI with helping to "shine a spotlight on hate speech wherever it appears" and "presenting the voices of the...courageous Arab or Muslim intellectual, cleric or columnist (who) publishes an essay in his or her media calling on fellow Muslims to deal with the cancer in their midst. The truth tellers' words also need to be disseminated globally." Friedman quotes Husain Haqqani, author of the book 'Pakistan: Between Mosque and Military': "The rulers in these countries have no interest in amplifying the voices of moderates because the moderates often disagree with the rulers as much as they disagree with the extremists...You have to deal us moderates into the game by helping to amplify our voices and exposing the extremists and their amen corner."
Richard Holbrooke, a former US Assistant Secretary of State, is quoted on the MEMRI website: "Through its Reform Project, MEMRI includes the newly-emerging liberal voices of reform and hope, as well as disturbing echoes of ancient hatreds. Without the valuable research of MEMRI, the non-Arabic speaking world would not have this indispensable window. MEMRI’s Reform Project monitors advocates of reform and liberalism in the Arab and Islamic world, the issues they contend with, as well as the obstacles they face."
Brad Sherman, a Congressman and ranking member of the United States House of Representatives International Relations Committee's Subcommittee on International Terrorism and Non-proliferation, wrote the introduction to a MEMRI report on Arab and Iranian reactions to 9/11: "Since MEMRI's inception eight years ago, Americans and others in the West have had at least one outstanding source of information on the media of the Arab world, Iran and Turkey. MEMRI provides timely translations of materials that you will find nowhere else. As a member of Congress on the House International Relations Committee, and the top Democratic member of its Terrorism Subcommittee, I have utilized MEMRI.org to better understand the Middle East and its political culture."
Criticism
Much criticism against MEMRI is based on a pair of articles written in 2002 and 2005 respectively by Brian Whitaker, the Middle East editor for the UK Guardian newspaper who wrote that "the stories selected by Memri for translation follow a familiar pattern: either they reflect badly on the character of Arabs or they in some way further the political agenda of Israel."
Ibrahim Hooper, a director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, claimed in the Washington Times that "MEMRI's intent is to find the worst possible quotes from the Muslim world and disseminate them as widely as possible."
Hussein Ibish, a spokesman for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee comments that "There is of course some horrific stuff in the Arab press, but one tends to forget that the American press can also be very nasty. MEMRI performs a useful function but unfortunately they have a pro-Israel, right-wing agenda."
William Rugh, former US ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, describes MEMRI as a service which "does not present a balanced or complete picture of the Arab print media. ...Quotes are selected to portray Arabs as preaching hatred against Jews and westerners, praising violence and refusing any peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue."
Ken Livingstone, former British MP and the current Mayor of London, has accused MEMRI of "outright distortion". In the forward to a report he commissioned to explain his reasons for meeting with controversial Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi, he states his opinion that MEMRI "tend to portray Islam in a very negative light."
The accuracy of MEMRI's translations is sometimes disputed. For example, a controversy arose over MEMRI's translation of the Arabic word "wilayah" in the 2004 Osama bin Laden video which they interpreted as "state" in the sense of a US state rather than a nation-state. Ramona Smith wrote in the Philadelphia Daily News that Juan Cole, Professor of Modern Middle East History at the University of Michigan , said "the Arabic word used by bin Laden does appear to be an archaic usage but that the research institutes's other assumptions made no sense. Bin Laden says 'your security doesn't depend on which candidate you put in...Your security depends on whether you leave Muslims the hell alone,' Cole said." Terrorist expert Bruce Hoffman agreed with Cole's analysis, noting that "bin Laden's main message 'was not about...affecting the results of an election,' particularly since both Bush and Kerry have vowed to track him down. In view of that common stance, Hoffman said, it's "a stretch to say that bin Laden is saying how each state should vote.'" However, as Ron Suskind later reported in The One Percent Doctrine, the consensus view within the CIA was that "bin Laden's message was clearly designed to assist the President's reelection" (pp. 335-336).
Yigal Carmon, MEMRI President, in response to various criticisms has denied that MEMRI has an agenda, stating that "We aim to reflect reality. If knowledge of this reality should benefit one side or another, then so be it." Carmon has denied that MEMRI is unfairly selective in the articles that it chooses to translate: "Are the examples chosen extreme? While some of the topics covered do seem extreme to the western reader, they are an accurate representation of what appears in the Arab and Farsi media. ... If mainstream papers repeatedly publish the Jewish blood libel; accuse Jews and Americans of deliberately spreading Aids or the US of dropping genetically modified foods with the intention of harming people in Afghanistan ... MEMRI is entitled to translate these articles."
References
- ^ MEMRI About Us, Memri.org, accessed July 23 2006
- Thanks for the MEMRI (.org) Jay Nordlinger, National Review, September 13 2004, accessed July 23 2006
- ^ Recipient Grants report on MEMRI, MediaTransparency.org, accessed July 23 2006
- the Harold Grinspoon Foundation 2002-2004, accessed July 23 2006
- Koret Foundation: Catalyst Spring 2005, accessed July 23 2006
- The Ronald and Mary Ann Lachman Foundation, accessed July 23 2006
- Giving the Hatemongers No Place to Hide reprinted in Der Spiegel Online
- Quotes about MEMRI on MEMRI Web site
- Introduction to the MEMRI Compilation on the Arab and Iranian Reactions to 9/11
- ^ Selective Memri, Brian Whitaker, Guardian, August 12 2002
- , Marc Perelman, “No Longer Obscure, MEMRI Translates the Arab World: But Detractors Say a Right-Wing Agenda Distorts Think-Tank's Service to Journalists,” Forward, December 7, 2001.
- Language matters by Brian Whitaker at Guardian Unlimited. September 28, 2005
- "Propaganda that widens the Arab-West divide - Gained in translation". Le Monde Diplomatique. October 2005. See in French (freely available) "Traduction ou trahison? Désinformation à l'israélienne". Le Monde Diplomatique. October 2005. (Persian translation also available for free here)
- Mayor of London Press Release
- Ramona Smith, "Did Osama send election threat?," Philadelphia Daily News (2 November 2004).
- Newsweek cited '04 bin Laden video, but omitted part of the story of that "October surprise", Media Matters, Sun, Oct 29, 2006 3:23pm EST
- Robert Parry, CIA: Osama Helped Bush in '04, Consortiumnews.com, July 4, 2006
- ^ Email debate: Yigal Carmon and Brian Whitaker at Guardian Unlimited
External links
MEMRI Web sites
- MEMRI Official Site
- MEMRI German Official Site
- MEMRITV Official Site
- TheMEMRIBlog Official Site
- MEMRI site archived - snapshots of the MEMRI site from its inception onwards
- MEMRI Films
Controversy
- Thanks for the MEMRI
- Debate between Yigal Carmon and Ali Abunimah
- A Note on MEMRI & Translationsby Leah Harris, Counterpunch
Other sources of Arabic/Persian to English media translations
- English translations from Ash-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper
- English translations from Al-Hayat newspaper
- Iraqi Press Monitor daily summaries from the Iraqi media from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting
- Mideastwire Translation organization based in Beirut
- Mosaic: World News from the Middle East Free streaming video of daily news broadcasts in the Middle East, with English translation.
- Gooya (UK) Persian Media Resources