US State Dept Censures Bahrain

HM's Media Advisor Mr. Nabeel Al-Hamar, Esq. advised to get a better translator for his paper.
Some of our illustrious press carried a doctored translation in Arabic of what the US State Department spokesman said when asked about the deteriorating security situation in Bahrain. In some of the local press, Facebooked by his majesty’s media advisor and Al-Ayam Media Empire owner Nabeel Al-Hamar (see screenshot) said:

أعرب المتحدث باسم وزارة الخارجية الأمريكية فيليب كراولي خلال اللقاء الصحفي اليومي بالوزارة يوم 16 سبتمبر الجاري عن اهتمام بلاده بالأحداث الأمنية التي شهدتها مملكة البحرين مؤخرا.
وأكد كراولي في رده على سؤال صحفي بهذا الشأن، بأن الولايات المتحدة لديها ثقة بأن البحرين تتطور في طريق النماء والأمن والديمقراطية.

Al-Ayam · 17 Sept 2010

The spokesman for the U.S. State Department Philip Crowley during the meeting, the ministry’s daily press on 16 September for his country’s interest by security incidents witnessed by the Kingdom of Bahrain recently.
The Crowley in response to a reporter’s question in this regard, that the United States to have confidence that Bahrain is developing in the way of development, security and democracy.

undoctored Google translation

UPDATE:
Official Arabic translation via Radio Sawa which does express the same sentiments as in the original English text:

قلق أميركي من اعتقال عدد من عناصر المعارضة في البحرين
16/09/2010 01:02 (توقيت غرينتش)
أعربت الخارجية الأميركية عن قلقها من اعتقال عدد من عناصر المعارضة في البحرين على خلفية اتهامات بالسعي لقلب نظام الحكم في البلاد. وقال المتحدث كراولي:
“نحن على اتصال مع السلطات البحرينية وقد عبرنا لهم قلقنا حيال ذلك الأمر، وفي نفس الوقت لدينا ثقة استقيناها من المسؤولين في البحرين وهي أن بلادهم ينبغي ألا تختار بين الأمن والديموقراطية، هذه هي رسالتنا إلى الحكومة في البحرين.”

وقد تمت الاعتقالات قبل أشهر من الانتخابات التشريعية في البحرين.

Radio Sawa

Compare that with what was actually said and which is clearly available in the transcript of the source video from the US State Department’s website:

QUESTION: There has been a string of arrests of opposition figures in Bahrain in recent days. Human rights groups are also alleging police torture, and this is all seen as sort of a clampdown ahead of elections in a couple months’ time. Given the close relations between Bahrain and the United States, do you have anything to say about this?

MR. CROWLEY: This is something that we are in touch with Bahraini authorities and have expressed our concern. At the same time, we have confidence as Bahrain evolves that you don’t have to make a choice between security and democracy, and that this is the message that we’re sending to the government.

QUESTION: Do you have any reason to believe the government’s claim that these opposition figures were trying to sort of arrange a coup against the royal family?

MR. CROWLEY: I don’t know that we’re aware of any information along those lines for —

US State Dept transcript of Daily Press Briefing on 15 Sept 2010

So please don’t treat us like morons who can’t find sources or people who don’t have the intelligence to discern the truth when it’s staring us in the face.

If you need a Journalistic Code of Ethics to follow, or use as a guide to create your own, here’s a good resource which you might do well to consider.

Mr. Al-Hamar and his empire appears to follow the very same trend of his Egyptian friends.

Comments

  1. Mohammed AlMaskati

    Thank you for shedding light on this Mahmood.. Another thing I would want to point out on this same subject is this:

    http://www.bna.bh/?ID=173974
    The official newspiece reports that the President of the Assembly of the United Nations Mr Abdulsalam AlTuraiki has “denounced the Conspiracy of Sabotage against the Kingdom”..

    What I heard over the radio later the same day was that Mr. AlTuriki was not talking on his behalf but on representing the UN, which obviously isn’t true.

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  2. exclamation mark

    I told you Mahmood, It doesn’t have to be an altered picture

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  3. Rashid

    Mahmood,
    Why do you only critisize AlAyam and Mr. Al Hamer, Alwasat and many other local news outlets covered the issue in the same way.

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      mahmood

      Specifically because I was responding to his Facebook post and him being the king’s advisor.

      For the record, here’s Alwasat’s take on the situation:

      «الخارجية الأميركية» مهتمة بأحداث البحرين

      أعرب المتحدث باسم وزارة الخارجية الأميركية فيليب كراولي خلال اللقاء الصحافي اليومي بالوزارة يوم 16 سبتمبر/ أيلول الجاري عن اهتمام بلاده بالأحداث الأمنية التي شهدتها مملكة البحرين مؤخراً.

      صحيفة الوسط البحرينية – العدد 2933 – الجمعة 17 سبتمبر 2010Ù… الموافق 08 شوال 1431هـ

  4. user

    “At the same time, we have confidence as Bahrain evolves that you don’t have to make a choice between security and democracy”

    that is precisely the solution and the only way foreward!

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