CNN is
trying to distance itself from an al-Qaeda propagandist who helped
the network create a documentary about the Syrian conflict. The man’s
ties to the network are just the latest in a series of scandals that
have dealt a blow to the network’s already tenuous grasp on
credibility.
by
Whitney Webb
CNN has had
a difficult few weeks, with scandals ranging from false reporting in
order to boost ratings to blackmailing a private citizen who created
a meme lampooning the network. As a result, CNN has seen a massive
drop in its prime-time ratings, suggesting that its viewership is
shrinking amid the controversy.
Now, yet
another controversy for the embattled network has come to light in
the making of its award-winning “Undercover in Syria”
documentary.
The
documentary revolves around CNN reporter Clarissa Ward’s
“undercover” trip to extremist-held portions of Aleppo that
pushed for Western intervention in Syria last year and placed the
blame for the city’s suffering on the Russian, Syrian and Iranian
governments. After the documentary aired, Ward was invited by
then-U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power to testify on her
experiences in “rebel”-held Aleppo.
However, CNN
hired a known member of the terror group al-Qaeda, Bilal Abdul
Kareem, in order to obtain the on-the-ground footage used in the
documentary and to assist Ward in gaining access to “rebel”
territories, a feat that claimed the lives of other journalists. In
addition, the network has recently sought to distance itself from its
key source on the ground after the documentary started picking up
awards.
Kareem,
however, did not plan to have his key role in the making of the
documentary go unnoticed. In June, he took to Twitter, writing that
the “piece I filmed w/ CNN (Undercover in Syria) won Overseas
Press Club & Peabody awards but CNN ‘forgot’ to mention me.
But I’m smiling!”
Included in
the tweet was a video of Kareem venting his frustration at the
network in which he stated: “This ‘Undercover in Syria,’ you
can Google it — it won the prestigious Peabody Award, and it won
the prestigious Overseas Press Club Award, which are basically the
highest awards in journalism for international reporting. Now, [CNN]
barely mentioned my name! I’m telling you, somehow CNN must have
forgotten that I was the one that filmed it, I guess they forgot
that.”
Given
Kareem’s key role in filming the documentary, the fact that he was
hardly mentioned in the Peabody Awards press release is certainly
unusual. However, CNN likely didn’t “forget” Kareem, but
instead intentionally chose to exclude his name once the documentary
gained fame, as Kareem is a known English-language propagandist for
Jabhat al-Nusra, otherwise known as the al-Nusra Front, a Syrian
branch of al-Qaeda.
Kareem,
the “American mujahid”
Kareem was
not always an al-Qaeda propagandist. An American citizen from Mount
Vernon, New York who later moved to Egypt, Kareem has a background in
comedy and theater that proved useful following his hire by
Saudi-funded Huda TV and the later creation of his own media group
“On The Ground News,” which has focused on the Syrian conflict.
Kareem has
been actively involved in the Syrian conflict for years. Middle
Eastern news outlets, such as Al Arabiya, have stated that Kareem
officially joined al-Nusra in 2012 and is known as “the extremists’
publicist.” According to reports, Kareem has stated that fighting
in Syria is a religious duty, that anti-Assad forces in Syria are the
“first line of defense” in fighting Shiites and that the desire
of anti-Assad extremist groups in Syria is the formation of an
Islamic state. Kareem has also interviewed Abdullah al-Muhaysini, the
Saudi cleric recognized as al-Nusra’s “religious leader,” whom
he praised as “probably the most loved cleric in the Syrian
territories today.”
In addition,
rebels in Syria who spoke to Max Blumenthal of Alternet confirmed
that Kareem was a well-known member of al-Nusra and was commonly
referred to as the “American mujahid.” A member of Kataib Thawar
al-Sham told Blumenthal that Kareem had made several videos for the
official YouTube channel of Jaish al-Fatah, the extremist coalition
led by al-Nusra, and stated that Kareem used the alias “Abu Osama”
for that work.
The militia
member, who chose to use an alias in his interview with Blumenthal,
stated that he himself had aided Kareem in making videos for the
al-Nusra-affiliated YouTube channel Knowledge is Key. The videos
frequently feature Salafi cleric Abdul Razzaq al-Mahdi, an
ideological leader of extremists in Syria and a co-founder of
al-Nusra’s rebranding into Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
While Kareem
has denied being affiliated with al-Qaeda, stating in a Facebook
video that “I am not, nor have I ever been, nor do I need to be
a part of al-Qaeda. I don’t have any need for that,” Kareem’s
privileged access to al-Nusra members and territory suggests the
opposite. Indeed, in the same video where he denies ties to al-Qaeda,
Kareem states that the reason he has not faced the same dangers as
other journalists in al-Nusra territory is because “mutual respect”
exists between him and the terror group.
Then, last
month, Kareem appeared on a special program on al-Muhaysini’s
Jihad’s Callers Center, where he was introduced as “an
American in Syria who is with the rebels and mujahideen.”
Al-Muhaysini personally welcomed him onto the program, stating:
“Greetings to our media man, the great innovator, Bilal Abdul
Kareem!”
With Kareem
having been praised by al-Nusra’s religious leader as “our media
man” just last month, his denial of ties to the group seems
disingenuous at best. Kareem’s extensive ties to the terror group,
more than the failing memories of CNN producers, is likely to blame
for CNN’s decision to largely omit his name from mention regarding
the “Undercover in Syria” documentary.
CNN’s
confirmed ties with Kareem will only add to the network’s growing
list of problems in providing the American people with honest
journalism.
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