Given the treatment given terrorists in Munich and Paradise Now, it's little surprise that Mehmet Ali Agca who killed a newspaper editor and shot the Pope is poised to strike it rich with a movie deal of his own.
After all if the perpetrators of the Munich Olympic Massacre and suicide bombers can be portrayed as conflicted, misunderstood and ulitmately sympathetic characters, why shouldn't Agca seek the big pay day. Not only will it set him for life, he'll get a good name from it too. (Heck, he's even supposed to star in the movie!)
That makes this story all the more puzzling. What in the world does Hamas need to pay money to do an extreme makeover of their image?
Hamas is paying a spin doctor $180,000 (£100,000) to persuade Europeans and Americans that it is not a group of religious fanatics who relish suicide bombings and hate Jews.
The organisation, also known as the Islamic Resistance Movement, has hired a media consultant, Nashat Aqtash, to improve its image at home and abroad because it expects to emerge from next week's Palestinian general election as a major political force, and wants recognition and acceptance by the US and EU.
"Hamas has an image problem. The Israelis were able to create a very bad image of the Palestinians in general and particularly Muslims and Hamas. My contract is to project the right image," said Mr Aqtash, who also teaches media at Birzeit University in Ramallah.
First of all, as noted above, it's certainly possible that Hamas could get for having a movie made about them. But even if not, they certainly could get the work done for free. Heck it's been done for free, for years now.
IRIS notes that AP, Haaretz and the New York Times whitewash Hamas. Mere Rhetoric adds the Boston Globe to the club. And I've previously noted that the Washington Post has done the same.
Look, if Hamas wants to throw its money down the drain I'm not going to complain. After all it means that it then they have less money to spend on recruiting and arming terrorists that's a good thing. But with so many news organizations reporting "... [t]he United States and Europe consider Hamas a terrorist organization" it really appears that Hamas PR problems are being taken care of by others.
UPDATE: Mediacrity thinks this is money well spent for the same reason I think it's a waste. Simply Jews has its own idea how to make suicide bombers more palatable in a way that would be somewhat cheaper. But Barbie? Isn't that a "Jew Doll?"
Technorati Tags: hamas.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.
Money down the drain
Hamas pays for an "extremist makeover." But is it really necessary?
Given the treatment given terrorists in Munich and Paradise Now, it's little surprise that Mehmet Ali Agca who killed a newspaper editor and shot the Pope is poised to strike it rich with a movie deal of his own.
After all if the perpetrators of the Munich Olympic Massacre and suicide bombers can be portrayed as conflicted, misunderstood and ulitmately sympathetic characters, why shouldn't Agca seek the big pay day. Not only will it set him for life, he'll get a good name from it too. (Heck, he's even supposed to star in the movie!)
That makes this story all the more puzzling. What in the world does Hamas need to pay money to do an extreme makeover of their image?
First of all, as noted above, it's certainly possible that Hamas could get for having a movie made about them. But even if not, they certainly could get the work done for free. Heck it's been done for free, for years now.
IRIS notes that AP, Haaretz and the New York Times whitewash Hamas. Mere Rhetoric adds the Boston Globe to the club. And I've previously noted that the Washington Post has done the same.
Look, if Hamas wants to throw its money down the drain I'm not going to complain. After all it means that it then they have less money to spend on recruiting and arming terrorists that's a good thing. But with so many news organizations reporting "... [t]he United States and Europe consider Hamas a terrorist organization" it really appears that Hamas PR problems are being taken care of by others.
UPDATE: Mediacrity thinks this is money well spent for the same reason I think it's a waste. Simply Jews has its own idea how to make suicide bombers more palatable in a way that would be somewhat cheaper. But Barbie? Isn't that a "Jew Doll?"
Technorati Tags: hamas.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.
Posted by David Gerstman at January 21, 2006 09:04 PM