“There was always a great deal of anger at this radio station on the part of the Arab public because of the terminology that they use, like the word ‘terrorists,’” she says. “This is terminology that isn’t really acceptable in Arab society. There are words and phrases that are more nuanced and impartial, and there are various ways to describe settlers, army operations, the aid flotilla, and other things.”Dr. Amal Jamal, director-general of the I’lam Media Center for Arab Palestinians in Israel, concurs. “It’s obvious that more people in the Arab community listen to Radio A-Shams,” says Jamal, who heads the executive graduate program in political communications at Tel Aviv University. “This was a shift that took years to develop, and there are a few reasons for this.“The programs and the language and terminology that one hears on Radio A-Shams are more authentic to the Arab public,” Jamal says. “It is more connected to Arab society, and it provides a platform where issues that are critical to the community are discussed. There are Arabs who listen to Israel Radio, but they are further away from the Israeli Arab mainstream.”Jamal says that the perception of the Arabic-language Israel Radio station as closely tied to official government policy is one that is too difficult for overcome. As a result, Radio a-Shams was able to move into the vacuum.“The Arab public feels that Radio A-Shams represents it and tends to its needs,” he says. “Whether Israel Radio is or is not a propaganda mouthpiece is subject to one’s judgment, but the commentary is too closely aligned with the interests of the state.”Israel Broadcasting Authority spokeswoman Linda Bar says Israel Radio’s Arabic-language station is gaining in influence.“The editors and presenters on Israel Radio in Arabic are considered stars in their sector and enjoy huge popularity, which promotes the station. As proof, three Radio A-Shams presenters have moved to Israel Radio in Arabic,” she says. “Regarding [nuanced] terminology, as a station we reflect reality, including calling things by their names.”Regarding the claim that Israel Radio is propagandistic, she adds that “the same professional verification that guides Hebrew radio also guides us.”A-SHAMS offers programming that is backed up by its team of field reporters and commentators who at times have produced scoops that have been picked up by the mainstream Hebrew press. In just nine years, it has gained a reputation as an independent voice, not shying away from soliciting points of view from figures as diverse as far-right Jewish extremist Baruch Marzel and Hezbollah militiamen based in south Lebanon.“We do journalism par excellence,” says Karram. “That is what gives us the right to hold our heads high. Every community or nation needs-media to represent it, and radio is a key medium. In the Arab sector, radio takes on double importance because the Arab predicament in Israel is a very unique one. The Arabs live in a country that is at war with its people. We straddle the line between the Jewish population and the Arab one, and we strive to be professional from a journalistic standpoint to serve our audience, even if at times we pay a price with the Jewish community in Israel.“But what protects us and keeps us going is our professionalism. This is the uniqueness of Radio A-Shams. There is a pluralism here that you just won’t find in any other place on the Israeli media landscape. You can hear all of the different opinions here.”According to Nassar and Karram, the radio station has been a thorn in the side of both the Jewish establishment which is weary of an Arab voice that strays from the government’s talking points, and the traditional, male-dominated Arab leadership that has been incensed at A-Shams’s willingness to address previously taboo subjects such as women’s rights, birth control, and homosexuality in the Arab community.“When I first started out, people didn’t like the fact that a loud, opinionated woman was behind the microphone,” Nassar says. “There was a lot of opposition, and people attacked me because of my opinions. After a while, though, more and more people came to view me as an authoritative voice. But my views are consistent, and people saw that I wasn’t a hypocrite and that I didn’t seesaw just to satisfy listeners.”Nassar has rankled Islamic figures in the Arab sector due to her eagerness to tackle hot-button issues like honor killings, polygamy, the marriage of minors, women in the workplace, all issues related to personal freedoms.“The way I look at the issue of women’s rights, there are red lines that must not be crossed,” she says. “The dominant discourse in Arab society is conservative and religious, and it is one that seeks to impose taboos on women within the society. It is a discourse that has a wide platform throughout Arab society – in mosques, in homes, in religious schools and in society in general. This is the prism through which the mainstream views women.“So I decided that I would not provide a platform for those opinions and positions that are against women or that limit women’s freedom, like telling women what they can and cannot wear in public. Whenever I get phone calls to the radio show about rape, people will say, ‘Maybe she is guilty. Maybe she is the one who enticed the man to rape her.’ We are still wrestling with these types of questions.”The impact that Radio A-Shams has had on the Arab community is immense, according to Karram. Its rising popularity has accorded it a status not unlike that of a government agency, and listeners often call the station to solve problems that normally fall under the responsibility of elected officials. More importantly, it has created a culture of debate among Arabs in Israel who have traditionally been unwilling to speak up about issues critical to their society.“Eight years ago, we launched the talk-show format, and people were afraid to call in,” Karram says. “They didn’t want to talk to us, because there was a lot of fear in the Arab sector.They were afraid to criticize the state, the host, religion, everything. We broke all the taboos and we opened up the discussion with the listeners. The listeners attack us, and that is their right. But we accept this, and we try to answer back honestly. Our success is rooted in the fact that we are honest with the listeners. I don’t treat listeners as dumb.”
The voice of A-Shams
Makbula Nassar is not afraid to air her views on anything, including Zionism, polygamy and homosexuality.
“There was always a great deal of anger at this radio station on the part of the Arab public because of the terminology that they use, like the word ‘terrorists,’” she says. “This is terminology that isn’t really acceptable in Arab society. There are words and phrases that are more nuanced and impartial, and there are various ways to describe settlers, army operations, the aid flotilla, and other things.”Dr. Amal Jamal, director-general of the I’lam Media Center for Arab Palestinians in Israel, concurs. “It’s obvious that more people in the Arab community listen to Radio A-Shams,” says Jamal, who heads the executive graduate program in political communications at Tel Aviv University. “This was a shift that took years to develop, and there are a few reasons for this.“The programs and the language and terminology that one hears on Radio A-Shams are more authentic to the Arab public,” Jamal says. “It is more connected to Arab society, and it provides a platform where issues that are critical to the community are discussed. There are Arabs who listen to Israel Radio, but they are further away from the Israeli Arab mainstream.”Jamal says that the perception of the Arabic-language Israel Radio station as closely tied to official government policy is one that is too difficult for overcome. As a result, Radio a-Shams was able to move into the vacuum.“The Arab public feels that Radio A-Shams represents it and tends to its needs,” he says. “Whether Israel Radio is or is not a propaganda mouthpiece is subject to one’s judgment, but the commentary is too closely aligned with the interests of the state.”Israel Broadcasting Authority spokeswoman Linda Bar says Israel Radio’s Arabic-language station is gaining in influence.“The editors and presenters on Israel Radio in Arabic are considered stars in their sector and enjoy huge popularity, which promotes the station. As proof, three Radio A-Shams presenters have moved to Israel Radio in Arabic,” she says. “Regarding [nuanced] terminology, as a station we reflect reality, including calling things by their names.”Regarding the claim that Israel Radio is propagandistic, she adds that “the same professional verification that guides Hebrew radio also guides us.”A-SHAMS offers programming that is backed up by its team of field reporters and commentators who at times have produced scoops that have been picked up by the mainstream Hebrew press. In just nine years, it has gained a reputation as an independent voice, not shying away from soliciting points of view from figures as diverse as far-right Jewish extremist Baruch Marzel and Hezbollah militiamen based in south Lebanon.“We do journalism par excellence,” says Karram. “That is what gives us the right to hold our heads high. Every community or nation needs-media to represent it, and radio is a key medium. In the Arab sector, radio takes on double importance because the Arab predicament in Israel is a very unique one. The Arabs live in a country that is at war with its people. We straddle the line between the Jewish population and the Arab one, and we strive to be professional from a journalistic standpoint to serve our audience, even if at times we pay a price with the Jewish community in Israel.“But what protects us and keeps us going is our professionalism. This is the uniqueness of Radio A-Shams. There is a pluralism here that you just won’t find in any other place on the Israeli media landscape. You can hear all of the different opinions here.”According to Nassar and Karram, the radio station has been a thorn in the side of both the Jewish establishment which is weary of an Arab voice that strays from the government’s talking points, and the traditional, male-dominated Arab leadership that has been incensed at A-Shams’s willingness to address previously taboo subjects such as women’s rights, birth control, and homosexuality in the Arab community.“When I first started out, people didn’t like the fact that a loud, opinionated woman was behind the microphone,” Nassar says. “There was a lot of opposition, and people attacked me because of my opinions. After a while, though, more and more people came to view me as an authoritative voice. But my views are consistent, and people saw that I wasn’t a hypocrite and that I didn’t seesaw just to satisfy listeners.”Nassar has rankled Islamic figures in the Arab sector due to her eagerness to tackle hot-button issues like honor killings, polygamy, the marriage of minors, women in the workplace, all issues related to personal freedoms.“The way I look at the issue of women’s rights, there are red lines that must not be crossed,” she says. “The dominant discourse in Arab society is conservative and religious, and it is one that seeks to impose taboos on women within the society. It is a discourse that has a wide platform throughout Arab society – in mosques, in homes, in religious schools and in society in general. This is the prism through which the mainstream views women.“So I decided that I would not provide a platform for those opinions and positions that are against women or that limit women’s freedom, like telling women what they can and cannot wear in public. Whenever I get phone calls to the radio show about rape, people will say, ‘Maybe she is guilty. Maybe she is the one who enticed the man to rape her.’ We are still wrestling with these types of questions.”The impact that Radio A-Shams has had on the Arab community is immense, according to Karram. Its rising popularity has accorded it a status not unlike that of a government agency, and listeners often call the station to solve problems that normally fall under the responsibility of elected officials. More importantly, it has created a culture of debate among Arabs in Israel who have traditionally been unwilling to speak up about issues critical to their society.“Eight years ago, we launched the talk-show format, and people were afraid to call in,” Karram says. “They didn’t want to talk to us, because there was a lot of fear in the Arab sector.They were afraid to criticize the state, the host, religion, everything. We broke all the taboos and we opened up the discussion with the listeners. The listeners attack us, and that is their right. But we accept this, and we try to answer back honestly. Our success is rooted in the fact that we are honest with the listeners. I don’t treat listeners as dumb.”