THE PEN THAT MOVES MOUNTAINS
Ahmed Al-Jarallah can never be described as one to back away from challenges and controversies, especially political ones. After all, his straightforward and blunt opinions on controversial issues got the media pioneer targeted for assassination. Fortunately, he escaped almost certain death to top the political media sphere, an act of courage and conviction against those who violently disagree with his views.
Early Life
Born in 1944 into a family that is as authentically Kuwaiti as you can get, Al-Jarallah stepped away from the business of business and into the business of journalism. In 1963, at the age of 19, he began his journalism career at the daily Al-Rai Al-Aam, impressing his bosses with his dedication, and social and analytical skills.
In Kuwait, there are two topics that captivate the concentration and interests of the local population, business and politics. They are forever intertwined to set the course of development for the Gulf state since its independence in 1961. Al-Jarallah chose to delve into the latter, meeting with political leaders and writing revealing stories on compelling issues. Due to his insightfulness on key issues affecting leaders and their countries, Al-Jarallah eventually established himself as a ‘political confidant.’
In a few months, he was granted his own page-two column to write on the political efforts of Kuwait, as a newly established country, and its relations with the local, Arab, and international world and its issues.
Stepping up the ladder of success, one stride at a time
One such example of Al-Jarallah’s early works was his travel to Yemen and meeting with “Al-Imam Badr,” the Yemeni King and Imam who came to power in 1962 but was almost immediately overthrown during an Egyptian-backed coup. At the time, the Imam was battling to restore the monarchy and regain his throne from President Abdullah Al-Sallal.
In just two years, Al-Jarallah became Managing Editor and Deputy Editor-in-Chief. In 1965, he left Al-Rai daily to join the weekly magazine Al-Seyassah as a full-fledged Editor-in-Chief. Yousef Al-Rafaei, the owner of Al-Seyassah, initiated the opportunity. At the time, Al-Rafaei was the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and the head of the Municipality. Due to professional differences between Al-Jarallah and Al-Rafaei, they decided to take separate paths. Al-Jarallah had no choice but to purchase the publication and pursue his vision of becoming one of the leading media enterprises in the Arab world.
Within three years he turned the magazine into a daily newspaper (at the time, Al-Rai was the only daily). Jarallah expanded Al-Seyassah in 1977 into a media group, which also publishes the English-language Arab Times newspaper and the weekly magazine Al-Hadaf (The Target).
Al-Jarallah’s dedication and his own analytical sense of “what’s right and what’s wrong” in the responsibility of journalism and publishing earned him the respect of his peers in the field. Al-Seyassah and the Arab Times became the highest circulated daily papers. In 1977, the assets of Al-Seyassah were estimated at more than KD 5 million, including a printing plant which was the most modern in the region at the time.
Bahrain’s Prime Minister Acknowledges Al-Jarallah’s Publications
Al-Jarallah is described as a believer in “realistic democracy,” which means democracy that does not contradict the country’s government and its laws. His perspective is that democracy includes freedom of speech through civil society organizations such as communities, assemblies, and media and it should respect laws and regulations. He also sought to prove that journalism deserves special support and respect in all aspects of society.
On one occasion, HH the Prime Minister of Bahrain Sheikh Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa personally visited Al-Jarallah’s publication premises and hailed Al-Seyassah’s “contribution to bringing out issues important to the Arab countries and the Islamic world.” The PM commended the high standards set by the newspapers in the country and said “Al-Seyassah and the Arab Times have been playing a key role in promoting cooperation among the GCC countries.”
“The leaders of GCC countries and the citizens have always enjoyed cordial relations, and are in constant touch with one another,” the PM said. Al-Jarallah can also be described as an independent thinker with a balanced view of terrorism. He is against political Islam, and his publications reflect this view. He is also against Iranian interference in the internal affairs of the Gulf, pro-Saudi, and has lambasted those who opposed the US-led war in Iraq.
Al-Jarallah’s Controversial Views on Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran
Al-Jarallah also had a supportive perspective on the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty in its early stages and the efforts of Egyptian President Anwar Al Sadat with the Camp David Accords in 1978. Various Western media outlets have regularly noted Al-Jarallah’s critical views on Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran as well as the Arabs’ eternal nemesis — Israel.
On one occasion, he was noted in the Jerusalem Post for calling on “Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to leave the grey area, forgo expectations for an Arab and regional miracle that will never come, and start unconditional negotiations with Israel.” Al-Jarallah added that Abbas should follow in the footsteps of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and “try to cause international embarrassment for Israel even if the latter continues to apportion land areas to itself through its settlement construction.”
Jarallah further said the Palestinians previously had the chance to regain lost territory through the self-governance plan approved in the Camp David Treaty. “They should have taken this opportunity and built on it later to become a nation with clear borders but they instead chose to move towards the path of Arab slogans and bargaining until the problem was blown out of proportion. Instead of a West Bank void of Israeli settlers in 1978, the Palestinians are now offered 22 percent of the land; so the longer the waiting period, the less the space,” Al-Jarallah wrote.
Meanwhile, speaking to Al-Arabiya News Channel in April 2011, Al-Jarallah accused Iran of inciting a Shiite revolution in the Gulf region. “Since Khomeini came to power in 1979, Iran has been trying to export its revolution to the region on both the cultural and the military levels,” Jarallah told Al-Arabiya. He said that Iran first tried to implement its Shiite infiltration scheme through the use of the military during its war with Iraq and is continuing to do so in several countries in the region in various ways.
Iran’s intervention in the Gulf, Al-Jarallah explained, does not take the shape of a direct military strike, yet still has a confrontational nature. “Iran is always trying to push Gulf nations to the brink of war through escalating disputes and using bullying tactics,” he commented.
In one editorial, Al-Jarallah says: “Nasrallah has dragged Lebanon and its people into misfortune. In spite of the destruction caused by Israel, Lebanese politicians don’t want to be frank with their people and tell them that they should not support Nasrallah’s decision to declare war on Israel. Nasrallah has hijacked the authority of the Lebanese government to have control over the people of Lebanon while Lebanese politicians continue to remain mute spectators without voicing their true feelings.”
In another critical editorial, he adds: “Iran has been interfering in the internal affairs of other Arab and Islamic countries since 1979 by committing political and social crimes. Iran has stirred sedition in Lebanon, Iraq, and many other nations in a desperate attempt to control the fate of these countries. Iran is now trying to fix its distorted image through the bullying tactics used by Saeed Jalali in Beirut, as well as its promises to the Syrian regime and the terrorist operation in the Sinai desert. Whatever Tehran does, it will never succeed because it is like a snake biting itself for lack of something else to bite. Indeed, the international community can no longer tolerate the troubles and destruction caused by the ‘snakes’ of the Tehran regime.”
One can also understand from Al-Jarallah’s numerous editorials that he is against political Islam and in particular the Muslim Brotherhood with its umbrella affiliations — that infringes on the Gulf region’s well-established Islamic monarchies. He, of course, is particularly critical of Brotherhood affiliations in Kuwait, which he and commentators of similar opinion accuse of leading opposition protests against Kuwait’s one-vote electoral system in 2012.
Writing on the decision of Jordan’s King Abdallah II to amend Jordan’s electoral system into a one-vote system and the “malicious protests and campaigns that the Muslim Brotherhood has launched against the Jordanian government,” Al-Jarallah described that the “decision has unmasked the opportunity-seeking group.” “Yes, King Abdallah II has stopped those sick of daydreaming to control Jordan and topple the government legitimately. Apparently, those who suffer from delusions in Kuwait have also thought of using the National Assembly as a gateway to take over governance, but the fair judiciary has thwarted their plan. The amendment of the electoral system was the final nail in the coffin of coup attempts in Kuwait, so the situation has prompted them to seek external defenses against the country and the majority that stood by the Amir in his decision to protect the nation.”
Al-Jarallah is a strong supporter of Kuwait’s ruling family constantly praising the political leadership and its decisions. “The great and unprecedented support for the political leadership and the outright rejection of the violations committed by the deviant group are clear indications that the people are close to the wise leader. People have realized the dire consequences of noncompliance with the directives of the captain of the nation’s ship, considering the sensitive circumstances in the region and the attempt by reckless individuals to take advantage of the situation in a number of Arab countries to serve personal interests. These individuals have forgotten that Kuwait is not a police and dictatorship state. Kuwait is blessed with a democracy which does not exist even in the most democratic country in the Arab world.”
It is therefore no surprise that Al-Jarallah has acquired many enemies for his blunt opinions during his journalistic career. Some disagreed with his opinions to a violent extent and sought to inflict fatal harm.
On Dec 11, 2003, Al-Jarallah’s secretary, Walid Dahdouh, was injured when he opened a large envelope addressed to the Editor-in-Chief, sent from Beirut, Lebanon. The envelope contained explosives and Dahdouh suffered cuts on his hands and face, apparently after cutting a wire on a detonator.
Speaking to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Al-Jarallah said the letter indicated that it was sent by a well-known editor with the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, “to mislead people into thinking that it was normal correspondence.”
Al-Jarallah added that Kuwaiti military officials informed him that the letter contained the plastic explosive Semtex, but that it did not detonate. Had it exploded, he said, Dahdouh would likely have been killed. A white powder was also found in the letter, and Kuwaiti authorities tested it to determine whether it was anthrax or another harmful substance.
Al-Jarallah said he believed that the paper was targeted for criticizing “political and religious fanatics in the Arab world.” More serious was the assassination attempt on Al-Jarallah on April 23, 1985.
Al-Jarallah escaped death when a gunman opened fire on him outside his office in the Shuwaikh area. He was shot six times, three of which were taken in his right arm, and was rushed to the Al-Sabah Hospital seriously injured and near death by a worker. He was later transferred to Al-Razi Hospital and was in surgery for four-and-a-half hours. According to news reports, an organization under the name of Arab Revolutionary Brigades claimed responsibility.
It was also believed that the Abu Nidal Organization (ANO) may have been behind the assassination attempt. It is not clear what editorial or published piece of news triggered the assassination attempt. Since his rise with Dar Al-Seyassah, Al-Jarallah has received numerous threats which have not deterred him.
“The killer who intends to kill does not threaten, but goes immediately to his victim without warning,” Al-Jarallah wrote in his autobiography of the incident. It seemed to many close to him that the attempt on his life proved the significant extent of his strong principles and influence on public opinion. It also proved that there is a price to pay for freedom of opinion and ideas. The region at the time was fraught with changes in the political dynamics among Middle Eastern states and between each other, one of which was the eight-year-long conflict between Iran and Iraq. Soon after, a little more than a month to be exact, a failed assassination attempt also targeted Kuwait’s Amir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. In the book “And So I Returned from Death” he recalled being shot by someone “who looked just like the son of a friend.”
He remembered his emotions and feelings during his recovery in hospital and the determined choice he made to return to the media world stronger than ever before. “This aggression did not affect my mind and thinking. My conviction has not and will not change which is that — as long as you are an owner of an opinion and a pen — you must tell the truth even if it tires you.”
Three decades later, Dar Al-Seyassah is still going strong. Along with being one of the most prominent Arab journalists, Al-Jarallah is also prominent in wealth, business, and economy because of his various investments in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and Morocco.
Al-Jarallah’s investments are of great importance and value and they symbolize the history of a man who has not allowed room in his life for disappointment or dismissal. His long journey of sacrifice and excellence has driven him to greater success. His professionalism and well-established relationships with local and Arab leaders who occupy key positions have framed the image of Al-Seyassah as one of the most famous, reputable, and widely-read publications of the current era.
