More on Arab Satellite Charter

Arab Media & Society has translated the Arab League Satellite Broadcaster Charter revealed a few weeks ago and offers some analysis, with various experts weighing in on whether the charter may be a good thing in some respects (regulating hate speech, religious extremism, etc.) but judging from its contradictions and the track record of who'll be doing the implementation, we should not get too excited. Like a lot of rules in the Arab world, they are harsh on paper but the implementation can be very flexible -- so it's probably yet another tool to be deployed when necessary but not scrupulously enforced, especially as some of its measures seem illegal.

I do wish it would be used to regulate religious speech, though, starting with some of the stuff you hear on Islamic channels like Iqraa and the crazy Christian channels. But somehow I doubt they'll touch that one.