Al-Arabiya TV chief resigns

September 15, 2010

Abdul Rahman al-Rashid, the director general of Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya television known for his liberal views, has resigned.

"Rashid announced at Wednesday's editorial meeting that he had submitted his resignation to the chairman of MBC group, Sheikh Walid al-Ibrahim, who will have the last say," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Dubai-based Al-Arabiya, part of Middle East Broadcasting Corp, is a prominent Arab news channel and the main rival of Qatar's Al-Jazeera.

The exact reasons for Rashid's resignation were not clear.

Journalistic circles said it might be linked to his regular liberal-oriented columns in the London-based Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat, which were discontinued in the past few days.

During the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, Al-Arabiya also aired a series of documentaries on the relations between Islam and the West which included criticism of the ultra-conservative Saudi form of Islam known as Wahhabism.

Launched in 2003, Al-Arabiya stole some of the limelight from Al-Jazeera.

Both channels are backed by wealthy Gulf monarchies and are engaged in a fierce battle over Arab audiences, in a region marked by numerous conflicts and a rise in Islamic fundamentalism.