Defiant Al Jazeera faces conservative backlash after Arab Spring

Al Jazeera, the Qatari-funded television station whose reporting of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings won it millions of viewers in the Middle East, is defiant following a backlash by Arab governments that accuse it of supporting Islamists. On June 23, three Al Jazeera journalists were sentenced by an Egyptian court for up to 10 years in jail for aiding a ‘terrorist organization’ - a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood that helped sweep Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011 only to be ousted itself last year in an army-backed coup. The ruling reflected the misfortunes of the Muslim Brotherhood - in retreat across much of the Middle East after the Arab Spring turned into sectarian war - and was equally a blow to Al Jazeera and its patron Qatar. They are under pressure in countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that are intent on crushing the Muslim Brotherhood and accuse Qatar and Al Jazeera of promoting the group's activities. The journalists denied the Egyptian charge and the verdict was denounced by press freedom advocates. Al Jazeera said there wasn't ‘a shred of evidence’ against its staff and they had been convicted for ‘defending people’s right to know what is going on in their world.’ The channel says it provides objective coverage of all opposition groups, according to Reuters.