Qatar Planning New Channel To Counteract Al Jazeera

Qatar Plans New Channel In Response To Al Jazeera Controversy

Qatar is planning a new channel in response to neighboring countries' criticism of Al Jazeera, Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National reported Sunday.

The newspaper said that Qatar's development of the AlAraby Television Network comes as countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt have taken issue with Al Jazeera for covering the opinions of the Muslim Brotherhood. The governments of UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization, while Bahrain has stated its support for UAE and Saudi Arabia's designation. The government of Qatar owns Al Jazeera.

The National did not report a launch date, though the station has been in the works since at least 2013 and is currently hiring staffers.

The newspaper's report comes months after Alkhaleej, an Arabi-language news website, said that the new channel represents Qatar's attempt to boost its reputation in countries where Al Jazeera's coverage of the Muslim Brotherhood has been controversial.

Watch HuffPost Live's Ahmed Shihab-Eldin discuss plans for the new station in the video above.

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