Posted on 08/26/2006 9:23:51 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BEIRUT, Lebanon - Lebanon's information minister on Saturday criticized the arrest of a businessman in New York on charges of providing satellite broadcasts of Hezbollah's Al-Manar television to New York-area customers.
Javed Iqbal, a 24-year-old businessman originally from Pakistan, was arrested Wednesday in New York on conspiracy charges of enabling broadcasts of Al-Manar — designated by the U.S. government as a global terrorist entity.
"As a Lebanese citizen first, and as an official in the Lebanese government and information minister of Lebanon, I find this to be unacceptable," Ghazi Aridi told reporters in Beirut.
U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia said Iqbal used satellite dishes at his Staten Island home to distribute the broadcasts through a Brooklyn company called HDTV Limited.
Al-Manar features news programming that promotes Hezbollah, which is on the U.S. State Department's list of terrorist organizations. Its headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut were repeatedly bombed and leveled in airstrikes during the 34 days of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Aridi called Iqbal's arrest an "attack against freedoms (that) robs a large section of people from watching a specific channel."
The guy in NYC broke the law of the land and was arrested.
Ok, lets see, as a Lebanese official and citizen, who gives a crap that you find it unacceptable, are you an american citizen or official? Nope. 'nough said (these international idiots actually beleive that New Yorkers give to wits about what they think, what, are we Europeans? I don't think so.)
You're right of course, what was I thinking? We're talking NYC here. Stop a guy on the street there and he'd say "Lebanon who?"
Mr. Lebanese Information Minister, can you clarify exactly what your relationship is with Hezbollah, that you are so offended by their TV channel not being available in Brooklyn?
Depends on the street.
Aridi called Iqbal's arrest an "attack against freedoms (that) robs a large section of people from watching a specific channel."...yeah right..robs them of their freedom to kill us with their propaganda in our home country...GO TO HELL!.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.