Hamas "Mickey Mouse" Back On The Air

Children's TV Character Teaching Anti-Israel Messages To Palestinian Kids Returns Despite Protests

(CBS/AP)  A weekly children's show on a Hamas-run TV station featuring a Mickey Mouse lookalike preaching Islamic domination was broadcast as usual Friday, two days after the Palestinian information minister said it would be suspended immediately.

The show, featuring a giant black-and-white rodent with a high-pitched voice, made headlines worldwide because the character has preached against Israel and the U.S. and urged Palestinian children to fight Israel. It is broadcast on Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV.

Hamas, which is sworn to Israel's destruction, shares power in the Palestinian government with the moderate Fatah movement of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti, an independent, said Wednesday that the show reflects a "mistaken approach" to the Palestinian struggle for independence and would be suspended immediately to allow for a review.

But the station's manager, Hazem al-Sharawi, said on Friday the show called "Tomorrow's Pioneers" has an educational message and will not be canceled.

Barghouti would only say Friday that the station had promised to correct any problems. He said he has no control over private stations, but has asked the station to review the content. If there are still violations, "we will continue to work with them," he added.

Israeli officials have denounced the program as incendiary and outrageous. The program was also opposed by the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp., which is controlled by Fatah.

The lead character is called Farfour (or butterfly in Arabic), but is an unmistakable copy of the Disney character. On Friday, the character said he cheated on his exams because "the Jews destroyed my house," and he lost his books under the rubble. Children called in telling him his behavior was un-Islamic.

On previous episodes, the character said: "You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists. We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers."

"We will win, Bush!" he said.

During Friday's show, the adult presenter and the station manager, al-Sharawi, told viewers that once Islam rules, its message of "good and peace" will also rule.

"We don't incite. We present facts," said al-Sharawi. "We can't cut off our children from the reality they live everyday."

He said he repeated the words "love" and "peace" six times during the show.

"We have an educational and entertainment message. It carries knowledge, a sense of humor and morality. There is no shame in this, and we will not go back on it," he said.

Hamas loyalists launched the Al Aqsa satellite channel last year. Bearded young men read the news and Islamic music is layered over footage of masked militants firing rockets into Israel. The channel also broadcasts talk shows, programs about the disabled and cartoons.

"The children, through this loveable image, are receiving poisonous messages and they don't even realize that they are being poisoned," Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli watchdog group, told CBS News correspondent Richard Roth.

And it isn’t just TV rodents who are attracting condemnation: A colorful Hamas Web site tells a fable about a girl who guides Israeli soldiers over a roadside bomb to their deaths.

But some say the problem isn’t what's on television or the Internet — it's real life.

Israeli columnist Gideon Levy told Roth, "A child in Gaza does not need a cartoon in order to hate the occupation, to hate Israel. He opens his eyes in the morning and he sees reality around him."

Despite a rival Palestinian faction's effort to censor the show, a Hamas official insisted, "It's our right to tell our children what we want."

[rhs648]

Where is the logic? You wage war, you lose land, and then you expect it back. How rediculous! The Muslims need to build for the future, not throw away the futures of their children. Isn't it time to build better lives for your children. Denounce war and terrorism and become part of the modern world.

[closethippy]

REMINDER: In June of this year the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza will be 40 years old.
REMINDER: The reason this brutal occupation just goes on and on and on is because the Palestinians have been unable to satisfy the demands made by Israel to prove to the Israelis the Palestinians are worthy of the same rights everyone else in the world are born with.
In the meantime, Israelis have used this as a pretext to confiscate land, demolish homes, use Palestinians for target practice, emprison them and torture them, and empty machine guns in the guts of 13 year old kids whenever an Israeli soldier is having a bad day.
Israel claims International Law doesn't apply to the Palestinians, nor do Israeli laws apply to them either. Therefore, Palestinians are fair game for any and all Israelis who want them dead, or want the Palestinians' land.
So whatever the Palestinians do, whatever they say JUST DOESN'T MATTER. It only matters as far as it can be used for propaganda purposes against the Palestinians.
So, you see, the fake Mickey Mouse is the least of the problems here.

[rushman71]

"We don't incite. We present facts," said al-Sharawi. "We can't cut off our children from the reality they live everyday."

He said he repeated the words "love" and "peace" six times during the show.

"We have an educational and entertainment message. It carries knowledge, a sense of humor and morality. There is no shame in this, and we will not go back on it," he said.

Was this guy smoking crack? Let's see, teaching kids to hate Israelies, but also love and peace towards everyone. Hmmmmm. Does not make sense at all.

[wolf563]

The M.E. is very much like our Wild West was without laws until the army established control and put bounties on the heads of all who killed needlessly . The same must be done here . This was said to me by a 10 yr old while watching the news . This is so close to the truth about the region and sounded like a good idea . That 10 yr old is now looking for a way to stop hating and has made friends with the kids that he was at odds with for yrs . I`m proud to say that some good has come from all this *** in the M.E. It is teaching our children how lucky they are to live freely and without fear of being shot for disagreeing with anothers opinion .

[colonieny]

Here's all of Gaza. It's yours. What do they do ? Set up hotels ? Establish Universities ? Start farmining. NO. Begin to shell innocent Israeli citizens with rockets.
the Isreali even left behind computers, and farm equipment as a sign of good will, millions of $ worth, all destroyed. Well, what do you expect ?
The Evil that now catches the media's eye has been ongoing. Nothing new.

[rhs648]

"All this effort to impose western culture on people to undermine their own is taking a new and creative twist; using mickey in reverse propaganda.
I love it. Ha ha ha. LOL"

Posted by Agnim

As they teach hate, murder, and intolerance to their children. Real Funny!

[incog-nito]

If these people hate the West so much maybe they should stop using western products, starting with this Mickey Mouse copycat. How about also television, the Internet, the automobile, firearms of any kind. Seems like that's what they want to do anyway.

[incog-nito]

If these people hate the West so much maybe they should stop using western products, starting with this Mickey Mouse copycat. How about also television, the Internet, the automobile, firearms of any kind.

[incog-nito]

If these people hate the West so much maybe they should stop using western products, starting with this Mickey Mouse copycat. How about also television, the Internet, the automobile, firearms of any kind.

[agnim]

"Hamas "Mickey Mouse" Back On The Air"

This is so funny. LMAO

And all the fuss about nothing. LOL

All this effort to impose western culture on people to undermine their own is taking a new and creative twist; using mickey in reverse propaganda.
I love it. Ha ha ha. LOL