Faisal al-Qassem
Encyclopedia
Dr. Faisal al-Qassem is a Syria
n television personality who hosts The Opposite Direction (Arabic:الإتجاه المعاكس ), a talk show on Al Jazeera
.
Al-Qassem studied drama at Hull University before moving in to television.
Al-Qassem is known for his provocative on-screen style, and is frequently credited with playing a large part in Al Jazeera's reputation in the Arab world as willing to break taboos and potentially offend individuals and states. Al-Qassem's program has led to diplomatic crises between the state of Qatar
, where Al Jazeera is based, and several Arab countries, five of which withdrew their ambassadors from Doha
in protest over the program.
Before joining Al Jazeera, he worked for the BBC
Arabic Radio and TV for over eight years as producer and anchor of political and cultural programs.
Al-Qassem holds both Syria
n and British
citizenship.
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n television personality who hosts The Opposite Direction (Arabic:الإتجاه المعاكس ), a talk show on Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is an independent broadcaster owned by the state of Qatar through the Qatar Media Corporation and headquartered in Doha, Qatar...
.
Al-Qassem studied drama at Hull University before moving in to television.
Al-Qassem is known for his provocative on-screen style, and is frequently credited with playing a large part in Al Jazeera's reputation in the Arab world as willing to break taboos and potentially offend individuals and states. Al-Qassem's program has led to diplomatic crises between the state of Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
, where Al Jazeera is based, and several Arab countries, five of which withdrew their ambassadors from Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
in protest over the program.
Before joining Al Jazeera, he worked for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Arabic Radio and TV for over eight years as producer and anchor of political and cultural programs.
Al-Qassem holds both Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
citizenship.