They say that all publicity is good publicity, but Anwar Abdulrahman could be forgiven for having doubted that maxim back in July, when the Arabic newspaper of which he is editor in chief was suspended for violating press laws.
It is believed the Bahrain Ministry of Culture’s decision was prompted by a string of controversial articles on the post-election trouble in Iran. Whatever the reason, journalists around the region rallied in support of the left wing Bahraini daily, and Abdulrahman was also able to count on the support of Arab nationalists in his fight for press freedom.
Today Akhbar Al Khaleej, the sister paper of the English language Gulf Daily News, is back on the newsstands – and if anything, its notoriety has been boosted by the ban. Now viewed as an outsider, the publication’s ‘edge’ over the competition is such that its editor in chief has emerged stronger and more powerful from an episode many feared would cost Akhbar Al Khaleej its licence.
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