Reply #4: I'm Not Exactly Calling BS on This Story

[Sporadicus]

but I remain highly skeptical of anything originating from MEMRI. Check out the following UK Guardian article:

Selective Memri

Brian Whitaker investigates whether the 'independent' media institute that translates the Arabic newspapers is quite what it seems

Monday August 12, 2002

<snip>

Memri's purpose, according to its website, is to bridge the language gap between the west - where few speak Arabic - and the Middle East, by "providing timely translations of Arabic, Farsi, and Hebrew media".

Despite these high-minded statements, several things make me uneasy whenever I'm asked to look at a story circulated by Memri. First of all, it's a rather mysterious organisation. Its website does not give the names of any people to contact, not even an office address.

The reason for this secrecy, according to a former employee, is that "they don't want suicide bombers walking through the door on Monday morning" (Washington Times, June 20).

This strikes me as a somewhat over-the-top precaution for an institute that simply wants to break down east-west language barriers.

more...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,773258,00.html

The organization has links to Israeli intelligence and prominent neocon Richard Perle as well.