[spectre] iraqi-german media project NIQASH launched

[klaas glenewinkel]

24.06.2005

iraqi-german media project niqash launched!!!

On June 23, 2005, the Iraqi-German media project niqash - produced by 
"MIC - Media In Cooperation" (formerly: Streamminister) - goes 
"officially" online and on the air. We invite you to visit our 
website at http://www.niqash.org and listen to the niqash radio show 
that is aired every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:15 to 12:45 
on Radio Dijla (105.2 FM).

what is niqash?
niqash is a space for Iraqi citizens to exchange views on the current 
political process and to debate the processes that are shaping the 
iraqi society. Its main focus is on issues relevant to the drafting 
of the new Iraqi constitution.

what does niqash want?
Its main goal is to facilitate a public and popular debate on the 
current political process in Iraq.

what does niqash do?
In order to achieve its goals, niqash provides background 
information, organizes expert exchanges on current topics, and offers 
every visitor the possibility to participate in discussions or even 
create a personal web-diary (blog).

what is on the niqash website?
The segment Background provides essential information on contemporary 
Iraq - the country, the society, the state -, and introduces main 
themes of the political debate. In the segment Debate , 
representatives from within the Iraqi civil society exchange opinions 
and ideas about political topics of their expertise. This will then 
initiate public discussions, which will in turn affect the 
parliamentary decision-making and thus shape the 
constitution-drafting process. The segment Community contains a wide 
array of features that will enable the visitors to the website to 
actively participate in the civil society debate - free and open 
discussions, personal web-diaries ("blogs"), and even "niqash mail" - 
our very own e-mail service provider.

Radio Niqash aims at both fostering and mapping the debates revolving 
around the drafting of the
constitution through interviews with experts, politicians, 
journalists and citizens and reports on all
controversial topics connected with the current nation-building 
process. The shows can be downloaded
off the niqash website and are free-to-air for any radio station or 
Internet platform.
niqash is produced by an Arab-German-Kurdish team of "Media In 
Cooperation" (MIC) in Berlin &
Amman. Its website is published in English, Arabic, and Kurdish.

The project is funded by the German Foreign Ministry and supported by 
the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation.

mic - media in cooperation (formerly: Streamminister) is a non-profit 
media NGO founded in April 2004 in Germany. With close connections to 
and associations with local NGOs in Iraq MIC implements media 
projects that help to
create a stable civil society in Iraq. Through providing a link 
between civil society institutions and those
of the state, MIC aims to enable Iraqi citizens to form their own 
opinion on the political processes in
their country and to articulate them within the political 
institutional framework.
Previous projects include "Telephone FM" - a cultural radio program - 
and "Election Monitor Iraq" -
a radio show & website that focused on the Iraqi elections in January 2005.

media in cooperation
email iraq at mic-international.org
mic berlin office
schönhauser allee 36
10 435 berlin, germany
phone +49 30 447 35 425
fax +49 30 446 53 872
mic amman office
p.o. box 631
11947 amman, jordan
niqash.org