Khadija told AFP she managed to "defeat the devil"
Khaleej Times, (AFP)
26 November 2003
DOHA - The switchboard at Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera has been flooded with calls inquiring about an anchorwoman who appeared on the air wrapped in a bright salmon-coloured hijab, or veil.
She was none other than their star Algerian journalist Khadija Ben Ganna, who decided to put on the veil one day before the Eid Al Fitr holiday which started yesterday in the majority of Muslim countries, including Qatar.
Ben Ganna said she managed to 'defeat the devil' after three years of mulling over the idea of wearing the veil, adding she came under no pressure from the channel's management regarding her decision.
"The board of directors' view was that it was a personal matter that would only be evaluated on a professional basis," she said, adding that screen tests were conducted two years ago with her wearing the hijab but she hesitated.
Ben Ganna said the decisive moment for her came after a one-on-one with Egyptian Islamic preacher Omar Abdul Kafi, who appeared on an Al Jazeera programme called 'Sharia and Life'.
Programming dedicated to Islamic issues are common on the Doha-based channel, which is majority-owned by the Qatari government and beamed via satellite to millions of viewers around the world.
One of Al Jazeera's other star reporters, Taysir Allouni, was arrested in September in Spain on charges of allegedly being 'a member of a terrorist group' and using trips to Kabul to forge links with Al Qaeda, but was later released on bail.
Al Jazeera channel appointed in mid-November a new board of directors and a new manager in a reshuffle to "enhance the station's capabilities and ensure the standards of professionalism."