New York, NY, October 27, 2005 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today expressed its appreciation to the Jordanian government for its efforts to persuade the Jordan-based satellite network Al-Mamnou to cancel the anti-Semitic television series, Ash-Shatat.

"We thank the Jordanian government for their quick response in working to forestall the broadcast of this incendiary series during the holy month of Ramadan, when it could have had a potential audience of millions," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director.  "Once again, the Jordanian government has demonstrated its commitment to fighting hatred and incitement in the region."

A statement released by the Embassy of Jordan in Washington, D.C. explained that the program "drew concerns for inciting hate" and that "accordingly, the program has been stopped from the private channel as of Tuesday, October 25, 2005."  In an October 24 letter to the Foreign Minister of Jordan, Marwan Muashar, ADL expressed its concerns about the series, which had begun airing on the Al-Mamnou network during the month of Ramadan.

Ash-Shatat ("The Diaspora") is a Syrian production that originally aired in October and November 2003 on the Lebanon-based satellite television network Al-Manar, which is owned by the terrorist organization Hezbollah.  The 30-part series purports to dramatize the "true history" of the rise of modern Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel, and depicts historical figures, such as Theodor Herzl, Alfred Dreyfus and others and contains references to the notorious anti-Semitic forgery, "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion."

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.