depths of the ocean and rose on the screen was a moment of unparal- leled joy because this was the result of months of battle, anxiety, insom- nia and tension” (1) . Some of the faces viewers were able familiarised with during this broadcast included Jamal Rayan, Ilham Badr, Muntaha al-Ramahi, Sami Haddad, Mohammed Krichen, Ayman Jada, Asmahan Khoury, Jameel Azar, Ahmed Sheikh and Hussam El-Sokary (2) . Ahmed Sheikh did not appear on Al Jazeera’s screen on the first day, as it was reported in the Qatari newspaper, Al Raya ; however, his voice was heard reciting the following verses from the Quran: “My Lord, uplift my heart, make my way easy, and untie the knot from my tongue so people can understand my speech”. Immediately after this, Jamal Rayan read the first piece of news of the first news bulletin, with Ilham Badr’s participation. “This was entirely different from what Arab viewers were used to from official news agencies. With Al Jazeera, news was presented in the order of importance, and it was free of so- called handshake journalism. There was no mention of His Majesty, His Eminence, or His Excellence as typically seen in official Arab media and even in some private media corporations which enjoyed close ties with the ruler” (3) . Jamal Rayan says the reason he was chosen to be the first face viewers saw on Al Jazeera, “was that the Vice Chairman of the Board, Mahmoud Al-Sahlawi came and said to me, ‘You have been chosen to be the first face on Al Jazeera on the day of its launch, but we want one thing from you.’ I said, ‘What is it?’ He said, ‘Do not tell anyone.’ So, I kept it a secret until that day of reckoning. Half an hour before the first broadcast, it was announced that Jamal Rayan would be the first face on Al Jazeera’s screen. I was simply chosen because I had the most experi- ence as a broadcaster among my colleagues, not for any other reason. I entered the studio on an empty stomach so I could breathe well and give my best delivery. This is something journalists know, especially broad- casters. I felt awful. As the broadcast started, my heart began beating
(1) Hussein Jafar, personal interview, Ibid.
(2) Al Raya , 2 November 1996.
(3) Ahmed Sheikh’s memoirs, Ibid.
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