Al-Jazeera Anchors Quit Over Newsroom Dress Code

by Verena von Pfetten | 12:00 pm, June 1st, 2010

Five Al-Jazeera anchorwomen have left their jobs at the Middle Eastern news service, claiming management criticized and insulted them for not dressing “modestly” enough. The women, Joumana Nammour, Lina Zahr al-Din, Jullinar Mousa, Luna al-Shibl and Nawfar Afli, say that deputy editor-in-chief Ayman Jaballah made “offensive remarks” about them for appearing on camera wearing makeup and without covering their heads.

The Daily Mail reports:

A source at Al-Jazeera said the conflict had escalated, with Mr Jaballah commenting repeatedly on the women’s ‘clothes and decency’.

Arab bloggers have thrown their support behind the women, with one claiming the TV station’s management was ‘attempting to impose one political and ideological’ standpoint on its staff.

But according to Al-Jazeera, the issue isn’t so cut and dry. While an internal inquiry said the company “had the right to dictate how presenters dressed to demonstrate its ‘spirit and principles’,” a staff member told The Daily Mail:

‘This collective resignation is not motivated just by the growing pressure on the presenters concerning their dress code, which was evoked by the media. The conflicts run much deeper.’

Here are photos of four of the anchorwomen — we were unable to find an image of Jullinar Mousa, unfortunately.