The 1991 gulf war was fought over one Arab country invading another. But all that most Arabs saw of the conflict came through the eyes of Western TV networks.
More than six years later, a ground-breaking Arab television documentary is letting Arabs see the war from a perspective closer to home.For the West, the clash was black and white: Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, and seven months later a U.S.-led coalition liberated the emirate.
But for Arabs, the conflict was not as easily defined. To some, it was unthinkable for one Arab country to invade another. Others saw the invasion as justified, convinced of Baghdad's accusation that Kuwait was stealing oil from Iraqi wells on the border.
Some believed - and still believe - the war was orchestrated by the United States to get a firmer grip on the oil-rich Persian Gulf region.
And many who took part in the war had mixed feelings about fighting alongside Americans and Europeans against a fellow Arab Muslim nation.
In the documentary, Egyptian army Lt. Mustapha Khaleel says Iraqi missile attacks on Israel were cheered by Arab soldiers in the coalition forces.
"I woke up to the sound of gunfire," he said. "It was the Syrian army firing celebratory volleys in the air because Israel had been hit by a Scud missile. My commander, a veteran (of Arab-Israeli wars), was happy."
Many Egyptian soldiers "told me they were uneasy about fighting against men with names like Ahmed and Mohammed. Names like theirs, or their fathers and brothers," Khaleel added.
The producers didn't shy from picturing Iraq's devastating military defeat. With footage from both Western and Arab sources, including Iraqi TV, the documentary showed bridges being blasted and graphic scenes of dead Iraqi troops caught in headlong retreat.
The show even included a comment from Iraqi Staff Brig. Najeeb al-Salhi that Saddam's regime was on the brink of collapse when the war ended. "I think if (the war) had gone on another 48 hours, the regime would definitely have been finished," he said.
The results of mistakes in coalition attacks also were included, such as tapes of the aftermath of the bombing of an air raid shelter in Baghdad.
Also included was footage from Israeli TV showing damage from Iraqi Scud missiles and injured Israelis being put into ambulances.
The documentary, which was first shown in March, broke viewing records for the 6-year-old, London-based Middle East Broadcasting Center, company officials said. It plans to begin marketing a video version this month.
In the gulf, many viewers met in groups to watch the documentary's seven daily one-hour installments.
"Me and my friends just had to get together every night to watch," said Sultan al-Kuwaiti from the United Arab Emirates. "Then we'd have the most intense political debates we've had since the war."
The Saudi-owned Middle East Broadcasting went to great lengths to portray different views. In Kuwait, viewers were suddenly confronted with an Iraqi officer denying their government's version of events.
Saudis saw Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq accusing Saudi Arabian leaders of buying off Russian opposition to the use of force against Iraq.
Another first was that officials from Israel - an avowed enemy of most Arab states - were allowed to tell their part of the story.
The documentary, beamed to TV sets from Cairo to Riyadh via satellite, provided details usually censored out of the official Arabic media, which consistently project an image of Arab unity.
For the first time, viewers saw secret footage of an Arab League meeting in Cairo before the war where Egypt's Hosni Mubarak and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi squabbled and raised their voices over the league's resolution to use force to oust Iraqi troops from Kuwait.
"It was an eye-opener to see how our leaders really act when no one is watching," said Hanan el-Sayed, an Egyptian engineer.
Abdul-Rahman al-Rashid, one of the shows producers, said the most difficult task was "to convince officials to actually say something."
"In this part of the world, there's a lack of experience and lack of confidence in talking to the press," he said.
Kuwait's foreign minister, Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, walked out on interviewers when faced with tough questions, such as whether Kuwait backtracked before the invasion on a promise to write off a loan to Iraq.
The show also contrasts the usual images of Arab solidarity with the divisive conflict.
Today, some of the bitterness among erstwhile friends still remains.
Kuwait, initially a sponsor of the documentary, pulled out after it became apparent Iraq would be able to present its views. Among Arab states, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia maintain the hardest line against Iraq.
Thus it was a surprise that Middle East Broadcasting, owned by brothers-in-law of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia, would broadcast the programs. Some critics of the Saudi government joke that the king refers to MBC as "My Broadcasting Center."
Why, then, was such a program sanctioned?
"Because of the advances in satellites and the access that is available to many people now, hiding the other point of view is not possible," said Othman al-Omeir, an owner of the production company that made the documentary.