Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة, al-ğazīrä, , meaning "The Peninsula", referring to the Arabic name for the Arabian Peninsula) is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel with the same name, Al Jazeera has since expanded into a network of several specialty TV channels.
The original Al Jazeera channel's willingness to broadcast dissenting views, including on call-in shows, created controversies in Persian Gulf States and the United States. The station gained worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when it broadcast video statements by Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders (see Videos of Osama bin Laden) and also when it reported massacres allegedly committed by the US Army both in Afghanistan and Iraq.citation needed]