Al-Qassem begs to differ, saying he has had no indication that Qatar will take him off the air.
The Arab world is hardly any more democratic now than it was when al Jazeera began airing the program eight years ago. But al-Qassem argues it has at least helped break the fear barrier.
fear and suppression
"Eight years ago when I began the program I was looking around left and right for intelligence people coming after me. I felt someone was monitoring how I thought, I was frightened to even think about some sensitive political issues," he says. "We were born and bred in an environment of fear and suppression. Our children won't be terrorized by governments as easily as they terrorized us."
Listing numerous threats on his family's life, al-Qassem says it is not just Qatar that has suffered for his insolence. "It was painful sometimes. The program has caused a hell of a lot of problems."
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