Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة‎ al-ǧazīrah IPA: [æl dʒæˈziːrɐ], literally, "The Island," abbreviating "The [Arabian] Peninsula"[note]) (also Aljazeera or JSC [Jazeera Satellite Channel]) is 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 with several outlets, including the Internet and specialty TV channels in multiple languages. Al Jazeera is accessible in several world regions and is owned by Qatar Media Corporation. The original Al Jazeera channel's willingness to broadcast dissenting views, for example on call-in shows, created controversies in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. The station gained worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 attacks, when it was the only channel to cover the war in Afghanistan live from its office there. Type Satellite television network Country Qatar First air date 1 November 1996 Availability Worldwide Headquarters Doha, Qatar Owner Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani (Qatar Media Corporation) Key people Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, Chairman Wadah Khanfar, Director-General Ahmed Sheikh, Editor-in-chief Established 1 November 1996 Launch date 1 November 1996 Official Website http://www.aljazeera.net/ User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.