Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة‎‎ al-ǧazīrah IPA: [æl dʒæˈziːrɐ], literally "The Peninsula",[2] referring to the Arabian Peninsula), also known as JSC (Jazeera Satellite Channel), is a Doha-based state-funded broadcaster owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is partly funded by the House of Thani, the ruling family of Qatar.[3] Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel, Al Jazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets, including the Internet and specialty TV channels in multiple languages. Al Jazeera is among the largest news organizations with 80 bureaus around the world. Al Jazeera is owned by the government of Qatar.[3][4][5][6][7][8] While Al Jazeera officials have stated that they are editorially independent from the government of Qatar, this assertion has been disputed.[9] 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 outbreak of war in Afghanistan, when it was the only channel to cover the war live, from its office there.[10] Al Jazeera has been called a propaganda outlet for the Qatari government and its foreign policy, by analysts and by news reporters, including former Al Jazeera reporters.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] The network is sometimes perceived to have mainly Islamist perspectives, promoting the Muslim Brotherhood, and having a pro-Sunni and an anti-Shia bias in its reporting of regional issues.[18][19] It also accused of having an anti-Western bias.[20][21] However, Al Jazeera insists it covers all sides of a debate, it says it presents Israel's view, Iran's view and even aired videos released by Osama bin Laden