MRN

The aspiration of the Media Review Network is to dispel the myths and stereotypes about Islam and Muslims and to foster bridges of understanding among the diverse people of our country. The Media Review Network believes that Muslim perspectives on issues impacting on South Africans are a prerequisite to a better appreciation of Islam.

Fighting talk the new propaganda

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

By Robert Fisk

(source: The Wisdom Fund)

Following the latest in semantics on the news? Journalism and the Israeli government are in love again. It’s Islamic terror, Turkish terror, Hamas terror, Islamic Jihad terror, Hezbollah terror, activist terror, war on terror, Palestinian terror, Muslim terror, Iranian terror, Syrian terror, anti-Semitic terror…

But I am doing the Israelis an injustice. Their lexicon, and that of the White House most of the time and our reporters’ lexicon, is the same. Yes, let’s be fair to the Israelis. Their lexicon goes like this: Terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror, terror.

How many times did I just use the word "terror"? Twenty. But it might as well be 60, or 100, or 1,000, or a million. We are in love with the word, seduced by it, fixated by it, attacked by it, assaulted by it, raped by it, committed to it. It is love and sadism and death in one double syllable, the prime time-theme song, the opening of every television symphony, the headline of every page, a punctuation mark in our journalism, a semicolon, a comma, our most powerful full stop. "Terror, terror, terror, terror". Each repetition justifies its predecessor.

War crimes suit filed against barak livni in belgium

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

(source: YNet News)

Belgian of Palestinian descent, together with 13 Gaza Strip residents, files case in Brussels court against 14 Israeli leaders and officers

After similar circumstances last week prompted the last-minute cancellation of Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s trip to Paris, another court case was filed against the Barak and a series of other senior Israeli officials for alleged war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip during Operation Cast Lead.

Among those targeted in the suit are Opposition Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, who also has an arrest warrant out against her in Britain for her role as foreign minister during the Gaza offensive, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, and other Israelis in the IDF and Israel’s intelligence services.

Swedish dock workers act against Isarael

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

By Sapa-AP

(source: The Star – June 24, 2010 Edition 1)

STOCKHOLM: Swedish dock workers launched a week-long boycott of Israeli ships and cargo yesterday to protest over Israel’s raid on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that killed nine pro-Palestinian activists last month.

About 1 500 members of the Swedish Port Workers Union began the boycott at Sweden’s ports, which handle up to 95 percent of the country’s foreign trade. The action is due to end on June 29.

"Even if goods arrive in trucks, dock workers often have some role in handling them when they arrive in port," said Per Helgesson, attorney and chief negotiator at Ports of Sweden, an industry and employers’ organisation for the sector.The union supported the international aid convoy and demands that Israel lift its blockade on Gaza.Several Swedish activists were on the flotilla when Israeli commandos attacked it on May 31.

Israel recently eased the three-year-old blockade under international pressure, but union spokesman Bjorn Borg said the measure was insufficient. "We don’t think it is far-reaching enough," Borg said. "We want them to lift the blockade."Borg said stevedores in the south-western port of Goteborg had already refused to handle about a dozen containers containing cargo from Israel or goods destined for it.

Officials said they expected the boycott to have a minimal impact on Swedish-Israeli trade, which accounts for 0.2 percent of the Nordic country’s total imports and exports.Last year, Swedish exports to Israel were valued at 2.5 billion kronor (R2.4bn) and imports amounted to about 850 million kronor, according to the Swedish Trade Council.

Report iaf helicopters unload equipment meant for attacking a muslim state at saudi airport

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Helicopters landed at a Saudi airport and unloaded equipment intended for attacking targets in a Muslim state, semi-official news agency reports

By Jack Khoury

(source: Haaretz)

A semi-official Iranian news agency reported Wednesday that Israel Air Force helicopters recently landed at a Saudi Arabia airport and unloaded equipment intended for attacking targets in a Muslim state.

helicopter

An IAF helicopter

This follows last weekend’s reports of an American fleet passing through the Suez Canal, triggering fears that the United States and Israel were preparing for an attack on Iran, with Egypt’s cooperation, the Arabic language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi said.

The Israeli aircraft reportedly landed at Tabuk Airport on June 18 and 19 and that the Saudi airport canceled numerous flights to enable the Israeli aircraft landing, the FARS agency said in an unconfirmed report titled "Suspicious military activity of the Zionist regime in Saudi Arabia."