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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.

The two sides of a barbed wire fence

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By Nicholas D. Kristof Karmel, West Bank

(source: Sapiens Promise.org)

The Israeli occupation of the West Bank is widely acknowledged to be unsustainable and costly to the country’s image. But one more blunt truth must be acknowledged: the occupation is morally repugnant. On one side of a barbed-wire fence here in the southern Hebron hills is the Bedouin village of Umm al-Kheir, where Palestinians live in ramshackle tents and huts. They aren’t allowed to connect to the electrical grid, and Israel won’t permit them to build homes, barns for their animals or even toilets. When the villagers build permanent structures, the Israeli authorities come and demolish them, according to villagers and Israeli human rights organisations.

On the other side of the barbed wire is the Jewish settlement of Karmel, a lovely green oasis that looks like an American suburb. It has lush gardens, kids riding bikes and air-conditioned homes. It also has a gleaming, electrified poultry barn that it runs as a business. Elad Orian, an Israeli human rights activist, nodded toward the poultry barn and noted: “Those chickens get more electricity and water than all the Palestinians around here.”

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So it was all about oil in Iraq after all

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Oil giants return to Iraq – Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil and Total set to sign deal with Baghdad

By Patrick Cockburn

(source:  www.independent.co.uk)

Nearly four decades after the four biggest Western oil companies were expelled from Iraq by Saddam Hussein, they are negotiating their return. By the end of the month, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Exxon Mobil and Total will sign agreements with the Baghdad government, Iraq’s first with big Western oil firms since the US-led invasion in 2003.

The deals are for repair and technical support in some of the country’s largest oilfields, the Oil Ministry in Baghdad said yesterday. The return of "Big Oil" will add to the suspicions of those in the Middle East who claimed that the overthrow of Saddam was secretly driven by the West’s desire to gain control of Iraq’s oil. It will also be greeted with dismay by many Iraqis who fear losing control of their vast oil reserves.

Iraq’s reserves are believed to be second only to Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, but their exploitation has long been hampered by UN sanctions, imposed on Iraq after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.

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Press statement

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MRN saddened by death of Ayatollah Sayyed Fadlullah

By Dr Firoz Osman – Secretary General,MRN

fadlullah & dr anver
MRN’s Dr Anver Suliman with the late Sheikh Fadlullah during a visit to Beirut in 2001

The Media Review Network is saddened with the news of the demise of the Islamic luminary and leader Ayotollah Muhammed Husseini Fadlallah, on Sunday, 4th July, at the age of 75 years, in Lebanon.Sayyed Fadlullah served as a highly influential beacon of truth for all the oppressed peoples of the world.

He often explained that Judaism, Christianity and Islam were all Divine religions. However he always differentiated between a Jew anywhere in the world and the Zionists that came to Palestine and occupied the Holy Land.

He supported the ideals of Iran’s Islamic Revolution and advocated the corresponding Islamic movement in Lebanon. In his sermons, he called for armed resistance to the Israeli occupations of Lebanon, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, along with opposition to the existence of Israel.

He once said that the slogan "land for peace‌ was a betrayal of Palestinian blood and of the sacred cause of Palestine." His extensive charitable works added to his popularity. Sayyed Fadlullah established a network of schools and orphanages in poorer suburbs of Beirut and in southern Lebanon. His outspoken political views made him a target.

A 200kg car bomb exploded near Fadlallah’s Beirut home in 1985. He was unharmed, but dozens of people were killed in a nearby apartment building, which was demolished by the blast.

Bob Woodward, an American investigative journalist, linked the blast to the US Central Intelligence Agency, though US officials have long denied any involvement.

Dr Anver Suliman of the MRN had the honour of meeting with the esteemed Ayatollah in Beirut in 2001. His erudition and spiritual advice will be missed by many, but his legacy of justice for the worlds oppressed will remain an inspiration forever.

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