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.

Call on the Libyan ambassador to resign

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Joint Press Release:

The Media Review Network (MRN) and Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) are inspired by the confirmation that senior Libyan diplomatic personnel and ambassadors have resigned in solidarity with the protest against the Gaddafi regime. We also recognize calls made by the diplomats to the International Community to take urgent steps to halt the massacres taking place in Benghazi, Tripoli and other Libyan cities. We therefore believe that the Libyan Ambassador to South Africa, Dr. Abdallah Alzubedi, has a moral obligation to show solidarity with the Libyan people.

The Libyan government of Muammer Gaddafi has embarked on a brutal and violent suppression of the popular uprising by the people. Using military weapons supplied by the west, he has employed his air force, security forces on the ground as well as mercenaries, on defenseless civilians, in an attempt to suppress the uprising. The Gaddafi family dynasty, like all other family fiefdoms in the region, is western supported, is a sham democracy and held in position by rigged elections.

The MRN and MJC acknowledge the resignation of senior politicians from the Gaddafi government, notably the Minister of Justice, Mustafa Mohammed Al – Jaleil, Libyan Ambassador to India, Ali Al-Esawi and others. We therefore call upon the Libyan Ambassador to South Africa – Dr A A Alzubedi to also immediately resign his position.

Ibrahim Vawda

Senior Researcher,

Media Review Network

Tell: 012 374 6987

E-mail: webmaster@mediareviewnet.com

Nabeweya Malick

Public Affairs & Media,

Muslim Judicial Council

Cape Town

Cell: 083 408 1157

E-mail: pro@mjc.org.za

Fall of the despots

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

By Dr Firoz Osman

(source: Citizen Newspaper, thurs 24/02/2011, pg12)

The massive and indiscriminate violence meted out to the unarmed peaceful protesters by the brutal, tyrannical Libyan regime, and the behaviour of rulers in Bahrain, in Yemen and Algeria, has shocked the world. Reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed and thousands wounded by mortars, missiles, helicopter fire and aerial bombings is simply outrageous.

The pathetic attempt by Muammar Gaddafi and his son Saif to justify these attacks by raising the spectre of the “danger” of Islam in a bid to gain Western support will be in vain, just as the West failed to protect Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak.

Mubarak was the lynchpin in American foreign policy for the Middle East, designed primarily to dominate and exploit the oil-rich region and to protect Israel. If they were unable to save Mubarak, they are unlikely to save Gaddafi’s neck.

The use of a ruthless mercenary force to massacre his own people reflects his fear of being ousted in a coup d’etat. He has shrewdly played the tribal card in pitting one against the other to maintain the regime’s survival.

Other besieged Arab regimes in Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Morocco and even Saudi Arabia are desperately resisting popular revolts. Many of them will stubbornly cling onto power using brute force and repulse the call for freedom, justice, and dignity.

The pain of press prejudice

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

By Mandy de Waal

(Source: City Press 25/02/2011)

Local media came under fire from the Muslim Judicial Council (MJC) as the Press Council of South Africa’s road show travelled across the Cape for a series of public hearings this week.

Nabeweya Malick of the MJC spoke of the damaging effect that “US-centric propaganda” has on local Muslims and the fear created by prejudiced and thoughtless reporting that stereotypes Muslims as “terrorists” or dangerous. Malick made her submission in Cape Town where the public hearings took place at Naspers headquarters in the city centre.

“This prejudice could have its genesis in statements made by the then President of the United States, Mr George Bush, who said: ‘You are either with us or you are against us,’ in reference to the Iraq war.” Malick says this created a platform where Muslim communities who didn’t agree with the US war in Iraq were perceived to be supporting “so-called terrorists”.

Malick says this was exacerbated in South Africa by the media’s failure to be more critical, independent and because of the press’ over reliance on wire copy from the US and the UK.

“During the war on Iraq and the invasion of Afghanistan our media failed to rigidly maintain its independence because it used journalists from the United States to report on the war. “Very seldom, if ever, did we get any journalists based in Iraq or Afghanistan with an alternative view which countered the statements or the accusations made by the Bush regime,” she said.

Israel company recruiting gadhafi mercenaries

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

(source: Ma’an News Agency)

An Israeli company is recruiting mercenaries to support Moammar Gadhafi’s efforts to suppress an uprising against his regime, an Israeli news site said Tuesday. Citing Egyptian sources, the Hebrew-language news site Inyan Merkazi said the company was run by retired Israeli army commanders.

The report claims that many high-profile former Israeli officers have been illegally trading weapons in several African nations, and have faced interrogations over their activities in the past. The news site said the head of the company recently met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israeli intelligence chief Aviv Cokhavi. It added that the officials all approved the company’s recruitment of mercenaries to help Gadhafi. The leader’s brutal crackdown has killed at least 1,000 Libyans so far, human rights groups say.

According to the report, Israeli officials approved the recruitment out of fears that if toppled, Gadhafi would be replaced by an “extremist Islamic regime.” During Gadhafi’s four-decade rule of the north African state, he has been one of Israel’s most vocal critics.

Company representatives recently flew to Chad to discuss the matter with a high-ranking Libyan intelligence officer Abduallah Sanusi, the report said. During the meeting, Sanusi agreed to pay the company to recruit up to 50,000 mercenaries from African countries, according to the news site.