Media Review Network – Page 1203 – Providing Context and Substance

Meshaal delivers speech on Obamas position on peace process

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Meshaal delivers speech on Obama’s position on peace process
By Khalid Meshaal,

On June 25, Khalid Meshaal, head of the Hamas Political Bureau gave a televised speech in Damascus and said, in part:

“… The Obama administration brought a change in rhetoric, but the question is what brought about this change. Even just the change on the level of the language, who effected this change? Was it for the sake of our beautiful eyes or for some defect? What brought this change about is that uncompromising perseverance of the living peoples of the region, when they resisted in Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and rejected the occupiers and their oppression and orders. So, they thwarted the policy of the previous administration and its old and neoconservatives.

“This perseverance transformed that administration’s adventures consisting of hegemony and pre-emptive wars into an utter failure, drowning them in the swamps of the region and creating successive crises which then prompted the American voter to go for the option of change to protect his own interests, not for the sake of our interests. Those who accepted the policy of the former administration, those who went along with it and brought tidings of it are not the ones who made the change or contributed towards it. Had the peoples of the region listened to them, the policy of Bush and his neoconservatives would have succeeded. The conditions in our region would have been in an unimaginably bad state.

“We sense a change in the American tone and rhetoric towards the region and the Islamic world, as was evident from President Obama’s speech in Cairo. We welcome this with great courage. We evaluate any change in an objective manner. However, we are not entranced by speeches. Speeches do not win us over. The effect of rhetoric is temporary. We are looking for change in the policies on the ground. This is the yardstick of our judgment of stances and changes. What is required of the leaders of the superpowers and more important countries is firm actions, decisive stances, and serious initiatives that restore rights to their owners and end illegitimate occupation. What is required is not mere speeches that reveal intentions and promises.

Muslim judicial council condemns german discriminatory hijab laws

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

MUSLIM JUDICIAL COUNCIL
Tel: +27 (0) 21 696 5150/1/3/5
Fax: +27(0) 21 696 5154
Address: P.O. Box 38311, Gatesville, 7766
Cape Province, South Africa
E-mail: mediadesk@mjc.org.za
Website: www.mjc.org.za

7 July 2009

MUSLIM JUDICIAL COUNCIL CONDEMNS GERMAN DISCRIMINATORY HIJAB LAWS WHICH FUELED ISLAMOPHOBIC MURDER OF MUSLIM WOMAN

While the Muslim Judicial Council expresses its deepest sympathy to the family of the deceased, Sister Marwa Al Sherbini who was murdered in a German court, we applaud her for standing firmly by her religious beliefs which led to her martyrdom. “From Allah(God) we come and to Him we shall all return.”

We therefore condemn the German constitution in the strongest terms for failing to grant her freedom of religion and their blatant failure to adequately protect her whilst she attempted to seek justice in a German court. It is these discriminatory laws imposed against Muslim women based on the grounds of gender and religious discrimination which forced Mrs Sherbini to be placed in this unfortunate situation.

The failure of the German constitution to afford Muslim woman their rights exposes them to the added abuse of 42and the prevalence of the vilest abuse of their right to freedom of religion.

The total lack of trained security personnel and the inadequate court safety procedures led to the brutal murder of Sister Marwah who was stabbed 18 times is indeed a shameful blot against the German judicial system and should be investigated by law commissions.
We also object in the strongest terms to the oppressive double standards imposed against Muslim women whilst Christian and “western” cultural traditions are afforded special concessions. According to a Human Rights Watch(HRW) report, the ban targets Muslim women exclusively and feeds the intolerant behavior against Muslims and fuels islamophobic violence.
We convey our deepest sympathies and express our support to the women who continue to be at the mercy of these discriminatory laws. Despite the harsh discrimination against them, Islamic values and Muslim contribution to the community is recognized in society. We therefore hope that harmonious multi cultural relations are strengthened on the basis of good citizenship and not by the prejudiced views attributed because of the intolerance of their religious attire.
Issued By:
Nabeweya Malick
Media Department
Cell : 083 408 1157

Irans crisis in the western media

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

Iran’s Crisis in the Western Media

By Gary Smith

iran elections
The media presentation of the recent36has been almost totally one-sided.

It seems that the battle lines and areas of the current confrontation with Iran are being drawn up by the media. In the virtual word of media hype and opinion, it is obvious that the recent Iranian elections are deliberately being manipulated and distorted by the Western media. This exploitation has also extended to the online world, taking advantage of sites like Facebook and Twitter for propaganda purposes.

While the ostensible subject of the present media attention is the legitimacy or otherwise of the elections and the always dominant question of democracy and human rights, the media interpretation and presentation of the Iranian situation is in reality not concerned with issues of fairness and legitimacy.

Even a cursory analysis of mainstream Western media reveals that what is of significance is the creation of a certain stereotypical image or a view of government of that country.

One can see this even in small but significant details – for example, the Iranian government is constantly referred to on news channels like CNN as the regime in Iran. This term implies a host of negative connotations that, with repetition, tends to create a stereotypical impression of the Iranian government and its rulers. This attempt at shifting public perception of Iran’s government principles is yet another form of exploitation by Western media.

What if the uighurs were Christian rather than muslim?

by MRN
January 1, 2013July 25, 2013

What if the Uighurs were Christian Rather than Muslim?
By Glenn Greenwald

— According to The New York Times this morning, violent clashes between Chinese government forces and Muslim Uighurs — that country’s long-oppressed minority — have left at least 140 people dead and close to 1,000 injured. This incident in Western China highlights an important fact about America’s "War on Terror."

Just imagine if the Uighurs were a Christian — rather than Muslim — minority, battling against the tyrannical Communist regime in Beijing, resisting various types of persecution, and demanding religious freedom. They would be lionized by America’s Right, as similar Christian minorities, oppressed by tyrannical regimes, automatically are. Episodes like these — where a declared Tyranny like China violently acts against citizens with whom we empathize — are ones about which, in general, the American political class loves to sermonize.