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Pr celebrating the life of mahatma mk gandhi

15 August 2008

Press Release

Celebrating the life of Mahatma M.K. Gandhi:  16th August 2008

There is no doubt that Mahatma Gandhi was a champion of freedom and democracy. History will always remember him as an Icon who was in the forefront of the fight against oppression, colonialism and imperialism. Together with Jawaharlal Nehru, Mohammed Ali Jinnah and others, they fought the might of Western Imperialism in the form of Great Britain, to secure the independence of India. They successfully shrugged off the yolk of British domination and declared what was to become the greatest democracy of modern times. We salute and congratulate this historical achievement.

Those of us who are celebrating this occasion will do well to remember that this independence can never be fully appreciated, commemorated and enjoyed while the disputed territory of Kashmir is on fire. It is an insult to the man in whose honour the festivities are being held. If you are really sincere about these celebrations, then you should ensure that the promise which Gandhi made to the world on the 26th October1947 when he said: “If the people of Kashmir are in favour of opting for Pakistan, no power on Earth can stop them from doing so. They should be left free to decide for themselves.” The operative phrase is “free to decide for themselves.” Successive Governments of India have reneged on this undertaking, thereby tarnishing and tainting the august name of this giant of a freedom fighter.

The Media Review Network calls upon the organisers of the Celebration to use the opportunity to conscientise the public of the plight of the Kashmiris. You have an ideal opportunity, to remind the Indian High Commissioner, Mr. R.K.Bhathia, as well as the Minister of Tourism and Culture from the Government of India,  of their moral obligation not only to the people of Kashmir, but in honour of the personality  they wish to remember. If and until this obligation remains unfulfilled, all you celebrations will be empty, soulless and meaningless. In the meantime the representative of the South African Government is faced with a challenge to raise this issue with the Government of India as soon as possible. He is ideally suited to the task considering his political background.

Issued by:
Ibrahim Vawda
Senior Researcher
012 374 6987

Media Review Network is an advocacy group based in Tshwane (Pretoria), South Africa

 

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Crossing the line interviews Dr Sami Al-Arians daughter

Crossing the Line interviews Dr. Sami al-Arian’s daughter

Crossing the Line

This week on Crossing The Line: Supporters of Dr. Sami al-Arian, a Palestinian political prisoner being held in the US, are outraged at a new indictment after al-Arian refused to appear before a grand jury probing an Islamic charity in northern Virginia. Host Naji Ali gets an update from Dr. al-Arian’s daughter, Laila, regarding this latest indictment.

Also this week, after enduring four months in captivity in Iraq at the hands of a group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigades, a Canadian human rights worker attempting to visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories is detained for four days, refused access to a lawyer, physically assaulted and denied entry by the Israeli authorities. Ali speaks with nonviolent activist Harmeet Sooden about his ordeal.

Lastly, Crossing the Line presents an audio documentary feature on the architecture of the occupation then and now, produced by David Parker of CKDU 88.1 FM in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

And as always, Crossing the Line begins with "This week in Palestine," a service provided by The International Middle East Media Center.

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Barack Obama should never have accepted this tainted prize

By Minette Marrin

(source: The Times Online)

How we laughed when Henry Kissinger was awarded the Nobel peace prize. It was like giving a man a gong for helping to put out a fire that he himself had been stoking up.

It was almost as funny as the news in 2007 that Tony Blair had been appointed a special peace envoy to the Middle East — yes, the Middle East — on behalf not just of the United States and Russia but also of the United Nations and the European Union. For those who enjoy gallows humour, the regular appointment of mass murderers and kleptocrats to the UN’s human rights commission is also quite amusing.

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Saudis may allow Isaraels use of air space

(source: Rise For The Truth)

Western security sources believe Saudi Arabia will readily let Israel use the country’s airspace to strike neighboring Iran if a war breaks out between the archenemies.

Prominent German news magazine SPIEGEL claimed in a Tuesday article that there exists a strong unity between Israel and Persian Gulf’s Arab states against Iran.

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