Monday, April 9, 2007
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Action Alerts Need Actioning!
Sign BBC petition for Alan Johnston's release!
Arab Media Watch urges its members and the public to join the thousands, including journalists and media personalities, who have signed the BBC's online petition urging that abducted Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston be freed quickly and unharmed. It has now been over three weeks since his abduction, with no word on his whereabouts or condition.
If you would like to add your name to the petition, please click on:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6518185.stm
While AMW condemns all forms of attacks, harassment and censorship of the media, the particular absurdity of this abduction is that Alan, as one of the few Western journalists still based in the Gaza Strip, has brought much-needed attention to the deteriorating situation in the territory over the past three years, and provided valuable and insightful perspectives that are often lacking among other media outlets," said AMW chairman Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi.
"AMW has consistently made the case that there are nowhere near enough correspondents based in the occupied Palestinian territories, and that this hampers the depth and objectivity of coverage. Alan's reports often have a qualitative edge because he is based at the heart of the conflict he is covering, rather than the relative comfort, safety and detachment of Israel," Nashashibi added.
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BBC Make False Offensive Claims About Jerusalem
Sick and tired of bias, inaccurate, unobjective reporting by the media? Then do something about it today. MPACUK are undergoing a campaign demanding the BBC publicly apolgise and correct an false, offensive statement made by BBC Sport's correspondance on 24.03.07 during the Football Focus program at 12.10BST. The reporter inaccurately describes Jerusalem as Israel's capital - this is not only inaccurate and dismiss international law where neither east or west Jerusalem is considered Israel's capital but is also offensive to Palestinians living under Israeli occupation every day.
How dare they! I don't pay my licence fees for such reporting so I complained on numerous occasions via phone calls and emails and have urged friends and family do the same. It's not good moaning and grumbling from the sidelines - this is a typical example of when an injustice is done we can make a change via simple yet effective means - lobbying!
So get to complaining people:
To make a complaint via the internet click on this link.
Or call the BBC directly on 08700 100 222
*Remember the clip was televised as part of BBC Sport coverage called ‘Football Focus - Feature: Israel in Focus’ on BBC1 at 12.10BST on the 24th March 2007.
The BBC must ensure that such a mistake is not made again as it is erroneous, misleading and offensive to many people who are struggling to uphold the rights of Palestinians under occupation.
For more information on the United Nations position on the status of Jerusalem click here.
p.s Happy Easter to those celebrating. Mmmmmmm....man do I love Easter and the chocolates as a result of the festivity!
Arab Media Watch urges its members and the public to join the thousands, including journalists and media personalities, who have signed the BBC's online petition urging that abducted Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston be freed quickly and unharmed. It has now been over three weeks since his abduction, with no word on his whereabouts or condition.
If you would like to add your name to the petition, please click on:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/6518185.stm
While AMW condemns all forms of attacks, harassment and censorship of the media, the particular absurdity of this abduction is that Alan, as one of the few Western journalists still based in the Gaza Strip, has brought much-needed attention to the deteriorating situation in the territory over the past three years, and provided valuable and insightful perspectives that are often lacking among other media outlets," said AMW chairman Sharif Hikmat Nashashibi.
"AMW has consistently made the case that there are nowhere near enough correspondents based in the occupied Palestinian territories, and that this hampers the depth and objectivity of coverage. Alan's reports often have a qualitative edge because he is based at the heart of the conflict he is covering, rather than the relative comfort, safety and detachment of Israel," Nashashibi added.
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BBC Make False Offensive Claims About Jerusalem
Sick and tired of bias, inaccurate, unobjective reporting by the media? Then do something about it today. MPACUK are undergoing a campaign demanding the BBC publicly apolgise and correct an false, offensive statement made by BBC Sport's correspondance on 24.03.07 during the Football Focus program at 12.10BST. The reporter inaccurately describes Jerusalem as Israel's capital - this is not only inaccurate and dismiss international law where neither east or west Jerusalem is considered Israel's capital but is also offensive to Palestinians living under Israeli occupation every day.
How dare they! I don't pay my licence fees for such reporting so I complained on numerous occasions via phone calls and emails and have urged friends and family do the same. It's not good moaning and grumbling from the sidelines - this is a typical example of when an injustice is done we can make a change via simple yet effective means - lobbying!
So get to complaining people:
To make a complaint via the internet click on this link.
Or call the BBC directly on 08700 100 222
*Remember the clip was televised as part of BBC Sport coverage called ‘Football Focus - Feature: Israel in Focus’ on BBC1 at 12.10BST on the 24th March 2007.
The BBC must ensure that such a mistake is not made again as it is erroneous, misleading and offensive to many people who are struggling to uphold the rights of Palestinians under occupation.
For more information on the United Nations position on the status of Jerusalem click here.
p.s Happy Easter to those celebrating. Mmmmmmm....man do I love Easter and the chocolates as a result of the festivity!
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Mosques Get A Battering!
Good old Mosques seem to be receiving a battering lately. First signs of plans for a new Mosque in East London and an orchestrated email campaign is whipped up to spread false statements. Ken Livingstone, who I nickname as Champion Ken for his bravery and ruthlessness when it comes to defending Palestinians, revealed an organised email campaign around an online poll being conducted by the Evening Standard aimed at stirring up communal hatred by spreading entirely false statements about plans for a new mosque in East London. Then the controversial poll was removed after Champion Ken exposed its hidden agenda. You see it was no ordinary poll and thus the need to expose it's motives. The poll asked readers to vote whether or not they were in favour of the Mayor spending £100 million of public money on a new Mosque in East London however Mr Livingstone has repeatedly denied any public funds would be spent on the project. Mr Livingstone said his office has been alerted to a series of emails being sent which make what he calls "a series of false claims about the mosque proposals in such a way as to stir up communal hatred" leading him to write to Veronica Wadley, Editor of the Evening Standard. I mean come on, even the BNP were urging it's fans to vote in the poll! http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/
Then we have an alleged arson in a Mosque in Nottingham:
A Nottingham mosque has been severely damaged in a fire described by a leading imam as "an act of terrorism against Muslims". Police and fire investigators are trying to determine the exact cause of the blaze at the Madni Masjid Mosque on Alberta Terrace in Forest Fields. Imam Raza ul Haq said he believed paint was thrown around the inside of the mosque and then set alight.
Then the whole Ruth Kelly and the £600,000 she has floating around at her dispense:
The government is planning to intervene in some mosques to support Muslims who want to marginalise extremists. Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly will announce a new role for the Charity Commission, strengthening its task of overseeing religious institutions. A £600,000 faith unit within the commission will help Muslims strengthen governance and leadership in mosques.
Ms Kelly's department has changed government strategy by launching talks with a broader range of Muslim groups. But at the same time, the largest body, the Muslim Council of Britain, has fallen out of favour, leading to claims that ministers are talking only to those prepared to agree with government. http://www.islamophobia-watch.com/
I'm not so sure about the MCB being involved with this. Although they supposedly represnt Britain's Muslims, I've still to be convinced they are the most effective organisation to represent us. They good - but not that good. I think they are not as in tune with the younger generation as they claim. The dosh Ruth Kelly has needs to be spent on improving the state of our Mosques - indeed. But with the current apathetic and backward Mosque leaders? Hell no!
If the Mosque elders finally realise that now comes the time for them to make way for the younger generation to get involved with the running of the Mosques - the pillars of our community - in order to reform, improve and defend our communities and liberties then by all means i'll give 'em money! But sadly, this doesn't seem like it's in the pipelines for a while and our Mosques will continue to be run by men who don't speak English, who cannot apprehend that they must teach Muslims (via program's/classes/syllabuses) to engage within the democratic systems in order to make an effective change for us here as well as for our brothers and sisters worldwide, who refuses to open its doors to the non-Muslim community and thus the development of respect and harmony between people of different faiths is non-existant, and who slams doors in the faces of its women, sisters, mothers as they beg old men to let them engage within the Mosques and be allowed prayer space in the House of Allah.
No, not until then...
Friday, April 6, 2007
Israeli Thugs Beat Palestinian Man & Family
Another day, another Palestinian life destroyed by Israeli aggressors and murderers.
Soldiers violently attack Palestinian man in his home: August 25th, 2006
There were two cameras filming most, if not all, of the following incident. A few soldiers are easily recognizable by Human Rights Workers (HRW) given the number of times they have been present while soldiers have been invading numerous Palestinian homes.
At approximately 5:15 PM, an HRW posted at the Tel Rumeida checkpoint heard yelling and screaming coming from up the hill. The HRW moved up the hill, and a Palestinian woman was able to point out the house and medical facility from which the screams were issuing. The HRW asked Israeli soldiers immediately inside the building’s door what was going on. They refused to answer, and the soldiers physically prevented the HRW from entering the house. At this point, Dr. Taysir, the building’s owner, broke free from the soldier who was holding him, and pulled on the HRW’s arm while begging him to enter. The HRW managed to enter the door, and saw two, elongated contusions high on Dr. Taysir’s left arm. While being pushed out once again, the HRW negotiated with the soldiers to leave the door open on the condition that he remain outside.
Shortly thereafter three more HRWs arrived. The HRWs managed to enter the building. Three HRWs demanded access to Dr. Taysir, who was now out of sight, while a fourth video taped the encounter. Dr. Taysir could be heard yelling and crying out in pain from a room further in the house. The HRWs attempted to move past the soldiers in order to prevent further injury to Dr. Taysir, but were repeatedly forced back. The soldiers refused to explain why the doctor’s home had been entered, why he had been struck, or why the HRWs could not see him. Throughout this time, the soldiers were physically and verbally aggressive towards the HRWs, repeatedly shoving them towards the door, and yelling at them to get out, shut up, etc.
At this point, an Israeli major arrived with approximately six more soldiers. The major entered the building and began speaking with Dr. Taysir’s brother, who had observed some, but not all, of the incident; this conversation is filmed almost entirely. The major spoke briefly to the soldiers already on site, who quickly became considerably less aggressive toward the HRWs. After approximately ten minutes, the major and all soldiers departed the house without speaking to anyone else. The HRWs then videotaped interviews with both Dr. Taysir and his brother regarding the incident.
Dr. Taysir told the HRWs that he gone to open the door for the soldiers when almost immediately they began shoving him around and pinned him against a wall by pressing on his chest. The doctor told the soldier not to push him, and the soldier responded by punching him in the temple. Other soldiers joined in, and Dr. Taysir received blows to his arms, legs, and torso. At least two blows, those to his left arm, were strikes with the butt of a rifle; these injuries are documented with video.
Seeing that Dr. Taysir was being attacked, a female patient who was present attempted to intervene, putting herself between the doctor and the soldiers. She was struck by a soldier, and fell unconscious. The patient was later placed on a medical exam table with an oxygen feed to help her recover, where she was videotaped (with permission) by the HRWs. Dr. Taysir’s adult daughter was also beaten at some point during the encounter, though the events are not clear to us what happened. Dr. Taysir and his brother both stated repeatedly that soldiers used and regularly use foul language towards him and his family, including his wife and small children.
Later that evening, before sunset, soldiers could be seen on the roof of Dr. Taysir’s house. HRWs were standing on their own roof, and when they looked in the direction of the soldiers, the soldiers used their arms in a gesture to say ‘F***you’ to the HRWs. The soldiers were laughing the entire time. The HRWs did not respond.
Soldiers violently attack Palestinian man in his home: August 25th, 2006
There were two cameras filming most, if not all, of the following incident. A few soldiers are easily recognizable by Human Rights Workers (HRW) given the number of times they have been present while soldiers have been invading numerous Palestinian homes.
At approximately 5:15 PM, an HRW posted at the Tel Rumeida checkpoint heard yelling and screaming coming from up the hill. The HRW moved up the hill, and a Palestinian woman was able to point out the house and medical facility from which the screams were issuing. The HRW asked Israeli soldiers immediately inside the building’s door what was going on. They refused to answer, and the soldiers physically prevented the HRW from entering the house. At this point, Dr. Taysir, the building’s owner, broke free from the soldier who was holding him, and pulled on the HRW’s arm while begging him to enter. The HRW managed to enter the door, and saw two, elongated contusions high on Dr. Taysir’s left arm. While being pushed out once again, the HRW negotiated with the soldiers to leave the door open on the condition that he remain outside.
Shortly thereafter three more HRWs arrived. The HRWs managed to enter the building. Three HRWs demanded access to Dr. Taysir, who was now out of sight, while a fourth video taped the encounter. Dr. Taysir could be heard yelling and crying out in pain from a room further in the house. The HRWs attempted to move past the soldiers in order to prevent further injury to Dr. Taysir, but were repeatedly forced back. The soldiers refused to explain why the doctor’s home had been entered, why he had been struck, or why the HRWs could not see him. Throughout this time, the soldiers were physically and verbally aggressive towards the HRWs, repeatedly shoving them towards the door, and yelling at them to get out, shut up, etc.
At this point, an Israeli major arrived with approximately six more soldiers. The major entered the building and began speaking with Dr. Taysir’s brother, who had observed some, but not all, of the incident; this conversation is filmed almost entirely. The major spoke briefly to the soldiers already on site, who quickly became considerably less aggressive toward the HRWs. After approximately ten minutes, the major and all soldiers departed the house without speaking to anyone else. The HRWs then videotaped interviews with both Dr. Taysir and his brother regarding the incident.
Dr. Taysir told the HRWs that he gone to open the door for the soldiers when almost immediately they began shoving him around and pinned him against a wall by pressing on his chest. The doctor told the soldier not to push him, and the soldier responded by punching him in the temple. Other soldiers joined in, and Dr. Taysir received blows to his arms, legs, and torso. At least two blows, those to his left arm, were strikes with the butt of a rifle; these injuries are documented with video.
Seeing that Dr. Taysir was being attacked, a female patient who was present attempted to intervene, putting herself between the doctor and the soldiers. She was struck by a soldier, and fell unconscious. The patient was later placed on a medical exam table with an oxygen feed to help her recover, where she was videotaped (with permission) by the HRWs. Dr. Taysir’s adult daughter was also beaten at some point during the encounter, though the events are not clear to us what happened. Dr. Taysir and his brother both stated repeatedly that soldiers used and regularly use foul language towards him and his family, including his wife and small children.
Later that evening, before sunset, soldiers could be seen on the roof of Dr. Taysir’s house. HRWs were standing on their own roof, and when they looked in the direction of the soldiers, the soldiers used their arms in a gesture to say ‘F***you’ to the HRWs. The soldiers were laughing the entire time. The HRWs did not respond.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
300 - the PG version
300 is tearing up the box office, and because of its success, the studio has recut the film to make a PG version so kids can learn the story of what really happened aswell :p
Personally I like this one more!
Personally I like this one more!
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Spectating
I wanted to to write something to express how I feel when witnessing images and coverage on TV about the Middle East. This poem sums it though...
Sitting on the sidelines of life I see so much but do so little,
A spectator of a spectacular film I watch on enthralled,
I feel their emotions, their pain, their happiness,
I feel so ready to say what it is that they’re doing wrong and am silent when I see the right,
I am weak I know as I sit there watching the big screen ,
Just not ready for my close-up yet,
Not ready to jump in,
A spectator of a spectacular film I watch on enthralled,
I feel myself getting weaker as I sit there not ready to peel my eyes off the screen I sit there not alone as it seems,
If I did I would see what’s on the screen is actually reality,
Its physicality staring back at me with those questioning eyes wondering where I have been,
So dead and numb to life all these years,
There is no strength inside me I have sat too long,
Waiting, hoping that it wasn’t the truth,
But it is.
Sitting on the sidelines of life I see so much but do so little,
A spectator of a spectacular film I watch on enthralled,
I feel their emotions, their pain, their happiness,
I feel so ready to say what it is that they’re doing wrong and am silent when I see the right,
I am weak I know as I sit there watching the big screen ,
Just not ready for my close-up yet,
Not ready to jump in,
A spectator of a spectacular film I watch on enthralled,
I feel myself getting weaker as I sit there not ready to peel my eyes off the screen I sit there not alone as it seems,
If I did I would see what’s on the screen is actually reality,
Its physicality staring back at me with those questioning eyes wondering where I have been,
So dead and numb to life all these years,
There is no strength inside me I have sat too long,
Waiting, hoping that it wasn’t the truth,
But it is.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Slavery abolished? Don't believe it
There is a lot of talk in the media at the moment on whether Britain should apologise for the slave-trade. And there is a valid case for and against it. How can we, or rather the government, apologise for something that our predecessors did. I just about apologise for the things I do, why should I have to apologise for my ancestors? Surely for an apology to be heartfelt it should be made by the people that committed the act, and they died hundreds of years ago. So whilst we can express regret, state it was an awful act, can we really apologise? On the other hand, we still live with the effects of slavery today. In Bristol, a beautiful and fascinating city I visited a couple of weeks ago, almost every landmark we visited (and believe me we did the whole tourist-thing) had something to do with the slave trade. Descendents of slave owners still own much wealth which they didn’t work for, and descendents of slaves still live in poverty. And the idea instilled by slavery, that Black people are inferior, still exists.
Yet whilst I see both sides of the arguments, I fail to understand why the argument is even taking place at all. So slavery was abolished? It still takes place today. How can we apologise for something that supposedly ended 200 years ago when right now slavery is still rife?
According to the Anti- Slavery Society, no state recognises slavery, in that they recognize title or property in a living human being. The most used definition of slavery is the one stated by the High Court of Allahbad, India where if a person has their personal liberty restrained or made to labour against their will, they are classed as a slave. Under this definition, in 1995 the Anti-Slavery Society estimated the number of slaves as 27 million. The likelihood is there are many, many more – mostly children.
Let me present you with some statistics, cos whilst I could write reams and reams on the extent of slavery today, nothing hits like the cold hard facts:
Yet whilst I see both sides of the arguments, I fail to understand why the argument is even taking place at all. So slavery was abolished? It still takes place today. How can we apologise for something that supposedly ended 200 years ago when right now slavery is still rife?
According to the Anti- Slavery Society, no state recognises slavery, in that they recognize title or property in a living human being. The most used definition of slavery is the one stated by the High Court of Allahbad, India where if a person has their personal liberty restrained or made to labour against their will, they are classed as a slave. Under this definition, in 1995 the Anti-Slavery Society estimated the number of slaves as 27 million. The likelihood is there are many, many more – mostly children.
Let me present you with some statistics, cos whilst I could write reams and reams on the extent of slavery today, nothing hits like the cold hard facts:
- Unicef estimates 1.2 million children are trafficked every year for use as domestic servants, factory workers, camel jockeys, child soldiers and sex slaves.
- Concentrating particularly on South Asian countries: an estimated 496,000 children are in slavery in Bangladesh
- Of the 35 million soccer balls stitched in Pakistan, children produce around a quarter of these, most of them as bonded servants.
- Christian Aid believes there are as many as 10,000 children between ages 6 and 14 are enslaved in brothels in Sri Lanka.
- In the carpet industry of India alone, human rights organisations estimate that there are up to 300,000 children working - most under conditions that amount to bonded labour.
- Just in India’s Bombay, 90% of the 100,000 women in prostitution in are indentured slaves.
These are just a tiny handful of the many statistics I found on the web. With just these in mind, can you now see why from my point of view it is pointless arguing about apologies for slavery? Combat today’s, so or grandchildren’s grandchildren’s children can be proud they live in a world where all people have rights and freedom, and then maybe the apology would mean something.
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