THE voice of Manchester’s Syrian Community, Rethink Rebuild Society, is holding an event discussing the motivations of people who act out suicide bombings.

At its movie night the society will present Paradise Now, a film that covers the decisions of two potential Palestinian suicide bombers.

Rebuild Rethink Society are asking attendees to question “what constitutes the highest value, life or freedom?”

When choosing their movies the director of Rethink Rebuild Society, Dr Haytham Alhamwi, went on to say that the community try to “find something related to the Syrian Conflict”.

According to the Suicide Attack Database 44 suicide bombing attacks took place in Syria in 2015, with 418 deaths resulting from those attacks.

Paradise Now focuses on Palestinians being pushed and radicalised into thinking they might gain freedom from humiliation and suffering through suicide attacks.


Short Breakdown of Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

  • 29 November 1947: the General Assembly of the United Nationsrecommended partitioning Palestine into an Arab state, a Jewish state and the City of Jerusalem.
  • Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israelon 14 May 1948
  • The Declaration led to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Resulted in 15,000 casualties, a cease fire and the armistice agreements of 1949
  • 1993, Israeli officials led by Yitzhak Rabinand Palestinian leaders from the Palestine Liberation Organization led by Yasser Arafat strove to find a peaceful solution through what became known as the Oslo peace process.
  • April 2012, Israel continues to grow Jewish settlements in the West Bank, causing international uproar with politicians arguing that it disrupted peace talks between the two peoples.

The monthly event has previously shown films like Kite Runner and A Syrian Love Story, which tackle topics of acts of humanity in places of conflict.

Photograph of the last Rethink, Rebuild Movie Night showing A Syrian Love Story
Photograph of the last Rethink, Rebuild Movie Night showing A Syrian Love Story.

Dr Haytham Alhamwi went on to say that the group: “Just wanted to pick a movie that provokes discussion on war and peace.”

The film is openly sympathetic to suicide bombers and as a result it is questionable whether it should be viewed by a community that is part of a conflict so affected by suicide attacks.

GMP and Human Appeal chose not to comment on whether the film should be shown to the public.


Other Articles of Interest:

Paradise Now will be shown on Sunday, March 20, 6.30pm at the Rethink, Rebuild Society multi-facility room, Unit 7, Longsight Business Park, Hamilton Road, Manchester, M13 0PD.

Rethink Rebuild Society can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/britishsyrians.communityofmanchester?fref=ts

By Abigail Frazer
@frazer_abigail

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