Media Review Network (MRN)
Participation & Selection
Turning Activism to Organisation
MRN is accepting applications for this workshop. Participation is subject to a selection process.
MRN/CIGA/Islamic Forum
Islamic Leadership Development Programme on Palestine
27 Hour Strategic Leadership Accelerator
Led by Professor Sami Al-Arian
Taught by the acclaimed scholar and advocate for Palestinian rights, Prof. Sami Al-Arian — Newsweek’s “premier civil rights activist” of 2001, now Director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) in Istanbul. Read his full story in “Meet the lecturer” below.
About the programme
The Islamic Leadership Development Programme on Palestine is an intensive 27 hour strategic leadership programme designed for South African activists, community leaders, scholars and advocates.
The programme aims to develop participants with a deeper understanding of Palestine, Zionism, colonialism, media narratives and the South African context, while building practical skills for advocacy, community organising, coalition building and strategic engagement.
What the programme covers
The programme brings together four key areas:
Political education and worldview
Including Palestinian history, Zionism, colonialism, global power structures and the South African context.
Media literacy and counter narrative
Including understanding media framing, identifying bias and developing effective public communication and digital narratives.
Advocacy and coalition building
Including civic advocacy, community organising, grassroots mobilisation and building effective alliances.
Strategic leadership and resilience
Including strategic planning, campaign development, security, sustainability and practical tools for building long term organisational capacity.
The programme also integrates Islamic principles and leadership concepts, including Tawhid, Shura, Seerah, Fiqh al Siyasah and ethical engagement.
Programme format
- 27 hour intensive programme
- Pretoria, Durban and Cape Town
- Lectures, workshops, practical simulations, strategic exercises and facilitated discussions.
Who should apply
The programme is intended for South African activists, community leaders, scholars, advocates and individuals seeking to develop their knowledge, leadership capacity and practical ability to engage on Palestine and related issues.
Meet the lecturer
Prof. Sami Al-Arian: A Life of Scholarship and Persecution
Prof. Sami Amin Al-Arian, born on January 14, 1958, in Kuwait to Palestinian refugee parents, is a prominent academic and civil rights advocate whose life and career have been profoundly shaped by his advocacy for Palestinian rights. He moved to the United States in 1975 to study engineering, earning a BS in Electrical Sciences and Systems Engineering from Southern Illinois University in 1978, a master’s degree in 1980, and a doctorate in computer engineering from North Carolina State University in 1985.
In 1986, Al-Arian became a tenured professor of computer engineering at the University of South Florida, where he earned teaching accolades, including the Jerome Krivanek Distinguished Teacher Award in 1993. He was also a vocal civil rights activist, and in 2001, Newsweek named him the “premier civil rights activist” for his efforts to repeal the use of secret evidence in immigration courts.
His persecution began after a contentious appearance on The O’Reilly Factor on September 26, 2001, where host Bill O’Reilly interrogated him about a 1988 speech, marking a turning point in the post-9/11 climate. In February 2003, he was indicted on 17 counts under the Patriot Act. For two and a half years, he was held in solitary confinement, confined to a cell for 23 hours a day with routine shackling, strip searches, and limited access to his attorneys, conditions Amnesty International called “gratuitously punitive”.
After a six-month trial costing an estimated $50 million, a jury acquitted him on 8 counts and deadlocked on the remaining 9. He later accepted a plea deal to one lesser charge to secure his release and deportation, but a Virginia prosecutor then demanded he testify before a grand jury. His refusal led to further imprisonment and house arrest until 2014. The broader persecution, surveillance, prosecution and imprisonment is estimated to have cost U.S. taxpayers over $200 million.
Deported to Turkey on February 4, 2015, Al-Arian now directs the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) and serves as a Public Affairs Professor at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University. He remains a prolific author and advocate for Palestinian rights.
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Manual Submission
Prefer not to apply online? Download the application form, complete it, and email it to info@mediareviewnet.co.za together with your CV.