The Durbanville Islamic Society are to host an evening of discussions and debates on Saturday, with the aim of providing insight on the humanitarian tragedy that is the Palestine/Israel conflict. The talks will be the first of what organizers hope to make a quarterly event.

Speakers will include UCT Department of Religious Studies academic, Dr Andrea Brigaglia, who will tackle the topic of ‘Return: What’s in one word?’. The topic will seek to provide a better understanding to the conflict as a whole, and break down the myth and history surrounding Israel’s ‘Law of Return’.

Other speakers include renowned author, Karen Jayes, who will delve into the history of the control of water in the occupied territories, and Father Michael Weeder of the St. Georges Cathedral, who will reflect on the religious aspects of the ongoing conflict.

The executive director of the Durbanville Islamic Society, Essack Mohammed, stressed the need for such talks that focused specifically on the human side of the issue. Furthermore, he said they were hoping to raises the question as to whether “humanity has failed humankind”.

“This is a discussion about humanity, and what are we doing in our capacity to understand the situation and talk about it,” he said.

“We need to understand what it is that’s happening, and we openly invite everyone to come and have this discourse tomorrow at the Durbanville Town Hall.”

With organizers aiming to make the talks a regularly event, Mohammed was hopeful members of the public would pose ideas for future topics.

The talks are open to all members of the community, with admission free of charge. Each speaker will address the gathering for 20-25 minutes.

The talks are set to take place on Saturday evening at the Durbanville Town Hall. The event starts promptly at 5pm.

For more information contact the Durbanville Islamic Society on 021 975 3087, or via email at durbanvilleislamicsociety@gmail.com. VOC (Mubeen Banderker)