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The Citizen
15-05-2025
- The Citizen
[Watch] Alleged Islamophobic attack: Durban murder accused awaits report
Murder accused Grayson Beare from Glenmore, Durban, made a brief appearance today in the local magistrate's court, where the matter was remanded while the court awaits his assessment report from Fort Napier Hospital. Berea Mail reports that Beare, who stands accused of killing Halima Hoosen-Preston and attempting to murder her son and husband on June 2, 2024, was recently released from Fort Napier Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, where he was undergoing assessment for fitness to stand trial. State Prosecutor Calvin Govender told the court that Beare had 'been released just the other day' and that they were still awaiting a medical report to determine whether he was of sound mind when Hoosen-Preston was killed and her 14-year-old son and husband were repeatedly stabbed. As the magistrate told a dishevelled-looking Beare that he would be remanded back to Westville Prison, he acknowledged the order in a quiet voice before making his way back down to the cells below the court. Members of United for Palestine, who were in court, said they would not back down in pursuing justice for Hoosen-Preston. 'As Palestine and social justice activists, we will follow the matter till the very end,' said Member of Parliament and United for Palestine secretary-general Imraan Subrathie, who was accompanied by the organisation's president, Abdool Valodia. Subrathie said they were not surprised that the court was not yet in possession of the report. 'We consulted with a legal expert who told us that this was normal in murder cases, especially one as high profile as this. We will patiently wait until June 13. We are hopeful that the court will find Grayson Beare fit to stand trial for the murder of Halima Hoosen-Preston.' Beare, who faces one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, will be back at the Durban Magistrate's Court on June 13 when he will find out whether he is fit to stand trial for the murder of Hoosen-Preston. Watch the video: Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
15-05-2025
- The Citizen
[Watch] Alleged Islamophobic attack: Durban murder accused awaits fitness report
Murder accused Grayson Beare from Glenmore, Durban, made a brief appearance today in the local magistrate's court, where the matter was remanded while the court awaits his assessment report from Fort Napier Hospital. Berea Mail reports that Beare, who stands accused of killing Halima Hoosen-Preston and attempting to murder her son and husband on June 2, 2024, was recently released from Fort Napier Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, where he was undergoing assessment for fitness to stand trial. State Prosecutor Calvin Govender told the court that Beare had 'been released just the other day' and that they were still awaiting a medical report to determine whether he was of sound mind when Hoosen-Preston was killed and her 14-year-old son and husband were repeatedly stabbed. As the magistrate told a dishevelled-looking Beare that he would be remanded back to Westville Prison, he acknowledged the order in a quiet voice before making his way back down to the cells below the court. Members of United for Palestine, who were in court, said they would not back down in pursuing justice for Hoosen-Preston. 'As Palestine and social justice activists, we will follow the matter till the very end,' said Member of Parliament and United for Palestine secretary-general Imraan Subrathie, who was accompanied by the organisation's president, Abdool Valodia. Subrathie said they were not surprised that the court was not yet in possession of the report. 'We consulted with a legal expert who told us that this was normal in murder cases, especially one as high profile as this. We will patiently wait until June 13. We are hopeful that the court will find Grayson Beare fit to stand trial for the murder of Halima Hoosen-Preston.' Beare, who faces one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, will be back at the Durban Magistrate's Court on June 13 when he will find out whether he is fit to stand trial for the murder of Hoosen-Preston. Watch the video: Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal. Read original story on At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The National
27-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Pete Hegseth's Arabic tattoo sends bad message to Muslim world, critics say
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth is again the focus of scrutiny over his tattoos, with controversy arising this time over a word in Arabic on his upper arm. In a series of photos posted to social media, taken during Mr Hegseth's recent visit to Pearl Habour in Hawaii, the word 'kafir' in Arabic script – meaning 'infidel' or 'unbeliever' – can be seen on his right bicep as he works out with troops. Above that tattoo, another reads 'Deus vult' – or 'God wills it' – a slogan from the medieval Crusades against the Muslims in the Middle East. He also has a tattoo in Hebrew that reads 'Yeshua', or 'Jesus'. It is unclear when Mr Hegseth got the 'kafir' tattoo, but he received it long before taking up his role as Secretary of Defence. He has had it for at least 18 months, as it was visible in a video posted to his Instagram showing him swimming in the Hudson River. Mr Hegseth has previously faced criticism for his tattoos, including 'Deus vult', which is sometimes associated with far-right groups. After the latest photos were posted this week, Mr Hegseth faced a renewed online backlash, with one Palestinian activist calling it a 'clear symbol of Islamophobia'. ''Kafir' has been weaponised by far-right Islamophobes to mock and vilify Muslims,' Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of Within Our Lifetime – United for Palestine, wrote on X. 'These tattoos aren't harmless – they reflect the policies that continue to kill and oppress Muslims worldwide.' The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment. Mohammed Abu-Nimer, a professor in the International Peace and Conflict Resolution programme at American University in Washington, echoed those sentiments. 'To have such tattoos on the arm of the Defence Minister of the US sends a very negative message to the Muslim world, and particularly to the Arab region,' he told The National. 'This is not something that will build trust. This is not supporting a message of reconciliation or a message of understanding.' He explained that the terms can be viewed as offensive to Muslims, and also feed into a world view held by extremists of an ongoing clash of civilisations. 'The radical fanatics, if you want to call them that, they use it to say, 'You see, look, this is what we're dealing with, these are Crusaders' messages,' Prof Abu-Nimer said, adding that it takes cultural discourse back a thousand years, pitting a Christian West against a Muslim East for ownership of Jerusalem and the Holy Lands. The tattoo is popular with some veterans who have served in the Middle East, particularly Iraq and Afghanistan, and soldiers serving in the same units often get matching tattoos to commemorate their time in the military. Mr Hegseth was in the army as well as the Minnesota National Guard, and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. 'The use of it by the military even feeds into this macho [idea], you know, fighters who come to challenge the locals, that come to challenge ISIS, to say, 'you call me kafir? I'm a kafir and I'm going to kill you,' Prof Abu-Nimer said, explaining that the word was a great insult in the Muslim world. Kevin Blankinship, professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Brigham Young University in Utah, describes the 'kafir' tattoo as a kind of warpaint. 'This is kind of reclaiming what they [US soldiers] perceived as a slur against them from Muslim combatants,' he told The National. He added that, while the term is offensive, it is important to also look at it in the context of the US military, and that Mr Hegseth may simply have wanted to show solidarity with his fellow soldiers. Prof Blankinship explained that calling someone a 'kafir' is a fraught issue within Islam itself, pointing out that ISIS has used the term to justify killings of fellow Muslims, and so the reaction from the community was understandable. 'The term itself, in terms of the history of the term and the history of the religion, there's a lot of baggage there, and a lot of different issues at play,' Prof Blankinship said. Mr Hegseth's motives for getting the tattoo are unclear, but whatever the reason, the optics are not ideal. 'If you're trying to build bridges with the Muslim community, it's not what you would do, if that's top of mind,' Prof Blankinship said. 'But if your goal is to project strength, project aggression to who the government deems as its enemies – that's certainly a blunt instrument, it's casting a wide net that some people might perceive as directed at them, even if it's not directed at them – then yeah, it's going to ruffle feathers.'
