Source: The New York Times
Wire Service: AP
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Palestinians-Gandhis-Message.html
On April 6, 2005 the Associated Press reported, "Actor Ben Kingsley and U.S. philanthropists unveiled an Arabic version of the film 'Gandhi' on Wednesday, hoping to bring the legendary Indian revolutionary's message of nonviolent resistance to Palestinian towns, villages and refugee camps. The release of the 1982 Academy Award winning film, dubbed into Arabic by 129 Palestinian actors, comes at a key moment in the Mideast conflict. Many Palestinians are exhausted after more than four years of violence but say they have no intention of abandoning their fight for an independent state. 'The message (of the movie) is fresh. People should and will be affected by it,' said Kamran Elahian, an Iranian-American businessman who helped organize the effort. But Palestinians who saw the film were skeptical about applying its nonviolent message to their conflict with Israel. The new version of the film is the centerpiece of the Gandhi Project, which hopes to spread the philosophy of peace and tolerance throughout the region."