Dear HumanDHS Friends
Please find below the Common Ground Newsbulletin 24 July – 1 August 2010.
Kind Regards
Brian Ward
Common Ground Newsbulletin
Inside this edition 24 – 01 August 2010
Anti-terror camp in UK trains youth to counter extremism
by Shahid Mursaleen
Shahid Mursaleen, spokesman for Minhaj-ul-Quran International UK, highlights the first UK Anti-Terror Camp to help Muslim youth from Western countries tackle issues of integration, while also teaching them how to refute potential extremist recruiters.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010)
Ramadan around the world: Lebanon, Indonesia and Guinea
by Juliette Schmidt
In this second article in a two-part series exploring how Ramadan is observed around the world, Juliette Schmidt, Assistant Director of the Muslim-Western relations programme at Search for Common Ground, examines practices of Muslims in Lebanon, Indonesia and Guinea.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010)
Put women’s rights back on the Afghan agenda
by Simin Wahdat
Simin Wahdat, an Afghan student at Bucknell University, appeals to the international community to refocus its efforts on rights for Afghan women in the hope that their hard-won freedoms are not lost.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010)
Explosions in Palestine, but not what you think
by Cynthia P. Schneider
Cynthia P. Schneider, Distinguished Professor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, considers the high price of university education for Palestinian students in Nablus, and wonders how Palestinians can lead productive lives without such opportunities.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010)
Canadian imams’ declaration on Muslim life in Canada
by Muneeb Nasir
At the beginning of Ramadan, a group Canadian imams’ issued a declaration that they then read out to their communities. Editor of the online magazine, IQRA, and President of the Olive Tree Foundation Muneeb Nasir examines why the seven-point declaration was issued and how it affects Muslim life in Canada.
(Source: IQRA Magazine, 12 August 2010)
Anti-terror camp in UK trains youth to counter extremism
Shahid Mursaleen
London – What drives a Western born-and-bred youngster, with all the privileges of an education, a modern lifestyle and freedom of speech, to violently attack his fellow countrymen? The growing phenomenon of home-grown radicals highlights the need to understand the root causes of such violence and develop a strategy to deal with the individuals at risk of committing it.
On 7 August, the UK’s first Anti-Terror Camp was held in the county of Warwickshire, led by prominent Pakistani scholar Dr. Muhammad Tahir ul Qadri, with the aim of protecting youth from radicalisation by presenting them with arguments that they can use to counter extremists.
The camp attracted around 1,500 young Muslims from across the UK, Europe and North America and provided them with a foundation to promote the true message of Islam – which includes peace, tolerance and integration – amongst their peers.
Qadri drew much attention when he issued a historic fatwa (a non-binding expert religious opinion) against terrorism in March. His 600-page fatwa refutes the arguments of radicals using intellectual reasoning, leaving no religious pretext for committing acts of terror, including suicide bombings.
Qadri explained how these youth could refute arguments of radicals who aim to brainwash them to commit violence. He told the attendees, “In all these Western countries – Britain, Europe, North America, wherever you are living – you are enjoying all rights, all freedoms according to the constitution as other non-Muslim communities are enjoying. And I have no hesitation in saying you are enjoying the rights and freedoms much better than in many other Muslim countries.”
Naseem, a 28-year-old participant, stated: “I believe [Qadri's] challenge to radicalisation and terrorism is very good. Terrorism is a danger towards mankind.” After the workshop, he said that he could now state “the true view of what Islam says.”
Attendees learned the principles and wisdom of Islamic teachings regarding war and peace, and especially the concept of jihad, or struggle, in Islam. Qadri pointed out that out of the 35 Qur’anic verses that mention the word jihad, 31 have nothing to do with fighting or war at all. The other four verses do talk about fighting, but only in cases of self-defence. Furthermore, individuals or groups do not have the authority to declare jihad; only a state authority can do so and, even then, only as a last resort when diplomacy and all other peace efforts have failed.
Terrorism in the name of Islam begins as an ideological infection, stemming from a narrow interpretation of Islamic sources that extremists take entirely out of context. Qadri lamented that some people are using mosques, schools, universities and the internet to declare physical and combative jihad in the name of establishing an “Islamic caliphate” or to fight against “repression” by the West.
He emphasised that this reasoning provides a foundation for home-grown radicalism and can eventually lead to violence and terrorism.
According to Qadri, terrorism has ideological, philosophical and political roots. The problem starts when extremists misinterpret the concepts of jihad, caliphate and democracy. There are some groups that consider democracy and participation in Western countries’ politics tantamount to disbelief and try to persuade vulnerable youth of the validity of these claims.
The anti-terrorism camp clarified for youth that foreign policies of Western countries must not be used as fodder to exploit their sentiments, as some radical preachers and groups are trying to do.
Qadri’s fatwa provides alternative solutions to violent action, promotes integration and participation in the political process and helps people express their disagreement in a peaceful, constitutional and democratic manner. Integration is a process that comes naturally where diverse groups of people live alongside one another, collectively contributing to the development of a country. Muslims living in Western countries must abide by the laws of the land where they earn their living and become an important part of these cultures and societies.
Islam does not allow transgression of its core principles in any form. This is the message that the young participants of the camp left with, becoming the embodiment of peace and tolerance, and feeling at ease about integrating in the UK.
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* Shahid Mursaleen (spokesman@minhajuk.org) is a spokesman for Minhaj-ul-Quran International UK. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.
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Ramadan around the world: Lebanon, Indonesia and Guinea
Juliette Schmidt
Toronto, Canada – Last week I began a virtual tour of Ramadan around the world, inspired by the stories of my Moroccan, Pakistani and US-based colleagues at Search for Common Ground, a non-profit conflict transformation organisation. This week, as even Toronto buzzes with invitations to fast-breaking iftar dinners, I look to Lebanon, Indonesia and Guinea.
Nour Awaiss, French and Arabic Editor for the Common Ground News Service, reflects on her experience as a Christian in Lebanon during the month when many of her Muslim compatriots fast, and draws parallels to the atmosphere surrounding Christian holidays: the family reunions of Christmas, the joy of children on Palm Sunday and honouring the dead on All Saints’ Day.
She notes a similarity to family meals at Christmas: “The celebration at the end of Ramadan, Eid ul-Fitr, is an opportunity for the entire family to take part in a festive meal in their family’s village after the morning prayer marking the end of Ramadan.” Another Lebanese colleague, Ali Dahwich, Finance and Administrative Officer, explains, “I will go to Tyre, my hometown in the south, to share lunch with my family. Thirty cousins, uncles and aunts will gather around plates of stuffed mutton and mechoui (barbeque).”
Just like in the days preceding Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem and is celebrated a week before Easter, “in the lead up to Eid ul-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, clothing stores are crowded and amusement parks are full of children of all ages. In their new clothes, they are swept away by the magic of this sacred time.”
Much in the way that Catholics in some parts of the world commemorate the dead on All Saints’ Day, in the early morning of Eid, “some Muslim families gather at the graves of deceased family members to read the Fatiha prayer (the first chapter of the Qur’an) in memory of their ancestors,” Awaiss adds.
In Lebanon, the religious holidays of all the major religious communities in the country are state holidays for everyone. “Life is good in Lebanon,” concludes Awaiss, “on all its holy days.”
Ramadan also impacts business, something that is acutely felt in Indonesia.
Agung Yudhawiranata, Programme Coordinator and Bahasa Indonesia Editor, explains: “Because of the change in peoples’ schedules, there is an effect on business. Restaurants and entertainment establishments reduce their hours of operation or cover their windows with black cloth during the day; lunch meetings are replaced with buka puasa (breaking the fast, or iftar) dinners. But first, people endure the heavy traffic jams minutes before sunset as everyone rushes home to break the fast with their families.”
Accommodating this Ramadan schedule, “many businesses or government offices organise special evening events for colleagues, clients and employees and their families. Much business is conducted and many relationships are reaffirmed at buka puasa gatherings.”
In addition to heavier traffic in Jakarta’s already slow-moving streets, Ramadan can bring other challenges. According to Yudhawiranata, “By some weird phenomenon of economics, the prices of staple foods magically take a sharp hike. This has been challenging for some Indonesians who, following steep electricity tariff hikes in July, cannot afford these items to feed their families.”
In the West African country of Guinea, many of the cultural and spiritual aspects of Ramadan mirror those in other countries, but are also shaped by its unique context.
Safiata Barry, Administrative and Finance Assistant in the Guinea office explains, “Here in Guinea, Ramadan is a very special month when we pray, fast and spend time with our loved ones. As in other Muslim countries, we fast during the day until the evening prayer after sunset.”
“After prayer,” she continues, “family and friends come together to break the fast. Traditionally, we eat rice prepared with chicken, meat or fish mixed with vegetables, fonio (a popular West African grain) and porridge. Afterwards, we sit and chat or watch television – if there is electricity.”
Barry explains that in Guinea, “During Ramadan, men also send money and cola fruit to their in-laws, as a sign of respect.”
But like most of my colleagues taking part in Ramadan, Barry highlights that this month means much more than the fasting, feasting and gifts: “Ramadan is a time when I reflect on those who are less fortunate. I can really feel what it is like to experience hunger, and can sympathise with those who live without food on a daily basis.”
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* Juliette Schmidt is Assistant Director of the Muslim-Western relations programme at Search for Common Ground. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.
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Put women’s rights back on the Afghan agenda
Simin Wahdat
Washington, DC – When the Taliban fell in 2001, my family and I were already settled in Pakistan after having fled our home country, Afghanistan, like so many others. The new political landscape born in 2001 brought newfound hope to Afghans, including my family. I remember the mounting enthusiasm for women’s rights in Afghanistan, which was shared by the international community and the Afghan government.
In 2004, after 11 years as refugees, we moved back to Kabul. It was a bright and hopeful time. The issue of women’s freedom was still fresh, not only in Kabul but throughout the country and among the international community and aid organisations. In 2004, women were granted 25 per cent representation in Afghanistan’s parliament, one of the highest in the world.
But by 2006, women’s rights, security, education and health had become secondary concerns. Terrible violence broke out that year, pulling Afghan and international attention towards security. In recent years, just a few miles from Kabul, women have once again been denied the right to go to school and some have even had their faces sprayed with acid or were subjected to other violent acts, such as kidnapping, rape and murder.
The growing focus away from Afghan women’s rights, both in the Afghan government and the international community, has made me wonder if women have been used for the sake of political expediency. The presence of women in public and government appears to be merely symbolic in Afghanistan; they hold no real power or influence.
One terrible manifestation of this problem was the approval by Afghan President Hamid Karzai of the Shi’ite Personal Status Law in March 2009 that effectively destroyed Shi’ite women’s rights and freedoms in Afghanistan. Under this law, women have no right to deny their husbands sex unless they are ill, and can be denied food if they do. They are also denied the right to leave the home without the permission of a male family member. An August 2009 revision to the law allowed Shi’ite women to leave their homes without permission only for emergencies.
This law is clearly a step backward for women’s rights.
The Afghan government’s stance on women is confusing: it protests Taliban injustice, exemplified by the story of Bibi Aisha whose nose and ears were cut off by her husband and who was profiled recently by Time Magazine, yet it supports this family law which actually legalises abuse against women.
We are in danger of returning to the point where we were with women’s rights almost a decade ago. If the Afghan government and the international community don’t make women’s rights a priority, the torture and oppression of women will once again become common practice in Afghan society.
To avoid this sad future, both the Afghan government and the international community must be patient and remain committed to their long-term vision, projects and plans. Strengthening the central government is key to establishing security throughout the country, which is especially important for women.
And educational programmes that not only teach the population how to read and write, but also provide them with capacity-building trainings for jobs and workshops that include trauma healing, personal empowerment and a foundation for peacebuilding, are imperative. Importantly, women who work in parliament or governmental organisations need relevant leadership training.
But these programmes will only get us so far.
Based on my experience as an intern with Women for Women International and other non-governmental organisations, I believe that we should not depend on governments and politicians to decide the fate of women in Afghanistan. As the international community debates its course of action and commitments to Afghanistan, it is time for us, as individuals and groups in this community, to reach out to those women who are in desperate need in Afghanistan.
And inside Afghanistan, thoughtful men and women of goodwill must find the courage to stand up and fight for women’s rights. Those in the Afghan diaspora must join them and pressure the Afghan and US governments and aid organisations to prioritise women’s rights.
We all need to live up to the promises made in the last decade. We can – and must – take a stand for Afghan women’s rights, and their future.
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* Simin Wahdat is a student at Bucknell University and an intern with Women for Women International in Washington, DC. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.
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Explosions in Palestine, but not what you think
Cynthia P. Schneider
Nablus/Washington, DC – The explosions in Nablus, Palestine began in the evening on 21 July, and continued throughout the next day. Was it the beginning of the third Intifada? Absolutely not. The constant “Boom! Boom! Boom!” we heard were fireworks to celebrate the all-important announcement of the Tawjihi (high school final exam) results. Families gathered around their radios listening for the names and scores of sons and daughters. All over town people poured over lists in the newspaper to find the names of friends and family.
Khitam Salameh, the principal’s assistant at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) School in New Askar refugee camp, planned to host her extended family to listen to the scores and then celebrate the results of her daughter.
My question about what would happen if the scores disappointed was met with incredulity which quickly gave way to confidence: “My daughter works very hard. She will get high marks.”
In the end, mother knows best. Salameh’s daughter, Sakha’ Khaled, earned an exceptionally high grade. And Salameh was all smiles discussing her daughter’s outstanding grade and the party planned in her honour.
But when I asked about where Sakha’ would go to university, Salameh’s brow furrowed. The good news was that Sakha’ had been accepted to the medical school at the local university, An-Najah. The bad news was that the tuition of $12,000 per year far exceeded the family budget. Although she had applied for a scholarship for her daughter, Salameh did not hold out much hope, given the limited amount of funding available from the government for higher education.
Salameh has already begun to search for extra work as a translator to supplement their income. Optimistically, she expressed hope that we would return in six years to see her daughter’s clinic, and share another incredible meal in their home.
Across town in the New Askar refugee camp, a Palestinian community leader spoke eloquently of the value and importance of education, referring to schools and universities as “holy places” and the key to “freedom and a good life”. He insisted that his sons attend high school, unusual in New Askar where the UNWRA School stopped at eighth grade.
His sons were star pupils in the English classes taught by volunteers from Inspire Dreams Palestine, a non-governmental organisation started by three recent Georgetown graduates and which organises English classes and American-style summer day camps in refugee camps in Nablus, Bethlehem and Ramallah. In the classes, advanced students work hard on essays in English for a grant application, while younger students laugh and shriek with delight as they come up with the words to win at vocabulary games. At the camps, kids play soccer, learn photography, how to rap and how to build a flashlight from scratch.
Observing all this while visiting my son, Sam, an Inspire Dreams volunteer, I could not help but wonder who was listening to the dreams of these young Palestinians who want so desperately to learn. Without supporting young people aspiring to be doctors or engineers, how can Palestine ever hope to provide its people opportunities to lead productive lives?
The humanitarian relief organisation Islamic Relief USA is funding a new school in New Askar, but due to financial shortages, it has been temporarily halted. Ultimately, it will open up more places for boys and girls but, unfortunately, the new boys’ school will stop at sixth grade, due to limited space, leaving the 13-year-old “graduates” little choice but spare menial jobs in and around the camp.
I fear that the fireworks over Nablus, celebrating the results of the Tawjihi exam, are falling on deaf ears. And while on 8 August Prime Minister Salam Fayyad spoke about the need to improve education in Palestinian society not only for social and economic development, but also to provide Palestinians with the foundation for a viable state, the Palestinian Authority (PA), regional actors and the international community must also do more in support of education at all levels.
Specifically, the PA government should provide transparent, merit-based scholarships and reduce the tuition at state universities – $12,000 is impossibly high for residents of Nablus, or other cities such as Jenin, Jericho, and Hebron, which have not shared the economic boom in Ramallah. The status quo in education in the refugee camps – schools that accommodate only a fraction of the population and end in eighth grade or sooner – is unacceptable. No one benefits from another uneducated generation of Palestinian youth – not Palestinians, Israelis, Americans or the global community.
Hopefully, the direct talks that will soon begin between Palestinian and Israeli leaders will pave the way for the people of Nablus to realise their dreams of educating their children and ensuring their future.
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* Cynthia P. Schneider, PhD is Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, as well as a Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. To support merit-based scholarships for Palestinians, you can donate to Inspire Dreams Palestine (www.inspiredreamstoday.org), where 100 per cent of funds targeted to the scholarship programme will go to the students. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 24 August 2010, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.
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Canadian imams’ declaration on Muslim life in Canada
Muneeb Nasir
Toronto, Canada – A group of Canadian imams have issued a declaration of principles that states their position on a number of issues including the sanctity of life, working for the common good of humanity, gender equity and civic engagement.
“In a time of heightened tension between the Muslim world and the West, Canadian imams are seizing the opportunity of the blessed month of Ramadan to set the record straight and to tell the public what they truly believe,” says Imam Dr. Hamid Slimi, Chairman of the Canadian Council of Imams, a collective leadership of imams in Canada that was established in 1990 and provides them with a platform to come together and address issues affecting the Muslim community at large.
“We hope this declaration will make our stance on a variety of issues loud and clear,” says Slimi. “It represents unprecedented unanimity among Canada’s mainstream Muslim imams on many issues currently viewed as controversial among non-Muslims.”
The document was developed by the Canadian Council of Imams after widespread consultation among the Muslim religious establishment and aims to capture the position of imams who are often characterised as being out of touch with Canadian issues and realities.
“This is not a new declaration being aired, but the culmination of years of declarations on a wide range of issues and continual condemnation of un-Islamic practices,” adds Imam Habeeb Alli, Secretary of the Council.
Among the statements in the declaration, the imams urge Canadian Muslims to contribute to their communities and Canadian society as much as they can.
“We hope the blessings of Ramadan will enshroud this document with its special sanctity that it deserves,” says Slimi.
The imams simultaneously read out the following declaration to their communities and the rest of Canada on 13 August, the first Friday of Ramadan:
We, the imams who have signed below, hereby affirm and declare the following fundamental points:
1. We believe in the oneness of God and in the oneness of humanity and that all the Messengers of God, including the final Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), have taught human beings how to come closer to God and closer to one another. Islam is a religion of nature and humanity, one that teaches that a person cannot be a good Muslim until he/she becomes a good human being. All human beings are equal, and all of them are the children of Adam and Eve (peace be upon them). The best Muslim is the one who is good to his/her family and neighbours and one who avoids harming others with his/her hand or tongue.
2. We believe in peaceful coexistence, dialogue, bridge building and cooperation among all faiths and people for the common good of humanity. Islam does not permit the killing of innocent people, regardless of their creed, ethnicity, race or nationality. The sanctity of human life overrides the sanctity of religious laws. Islamic rulings do not – and should not – contradict natural laws. Islam is a religion that promotes peace, justice, equality, dignity and freedom for all human beings.
3. We believe in the preservation of all the necessities of life. Islam upholds the sanctity of religion, life, intellect, family/society and property.
4. We believe that the well-being of our fellow citizens is the well-being of Muslims, and that the well-being of Muslims is the well-being of our fellow citizens. Being law-abiding people is part of the Islamic practice, and following the pristine teachings of Islam leads to good citizenship.
5. We believe in gender equity and each man and each woman’s divine right to education, social contribution, work, and treatment with respect and dignity. Men and women complement each other, and healthy relationships between them are essential to a healthy society.
6. We believe that it is the right of every individual adult person to determine for themselves their conduct towards and within their society (for example, in matters of dress or good manners), and their personal conduct in matters of faith and belief as well, as long as their conduct does not threaten the common good. Likewise, we believe that every society must be allowed to express and celebrate humanity’s profound cultural diversity, as long as the expression of that diversity does not include the compulsion of any individual to violate their own human rights, or their personal values, or their human nature, or otherwise threaten the common good of all people.
7. We believe and strongly encourage Muslims to seriously engage in civic life and contribute to their communities and society as much as they can.
For a list of signatories, please visit: http://iqra.ca/?tag=hamid-slimi#ixzz0xSzrZt3T
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* Muneeb Nasir is President of the Olive Tree Foundation and Editor of the online magazine, IQRA. This abridged article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) with permission from the author. The full text can be found at www.iqra.ca.
Source: IQRA Magazine, 12 August 2010, www.iqra.ca
Copyright permission is granted for publication.
