Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find here a link to the December 2007 Horn of Africa Bulletin.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below the AfricAvenir Newsletter.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

AfricAvenir Newsletter

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Wie immer entfallen die Portokosten bei einer Bestellung über 20,-€.

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Das Fest der Liebe
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Nationalsozialismus und Apartheid
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Ich klopfte an deiner Tür…
Zeitzeugnisse eines Grenzgängers zwischen Kontinenten, Kulturen und Menschen unterschiedlicher Herkunft
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Kum’ a Ndumbe III.
Krisenprävention - Ein möglicher Weg aus Krieg und Genozid – Alternativen für die Entwicklungszusammenarbeit
Fallbeispiel: Die Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit in Ruanda (Berlin/Kigali, 1996)
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Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below an Open letter to the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Statement of GK3 participants: Open letter to the Prime Minister
of Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia as host to the Global Knowledge 3
Forum has pledged its commitment to knowledge sharing, to an open
exchange of information and to building a just and fair society.

These goals can, however, only be achieved in a society that respects
fundamental rights. Since the beginning of November, however, the
freedoms of assembly and expression have come under attack in Malaysia.
These universal
human rights are are guaranteed under Article 10 of Malaysia’s
Federal Constitution and are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, to which Malaysia is a signatory.

Further, these rights have been upheld by the Malaysian Human Rights
Commission, Suhakam. The Commission has
given guidelines and suggestions following two separate rallies
where there were allegations of police violence.
In both of these cases, the Commission found that while there were
incidences of violence by protesters, these could have been contained
if the police had played a constructive and professional role, rather
than engaging in excessive force themselves.

In line with these recommendations, and the fundamental principles
behind them, it is with concern that we, the undersigned note:

a. That on 10 November, 2007 police fired tear gas and sprayed
chemical-laced water cannons on 40,000 people
demonstrating in support of a call for four electoral reforms,
including: the use of indelible ink, clean-up of the electoral roll,
abolition of domestic postal voting, and fair access to the media. On 8
September, the organisers, the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections
(Bersih) had had an earlier information rally on the East
Coast state of Terengganu, where police had fired tear gas, water
cannons and live bullets at the crowd, with
two people suffering gunshot wounds. Police claimed to have arrested
245 people.

b. That on 25 November, police fired tear gas and used water cannons to
break up a demonstration by ethnic Indians who were attempting to
deliver a petition to the British High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur.
The petition
included complaints of enduring racial discrimination in Malaysia as
a result of former colonial rule. Estimates
put the number arrested at around 400, with 31 denied bail and
facing various charges including attempted murder.

c. That on 9 December, eight people were detained for participating in
a march for International Human Rights
Day. About 100 people took part in the march and some of those
arrested were detained after complying with police demands to request
that the demonstrators disperse. One lawyer was further detained after
the march, after requesting that police refrain from removing banners
hung at the Bar Council, as part of the celebrations
for International Human Rights Day. The Attorney-General himself
presented arguments why the latter should be denied bail, which was
granted the following morning.

d. That on 9 December, a further 14 people were arrested for their
involvement in the Bersih activites of 8
September and 10 November, including one of those who had been shot.

e. That on 10 December, International Human Rights Day, blogger Jeff
Ooi was called in for questioning by the police regarding an interview
he had given Al-Jazeera, concerning the 10 November rally.

f. That on 11 December, one of the organisers of the 25 November was
arrested, released and then re-arrested,
although the charges behind the arrest are uncertain.

g. That on 11 December, police arrested 23 people from Bersih, at the
Malaysian parliament. They were delivering
a memorandum to protest a proposed Constitutional amendment to
extend the tenure of the Chairman of the Election Commission. Among
those arrested was GK3 present and Executive Director of the Centre for
Independent Journalism, Gayathry Venkiteswaran.

We, participants of the Global Knowledge 3 (GK3) Forum, urge that:

1. The Malaysian government uphold its responsibility to its
constitution and grant the right
to freedom of assembly and expression to all;

2. That the government implement the suggestions made by the Malaysian
Human Rights Commission Suhakam, particularly those made in relation to
the Jalan Kebun and ‘Bloody Sunday’ inquiries;

3. That the police and the government of Malaysia allow freedom of
assembly without favour, to all;

4. That an independent commission be established to investigate
allegations of police brutality during the incidents described above;
and

5. That the police drop charges against those expressing their
constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and expression.

If you want to endorse the letter, please send an email to
soniarandhawa1 [at] yahoo [dot] com [dot] my

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below the Common Ground News Service Bulletin 11 - 17 December 2007.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Common Ground News Service
Partners in Humanity for constructive & vibrant Muslim-Western relations

11 - 17 December 2007

The Common Ground News Service – Partners in Humanity (CGNews-PiH) aims to promote constructive perspectives and dialogue about Muslim–Western relations. CGNews-PiH is available in Arabic, English, French, Indonesian and Urdu.

For an archive of past CGNews articles and other information, please visit our website at www.commongroundnews.org .

Unless otherwise noted, copyright permission has been obtained and articles may be reprinted by any news outlet or publication. Please acknowledge both the original source and the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Inside this edition

1) Pakistan democracy: forget the uniform, it’s about the robe by Masooda Bano
Masooda Bano, post-doctoral fellow at the Department of International Development at the University of Oxford, considers whether Musharraf’s shift to a civilian presidency will mark the onset of true democracy in Pakistan and how it will affect the country’s fight against terrorism.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 11 December 2007)

2) We must all reach out by Ezrinal Azis
Ezrinal Azis, chairman of the East Borneo Fertilizer Company’s Employees Corps and author of Heart Stories, gives his personal insights on interfaith relations after seeing Jordan’s Queen Rania interviewed on Oprah: “some unique individuals are able to breach the divide, opening themselves to questions and dispelling the mystery that sometimes surrounds the unknown”.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 11 December 2007)

3) Finding understanding in a teddy bear by HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal
Prince Hassan bin Talal, brother of the late King Hussein of Jordan, urges people to remain rational amidst the fervour surrounding the arrest of the British school teacher, Gillian Gibbons, in Sudan. Looking at the implications for broader Muslim-Western relations, he urges that “we must intelligently deconstruct events such as this and discuss them for what they are”.
(Source: The Guardian, 3 December 2007)

4) Muslim commerce is ages old by Farish A. Noor
In the post-colonial era, Muslim countries have had to reassess the “economic, institutional and structural” models upon which their economies were built. Farish A. Noor, a Malaysian political scientist and historian based at Berlin’s Zentrum Moderner Orient, discusses what “Muslim commerce” is and its impact internationally.
(Source: Khaleej Times, 7 December 2007)

5) A force for peace by Mark LeVine and Salman Ahmed
Mark LeVine, who teaches history at the University of California-Irvine, and Salman Ahmed, founder and lead guitarist in the Pakistani rock band, Junoon, discuss the much anticipated reunion of Led Zeppelin, and the band’s ability to move between Western and Muslim cultures, having combined Arab, Persian, and South Asian musical influences with rock ‘n’ roll.
(Source: The Boston Globe, 9 December 2007)

1)Pakistan democracy: forget the uniform, it’s about the robe
Masooda Bano

London - President Musharraf finally took off his uniform last week, handing over command of the armed forces to General Ashfaq Kiyani — a well-respected general in Western circles. The following day, he took the Presidential oath as a civilian president for the next five years. Though the emergency rule he imposed on 3 November remains intact, he promised to hold free and fair elections as a sign of his commitment to democracy.

This event raises two sets of questions: one, will this shift in power herald true democracy in Pakistan and mark an end to the nine-month long civil society resistance? And two, how will this shift impact Pakistan’s commitment to fighting the US “war on terror” within its own borders?

In order to answer these questions, it is first important to understand the limited nature of this power transfer. President Musharraf removed his uniform, but his ambition to control the government remains. For the time being, he is still the most important figure in the Pakistani government. As president, he controls the fate of the Parliament, retaining the right to dissolve the assembly. He handpicked the Election Commission and the interim government, while purging the Supreme Court of independent judges. How can any elections held under these circumstances be legitimate?

Musharraf’s presidency, despite the legal cover given by judges who took oath under emergency rule, lacks legitimacy in the eyes of the public as these judges themselves lack public trust due to their willingness to take the oath administrated by a military general after suspending the Constitution. The very demand at the heart of the current public resistance is the reinstatement of judges that did not take this oath and were thus released of their duties. It is these judges who have the trust of the public and around whom the struggle revolves.

Much depends on the actions that political parties in Pakistan will now take. Boycotting the elections is one strategy to exert pressure on the government to reinstate the judges, and a complete boycott will deprive the elections of any legitimacy. Opposition parties remain divided on this issue, with some worrying that the opposition cannot afford to leave the field uncontested, and others reluctant to give credibility to the elections if their demands are not met. This means continued lawyers’ demonstrations, as the core issue of reinstating the removed judges remains unresolved.

The issue of militancy within Pakistan also remains unsettled with General Musharraf retaining the position of president. His government’s strategy of using force to deal with militancy has largely failed, with resistance against military operations within the tribal belts and suicide attacks on government targets in the mainland having steadily increased during his regime. Despite the strong aid flows from the United States, estimated to be above 11 billion dollars since 2001 with 100 million dollar monthly payments made directly to the Pakistani army to fight the “war on terror”, the lower ranks of the military suffer from low morale; this was visible in the surrender of 250 soldiers in the tribal belts this year.

The failure of the government’s military operations has highlighted the need for diplomatic negotiations and dialogue with the tribal elders in order to weed out the militants. For this dialogue to have credibility, it has to be led by a democratically elected government. Given the record of the Musharraf regime, any dialogue initiated by the government under his leadership will gain little trust among the tribes. This also highlights that a shift in the US government’s conception of the “war on terror” is critical. Continued reliance on military rather than intelligence solutions and negotiations is the biggest obstacle to successfully addressing militancy in Pakistan, as well as in other Muslim countries.

What Western observers need to remember is that Pakistani society is not fundamentalist by nature. Islamic political parties have never bagged a major share of the public vote. It is therefore important to support democratic institutions in the country rather than rely on the military to fight a war against its own people.

The road to democracy is still not clear. With Musharraf as president and 60 percent of the Supreme Court and the High Court judges removed from their positions under emergency rule, there is little hope of free and fair elections in January. It is therefore important that the West support civil society’s struggle for the re-instatement of the pre-emergency judges and set the wheels in motion for a truly democratic electoral system.

###

* Masooda Bano is an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) post-doctoral fellow at the Department of International Development and Wolfson College at the University of Oxford. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 11 December 2007, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.

2)We must all reach out
Ezrinal Azis

Bontang, Indonesia - As a Muslim who loves Islam, I certainly feel sad knowing that my religion is misunderstood, feared and even hated by many in the West. I feel the frustration of a child who sees his or her parent falsely charged as an adulterer or a thief. While he or she knows the labels are not true, there is little the child can do about it.

However, in an episode of the Oprah Show last year, I gained some insight on resolving this dilemma in an interview with Queen Rania of Jordan.

Oprah Winfrey asked Queen Rania honest, straight-forward questions, ones that were on the minds of millions of Westerners who are full of curiosity about Islam.

“Do you pray? How many times a day? For how long?”

Queen Rania answered that as a faithful Muslim, she conducted all Islamic rituals completely.

The audience in the studio looked surprised that the beautiful, smart and modern queen is a pious woman. It certainly shocked them, because in the West a modern attitude or appearance is usually considered incongruous with someone who observes religious rituals, especially Islamic ones, which to the Westerner are often associated with closed-mindedness, tribal customs and terrorism.

Oprah’s next question was also probing: “Why don’t you wear the hijab (headscarf), while other Muslim women wear it?”

Queen Rania answered sympathetically, “The hijab is a choice — a woman wears hijab because she believes in it and she has the right to wear it, not because she is forced to.”

She further explained that many in the West see the hijab as a symbol of conservatism and suppression of Muslim women. Queen Rania’s appearance, with her hair hanging down freely like that of a Hollywood actress, demonstrated that Islam is not synonymous with the hijab, yet her defence of women who wear hijab showed that Islam cannot be reduced to the issue of attire.

She expressed her longing for the discussion to be elevated to what is inside Muslim women’s heads rather than what’s on them. She talked about her hope for continuous dialogue between the West and the Muslim world to continue in order to dispel misunderstandings. The Queen suggested that such open discussion should be part of every school curriculum so that children around the world develop global perspectives and respect for different nations and beliefs.

At one point in my life, I was exposed to similar reactions of surprise. When I worked in Japan, many of my Japanese colleagues were amazed that an educated person like me still took part in religious rituals. One day, some of them asked to watch the Friday prayers held by our Muslim group in the office, a request that can be viewed as an attempt to further understand Islam and Islamic culture. Through this simple action, something that was previously regarded with curiosity and suspicion became a shared human experience, making the unfamiliar familiar.

These examples demonstrate how societal assumptions and projections can shape the perception of the other without any real understanding or exchange, and also how some unique individuals are able to breach the divide, opening themselves to questions and dispelling the mystery that sometimes surrounds the unknown.

The blind fear and misunderstanding that exist between Western and Muslim societies must be countered by stories of those individuals who live in harmony, side-by-side, despite the stereotypes and labels.

For example, earlier this year, I read an article in an Indonesian newspaper about a love story between a Muslim man, Usama, and a Jewish woman, Jasmin, in Israel. Though their families supported the relationship, Israel was building a 750 km wall separating them and those of their respective faiths, and motivating them to get married immediately. Their marriage was conducted according to Islamic tradition, but in a Jewish home.

Now, they live happily in an apartment in Berlin, sharing a union that extends across the divide that exists in their homeland.

I am not an expert of Muslims-Western relations, but I agree with Queen Rania that the only way to eliminate distrust is through global education and continuous interfaith and inter-civilisational dialogue. This is essential especially among younger generations, and must be conducted in a sincere spirit. Forums that broach religious, cultural or civilisational dialogue in a constructive and balanced way — such as television talk shows and facilitated workshops and camps — are integral to this process.

It may take time, perhaps even several generations, but the seeds must be planted now in order to reap the benefits of the harvest in the future.

###

* Ezrinal Azis is the chairman of the East Borneo Fertilizer Company’s Employees Corps (Korps Karyawan Pupuk Kaltim–KKPKT) and author of Heart Stories, (Cerita Hati, 2006). This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 11 December 2007, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.

3)Finding understanding in a teddy bear
HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal

Amman - The case of a teddy bear in a Khartoum classroom has become headline news across the world. The events seem ridiculous to most, politically motivated to some and worthy of outrage to only a small minority. But the facts of this debacle are less important than the emotions and reactions that the whole sorry event has unleashed. We live in a world that is so charged with anger, offence and distrust that the slightest spark can set the tinder aflame. Unless we work to quell underlying hatred and to dispel misunderstanding, we risk conflagration at any moment.

The “world” of Islam is not a united entity with set policies and constitutional certainty. It is a borderless union of the ummah, believers who hail from a multitude of racial, national and social backgrounds. Islam is a universal set of values that are often appropriated by governments, interest groups and bands of individuals with interests other than the promotion of the common good or peaceful understanding between the three Abrahamic faiths. As occupiers of a world in turmoil and recipients of so many bytes of mediated media information, we all have a responsibility to cipher the codes of news stories and to understand the realities of our times.

There is great anger in many Muslim communities at the perceived attack by western governments and media on their faith and on their brothers and sisters in faith around the world. Similarly, for many westerners, the isolated voices of unrepresentative men like Osama bin Laden have received so much airtime that they become iconised on all sides, their twisted words misinterpreted as a message from all Muslims. Both of these perceptions have been given life by fear, misunderstanding and media emphasis. But it matters little that these are merely inaccurate perceptions of the “other”. Perception has been a powerful force throughout history: it has fuelled hatred, ignited wars and brought misery to the lives of millions who have been denied their right to share the resources of our world.

So let us not pursue this mutually destructive course of perceived division. The case of Gillian Gibbons is not a further example of the western imperialist disdain for Islam and its traditions, nor is it further confirmation of Islam’s intransigence and intolerance. We must intelligently deconstruct events such as this and discuss them for what they are. No doubt, this case would not have arisen at another time or in another place. The particularities of Sudan’s relationship with the United Kingdom had a large impact on how the case was handled and reported, as did the personal relationships and communication structures at Unity High School. The legal and diplomatic procedures that were set in motion quickly developed their own locally-charged impetus.

What is perhaps most worrying about this case is that it emerged from a classroom. This has become an increasingly prevalent feature of that perceived clash between Islam and the West in our time. Undoubtedly, that seven-year-old boy who shared a name with the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and who innocently suggested it for a symbol of love for children around the world is questioning his own very identity. If he cannot give his name in genuine love than who is he and what is his value?

The name of the Prophet Muhammad is indeed deserving of our respect, protection and elevation above the profane. But it is what the name represents that matters. The standards and values of the Prophet Muhammad are what guide Muslims through life. His teachings must be interpreted for our own circumstances and his life must act as an example for us all. If it was merely a question of revering the name then we would not give it to our children — for what child, no matter how loved, could honour the Prophet by living a life as worthy as his? And for those parents whose children have failed to live the life of a good Muslim, should they be punished for dishonouring the Prophet’s name?

To those in the West who have chosen to see this latest media event as further proof that Islam is that threatening “other”, only to be feared and reviled, I would ask that you also exercise rationale and analysis in grasping the meaning of this case. Take it for what it is, a particular set of actions and reactions in a troubled country. Its relevance for understanding between people should act as a warning of how far down the path of misunderstanding we have already wandered.

In an increasingly globalised world, our contact with other peoples and cultures can only increase. However, we cannot expect to enjoy cultural affinity with all those we meet on our travels or theirs. I believe this is a cause for great joy, for diversity has always been a driving force in the achievements of human civilisations. But an understanding of underlying causes of anger and distrust must guide our actions.

We must strive to understand the cultures we encounter and we must welcome those who come among us with good intentions. These are difficult times and there are many who would cause offence and create rifts where they have no place. Let us ensure that we do not help them in their destructive task.

###

* Prince El Hassan bin Talal, brother of the late King Hussein of Jordan, is chairman of several organisations in fields which include diplomacy, interfaith studies, human resources, and science and technology. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: The Guardian, 3 December 2007, www.guardian.co.uk
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

4)Muslim commerce is ages old
Farish A. Noor

Berlin - It has become ever so fashionable to talk about Islam and commerce of late. Yet a cursory look at the references to Islam and economics, business, banking, finance and made-for Muslims products and services on offer on the internet would point to the fact that Muslim commerce is booming, and what’s more, has been doing so for the past two decades with scarcely anyone noticing.

Since the 1960s, the Muslim world has experienced a renaissance of sorts: practically every Muslim-majority country on the planet has experienced a crisis of post-colonial governance as Muslim economies realised that they had to develop beyond the import-substitution model that was the norm during the colonial era.

The colonial developmental model was therefore hastily abandoned, and by the 1960s the governments of many Muslim countries realised that they had to adapt to the demands of the international commercial sector, as well as the demands of the new urban constituencies in their midst.

Accompanying this process of economic, institutional and structural change was the rise of a new and potent force: political Islam. From Morocco to Indonesia, Muslims were organising themselves politically as a new constituency under the banner of Islam. While some countries were capable of adapting to these new political realities, other Muslim countries — notably Iran under the Shah — tried their best to open up new avenues for change while holding back demands for radical reforms in the political system, but to no avail.

Political Islam peaked in the late 1970s and 1980s with the Islamic revolution in Iran and the Islamisation that took place in countries like Pakistan, Sudan and Nigeria. Across the Arab world, the demands of political Islamic activists were difficult to avoid considering their popularity among the urban classes in more developed parts of countries like Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. In Asian Muslim countries, the situation was no less different, with Islamisation developing in earnest in Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. The 1980s, for instance, witnessed the rapid re-structuring of the Malaysian political economy when proponents of political Islam were courted by the state and co-opted into the governmental apparatus.

Today, countries like Malaysia and Indonesia are breaking new ground in areas such as Islamic banking and finance. Furthermore, the popularity of consumer goods that carry a distinct “Made for Muslims” brand is striking. A visit to shopping centres and supermarkets in Muslim countries today would reveal a plethora of goods ranging from “Muslim cola”, such as Zam-Zam or Mecca Cola, to “Muslim jeans”, such as Al Quds jeans, clearly made with Muslim tastes and preferences in mind.

Malaysia is now in the process of developing what may be the first-ever Muslim car, with a compass pointing to Mecca and a special compartment for the Qur’an. In areas such as popular entertainment and plastic arts, Muslim popular culture has become a major business, with giant conglomerates like EMI signing up Muslim pop groups as part of their stable of entertainers.

It has to be remembered, however, that what we are witnessing in the Muslim world today is hardly revolutionary or radical. To that end, it is important to stress a number of salient points.

First, it has to be stated again and again that Islam is not a religion and belief-system that is anti-commerce. The ethical tenets of Islam do not deter one from engaging in commerce, for the Prophet Muhammad himself hailed from a family that was involved in commercial and trading enterprises. Islam defends, and indeed promotes, free enterprise, private property and the accumulation of capital.

Second, what is happening today in the Muslim world is not a novel departure or the invention of something new. All Muslims are doing is appropriating the tools and norms of commerce to serve their own communitarian ends.

Third, the development of a Muslim business sector is good news for all. It serves as a means of developing societies, generating and distributing new wealth, and also as a bridge-building mechanism in times of crisis when the relationship between the West and the Muslim world is not as rosy as it could be. The development of things, like Muslim colas, jeans or cars, testifies to the fact that Muslims actually enjoy goods and services that have for a long time been produced by Western industrial society.

The emergence of Muslim commerce should therefore be seen not as an obstacle, but rather as the opening of a new terrain of commercial possibilities and opportunities for business communities to come together across the world, to explore, develop and service a vital consumer market that is aware of its economic clout and opportunity. At a time when the media constantly bombard us with images of societies in turmoil and instances of inter-cultural conflict and violence, the entrepreneurs of the West and the Muslim world may well have another role to play, namely as cultural bridge-builders and cultural entrepreneurs who can help to create that vital “bridging-capital” that brings societies together instead of tearing them apart.

###

* Farish A. Noor is a Malaysian political scientist and historian based at the Zentrum Moderner Orient in Berlin. He is also one of the founders of the www.othermalaysia.org research site. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: Khaleej Times, 7 December 2007, khaleejtimes.com
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

5)A force for peace
Mark LeVine and Salman Ahmed

Irvine, California/Tappan, New York - The triumphant 10 December reunion of Led Zeppelin, among the most anticipated in rock history, more than lived up to the surrounding hype. And for good reason. In the 1970s, the British band was mesmerizing.

But beyond unforgettable songs and legendary live shows, Led Zeppelin broadcasted a powerful message to fans that tuned in to the right frequency. Bring the soul of the West and Islam together, Led Zeppelin told us, and you can produce a musical force powerful enough to break through the barricade dividing the two civilisations. In its way, this message is far more subversive than the Satanic themes the band was accused of “backmasking” into Stairway to Heaven.

Salman Ahmed is a Pakistani who was born in Lahore and spent his adolescence in Upstate New York. Led Zeppelin was a sonic voyage home for Salman. When he first saw the band at Madison Square Garden during its US tour in 1977, it was a spiritual awakening. There was something deeply familiar in the music. Once he returned to Lahore for medical school, he realised that the band had channelled the Sufi music of South Asia through the blues to create rock ‘n’ roll.

Soon enough, Salman traded in his stethoscope for an electric guitar. If Led Zeppelin frontmen Jimmy Page and Robert Plant immersed themselves in the blues, Salman studied with the Pakistani musical legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who — coming from the opposite trajectory — offered a similar message of harmony and brotherhood.

Mark LeVine is a New Yorker born in New Jersey. For him, hearing Led Zeppelin as a young child initiated a life-long love affair with the music and cultures of the Muslim world. Most rock legends mined the blues. But the bends in Page’s guitar solos and Plant’s vocal melodies stretched beyond the “blue” of such greats as Johnny Copeland and Dr. John (with whom Mark was fortunate to perform as a young guitarist). In Led Zeppelin’s music, there were hints of the Arabic ruba’, or quarter tone, and Persian koron, or neutral third.

Led Zeppelin’s self-described “tight but loose” musical philosophy had an impact on both Mark and Salman. In blues, rock and jazz, the function of the drummer and bassist is mainly to lay down a tight groove over which the frontmen can let loose. Rarely does the rhythm section have the space to take the music to a higher dimension.

But Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham did just that. For Salman, the interplay between all four musicians linked the band to the great chain of improvisers inspired by Sufism, an Islamic mystic tradition. Salman has a special interest in that tradition; his band’s music is often classified as “Sufi rock.”.

It was this pedigree that separated Led Zeppelin from the rest of the rock ‘n’ roll universe, reminding those with the right ears of a time when the distinctions between East and West, Islam and Europe, were still fuzzy. It’s no wonder the band was signed by a Turkish music impresario, Ahmet Ertegun, in whose honour they are reuniting once more. The soaring minor and major scales that Plant and Page embellish in songs such as Going to California, Four Sticks, Friends in the Light, Kashmir, and In My Time of Dying — the last two being the undeniable hits of last night’s reunion concert — are, to our ears, drawn from traditional vocalisations of qawwali, a Pakistani form of Sufi devotional music.

Led Zeppelin’s ability to move between Western and Muslim cultures was evident when Page and Plant went to Morocco to record songs for their 1994 “No Quarter” album and DVD. Finding musicians performing in a market in Marrakesh, Page and Plant were able to bond with them musically — and with an immediacy that produced some of the albums most alluring tracks, such as Yallah and City Don’t Cry.

Today’s Muslim rock and heavy metal artists, in turn, have been powerfully influenced by Led Zeppelin. The band’s music echoes their own history and culture, helping them create new hybrids of rock, metal and Islam, and through it, some of the world’s most lush, most innovative and most powerful rock ‘n’ roll.

At its core, even the most extreme Muslim heavy metal carries a message of peace and harmony. This is an important counterweight to the sounds of clashing civilisations and endless jihads that assault the world’s ears today.

It’s about time the world starts listening; the next Led Zeppelin is as likely to come from Casablanca, Cairo, or Karachi as it is from London or New York.

###

* Mark LeVine teaches history at the University of California, Irvine, and is the author of the forthcoming book Heavy Metal Islam: Rock, Religion, and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam. Salman Ahmed is founder and lead guitarist for the Pakistani rock band Junoon. This article first appeared in The Boston Globe. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: The Boston Globe, 9 December 2007, www.boston.com/bostonglobe/
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

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Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below (and here) the CR Autumn 2007 Newsletter.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Conciliation Resources Autumn 2007 Newsletter
1. New publications and materials from CR

BUILDING PATHS TO PEACE - THE BO PEACE AND RECONCILIATION MOVEMENT
CR has just published a fully illustrated 44-page book
documenting the extraordinary work of one of our partners
in Sierra Leone, the Bo Peace and Reconciliation Movement
(BPRM). CR has worked with BPRM since 1995 and over a decade
later, the movement is recognized at a national level for
its pioneering work helping prevent and resolve over 1,000
cases of both armed violence and community disputes.

Published in November 2007 (£7.99 +p&p), the book documents
the context and work of the BPRM using analysis and case
studies to illustrate how traditional and modern methods of
peacebuilding have been so successfully brought together.
http://www.c-r.org/our-work/west-africa/buildingpaths.php

TWELVE ARTISTS, ONE TOWN - 2008 CALENDAR
CR and Radio Soma, Abkhazia’s first independent radio
station, have produced a 2008 calendar which features a
collection of paintings of the Abkhaz capital, Sukhum/i.
A town on the Black Sea coast, Sukhum/i was culturally
rich and ethnically diverse before the 1992-93 Georgian-
Abkhaz war. The calendar features work by Abkhaz, Georgian,
Russian and Tartar artists who lived in Sukhum/i before the
war, some of whom have contributed thoughts on what the town
means for them. They speak about the past, the tragedy of
the conflict, and the new realities of post-war Abkhazia. CR
hopes that this calendar will help people on both sides to
reflect on their shared past, their continuing differences,
and the kind of future they want to build for themselves and
for the next generation.
http://www.c-r.org/news/sukhumi.php

A limited number of copies of the calendar are available for
purchase at £14.99 (+p&p) from CR.
http://www.c-r.org/resources/shop/catalogue.php?category=3

FORTHCOMING ACCORD ISSUE ON THE ROLE OF INCENTIVES,
SANCTIONS AND CONDITIONALITIES IN PEACE PROCESSES
To be published in early 2008, this thematic Accord issue
will explore under what circumstances incentives, sanctions
and conditionality have a positive impact upon the conflict
parties’ engagement in peacemaking. The diverse case studies
in the issue (Darfur, Northern Ireland, Israel-Palestine,
South Africa, Sri Lanka, northern Uganda, Georgia-Abkhazia,
Cote d’Ivoire and Papua New Guinea - Bougainville) show how,
in the absence of coherent and far-sighted peacemaking
strategies, these policy tools tend to be ineffective or
counterproductive. Yet the more positive experiences also
yield lessons on how to encourage parties to the negotiating
table and build momentum towards a sustainable agreement.
Building on this narrative and analysis, the editors highlight
the key dilemmas around exerting leverage in peace
processes and identify some general principles to inform
policy and practice.
Copies of Accord 19 can be ordered now:
http://www.c-r.org/resources/shop/catalogue.php?category=1

2. Recent activities

CR’S SUBMISSION TO THE UN PEACEBUILDING COMMISSION
Conciliation Resources made a written submission to the
United Nations Peacebuilding Commission on the draft
‘Sierra Leone Compact’ for the ‘Sierra Leone Framework
for Cooperation’. We recommended that youth inclusion and
empowerment should be mainstreamed into all the sectoral
reforms, policies and programmes outlined in the Compact.
We also suggested that the Compact give greater prominence
to a range of peacebuilding issues. These include addressing
the needs of young male and female ex-combatants; the
incomplete reintegration and reconciliation processes; support
for the legal and constitutional reform process; and a
comprehensive approach to justice and security sector
reform that includes support for community peace monitoring
as well as greater civil society roles in policy-making. CR was
then invited to make an oral submission to a meeting of
Commission members in New York on 27 November.
http://www.c-r.org/news/submissionOct07.php

POLITICAL CRISIS IN GEORGIA
Georgia was engulfed in a tense stand-off between
government and a coalition of opposition parties leading
to the forceful dispersal of demonstrations on 7 November
and the imposition of a state of emergency for ten days.
CR tried to play a constructive role at this difficult time
by showing solidarity to our partners and contributing to
analysis of the situation in the international media.
http://www.c-r.org/caucasus-what.php

MEETING OF YOUNG GEORGIAN AND ABKHAZ IN SWITZERLAND
Twenty Georgian and Abkhaz young people took part in a week-
long dialogue and study visit to Switzerland at the end of
August. The university students and recent graduates jointly
analyzed the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict and discussed the
potential role of young people in resolving it. In Berne and
Geneva, the participants learned about the Swiss model of
governance and the work of key international organizations.
For more about what we do in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict:
http://www.c-r.org/caucasus-what.php

3. Forthcoming events

‘TALKING WITH THE ENEMY’ WITH ROELF MEYER AND
CATHERINE BARNES
CR has assisted with the organization of a meeting of the
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues
( http://www.conflictissues.org.uk/) on 12 December 2007
entitled ‘Talking with the Enemy’; Improving strategies for
addressing violent conflict. This event aims to spark more
discussion in Westminster about the importance of peace
processes as a central strategy in dealing with violent
conflict, whether in Iraq, Darfur, the Caucasus or
elsewhere, and to offer ways of addressing
shortcomings in the UK’s current approach.

The speakers will be: Roelf Meyer - former chief negotiator
for the National Party in South Africa, who helped negotiate
the end of apartheid; and Catherine Barnes – CR Policy
Adviser and author of Bridging the Gap: Improving UK
Support for Peace Processes.
http://www.c-r.org/our-work/practice-policy/index.php
By invitation only – contact mgallagher@c-r.org for more
information.

4. Developments at CR and a special offer

NEW FEATURES ON THE CR WEBSITE
CR has a new homepage for our website with more space to
represent our publications, news and events. We have also
developed a new photo galleries feature with images and text
from our Caucasus and West Africa programmes and we will be
adding further galleries in the future.
http://www.c-r.org/photogalleries.php

Improved online purchasing of CR publications and materials:
A new shopping section on the CR website now makes it easier
to purchase print copies of CR’s publications and other
materials. The section includes: all past issues of Accord:
an international review of peace initiatives and associated
resources; reports and working papers from our Comparative
Learning and policy work; our Annual Review; and, books and
audio/visual materials from our regional programmes. Items
available to buy are also listed by language.

To launch the new CR web shop we have a special offer for a
limited time only: A one year subscription to Accord (2
issues) for £19.99 (+p&p) – a 50% discount! This
subscription special offer will include: Accord 19 on
Incentives, sanctions and conditionalities (due Jan 08)
and Accord 20 on Aceh (due summer 08); the 2007 Annual
review of CR’s work; additional policy and comparative
learning documents. For more details and to order:
http://www.c-r.org/resources/shop/index.php

WELCOME TO THE BOARD
CR is very pleased to welcome 5 new members to its board of
trustees, who each bring with them a huge range of knowledge
and experience. Barney Afako is a Ugandan lawyer and expert
on transitional justice who has worked in the fields of human
rights and criminal justice in Uganda, Zimbabwe and the UK;
Christine Bell is Director of the Transitional Justice Institute,
and Professor of Public International Law, at University of
Ulster; Roy Reeve was until recently Head of the OSCE
Mission to Georgia after a long career in the diplomatic service;
Teresa Whitfield is Director of the Conflict Prevention and
Peace Forum at the Social Science Research Council;
Sue Williams is an independent consultant, assisting and
training in conflict analysis, management, and prevention
of escalation. Read biographies of all board members:
http://www.c-r.org/about/board.php

This news bulletin is sent out to subscribers quarterly,
providing a round-up of CR’s news, publications and
developments.

If you are not already on the list of subscribers, you can
subscribe here:
http://www.c-r.org/about/sign-up.php

If you no longer wish to receive emails from us please
reply to this email with the subject line ‘PLEASE REMOVE’.
You can also unsubscribe online. All requests will be
completed within 30 days.

We always welcome your feedback or comments.
If you would like to contact us about any of the above
please email: communications[@]c-r.org.

Conciliation Resources
173 Upper Street
LONDON
N1 1RG
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7359 7728
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7359 4081
communications@c-r.org
http://www.c-r.org/
UK charity number 1055436

Conciliation Resources (CR) is an independent non-governmental
organization working to prevent violence, promote justice and
transform conflict

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find here a link to the `Story of Stuff` a 20 minute video.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below information from www.der-ueberblick.de

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Auslandsberichterstattung lautet der
Themenschwerpunkt des neuen Heftes von “der überblick” www.der-ueberblick.de (Nr. 4/2007).

Unter welchen Bedingungen gewinnen
Auslandskorrespondenten ihre Erkenntnisse? Wo sind die Grenzen für ihre
Berichterstattung. Wo verzerrt der eigene Blickwinkel die Wirklichkeit?
Was kann man dem Publikum daheim überhaupt verständlich machen?

“der überblick” Heft 4/2007 wirft einen selbstkritischen Rückblick auf
die Medienbranche und die eigene Arbeit.
Es ist die letzte Ausgabe dieser Zeitschrift.
Nach 43 Jahren stellt “der überblick” zum Jahresende 2007 sein Erscheinen ein.
Die Redaktion verabschiedet sich mit einem herzlichen Dank für Ihr Interesse.

Renate Wilke-Launer, Odile Jolys, Bärbel Navab-Pour, Heinke Stökl,
Jürgen Duenbostel

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find here a link to the Dignity News Bulletin Special Issue.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below information on the International Peace Research Asociations 2008 Conference.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

IPRA 2008 Conference
www.ipra2008.org

With significant changes in the human climate, our planet has a better
chance for sustainable development. The challenge is to re-search new
futures. Scholars, decision-makers and practitioners must bring
intellectual, volitional and emotional functions into play together.
Peace researchers have a vital role in the process of constructively
transforming the conflicts in the world today.

FINAL CALL FOR PROPOSALS
~ panels, papers, roundtables ~
organised by IPRA’s 30 specialised
Commissions & Working Groups
deadline: 15 February 2008
WWW.IPRA2008.ORG
~
INVITED SPEAKERS
Ban Ki-moon, Louis Michel, Federico Mayor Zaragosa, Monica Juma, Naison Ngoma, Herbert Kelman, Samir Amin, Chadwick Alger, Andrew Mack, Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh, Carolyn Nordstrom, Marc Gopin, Hardy Merriman, Joseph Bock, Jason McLeod, Ivan Marović, Lamisse Azab, Srdja Popović

PLENARY SESSIONS
Building Sustainable Futures: Peace & Development
Peacebuilding in Africa
The Middle East in Danger of Peace
Nonviolent Policy Shaping
Peace Research in Latin America
Religions Dealing with Their Own Violent Extremisms: Development at Stake
Confronting the Challenges of Youth and Conflict: Rejuvenating Conflict Prevention
Celebrating the Founders of Peace Research
Civil Society is Peace
The Agenda for Peace Research in the Changing World

Dear HumanDHS network friends

Please find below a link to the 3rd Nordic Conference on Victimology and Victim Support, 2008.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

3rd Nordic Conference on Victimology and Victim Support,
Helsinki on 3-5 March 2008

http://www.victim2008.fi/EN/index.php

Abstracts:
http://ww.victim2008.fi/EN/04.php
NOTE: deadline for abstracts will be extended if needed.

Mervi Sarimo
Conference Coordinator
Ministry of Justice / Justitieministeriet Mannerheimintie 4 /
Mannerheimvägen 4 PO BOX / PB 25, 00023 Government / Statsrådet,
FINLAND GSM + 358 50 576 2530 mervi.sarimo[@]om.fi