Please find below details of a research project being undertaken by Karen Ross and a call for input and assistance.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Subject: Evaluations of Peace Education/Conflict Resolution Education programs sought

From: Karen Ross

I am currently a consultant on a project initiated by the Global
Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) Peace
Education Reference Group. The purpose of this project is to identify
and clarify the current state of evaluation and research on the
effectiveness and impact of peace education and conflict resolution
education (PE/CRE) around the world. Specifically, this project seeks
to identify what evidence exists about the impact and effectiveness of
PE/CRE, what methodologies and approaches are most robust for
generating this evidence, and what gaps exist in research and evaluation.

The first phase of this project focuses on collecting and making
available evaluations and research on PE/CRE; thus, I am writing to
seek existing evaluations that your organization may have undertaken,
or evaluations that you are otherwise aware of. At this stage we aim
to collect as broad a scope of materials as possible (with particular
interest in programs outside the US/Canadian context). We welcome
contributions evaluating programs that encompass formal and non-formal
education, conflict and non-conflict contexts, children and adults,
values- and skills-based interventions, and so forth. Evaluations may
be summative or formative in nature; the main consideration is that
they reflect work conducted in the fields of PE/CRE.

> I look forward to hearing from you. Please send any information,

> including evaluations, to: karnula@gmail.com

>

> Thank you in advance,

> Karen Ross

>

> P.S. Broad definitions of both Peace Education and Conflict Resolution

> Education are included below to provide some guidance as to

> appropriate programs, though these are by no means comprehensive:

>

> CRE definition: Conflict Resolution Education “models and teaches, in

> culturally meaningful ways, a variety of processes, practices and

> skills that help address individual, interpersonal, and institutional

> conflicts, and create safe and welcoming communities. These processes,

> practices and skills help individuals understand conflict processes

> and empower them to use communication and creative thinking to build

> relationships and manage and resolve conflicts fairly and peacefully”

> (Association for Conflict Resolution, 2002). CRE programs include a

> variety of efforts that share various emphases:

> – An understanding of conflict

> – Social, emotional and cognitive processes related to constructive

> conflict management

> – principles of conflict resolution

> – process steps in problem solving

> – skills required to use each of the steps effectively

>

> PE definition: Peace Education is “the process of promoting the

> knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to bring about behavior

> changes that will enable children, youth and adults to prevent

> conflict and violence; both overt and structural; to resolve conflict

> peacefully; and to create the conditions conducive to peace whether at

> an intrapersonal, interpersonal, inter-group, national or

> international level” (Peace Education Working Group –UNICEF). The

> goals of peace education include (Harris and Morrison, 2003):

> – to appreciate the richness of the concept of peace

> – to address fears

> – to provide information about security

> – to understand war behavior

> – to develop intercultural understanding

> – to provide a “futures” orientation

> – to teach peace as a process

> – to promote a concept of peace accompanied by social justice

> – to stimulate a respect for life

> – to manage conflicts nonviolently

>

Please find below a publishing opportunity for researchers in social justice. Thanks to Adair Linn Nagata for advising us!

Kind regards
Brian Ward

INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF QUALITATIVE RESEARCH (IRQR) is seeking submissions.

IRQR encourages the use of critical, experimental and traditional
forms of qualitative inquiry in the interests of social justice. We
seek works that are both academically sound and partisan, works that
offer knowledge-based radical critiques of social settings and
institutions while promoting human dignity, human rights, and just
societies around the globe. Submissions to the journal are judged by
the effective use of critical qualitative research methodologies and
practices for understanding and advocacy in policy arenas, as well as
clarity of writing and willingness to experiment with new and
traditional forms of presentation.

International Review of Qualitative Research Sponsored by
International Center for Qualitative Inquiry Norman K. Denzin,
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Quarterly in May, August,
November and February 512 pp.

For more information, including submission guidelines, please visit
the link http://www.lcoastpress.com/journal.php?id=8

Please find below a news update from Peace Partnership International.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

http://www.peacepartintl.org/
August 26, 2008 Newsflash

Dear Friends,

Much exciting news to report!

1. National Peace Academy Plans Progressing

Plans are proceeding apace for the Global Stakeholder Summit next March. We have just finalized the preparation of a Prospectus and other fund development materials in time for the September launch of our fundraising drive for the design and establishment of a National Peace Academy. These materials will be available soon - watch for them at the National Peace Academy website!

2. Ambassador Chowdhury to Speak at Global Alliance Summit in Costa Rica

Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, has just agreed to speak at the Fourth Global Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace, to be held in Costa Rica in September 2009. He will be on the Summit’s International Day of Peace program with Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias. Ambassador Chowdhury was instrumental in the UN’s declaration of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World.

3. Profits for Peace: Partnership with Cascadia Peace Development Fund

Peace Partnership International has just signed a memorandum of understanding to serve as fiscal sponsor for Cascadia Peace Development Fund, a for-profit enterprise working to promote “practical peacebuilding.” It funds financially viable products and sustainable programs worldwide that promote peace and supports individuals and organizations who are working to bring about peace. All revenues are invested back into funding further peace projects, including those of Peace Partnership International.

4. “Engaging the Other” Conference

Engaging with others on a soul and heart level is fundamental to a culture of peace and involves attitudes and skills critical for talking to people about peace, interfaith understanding, and the shift from a culture of violence to a culture of peace. A conference on this theme is taking place in the San Francisco Bay Area September 4-7. Entitled “Engaging the Other: The Power of Compassion,” the conference features Marianne Williamson as keynoter and, by video, Congressman Dennis Kucinich and Costa Rican President and Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias. See the Common Bond Institute website for program and registration information.

5. “I Stand for Peace” Petition

The Peace Alliance, which is leading the grassroots campaign for a Department of Peace and Nonviolence in the U.S. Government, plans to submit petitions to Congress on September 11, 2008, calling upon Congress to “make the issue of violence reduction and prevention a national priority in the coming Congress. We can no longer stand idly by as a largely preventable phenomenon destroys lives and drains our national assets.” Take a stand for peace and sign the petition.

6. Support PPI Product Partners - Invest in Peace

Affirmagy is a company that has created a family of fleece blankets silk screened with positive affirmations. Called Affirmawraps, their blankets are powerful reminders that life is good! With over a dozen designs in the collection, Affirmawraps are the perfect gift for you and for the people you cherish at any time of year. Best of all, Affirmagy returns to Peace Partnership International 20% of all sales generated by people who go to Affirmagy’s site from Peace Partnership International. Just click this special link to visit the Affirmagy online store, and wrap yourself in the knowledge that you are helping us support a culture of peace.

Please find below some job opportunities at the International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Job Opportunities at ICCCR in New York City

The International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution (ICCCR) at Teachers College, Columbia University is currently looking to fill four positions at it’s New York office. The ICCCR is an innovative Center dedicated to advancing the study and practice of constructive conflict resolution. The positions include:

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

The ICCCR is seeking a conflict resolution scholar/practitioner to oversee operations and participate in the development and strategic planning of its dynamic theory-practice Center . Qualifications: 5 years experience in conflict resolution, diversity, and social action; Excellent management, mediation, training, and public relation skills; A self-starter with demonstrated entrepreneurial skills; Ph.D, Ed.D, LLD or a minimum of an MA in a field of psychology or conflict and peace studies and a strong interest in the relation of theory to practice; Experience writing grant proposals, responding to RFPs, managing budgets and working collaboratively with academics & staff in a university setting; The ideal candidate has worked extensively in school and organizational settings, as well as other venues; Strong communication, collaboration, organizational, and interpersonal skills.

DIRECTOR OF ICCCR EDUCATIONAL SERVICES

We are also seeking a conflict resolution scholar/practitioner to oversee the design, development, and implementation of all of its educational services. Qualifications: Masters Degree in Psychology, Adult Education, Higher Education or Curriculum & Instruction; Knowledge and experience in area of conflict resolution and social justice; Excellent management, mediation, training, and public relation skills; Curriculum design experience a plus; Effective communication skills; Good organizational skills; Team player and able to take initiative.

PROJECT COORDINATOR

We are seeking a highly competent, organized individual to coordinate the overall administration of the ICCCR, including communications, website maintenance, student support, book and journal development, and event planning. Qualifications: BA degree, Effective communication skills; Good organizational skills; Team player able to take initiative.

ICCCR INSTRUCTOR/ADJUNCT

We are seeking a qualified individual to teach our core courses and offer student support and curriculum development. Qualifications: A dvanced degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D.); 5+ years of experience teaching in the field of Conflict Resolution; Available to teach 4+ graduate-level courses throughout the academic year (fall, spring, summer A, summer B); Available for 10 hours per course, per semester for activities to support student advisement and curriculum development; weekend availability; Currently working in the Conflict Resolution field; Adult teaching experience; Cross-cultural/international/diversity work experience a plus.

If you are interested in any one of these positions and meet the criteria, please send an updated curriculum vitae with three references, along with a cover letter to:

Beth Fisher-Yoshida
ICCCR, Teachers College-Columbia University , Box 53
525 West 120th Street , New York , NY 10027

(bf2017@columbia.edu)

Please contact the ICCCR if you have any questions. We can be reached at: (212) 678-3402 or at http://www.tc.columbia.edu/icccr/

Please find below the Common Ground News Bulletin: 26 August - 1 September 2008.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Common Ground News Bulletin
Inside this edition 26 August - 01 September 2008

A short walk between Jews and Muslims
by Rabbi Burton Visotzky
Rabbi Burton Visotzky considers how bringing Jews and Muslims together to help their fellow New Yorkers could be as simple as a walk across Central Park.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), August 26, 2008)

Voice of power threatens voice of dialogue
by Sharunas Paunksnis
Amidst the controversy and speculation surrounding the arrest and recent appearance of Pakistani Aafia Siddiqui in New York, Sharunas Paunksnis, a PhD candidate at Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania, examines how the truth and rumours about extraordinary rendition, arbitrary arrest and detention centres like Guantanamo Bay widen the gap between “them” and “us”.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 26 August 2008)

Egyptian women at crossroads
by Fatma Khafagy
Fatma Khafagy, senior policy advisor on women’s rights at the German Technical Assistance programme in Egypt, assesses the social and legal constraints facing Egyptian women, and the taboos they are breaking to speak out against them.
(Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 26 August 2008)

The future of American-Muslim relations
by Iason Athanasiadis
Sitting in on a course on international terrorism offered at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Iason Athanasiadis, a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University, gets a sense of where “tomorrow’s western and westernised elites” stand on “the long war against terrorism”.
(Source: Guardian, 12 August 2008)

Muslim filmmakers face challenges: an interview with Maheen Zia
by Martin Gerner
In this interview, freelance writer Martin Gerner, interviews Maheen Zia, a founding member of the Union for Short Filmmakers of Muslim Countries, about the unique challenges Muslim filmmakers face in gaining recognition in international markets.
(Source: Qantara.de, 18 August 2008)

A short walk between Jews and Muslims
Rabbi Burton Visotzky

New York, New York - New York City is divided by Central Park into an East and a West Side. We New Yorkers joke about the cultural differences between the two parts of town: how society ladies dress up to go grocery shopping on the East Side, while famous writers wear blue jeans to the theatre on the West Side. But there are other cultural divides that Central Park displays, and these can loom much larger in our imaginations.

I live and work on the West Side of Manhattan. When I travel by taxi over to the East Side, the 96th Street Mosque emerges before me. Despite its starkly modern structure, many are tempted to think it contains a congregation with a medieval mindset.

In the weeks before Passover, the imam of that mosque, Shamsi Ali, travelled with some of his congregants across Central Park to visit us at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) where I teach. In a short sermon there, he spoke frankly about the issues that divide Jews and Muslims politically, but also noted how much unites us religiously. He was received enthusiastically and with full attention, as a close neighbour should be.

We reciprocated, and in so doing, were reminded that the distance across the Park can be a short walk. Several members of my Jewish community went to Friday prayers at the 96th Street Mosque. The imam invited me to stand next to him in the prayer line, and during his Friday sermon, as he spoke from Qur’anic texts, he taught his congregation that there is no compulsion in religion and that each religious community has its own path to God. He preached that Muslims must reach out in friendship to their neighbours and warmly welcomed us Jewish visitors.

If I had ever wondered what imams preached in their mosques, I then knew – this was emphatically not a medieval way of thinking. Instead, I had just heard a vision for the 21st century, a modern call to brotherhood as eloquent as any ever preached.

Imam Ali then called upon me, a rabbi, to address the almost 1,000 Muslims assembled. I had just published a historical novel, A Delightful Compendium of Consolation, set in 11th century North Africa. It is a story about a time when Jews and Muslims lived together in harmony. At his suggestion, I invoked those halcyon days, yet recognised the difficult relations that Jews and Muslims experience today.

I shared with them how some of their mosque members had visited our seminary and how Imam Ali had also brought prominent imams from Indonesia to visit us. And I proudly related that under the auspices of the US State Department, our seminary has also welcomed imams from Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia over the past three years.

I noted how essential it is for neighbours to work together to help one another since New York is a city with so many needy people. I spoke of our joint plans to bring together the Islamic Cultural Center and Jewish Theological Seminary to work side-by-side at a local soup kitchen. It remains clear that there is so much we can do to serve our broader community together. There are so many ways we can, each from our own traditions, perform God’s commandments through joint efforts.

When my short sermon and the Friday service were completed, dozens upon dozens of Muslims ― black, brown, white, and every colour in between, American and foreign born ― came to shake my hand and welcome me. They identified with the need to respect one another. They expressed their unbridled enthusiasm for our joint projects. They spoke of their pride in their mosque and their happiness that their imam had taken the first step. Mostly, by their warmth and hospitality, they spoke to the common bond between us.

Through such simple acts we were reminded how co-existence can be strengthened and some small redemption achieved – just by crossing Central Park.

###

* Rabbi Burton Visotzky is Appleman Professor of Midrash and Interreligious Studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York and the author of A Delightful Compendium of Consolation (Ben Yehuda Press). This article is part of a series on Jewish-Muslim relations written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Source: Common Ground News Service, 26 August 2008, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

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Voice of power threatens voice of dialogue
Sharunas Paunksnis

Kaunas, Lithuania - They always come at night, George Orwell told us. You wake up to find people holding flashlights and surrounding your bed.

This image always reappears during times of tension and mistrust around the world – the faceless secret agency whisking off the unsuspecting to unspecified horrors because of the way they look or their refusal to conform.

For many, this image overshadows the controversy surrounding the July arrest of Aafia Siddiqui in Afghanistan and her 5 August court appearance in New York. She is charged with attempted murder of an American interrogator while in custody in Afghanistan where she was allegedly detained for acting suspiciously and carrying suspected bomb-making materials, instructions and a guide of New York landmarks in her handbag.

Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman listed by the United States in 2004 as one of seven suspected al Qaeda associates feared to be planning an attack, disappeared with her three small children in Karachi in 2003, and reappeared suspiciously five years later in New York with the hollow look of a concentration camp prisoner on her face.

What happened to Siddiqui and her children during those five years remains a mystery. Her sister Fauzia alleges she was abducted and taken into secret custody by the United States. The United States denies any knowledge of her whereabouts during this time, although many Pakistanis believe that she was kidnapped and spent those years in a secret prison for Muslim militants in Afghanistan before being transported to the United States to face charges.

The speculation surrounding this case reminds me of a recent Pakistani movie, Khuda Kay Liye (In the name of God), directed by Shoaib Mansoor. The protagonist, Mansoor, is arrested in Orwellian fashion following the events of 9/11.

His character could be seen as a model for contemporary Muslims, as well as a victim of the system. He was unlawfully detained, repeatedly questioned by US authorities (”What is your relationship with Osama?”) and tortured – a clear allusion to Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

The film reflects general fears that are present in the world at the moment – the fear of an evil “other” – for whom one’s name and skin colour may be sufficient to blame them for conspiracy against the “free world”.

Mansoor represents the absurdities of miscommunication between Muslim societies and the West, fuelled by the fashionable Huntingtonian division of the world into groups that seek not to communicate with and understand one another, but to confront one another, thereby widening the supposed chasm between nations and people who in fact have so much in common.

Khuda Kay Liye demonstrates that such incidents put prospects of mutual understanding into question and emphasise the division between “us” and “them”. No wonder there are so many who believe that Islam is under siege.

It was not long after the huge success of this movie in Pakistan that Aafia Siddiqui finally surfaced publicly.

Oftentimes, in matters such as this, truth and justice are lost in a political and legal jungle of conflicting agendas. We may never know the truth about Aafia, but the image of a malnourished and devastated mother of three will remain among the increasing number of symbols used to uphold an image of oppression.

Can we, the inheritors of past century’s legacy of brutalities, not learn from the wars, conflicts and torture of our own and past generations? We must realise the controversy, speculation and inadequate evidence surrounding the Siddiqui case is just the type of thing that pushes us further away from the hope of mutual understanding.

How many stories like this will we, co-inhabitants of this small world, bear witness to before we stand up and demand a better way of doing things?

Whether or not Siddiqui is found to have been held in a secret prison in Afghanistan, and whether or not there is truth to the charges against her, recent events have resulted in a loss of trust between the United States and many of the world’s Muslims.

We are faced with an ethical dilemma. Abu Ghraib. Guantanamo Bay. Shocking arrests and mysterious disappearances. Extraordinary renditions. These are not fictional plot lines. Will these initiatives, conducted in the name of security, really make the world a better place, or will they contribute to irreversibly dividing it, feeding on our anger and distrust?
Everything is in our hands.

Can we remain silent in the face of processes that threaten to divide our world and lend credence to the argument of a global conflict of identities?

Today, the voice of power is much louder than the voice of dialogue, and our hope is that someday the latter will dominate both politics and public perception. We must join those who are trying to pull down the wall of ignorance that is being built between Muslim societies and the West.

###

* Sharunas Paunksnis is pursuing a PhD in social theory and Asian studies at Vytautas Magnus University in Lithuania. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: Common Ground News Service, 26 August 2008, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

Egyptian women at crossroads
Fatma Khafagy

Cairo - This summer, Egyptian women have broken taboos to speak out against the constraints of traditional marriage rites and the prevalence of sexual harassment in the country. Despite their recent push for greater legal and social recognition, however, Egyptian women are receiving conflicting messages about their rights, especially when it comes to Egypt’s family law.

Civil society organisations are launching awareness campaigns calling for gender equality and equal legal protection in the family structure. Yet at the same time, the religious establishment is telling women that they already have sufficient family rights under existing laws.

During the past decade, Egypt and other Arab countries have witnessed legislative reforms that have resulted in constitutional amendments granting women equal rights. For example, Egyptian women who are married to non-Egyptians can now pass their nationality on to their children. In addition, for the first time Egyptian women have secured the right to divorce, and husbands can no longer prevent their wives from travelling abroad alone. Rapists cannot escape court penalty by marrying the women they have raped, and family courts have been established to mediate between spouses and speed up divorce proceedings.

But, family law remains untouched. The present code of laws dates back to 1920 and is based on assumptions meant to keep the traditional patriarchal system intact. One such assumption is that husbands will provide for their families and women will be subordinate to their husbands. This personal status law gives men the unconditional right to divorce, while women have to resort to court approval, which is often granted only if women relinquish all financial rights – including their dowry, or prove that their husbands have been abusive.

However the reality of today is – and has been for sometime – very different. More women are working and contributing to the support of their households. Yet the family’s gender roles have not been challenged. They are legally upheld and socially reinforced, preventing an important social and cultural transformation from taking place.

There are loud calls for change. Civil society organisations in Egypt, and especially women’s groups, are demanding the reinterpretation of shari’a law (a legal framework based on Islamic principles), with regard to women’s rights.

The religious community, however, advocates that women have sufficient rights within the family. They tell women that they have the right to demand their husbands provide for them and their children, to keep their own income and earnings for personal use, and to earn money from their husbands when they fulfil their motherly responsibilities such as breastfeeding. The religious establishment is thus perpetuating a strict gender-based division of roles.

Unfortunately, access to legal support to change or challenge existing laws is a problem for many poor women. The cost of hiring lawyers is high, the time spent in court to get a verdict can be unfeasible for women who work both inside and outside of the home, and there is no guarantee the verdict will come out in their favour. Frequently, judges and police officers are influenced by the religious establishment and patriarchal culture that supports gender inequality and reinforces traditional gender roles.

To make matters worse, religious extremists consider preserving the existing role of women in family as a critical battle in the fight to uphold social ethics and morality. Women are therefore pressured in many cases to wear the hijab (headscarf), to practice female genital mutilation and to prove their virginity. Media and school curricula also play a major role in preserving the traditional roles of men and women, portraying females as weak, emotional, dependent and in need of protection.

Voices for change, however, are getting louder. Several institutions in Egypt, including the National Council of Women, the Ministry of Justice and the National Democratic Party, as well as a number of feminist non-governmental organisations, are working to reform both the personal status law and the family court procedures law.

Rather than have gender roles dictated to them, at this difficult crossroads Egyptian women are demonstrating the courage to question these roles, and to seek full participation and rights as equal citizens.

###

* Fatma Khafagy, PhD is a senior policy advisor on women’s rights at the German Technical Assistance in Egypt and a board member of Alliance for Arab Women. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: Common Ground News Service, 26 August 2008, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

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The future of American-Muslim relations
Iason Athanasiadis

Cambridge, Massachusetts - A course about al Qaeda and the rise of international terrorism was one of the most popular last term at Harvard’s elite Kennedy School of Government. The international students crowding into the school’s largest auditorium for the twice-weekly classes were a cross-section of Americans, Europeans and Middle Easterners, and current members of the US army and intelligence community on sabbatical leave. Simply attending it gave me a sense of where tomorrow’s western and westernised elites stand vis-à-vis “the long war”.

The instructor for the course was Peter Bergen, the journalist who bagged Osama bin Laden’s first face-to-face interview on CNN. His book, The Osama Bin Laden I Know, made him sought-after in the aftermath of September 11, 2001, as his international relations colleagues scrambled to shed backgrounds in Soviet studies and switch to the geopolitics of the Middle East. Bergen became a transnational terrorism analyst who challenged the tendency to lump all terrorists into one group. Instead, he classified them by generation, regional provenance and the conflict that shaped their intellectual outlook.

The last class of the course was the most instructive: how elite Americans’ perspectives of the “war on terror” have matured. From horror, incomprehension and the rush to conclude that “they hate us for our freedoms” – typical of the post-9/11 response – there is now a shift towards viewing al Qaeda as a fractious group that can be subverted and defeated by manipulating its internal divisions.

Bergen paced the auditorium, asking his students for their recommendations on defeating al Qaeda. Intelligence reform and the restructuring of the bureaucracy topped the agenda. Some suggested that the shortage of analysts in intelligence agencies could be overcome by scrubbing top secret intelligence of any clues that might suggest what its source was (thus not jeopardising field agents) and then inviting non-security-cleared analysts in the commercial intelligence arena to mull it over.

Others thought America’s Arab immigrants should be seen as a strength rather than the liability that the security clearance programme currently tends to classify them as. Kareem, a student of Lebanese origin, suggested that the department of homeland security deploy a network of informants drawn from immigrant communities because “these guys have come over here and benefited from the bounty, so they should put something back”. A diplomat wearing a “US-Kuwait Friendship” T-shirt suggested (apparently seriously) that Pentagon employees with 20-plus years of service should be recycled into the US State Department and the CIA to rejuvenate these institutions.

Generally, the American students leaned towards superficial solutions for winning hearts and minds in the Muslim world. A deft repackaging of the “war on terror” or the realigning of bureaucratic entities in the Departments of Defence and State would do it, they seemed to think.

One American student proposed that the US government should confront al Qaeda with “brand denial” by banning US spokesmen and officials from referring to the organisation by its name. Deprived of the oxygen of publicity, he reasoned, the terrorists would shrivel up and die. Bergen asked the student whether the Bush administration should also ban the domestic press from referring to al Qaeda. The student spluttered and the auditorium exploded in laughter.

Many Americans are still reluctant to acknowledge that slicker packaging will not make US policies more palatable to Middle Eastern audiences or improve Washington’s image in the region. The debacle of al-Hurra, the Arabic-language TV network funded by the State Department is one example. But such shallow reasoning echoes at the very highest levels of the administration. In a speech last November, Secretary of Defence Robert Gates expressed surprise at how “al Qaeda is better at communicating its message on the internet than America”.

Al Qaeda’s anti-western, anti-interventionist message resonates with Arab and Muslim audiences sick of what they view as neo-colonial meddling in their region. These views are fed by daily television coverage of US-led occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan, American support for unpopular governing elites and the stymieing of popular political movements such as Hizbullah and Hamas when they win at the ballot box.

Back in Bergen’s auditorium, a lone European student ventured that only a substantive shift in Washington’s policy towards the region could bear true fruit and boost the US quest to succeed in the struggle against terrorism. Ceasing uncritical support for Israel, the student proposed, might overcome the impression in the Arab world that the United States is not an “honest broker”. Silence greeted his comments.

Will a new generation of Kennedy School graduates become effective bureaucratic and military foot soldiers in the long war? Can they provide America with the cultural awareness it needs if it is to vanquish its foes on the Middle East’s battlegrounds?

Terrorism experts such as Marc Sageman believe that al Qaeda is already on the ropes. Others, like former CIA agent Michael Scheuer, have more cynical explanations for what is described as a “stunning turnaround”. Premature declarations of al Qaeda’s demise, Scheuer thinks, “may be intended to assure Americans that al Qaeda is beaten if in the next few months it becomes necessary for US forces to attack Iran”. Wherever the truth may lie, the Kennedy School graduates of 2008 will be remembered as the generation shaped by the long war.

###

* Iason Athanasiadis (www.iason.ws) is currently a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and covered Iran for the international press from 2004 to 2007. This abridged article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). The full text can be found at www.guardian.co.uk .

Source: Guardian, 12 August 2008, www.guardian.co.uk
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

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Muslim filmmakers face challenges: an interview with Maheen Zia
Martin Gerner

Bonn, Germany - The “Union for Short Filmmakers of Muslim Countries” aims to overcome problems that moviemakers face and help them gain access to international film festivals. Martin Gerner talked to Maheen Zia, founding member of the union from Pakistan.

Why was the union created and what have you achieved in the first year?

Maheen Zia: In this first year we have been screening films from member countries at our respective festivals: Palestine, Lebanon and Syria have had programmes with films from our union.

But it is a slow start. We still do not have an office – we are still working out of the office of the “Tehran International Short Film Festival”. And there was supposed to be a programme at the Karachi festival as well but it did not happen because of the attack on Benazir Bhutto. We had to cancel the 2007 festival because it was a very uncertain time.

The union was founded in Tehran. Isn’t there a certain contradiction to have your head office there on the one hand and want to be as free as possible as an organisation on the other?

The initiative came from Iran. The “Iranian Young Cinema Society” invited the initial group of people who formed the union. The treasurer is from Afghanistan and the head of international relations is from Tunisia. So it is not what you would call a concentration of control and power. It is spread out. Membership is open and we are inviting other filmmakers.

Who is part of the union?

Our members range from countries in Asia to Africa. We already have filmmakers from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, the Palestine territories, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Sudan, for example. India has applied for membership. It has a Muslim minority. But the organisation is open to any country where there are Muslims, though it is not restricted to Muslims. Non-Muslim filmmakers can also become members.

What is your main purpose? To answer to all the clichés about the Muslim world that we find in western films, especially after 9/11?

I think it would be fair to say yes. There is a discrimination that Muslims do face.

The aim is also to counter the black and white culture that you see in the media that says, “this is a liberal Muslim; this is a conservative Muslim.” At the same time it is a way to celebrate the diversity of Muslim cultures. Muslim culture in India is different from Tunisia or Turkey. So it is in order to have a place for this diversity and share it.

What do you mean by “discrimination”?

Generally, the countries I’ve mentioned are poor. Filmmakers face economic disadvantages. At the same time, I feel that Muslims are misrepresented in a lot of western media. But even in India you can find clichés. A Muslim would always be turbaned and you would always find Arab belly dancers in these films, even in big Bollywood productions – lots of mistakes like that.

How is Islam misrepresented in western films in your opinion?

Take the issue of the veil for example. It is seen as exclusively oppressive, but there is a very limited understanding of what a veil can mean and what its cultural roots are. There was a film called Yasmin that was produced in the United Kingdom a few years ago. In this film and in others it is mainly extremes that are portrayed, almost caricatures of Muslims. There are some people like that in reality, but the majority are not like that.

You try to work for better access to festivals for Muslim filmmakers. What difficulties do they face?

Filmmakers in Afghanistan for example are not aware of international festivals. They do not know they exist. And in Pakistan we didn’t have the connections until a few years ago, when we started finding out that festivals would accept films from us. So, one aim is to educate.

Another aim is to provide a database. International festivals anywhere in the world can access a greater variety of films from member countries now.

Yet another aim is to make a selection of films available to international markets that could be interested in purchasing them. This is generally a weak point for filmmakers. They are not very good at marketing their own work or selling it. So we hope to do this with the union.

What plans do you have for the coming year?

Right now we don’t have a big budget. We are still looking for sponsors. There are no more than a few dozen members. It would be good if we could get up to 500 members next year to give the union a boost. Also I hope we can have our own website soon with information for filmmakers about upcoming festivals. And maybe we can help with language gaps in accessing entry forms or subtitling. These are things we can do without having to meet physically.

###

* Martin Gerner is a freelance writer. This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org .

Source: Qantara.de, 18 August 2008, www.qanatara.de
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

Please find below an update on activity within NCDD from Sandy Heierbacher [sandy@THATAWAY.ORG]

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Hi, everybody! Things are abuzz around here with NCDD Austin right around the corner. If you’re planning on joining us at the 2008 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation and haven’t registered yet, don’t wait too long. The price increases on September 12th - both for registration and at the conference hotel!

1. Latest on the 2008 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation
2. Discounts on Top-Notch Trainings for Paid NCDD Members
3. New on NCDD’s News & Perspectives Blog

1. Latest on the 2008 National Conference on Dialogue & Deliberation: Creating Cultures of Collaboration (October 3-5 in Austin, TX)

I am so excited about NCDD Austin; we have an amazing event planned and hundreds of fantastic people converging in Austin. I hope you are one of them!

It’s a tough year for people’s budgets, though, so I want you to know, first of all, that we still have some scholarship funds available to help out those who need it. We’d rather have you there for less money than not have you at all, so please complete the scholarship application at www.thataway.org/aa58f3 asap if you need help.

NCDD conferences are highly participatory (no keynotes and no traditional, dry panels), highly innovative (we try new things each year that are often imitated by other groups) and highly accessible (regular registration is only $375, which is about half of what comparable events cost). But the best thing about our conferences, by far, is the people. NCDD events draw the most intelligent, kind-hearted, positive, and thoughtful people I’ve ever encountered, and they’re what make our gatherings great.

NCDD’s biennial conference brings together hundreds of facilitators, mediators, trainers, consultants, public leaders, educators, organizational development professionals and others who believe that better communication is key to addressing the critical issues facing organizations, communities, and society. At NCDD, you will experience cutting-edge approaches to group process, community building and communication methods. National experts in dialogue and deliberation will share their latest thinking and you will be exposed to numerous practical tools and methodologies that you can use immediately.

Here are a few things I’d like you to know about…

a. Phenomenal Workshops - www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=158

Offered by leaders in the field, our workshops address the issues, challenges and questions most relevant to your work. Learn how War on Terror veterans are using dialogue for healing and empowerment. Help the U.S. Institute of Environmental Conflict Resolution design a long-range citizen engagement process to restore the ecosystem of one of America’s great rivers. Learn how to attract more conservatives to dialogue events. Explore with change experts how D&D contributes to social change. Learn about Deaf Culture and how to work with interpreters and Deaf participants. And that’s just a taste of the great workshops you’ll choose from.

b. NCDD Austin’s Youth Dialogue Project - www.thataway.org/events/?p=178

Sponsored by the Rockrose Institute, the Youth Dialogue Project will ensure that the voices of young leaders are included in creative and innovative ways. Three separate youth-related sessions will build on each other during the conference, cultivating mentorship and generational leadership in the NCDD community.

c. Post-Conference Disaster and Crisis Intervention Training - www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=107

NCDD Austin Co-Sponsor the Global Facilitator Service Corps is offering a special two-day training right after the conference (October 6th and 7th). This in-depth training is a great opportunity for practitioners to learn how to respond quickly and efficiently to disasters.

A few more quick links…

- conference program - www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=113
- featured speakers - www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=156 (including Carolyn Lukensmeyer, Bill Isaacs, Frances Moore Lappe and David Campt)
- registration details - www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=136 (including student discounts, scholarship info, group discounts, etc.)
- conference blog - www.thataway.org/events/?page_id=5 (updates on planning, logistical info, ways to get involved, etc.)

NCDD 2008 is co-sponsored by the Public Conversations Project, Austin’s Bluebonnet Hills Christian Church, the Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy at Kansas State University, the Forum Foundation, the Democracy Imperative, the LBJ Presidential Library, the Global Facilitator Service Corps, and Regis University’s Institute on the Common Good. Our Partners include Everyday Democracy, Envision Central Texas and Hal Saunders.

Learn more about the 2008 NCDD conference, which will take place October 3-5 in Austin, Texas, at www.thataway.org/ncdd2008

Hope to see you there!

2. Discounts on Top-Notch Trainings for Paid NCDD Members

NCDD members who pay the full membership fee (only $50 for individuals or $100 for orgs!) can take advantage of discounted rates for dozens of upcoming trainings offered by our partners (listed below). Many of the discounts save you hundreds of dollars. Go to www.thataway.org/discounts for more details on our partners’ trainings - including cost and how to register. Or go to www.thataway.org/join to become one of our paid members and benefit from these great discounts.

- Alchemy’s Graphic Recording Classes
- Bay Area Nonviolent Communication’s Living Peace Intensive Residential Retreats
- Breakthroughs UNLIMITED Trainings:
- The Center for Strategic Facilitation Trainings. Center for Wise Democracy’s Dynamic Facilitation trainings:
- Certificate Program in Dialogue, Deliberation & Public Engagement
- Co-Creative Stakeholder Engagement Workshop
- The Collaboration Imperative: Large Group Design Skills for Leaders and Consultants
- Community at Work’s Group Facilitation Skills Training
- Dialogue Partners Trainings
- Future Search Workshops
- Harwood Public Innovators Lab
- IAP2 Certificate Course in Public Participation
- Leadership Strategies’ The Effective Facilitator Course
- Louise Diamond’s Advanced Training Program for Change Agents
- National Charrette Institute Trainings and Certificates
- PublicDecisions.com Online Trainings
- Public Conversations Project Trainings

3. Headlines from the News & Perspectives Blog

Sorry - we’ve neglected the blog a bit because we’re so focused on conference planning. If you are used to going to the blog to stay updated on news, job openings, funding news, etc. related to public engagement and conflict resolution, you should join NCDD. We’ve been posting much of what usually going on the blog in the NCDD Discussion list because it’s quicker, and when you join we’ll add you this this list.

I’d like to point out a couple of the blog posts we did get to, though…

- National League of Cities Job Opening: Democratic Governance Project Manager (this one’s right up our alley)

- Editor(s) Needed for International Journal of Public Participation (although the pay isn’t much, this is a great opportunity for the right person)

- Traces of the Trade Premieres June 24th on PBS (this documentary about the legacy of the slave trade is amazing, and I’m pointing it out because some Traces reps are showing it at NCDD Austin and doing a series of race workshops as well)

As always, email me at sandy[@]thataway.org with announcements for the blog or to inquire about partnership opportunities. Thataway.org now receives an average of 3,000 visitors a day (page views are many times that), so it’s worth it to make sure your news is up on the blog and your resources are in the Learning Exchange.

Good luck with all you are doing!

Best,
Sandy

Sandy Heierbacher
Director, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD)

Web: www.thataway.org
Email: sandy[@]thataway.org

Please find below information from Marta Carlson on upcoming Work and Family Constellations Workshops.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Dear Friends,

I am happy to announce that there will be more opportunities for Work and Family Constellations again this year. Dates are

Sept. 14, 2008
Nov. 9, 2008
Jan. 11, 2009
March 8, 2009

Sundays, from 12 to 6 pm
Location
Union Church of Hinsdale
137 S Garfield Ave,
Hinsdale, IL 60521
(630) 323-4303

More information: mcarlson[@]e-gate22.com

We all experience times in our lives when we realize that we:

· Experience the same failures and disappointments over and over

· Keep making the same painful choices

· Repeating the same patterns in spite of ourselves

We begin to notice that we have been blindly loyal to old family patterns that have also crept into our other relationships and work lives. But we do not know where all these entanglements came from or how to become disentangled and move forward fulfilling our true purpose.

These workshops are designed to help individuals achieve clarity and understanding of the unspoken inter-connectedness between family members or other people in our personal and work relationships. This clarity helps us achieve peaceful resolution and fulfill our true purpose

These moving and emotional workshops allow the participants experience their issues through the eyes of representatives. Amazingly, scenes of resolution provide opportunities for reflection for everyone present. Everyone in the constellation begins a healing process for issues in their own lives and move forward.

Please find below a call for conflict resolution instructors at Columbia University.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

The International Center for Cooperation & Conflict Resolution (ICCCR)
founded in 1985 is a prominent center for the study of conflict
resolution, cooperation and social justice, located in Columbia
University, Teachers College. We are recruiting Instructors/Adjunct
Staff to join the ICCCR team.
The following is a list of qualifications that we are seeking from the
ideal scholar-practitioner candidate:
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
Holds an advanced degree (Ph.D., Ed.D., J.D.)
Has 5+ years of experience in the field of Conflict Resolution
Is available to teach 4+ graduate-level courses throughout the
academic year (fall, spring, summer A, summer B)
Is available for 10 hours per course, per semester for activities
to support the Center including student advisement and curriculum
development
Has weekend availability
Is available and open for continued professional development
Is currently working in the Conflict Resolution field
Has adult teaching experience
Cross-cultural/international/diversity work experience a plus
Proficiency in 1+ foreign languages a plus
Publishing & research experience a plus
Lives in the NYC area
If you are interested in this position and meet the above criteria,
please send an updated curriculum vitae with three references, along
with a cover page to:
Beth Fisher-Yoshida
ICCCR, Teachers College-Columbia University, Box 53
525 West 120 th Street
New York, NY 10027
Please feel free to contact the ICCCR if you have any questions. We
can be reached at: (212) 678-3402.

The purpose of the NYC-DR listserv is to facilitate information
exchange and discussion among those interested in dispute and conflict
resolution, peacemaking, facilitation, dialogue, restorative justice,
violence prevention, and related fields in the New York City
metropolitan area. Started on Sept 27, 2001, the NYC-DR listserv is
hosted by the City University of New York Dispute Resolution
Consortium at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Professor Maria
Volpe of John Jay College is the list administrator.

Please join me in celebrating Dan Bar-On and his life and work! We are deeply saddened that he has left us today.

Dear Annette Engler, who has worked closely with Dan for many years, brought the sad news to us.

We wish to send our deepfelt condolences to Dan’s family, on behalf of our entire HumanDHS network!

Dan’s work has helped to profoundly humanise our world! We wish to express our deepest appreciation, recognition, admiration and gratitude!

Evelin

Please find below a call for papers on dehumanization.

Kind regards
Brian Ward

Group Processes and Intergroup Relations Special Issue:
Dehumanization: Humanity and its Denial

Guest Editors:
Emanuele Castano (New School for Social Research, USA) and Mirek Kofta
(University of Warsaw, Poland)

Group Processes and Intergroup Relations seeks submissions for a special issue on /Dehumanization:/ /Humanity and its Denial/.

Among the many ways in which individuals denigrate others, denial of humanity is probably the most devastating. Indeed, various forms of dehumanization have been theorized to be a facilitating, and perhaps necessary precursor for violence against others to occur, particularly intergroup violence. Dehumanization is also considered to be at play when people need to justify their past atrocities against a group. In recent years social psychology has witnessed a renewed research interest in dehumanization, with the emergence of conceptual and empirical research revolving around the idea of emotional infra-humanization and, more recently, on dehumanization as the denial of human nature. The aim of this special issue is to showcase state-of-the-art research on these various forms of dehumanization; their meaning, their origin, and their consequences. Consistent with the focus of /GPIR/, we aim to attract a variety of contributions that focus on humanity and its denial in the context of intergroup relations.

We seek empirical papers that introduce new data and report new findings, meta-analytic or narrative review papers that integrate and summarize existing research, and theoretical papers that describe new conceptualizations or link existing research findings and theorizing to specific context and policy.
Submissions should be made electronically through the online submission website: _ http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/gpir

In the submission letter, indicate that the MS is submitted for consideration for publication in the Special Issue on /Dehumanization: Humanity and its Denial. Please direct inquiries to the guest editor Emanuele Castano, _castanoe[@]newschool.edu_.

The deadline for submissions is January 15 2009.