Human rights conference, Leicester University UK

It was a great and eye opener article. Unfortunately the World Media has effectively stolen the eyes, ears and brains of the vast majority of the people across the globe particularly the United States. USA has become effectively a slave of its 3% Zionist population to the extent that now USA is figthing on behlaf of the world's most infamous terrorist i.e.e Sharon. Poor Americans are loosing their lives for no reason but to serve Sharon. Sharon had attacked WTC and instead of Israel Afghnistan had been attacked. What a shame!

Al-Ahram Weekly reporter Nyier Abdou talks to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee President Ziad Asali
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A doctor by training, Asali was born in Jerusalem. Though many of ADC's programmes focus on the nuts and bolts of fighting discrimination in America -- from inaccuracies in schoolbooks to launching several legal suits against American airlines for ejecting passengers from flights based on their perceived Arab ethnicity -- it is hardly surprising that the ADC also turns its attention to the explosive issue of Palestine. When I spoke to Asali, the United Nations fact-finding committee set up to investigate Israel's violent operation in Jenin had recently been disbanded due to unacceptable Israeli demands. A high-level ADC committee, including Asali, had met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan not long before and was assured by him that he was certain the mission would go forward quickly.

But news came the next day that there would be no mission. Asked if he felt betrayed by the development, Asali insisted that Annan was not to blame. "I want to state, for the record, I do not feel betrayed by Secretary Annan," Asali said. "I know that he tried fully and that he was sincere in his efforts to get this mission to go through."

Many have suggested that the disbanding of the mission was a straight exchange: burying the demons of Jenin for the release of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from his besieged compound. Asali disagrees, saying that there are many factors at play. Having only returned from the region a week before, he stressed that the inclination to view events through the prism of a "conspiracy theory" is rife among the disaffected. He denounced the allure of pinning everything on foreign plots and the fatalistic attitude that is the inevitable result of such beliefs. "This is completely self-defeating and takes away the responsibility of people for decisions that they make and analyses that could help them forward their cause." It also robs people of any sense of empowerment. "If you are the subject of a conspiracy somewhere else, which is so powerful, then you might as well just watch TV and go to bed. This is not how it should be, at all."

It is good to hear a good word about the Afghans who have been portrayed as the despicable and contemptible ones of the human race by the West in general and the US in particular. They may have had their weaknesses of religious and ruling philosophy , and I particularly came to despise them for the destruction of the Buddha statues, still, they brought peace and security to Afghanistan. Did away with the growing of poppy and suffered the privation of national and individual pennilessness, at the same time vetoed the American plans for exploitation of the environment and countries of central Asia for the benefit of this behemoth of a country --when no other country would dare say no to the American's plans or pleasure.

They brought peace and tranquility to a nation which was suffering from gang rapes of women by the "Northern Alliance", bombing of Kabul by them, wholesale street beatings of citizens, corruption, and a situation of general anarchy before the now-much-maligned-by-the-West Taliban drove the "Northern Alliance" northward. The United States perhaps didn't have the brains to see all this....

Of course the mission was turned back by their (Israeli) demands. They don't want people to know the truth. These people stand for lies. And zionists have been know in the US for a long time as being liars and theves. How can we wake the American people from their sleep? Lulled by CNN and the false newspaper stories and the witchhunt going on against the Arab. I am an American and it makes me sick. I would be glad to leave the country.

This news brought tears in the eyes. This news is great inspiration for both muslims and non-muslims to start studying Islam. It also proves how world media is being used to spread " hatered " for other nations.

an eye opner article to western public who thinks they are free and have access to all true informations . but that all is lie . western public is being exploited and their minds are tuned by jews media machines and all they now about muslims and islamic countries is a stereo type desighned by western media dominated by cunning jews minority . now is a time they , western public , should open their eyes otherwise would be too late .

I'd like to write a follow up to my original article as the piece was hastily and badly written.
I hope the following clarifies the tone of the article and places it into context. thank you.
sal achhala
sa73 [at] le.ac.uk


Following the responses to the email on the human rights piece here are some thoughts I had.

The rushed nature of the piece was due mainly to the fact that I didn’t feel strongly enough about the subject to spend much time writing about it, (some corporate journo clearing her conscience in ‘private’) it was rushed out in 30 minutes or so and published .
Anyhow here’s some context and a considered response to those who took the time to give feedback.

The aim of the conference was to explore humans rights in relation to the three Abrahamic religions. Specifically to gain a broader understanding of human rights law as stated in theology. 70% of the conference explored abstract points of theology on Judaism, Islam and Christianity by various speakers relating to Human rights.
It would have bored the pants off the most studious observer.

The only parts which were of any interest was the British Journalist whose talk centred around her newly founded impression of Islam as a result of her recent experiences which also related to the human rights theme, a corroboration if you like. In that sense it was a story about her.
Her experiences in both Afghanistan and Jenin and the conclusion it led her too with regards to religion (specifically) and conflict hence her involvement in the conference. Yvonne’s talk centred around her personal experiences with the Taliban and generally in the Moslem world.

The use of left wing/right wing labels is perhaps misguiding, these are vague general terms, which in reality have very little meaning and are used by either ‘side’ disparagingly. When I use the word right wing I specifically refer to those who adopt an economic policy based upon self interest at the expense of the other. Which at the national level is perusing our economic interest at the expense of the countries whose natural resources and labour we exploit by various means. However I did not make this explicit.
In reality, of course, personal politics are often the combination of the two.
In defence the previous day Id been to a screening of the Documentary “This is what democracy looks like” and “Genoa Libera” where the words “capitalists” and “left/right” were floated somewhat liberally (great documentaries though they leave you in no doubt peaceful protestors and the peaceful civil disobedience group bore the main brunt of unprovoked police attacks in Seattle and Genoa)

The focus on Islam was (the obvious bias aside!) prompted by the current political/social climate in which we are allowing ourselves to be herded towards.
We do possess a blinkered view of what is emerging to be the biggest political force opposing (or being forced to oppose) western corporate capitalism. This view goes back centuries when demonising galvanised the masses for the crusades.
The trail of devastation, which we don’t get to see on our media, left by conflict between the two in far away places ranging across the Indian subcontinent, middle east, former USSR countries and South East Asia is fairly horrific with an estimated quarter of a million political prisoners in prison right this moment plus over a million more dead or disappeared globally.

The point is that its time we stop comparing our religious experiences with Christianity, over two millennia, with Islam (and other theology’s) and more importantly understand that corporate media has powerful vested interests in demonising Islam (and anything else which opposes social, economic and judicial injustice)

The lack of references to ideas (and the assumptions of familiarity) referred too was a shortcoming, referenced researched is important and I do attempt to bear that in mind, however in defence, after the talk I rushed the piece out and emailed it without very little fore/afterthought, mitigating circumstances pleaded: academic commitments.
I guess the aim of the peace was to ‘show’ the contradictions between what journalist say in print and what they write about and also an attempt at getting a different perspective on Islam. Though I often hear that Journalist, on the whole, are ‘good’ people but moral cowards and that they share the politics of many in the ‘activist’ fields, attempting to placate their consciences given the opportunity. I guess this was evidence of this.


Ideally, I would have like to expanded on Rabbi Yakub Weiss’s talk as he was from the part of the Jewish community who are anti Zionist (anti Israel) and they never get an airing on the media but it would have meant going into the historical events leading up to the creation of Israel (and its strategic location) which are very detailed and due to the sensitive nature of the subject do require proper referencing and research.

I passionately believe that if the world is ever going to be a peaceful place we firmly have to take hold of the reins of information. Theirs this attitude which permeates social intercourse that politics is not talked about and we leave the act of research (or the lack of it) and its interpretation in the hands of the ‘professional’ Journalist. It really is this complacency and caution for committing a social gaffe (unpolished writing/speech/actions) that ensure we remain info consumers rather then producers, which is nothing short of intellectual enslavement.

thankyou
.
Sal achhala
23 december 2002


PS I’m reading a book on the history of Christianity and the rise of atheism by the atheist Sir Ludovic Kennedy when I came across the following


“one notable aspect of the Arab conquests in the middle east and north Africa is that they were for the most part bloodless. Further, and because it was written in the Koran, Moslems were content to let Christians and Jews worship god in their own way, in Jerusalem, Alexandria and elsewhere, even though they believed the Christian claim that Jesus was the son of god to be blasphemy. As a result the three communities lived in relative harmony. There was never any demand from the Christians under Moslem rule to be liberated.”

On the crusades: “the motives were mixed - partly greed and partly to satisfy the powerful Christian propensity for violence, the Moslem memory is a long one and the mindless barbarism of the crusaders against people who had done them no harm and who had practised a policy of live and let live, exacerbated by British and French interference in the middle eat in the first part of the twentieth centaury, led to a deep mistrust and hostility to the Christians of the west with is still with us today”
“All in the mind - a farewell to god” Sir Ludovic Kennedy 1999

salam o alaikum Yvonne Ridley

You are now one of the humans who realize their inner, indepth voice of their hearts, the biggest truth of this universe, that,
"There is no God except Allah and Muhammad (SAW) is the Prophet of Allah"

now Allah Bless you, work for Islam, You will get your reward from Allah
Insha Allah

Allah Hafiz