Tuesday 20 March 2018

When religion becomes not a way of life - but a way of death

The cartoon above may apply to Aung San Suu Kyi
but it also references the inauguration speech of
U.S. President John F. Kennedy which related to countries
flirting with communism.

It's the quiet genocide. That's partly because the government of Aung San Suu Kyi bans the media and the UN from any access to the area of Myanmar where the army has been killing and purging the Rohingya minority.
It's partly because in the West the political right doesn't want to make too much fuss about a pogrom against Muslims. It's partly because the political left in the West is still in lovelorn bewilderment at the shocking transformation of their fallen angel.


The woman who won the Nobel Peace Prize when she was the victim of the Myanmar army's repression has become its chief apologist.
And it's a quiet genocide partly because most of Myanmar's neighbours are themselves brutally repressive regimes. They have no interest in drawing attention to human rights atrocities.
Suu Kyi herself is very quiet on it. She avoids speaking about it. Rather than chide the army for the systematic killing of a civilian population and their mass displacement, she congratulates its soldiers for their bravery.

Go here to read the whole article by

Sunday 18 March 2018

2018 Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable, USA

Today! Doors open at 5:00. Get there early if you don't have a ticket. FREE admission. Free parking at the conference center.
Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable
4 January
March 18, 2018 6 p.m. - Salt Lake Tabernacle - Annual Interfaith Sacred Music Evening - no charge. Please invite your friends and be there!!! Please support this holy event.

Saturday 17 March 2018

Polish bishops condemn anti-Semitism

Polish bishops condemn new wave of anti-Semitism

Polish bishops condemn new wave of anti-Semitism
 

Hundreds of Poles gathered to express their solidarity with Jews who perished in the Holocaust, were expelled from Poland 50 years ago or feel the effects of anti-Semitism today, in Warsaw, Poland, Sunday, March 11, 2018. The speakers at the demonstration also denounced the policies of the current Polish government which have led to a dispute with Israel and sparked a wave of anti-Semitic rhetoric. (Credit: Czarek Sokolowski/AP.)

Holy Week: Three major days are chapters of one story



A friend of The Editor has posted this on Facebook. 
 It is a take on Easter which had never occurred to her.

Gabriella Rositta Emmanuella:

ONE Thing about the Easter Service, otherwise known as the Easter Trideuum... Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Night/Day are all one service... Yes, Maundy Thursday is Part A, Good Friday is Part B, (then the fast of Easter buns) Then Easter Eve and Day are part C... So you can't go through life, without attempting to do the Full Holy Week Fast, (Easter buns) ending in a spring banquet for the High Feast of Easter.....

Tuesday 13 March 2018

The Mormon Sisterhood

What's it really like being a Mormon missionary?

 

Sister Wolfgram and Sister Lu say the Book of Mormon is often a conversation starter.
ABC RN: SIOBHAN HEGARTY

Sister Wolfgram can only see her family twice a year via Skype: on Mother's Day, and at Christmas.

She's allowed to email relatives weekly, but as a Mormon missionary, this is the most contact will she have with her family, during her 18 months of overseas service.

"I come from a family of 10, there's four brothers and four sisters, so I miss them a lot," says Sister Wolfgram, who was raised in West Valley City, Utah, a majority Mormon state.

Her family is originally from Tonga, another heartland for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — home to more Mormons per capita than any country in the world. Statistics show that nearly 60 per cent of the population belongs to the church.
"As Tongans, the two most important things are God and family … and then food," Sister Wolfgram smiles.

To read and see more, please go here. 

Zoroastrian matchmaking and marriage

From Faith Communities Council of Victoria and Australia's ABC




Zoroastrianism was the official religion of Persia, its birthplace, for more than a millennium, but today the community is a fraction of its former size, and that's raising serious concerns about the future of the faith.

Ms Havewala is a Zoroastrian — or 'Parsi' (meaning 'Persian') as they're known in India — a member of an ancient monotheistic faith that pre-dates Islam and Christianity.

Zarin Havewala doesn't call herself a professional matchmaker, but her track record suggests otherwise.

Unofficially, she manages an international database of Zoroastrian bachelors and bachelorettes — an extensive list of names and numbers, careers and qualifications, ages and email addresses — that's shared with singles who are looking for love.


What is Zoroastrianism?


Sunday 11 March 2018

Iceland to ban circumcision of males? Circumcision of girls already outlawed.



From the Iceland Monitor of 26 February 2018:

The ban on circumcision in Iceland: Humanity or hypocrisy?


by Roald Eyvindsson
This month Iceland made headlines across the world, following a heated debate about a new bill, currently before the Icelandic parliament (Alþingi), that proposes to ban any kind of mutilation on children, including religious circumcision. If passed into law Iceland would become the first European country to do so.

The MP who put the bill forward, Silja Dögg Gunnarsdóttir of The Progressive Party (Framsókn), claims that non-medical circumcision of baby boys violates their human rights as outlined in the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. She has compared it to FGM, i.e. female genital mutilation which is already banned in Iceland and has been since 2005.
oooooooo
Male circumcision is integral in both Jewish and Islamic faiths. Within the Christian tradition, circumcision is optional. Often, the parents' choice is influenced by whether the male parent has been circumcised.  The Catholic Church - who is unlikely to be affected greatly - "has expressed concerns over religious persecution".  


The Story of God --- Morgan Freeman


WITH

Series 1 Episode 1 contains a section relating to the First Peoples of Australia

Saturday 10 March 2018

Pax Christi Agape - Details for gathering on March 18, 2018.


The event detailed below is a Pax Christi agape

For further details, ring 03 9379 3889  

This is an event in Melbourne, Victoria.

For those coming on public transport, 

Pascoe Vale Station (Craigieburn Line) is 7-8 minutes’ walk from 13 Mascoma Street.


If coming by car via Tullamarine Freeway, turn right at the Pascoe Vale Rd exit, then 3rd left into Peck Ave, and immediately right into Mascoma Street. If coming via Bell Street, at the end of Bell Street exit right into Pascoe Vale Road, 3rd left into Peck Ave, and immediately right into Mascoma Street.


Sunday 18 March, 12.30 pm: 

Hope in the midst of despair. 


This year we will be delving deeper into the spirituality of peace. We hope to experiment with different formats, and explore new ways of nurturing community and dialogue. At our gathering on Sunday 18 March, we will share some personal reflections on how we see the task of peacemaking in a world consumed by greed, power, fame, and extremism. Do we approach the task with any sense of hope? Can we find hope anywhere at a time when life for so many is already “hell on earth” – not to mention the utter devastation that will surely come with a nuclear war or irreversible global warming. Venue: 13 Mascoma Street, Strathmore. Please bring some food to share.

Pax Christi International is a Catholic peace movement
with 120 member organisations worldwide
that promotes peace, respect of human rights,
justice & reconciliation throughout the world.

Grounded in the belief that peace is possible
and that vicious cycles of violence and injustice can be broken,
Pax Christi International addresses the root causes
& destructive consequences of violent conflict and war.

Why I Am a Quaker

Proving the case that today's Hindus are direct descendants of India's first inhabitants

A huge statue of Hanuman looms over a Delhi railway station.


Delhi: During the first week of January last year, a group of Indian scholars gathered in a white bungalow on a leafy boulevard in central Delhi. The focus of their discussion: how to rewrite the history of the nation.

By Rupam Jain & Tom Lasseter
The government of Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi had quietly appointed the committee of scholars about six months earlier. Details of its existence are reported here for the first time.
Minutes of the meeting and interviews with committee members set out its aims: to use evidence such as archaeological finds and DNA to prove that today's Hindus are directly descended from the land's first inhabitants many thousands of years ago, and make the case that ancient Hindu scriptures are fact not myth.
The ambitions of Hindu nationalists now, it seems, extend beyond holding political power in this nation of 1.3 billion people with a kaleidoscope of religions. They want ultimately to reshape the national identity to match their religious views, that India is a nation of and for Hindus.
In doing so, they are challenging a more multicultural narrative that has dominated since the time of British rule, that India is a tapestry born of migrations, invasions and conversions. That view is rooted in demographic, archaeological and linguistic fact. While most Indians are Hindus, Muslims and people of other faiths account for some 240 million, or a fifth, of the populace.

Friday 9 March 2018

Peace & Justice Leaders and Models :List No. 1

 

In Pursuit of Peace and Justice: 100 Peace & Justice Leaders and Models (List #1)


BY TRANSCEND MEMBERS, 29 Jan 2018

Anthony J. Marsella and Kathleen Malley-Morrison – TRANSCEND Media Service
Introduction
26 Jan 2018 – The annual memorial holiday on January 15, 2018, celebrating Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.’s enduring contributions to peace and justice, has passed.

The events of the day linger in our minds, eternally grateful for Reverend King’s efforts to free people and nations from the brutal oppressions imposed by governments, nations, societies, organizations, and individuals, who willfully continue to support and sustain the evils of racism, prejudice, violence, and war.

Reverend King’s commitment to freedom from oppression and abuse compel us to continue his efforts far beyond the words, songs, and promises of his day.

To this end, we, (i.e., Kathy Malley-Morrison & Anthony J. Marsella), the authors of this article, have chosen to demonstrate our responsibilities to continuing the work of Reverend King, by identifying 100 living peace and social justice leaders and models.

The number is arbitrary for there are tens of thousands more who deserve citation. Many are not listed, but will be listed in future efforts. Do not be dismayed! Patience! We believed it essential to create a dynamic list of living peace and justice activists and advocates to encourage peace and justice work.

The individuals included on our list are from all genders, ages, roles.  They are from many nations, ethnocultural groups, and “races.”  We sense a rising tide of commitment to peace and justice, and an intolerance of the corruption, cronyism, and asymmetric power sustaining current abuses.

We consider our efforts a beginning, and we will continue to publish new lists. This is because the struggle for peace and justice is endless, and each day new people are rising to the call.

This is as it should be, and must be, until such time the forces of oppression yield to the forces of good; evil will continue, but human virtue, endowed in conscience will triumph! While the work of many included will be recognized, some of those listed may not be apparent. We have attached website information after each name to offer insight into their efforts.

Before sharing our list, however, we wish to include two charts offering graphic displays of essential material for understanding and appreciating living leaders.

Palm Sunday March - Melbourne - 25 March 2018 : Justice for Refugees : Evacuate Manus & Nauru


Aung San Suu Kyi has a prestigious human rights award withdrawn




The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has revoked a prestigious human rights award it had given to the Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, now Myanmar’s civilian leader, faulting her for failing to halt or even acknowledge the ethnic cleansing of her country’s Rohingya Muslim minority.
Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who endured 15 years of house arrest for taking on the military dictatorship in Myanmar, was only the second person to receive the award, in 2012. It was named after Elie Wiesel, a fellow recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and a Holocaust survivor who was one of the museum’s founders. Mr. Wiesel was the first recipient.
The award, according to the museum, is given annually “to an internationally prominent individual whose actions have advanced the Museum’s vision of a world where people confront hatred, prevent genocide and promote human dignity.”

Thursday 8 March 2018

Israelis come down hard on Palestinians in East Jerusalem



The Knesset passed a law Wednesday allowing the interior minister to revoke the permanent residency status of Palestinians living in East Jerusalem who engage in terror or other anti-Israel activities and any permanent residents involved in such acts. Under the law, the state can deport anyone whose residency status is withdrawn.

The government-sponsored law specifies three situations in which the interior minister can revoke permanent residency: If the status was granted under false pretences, if the resident endangered public safety or security, or if he betrays the State of Israel.

The law applies to all permanent residents, whether they are recent immigrants or long-time residents of East Jerusalem. Under the law, the interior minister must grant an alternative status to a person whose residency was revoked if the individual cannot be permanently resettled in another country.

The law was drawn up after the High Court of Justice last year overturned the revocation, more than a decade ago, of the permanent residency status of four East Jerusalem men.

In January 2006, Mohammed Abu Tier, Ahmad Attoun and Muhammad Totah were elected to the Palestinian Legislative Council as representatives of the Hamas party. The fourth man, Khaled Abu Arafeh, was the minister for Jerusalem affairs in the short-lived government of Ismail Haniyeh. Then-Interior Minister Roni Bar-On rescinded their residency on grounds of disloyalty to Israel.


Female Nobel Laureates call for an end to the Rohingya genocide


New post from Ecumenics and Quakers


by Maurizio
07.03.2018 - Dhaka, Bangladesh - TRANSCEND Media Service

Nobel Women Peace Laureates Call for an End to Rohingya Genocide

Visiting women Nobel laureates Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland and Shirin Ebadi of Iran met with Prime Minister #SheikhHasina

As three Nobel peace laureates—Tawakkol Karman of Yemen, Shirin Ebadi of Iran, and Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland – conclude their visit to Bangladesh on the six-month anniversary of the current Rohingya crisis, the three women are calling for an immediate end to the “genocide” of the Rohingya people.

This week, the three women Laureates ­––in partnership with Bangladesh women’s organization Naripokkho­­––spent time listening to stories, meeting over 100 women refugees in the Cox’s Bazar area, and travelling to “no man’s land”, where thousands of Rohingya have been stranded between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

After hearing testimonies describing how security forces burned villages, tortured, killed and systematically raped women and girls—as well as reports from humanitarian organizations and UN officials—the Laureates concluded that the on-going attacks on the Rohingya of Rakhine State amount to crimes against humanity and genocide.

The Laureates are calling on Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and the Myanmar military to put an end to the killings and the persecution of the Rohingya people.

“She must stop turning a deaf ear to the persecution of the Rohingya or risk being complicit in the crimes,” said Tawakkol Karman. “Wake up or face prosecution.”

As women committed to peace, the Laureates are urging Aung San Suu Kyi to exercise her personal and moral responsibility stop the genocide. “If she fails to do so, her choice is clear: resign or be held accountable, along with the army commanders, for the crimes committed” added Karman.

The Laureates heard how Rohingya women have been twice victimized: for being Rohingyas and for being women. They described stories of horrific violence and systematic mass rape.

“My 18-year old daughter had her breasts cut off and she died,” a Rohingya woman in the Thyankhali camp told the Nobel peace laureates.

“My baby was only 1-year and 6-months old. The military tore her from my arms and slaughtered her in front of me,” said a Rohingya survivor of rape. She then passed around a photo she had of her child. She wanted everyone to see her little girl.

The laureates heard stories of children being thrown into fires and drowned in rivers. They heard stories of houses and complete villages being burned to the ground and children being shot while running to the forest to seek shelter and safety.

“The torture, rape and killing of any one member of our human family must be challenged, as in the case of the Rohingya genocide,” said Mairead Maguire. “Silence is complicity.”

The Nobel peace laureates were impressed by the strength and resilience of the women who had survived such horrific crimes. One woman at the Thyankhali camp told them, “Why should we feel shame? We were tortured. We don’t need to feel shame about that.”
Another woman at Camp Kutupalong said, “We are not afraid of anything. We want our stories to be told.”

The Laureates are calling for the perpetrators of these heinous crimes to be brought to justice before the International Criminal Court.

“With over a million Rohingya displaced, countless dead or missing, and rape and sexual violence being used as a weapon of war, it is well past the time for the international community to act,” said Shirin Ebadi.

The Laureates met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, government officials, human rights organizations and humanitarian agencies. They extended their thanks to Prime Minister Hasina and to both the Government and the people of Bangladesh for their exemplary acts of compassion for the Rohingya refugees.

The Laureates also expressed deep appreciation to the Bangladeshi government and to the various humanitarian agencies that have met the extra-ordinary challenge of setting up the Refugee and Relocation Camps for over one million Rohingya refugees.

As a result of their visit to Bangladesh, the Nobel Laureates are calling for:

  • An immediate end to the genocide against the Rohingya in Rakhine, and an order to the Myanmar military to immediately stop all acts of sexual violence.
  • Justice for Rohingya victims: perpetrators of crimes must be brought to justice through the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • Bangladesh, as the only country in South Asia to have ratified the Rome Statute, should, along with other states parties, the UN Security Council and the Human Rights Council, refer the case to the ICC.
  • Alternatively, the ICC Prosecutor should open an independent investigation into crimes against humanity and genocide perpetrated in Rakhine State.
  • A voluntary, safe and dignified return. There should be no forced repatriation. When Rohingya do return to Rakhine State, they should be offered security and be granted full citizenship.
  • The government of Myanmar to take immediate action to address the systematic discrimination of the Rohingya in Rakhine State, and ensure the Rohingya's right to nationality, land ownership, freedom of movement and other fundamental rights.
  • A comprehensive arms embargo on Myanmar to ensure that there are no sales of weapons or other military equipment.
  • The international community to increase its support to Bangladesh’s humanitarian response.
  • Bangladesh to ratify the 1951 Geneva Refugee Convention, as a major step to give protection to refugees and set an example in South Asia.
Mairead Corrigan Maguire, co-founder of Peace People, is a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment. She won the 1976 Nobel Peace Prize for her work for peace in Northern Ireland. Her book The Vision of Peace (edited by John Dear, with a foreword by Desmond Tutu and a preface by the Dalai Lama) is available from www.wipfandstock.com. She lives in Belfast, Northern Ireland. See: www.peacepeople.com.

The original article can be found on our partner's website here

Maurizio | March 7, 2018 at 11:06 am | Categories: Uncategorized | URL: https://wp.me/pqqtS-Ol

Sunday 4 March 2018

Indian tradition relating to the breast feeding of babies is under challenge

Delhi: When an Indian woman wants to breastfeed her baby in public, it is easier than in most other countries because of the long, wide dupatta (scarf) that most women wear over their chest.

They drape it over their baby and breast, and onlookers are none the wiser. But the taboo remains which is why a magazine is trying to smash it by featuring a groundbreaking cover photo of a model breastfeeding a baby, possibly the first time any such picture has appeared in India.
The women’s magazine, Grihalakshmi, is published in Kerala, south India. It shows a model, Gilu Joseph, staring directly into the camera with a baby at her breast. The headline reads: "Mums, tell Kerala - don't stare, we want to breastfeed".

The cover of the March 2018 edition of India's women’s magazine Grihalakshmi sought to break the taboo.


Photo: Supplied

The magazine’s deputy editor, Moncy Joseph (no relative of the model), said he wanted to raise awareness about the need for mothers to breastfeed in public without feeling uncomfortable and without being stared at.
"Some women do breastfeed in public but it’s always uncomfortable because people stare and men leer. We want women to do it freely, without inhibitions. It should be a positive experience for them. That’s why we have taken this issue to the forefront," he said.