What the Save Maryam campaign completely misses By Rima Amin - Sunday, 19 August 2012 at 12:00 am

 

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/08/19/what-the-save-maryam-campaign-completely-misses/

What the Save Maryam campaign completely misses

• By Rima Amin
• Notebook
• Sunday, 19 August 2012 at 12:00 am

During my time as an anti-racism campaigner I developed an understanding of the shock tactics utilised by the far-right in attempts to drive Islamaphobia. An example being scare-mongering in the BNP’s 2010 election broadcast, where Nick Griffin claimed to be “terrified” for the future. “Very soon this country will no longer be our country,” he says before showing a clip of a mosque along with a voice-over claiming British people have become “second class citizens” to “foreigners”.

You could say the “Save Maryam” campaign, which holds an uncanny resemblance to Kony 2012, is the other side of a double-edged sword. The aim of the campaign is to raise £2m to bring Islam back into the lives of Indonesian Muslims who are converting to Christianity. Although the intentions may be positive, the campaign’s video may mislead viewers and potentially be interpreted to demonise Christianity. The video also risks insulting the millions of practicing Indonesian Muslims as they are depicted as weak and without the knowledge of Islam.

Contextual codes are embedded to send out the message that Christianity is stealing people from Islam. When referring to Christianity the word “them” is emphasised, suggesting “they” are an opponent and detached from the audience. This allows the narrator to be on the audience’s side offering the solution to the dilemma, playing in-tune to a good versus evil dichotomy.

Depicted as lost and vulnerable, 14 year old Maryam is passive to propaganda delivered to her via TV channels and helplines provided by Christian missionaries. Christians help “shut away her problems and give her a sense of peace” implying her problems have not actually been resolved and the peace she has is false. According to the campaign, Islam must set up TV networks and phonelines to propagate their ideologies. The video calls the situation an “alarming” and a proclaims a questionnable figure that 2 million Muslims are converting to Christianity each year. The campaign manifests on the inner-most fears of Muslims by threatening to take away what is most important to them; Islam.
As well as suggesting those practicing other religions are doing so because they are being manipulated, “Save Maryam” irresponsibly oversimplifies the issue of “Christianisation” in Indonesia. It claims from a policy briefing by the International Crisis Group (ICG): “If the growth of Christianity continues at its current rate, by 2035 Indonesia will cease to be a Muslim-majority country.” This policy briefing in the video has been dated 24^th November 2012 and cannot be found on the ICG website.

However a 2010 policy briefing by the ICG - “‘Christianisation’ and Intolerance” sheds light on the situation. It resonates with the concerns outlined in the video such as the use of Arabic calligraphy on the front of Christian conversion booklets applying a false pretense that it maybe Islamic in content. It also speaks of blasphemous incidents and Islamaphobic blogs including one with a photograph of someone standing on the Quran with an obscene hand gesture. A sixteen year old Protestant was held accountable for the photo and spent 1 year in prison. Having such negative views on other religions at such a young age shows the extent of religious intolerance in Indonesia.

What the “Save Maryam” campaign fails to address is the mass mobilisation of terrorism groups who use “Christianisation” as justification for vigilante attacks. The report shows how aggressive evangelical Christian Proselytizing in Muslim strongholds may lead to moderate Muslims and Salafi jihadis sharing a platform. The report states that in 2009 some sent to terrorism training in Aceh were encouraged to support attacks on foreign aid workers who were conceived as missionaries trying to convert the Acehnese. It goes on to say terrorism networks have become weaker however systematic exploitation of the fear that Christians are making inroads on Islam might attract new followers. The situation is volatile and it is important to avoid raising tension between religious groupings in both Indonesia and the UK.
The charity behind the campaign, Mercy Mission, has received over 500 donations from the UK alone totaling over £20,000. Should we question whether it is ethically correct for Mercy Mission to have charity status and the ability claim exemption from tax on donations whilst launching irresponsible campaigns?

Thankfully, it seems many of those backing the campaign are focussing on promoting Islam rather than scapegoating the Christian community. The holy month of Ramadan is an important time for Muslims wishing to perform Zakat (charity). Many Muslims may be vulnerable whilst seeking a worthy cause to donate. Some may be susceptible to believing the idea that the Save Maryam campaign is Dawah – spreading the message of Islam.

However, there are better ways spread the message of Islam – primarily through good deeds within the communities we live in. Sharing the knowledge of Islam is worthy, and as the ICG shows “the right to follow religion is a basic human right” but there is no need to put down competing religions or to indoctrinate people through the use of technology.

And in the meantime the charity money could be better spent on a Maryam elsewhere. After all, Maryam could be a child in Palestine in need of healthcare. Or a child in East Africa suffering from insecurity, poverty and disease. She may even be one of the 950 million people in this world who are malnourished. Is money not better spent on food and clean water rather than setting up a TV channel? Essentially, Maryam could be anybody, anywhere, seeking a little help and guidance and there are plenty of pure charities out their willing to take that initiative.

IPS - Rapes of Young Girls in DRC Still Unpunished - By Emmanuel Chaco - KINSHASA, Aug 16 2012 (IPS)

 

Rapes of Young Girls in DRC Still Unpunished

By Emmanuel Chaco

KINSHASA, Aug 16 2012 (IPS) - A rash of recent rape cases has sparked local criticism of the weakness of the justice system in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where inadequate resources and simple incompetence mean survivors of sexual violence hold little hope of obtaining justice. 

“In the final week of July, we recorded more than 12 cases of rape committed against very young girls – some of the victims were just six years old,” said Father Jean Okutu, the parish priest at Sacré Cœur Church in Mushie Territory.  “The perpetrators were adults, all civilians.”

A total of 16 rapes of young girls have been reported in recent weeks in this remote administrative district of western DRC, and the mothers of the survivors have joined forces to complain about the failure of the local and provincial judicial system to prosecute their assailants.

Maria T.*, whose eight-year-old daughter was one of the victims, told IPS that despite being treated at the Sacré Cœur parish dispensary, her little girl still complains of pain in her genitals and abdomen. “We have to go to a bigger medical centre to be sure that we won’t face more consequences later on. But we don’t have money,” she said.

Elodie K.’s ten-year-old daughter was also raped. “We need strong measures to protect young girls in Mushie. We also need the identities of all the victims to be carefully protected to ensure that they can grow up normally and have a chance to get married one day,” she said.

Related IPS Articles

• DRC Conflict Worsens, Oxfam Warns
• Rwandan Government Denies Role in Mutiny in DRC

 

“The government should even consider relocating these children, or letting them study overseas at the state’s cost, to ensure they are protected from taunts and isolation by other children their age.”

According to Bandundu’s attorney general, André Mvunzu, the province has already put in place a programme to fight impunity for sexual violence.

“Twelve perpetrators of the rapes recently recorded in Mushie have been arrested and are currently in detention there. They will face trial and the court’s rulings will send a clear message to all,” he told IPS.

Mushie resident Jean Pierre N.* is sceptical. “When we hear the attorney general on the radio, we get the impression that he doesn’t have a clue about how his own judicial administration is working. Of the 12 accused that he stated are in detention, eight have escaped – including the two men who raped my daughter.”

Nzundu told IPS that security at Mushie’s prison needed to be improved, as it was not the first time detainees had escaped.

Jacques Katchelewa is head of a non-governmental organisation working to promote gender equality and food security in Mushie. He fears that if the judicial system fails them, the families will turn to informal arrangements for compensation for the crimes committed against their daughters.

“This runs counter to the law in terms of ending sexual violence,” he said. “The only way victims and families can get justice is if the local court is strengthened. In Mushie, the court has just one magistrate who cannot, all by himself, sit and rule on cases of sexual violence. We need to reinforce the team of judges.”

Congolese law requires a panel of three judges to hear such cases.

Father Okutu shares Katchelewa’s concerns about the effectiveness of the justice system in Bandundu. “I’ve appealed for justice to be served in these rape cases. The provincial attorney general has responded by sending a second magistrate to support the one who is here.”

Mushie’s local prosecutor’s office is subordinate to the provincial attorney general’s office in the provincial capital, the city of Bandundu, 500 kilometres away. It is intended to bring justice a bit closer to the people, but it lacks resources – as do local residents.

“The victims’ families are too poor to pay court costs. I’ve already had to take on the cost of medical care for most of the girls,” Okutu told IPS.

“Litigants who experience problems should write to the Minister for Justice and Human Rights and to the High Council of the Judiciary to explain their difficulties in order to obtain justice and so that magistrates will be deployed to Mushie,” said Jean Paul Nyumba, an advisor to the justice minister’s office.

But Nyumba, himself a lawyer, lamented the fact that there is a shortage of magistrates in many parts of the country while there are many idle magistrates in the capital, Kinshasa.

Joseph Ntayondezandi Mushagalusa, a lawyer and former national attorney general, said a dose of realism is required.  “The problems with the justice system are the same across the country,” he told IPS.

For example, Mushagalusa told IPS, “Even with the recruitment of 2,000 new magistrates in March 2012, the DRC’s judiciary has only 4,000 members. With the population standing at nearly 80 million, we have just one judge for every 20,000 residents of DRC.

“And that’s without accounting for the many magistrates who are not working, such as those who are assigned new posts, but for unresolved logistical and practical reasons, never report to their new assignments or abandon them.”

The provincial governor, Jean Kamisendu Kutaka, has appealed for help from the broader population. “Everyone needs to help the government fight against the different forms of criminality that are raging in the province. It calls for more vigilance. Every citizen has the obligation to expose crimes. It’s the only way to make criminals afraid,” he said.

Maryam Alkhawaja: Human Rights and Democracy for Bahrain Christina Ryerson interviews Maryam Alkhawaja

http://www.asafeworldforwomen.org/rights-defenders/rd-middle-east/2971-maryam-alkhawaja-human-rights-and-democracy-for-bahrain.html

 

Maryam Alkhawaja: Human Rights and Democracy for Bahrain

Christina Ryerson interviews Maryam Alkhawaja

Maryam Al-Khawaja is the Acting President of the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the head of the international office of the Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR).  Her father is human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on 22 June 2011.  Her sister is Zainab Al-Khawaja, another prominent Bahraini human rights activist.

Born in Exile

Born in exile in Syria and raised in Denmark until she was 14, Maryam Alkhawaja knows firsthand the hardships and sacrifices human rights activist face when opposing regimes with a history of human rights violations.  Her father, exiled from Bahrain under the previous King due to his work as a human rights activist, is currently in prison after being arrested, along with her brothers in law, during the ongoing crackdown on opponents of the regime. 

Despite the hardships and sacrifices her family made to support the human rights cause, growing up in an environment with parents committed and passionate about human rights profoundly impacted Maryam.

“Growing up with parents who were completely committed to the human rights cause made a huge difference in my life,” said Maryam, “As a child, I picked up my parents’ passion for the field, and always dreamed of doing the same. I have been able to reach where I am today because I grew up around it.” 

Return to Bahrain

In 2002 when Maryam and her family returned to Bahrain, her enthusiasm and passion for the human rights cause slowly gave way to pessimism as she “saw that she was surrounded by mostly apathetic people who were not willing to change their realties.”  After spending a year studying at Brown University, Maryam returned to Bahrain and applied to a couple of teaching and public relations positions at universities.  She was called in for one interview and the interviewer asked her “isn’t it your father who’s continuously in and out of prison,” and when she replied yes, the interviewer said “I hope you don’t expect too many call backs.” 

These circumstances brought Maryam back to work in the human rights field.  The reality Maryam knew¸ the reality of apathetic people unwilling to change their realities, was about to give way to an avalanche of activism and popular protest unseen during her earlier years in the Kingdom. Maryam, unable to find employment due to her family’s history in Bahrain, began volunteering for the Bahrain Council on Human Rights (BCHR).

Father's arrest

Photo of father Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja taken during his hunger strike in prisonNow 24 and living in London, Maryam left Bahrain, at her father’s urging, when it became apparent she was under threat of arrest by the regime for her work with the BCHR.  At the time, Maryam worked as a correspondent reporting on the human rights violations by the regime to human rights organizations abroad during a crackdown on the opposition in 2010.  She is currently serving as the Vice President and Acting President of the BCHR while the President, Nabeel Rajab, who was recently sentenced to three years, is in prison. 

Part of Maryam’s job is to interview victims of abuse and human rights violations in Bahrain. When she heard the news of her father’s arrest, the horrors and abuse he would face were already well known to her. Living safely in London, Maryam’s first thought upon hearing the news of her family members arrest was to return to her family,

“When I heard about how my father and two brothers in law were arrested my only thought was to go back to Bahrain,” said Maryam, “In a way I felt guilty for not being there, for not protecting my family.”

For Maryam, her ability to continue the fight despite the horror stories she hears derives in part from her parents’ example and resolve, and the people day in and day out “who continue to tread on their fear and take to the streets to demand human rights and dignity every night despite the risks.”

One of the many stories told to Maryam while interviewing political prisoners that significantly impacted her personally was about her father.

“One of the political prisoners being held in the same prison as my father said that after a very violent torture session my father was subjected to, my father said to the man who had just finished torturing him: ‘I forgive you.’”

---

* In February 2012 Maryam's father went on hunger strike. On April 5, his birthday, she wrote:

"My Father is Dying. This is the thought constantly running through my head."
"I constantly fear the phone call bearing the message that I will never see my father again. I cannot imagine a life without my father, and I cannot come to terms with a world that would allow my father to die." ...
  

---

Breaking Barriers

According to Maryam, the populations around the region seeking to change their realities by taking to the streets and protesting their governments already achieved victory. 

“I believe the initial victory of all the different movements is not whether or not they achieved what they set out to achieve. It’s the fact that they actually set out to achieve it,” said Maryam,

“The fact of the matter is there are people who have been working on achieving these movements for many, many years.

The fact that people broke the barrier of fear, that they took to the streets despite all risks, is the actual victory.”

In Bahrain, like many other countries in the region, the security apparatus of the state is responsible for much of the abuse and human rights violations despite reassurances from government officials in Bahrain that torture and killing of citizens is not government policy.  This is little comfort to the people who have been, or had a loved one tortured and killed by the security forces. 

Challenges and Concerns

One of the largest challenges facing the movement if they are to succeed in ousting the government is dealing with a security apparatus known for its human rights violations. According to Maryam it is incredibly important to establish a process of transitional justice so victims and families can have a sense of justice being served. 

One concern however, is ensuring the oppressed do not become oppressors themselves. 

“Accountability within the international standards would be the way to go. Even those whom have committed the worst crimes against humanity have rights, and those rights must be respected,” said Maryam, “it is through being just to the weakest links of the country that a country can set the right basis for respecting human rights.”

With events taking place in Syria capturing the attention of the international community, it is harder to draw attention to the atrocities taking place in Bahrain and generate the needed political support to get the Security Council or any other organization to deal with the regime.  Like other countries in the region fighting against tyrannical regimes, according to Maryam, Bahraini citizens want to avoid military intervention by Western powers, but sanctions and other actions would be welcomed.

“The Bahraini regime is one of a few in the region that is sensitive to their international image and reputation,” said Maryam, “The reason why the human rights situation in Bahrain has been getting worse is because the regime in Bahrain now believe that they have international immunity.”

For Maryam, the struggle for international attention to the situation in Bahrain should not become a competition with other countries suffering at the hands of tyranny.

“This is not a competition or a race.  It is disastrous when people turn into numbers; they lose their value as human beings.  People struggling to achieve human rights and democracy should not be competing for international attention, it should come naturally.”  

 

---

 Follow Maryam on Twitter:  @MARYAMALKHAWAJA

Visit BCHR:  http://www.bahrainrights.org/en

---

*Additional Quote from: Abdulhadi al-Khawaja: Dying for Justice by Stephen Lendman

Our Lives, Our Rights is a March Forward! campaign led by active-duty troops, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and war resisters whose mission is to reach-out to and educate U.S. service members about their rights, help exercise those rights and

http://www.ourlivesourrights.org/mission.html

Our Lives Our Rights

 

OUR MISSION

 

Our Lives, Our Rights is a March Forward! campaign led by active-duty troops, veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and war resisters whose mission is to reach-out to and educate U.S. service members about their rights, help exercise those rights and advocate for those rights. Among these rights is the right to be a Conscientious Objector to war and refuse deployment to Afghanistan.

The war we have no reason to fight

The ongoing Afghanistan war—not-so-coincidentally located in one of the most profitable regions in the world for the oil tycoons and defense contractors—is the longest war in U.S. history. Mainstream polls show that more than 2/3 of the U.S. public as well as active-duty service members oppose the war and want it to end. But the generals and politicians continue to lie and mislead the public in order to continue a war—like the Iraq war—to control access to resources for Wall Street. Even if the cause was just, high-ranking Pentagon officers openly admit that the war against the Afghan resistance is unwinnable, yet continue to send U.S. soldiers to kill and be killed to avoid the perception of defeat. With more everyday, over 2,000 of us have died, tens of thousands have had life-changing wounds, and hundreds of thousands psychologically traumatized.

For the people of Afghanistan, who have overwhelmingly opposed and resisted the occupation, the U.S./NATO war has resulted in death and injury of tens of thousands of innocent civilians, destroyed villages, thrust the country deeper into poverty—all supposedly for a crime they had no role in whatsoever. U.S. service members increasingly recognize that the people of Afghanistan are not our real enemies and that the war has been a humanitarian catastrophe. We have a right to not be party to crimes against humanity and the subjugation of our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan, the vast majority of whom want all U.S./NATO forces out of their country now.

The crisis in mental health care

The politicians and military brass have shown disregard for the lives of U.S. service members not only in the battlefield but also at home. The epidemic of veterans’ suicides has been a crisis for years, with active-duty suicides shockingly outpacing combat deaths, yet the command has taken no meaningful steps to address it. In fact, they have deliberately refused to diagnose cases of PTSD to cut costs and repeatedly re-deploy service members. Every service member who has tried knows the difficulty of trying to get adequate treatment or a fair discharge process. For female service members, this problem is compounded by being treated like criminals for reporting sexual abuse and Military Sexual Trauma. The military brass has acted with historic disregard for our lives. Our commanders are solely responsible for the epidemic of suicides, which is nowhere near being resolved, making it necessary for us to take action outside the chain of command. 

The generals and politicians have proven, for years, incapable and unwilling to treat our lives like they matter at all. They are playing politics with our lives while we commit suicide in record numbers, lose limbs and lives at an increasing rate, and while our families and families in Afghanistan suffer immensely.

These are our lives. We can exercise our rights.

Thousands of U.S. service members would qualify as Conscientious Objectors, or have the right to not deploy to Afghanistan or serve in the military based on moral opposition to war. Conscientious Objector status entitles one to an honorable discharge with full benefits.

Many thousands with psychological wounds, properly diagnosed yet or not, have the right to demand exemption from deployment,with adequate treatment, compensation and a fair process.

Many feel they have no other option to escape the war or their difficult situation in garrison other than to go AWOL or refuse their orders—they, too, have rights and legal options, and deserve help and support.

Most service members do not know these rights. For those who do, the chain of command actively blocks service members from exercising them.

Our Lives, Our Rights seeks to turn that situation around. We reach out to service members to ensure that they know their rights and options. We assist those who need information about their rights and legal support, and help in successfully navigating the maze of paperwork. We give a voice to those who want to take a stand and tell their stories to build a movement for the rights of their sisters and brothers in uniform. Alone, we are powerless against the will of the officers—but service members and veterans, united and organizing together, can challenge their callous disregard for our lives and the lives of others.

Our Lives, Our Rights holds that service members have inalienable rights, including the right to refuse deployment to Afghanistan. The time is critical to exercise our rights. We have the power to drastically improve the conditions for service members and their families, and prevent the suffering of other families in Afghanistan. These rights will not be handed down by the politicians or military brass. It is up to us to come together, organize, and fight for them.

My Aspergers Child:Can Children With Autism Outgrow Their Disabilities?

Mark has sent you a link to a blog:

Can Children With Autism Outgrow Their Disabilities?

Blog: My Aspergers Child
Post: Can Children With Autism Outgrow Their Disabilities?
Link: http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2012/08/can-children-with-autism-outgrow-thei...