BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Deprived of its usual tourist influx by the pandemic, Bethlehem will celebrate a quiet Christmas this year that is less about commerce and more about religion, says its parish priest.
In a normal year, hundreds of thousands of visitors flood the Palestinian city in the West Bank, located less than 10 kilometers (six miles) from Jerusalem.
Those seeking a quiet moment of contemplation in the Church of the Nativity — the site of Christ’s birth, according to tradition — generally have to use their elbows to maneuver through the crowds.
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While the lack of visitors has been devastating for business owners, it has also offered a rare opportunity for solemn worship, said Father Rami Asakrieh, Bethlehem’s parish priest.
“Sometimes there are more than half [a] million people who arrive in this period to visit the Nativity Church,” he said.
A man is pictured in the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on December 20, 2020 after it was re-opened for prayers following strict COVID-19 restrictions. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
But with coronavirus restrictions making travel to Bethlehem all but impossible for foreign worshippers, the Church of the Nativity has been eerily calm in the days before Christmas.
Under the Grotto of the Nativity, the recitation of Armenian prayers by four monks echoed clearly through the basilica deserted of its typical throngs of visitors.
The Christmas Eve mass on Thursday, regarded as the most important annual event at the church, will be closed to the public.
Not even representatives of the Palestinian Authority will come to Bethlehem on December 24, Asakrieh said.
“It has never happened before,” he explained, citing only past restrictions imposed during the First and Second Intifadas.
“I think that this Christmas is different because people are not busy with the external manifestations of the feast,” the priest said, referring to the gift-buying that has, for many, become synonymous with Christmas.
“Now [people] have the time, and they are obligated, to concentrate on the essential… the theological spirit of Christmas,” he said. “Less business, but more religion.”
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Police wearing face masks stand guard as the faithful take part in Sunday mass in the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on December 20, 2020 after it was re-opened for prayers following strict COVID-19 restrictions. (HAZEM BADER / AFP)
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In the lead-up to Christmas, the small Chapel of Saint Catherine, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, was opened to the local Palestinian population.
Many turned out in their Sunday best, including Nicolas al-Zoghbi who said that this year the joyfulness of Christmas had been replaced by “depression.”
He recounted the “heartache and pain” felt by those like his son who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
“We hope the Lord will destroy corona, just get rid of it so we can return to our previous life,” said Zoghbi, who is in his 70s.
Bethlehem’s economy is driven partly by an annual Christmas rush that benefits small shops selling postcards, rosaries carved from olive tree wood and other Nativity-related souvenirs.
No Gazan visitors
Sitting outside his Bethlehem store on a plastic chair, Georges Baaboul said he “hadn’t sold anything for nine months.”
“In the last few days I sold about 170 shekels ($52)” worth of goods, he said.
Sixty-year-old trader Saif said he had never seen things this bad through his 60 years in business, including during the intifadas.
This year, West Bank tradesmen cannot even count on Christian customers from Gaza, the coastal Palestinian enclave controlled by the Hamas terrorist group, that is under Israeli and Egyptian blockade to prevent the import of weaponry.
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Children walk in front of shuttered shops in a street decorated ahead of Christmas, in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, on December 19, 2020. (HAZEM BADER / AFP)
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Gazan Christians generally receive special permission to cross to Bethlehem for Christmas, but this year those permits have not been issued, said Father Youssef Asaad of the Latin monastery in Gaza.
Hamas has imposed strict measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus in the strip, including the closure of mosques and the Latin Church, but masses are being broadcast online.
Christian Gaza resident Issa Abou George said he could not buy gifts for his children this year, but will participate in services online.
“My family and I will pray to God for the pandemic to end as well as for peace, in the Holy Land and the world,” he told AFP.
WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, UNITED STATES, December 23, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — Criminal Legal System – The Justice Roundtable coalition has submitted a blueprint for criminal legal system reforms to the Biden transition team in a document titled Transformative Justice Recommendations for the New Administration and the 117th Congress. The report details comprehensive and broad reform recommendations for the federal system providing a vision of transformative justice for the incoming President and the 117th Congress.
The Justice Roundtable is the nation’s oldest and largest bipartisan coalition advocating for federal criminal legal system reform. With over 100 participating organizations, the Justice Roundtable advocates for reforms across a broad range of issues including sentencing reform, reentry, commutations and pardons, human rights, youth justice, and law enforcement.
The Justice Roundtable, a coalition of national reform groups, recommends to Biden transition team blueprint for sweeping reforms to the federal system.In our religious tradition people are considered basically good and capable of rehabilitation and real change.”—
John Stanard, Church of Scientology’s Social Betterment Policy Director
Following George Floyd’s murder and an increased awareness in the public about police abuses, the document includes recommendations for reforms covering many aspects of the criminal justice system.
The Transformative Justice Recommendations report argues that full system transformation begins with law enforcement accountability – the subject of unprecedented protests – and continues by correcting the harms of pretrial detention, the punitiveness of drug policy, the excesses of sentencing, the barriers to reentry, and the under-use of clemency.
The U.S. incarceration system has functioned as a barrier to justice and equity for too long. The upheaval caused by overly aggressive policing on top of an unprecedented health pandemic has intensified the need for meaningful changes to transform the criminal legal system into one that truly serves the interests of justice and human rights.
The Justice Roundtable recommendations say: “In their totality, the recommendations in this report are designed to help the President and Congress steer the nation into a new decade of healing and hope… With the right intention and tools, the country can heal its divides.”
Among the many groups supporting the report’s recommendations are the National Council of Churches, the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office, Families Against Mandatory Minimum, Human Rights Watch, Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Vera Institute of Justice, The Sentencing Project, NAACP, and ACLU.
The Church of Scientology has a history of working for a fair and just criminal system, one that emphasizes rehabilitation over punishment. A long-time participant in the Justice Roundtable, the Church’s National Affairs Office joined with other prominent national organizations to endorse the Justice Roundtable Transformative Justice document.
John Stanard, the Church’s Social Betterment Policy Director, commented, “In our religious tradition people are considered basically good and capable of rehabilitation and real change. We have always supported reforms designed to bring about a more just and less punitive criminal legal system. For example, we supported federal legislative initiatives including the First Step Act of 2018 and the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020.
“The start of a new administration and Congress provides an opportunity to bring about meaningful reforms to many aspects of the system as outlined in the Justice Roundtable Transformative Justice recommendations. We look forward to working with our allies and partners to help bring about these reforms.”
The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office has hosted many meetings and events to promote criminal legal system reforms, including awarding Cynthia Roseberry, currently deputy director of justice policy at the ACLU, a humanitarian award for her earlier work on clemency petitions. The United States leads the world in the number of incarcerated persons per capita; a disproportionate number of whom are black and brown men and women. Many of these were jailed for non-violent drug-related offenses. The Church has consistently held events and briefings to promote a more equitable criminal legal system.
John Stanard Church of Scientology National Affairs Office +1 202-667-6404
2020 has been an odd and unsettling year — perhaps the oddest and most unsettling in our lifetimes.
I am not one to find silver linings in clouds, but here is one that I definitely succeeded in finding: my increased solitude gave me more time and mental space for reading.
Here, then, is my list of my favorite books of 2020, arranged alphabetically according to author. These are the books that kept me sane, inspired me, challenged me, and pushed me beyond an already damaged comfort zone. I believe that they should be on everyone’s reading list.
Europe Against the Jews: 1880-1945, by Gotz Aly. “Of making books, there is no end,” said the author of Ecclesiastes. That is certainly true about books about the Shoah. Aly does a wonderful job of presenting “a pre-history of the genocide — understanding how, why, and in what forms anti-Semitism increased in post-1880 Europe.” In particular, pay attention to his assessment of the rise of European nationalisms. Chilling.
I Want You To Know We’re Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir, by Esther Safran Foer. A gripping memoir, by the communal activist and mother of very smart sons (e.g., Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything Is Illuminated), about how she made a pilgrimage back to her family’s disappeared shtetl to find the family that hid hers during World War Two.
The Wondering Jew: Israel and the Search for Jewish Identity, by Micah Goodman, trans. Eylon Levy. One of Israel’s top public intellectuals digs down deeply to uncover the various nuances of Israeli religiosity and secularism. They are not all created equal, he discovers — which not only defines the richness of Israeli Jewish life, but has overwhelming potential for our North American religious lives as well.
Hate Monger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda, by Jean Guerrero. How the __________ did a kid, raised and educated in Reform synagogues in California, turn into a man who was the architect of the current administration’s malign agenda? Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that he broke off childhood friendships when he discovered that those friends were Latinos. Or, is it because he would throw his tray on the floor of his college dining hall, because there were “people there paid to clean it up.” I will so not miss Stephen Miller.
Judaism Straight Up: Why Real Religion Endures, by Moshe Koppel. An elegant description of the religious mindset, as contrasted to the dominant secular mindset of our age. Koppel oversimplifies in some cases, and over-romanticizes in others. But, by and large, this defense of tradition has something to teach us.
The New Jewish Canon: Ideas and Debates 1980-2015, by Yehuda Kurtzer and Claire E. Sufrin. What defines a canon — of books and ideas? What writings are essential to the Jewish consciousness in modernity? The authors (Yehuda is the president of Shalom Hartman Institute in North America, and a cherished teacher) do an excellent job of navigating through the words that shaped the way Jews think in modernity. An essential book.
The Virus in the Age of Madness, by Bernard-Henri Levy. I never fail to find something interesting in Levy’s writings, and this book does not disappoint. The French thinker takes us on a historical, literary and philosophical journey through the human experience of plague, and now, pandemic. Check out his assessment of his countryman, Levinas, and how the experience of masking ourselves contradicts some of the most basic aspects of human need.
God for Grownups: A Jewish Perspective, by Simeon J. Maslin. Full disclosure: Shim is one of my heroes — a mentor who has been a close personal friend for more than four decades. One of America’s most distinguished rabbis, his mind is ever fertile at the age of 89, as he brings us into a conversation about how rational people can believe in God, and can access God-talk. There is much to learn and cherish in his words, especially two recent sermons given at Boudoin College. Rabbi Maslin is devoted to truth — an idea that dare not become passe.
Dangerous Religious Ideas: The Deep Roots of Self-Critical Faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam by Rachel S. Mikva. Rabbi Mikva, a skilled spiritual leader and perceptive academic (and a good friend) realizes that there are certain aspects of the monotheistic traditions that are, frankly, dangerous. Like fire, religion can warm, or destroy. She calls on faith traditions to name their own “design flaws,” and has some ideas on how religionists can heal them.
This Precious Life: Encountering the Divine with Poetry and Prayer, by Alden Solovy. Alden has become one of Reform Judaism’s master poet-liturgists, and his most recent volume, published by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, shows why. There are not many contemporary liturgical poets who will have an audience two centuries from now. I am betting, however, on Alden’s shelf life. A beautiful collection from a beautiful soul.
Thinking About God: Jewish Views, by Rabbi Kari S. Tuling. A talented Reform rabbi has produced a comprehensive outline of contemporary theology — complete with illustrative texts. Just this week, I recommended it to two people who told me that they could not agree with Judaism’s “idea” of God. “Make that ideas,” I said — and read her book.”
Caste: The Lies that Divide Us, by Isabel Wilkerson. Forget the fact that, by sheer dint of alphabetical order, this book appears last on the list. It should be first on the list.
This book is for everyone who demurs when they hear Black Lives Matter: “Don’t all lives matter?” Well, yes — but as Wilkerson shows, for the vast majority of American history, those lives simply didn’t matter.
The vast majority of African-Americans who lived in this land in the first 246 years of what is now the United States lived under the terror of people who had absolute power over their bodies and their very breath, subject to people who faced no sanction for any atrocity they could conjure….
Looking beneath the history of one’s country is like learning that alcoholism or depression runs in one’s family. You don’t ball up in a corner with guilt or shame at these discoveries. In fact, you do the opposite. You educate yourself. Then you take precautions to protect yourself and succeeding generations and work to ensure that these things, whatever they are, don’t happen again.
There you have it — a sufficient number of volumes to fill up your night stand, or coffee table, or stack in the middle of the floor, or on your Kindle.
And, to all my Christian readers, as I am fond of saying to my two dear friends who are Episcopal priests:
“May Christ be born for you this year.”
Which is to say: May hope rise up from the dust.
Stay healthy — and thanks, profoundly, for being my readers.
European Union and British negotiators are nearing … the 27-nation bloc approaches, EU officials said Wednesday.
Two … in the talks.
An EU diplomat said negotiators previously reached … a compromise over EU concerns that Britain would weaken …
… hazardous plastic waste from the European Union (EU) to countries that are … in fighting plastic pollution,” said EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans … plastic waste from the EU to OECD countries and imports … in the EU will also be more …
(Photo: REUTERS / Ammar Awad)A Palestinian marching band takes part in the Eastern Orthodox Christmas procession outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem January 6, 2015.
The inn rooms are empty in Bethlehem this year for the traditional Christmas celebrations as the Holy Land city battens hatches against the novel coronavirus pandemic at a time of the year it normally throngs with visitors.
Those seeking a quiet moment of contemplation in the Church of Nativity – celebrated by tradition to be the site of the birth of Jesus normally have to elbow their ways through the crowds that throng.
A surge in COVID-19 cases on the West Bank, part of the occupied Palestinian territory, means some severe lockdown conditions.
While midnight mass will take place at the Nativity Church on Christmas Eve, there will be congregation, the BBC reported.
Yet Father Rami Asakrieh told AFP that although the dearth has devastated local business, it has also offered a rare opportunity for solemn worship.
“I think that this Christmas is different because people are not busy with the external manifestations of the feast,” the priest said, referring to the gift-buying that has, for many, become synonymous with Christmas.
“Now (people) have the time, and they are obligated, to concentrate on the essential… the theological spirit of Christmas,” he said. “Less business, but more religion.”
Only a few dozen people attended the lighting of the Christmas tree in Bethlehem on Dec. 19 due to the virus restrictions compared to thousands who normally turn up, The Times of Israel reported.
A small group of residents and religious leaders participated in the tree-lighting ceremony at Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity. Others watched it virtually due to the restrictions.
Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman said Christmas is being observed this year in ways like no time before.
“We resorted to modern technology and to the virtual world to celebrate the lighting of the Christmas tree, wishing hope and optimism would flutter upon Palestine and the world,” Salman said, the newspaper reported.
Let’s Educate the World and present the Truth behind the protest & the ill treatment of Sikhs & Panjabis in India. Via CAP Liberté de Conscience Interview session with Mr PREMI SINGH and CAP’s representative Mr. THIERRY VALLE.
My name is PREMI SINGH, I am a Sikh Community representative, educator of Sikh affairs and an activist on Human Rights. I have represented Sikhs, Hindus and other community’s concerns and issues regarding Human rights violations at the United Nation in Geneva. I have also spoken about and raised issues faced by many refugees and asylum seekers, regarding their deportation, and migrations matters. I have also stood against and raised my voice against the brutality of unjustifiable wars. Apart from delegation duties, diplomacy, I and my team actively support homeless communities across Europe via our work with various Sikh Gurdwara’s (Sikh Places of worship) and different active collaboration with charities like the British Red Cross, Khalsa Aid and many other European Charities.
Through this interview session, I would like to raise my concerns via CAP LC on the Famer’s Peaceful protest taking place in India and how it is linked with Sikhs and Panjabi farmers in particular and how it will have a serious impact on their livelihood. I want to discuss what I believe to be the main aim of ‘far Right Hindu group’ and the Current BJP government which mostly consists of RSS members (Rashtriya swayamsevak Sangh- A volunteer Far right Hindu nationalist Organisation). This is a group that the current prime minister of India, PM Modi is an active member off.
How the fundamental right to go to Court on contractual disputes, under article 6 and 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), has been taken away from the farmers. This is to throw the small farmers to the ‘market’ (a designed monopoly by corporate Hindu owned companies) and remove all protections as well as the small subsidies that enables these small farmers to survive. The majority of whom are already under debts, thus pushing them further towards bankruptcy. This may result in them in losing their lands, homes and all livelihoods. These will later be purchased by the aforementioned corporate Far Right Hindu companies either by forced purchases or through opportunistic land grabbing. This is a process which is designed by India central government to gain control of historical Panjab land, territories and achieve political autonomy over Panjab. This is a systematic process to wipe out the Panjab and its Sikh identity pushing Sikh farmers to migrate to other countries.
Who is victim to these India’s 3 Farming Bills?
These bills are politically designed with a sinister agenda of the Far Right Hindu Organisations such as RSS and BJP (Current Government). In particular it is aimed at Sikh and Panjabi farmers. It is designed to slowly and systematically push the Sikh community out of the Panjab and seize their lands.
This proposed bills/Laws do not provide any guarantees or any assurances of a minimum purchased price (MSP) for individual crops. This means large corporations and monopolies can dictate prices. Whenever there are large monopolies as seen in the current markets in India, the small parties that had been protected previously, are forced to offer lower prices.
Many Ministers and MPs in India have raised their voices against PM Modi’s Farmer bills, but his reaction has been disgraceful and sycophantic. India officials have threatened the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau by releasing a statement that India ties and trade deals with Canada are at risk, should Canada continue to support the Panjabi community. Mr Trudeau, to his credit responded very strongly and said ‘Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest” in the context of the protests in India.
The Indian central government has placed under ‘House arrest Arvind Kejrewal the CM (Chief Minister of Delhi) AAP Party member. This happened as a direct results of him refusing to convert Delhi stadiums into prisons. The BJP plan was to place all Sikh protestors in these stadiums as prisoners. He responded that this would be a violation of Human rights and in fact tried to support the basic rights of the protesters by providing electricity and clean water.
Why is Britain’s PM silent over this protest? Why is the British media silent on the world’s largest protest? Why are the voices and actions of 25 million being ignored by such large parts of the international community?
Current UK government is being influenced by the Indian government as it requires Indian government co-operation to achieve any sort of Post-Brexit trade deal.
The Current Secretary of State for the Home Department in the UK, Priti Patel has long standing political affiliations with the Governments of India and Israel. She was the International Development Secretary under Theresa May’s premiership but was removed from this position after it was discovered that she was having meetings with Benjamin Netanyahu (Israel’s Prime minister) that breached the ministerial code of conduct. Priti Patel background is from Gujrat and has alleged relations with ‘far-right Hindu nationalists that form a large part of the current ruling party in India. Gujarat is where PM Modi started his Political career and was the Chief Minister of Gujrat. During his tenure the now infamous Gujrat Riots took place where thousands of Muslims (the ethnic minority in the region) where killed. During this crisis the police were allegedly stopped from taking actions that could have prevented or curtailed such riots.
Whenever any organisational or individual highlights such human rights violations, the government of India labels that individual/organisation as anti-Indian, fundamentalist, hardliners, separatists or as a terrorist. These acts don’t stop at political name calling, these individuals are harassed by the local law enforcement, imprisoned on false allegations and often tortured in jail. Indian state backed media often lead attempts at discrediting such individuals. They will also attempt character assignations on live TV with baseless claims to promote the political agenda of the ruling party.
Many scientists, sports personalities, artists, celebrities (numbering in the hundreds) have returned their awards including Olympic medals back to central Indian government in response to such atrocious farming bills and the treatment the farmers are receiving from PM Modi.
Peaceful Farmers protest started on the 25th of September in Panjab after the farmers reform bills were announced and were passed without the consultation with the farmers and were pushed swiftly by PM Modi to the President of India Ram Nath Kovind (again a far right Hindu nationalist) without the right to appeal in court.
Central government started ignoring the pleas of farmer organizations and thereafter started to ignore democratically elected ministers from the Panjab region in particular. This act was seen and felt both by national and international witneses as dictatorial in nature and a direct threat to the democracy of India. This also brought together the already strong ties of PM Modi, the Far Right Hindu nationalist party BJP, RSS, and its alliance with their big corporations like Advani, Hindujas, Tata, Mittal, and Reliance Ambani. The aim of such an alliance is clear for all to see- namely an eradication of Sikh’s rights in Panjab with an aim to their eventual removal from their home state.
Sikhs are known to the world for their Kindness, Bravery, farming prowess, Economical Enterprise, Community values and Pride. For India these are all reasons to be against the Sikh community and the values they stand for. Sikh’s have been Soldiers fighting for Justice, Democracy and Human Rights across the world since their inception.
When British left India in 1947, they had plans of a three state solution, Hindustan for Hindus, Panjab (Khalistan) for Sikhs and Pakistan for Muslims. Due to short-sightedness of Sikh leadership and false promises of Mr. Gandhi to Sikhs. Sikh leaders declined the offer of the three-state solution.
Once India, got freedom in 1947, the promises made by Gandhi at the time to Sikhs did not materialise. Thereafter time after time the demands of a Free Panjab state was suppressed and ignored by successive Indian governments. There has been no official acknowledgement of the unique Sikh history and territories, no acknowledgement of the proposed Sikh constitution by The Sri Akaal Thakht Sahib (called the Sikh Rehat Maryada). Even till today’s date Sikhs are considered as Hindus under Indian constitution and even their marriage act is registered under the Hindu marriage act. How can we label an English as Irish or a Dutch as South African, a French as Canadian? Well this is exactly happening to Sikhs around the world they have been labelled as Indians even as matter of fact is they are PANJABIs.
To keep brutal pressure on Sikhs, the central government of India kept dividing the Panjabi territories to other states within India, prime example Haryana a new state was formed as a result of dissection of the territories in Panjab. This was done in to dilute the political voting power from the majority Sikhs and Panjabis.
India has historically divided the Panjab kingdom with Pakistan and India in 1947, then further divisions inside India to neighboring states to continue to diminish the Sikh voting block. They have continued by taking control of water and natural resources without the Panjab state’s consent nor the consent of its public- the SIKH community!!! Indian governments did not stop there, they placed drugs, alcohol, and prostitution into the state of Panjab to undermine younger Panjabi Sikh’s Identity.
History suggests if you take away the richness, purity of Sikh faiths, strong cultural and traditional ties, and its values from the younger generation and specially the mother tongue (Panjabi) the coming generation will cripple itself. This is exactly what is happening to Sikhs in India. A slow systematic political dilution and wipeout of their existence and the Panjab a Free Democratic state. A few years back all the road signs of Panjab were re-written in Hindi and Panjabi was wiped out. This faced serious challenges by the local Panjabi residents who may only know how to read and write in Panjabi.
Killing of PM Indra Gandhi in 1984 was a direct result of Indian government’s long suppression, torture and dictatorship on Sikhs and especially the attack on Golden Temple by Indian Army on the Golden Temple (Sri Harmander Sahib) acted as a catalyst to this action.
The Military History of Sikhs and their contribution to world’s peace and democracy, is well known to World however India and its RSS lead politics and its led media, keeps labeling Sikhs as Terrorist and fundamentals.
Sikhs and their Empire under Maharaja Ranjit Singh proves that Sikhs promotes multiculturalism, equality, respect to all faith and beliefs, human rights for all by recognizing ‘All Human Race & mankind as ONE’! This Sikh rule and empire was so forward thinking in its ideals and practices, it is still being studied by scholars in other countries worldwide.
Sikhs were the first to give full equal rights to woman and Sikh women (Mia Bhago ji -1666 battle against Mughals) have fought on the front lines over 300 years ago. Even later Sophia Daleep Singh (1876 -1948) a Sikh princess was behind the women’s right to vote called the Suffragette Revolution/movement in Europe including UK.
Not many countries or its public are aware of the Sikh empire (also known as Sikh Khalsa Raj or Sarkar E Khalsa) was established under the leadership of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It was based on a secular Empire, rooted on Sikh Values as respecting and recognizing all as One.
At its peak in the 18thth (1801- to 19th) century, the Sikh empire extended from the kyber pass in the West to western Tibet in east, and from mithankot in the south to Kashmir in the north. In today’s geography, this would be land covering parts of China, India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kashmir and Tibet. The language spoken in the Sikh empire was Panjabi (Script –Gurmukhi) being the main and other its dialects like Hindi, Urdu, Sarikis, Hindoowans, Pothwari also mixed with Pashto, Farsi, and Kashmiri mix. Its Generals, court judges and ministers were from not only from Sikh background but many from other faiths and from all around the world as to promote multiculturalism.
A few names of some of the Generals that served under Mahraja Ranjit Singh:
Now let’s relate Sikh history to the current situation of peaceful famers protest all over India and its capital city Delhi being the center point against Modi’s suppressive government and its unethical farmer’s bills.
Panjab and Sikh territories have been changed regularly by the Central government of India with cruelty and dictatorship like tactics.
The current political stunt aims to acquire lands from the Panjabis (Sikhs in particular), by the RSS led Hindu government currently governed by PM Modi. The plan seems clear, by destroying the local economy and livelihoods of the farmers in the Panjab rejoin, they aim to buy up the land at a fraction of current prices. This is economic warfare and plain to see by all.
On the 27th of November 2020, Panjabi farmers chose to co-ordinate their protests against the radical Farmer’s bills in the capital city of Delhi. They had to overcome concrete barricades, National highways being converted into trenches to stop crossings, tear gas, stone missiles, baton charges from the Haryana and Delhi police. Nevertheless they successfully overcame all of these hurdles as the need to protest against these bills was paramount. The farmer protesters into Delhi pushed Modi to cut off the food and water supplies from the Punjab to these protestors. Already over 25 Panjabi’s have lost their lives due to the freezing local conditions in Delhi. Nevertheless, the Panjabi protests continue. They continue in spite of the challenges forced upon them by the central government. They continue in spite of the risk to their lives. They know if the current bills that have already been passed are allowed to stand, it means an end to the Panjab they know. It will mean an end to their culture and their way of living. This is why they and we must continue to protest and force these bills to be undone.
Media Blackout /spin
The Indian government is suggesting to the world’s media that they are providing the protesters with electricity, food and water. This is false. Modi has tried and is still trying to stop supplies from Panjab to the protesters on the borders of Delhi. The goverement has placed internet jamming devices and has tried to implent national and international media blackout on the protests. This extends to social media sites and accounts being blocked who are reporting on the protests. That is why it has taken over two months to reach to international news about the farmer protest. The protests took over three months to gain any sort of attention and actually started on 25th of September 2020 in the Panjab and in the other states of India like Calcutta, Karnataka, and utter pardesh. Since September 2020 the protests aren’t localized in Panjab, many states and farmers from all over India recognize this threat to their livelihoods and have been protesting locally ever since.
Sikhs are known for giving not taking, they have fought many battles for the freedom of international world and democracy. They been humanitarian leaders since day one. The easiest example of thier service to all communities is the serving free-food (Langar)/free Kitchen) to the world as Guru Nanak Dev ji’s Langar. This tradition has started since the days of Guru’s in the 1500’s and continues proudly by all Sikh all over the world.
Sikhs are peace loving, saint soldiers (universal soldiers) not fundamentalists or hardliners. They are secular and promote humanity, multiculturalism and democracy in a full and transparent manner. We believe we have a duty to protect communities and people who are unable to fight for themselves. This is why it is paramount we protest against such laws and transgressions from the government in India.
It is crucial for the world to understand Sikhs are only asking for their human rights, farming rights, freedom to use their mother tongue, and share their culture with the world. Sikhs are hoping to establish an Independent state in future. This is the same land they were born on and have lived on for generation. It is their right to govern themselves according to their own laws and values. The international community and India shouldn’t have an objection to this. They are not asking someone else’s land or property. This is land that has passed down through the generations. Sikhs are asking for the right to govern themselves without fear of religious persecution. The same persecution they have been fighting against since the creation of the Khalsa.
This peaceful farmer’s protest to Delhi is not even about an Independent state, Khalistan (or Sarkar I Khalsa). It is solely about the farmer’s rights and against the astrocious farmer’s bills. The bill is clearly designed to benefit already rich companies like Hindujas, Mittal’s, Ambani’s, Reliance, Tata etc. All of which are unsurprisingly owned by Hindu’s. This is why other states have joined with Sikhs and Panjabi farmers to protest against the brutal bill where farmers lands will be taken away in a slow and systematic way. This bill will impact millions of farmers lives and livelihoods. The Sikhs community is being the targeted by the current Indian administration.
Indian government tried its hardest to stop Sikh farmers entering Delhi but failed. Delhi Haryana police, BSF soldiers, and Raw agents tried infiltrating the protests with their agents. State hired goons turned the initially peaceful protest march to Delhi into a violent one. They used stone projectiles, tear gas canisters, heavy water-guns, dug trenches on the national high ways and roads, built over 7ft high concrete barricades and even fired live ammunition against the protesters resulting in injury to many.
Nevertheless the peace loving Sikh and Panjabi farmers kept the peaceful march moving forward. Indian government tried to place false Covid restriction on them but nothing withstood the farmers’ energy, passion and strength for justice and righteousness. It is surprising that a few weeks ago other states farmers managed to enter Delhi to protest and there was no Covid restrictions placed on them. Even Bihar state ran its full elections and election rallies prior and there was no mention of Covid that included currently running party of Modi BJP and PM and his advisor Amit Sha themselves being present in the rallies.
India government has been trying to buy and influence Western main channels like BBC, SKY, CNN, France TV, Arab TV to not broadcast or provide coverage to Farmer’s protests around the world. (BBC has kept it quiet till 06Dec2020 and after severe pressure has been given the topic minimal coverage).
Indian media is deliberately broadcasting negativity about the protest, and farmers have boycotted the Indian media owned by Modi interests.
Still there is much more needed to be done by the International community and politicians! Western media has a duty to report human right violations by the Indian goverment on these peaceful farmer protesters.
Even when the protests are covered in the media of some foriegn nations they have a distinct pro-government bias in their reporting. This is a direct result of the pressure the Indian government is applying to its trading partners around the world.
Modi’s RSS and BJP’s aim is to convert India from secularism country to Hindu/ism only!! Prime example by changing city name from Bombay to Mumbai, Madras to Chennai and now even Delhi roads names are being changed to Hindu prominent memebers and far right Hindu leaders. Yet the international media is keeping quiet about it.
The main point of farmer bills should be to limit climate change measures/reforms, lower pollution, achieve cleaner air, promote better use of safe insecticides and fertilizer, however there is no subsidy for environment or sustainable development.
It shows clearly that Modi government is doing, what the few wealthy Hindu cooperate companies have asked him to. Only to gain them ever increasing profits at the expense of poor farmers and smaller land owners. This situation is so dire some of the affected farmers have committed suicide.
The farmer’s suicide has become a recurring trend in Panjab. We have seen over 1200 suicides in last year alone. In the Panjab, selling your land is like selling their mother. There is deep shame and regret in even thinking of selling your land. The Sikh community are proud to be farmers and to be able to grow crops on their own land. The inability to do so is a shameful thought for many and some have chosen to take their lives rather then live with such regret. This issue is seen throughout india with over 32000 suicide cases registered all over India in the last year. Due to the social stigma of suicide, there is gross under reporting of such actions and the true number is probably well over 50000 in the past year.
The Sikh voice and the plight of the panjab cannot be silenced. Attempts to curry favor with Western world through offering preferential trade terms are already being made by the Indian government. This was the same tactic used post the 1984 Sikh genocide during the attack on Sri Harmandar Sahib .
The trade deals of India silenced the world (especially Western countries), blindfolded them and made them deaf to the cruelty and torture of Sikhs in Delhi and all over India. This has been happening ever since where, especially in the 1970’s, and later in 1980’s resulting in assassination of Indira Gandhi whom once was a supporter of Sant Jarnail Singh Bindrawale. Sant Bindrawale was a Sikh Leader and Social Human Right activist. He was not a terrorist which is what the Indian government is trying to label him till today. It is clear whenever India is in violation of Human rights, it tries to buy international silence with ‘trade deals’.
Current update is that India government has placed hardline far Right Hindu goons into police uniforms and army uniforms and are planning to attack on protesters turning peaceful protest into violence. They will then blame Sikhs and Panjabis for disturbing the peace of the city.
To blindfold the world and they are using old tactics. They will prevent independent media from providing coverage of their attacks on Sikhs, just like it did in 1984 Sikh Genocide. It has already placedInternet jammers, social media blockade (Facebook). they are further planning to even turn the street-lights off. I.e. full electricity cut off, so their sinister operations can be covered by darkness. Same happened in Gujrat riots where thousands of Muslims were killed and many were burned alive.
Till today’s date there has been more than 25 deaths/causalities of farmer protesters in Delhi and many injured due to the brutality of Indian leadership.
The silence from European leaders continues as they do not values Sikhs lives. This is despite Sikhs being critical in both world wars. Sikhs fought alongside British and French troops in the trenches of the second wold war against the Hitler. Sikhs choose to be part of that war to protect civil liberties and fight for human rights for all.
This is the decision for the United Nation and the rest of the world and its ordinary public, If you want to be dictated, governed, controlled or ruled by 1% richest population of the world, then be silent! If you want the big cooperates to decide what is good and bad for you then be silent. Whenever any Sikhs have raised issues with regards to Indiathey have be labeled as hardliners, or traitors or even terrorist funded by America, Europe or Arab world. They are forced to be silent or face India’s tyranny by being arrest on false allegation and made up charges or even killed in false accidents, like Jaswant Singh Karla DOB: 02nd Nov 1952). Today the ordinary people like YOU and ME are letting this happened because we do nothing! The readers and watcher-bys are as much guilty on moral grounds.
We are not placing our pen on papers nor raising our voices to condemn it strongly, that this is wrong and your elected government should place pressure on such governments. If there is humanity, compassion, kindness and righteousness left on this world then I humbly urge the International world and the United Nations to strongly condemn the hardliner, harsh tactics of PM Modi. They should place pressure on the Central government of India to undo the farmer’s bill back with immediate effect. This will help all farmers in India and allow them to continue enjoying their livelihoods in India.
The European Union and United Kingdom are racing to finish a deal on trade before breaking for Christmas, with the two sides moving closer on the outstanding issue of fish.
<p class="no_name">Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has remained in headquarters in the Berlaymont to try to bring the agreement over the line by Christmas Eve, tic-tacking in phone calls between British prime minister Boris Johnson and EU member states.</p>
<p class="no_name">Taoiseach Micheál Martin told RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne that fish was the final hurdle in the negotiations, and that if a deal was reached today or tomorrow officials would be working on the text on Christmas Day.</p>
<p class="no_name">“We’re all on standby,” Mr Martin said. “On balance, given the progress that has been made, there should be a deal, and no-deal would be an appalling shock to the economic system.”</p>
<p class="no_name">The EU has offered to cede 25 per cent of the roughly €650 million worth of fish stocks its boats catch in British waters, an increase of a previous bid position that 18 per cent was the maximum that could be considered.</p>
<p class="no_name">But British negotiators have countered with a demand for 35 per cent, with pelagic fish being treated separately, which would raise fears that Irish fleets that catch mackerel and herring could be disproportionately at risk of losing out.</p>
<p class="no_name">Officials warn that such percentages are fluid, and intense talks are continuing to try to eke out a landing ground that would allow the negotiators to return home for Christmas Day.</p>
<p class="no_name">The fact that the two sides are still locked in negotiations just hours before the Commission buildings should in theory be shut down and locked for the holiday is seen as a sign that both sides believe a deal may be close.</p>
<p class="no_name">“They are still talking so things are moving,” an EU diplomat said.</p>
<p class="no_name">The legal drafting and scrutiny of any deal by member states would also take time and is an additional pressure on the talks.</p>
<p class="no_name">All hopes of ratifying the deal through the European Parliament have now been abandoned as not enough time remains, meaning that member states would have to agree to ‘provisionally’ apply the terms from January 1st to avoid having to impose tariffs on trade. The parliament could vote at the end of the month to give its stamp of approval to the deal.</p>
<p class="no_name">A deal would avoid the worst damage of a shift to default World Trade Organisation terms, but would still mean barriers to trade between the UK and EU that did not exist before. </p>
<p class="no_name">Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has warned businesses to expect “some weeks” of disruption to trade passing through Britain and has urged hauliers to opt for direct ferry routes to the continent instead, as the end of the transition period coincides with disruption due to Covid-19.</p>
The rule of law stands strong, despite global challenges society has to face due to the pandemic. A European Citizens’ Initiative: Sign It Europe, proposed in defence of minority rights, got off to a challenging start, coinciding with the advent of COVID-19. However, it may actually prove to be just as successful as its recent ideological predecessor: The Minority Safepack Initiative. Thanks to the extension granted by the European Union, a new deadline of 7 February 2021 was agreed on. The coming year and the new legislative period hold great promise of further advancements in the field of minority rights.
In this year, which we are slowly leaving behind, the peoples of Europe need success more than ever before. The pandemic has certainly put the peoples of the continent to the test – divisions and chaos can be seen in almost every country in Europe – but at the same time the values on which our continent’s policies are based, which have guaranteed peace for eight decades, have been pushed into the background. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that, after the coronavirus pandemic, we will face new and unprecedented challenges that will require these values much more than ever before. Without tolerance, unity in diversity, responsibility for each other, and solidarity with the poor and disadvantaged, even the most ingenious economic programs are doomed to fail.
What is the citizens’ initiative for the creation of national regions about?
We all know the name of Count Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi well. What we know now, as the European Union began with his dream, Count Kalergi began to plan a project based on lasting peace, development, and respect for each other. In many ways this is very similar to the situation we find ourselves in today. After the tragedy of the First World War, Kalergi wondered how to create public policies and operate them validly throughout Europe to guarantee that its peoples would not start another war. Kalergi’s plan was welcomed throughout Europe, but the decision-makers of the nation-states failed to recognize its potential, which led, of course, to another cataclysmic conflict. The European Union that followed was built on Kalergi’s ideas, although many of his plans were left unimplemented. Such is the dilemma outlined by Kalergi: no matter how progressive, forward-looking and peaceful the EU legal system is, nation-states can always block changes.
The initiators of the creation of national regions recognized this: one of the big problems in Europe today is that development and growth are not even. Some regions are developing at a dizzying pace, while others are in almost the same situation as before they joined the EU. For an example of this, it is enough to think only of the most populous, stateless European minority: the Roma.
However, the situation applies to more or less all nation-states with a significant number of minorities. The distribution of EU funds does not always take into account the perspectives of the regions in which these minorities form a majority or live in significant numbers, which would enable the people living in these areas to settle the issues of their region using their own public policies. The problem also poses a danger because these regions will sooner or later become poor ghettos, which will only increase social tensions. And in times of crisis, these regions will also suffer the most from the unequal distribution of resources. Again, I must cite the Roma as an example: the devastation caused by the coronavirus was higher than average among Roma people, while nation-state health policies – keeping the big picture in mind – did not notice the deep danger, and governments did not allocate (or only sparingly allocated) resources to these regions.
Sign it Europe – The solution to prosperity
The Sign It Europe petition, which focuses on the citizens’ initiative to create national regions, seeks to introduce a new approach to European public discourse based on the ideas above. This could help move decision-makers towards the pursuit of public policies that guarantee social peace and prosperity. The goal is an EU regulation that would give a possibility to the areas inhabited by a minority in majority or in larger numbers access to EU funding independently of their nation-state governments, provided, of course, that their application meets EU standards, which could make a major contribution to Europe’s development, prosperity, and peace.
The success of a citizens’ initiative rests on two conditions. One is the geographical quantity: The required quantity must be collected in at least seven EU Member States. The other condition is the quantitative criterion: at least one million signatures are required.
The Sign It Europe team has so far managed to reach the quota in five countries: Romania, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovakia and Hungary. And the number of signatures has exceeded one million altogether. As you can see, we have reached the gates of a success together, which helps give a new view to a Europe plagued by a pandemic. However, it is not enough just to reach the gate. We know that success means meeting the required quota in at least two more countries, but also wanting to maximize the number of signatures. The deadline is 7 February 2021.
We trust that the content of this likable European Citizens’ Initiative has also made you think and encouraged you to support it, please spread the information of our initiative in your own country as much as possible.
Let’s work together to keep the good going in post-pandemic Europe and to make it even better than it was before. Thank you and we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year full of luck and health!
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The European Union (EU) informed the Government of Armenia about the disbursement of additional € 24 million in grants to support Armenia’s fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The EU’s decision follows a positive assessment on progress in development of a Mid-Term Recovery Plan (MTRP), macroeconomic stability, public financial management and state budget transparency, in the frame of the COVID-19 Resilience Contract signed between the EU and the Government of Armenia, the EU Delegation to Armenia told Armenpress.
As part of the European Union’s € 92 million response package to the COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia, this new disbursement of € 24 million is meant to help Armenia in its fight against the COVID-19 crisis and in strengthening the economic and financial resilience in the country. This EU assistance announced today is an extra support to the recently disbursed Euro 35.6 million of last month and creates additional fiscal space to implement Government healthcare and anti-crisis measures for vulnerable groups and businesses affected by COVID-19.
H.E. Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Prime Minister, said: “We highly appreciate the EU’s support in these difficult times and extend our gratitude for the EU’s constructive and quick response in addition to the last month’s allocation of € 35.6 million. This new allocation is made within the scope of the budget support program signed between the Government of Armenia and the EU in 2020 to fight the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. We firmly believe that it will greatly contribute to Armenia’s recovery from the pandemic, supporting the Government in overcoming the socio-economic hardships resulted by the crisis.”
H.E. Andrea Wiktorin, EU Head of Delegation, said: “The EU and its Member States stand firm in supporting Armenia’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, delivering grant assistance to contribute to Armenia’s efforts to health and socio-economic recovery and build resilience. We have already disbursed around Euro 60 million this year in direct grant-based budget support to Armenia to tackle COVID-19 and more is yet to come. Our assistance is expected to help implement important economic reforms, preserve jobs & small businesses and promote inclusive growth in Armenia. The fight against pandemic is definitely not over but we can overcome it only by standing together as one”.
The EU’s response follows a Team Europe approach, aimed at saving lives by providing quick and targeted support to our partners to face this pandemic. It combines resources from the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions to support partner countries and address their short-term needs, as well as the longer-term structural impacts on societies and the economy.
