(Last Updated On: October 31, 2020)Four key recommendations were presented to the European Parliament in a meeting with Afghan civil society members under the umbrella of Afghanistan Mechanism for Inclusive Peace (AMIP) this week.
In its role as a “transfer mechanism for the peace talks”, AMIP facilitated the meeting that was aimed at highlighting the role of civil society in the Afghan peace process and called on the European Union and its member states to encourage the parties to the conflict to “immediately implement a comprehensive, nationwide and unconditional ceasefire.”
AMIP also asked the EU to call on all regional actors to “support a ceasefire agreement unequivocally, and to refrain from interference in the Afghan conflict.”
“We ask the European Union and its member states to continue their commitment and active support to an inclusive, Afghan peace process, that preserves and builds on the political, economic and social accomplishments of the citizens of Afghanistan.
“All Afghans have suffered from the consequences of conflict, and deserve to live in a peaceful and prosperous country.
AMIP also called on the EU to “continue their commitment and support of Afghan civil society and especially that of women groups, and their participation in all processes that lead to stability and peace in Afghanistan.”
Their fourth recommendation was on the EU’s support in a post-war scenario.
“We are grateful for the European Union’s consistent support to Afghanistan, and urge the EU and its member states to maintain its support for stability and development in the post-peace phase.”
In a tweet after the meeting, the Head of EU Delegation in Kabul ambassador Andreas von Brandt said he stated at the meeting that there was a “need to bring all Afghan voices to the negotiating table but also seek societal consensus for compromise.”
The discussion was held between the Chair of the EU Parliament Delegation for relations with Afghanistan Petras Austrevicus; the Head of EU Delegation in Kabul ambassador Andreas von Brandt; and Afghan civil society members. Also attending the meeting was representatives from the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit, Afghanistan Justice Organization, Afghanistan Policy Group and the Afghanistan Human Rights and Democracy Organizations.
On Saturday, Charles Michel wrote in a tweet that freedom of conscience in Europe must be respected.
“We condemn this new heinous act in Lyon. All our thoughts for the priest who is between life and death. In Europe freedom of conscience is guaranteed for all and must be respected, violence is intolerable and condemnable,” Charles Michel wrote on Twitter.
Toutes nos pensées pour le prêtre qui est entre la vie et la mort
En Europe la liberté de conscience est garantie pour tous et doit être respectée, la violence est intolérable et condamnable #democratie#France@EmmanuelMacron
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) October 31, 2020
David Sassoli issued a similar statement via Twitter, stressing that Europe will stand firm against violence and terrorism.
“We are shocked and saddened by another brutal attack in Lyon. All our thoughts are with the victim who is fighting for his life. Europe will never bow to violence and terrorism. We will always defend freedom of conscience,” Sassoli said.
Nous sommes choqués et attristés par un nouvel attentat brutal à #Lyon. Toutes nos pensées vont à la victime qui se bat pour sa vie.
L’Europe ne se pliera jamais à la violence et au terrorisme. Nous défendrons toujours la liberté de conscience.
— David Sassoli (@EP_President) October 31, 2020
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Saturday condemning the Lyon attack and wishing a swift recovery to the victim. According to the statement, Turkey has been fighting against various forms of terrorism for years and stands in solidarity with the French people and the Orthodox community in France.
On Saturday, an attacker armed with a hunting rifle with a sawed-off barrel wounded a Greek Orthodox priest in Lyon and then fled the scene of the shooting.
The priest, identified as 52-year-old Nikolaos Kakavelaki, was shot in the 7th district of Lyon near a Greek church on Saturday afternoon. He is now in serious condition at the hospital, according to France 24.
Lyon Mayor Gregory Doucet told reporters on Saturday that the motives behind the attack remain unknown. Lyon public prosecutor’s office said it had opened an investigation for attempted murder.
Lyon’s public prosecutor, Nicolas Jacquet, announced late on Saturday that a suspect had been arrested as part of the investigation into the attack.
On Thursday, a 21-year-old man from Tunisia killed three people in a knife attack in the Notre-Dame de Nice Basilica. The French government has designated it a terrorist attack.
The Lyon and Nice attacks occurred as France is experiencing national unease in the wake of an increasing Islamic threat following the brutal murder of French history teacher Samuel Paty by a radicalized teenager in mid-October.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on Turkish citizens to boycott French goods amid bilateral tensions over French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements against radical Islam.
On October 21, Macron delivered a speech during a commemoration ceremony for Samuel Paty. The president urged to “free Islam in France from the foreign influence and strengthen control on the mosques’ funding,” and stressed that France would continue to defend freedom of expression and step up its battle against radical Islam.
In response to these comments from Macron, Erdogan said that the French president disrespected millions of French Muslim citizens and “needed mental treatment.” He added that the “manifestation of hostility to Islam means hostility to Turkey.”
Macron said later on Twitter that “we will not give in, ever,” adding, nonetheless, that France respected “all differences in a spirit of peace” but hate speech was unacceptable.
Turkey has been joined by other Muslim countries in condemnation of Macron’s recent comments on radical Islam.
Kintsugi is a collection of six short stories, all the characters linked to each other, some tenuously, some strongly. We meet Haruko, a jewellery apprentice of Japanese-Korean extraction in a jeweller’s lane in Jaipur, after which we go over to Tokyo, then Kyoto, to meet Meena, Yuri and Hajime.
Then we return to that old Jaipur street to learn what happened to Haruko’s mentor, the kundansaaz’s daughter Leela, who Haruko had tutored in lapidary work for a brief spell; we also meet Haruko’s friend for a short but intense while, Dr Prakash, again, and then we head to an island in Borneo, finally winding up in Singapore to catch up with Haruko and her current companion, Hajime.
The stories exist in a quiet zone, there is a beautiful economy of words at work here, yet we are drawn into the lives of these six people almost immediately. These are men and women with secret and not-so-secret desires who yearn to break free of their more prosaic than tormenting shackles, who are ready to take all the risks such actions inevitably hold. Some of them, though, want to play it straight, to settle rather than risk their lives and reputations, want the comfort of steady routine in their lives.
And so we root for those who would break free, like Leela and Meena, even as we understand those who would carry on in their set grooves, like Prakash. And while we definitely bridle at the rampant patriarchy seen at the gaddis (workshops) in the Jaipur segments of the book, it’s not as if we don’t understand where those characters are coming from.
We are given capsule lessons in the art of making kundan, meena and thewa jewellery, and the author’s attention to detail is charming. We are given glimpses of how complex life can be, both at home and away from home. And we are shown again and again, just how the human heart and its longings remain the same from person to person.
These six people are not very much out of the ordinary, yet the way the story’s spotlight settles on them for the duration of telling their tale, has us transfixed, entering fully into their lives, needing to know it all ends well for them. There is more unsaid than said, and this reader for one, gives the author profound thanks for that. And just like the art of kintsugi, the Japanese technique of repairing broken pottery using powdered gold, these six characters too, pretty much find grace in the aftermath of heartbreak, and are ready to pick up the pieces and move on into a luminous dawn.
In a lovely act of subtlety, the title is never explained, except for a passing reference, and yet it doesn’t take us long to realise the characters are all damaged, all in need of kintsugi. Some are given the benediction of that exquisite repair, some are not, but all survive to face another day. I have no hesitation in saying that this is easily one of the best books I have read in 2020 and that is straight-up praise, given that the pandemic has not put any kind of crimp on some really good books being written or read, in this, the Time of the Virus.
All Hallow’s Eve has finally arrived. Legends and myths would have us believe the veil between our world and that of the spirit is the thinnest during the witching hour of Halloween.
Also remember daylight savings time ends, so fall back and observe the one-hour time change on Saturday night.
Seances and nighttime visits to cemeteries are popular, if illegal, adventures for Halloween night. It should be noted that graveyards are surrounded by fences to keep things in as well to keep them out.
I’m not sure if the COVID-19 will keep the children from trick-or-treating this year. I’ll be ready with candy, just in case!
When I was in high school, there were a few area AM radio stations that were our favorites. As the 1960s transitioned into the 1970s rock-and-roll eventually morphed into the era of the disco. We listened to KYNO, KARM and Madera’s own K-HOT radio stations. My mom, QuoVada, enjoyed listening to K-HOT, too.
One day, while listening to disc jockey Ross Thornton, I heard him attempt to call a famous astrologist for an on-air interview.
When he was unsuccessful, my mom called him. In those days the station phone was 674-8888. They broadcast the number to be used for requests, dedications and on air games the channel hosted. She told him she was a local astrologer and if he would provide her with a few vital statistics she would give him a thumbnail sketch of his personality based on his sun sign.
He gave her his birthday and year. During the next segment she did some quick calculations and then presented him with an on-air personality profile.
Thornton enjoyed the experience so much, they worked it into a regular weekend radio show titled “Astro Analysis by Quo Vada!” This intro, with spooky background noises, is still remembered by fans of her show. I often hear it when I meet somebody who was a fan of the show.
Her show consisted of 12 segments where she gave a brief outline of the week ahead based on the monthly Sun signs. One more thing she added to her report, announced the name of a local “celebrity,” whose birth sign was the current month. By celebrity, I mean notable locals like former football coach and then Madera High School Principal Bob Warner.
Gathering the sign suns of notable people was the most difficult part of preparing the scripts for her show. During this time, asking a person “What’s your sign?” served as a classic pickup line. It still is for many cheesy, low rent Lotharios. As a conversation starter, that’s not too bad an opening line. If the person you are trying to converse with is interested, they might answer with one of the 12 Sun Signs. Other answers might include, “Stop, Yield,” or my personal favorite, “Slippery When Wet!” This response will indicate the level of interest for getting to know the Enquirer.
My gang of girls and I spent a lot of time collecting birthdays and Sun Signs for almost everyone we met. Alluding that my mom might announce their name on the radio helped to increase weekend listenership.
I also got to hang around the K-HOT studios while my mom taped her show. Meeting local radio DJs such as Chuck B. Wesley, future judge Charles Wieland, and of course Ross Thornton was pretty heady stuff for a high school kid.
The down-side of my mom’s new notoriety was the way the local clergy reacted to her show. Raised in the Church of Christ on Central and North B streets, she found the pastor of her church less than pleased when a member of its congregation appeared to be trafficking in the paranormal.
“Things like astrology, numerology and even playing with a Ouija Board is a science to be studied, not a religion to be believed,” she said.
She and a group of like minded friends also had a Theosophy group that met once a week. This group explored various doctrines with a knowledge of God achieved through spiritual ecstasy, direct intuition or special individual relations, especially a movement founded in 1895 by Helen Blavatsky and Henry Steel Olcott 1832 -1907, according to Google.
She also received private requests for more detailed Star Charts from fans of the show. She would chart the position of the planets based on the date, year and the exact time a person was born. Using the ephemeris of position of the heavens at the moment a person was born, she gleaned precise personality traits and a possible glimpse of what life path that person should pursue.
I never knew what these personality profiles contained, as she maintained strict client anonymity. One of my greatest regrets is that my mother passed from this life before the advent of the personal computer.
Between tracing family trees and her work with astrology, she would have loved the Internet.
Be safe this Halloween, and may you have long days and pleasant nights. Have a great weekend.
• • •
Readers may contact Tami Jo Nix by emailing [email protected] or following @TamiJoNix on Twitter.
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 31, ARMENPRESS. The European Union provided an additional €400,000 in humanitarian aid to support the civilians in Nagorno Karabakh, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič announced.
This funding brings EU emergency humanitarian aid to €900,000 since the hostilities started.
“The EU calls for an immediate end to the hostilities that have already claimed civilian lives. We are extremely concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation, given the upcoming winter and the aggravating coronavirus pandemic,” Lenarčič said.
The man, Abu Yunus Md Shahidunnabi Jewel, was beaten and burnt to death in public although everyone has the right to trial under the law of the land if he or she commits a crime, Matin said at a protest programme in Dhaka’s Shahbagh on Saturday.
“The burning of a man to death in Lalmonirhat was completely against Islam and humanity. I condemn such an incident,” he said at the programme organised by the Muktijuddho Mancha.
The leader of the Islamist party believes there were ill-intentions behind the killing of Jewel.
“Islam is a religion of peace. No religion supports violence and killing. An extremist quarter is trying to create anarchy in Bangladesh in the name of religion. Their main target is to tarnish Bangladesh’s image globally,” Matin said.
The speakers at the programme also demanded punishment to those who spread rumours over religion on social media and at religious gatherings.
A mob killed Jewel and injured another in Lalmonirhat on allegations that he showed disrespect to the Quran at a mosque last Thursday.
Jewel, a resident of Rangpur, is a former student of Dhaka University. Thet father of two lost his job as a school librarian last year. Relatives said he was undergoing treatment for “mental illness”.
FIVE ARRESTED
The police have arrested five people over the killing of Jewel.
“We are conducting an operation to arrest the others,” said Abida Sultana, superintendent of police in the district.
The police, the family of Jewel and Burimari Union Parishad filed three cases with Patgram Police Station over the incident.
The mob also torched Jewel’s motorcycle and the UP office, where the local UP member Hafizul Islam took Jewel and the injured, Sultan Zubayer Abbas, to save them from the angry locals.
Sumon Kumar Mohanta, the OC of Patgram Police Station, rescued Abbas and fled the Burimari Union Parishad office through the rooftop, locals said.
The mob stormed the office and dragged Jewel out before beating and burning him to death on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari Highway near Burimari Land Port.
UP Chairman Abu Sayeed Newaz Nishat said the union council decided to take action after watching videos of the incident.
Additional District Magistrate TMA Momin is leading a three-strong committee formed the district administration to investigate the incident. Md Rabiul Islam, additional superintendent of police in the district, and Patgram Upazila Executive Officer Kamrun Nahar are members of the committee.
Rabiul said the police did arrive at the scene but could not take control of the situation. As many as 10 policemen were injured, he said.
… described as “a new religion,” and is now making … quot; and the abandonment of religion. Still, there is no doubt … the birth of a new religion,” wrote Adrienne LaFrance for … said Molly Worthen, historian of religion and politics at the University …
On October 28, a letter has been sent to Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic, asking for review of the future French “law on separatism” by the Venice Commission and the Office for Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE.
The letter was signed by several NGOs and individuals from all over the world, including the well-known Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, after it had been circulated by the Freedom of Religion or Belief Roundtable Brussels-EU, an informal group of individuals and organizations from civil society who gather regularly to discuss FoRB (Freedom of Religion or Belief ) issues. Writers raise several concerns about the law after the announcements made by Macron and members of his government.
Kishan Manocha, Head, Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Department, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights
Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Mr Gianni Buquicchio, President of the Venice Commission
Mr Eric Dupont-Moretti, French Minister of Justice
Re: The announcements on the “Law on separatism”
Dear Mr President,
We write as an informal group of organizations and individuals who are scholars, religious leaders and human rights advocates. We are from many faiths or acting in a secular capacity, representing a high degree of diversity. While there is very little we agree on theologically, or politically, we all agree on the importance of religious freedom for all faiths and none.
We write to you following the announcements that you and members of your government have made regarding the bill on “separatism” that you plan to approve in the Council of Ministers meeting on December 9. While no draft of the bill has yet been circulated, to our knowledge, we have some concerns which have been highlighted by the announcements that have been made.
We acknowledge the cautious approach that you have taken during your official speech. We have noted your insistence on the fact that you are targeting radical Islam, and not Muslims, as well as the fact that you intend to respect freedom of religion or belief. We agree that terrorism is a real issue that needs to be tackled and that a strong response needs to be taken with regards to the dangers that are posed to the French Republic, and we deeply share the traumatisms that result from the recent tragic terrorist events which hit France.
Nevertheless, we are concerned that some of the proposals may lead to the opposite of what you intend. Furthermore, taking into account the statements made by members of your government after your speech, those statements reinforce the conviction that the measures being proposed will violate France’s international commitments towards freedom of religion or belief.
For example, you announced that you plan to ban home-schooling in order to protect children from illegal schools “often administered by religious extremists”. While we understand that these schools pose a threat, a global ban on home-schooling will affect the majority of parents that for many different reasons are using this freedom with satisfying results, regardless of their faith, or none. There is certainly sufficient provision in French law to organize controls and make sure that the children are effectively educated according to established educational programmes.
The “general concept” of the law was unveiled by your Minister of Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on Twitter. It explained that places of worship will be placed under increasing surveillance and “preserved […] from the diffusion of ideas and statements hostile to the laws of the Republic.” However, how will that apply to a priest or pastor criticizing abortion or same-sex marriage, which are part of the laws of the French Republic. What action will be taken against others who may speak out against certain “laws of the Republic” that penalize the poor and the immigrants? Or even if they criticize a law against blasphemy, as it existed still recently for Alsace-Moselle in France? Is anyone now criticising the law an enemy of the state?
Another announced provision that poses a problem is your statement and that of the Minister of Interior, where it is said that the law will allow religious and other associations to be dissolved directly by the Council of Ministers in the case of an “affront on personal dignity” and “use of psychological or physical pressures.” These concepts are vague enough to allow the arbitrary targeting of groups that are acting quite legally and without any violent intent but are in ‘disfavour’ by the administrating body. Furthermore there is no guarantee of judicial process or oversight.
The Minister of Citizenship, Marlène Schiappa, also stated in an interview that, “We will use the same measures against the cults and against radical Islam.” This shows that there is already a clear intent to deviate from the fight against terrorism and enter the realm of prohibiting religious associations on the basis that they do not please someone, simply because they are categorised as “cults” (sectes, in French).
Legislation aimed at terrorism is not surprising. It is a challenge that many countries face. However, States that have chosen to draft laws with such vague concepts as those cited above are States that have totalitarian tendencies (or are in fact totalitarian). Russia, for example, has passed an anti-extremism law that is now used to prosecute and jail political dissidents as well as members of peaceful religious movements such as the Jehovah Witnesses or followers of Said Nursi on the basis of their definition of “extremism”.
When the Venice Commission gave its opinion on law of the Russian Federation on Combatting Extremist Activity, adopted at its 91st Plenary Session, it stated:
7. The broad interpretation of the notion of ‘extremism’ by the enforcement authorities, the increasing application of the Law in recent years and the pressure it exerts on various circles within civil society, as well as alleged human rights violations reported in this connection have raised concerns and drawn criticism both in Russia and on the international level
(…)
28. The only definition of ‘extremism’ contained in an international treaty binding on the Russian Federation is to be found in the Shanghai Convention [on Combating Terrorism, Separatism and Extremism of 15 June 2001, ratified by Russia on 10 January 2003]. In Article 1.1.1.3) of the Extremism Law, ‘extremism’ is defined as ‘an act aimed at seizing or keeping power through the use of violence or changing violently the constitutional regime of a State, as well as a violent encroachment upon public security, including organization, for the above purposes, of illegal armed formations and participation in them, criminally prosecuted in conformity with the national laws of the Parties’. The latter clause allows signatory states to prosecute such ‘extremist’ actions according to their national laws.
It made clear that the only definitions of ‘terrorism’ and ‘separatism’ that could be used to take action against individuals or organizations require that violence is an essential element (incitement to, or encouragement of, violence or actual violence).
The European Court of Human Rights has already applied this approach to Russia, regarding a case that involved the prosecution of followers of Said Nursi accused of extremist activities, in IBRAGIM IBRAGIMOV AND OTHERS v. RUSSIA, which became a final judgment on April 2, 2019.
The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion of Belief, in the unedited version of his last report on the Elimination of all Forms of Religious Intolerance (October 12, 2020), stated:
17. A concerning number of mandate communications highlight the use of inchoate terrorist offenses that are disproportionately applied to religious or belief minorities. Harassment measures broadly linked to countering terrorism and protecting national security illustrate that in almost every region of the world religious minorities appear to be at particular risk of being designated “terrorist groups” and of having members arrested under “extremism” or “illegal activity” charges. A number of communications addressed the use of national security imperatives as the stated objective by some governments in criminalizing membership in and/or activities of certain religious or belief groups. Such an approach amounts to targeting, and ultimately criminalizing, the peaceful expression of a person’s identity.
19. Numerous State authorities have arrested, detained (sometimes incommunicado) and sentenced members of religious and belief minorities for undefined charges such as intent to ‘disturb political, economic or social structures’ , to ‘disrupt state sovereignty’ or to ‘overthrow the Government’. Such vague provisions fail to fulfil the principle of legality as enshrined in article 15 of ICCPR and give worrying leeway to States to arbitrarily limit the exercise of freedom of religion or belief of certain groups.
The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) recently released a new document called “Freedom of Religion or Belief and Security: Policy Guidance”. It states in its introduction:
While OSCE participating States have adopted different strategies to ensure that their own security measures are fully compliant with their international obligations and commitments pertaining to freedom of religion or belief, certain laws, security policies and practices have placed freedom of religion or belief and other universal human rights under significant pressure. Such measures, especially those that are very broad or applied arbitrarily, are often enacted in the name of “national”, “state” or “public” security, or in the interests of preserving or maintaining “peaceful coexistence”, “social stability” or “social harmony”. Experience shows that such limitations can worsen rather than improve security.
There are many more international human rights documents that deal with this delicate issue, but for reasons of brevity we are unable to carry out a full review in this letter.
We are at your disposal to meet and discuss this issue further. In any case, we respectfully but strongly recommend that you submit to both the Venice Commission and ODIHR the draft of the law when it is ready, in order to get considered international legal expertise as to how the law meets established human rights principles.
We feel that there is a real risk that contrary to your intention, the proposed measures that have been announced will lead to the targeting of Muslims in general as well as other minority faiths, and that it may well lead to a series of human rights violations.
Respectfully yours,
Organizations
Advocates International, Advocates France, All Faiths Network, CAP Freedom of Conscience, CESNUR – Center for Studies on New Religions, EIFRF – European Interreligious Forum for Religious Freedom, FOREF – Forum for Religious Freedom Europe, HRWF – Human Rights Without Frontiers, International Christian Concern, Law and Liberty International, LDH – Ligue des Droits de l’Homme, LIREC – Center for Studies on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience, ORLIR – International Observatory of Religious Liberty of Refugees, United Sikhs, UPF The Netherlands
Individuals
Régis Dericquebourg, Président, Observatoire Européen des Religions et de la Laïcité
Michael P. Donnelly, J.D., LL.M., Senior Counsel, Global Outreach
The Most Reverend Joseph K. Grieboski, Senior Fellow, The Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute
Rimon Kasher, Prof. Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel
Nancy Lefèvre, Chairwoman, Advocates France
Brent McBurney, President & CEO, Advocate International
Kareem P.A. McDonald, Program Associate, Religious Freedom Institute
Greg Mitchell, Chair, International Religious Freedom Roundtable
Scott Morgan, President,Red Eagle Enterprise
Matias Perttula, Director of Advocacy, International Christian Concern
Malik Salemkour, President, Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)
Frans de Wolff, Secretary,Dutch Network for Interfaith Dialogue
… say they subscribe to no religion — making them as … often lived near starvation, religion helped them cope with severe … of some conservatives. “Quiet religion rarely bothers anyone,” Boston College … . “Not so with loud religion.”
Trump ally Robert Jeffress, …
