Navigation:
Reporting on the Middle East, Science, and Education for April 30, 2010 - ט"ז אייר תש"ע
Pages
Archives
Toward a better future through tolerance and mutualism
Sponsored By:
Recent Comments:
Richard on Hamas Occupies Palestinian Lands.
Comments RSS
By: Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D., Jewish Press, April 28 2010
University officials need to make clear their campuses will allow many different views and perspectives and not countenance the exclusion of unpopular thought from the proverbial marketplace of ideas.
Of the many intellectual perversions currently taking root on college campuses, perhaps none is more contradictory to what should be one of higher education’s core values than the suppression of free speech.
With alarming regularity, speakers are shouted down, booed, jeered, and barraged with vitriol, all at the hands of groups who give lip service the notion of academic free speech – and who demand it when their speech is at issue but have no interest in listening to, or letting others listen to, ideas that contradict their own world view.
Earlier this year, two Israeli officials, Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon and Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren had the unpleasant experience of confronting virulent anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian Muslim students whose ideology on academic debate seems to be “free speech for me, but not for thee.”
Ayalon, who spoke at Oxford University, had his speech interrupted by several audience members, including one who yelled incessantly and called Ayalon a “racist” and “a war criminal” while waving a Palestinian flag, another student who loudly read passages of the incendiary Goldstone report, and a third student who remained standing for the entire balance of the lecture while she hurled anti-Israel invective. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Education, Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts on April 30, 2010 - ט"ז אייר תש"ע at 11:11 am
Comments Off
It may sound like start of joke, but it’s true. Hundreds of Catholics, Jews, and Muslims participated Sunday in a marathon between Bethlehem and Jerusalem that kicked off Pope John Paul II’s sporting events, being held for the seventh year.
For the first time since the second intifada in 2000, the Israeli runners were allowed to enter Bethlehem in order to join the rest of the contestants on their run after special preparations were made by the Civil Administration together with Palestinian officials that were ultimately authorized by the Central Command.
Running for peace. Marathoners in Bethlehem (Courtesy of the Tourism Ministry)
Upon arrival at the Bethlehem crossing, hundreds of participants signed a joint declaration calling upon believes throughout the world to visit the Holy Land and take action promoting peace and co-existence. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Middle East Report, Monotheistic Religions, News Articles, Recent Posts on April 30, 2010 - ט"ז אייר תש"ע at 8:01 am
Comments Off
|
|
By Mark Mietkiewicz, Jewish Ledger, April 28, 2010
How can one day remind us of Judaism’s links to mysticism? Be a time to mourn and a time to dance? And also be an Israeli pilgrimage that is reminiscent at times of Woodstock? Lag Ba’Omer is all of those things. The seven-week period between Passover and Shavuot is a time of semi-mourning but on the 33rd day, Lag Ba’Omer weddings are permitted and the day is celebrated with bonfires, parties and haircuts. Lag Ba’Omer falls on Sunday, May 2.
If Lag Ba’Omer is identified with one person, then it must be Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Rabbi Shimon was a student of Rabbi Akiva whose 24,000 students perished during the Roman conquest of Jerusalem 1,900 years ago because, as the Talmud tells us, “they did not show proper respect for each other.” [bit.ly/omer18] Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was one of the very few scholars to survive. The Aish Hatorah website explains how Rabbi Shimon and his son sought refuge and studied Torah in a cave for 12 years. Rabbi Shimon is believed to have died on Lag Ba’Omer but just before his death he revealed the Zohar, Judaism’s great Kabbalistic work to his students. Because of his legacy, Rabbi Shimon’s yahrzeit has become a day of celebration. [bit.ly/omer19]
One of the most popular Lag Ba’Omer traditions is to light bonfires. The Ohr Somayach site explains why. “On the day of Rabbi Shimon’s passing, a great light was revealed to his students when he uncovered many of the hidden secrets of the Torah. This was written down in the Zohar (lit. ‘shining’). The bonfires symbolize the light of the hidden wisdom that Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai revealed on Lag Ba’Omer.” [bit.ly/omer20]
Some of the biggest bonfires take place in Meron, a small town in northern Israel. Meron is also believed to be the burial place of Rabbi Shimon, so every year it becomes the focus of a mass pilgrimage as tens of thousands of Jews come to celebrate, dance and even do a little business. Here’s how Judith Fein describes her visit. “Was this Meron or Woodstock? … The town was like an Orthodox carnival. From makeshift booths, vendors sold crafts, religious objects, clothes, books, dates, nuts, and soft drinks. Families camped out in tents. Men with long beards asked for charity or offered blessings. According to tradition, if a couple cannot conceive a child, on Lag Ba’Omer, the man distributes drinks until he has served 18 bottles of wine to cure the barrenness. In the street, young men pressed glasses of wine on us. We drank, of course. It would be rude not to honor their desire for children.” [bit.ly/omer21] You can find another account of the trip to Meron at the Shema Yisrael site. [bit.ly/omer22]
And as you ponder how to mark the day, you can peek in to dozens of videos of Lag Ba’Omer bonfires and celebrations, too. [bit.ly/omer23]
There are several great Lag Ba’Omer sites aimed at kids such as the one from Jewish Theological Seminary. In addition to the history of the day, there are rabbinic tales and essays to spark discussions. [bit.ly/omer28] Over at Orthodox Union, there are links to a Lag Ba’Omer poem and an explanation of why the day is associated with playing bows and arrows. [bit.ly/omer25]
For most Israelis, Lag Ba’Omer is a great day to get out, have a picnic and throw a few potatoes on the fire. Joni Schockett’s menu is a bit more exotic. It includes Stuffed Grape Leaves and Focaccia with Tomatoes, Feta and Garlic. [bit.ly/omer29] Daniel Rogov’s picnic boasts Spinach Salad with Honey and Oranges followed by Chicken and Artichoke Salad topped off by Arak Cookies. [bit.ly/omer30] And then there’s a Mediterranean Lag Ba’Omer menu with Sangria, Chilled Almond Soup with Grapes, Broiled Chicken with Garlic Sauce and more. [bit.ly/omer31]
While you’re feasting at your picnic, why not break into a rendition of traditional tune? Lag Ba’Omer songs may not be as famous as Pesach or Purim melodies but they do exist. So, if you really want to impress the folks over at the next bonfire, brush up on holiday songs from Tunisia, Greece, Iraq and Galicia. [bit.ly/omer32]
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Judaism, Middle East, Monotheistic Religions, News Articles, Recent Posts on April 29, 2010 - ט"ו אייר תש"ע at 7:15 am
Comments Off
By Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz, April 28, 2010
The military exercises Iran held this week in the Persian Gulf were not exercises; they were part of a passive deployment. Thus, the Revolutionary Guards’ navy – a separate and much more sophisticated naval force than that of the Iranian army – dropped naval mines, practiced blowing up ships, photographed underwater targets and carried out exercises in electronic warfare and the operation of Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles.
The interesting thing in the exercise was the presence of a high-level military delegation from Qatar. It was headed by Admiral Abed al-Rahim al-Janahi, who said his country wants to benefit from the Iranian experience, and that he was planning joint exercises for the two armies.
Qatar also has close commercial ties with Iran, and its foreign policy is not in keeping with the American desire that sanctions be imposed on Iran. Voices opposing such sanctions have also been raised in Saudi Arabia. Turki al-Faisal, who heads the King Faisal Institute of Global Strategic Studies, said in an interview to the al-Arabiya network that “the ties between the Gulf states and Iran are historic ties that are built on interests, blood relationships and proximity” and that despite the Iranian threat to neighboring countries, this could not be compared with the Israeli threat. Al-Faisal fully supported the proposal of the Arab League secretary general, Amr Moussa, to set up a “dialogue team” with Iran and said that time should not be wasted and the public should be prepared for such a dialogue.
Though Al-Faisal holds no government post, his words are considered to hold a great deal of weight. As the former head of Saudi Arabian intelligence, as a former ambassador in London and Washington, and particularly because of his family standing – he is the brother of the Saudi foreign minister, Saud al-Faisal, and the cousin of King Abdullah – Turki al-Faisal reflects the position of the ruling family with regard to Iran. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Islam, Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts on April 28, 2010 - י"ד אייר תש"ע at 10:15 am
Comments Off
By RAY HANANIA, Jerusalem Post, April 27, 2010
Until everyone starts accepting the other’s views, I’m not sure either side should be building museums of tolerance…The sad truth is, intolerance is rampant on both sides. Palestinians’ continued support of extremism and violence against Israeli civilians gives Israel its best defense: Hey, the Arabs do it! Palestinians and Arabs have massacred Jews.
I met Simon Wiesenthal as a cub reporter in the early 1980s. I was one of the only Palestinian Americans working as a full-time reporter at a daily paper in the country. My editor, who was Jewish, must have thought it funny to assign a Palestinian reporter to cover Jewish American and Holocaust events.
I didn’t mind, though. Wiesenthal received an honor from the Decalogue Society, the association for Jewish lawyers in Chicago. I interviewed him and we had a great conversation. He was fixated on me being Palestinian, but in a positive way.
At the end of the evening, he gave me his autograph, which I put alongside autographs from other Middle East luminaries including Abba Eban (whom I debated on national television when I was 25), Menachem Begin and Yasser Arafat.
Wiesenthal told me he believed the Palestinians deserved a state, and hoped violence would be overcome by peace. He said Palestinians needed a visionary leader who could see peace and work toward it, and not be distracted by the ongoing violence.
Wiesenthal, to me, was a very tolerant person who seemed to consider the feelings of others in his quest to hunt down Nazi war criminals. That’s why I am concerned, as are all Arabs and Muslims, with the Wiesenthal Center’s plans to build a “Museum of Tolerance” on land adjacent to what was once a prominent Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Islam, Judaism, Middle East Report, Monotheistic Religions, Opinion, Recent Posts on April 28, 2010 - י"ד אייר תש"ע at 10:03 am
Comments Off
Compiled by Israel Zwick, CN Publications, April 27, 2010
Editor’s Note: While much of the world shows so much concern for the “plight of the Palestinian refugees” living in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria, little attention is given to the millions of real refugees and IDP’s who are living in tents without food or clothing. The following information was taken from the website, Concern Worldwide, http://www.concern.net/ .
Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organisation dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty. Since the beginning, over 40 years ago, our focus has been on improving the lives of the poorest people.
http://www.concern.net/sites/concern.net/files/documents/annual-reports/Concern_AR_08.pdf
| Angola | Niger |
| Burundi | Rwanda |
| Chad | Sierra Leone |
| Democratic Republic of Congo | Somalia |
| Ethiopia | Sudan |
| Kenya | Tanzania |
| Liberia | Uganda |
| Malawi | Zambia |
| Mozambique | Zimbabwe |
| Afghanistan | Nepal |
| Bangladesh | Pakistan |
| Cambodia | The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea |
| India | Timor Leste |
| Lao People’s Democratic Republic |
Haiti Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Education, Middle East, News Articles, Recent Posts, Zwick's Picks on April 27, 2010 - י"ג אייר תש"ע at 11:01 am
Comments Off
By Geoff Adams-Spink , April 23, 2010
Age & disability correspondent, BBC News website
The father of a child with severe autism has developed technology to help him communicate.
Stephen Lodge said the idea for his Speaks4Me system came to him years ago but has been waiting for technology to catch up in order to make it a reality.
His eleven-year-old son, Callum, is non-verbal and uses his father’s invention to speak.
Speaks4Me was on show at Naidex 2010 – the annual disability exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham.
Mr Lodge’s system runs on any device that can run the Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating system.
It uses the concept of dragging and dropping images from one area of the screen to another to form sentences.
The user then presses a speech button to "verbalise" the sentence.
"Callum has been using Speaks4Me for some time now and he has already been able to create some very expressive sentences," Mr Lodge told the BBC.
Examples include, "I want a drink of juice", "I want to go outside", and "I feel tired".
Mr Lodge – who lives in South Yorkshire – has 20 years’ experience in technology and developed Speaks4Me after deciding that other products on the market were unsatisfactory for Callum.
He cashed in his savings and raised money on his property in order to finance the venture.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Education Report, Health Sciences, Mental Health, Recent Posts, Science and Technology, Special Education on April 24, 2010 - י' אייר תש"ע at 11:24 pm
Comments Off
By Sami Moubayed, Asia Times, April 24, 2010
Simply put, Hezbollah does not need Scuds. The missiles are, according to military analysts, less sophisticated than the group’s current missiles, and although explosively powerful they are not very accurate. Additionally, the Scuds reportedly transferred to Hezbollah have a range of 500 kilometers and beyond. That is useless for Hezbollah, which already has all Israeli cities and towns within range of its missiles, which all fall within a 15-200 km arc.
DAMASCUS – Last week, the United States Department of State summoned a senior member of the Syrian embassy to voice its concern, saying: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms the transfer of any arms, and especially ballistic missile systems such as the Scud, from Syria to Hezbollah."
This related to an April 13 statement by Israeli President Shimon Peres that accused Syria of providing Hezbollah with Scud missiles – a claim which threatens to derail the Barack Obama administration’s recent efforts to roll back a US isolation of Syria implemented during the George W Bush administration.
There are still strong voices in Washington calling for more dialogue with Syria, despite the uproar. They cite the lack of proof to back up Israel’s claims and attach little weight to the "Scud affair".
However, Jeffrey Feltman, the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, was drilled at a House panel two days ago over the Obama administration’s decision in February to send an ambassador to Damascus, a post that had been vacant since 2005. Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican, told Feltman, who has visited Damascus several times since 2009 – that he did not think this approach had "any merit at all".
The designated envoy, Robert Ford, is still awaiting confirmation by the full senate and Feltman said some senators may be reluctant to move forward with the post given doubts raised by the Scud affair about Syria’s intentions.
"It’s like they just spit right in our face," Republican Representative Dan Burton said after the meeting, calling attention to a number of Syrian moves he said were against the interests of the United States and its allies, including Israel, reported the Washington Post.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Middle East Report, News Articles, Recent Posts on April 24, 2010 - י' אייר תש"ע at 10:29 pm
Comments Off
Phillip Walter Wellman, VOA News, Abu Dhabi, 24 April 2010
The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says more basic freedoms are being seen in Gulf Arab countries, but further progress must be made. For the first time Commissioner Navi Pillay is visiting all six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations during the same mission to get first-hand information of human rights practices in the region.
Speaking at a press conference in the United Arab Emirates Saturday, the fifth stop on her tour, Pillay identified four areas of concern: women’s rights, statelessness, the situation of migrant workers and freedom of expression, association and assembly.
In some countries, like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, expatriates outnumber national citizens. But, many governments in the region have not passed legislation that grants equal rights to foreign workers.
A system known as Kafala exists in most states and requires workers to have local sponsors. Pillay says the scheme allows for illegal practices like confiscating passports and withholding wages. "Many problems have arisen through a lack of protection safeguards in the so-called Kafala, or sponsorship, system that leaves migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation in an unequal power relationship with their employers," she said.
Pillay says women in the Gulf are also unable to fully enjoy their human rights. Like in many Muslim nations, they are unable to make certain choices for themselves or fully participate in public life. In Saudi Arabia females are unable to drive and require a male guardian when they are outside their homes.
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Islam, Middle East Report, News Articles, Recent Posts on April 24, 2010 - י' אייר תש"ע at 9:47 pm
Comments Off
A few days later, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs expressed Washington’s concern about the reports, and warned of “severe” repercussions against Lebanon and “changing the balance of power”.
Within days, Commander of US Centcom General David Petreaus joined the chorus, saying that Iran is supplying Hizbullah and Hamas with “bigger and bigger” missiles, in reference to Scuds. Meanwhile, Israeli circles issued a covert threat to Syria, delivered via Israel’s representative to the UN, who officially accused Damascus of transporting missiles to Hizbullah. At the same time, Israeli President Shimon Peres warned of Syria’s “double talk. The Syrians talk about peace, but at the same time encourage Hizbullah”.
Meanwhile, Europe did not remain silent. Deputy spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry Christine Fages stated that if the information revealed by US and Israeli officials is confirmed, “it would be of great concern.” Fages called for “complete adherence to Security Council Resolution 1701″, regarding banning weapons in Lebanon if they are not sanctioned by the Lebanese government or the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.
The Syrian embassy in Washington denied the accusations, saying that it is an attempt by Israel to divert international attention from its settlement building, occupation of Arab lands, alleged nuclear arsenal and continued arming with US weapons.
While it is uncommon for Syria to respond to every hostile claim by Israel and the US, it appears that the Syrian leadership sensed a real danger behind these latest accusations. The Syrian Foreign Ministry “strongly” denied Israel’s claims, asserting that they “aim to increase tensions in the region and pave the way for possible Israeli aggression, as well as evade the requirements for a just and comprehensive peace.” Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallim said in Tehran this week. “The controversy instigated by Israel paves the way for an Israeli aggression.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by CNP Webmaster as Islam, Middle East Report, Opinion, Recent Posts on April 23, 2010 - ט' אייר תש"ע at 5:40 pm
Comments Off
