Interfaith Conference in Kazakhstan (Photo: GPO)

During his address today to the Interfaith Conference in Kazakhstan, President Shimon Peres called upon King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud of Saudi Arabia to come to Jerusalem, or to meet with him in Riyadh, to initiate discussions that would enable the implementation of their shared vision – the realization of a comprehensive peace between Israel and all the Arab states.

In his address before some 150 leaders of all the world's religions, including a large delegation of imams led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, Secretary General of the World Moslem League and Sheikh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque, the Chief Rabbis of Israel and senior Church officials, President Peres called on leaders of the world's religions to separate religion from terror and to condemn religious leaders, who, in the name of God, advocate murder, warfare and bloodshed. The President appealed to his audience to promote peace, both around the world and in the Middle East, and emphasized that Israel's course was one of appeasement and peace with all its neighbors.

It should be noted that all the Arab and Moslem delegates at the conference listened attentively to President Peres' address, and only the Iranian delegate, Mehdi Mostafavi, senior advisor to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, left the hall, returning only after President Peres had finished his address.

In response to questions by reporters regarding the departure of the Iranian from the conference hall, President Peres stated that "There were times when Israel remained alone in the conference halls. This time, Iran was alone, while the Islamic religious leadership remained with Israel."

The conference was also addressed by Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, who raised a picture of Gilad Shalit and called on the attending religious leaders to assist in the efforts to return him home, and by the Secretary General of the World Moslem League, Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, who stated that "I take this opportunity to call upon all religions to unite, to tear down the walls that separate us, and together promote a world of peace, tolerance and appeasement between all nations and all believers."

Shortly after the session's conclusion, President Peres conducted a prayer ceremony attended by hundreds of members of the Rahel Synagogue in Astana, and participated in a farewell event for members of his entourage, which included cabinet ministers and senior Israeli executives.

At the conclusion of the four-day visit to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, President Peres noted that the visit was very successful. "It was an historic visit to two Moslem nations who have stood with Israel and have officially declared their intent to raise the level of their diplomatic relations with Israel. The official instructions of both presidents, Aliyev and Nazarbayev, to their heads of government, directing them to conclude the business transactions with Israel and to expand political and security cooperation with it, opened a tremendous opportunity for Israel to strengthen its position in the world."

Shraga Brosh, chairman of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, advised the president that during the visits, large-scale contracts between Israeli, Kazakh and Azerbaijani corporations had been signed, and that the high technological level of the Israeli companies made them extremely attractive for economic cooperation between Israel and these countries.

During the visits, a space technology agreement and an agreement on establishing unified industrial standards were signed with Kazakhstan, and a communications, cultural and scientific agreement was signed with Azerbaijan.

rewanda become reborn and sing my children

World: Africa
Rwanda: Churches protest new law on religion
Leaders of various churches wrote to the government of Rwanda with concerns about stipulations in a new proposed law on religion. Freedom is at issue.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
By Spero News
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Religious leaders from different denominations have protested at certain clauses in the Religious Bill saying they are an upfront to religious freedom.

In a letter presented to the Local government minister, the prelates led by Bishop Emmanuel Koline of the Anglican Church last week said that the bill is putting churches in the category of NGOs and associations yet they differ from the two.

“Articles; 21, 32, 36 make it difficult to start a religious organization and their proper functioning, they said in remarks published by the Times, "the bill articulates that for someone to start a church, one must have at least 100 associates to sign in your statute while he/she must be a graduate."

While arguing that starting a church does not require someone to be academically upright but integrity, the leaders accused the state of handling churches like NGOs.

"Actually, I think if this law is passed, it is likely to cause tension," said bishop Koline.

Rewanda is still trying to heal from the Genocide of 1994. Now missions are started to help heal the hurt of the perpetrator s and victims. A hospital was recently built for mothers who had to walk to get maturnity care

FM Liberman said that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is not an isolated event, but rather part of a larger struggle between extremists and moderates taking place in the Middle East which must be resolved through a comprehensive plan that involves the Persian Gulf states, Saudi Arabia and other states.

Regarding Iran, FM Liberman said that if the talks between the West and Iran fail, then the approach must be more aggressive and include harsher sanctions against Iran. In relation to Syria, he said that Israel is ready to begin negotiations immediately, but without any preconditions.

At the meetings, FM Liberman and his hosts discussed Israeli-Russian relations and agreed to continue promoting economic ties between the two states and cooperation in the realms of space technology and hi-tech, cultural cooperation, and the international law for the protection of investments. Ministers Liberman and Lavrov signed a Protocol on Consultation between the two foreign ministries for 2010

Good morning to the fish king. He raised his face from the soil to say hello and to tell you that he is a she and that she is in pain

We must continue to belief in the collective, I restate this not only because it is a fundamental truth encoded in our party constitution and youth league oath of office,but because it is only through the collective will, that we shall be able to achieve for Namibia a reality based on progress and unity (mutual co-existence).

Many people do not take the time to listen to and read the assertions of dr.Ngurare (http://www.spyl.org/?p=62#), as one who does so regularly, it is striking to note that the basic tone of his assertions are a return to the values of nationalism, African affirmation and socialism. This is more than all else, why I in particular am steadfast in the direction of our nascent youth movement. if only for this reason, than all the young people of Namibia must rally behind Comrade Ngurare, the SWAPO Party Youth League, The SWAPO Party and its President H.E Hifikepunje Pohamba, who on behalf of the SWAPO masses projects the fundamental truth that a socialist path to development, based on national unity and an absolute affirmation of our AfriKaness is the only foundation that shall proof to be lasting.

This week again, as is usual, I once again received from our friends at the Cuban embassy, daily dispatches written by Comrade Fidel Castro entitled ‘refections by (comrade) Fidel’, where comrade Fidel elucidates, as sharply as he always has, on matters that occupy his mind. At one such occasion, he writes of Comrade Evo Morales in such a lucid and empathetic manner that it evoked in me, a rather starkly surreal similarity to Comrade Ngurare. He says of Comrade Morales’s persistent, struggle against oppositions hardheads inter alia ‘Nobody denies any longer that he is winning the battle without resorting to the use of force or abusing power” he continues in the immediate line after that , in what is typical Fidel wit, with ” The adversary can not cope with his volley.” This optimizes the wit and talent for strategy that our leader of the youth league posses.

It is but Sam Nujoma, Theo Ben Gurrirab, Bankie Forster Bankie, Clinton Swartbooi (all of whom, I have been privy to occasional chats with) and my own father, from whome I have been able to draw more or perhaps as insightfull intellectual inspiration other than our dear Secretary.

The Next “elder” that doles out the now infamous coinage that youth in Namibia have no respect for elders and that implies even tacitly that ‘I’ call the SWAPO PARTY YOUTH LEAGUE to order, will have to forgive me for my respectfully insolent refusal to heed
.

Trouble with Namibia, generally speaking of course, is everyone speaks and no one really listens, people often think they do, but it is as clear as day and night that they do not, allow me to say respectfully that some “elders” are most guilty of this abhorrent behavior. I often think that instead of the almost allergic aversion to the SPYL, a more useful response would be to listen and learn a thing or two. The aversion of some who seem to me, like recent converts to liberalism, is indeed very instructive and it epitomizes the fact that young people in order to be heard must resort to the tactics used by SPYL in recent months, what a sad fate for our country if it is indeed the case, that its youth have to resort to causing mass hysteria in order to be heard. Why should youths first scare some to a shitles state of fear, before they heed to what we have to say?

By nature, I am not prone to ‘big statements” or controversy, but I must say that the current crop of SPYL leaders are the most effective weapon the youth movement has in its artillery at this stage and I will continue to support both the tone and content emanating from across the Katutura State Hospital. For as long as there are those that are oblivious to the fact that young people have a legitimate stake at the decision making table, then there is no other means but this, left to us as a movement. This state of crisis is not unique to Namibia, but exist the world over, reactions of French minority youths in one instance and students in another, after the election of Sarkozy in France are illustrative of that fact, one could site many other examples of this from Pakistan to Columbia to Nigeria, though the circumstances and issues vary, the result of such alienation from the center is a radicalized and angry response from youths.

My own experiences from interacting with youths on a daily basis lead me to the unfortunate observation that the outcries of SPYL are rather mild in comparison to the anger of many other youths outside the leadership of SPYL. Many youths particularly those who still languish in rural poverty remain dedicated and committed to SWAPO and her political program. This again is instructive of the fact that youths, the vast majority of them anyway, will continue to be loyal to the SWAPO Party, because it represents our best hope for the future. The inability of the powers that be, to perfect the mechanisms of our party particular as she relates to her government are loathsome at best and deserve “rectification”. Chairman Mao is very instructive in this regard, and I quote him as follows “our point of departure is to serve the people whole heartedly and never for a moment to divorce ourselves from the masses, to proceed in all cases from the interest of the people and not from one’s self interest or from the interest of a small group, and to identify our responsibility to the people with our own responsibility to the organs of the Party.”

Many often argue that the SPYL leadership’s radicalized stances are because those in leadership of SPYL wish to jostle for positions in parliament or/and that the Founding Father and others are behind this amplified discontent, these arguments are pitiful if not giddy and far from the simple truth. Parliament is not the destination, in actual fact no one of those in the leadership of SPYL, I have talked to, have expressed any such wishes even lightheartedly, moreover, who would want to trade the dynamism of the being in the leadership of SPYL for the mundane diplomacy and chivalrous pomp that parliament requires. Our destination is youth development that is meaningful and far from the tokenistic development and institutions that exist to date`. Bringing Nujoma for as much as we love and adore him onto the scene will not change the real factors at play.

Freedom never comes voluntarily, it is never given up it comes about through percistice and revolt. Martin Luther King



Non violet positive action—it is free. Always fight with love

His Holy Grace Pope Benedict the 16th’s recent comments on his Africa tour on the use of condoms are shockingly dismaying at best and disturbingly irresponsible in general. His comments come in the wake of signifgant gains the African continent has been able to attain through the rollout of treatment and equally as import through reduction of infection rates of many countries on the continent and through infection rate stabilization in many others.

The continent has over the past 30 odd years experimented with various approaches and we can say with some certainty that condom use promotion in tandem with abstinence promotion does work. It is my feeling that if the Papacy persist with detracting condom use, years of gains might be compromised.

This anachronistic stance of the Pope and the Catholic church is not helpful in a large majority of instances and serves little value outside of religious puritanism , which in my view sometimes is an easy retreat considered against the hard knocks ground level intervention that we must employ in order to reverse adverse impact of social ills in our society. Consider that in a world where 7400 new infections are recorded daily, we cannot be divided about the strategies that need to be put in place in order to consolidate gains made thus far. I respectively disagree with His Grace’s notion that religious piety and sexual fidelity alone shall reduce infections rates.

While I cannot fault His Holy Grace for his assertion that there is a moral dimension to high persistence of infection rates, I am at pains to say that unfortunately statements such as his, reflect little compassion for the millions that have contracted the virus while being religiously pious and monogamous in their sexual relations, His Holy Grace himself during the 2nd Vatican Council made a profoundly suggestive gesture when he said amongst other that “what the church needs today as always are not adulators to extol the status quo but men whose humility and obedience are not less that their passion for truth.”

What I seek to evoke through this piece is not ill will for the church or contempt for the institution of the Papacy, on the contrary I seek merely to express my point of view that obedience to the doctrine of the one true faith, must also be weight against the good that comes of safeguards that are the fruits of the free enterprise of mind, body and soul of humanity. Condoms specifically here refer.

I too share the concern of the Papacy that excessive hedonism and the dictatorship of western relativism as he calls it or liberalism as I do, removes us from gods favor in many ways, where I disagree fundamentally is the manner, intent and lack of compassion of his discourse on this matter.

Mandela Kapere
Madiba.tigblog.org

In honour of Dubya's last official press conference as President of the United States of America I thought I'd try to generate a list of his accomplishments (never accomplished alone, of course, but with lots of help), since during the press conference that took place today he discussed his legacy.

Here it goes:

1. Not reading enough into intelligence that predicted 9/11. (Or is that Clinton's bad?)
2. Reading too much into intelligence that predicted Iraq had 'weapons of mass destruction' and had something to do with 9/11.
3. Reducing Iraq to a burned out shell.
4. Trying to build a stable democracy inside that burned out shell.
5. Not admitting to reading too much into intelligence that predicted Iraq had 'weapons of mass destruction' and continuing to look for those weapons and talk about them until the rest of the world called him on it.
6. Not paying enough attention to Afghanistan.
7. Really pissing off everyone in New Orleans.

Feel free to add to the list ... I know there's more but I don't have enough time to think of it all.

My favourite quote from his press conference today?
I think that would be this one. In reference to the current situation in Iraq:
Pres. George Bush: "Will the democracy survive? ... That's going to be a challenge for future presidents."
Translation: "You're welcome, Obama. Enjoy."

TakingITGlobal hosted a Live Chat just before the holidays on Youth Migration, which turned out to provide an interesting portrait of just what youth are facing when they attempt to take advantage of the 'shrinking world' and 'increasing connectivity' we're all meant to be benefiting from as a consequence of globalization. If the sarcasm in that last sentence wasn't obvious then I should explain that what we all understood from the portrait drawn by our speakers of Youth Migration in our day and age was that it is not necessarily made easier by 'globalization' and that it is in fact often a dangerous, disappointing and victimizing experience.

Migration is one of those issues that is especially relevant to youth but for some reason is not readily recognized as a youth issue, or is not often associated with youth when it is discussed at higher levels. Migration is a youth issue because youth are the largest group affected by, participating in and victimized by migration. It is similar in this way to an issue like HIV/AIDS, which is affecting youth more than anyone else, and yet youth are so often left out of the processes and policies addressing it.

Youth decide to migrate to another country for countless reasons - education, work, living conditions, etc - and you might think that now it must be easier than ever for this to happen. Thanks to new communication technology youth are more aware than any other generation of what is going on in the world around them, the internet lets us learn about opportunities in distant places and increasing international travel makes it more likely that we can get to those opportunities. I think most of us will have heard at one time or another how globalization and communication technology are bringing us all closer together and breaking down the geographical, political and technological barriers that used to separate us - right?

The opposite is happening for the majority of youth migrants. What we learned during the Live Chat is that globalization has created new barriers to keep people out, rather than breaking down the old ones. It seems that the greater connectivity globalization has created amongst economies and industries has increased the dangers of migration, because it has narrowed the channels for legal migration, therefore forcing more and more youth to attempt illegal migration. The global free market economy, Naomi Onaga (Director of Migrants Rights International) explained, makes keeping certain people in their countries working for low wages attractive and therefore channels for legal migration narrow except in the case of temporary labourers. Temporary labourers are denied citizenship, job freedom, and residency. They become vulnerable to abuse by employers because of this. The type of low-wage labour they are allowed to participate in means that they will bring little skill or knowledge back to their native communities.

It all makes for a pretty bleak picture, made worse by the dangerous journeys ahead of those who attempt to illegally migrate. Migrants - most often youth - are drowning while attempting to cross from North Africa to Spain or Italy, dying in the desert attempting to enter the USA, or are becoming victims of forced migration. If they make it to their destinations they will likely be greeted by a population that is mostly hostile to them, and sees them as dangerous.

The whole discussion had a special relevancy for me, because I will soon be a migrant myself. Leaving Canada for an overseas opportunity, but I'm lucky, because I will be migrating legally, will enjoy all of my rights and be relatively safe while doing it - or as safe as anyone can expect to be on an international flight these days. The Live Chat really sharpened those inequalities that mean that I will be able to take advantage of an opportunity in a different country, and others will face nothing but misery for trying to do the same.

To try and not end on a bad note, there are those working towards international recognition of migrants, more opportunities for legal, safe migration and, maybe most importantly, opportunities for work, education and a better life for youth in their home countries and communities. These people include the speakers who took time out of their busy schedules on December 18 - International Migrants Day - to join our Live Chat.

The biggest hurdle of all might be to change people's perception of migration and migrants themselves. I thought the image above was a great way to think about that issue. Of course, technically refugees and migrants are considered to be in different categories, but I think it speaks to the same fear of foreigners, immigrants, migrants or refugees being 'dangerous' or 'bad'. In fact, communities that welcome these people and make the best use of their skills benefit from them. Einstein is a pretty good example.

These are the organizations that supported our Live Chat on Youth Migration:

Migrants Right International
December 18
Young People We Care

Thank you very much to all of you who participated and helped me on the YouTube vs. Mainstream Journalism: Videoblogging Ethics project. Your participation was more than I can ask for.

I apologize for taking so long to come out with the executive summary because my supervisor and I took pains to make sure that your views have been represented accurately. I know I promised September 2008.

I received 379 responses for the survey from June to October 2008. This is more than the required number of respondents for a study to be valid.

I presented the first part of this study at the International Communication Association (ICA) conference in Canada in May 2008 and I have been invited to present the full study in another international conference at the University of Melbourne in Australia this July 2009. The study is also being considered for a book chapter to be published next year in the US.

The summary is available in pdf for your reference. I organized the findings using tables and figures for your reading convenience. The whole study is comprised of almost 100 pages with the complete and comprehensive findings.

Should you be interested in seeing the results, kindly e-mail me for a copy and I will send one to you right away.

If you wish to see the whole study, I can also send you the whole thing.

Again, thank you for your help. This human rights endeavor doesn't end with this project. I'm working on other similar projects to advance the cause and I hope you'll stand by these efforts as you have so kindly done so.

It's not very often that there can be a blog title like this one. Canadian politics = exciting? What? Where am I? But for once - we've got something going on. I think what is happening now in Ottawa might actually be more exciting than what is happening right now in American politics. What is happening right now in American politics is Obama naming Hilary Clinton his Secretary of State which isn't exciting because everybody already knew it was happening two weeks ago.

Whereas no one in Canada saw this one coming. Bam! The Liberals, NDP and Bloc have all been secretly scheming against our latest Harper government since they all 'lost' to him during an election featuring one of the worst voter turnouts of all time.

If Harper's government tries to pass a budget that includes no stimulus package for the Canadian economy and cuts public funding for political parties they are going to pounce! If Harper's government presents a revised budget they will probably pounce anyways! Bringing down the government in a no-confidence vote and then asking to create a government made up of a coalition of Liberal, NDP and the Bloc when they feel like it.

This is pretty exciting for people who like watching Harper's sneaky plans to establish a Conservative monopoly within Canadian politics blow up in his face.

I like the coalition idea because it's a risk, it's new, it's sticking it to Harper, and it feels more like real politics than anything I've seen in Canada in a long time.

I don't like the coalition idea because it will make Stephane Dion Prime Minister, it will give the Bloc a lot of power to decide which coalition legislation goes through and which doesn't, and it will be unstable in a period where stability would be good.

So it's more like choosing the lesser evil. The stability of knowing you have a sneaky grinch as your Prime Minister. Or the potential of having five bickering 'Prime Ministers' (Dion, Ignatieff, Rae, Layton and Duceppe) and then a swift return to the grinch.

Young Namibians today, cannot deject that the anti colonial struggle for liberation and against apartheid, remains a cogent political and sociological lesson for our times. It might seem that there are some of us who are obsessed with liberation rhetoric, but this is not the case, on the contrary, apart from the historic worth of liberationism, liberationism teaches us real and cogent lessons for our times, such as loyalty, patriotism, determination, hard work and unwavering resolve. It is these values and notions that we invoke today as we set the pace for a new development discourse.

Given the above, the demand and the struggle for opportunities within the nascent economy remains our rallying call. It is from the struggle against anti colonial resistance from which we must draw our inspiration and resolve. The broad based empowerment of the masses of our people, the rural masses in particular, is preeminent in our minds eye as we seek to trudge towards vision 2030 and as we gather for this event. To underestimate the importance of this objective is to undermine the masses who where and are the bedrock of both our previous and present struggles.

The empowerment of young people is within the above ambits and surely it cannot be anything but a just ask, to receive support while we learn, toil and strive for our country. Those institution and persons who steer us towards vision 2030 consider, and apply their minds to creating worthwhile opportunities for young people today and in the future.

Nevertheless while the above remains a paramount objective we must continue to strive, toil and learn, we must strive for what is just fair and in our national interest, we must toil to grow food, build infrastructure and extract the resources which God has abounded this nation with and finally we must learn to perfect means of governance harmony and without seizing perfect the use of technology for our own advancement.

It is only the generations that owns and strives towards its aspirations that can ultimately achieve them