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Reportage de RFO sur les lauréats Réunionnais du concours

U.S. Muslim leaders denounce al Qaedas slur toward Obama (CNN)

Les_10_Premiers_Jours_de_Dhoul_Hijja

U.S. Muslim leaders decry anti-Obama slurs

Glaubensbekenntnis: Michael Jackson soll Muslim geworden sein

Humanitarian crisis in south Philippines

Global Voices Online

- 1 days and 4 hours ago

The escalation of conflict between government troops and Muslim separatist rebels in several areas of Mindanao Island has affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians. Mindanao is located in south Philippines.

The intensified fighting began after a peace agreement was rejected by many politicians, and finally by the Philippine Supreme Court. Critics believe the agreement was unconstitutional since it would compromise the sovereignty of the Republic of the Philippines. They added that the agreement would pave the way for the establishment of a separate Moro-controlled state within the territories of the country.

Angered by the rejection of the agreement, a rebel commander attacked military posts which produced civilian casualties. The government retaliated by launching offensives against the territories controlled by the rebels.

The fighting has not stopped. More than 610,000 people have been displaced already. The non-stop fighting has created several “ghost towns” in some provinces of Mindanao. The situation of refugees is deteriorating. Children are among those who are suffering the most.

Volunteer Sarah Matalam posts pictures of evacuation centers in Cotabato province:

children refugees

evacuation center

children in evacuation

Muslim groups want the government to stop the indiscriminate air strikes by the military. Like a Rolling Store uploads a report by a humanitarian mission which visited several evacuation sites in Mindanao:

“The offensives have led to mass evacuations. In the evacuation centers, the displaced persons suffer from inadequate facilities. Most of them have set up tents in whatever public place available. With heavy rains and flooding now common at this time of year, many child evacuees are sick with cough, cold, fever, and diarrhea. A number of evacuees have died of disease. There is also the trauma experienced by the evacuees, particularly the children.”

Dr. Carol Araullo, a member of the humanitarian mission, emphasizes that more help is needed:

“The hunger, sickness and generalized misery; the listlessness, the yearning to go back to their farms and homes safely; the appeal for a return to normalcy, for an end to the military restrictions over their comings and goings â€“ these images and plaints became etched in our minds and hearts as we went from one evacuation center to another.

“Scores of victims of human rights abuses were interviewed: those wrongfully arrested, those beaten up because they were rebel suspects or so that they would point to the rebels/rebel sympathizers; those whose relatives had been killed or were injured in the course of the government’s drive to flush out the “rogue elements” of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front; those whose houses and other properties had been destroyed.

“After the teams had tallied the numbers of patients treated, families given relief goods and victims of human rights violations attended to, we came to the sobering conclusion that what the Mission had achieved was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the overwhelming needs.”

Journalist Edwin Espejo was affected by what he witnessed:

“Deep into the heart of the conflict, trails of destruction â€“ burnt houses, abandoned homes and ubiquitous presence of checkpoints and war materiel â€“ are eerie testaments of the war.

“Of course, we are living in troubled times and disturbing scenes are fast numbing one’s senses. Many would argue that journalists covering the conflict in Mindanao cannot afford to be emotionally attached to events unfolding before their very eyes.

“Yet one cannot totally dissociate his or her self from realizing that the war is affecting not only the combatants from both sides of the conflicts. It is also sublimely creating different levels of consciousness and commitment on journalists covering the war and affecting the quality of their reportage.”

Reckons of Spring writes that while Manila politicians are debating, the people of Mindanao are suffering:

“While many of the politicians and top government officials based in Manila are busy in expressing their contrasting opinions about the issues related to the “ancestral domain”, I wonder how the displaced locales of North Cotabato and neighboring provinces are faring. Do they have any food to ease their hunger? Do they have any medicine or medical attention to ease their pains? Can they ever sleep amidst the horror of the ongoing circumstances, or to simplify my question, can they find a shelter, no matter how temporary it is- for a night's sleep?”

The fighting is turning uglier everyday. An Al Jazeera team has learned that the government has been recruiting vigilantes to fight the rebels:

“Civilians are being given jobs normally the preserve of the police and army at an alarming rate across Mindanao. In North Cotabato Al Jazeera met some new recruits being put through their paces in a military-backed militia programme that normally takes three months. This training programme has been accelerated to just six weeks in order to fill what the authorities regard as a security vacuum.”

Watch the report of Al Jazeera:

And Part II of the report:

The rebel commander who is probably the most wanted man in the Philippines today insists in a video interview that it was government troops who first attacked the rebels.

Another controversy is the alleged involvement of US troops in the fighting. Himagsik Kayumanggi reports:

“US Special Forces were sighted inside the 64th Infantry Battalion Camp in Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Maguindanao. Bai Ali Indayla of the Moro human rights group Kawagip testified that the soldiers were engaged in covert operations, such as the supervision of drones or spy planes and predator missile strikes. This was confimed by Major Gen. Eugenio Cedo, then commander of the Western Mindanao Command. As usual, the US Embassy denied that the soldiers were involved in actual combat; they were only responding to the military request for aerial surveillance to determine conditions of the terrain and visibility, for “future civil-military projects,” to quote Rebecca Thompson, US Embassy Information Officer.”

Peace advocates want both parties â€“ the government and Muslim rebels â€“ to call for a ceasefire. There is an online petition asking the government to cease its military operations in Mindanao. A letter was sent to the Holy Pope to intervene. The Philippines is a Catholic-dominated country:

“We hope that Your Holiness could help us bring peace and justice to our brothers and sisters in Mindanao by expressing concern about the unfolding humanitarian crisis and appeal for restraint for the protection of all civilians, as well as for the opening of access for the provision of speedy humanitarian assistance to the affected population.”

Mindanao bloggers have vowed to blog for peace. Journalist Walter Balane has a message for bloggers:

“Blogging might not only be limited to blogging about Mindanao and its peoples but also helping the “voiceless” learn to blog so they, too, can blog about themselves.

“Of course it would be extremely difficult for existing Mindanao bloggers to access many of the areas safely and for the people in communities to approach which local bloggers can help them.

But bloggers must continue to try linking them and engaging them for mutual respect and understanding in an effort to connect more and more people.

Many of us who are already blogging about the voiceless must continue doing it and infect others to do the same.

We can focus on a Mindanao consciousness that is more inclusive, not exclusive.”

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hundreds of thousands,missiles,conclusions,innocents,cough

Muslim leaders slam al Qaeda remarks

U.S. Muslim leaders condemn anti-Obama slurs

Shipping industry urges EU governments to declare war on Somali pirates

Guardian Unlimited

- 1 days and 12 hours ago

divimg alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/5413?ns=guardianpageName=World+news%3A+Shipping+industry+urges+EU+governments+to+take+up+arms+against+Somali+piratesch=World+newsc3=The+Guardianc4=Piracy+at+sea+%28News%29%2CSomalia+%28News%29%2CEuropean+Union+%28News%29%2CBusiness%2CWorld+newsc5=Unclassified%2CMiddle+East+Travel%2CBusiness+Markets%2CNot+commercially+usefulc6=Xan+Rice%2CDavid+Gowc7=2008_11_22c8=1122202c9=articlec10=GUc11=World+newsc12=Piracy+at+seac13=c14=h2=GU%2FWorld+news%2FPiracy+at+sea" width="1" height="1" //divpEuropean shipowners are urging EU governments to declare war on Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa and seize their vessels by force, the Guardian has learned, amid growing concern that shipping companies will be forced to avoid the area altogether - at huge cost to global trade./ppA day after the world's biggest shipping company, AP Moller-Maersk, said it would divert some of its fleet from the Suez Canal and take the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, the industry urged more muscular activity against the pirates. Last night, the BBC reported that the UN had given the green light to warships to go after pirate vessels./ppAlfons Guinier, the secretary-general of the European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA), said other companies were considering following the example of Maersk. But he said the ECSA, which claims to speak for 41% of the global merchant fleet, wanted EU governments to go further after the hijacking a week ago of the Saudi supertanker Sirius Star more than 400 miles off the Somalian coast. /pp"We know there will be more military forces in the area, but let's hope they will go after the pirates and stop this escalation," he said. "We're asking not just for more escorts but for repressive action." The demand comes after the International Maritime Organisation asked the UN security council to sanction the dispatch of as many warships and aircraft as possible to "disrupt" pirate operations, secure shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden and escort vessels, including those bringing food relief to war-torn Somalia. /ppThe pirate groups who have operated with near impunity for years may also be about to face a confrontation on land. Yesterday, they were reported to be strengthening their defences in a town close to where the hijacked supertanker is anchored, amid signs that Somali Islamists were approaching the town./ppResidents of Harardheere, a well-known pirate base halfway up Somalia's eastern coast, saw militias arriving in the town yesterday. "Some of them [militiamen] are inside the town and others are taking shelter in a nearby village and can be called if need be," a local resident told Agence France-Presse./ppRebels from the hardline al-Shabaab Islamist movement also entered the town yesterday although their motives were unclear. Some local people said the fighters wanted to secure a cut of the ransom, while a spokesman for al-Shabaab claimed they were hunting the pirates for the "bigger crime" of hijacking a ship belonging to a Muslim country. /ppSomali pirates are also holding at least 15 ships and more than 250 crewmembers. Kenya's foreign minister, Moses Wetangula, claimed yesterday that the pirates had netted $150m (pound;101m) in ransoms this year, though maritime experts say the figure is closer to $30m. Iran's biggest shipping firm confirmed that it had also received a ransom demand for a Hong-Kong-registered ship carrying 36,000 tonnes of wheat that was captured on Tuesday. The British foreign secretary, David Miliband, has called on shipowners to refuse to negotiate./ppThe ECSA demand will be made on Monday in talks in with the new EU naval coordination cell set up by foreign ministers in mid-September. The cell is creating an enforcement unit, under Operation Atalanta, based in RAF Northwood outside London. It is due to be fully operational in early December and be headed by a British rear admiral. /ppGuinier said it should coordinate its military efforts with other forces such as those from Nato, Russia, Japan, Canada and India, which is sending four warships to the region. An Indian warship destroyed a pirate "mothership" earlier this week./ppThe IMO's secretary-general, Efthimios Mitropoulos, meanwhile, told the UN that, with more than 12% of global oil transport passing through the Gulf of Aden, widespread diversions via South Africa would bring "a series of negative repercussions". "Such diversions would almost double the length of a typical voyage from the Gulf to Europe, thereby increasing fuel consumption, emissions and transport costs which would have to be passed on eventually to consumers everywhere," he said in a statement. /ppPeter Beck-Bang, a Maersk spokesman in Copenhagen, said diversions would add eight days to transits to the US and 14 days to Europe. If the situation remained unchanged, this would cost the firm "two-digit millions of dollars" in 2009./pdiv style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"ullia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/piracy"Piracy at sea/a/lilia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/somalia"Somalia/a/lilia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/eu"European Union/a/li/ul/divdiv class="guRssAdvert"a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yessite=Newscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227317660276112201400459684"img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yessite=Newscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227317660276112201400459684" border="0" //a/diva href="http://www.guardian.co.uk"guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html"Terms Conditions/a | a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html"More Feeds/a

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mondays,sirius,crimes,raf,global oil

We're Only In It For the Money

Moonie peace group to hold biggest UK event

Guardian Unlimited

- 1 days and 20 hours ago

divimg alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.15.1/17248?ns=guardianpageName=World+news%3A+Moonie+peace+group+to+hold+biggest+UK+eventch=World+newsc3=guardian.co.ukc4=Religion+%28News%29%2CKorea+%28News%29%2CUK+newsc5=Not+commercially+usefulc6=Riazat+Buttc7=2008_11_21c8=1122001c9=articlec10=GUc11=World+newsc12=Religionc13=c14=h2=GU%2FWorld+news%2FReligion" width="1" height="1" //divpA peace group involved with the controversial Unification Church, who are often given the name of Moonies, is tomorrow staging its biggest ever event in Britain. /ppAnti-cult activists fear it could mark a British renaissance for the group, which experienced a growth in numbers during the 1970s and 80s./ppThe Global Peace Festival, at the Excel Centre in the London docklands, is expected to attract thousands of activists from across Europe and features addresses from Preston Moon, the third son of the church's founder, and Tom Brake, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman./ppCarrying the slogan of "One family under god", the event has performances from diverse acts such as the Royal Philharmonic Ensemble and the Muslim singer Dawud Wharnsby. /ppThere are also workshops on family, marriage and the environment. The morning session is exclusively for members of Ambassadors for Peace, a global network with its roots in the Unification Church./ppThe Universal Peace Federation, formerly known as the Inter-religious and International Federation for World Peace, which has Moon as its founder, is organising tomorrow's festival./ppIts spokesman Tim Read told the Guardian that although the UPF was a direct result of the church, not all its members were unificationists. "Our association with the Unification Church can put some off but people are starting to get over that./pp"They're seeing that we're practising what we believe in. When people come to UPF events they're very interested that we can bring them together without an agenda. We're trying to be a catalyst for like-minded organisations who focus on community cohesion and inter-religious co-operation."/ppHe said the level of cooperation from groups and individuals had been "surprisingly good". /ppHe added: "People have biased views of new religious movements, all new religious groups have these problems and we're no different. We want to hold this every two years and get more sponsorship and partners. If we get more support we get more mainstream"./ppAttempts to enlist the support of public figures has had mixed results. Earlier this year, Shahid Malik, the minister for international development, pulled out of a Commons meeting organised by the UPF after learning of its links to the church. Julia Goldsworthy, the Lib Dem MP for Falmouth and Camborne also withdrew once she too became aware of the connection./ppHer party colleague, Brake, who is leading the session on community cohesion, has defended his decision to take part. "I don't see eye to eye with their views but I don't see any particular problem with speaking at their event, especially if it gives me an opportunity to challenge what Rev Moon advocates."/ppThe Unification Church owns, operates or subsidises many international bodies involved with political, commercial, cultural and social enterprises. br /Members, who prefer to be called Unificationists, believe Moon is the messiah and that he and his wife have laid the foundation for establishing the kingdom of heaven on Earth./ppAccording to Inform, an independent charity that focuses on new religious movements, the church has 10 meeting houses across Britain in Greater London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Birmingham, Manchester, Bath and Bromley. It also owns houses in Kent and Wiltshire for larger gatherings. /ppIn 2007, the movement reported there were around 1,200 members in Britain, slightly more than half of whom were born in the movement and were still minors./ppOne campaigner, Audrey Chaytor of Family, Action, Information and Resource, said: "They might want you to believe they're talking about peace but their aim is to recruit."/pdiv style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"ullia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/religion"Religion/a/lilia href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/korea"North and South Korea/a/li/ul/divdiv class="guRssAdvert"a href="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/click.ng/richmedia=yessite=Newscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227288014953112117240433070"img src="http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yessite=Newscountry=(none)spacedesc=rsssystem=rsstransactionID=1227288014953112117240433070" border="0" //a/diva href="http://www.guardian.co.uk"guardian.co.uk/a copy; Guardian News Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our a href="http://users.guardian.co.uk/help/article/0,,933909,00.html"Terms Conditions/a | a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/webfeeds/1,,1309488,00.html"More Feeds/a

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edinburgh,performances,ensembles,workshops,sessions

Religious unity: The Charter for Compassion

Global Voices Online

- 1 days and 21 hours ago

As children we may all have heard the Golden Rule expressed in many different ways, but the basic idea is: Treat others as you would like to be treated. This is Karen Armstrong's TED wish, to create a platform in which the different Abrahamic faiths could focus on what was common to all, the moral backbone of all their faiths towards a greater unity and better communication among people of different faiths. The Charter of Compassion is requesting stories of unity and compassion to be uploaded on their site, written or in video form, and that together, people may write this Charter of Compassion a document where this new image will be established, signed by sages and religious leaders. Different sections of the charter are opened on different dates, so feel free to stop by the site and write your perspective on the issue.

Karen Armstrong is a British born former Catholic nun who has written many books on Muslim faith and has taught in the Leo Baeck rabbinic college: this inter-faith knowledge led her on the path towards bringing this project into fruition. Her acceptance speech video is on YouTube, and in it she speaks about this desire of hers to work for the unity of the different faiths, to make religion work towards universal harmony:

The Charter for Compassion's YouTube channel already has some inspirational videos by people in Pakistan. Samia Shoaib shares her own personal compassion story of how we are all interconnected and what happens to our neighbor or someone down the street does concern us:

Arshad Mahmood also speaks from his Muslim faith, in how people should concern themselves about the fate of others, and how discrimination against those of a different faith should not take place:

The Charter for Compassion has opened the call for submissions where people can also tell their stories of compassion and change the image of religion as a harborer of intolerance, showing the world that compassion is and will be the cornerstone of religion, and the way towards change. You can participate by offering information in different languages so the message can get to more people, and by making a video with a story where compassion is featured, or writing your opinion or perspective on the Charter itself.

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leo,colleges,muslim,perspectives,new image

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