121Contact

Jews and Muslims respond to #Trumpism

An important alliance has just formed: The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council to “develop a coordinated strategy to address anti-Muslim bigotry and anti-Semitism in the U.S.” and to “protect and expand the rights of religious minorities” in the country. You may think this is good. You may even be moved to join and pledge to work for them. Good.

But think, also, about why the news of this alliance is known to us only through Haaretz.com and not through any mainstream American media. http://www.haaretz.com/world-news/u-s-election-2016/1.753161

November 11, 2016 by 121Contact

 

#Sanders #Clinton: pls speak of “U.S. Ally Bahrain Crushing Human Rights”

An anniversary celebrated in disdain for freedom of speech.

March 14, 2011: 1,000 troops from Saudi Arabia and 500 troops from UAE, at the request of King Hamad, entered Bahrain and crushed an uprising. The Shia majority were demanding equal rights.

March 14, 2016: Zaineb Alkhawaja and her infant baby were taken from their home by police. Alkhawaja promotes the Bahraini protest movement via @AngryArabiya. Her incarcerated father Abdulhadi Alkhawaja is the former president of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet is based in Bahrain and is central to military operations in the region: 1991 Gulf War, the 2001 war in Afghanistan, the 2003 war in Iraq, and current operations against ISIS.

When #Trump says Muslims hate us he merely exaggerates an attitude born, in part, of U.S. support of regimes that trample human rights.

Aid to Flint delayed by heartless Republican obstruction.

Democrat $600 billion plan includes immediate cash and as well as loans. Repubs want to know how to pay for it while Flint's children are being maimed for life. How about we just trim a little off the defense budget? It would hardly make a dent. @Flint @bruce121Contact

Is it the 60's in Iraq?

Twittter is lit with images of tanks decorated with balloons and soldiers carrying the flowers placed into their hands. One month into the protests and demonstrators still insist upon non-violence!

Government is delivering small concessions. Police and Army are mainly refraining from violence. Hopefully an organized unity will grow strong enough to make a lasting difference.

Power and Light to the People.

Twitter is alive with news and views [#Iraq, #Basra, etc.], but the U.S. media gives little weight to what is potentially the most important news out of Iraq these days. The protests seem to have begun with people demanding, peacefully!, for Qassim al-Fahdawi to step down. As Minister of Electricity he has shown little progress and his investigations into solar power seem quite out of touch with the current realities of people's lives. To be fair he has recently signed a Siemens to upgrade the power infrastructure, but no work has begun, and dates have not been set.

It has been over 115F/46C since the beginning August. Baghdad saw 120F/50C at the beginning of the month, and the protests there were huge in spite of the heat.

Followed by the U.S press for a few days, and then sporadically (if the Friday masses are large enough for dramatic photos), coverage has been light and barely informative. Headlines brag about the relatively useless killing of this or that easily replaced ISIS 'leader' but do little to shine light on what is a growing and persistent non-violent attempt  to end the dark nights, and unairconditioned days of the majority of Iraq's citizens. The elite seem to do OK with generous allotments of power and fuel.

As with all social movements this one is growing in scope, now addressing a wide range of grievances including poor water quality and a lack of basic services . There is a loud call to end government corruption. Women are taking prominent roles in the demonstrations. Tents are being erected to shelter those who have been driven by dire circumstances to pledge continuous protests.

August 22, 2015 by B.Wallace, 121Contact

 

 

Declaration of the Iraqi Coalition for Freedom of Expression

Declaration of the Iraqi Coalition for Freedom of Expression

 

Tunisiati capital city, Tunis, was the location of an International Conference on Freedom of Expression from 28-30 May 2014. From it emerged a new Iraqi partnership — the Iraqi Coalition for Freedom of Expression — that will focus on raising awareness about and taking action on issues related to the freedom of expression.

 

The Iraqi Coalition for Freedom of Expression has a flexible, horizontal and open structure in which all members are equal in both their duties and responsibilities. The Coalition is one of a new generation of regional and international coalitions that takes into account the evolving nature of the freedom of expression and the many forms that the exercise of this freedom may take. Specifically, it includes traditional aspects of the freedom of expression as well as the right to access information through long-established means and online.

 

The Coalition adopted the following eight-point agenda:

 

1. The Coalition calls on the Iraqi Parliament and the Iraqi government to suspend all further action on current draft laws that limit and obstruct the freedom of expression and access to information, including the draft Cyber-crime Law. These laws, copies of which are now in circulation, violate international human rights standards as well as the spirit of the Iraqi Constitution that guarantees freedom of expression. A strong, democratic Iraq must expand and support the rights associated with freedom of expression, not restrict them.

 

1. The Coalition calls on state authorities to make copies of draft laws concerning the freedom of expression available to the Iraqi public, and to establish a means for open public discussion in which organizations focusing on issues of freedom of expression may actively participate. Rigorous, open, public debates about relevant laws, regulations, and legal mechanisms should occur before any proposals are sent to the Parliament. 

 

1. The Coalition requests that Iraqi authorities and authorities in the Kurdistan Region work with the Coalition to take responsibility for protecting journalists, media workers, human rights defenders, and bloggers, and ensuring they have a safe and proper working environment that allows them to perform their duties with full independence.

 

1. The Coalition requests that Iraqi authorities and authorities in the Kurdistan Region address the phenomenon of impunity and prosecute those who have committed abuses and crimes against Iraqi journalists, media workers, human rights defenders and bloggers in recent years, whether these entities are governmental or non-governmental actors.

 

1. The Coalition requests that the Iraqi government adopt the first amendment of the draft Rights of Journalists Law — already adopted by the Iraqi Coalition for Freedom of Expression — and present it to the Iraqi Parliament for debate.

 

1. The Coalition requests that Iraqi authorities, authorities in the Kurdistan Region, and all media organizations work together with the Coalition to combat harassment of and discrimination against women in the media.

 

1. The Coalition requests that the international community present the issues of freedom of expression, access to information, and the protection of journalists, media workers, human rights defenders and bloggers to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of Iraq in the field of human rights (expected to take place in Geneva at the end of October 2014).

 

1. The Coalition requests that the Parliament of the Kurdistan Region amend the law concerning the freedom to demonstrate in the Kurdistan Region in accordance with international human rights standards and that the Government of the Kurdistan Region activate the Right of Access to Information Law that was launched in June 2013.

 

An invitation to join the Coalition is open to all organizations operating in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. The Coalition will work actively to strengthen and protect the freedom of expression.

 

Tunis June 2014

 

 

Members of the Coalition:

 

Press Freedom Advocacy Association - Baghdad

Al-Masala Organization - Erbil

Iraq's National Association for the Defense of Human Rights - Baghdad

Iraqi Network for Social Media (INSM) - Iraq

Azidi Solidarity and Fraternity League

Hawlati Newspaper - Sulaymaniyah

National Union of Iraqi Journalists - Iraq

Iraqi Women Journalists Forum

Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative (ICSSI) - Iraqi / International

Iraqi Democratic Future Network

 

For more information, please contact members of this Coalition or email the  ICSSI [Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative] at:  [email protected]

إعلان التحالف العراقي لحرية التعبير

 شهدت العاصمة تونس على هامش المؤتمر الدولي لحرية التعبير الذي عقد على مدار الايام 28،29،30 من شهر ايار 2014 ، ولادة تحالف عراقي متخصص في قضايا حرية التعبير اتخذ مسمى : التحالف العراقي لحرية التعبير .

 يتبنى التحالف العراقي لحرية التعبير طابعاً مرناً ومفتوحاً وأفقيا، يتساوى فيه الاعضاء في الواجبات والمسؤوليات.

ينتمي التحالف لجيل جديد من التحالفات الاقليمية والدولية والتي تأخذ في الاعتبار تطور مفهوم حرية التعبير وتعدد الوسائل المتاحة لممارسة هذه الحرية، ويغطي حرية التعبير وحرية الوصول الى المعلومة في الوسائل التقليدية وعلى الانترنت، ويتبنى المواقف التالية:-

1-      على البرلمان العراقي والحكومة العراقية تعليق قراءة ومناقشة كل القوانين التي تتعلق بحرية التعبير والحصول على المعلومة ومن ضمنها مسودة قانون جرائم المعلوماتية و ذلك لان النسخ المتداولة لا ترتقي الى المعايير الدولية، ولا الى روح النص الدستوري الخاص بالحريات ولان المرحلة تتطلب تحسين وضع حرية التعبير وليس العكس.

 

2-      مطالبة السلطات المعنية بإتاحة نسخ من مشاريع القوانين المتعلقة بحرية التعبير للجمهور العراقي وفسح المجال للمنظمات المتخصصة في حرية التعبير للمشاركة الفاعلة في نقاش القوانين والآليات والأنظمة ذات الصلة. وذلك قبل طرحها للقراءة في البرلمان.

 

3-      مطالبة السلطات العراقية وسلطات اقليم كوردستان، بتحمل مسؤولياتها بتوفير حماية للصحفيين والإعلاميين والمدافعين عن حقوق الانسان والمدونين، بتوفير بيئة امنة وملائمة لهم تمكنهم من اداء واجبهم باستقلال كامل.

 

4-      مطالبة السلطات العراقية وسلطات اقليم كوردستان، معالجة ظاهرة الافلات من العقاب بملاحقة الجهات التي ارتكبت انتهاكات وجرائم ضد الصحفيين العراقيين والمدافعين عن حقوق الانسان والمدونين خلال السنوات الماضية، سواء كانت هذه الجهات حكومية او غير حكومية.

 

5-      مطالبة الحكومة العراقية بتبني مشروع التعديل الاول على قانون حقوق الصحفيين والذي اعتمده التحالف الجديد ، وطرحه على البرلمان العراقي للنقاش.

 

6-      مطالبة السلطات العراقية وسلطات اقليم كوردستان والمؤسسات الاعلامية كافة، بمكافحة ظاهرة المضايقات والتمييز التي تتعرض لها النساء الاعلاميات.

 

7-      مطالبة المجتمع الدولي بطرح قضية حرية التعبير وحماية الصحفيين والإعلاميين والمدافعين عن حقوق الانسان والمدونين في الاستعراض الدوري الشامل (UPR) لملف العراق في مجال حقوق الانسان والمتوقع انعقاده في جنيف – تشرين الثاني من العام 2014.

 

8-      مطالبة برلمان كوردستان بتعديل قانون حرية التظاهر في اقليم كوردستان بما يتوافق مع المعايير الدولية ومطالبة حكومة الأقليم بتفعيل قانون حق الحصول على المعلومة، الذي شرَع في حزيران من عام 2013.

 

والدعوة مفتوحة للمنظمات العاملة في العراق وأقليم وكوردستان للانضمام لهذا التحالف وتدعيم اعماله كمشروع لحماية حرية التعبير.

تونس حزيران 2014

 

اعضاء التحالف :

جمعية الدفاع عن حرية الصحافة – بغداد

منظمة المسلة – اربيل

 الجمعية الوطنية للدفاع عن حقوق الانسان في العراق – بغداد

 الشبكة العراقية للإعلام المجتمعي – أنسم للتدوين –العراق

رابطة التاخي والتضامن الازيدية

 صحيفة هاولاتي –السليمانية ،

 النقابة الوطنية للصحفيين العراقيين – العراق

منتدى الاعلاميات العراقيات

 مبادرة التضامن مع المجتمع المدني العراقي (ICSSI) – عراقية/دولية

شبكة المستقبل الديمقراطية العراقية

 

التحالف مستعد للعمل مع الجهات المعنية و على كل النقاط الواردة في هذا الاعلان.

لمعلومات اكثر يمكنكم الاتصال بأحد اعضاء التحالف ، او بالكتابة الى المبادرة على البريد التالي [email protected]

Visit Iraqi Civil Society Solidarity Initiative - مبادرة تضامن المجتمع at: http://icssi08.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network

May 1 2012 Karzia/Obama: A Harmony of Erosion of Civil Liberties

The Afghan Peace Volunteers remind us that “Today, Afghanistan and the U.S. initialed and locked the text of the strategic partnership agreement,” said Karzai’s spokesman, Aimal Faizi. “This means the text is closed…”

The Obama administration's continued assault on civil liberties gained a new partner as Karzai agreed to keep the U.S./Afghanistan agreement a secret from the public. How many troops will remain? For how long? Will U.S. assassinations/drone strikes in Afghanistan continue? By whose orders? What will the level of military aid be?

The Public: That's the Afghan citizen whose life is directly affected by this agreement. They have a right to know. You Think!?

The Public: That's you, boss. You who are supposed to be intelligently informed so that you may better govern yourselves. Democracy gives you the vote, but with less and less knowledge of what your elected representatives do (enact, attack, choose to assassinate, support, agree to) your vote becomes more meaningless. (with your power to vote). You have a right to know. You Think!?

"A popular Government without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy or perhaps both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance, and a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives." - James Madison, 1822  OMG, he could actually see into the future...

We brought Democracy to Afghanistan, but we stifle one of the most important powers of the people: the right to know. We are beginning to live the farce and generate the tragedy that Madison envisioned.

For those too lazy to click the links: The Afghan Peace Volunteers are a grassroots group of ordinary Afghans seeking a life of non-violence, the unity of all people, equality, and self-reliance. ‘I wish to live without wars.’ An Afghan boy Abdulai, 15 year old student and farmer... [Read more of this review]

 

 

March 29 2012 You can easily help prevent destruction in Iraq and Turkey

We've done a lot to destroy much of Iraq. YOU CAN HELP PREVENT FURTHER DESTRUCTION OF THE SOUTHERN MARSHES. A proposed dam on the Tigris River in Mesopotamia will have a devastating effect on parts of Turkey and Iraq. Particularly, the unique antique town Hasankeyf, with a past of at least 10,000 year of continuous settlement, in the mainly Kurdish populated Southeast of Turkey and  Marshlands in South of Iraq, the largest wetlands of the Middle East cultivated by Millions of “Marsh Arabs“, are threatened by the Ilisu Dam. It is one of the most controversial dams in the world.
[IRAQ CIVIL SOCIETY]  HAS THE FULL STORY.

Sign the petition at: UNESCO

The marshes, ordered destroyed by Sadaam, [in an attempt to drive out Shi'a opposition groups in southern Iraq] were a  part of a traditional culture that depended upon them for their livelihood. Rich in fish and fowl, they were referred to as the original Garden of Eden.

For some time, there have been efforts to develop plans to restore the Mesopotamian marshes and return the Ma'dan people to their ancestral homes. There are now two major projects to restore the Marshes. The first to start working was AMAR (Assisting Marsh Arabs and Refugees), which is helping the Ma'dan people to survive in the refugee camps in Iran, and has also done a considerable amount of research on the ecology and hydrology of the Marshes from the scientific literature. The second project, Eden Again, is a more recently initiated program sponsored by the Iraq Foundation and the U.S. Department of State to develop a viable plan to restore the Marshes. The Eden Again Project, led by project directors Dr. Azzam and Dr. Suzanne Alwash, and project manager Michelle Stevens, is developing a hydrological model to determine how much water will be needed to restore the marshlands, how to reintroduce the ecologically important springtime flood pulse, and how best to wash out accumulated salts and pollutants. Project members are also examining remote sensing data from satellite photos to define habitat types within the marshlands, and are compiling a list of focal plant and animal species that can serve as biological indicators of successful habitat restoration. Eden Again is also working with representatives of the Ma'dan people to find out what they need in order for them to eventually return to their homes in the Marshes. According to Dr. Stevens, the two projects, AMAR and Eden Again, have been working together to come up with a comprehensive plan to restore the Marshes. Whereas AMAR tends to emphasize human needs more strongly, Eden Again is more focused on restoring the environment of the Marshes. There is, however, considerable overlap between the efforts of the two projects, which gives both the potential to devise a truly comprehensive program to restore the Mesopotamian marshlands to their former splendor. [Iowa State University] http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mariposa/marshes.htm

March 26 2012 ...governmental infrastructure complicit in the growth of anti-muslim sentiment...?

Is the U.S. governmental infrastructure complicit in the growth of anti-muslim sentiment?  

An internal FBI investigation into its counter terrorism training has purged hundreds of bureau documents of instructional material about Muslims, some of which characterized them as prone to violence or terrorism. [wired.com] This spread of bias at the top of law enforcement cannot help but trickle down in the worst way.

New York City's Mayor ( M. Bloomberg)and its Police Commissioner (R.  Kelly) both defend the patently illegal spying on Mosques, Muslim Community and College groups, and individual Muslims in all walks of life without any other reason save that they are Muslim. [Huffington Post] This effectively plans the seeds of bias in the general population.

The difference in the speed of attention paid by federal law enforcement to the cases of Shaima Alawadi and Trayvon Martin emphasizes alack of concern about anti-Muslim violence. The former murder remains a local issue, while the latter has attracted Federal attention. Shaima's murder, as a hate crime requires, by the  1994 Federal law#103-322A, the same level of attention from the Feds.

The 50% increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes in 2011 alone [The Atlantic] would seem to indicate that the Feds, and New York City's self-appointed illegal spies, should focus a bit more on American terrorists who target Muslims.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 3 2012 Shaima Alawadi is not Trayvon Martin.

Shaima Alawadi is not Trayvon Martin, and the responses to their murders are not the same. Who is demonstrating against the terrorism that killed Shaima? Where are the Muslims and their supporters? Why aren't they in the streets insisting that the government pay more attention to anti-Muslim terrorism?

Is it too early to expect U.S. Muslims to follow the proscription to "promote good; forbid evil"? Promoting good is not passive. It calls for one to enter the public sphere and take part in the fight for justice for all. The price of silence is extraordinarily high.

Our government is spending inordinate amounts of money spying on Muslims because they are Muslims. How about a more focus on the terrorists who are actually killing Muslims?