Third Intifada: NONVIOLENT and with Words Sharper than a Two Edged Sword
On Tuesday November 7, 2006 I traveled to the village of Maghar in the Galilee, home to 18,000 inhabitants. 60% of the people are Druze. Christian and Muslim are evenly divided, although the Christian Exodus has increased since 2005 at an alarming rate.
One percent of Israeli society are Druze, which is an offshoot of Islam with secretive practices and meeting places. The Druze originated in Egypt in the 11th century and today they number about 70,000 in Israel. While the Druze had lived in peaceful community throughout the centuries with Christians in Israel, in February 2005 violence erupted.
Rumors had circulated that a Christian had posted a photograph of a Druze female on the Internet and as a result of the unverified rumors 3,000 Druze youth took to the streets and attacked, vandalized, burned and destroyed 120 houses and stores and 125 cars belonging to Christians.
Attorney Haytham Abdalla, Advocate for St. George Melkite [Greek Orthodox in communion with the Roman Catholic Church which has married priests] of Maghar stated, “No one was killed, but these youth were all armed. The Druze serve in the Israeli army in the West Bank and in Gaza. If we Christians would have resisted, they most likely would have shot us. After these youth serve in the army, they return home thinking they can do anything and they take their anger out on us Christians.
“For three days they terrorized us and the Israeli police did nothing but watch the destruction of our property. The big problem is the State of Israel does not protect the Christian, and they claim everything they do is for “Security.” One day after the attack the police did announce there never was such a photograph on the Internet. But the police never did anything to protect us or our property. They just watched it happen. We are like the first century Christians, we are attacked and have no support. That is Israeli state policy. An Israeli TV station did come here and shot video, but the police forbid them to air it for “security” reasons.
“Right after the attack the Israeli Minister of Education issued an order that Christians were not allowed to attend the public school in Maghar. The parents were too afraid to send them back there anyway, and now 90% of our children study in Canna or Nazareth. They all attend private schools which are expensive and the parents must transport their children. Only one of our youth attends the public school now because his family can not afford private school. Every day he is beaten and every time his father reports it to the Principal, he is told they will take care of the situation, but nothing ever changes. This young boy use to be very calm, but now he is angry all the time, always under pressure, always being beaten and the school system and the Israeli police do nothing.
“Fifteen years ago a policy was instituted by the Israeli government to get rid of all the Christian teachers from the public school system. There are 400 people who work with the Maghar city council, but only four are Christians. We Christians don’t belong to this village, it is like we are living in a hotel, we just sleep here.
“We Christians in the Holy Land are always on the losing side. We face discrimination from the State of Israel, from the Druze and even some Muslims. Everyone is against us! In Maghar most of the Muslims are neutral about us, and we are all afraid to join together because then the Israeli forces will shoot us all!
“We once were a vibrant Christian community, but now our church is the only church in a Druze neighborhood. Fifty years ago there were only Christians in this neighborhood, but they have left. My son is three and unless things change, when he is five we are leaving too.
“But, yet we have many volunteers who want to change the situation. We want to build a Christian school. We have room on the church property, what we lack is money and outside support. We look to you to tell our story.”
On May 14, 1948 The Declaration of the establishment of Israel affirmed:
“One the day of the termination of the British mandate and on the strength of the United Nations General Assembly declare The State of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel: it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion it will guarantee freedom of religion [and] conscience and will be faithful to the Charter of the United Nations.”
When Israel became a State it was contingent upon upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which Israel denies, ignores, defies and “Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law…
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world” [Preamble Universal Declaration of Human Rights]
May We the People of the world unite in International Solidarity and Rise Up/Intifada in nonviolent resistance and with words sharper than a two edged sword and demand Israel uphold the rule of law and what they agreed to.
There will never be peace nor security without JUSTICE and Human Rights for all because whenever there is “disregard and contempt for human rights [it has]resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind” [Ibid]
May We the People of the world unite in International Solidarity and demand Israel uphold ALL Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, specifically citing:
Article 1.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3.
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 8.
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
-Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages.
-Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
Article 30.
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.
I close my case with Article 19 and will NOT shut up, until the Mainstream Media-the Fourth Estate in the USA does it’s job. Until that happens civilian journalists/bloggers must Rise Up/Intifada and DO SOMETHING!
Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Eileen Fleming
http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/third-intifada-nonviolent-and-with-words-sharper-than-a-two-edged-sword-72783.html
Why Civil War is Second American Revolution?
No doubt that the real meaning of the Civil War is completely different from the one we are used to. Civil War is called the Second American Revolution by some great historians. The term “Second American Revolution” was first used by Charles and Mary Beard about seventy years ago when describing the American Civil War. Only after everything was settled about the reunion and reconciliation, after the construction of monuments were completed, after all the veterans were satisfied, when most of the emotions were dull the Civil War could have been viewed from another prospective, the logical prospective that could easily point out “that armed conflict had been only one phase of the cataclysm, a transitory phase; that at bottom the so-called Civil War, or the War between the States … was a social war, ending in the unquestioned establishment of a new power in the government, making vast changes in the arrangement of classes, in the accumulation and distribution of wealth, in the course of industrial development, and in the Constitution inherited from the Fathers.”
Over the years the term “Second American Revolution” has been viewed differently by different parties. The historians of the Civil War Era always had difficulties with accepting this term. In any case, Civil War greatly changed the sense of balance of political power between North and South and significantly speeded up the appearance of industrial capitalism in the post-war period. Most historians see the abolishing of slavery in the South as the revolutionary result of the war. Another point of view is from people that lived through the war, they saw their struggle as revolutionary. People that lived in the South called their revolt a revolution against the tyranny regime of the North. Northerners, on the contrary, viewed their conflict as a struggle to keep the union, which was formed as the result of revolution against England, together. However, both sides viewed that war as the continuation of their fight for freedom that started in 1776.
The prominent historians Beards were very precise as to what they called a “revolution.” In 1940 Louis Hacker briefly summed up what later became recognized as the Hacker-Beard Thesis: “The American Civil War turned out to be a revolution indeed. But its striking achievement was the triumph of industrial capitalism. The industrial capitalist, through their political spokesmen, the Republicans, had succeeded in capturing the state and using it as an instrument to strengthen their economic position. It was no accident, therefore, that while the war was waged on the field and through Negro emancipation, in Congress’ halls the victory was made secure by the passage of tariff, banking, public-land, railroad, and contract labor legislation.”
Some famous historians and James McPherson occasionally talk of Abraham Lincoln’s “Second American Revolution” (the title of one of McPherson’s books). They are absolutely correct to describe Lincoln as a revolutionary, however, the explanations they present to support this point of view are not fully complete. It is true that Lincoln led a revolution, but it was an anti-American revolution against nearly all the founding values of the country. It was a revolution against: free-market capitalism (Lincoln was a committed mercantilist); the principles of the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution; the system of states’ rights and federalism that was created by the founders; and the prohibitions against waging war on civilians embodied in the international law of the time as well as the canons of Western Christian civilization. Lincoln through all of his life never believed in equality of all races. He always viewed whites as the superior race. Maybe he wanted all races to be equal but not in the U.S. Lincoln is thought to save the union, however, it was only geographically, he destroyed it philosophically, and the union was not voluntary anymore. Lincoln eviscerated constitutional liberties in the North, which permanently weakened the constitutional protections of liberty for all Americans.
Despite all of the arguing of prominent historians, the fact continues to be revealed as the history moves up but at the same time it sort of steps back away in history. I think, it is an individual right for everyone to view the Civil War as the Second American Revolution or not. Each generation will reason and view this event differently, according to background and political views.
Jeff Stats
http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/why-civil-war-is-second-american-revolution-134384.html
America Was Founded Through Open Acts of Rebellion By All Different Sorts of Rebels. is Rebellion Necessary?
America was founded through open acts of rebellion by all different sorts of rebels.
Is rebellion necessary?
Throughout American nation has fought against oppression to gain freedom and independence. The one of the major forms of this struggle was rebellion. Taking into account historical development of American nation, causes and effects of rebellions it is evident that rebellion was a very effective way of open acts used by slaves and insurgents. The main purpose of the paper is to examine the role of rebellion in American history.
In general, the aim of rebellion was to . On the one hand, it helped to attract attention of masses to social problems such as injustice and oppression. For instance, Frederick Douglas depicts the “rebellion” of a person who strives for better days. Douglas described his experience as: “We were all in open rebellion, that morning. Caroline answered the command of her master to “take hold of me,” precisely as Bill had answered, but in her it was at greater peril so to answer” (Chpater 17).
Rebellion was necessary because it led to revolution (in some cases). Rebellion could be seen as a “training” of soldiers before serious and key actions. For instance, the slave rebellions in 1781 and 1830s prepared a firm ground for the Revolution. Rebellion was necessary because it demonstrated the act of human spirit and unity. Rebellion forced the government and insurgents to realize the consequences that took place if political changes havd not been made.
Rebellion was necessary because it showed a struggle for individual freedom which means much more than the absence of physical coercion. Every rebellion had a short term and long term goals which helped mutineers to reach their target. For instance, the rebellion depicted by Harriet Beecher Stowe in Uncle Tom’s Cabin had two objectives. On the one hand, slaves Tom, George, Eliza and Harry wanted to save their life and became free. On the other hand, this rebellion was a general movement of slaves who opposed oppression and tyranny. For instance, when Tom talks to Eva he expresses his vision of slavery and masters:
“They are robed in spotless white,
And conquering palms they bear.” (Chapter 22).
In this situation, the obligation of people to rebel coincided with their strategy to survive as a unity, on the one hand, and with that of defending its national identity on the other. Rebellion could not be explained through a private (personal) interest of people taking part in a battle because a soldier or a general means nothing as a subject, but becomes simply a tool of the battlefield.
A wave of rebellions in the nineteenth century helped American people to neutralize their enemy (the government) in order to protect their safety. Rebellions should be considered as a rational choice which included its aims, alternatives, consequences and choice. If American nation had taken such an action, it was based on the purposes to overcome oppression and created a set of new values and tasks.
It should be mentioned that alternative types of actions were possible, but without careful and strategic planning such actions would lead to numerous scarifies. Rebellions were necessary because they were concerned with the rule of national identity. They showed that something “wrong” with the society and demonstrated the necessity for improvements.
Desire of a nation to struggle as such did nothing, because only active operations led to rebellion. It was people who made claims or felt marginalized, and people who often disagreed, some¬times quite fundamentally, about how their identity should be interpreted or understood. For instance, in 1781 the rebellious states created a loose union under the Articles of Confederation, and at the end of the war in 1783, Britain recognized its former colonies as an independent nation.
Rebellion waas necessary because it drove the national idea and the knowledge not only of the monumental significance of the actions to be undertaken, but also the impact of a free democracy. For instance, Master Hugh in “My Bondage and My Freedom” says that: “knowledge unfits a child to be a slave.” I [Douglas] instinctively assented to the proposition; and from that moment I understood the direct pathway from slavery to freedom” (Douglas, Chapter 10). Rebellions could be seen as a school for those who did not know the rules of strategic tactics and planning. Like uneducated people, most rioters studied how “to read and write” the tactics of fight and struggle.
In the movie “Amistad”, Stephen Spielberg portrays a slave revolt of 1839 on the ship in the Caribbean and the trials to revolt on U.S. soil. This movie shows that people were
locked by whites who controlled them and suppressed. For this ship, rebellion was the only possible way to free themselves and their comrades. Rebellion was a kind of an obligation to fight and to protect their dignity and self-esteem.
For rioters, rebellion meant absence of restrictions and compulsions, and in correlation with the idea of will, it is the opportunity to act as would be desirable. On the other hand, the idea which would be likely to the American society was that the freedom was not an honor or award except in the case of honorary freedom. As Douglas says “Coming generations in this country will applaud the spirit of this much abused republican friend of freedom” (Douglas, Chapter 24). Rebellion was necessary because it opened freedom to all who were genuinely interested and met the criteria of a rioter. That was main principle on which rebellions were based in the United States.
Also, rebellion gave rise to a new national ideology held by most American revolutionaries. It was one in which they knew their sacrifices would be acknowledged and appreciated by future generations of Americans. There was also the knowledge that America would serve as an example to God and the rest of the world of what the advantages of a free society could be.
To many revolutionaries who had their own ideas about united nation rebellion was a necessity. It showed their strength and weaknesses, and it was absolutely a key to any further advancement towards their ultimate goal of freedom to enjoy personal liberties. Store writes: “since the legislative act of 1850, with perfect surprise and consternation, Christian and humane people actually recommending the remanding escaped fugitives into slavery, as a duty binding on good citizens” (Stowe, Chapter 35). The movie “Amistad” vividly portrays the necessity of rebellion of former slave Theodore Joadson who viewed the rioters as “freedom fighters” and called Africans “stolen goods” as they were kidnapped (Amistad, 1997).
It is possible to say that a revolution had result, positive or negative while rebellions were a part of revolutionary process, they represented continuous actions. On the other hand, rebellions did not always lead to a revolution. If the government compromised, there was no necessity to continue struggle which could lead to numerous death-roll.
Racial differences and oppression undoubtedly motivated people to acts of extreme violence against those whom they classify as “others.” Racial confrontations acting as an original cause of rebellion forced Americans to struggle. In many cases, fight for freedom and equal rights made use of racial differences. In this case, a necessity to rebel served as a causal explanation of it. Rebellion was a relational choice which allowed to start fighting and attract masses of people to rebel. It served like a signal for those who wanted to be free.
It is possible to conclude that rebellions in American history were a very important step towards freedom and independence. Rebellions prepared a ground for revolutions and became a single for unified popular uprising.
Produced by ProfEssays ( www.professays.com ) – professional custom essay writing service: custom essays, custom term papers, custom academic papers, custom admission essays, custom research papers, compositions, book reports, case study. No plagiarism, high quality, prompt delivery.
Andrew Sandon
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/america-was-founded-through-open-acts-of-rebellion-by-all-different-sorts-of-rebels–is-rebellion-necessary-74699.html
The Cutting Edge Alternative Medicine
Alternative medicine is termed as informal, supplementary, and complementary medicine. It is a lot different from conventional medical approaches and mainly prescribed instead of the regular treatments in allopathic field. The treatments, which are included in alternative medicine, are herbal medicine, homeopathy, Chinese, non-medical massage therapy, hypnosis, chelation therapy, acupuncture, tribal-traditional medicine, Christian Science, and ayurvedic.
Conventional allopathic doctors are preferred in any case of health problem for any person from their childhood. Though alternative medicine has gained popularity and gained trust by many people still confusion about its advantages and disadvantages are questioned.
However, these days there are various rigorous researches on alternative and complementary medicine are carried out and its efficiency is proved. There is a future in alternative medicine.
The usage of this type of method is done by two following methods:
Combinations of both are also in use. For. E.g. In addition to the conventional prescription medicine a nice Tai massage is proved to do wonders. The second method is the alternative approaches are used instead of conventional method. i.e. alternative method alone is prescribed for any treatment.
In Alternative medicine, there are few philosophies, which are observed. They are:
Body with little therapy and medicine can heal by itself. Always a product should enhance the bodies healing capacity. Prevention is better than cure. A general check up should always be done periodically to keep a check before anything goes wrong. Bodies responding capacity to any treatment is important then the treatment itself.
Few Alternative medicine complementary medicines are:
Mind and body technique: In this therapy combination of mind and body is the key. In alternative medicine harmony between mind and body are necessary to be fit. This connection method includes in prayer, hypnosis, yoga, biofeedback, meditation, relaxation therapies, music, dance etc.
Dietary supplements and herbs: In this treatment natural products are used. Herbs and dietary supplements like ginkgo, enchinacea, ginseng, same, glucosamine sulfate, selenium are prescribed in the form of oils, tea, powder, syrup, tablet and capsule. This method is in practice for almost thousand and above years.
Healing system: it is a combination of many therapy and practice/ remedy. It has its base revolving around the presence of healing energy in the body and the power of natural products used for curing. Healing system is the base in ayurveda, homeopathy, and naturopathy. Mostly countries like India, china, pacific, Asia, and Tibet follow this method of healing therapy.
Keith Londrie
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/the-cutting-edge-alternative-medicine-69085.html
A Request to be Kidnapped From Jerusalem
On the November 26, 2006 WAWA Blog, this reporter raised the question if Mordechai Vanunu’s Christian conversion could be the reason the Israeli government continues to hold him captive in Jerusalem, 2 1/2 years after he was released from 18 years in jail for telling the world the truth, that Israel had gone nuclear.
Reporter and full time CPT/Christian Peacemaker Teams volunteer, Jerry Levin, reported Vanunu’s answer in a December 3, 2006 email:
Jerry: “Do you see an element of persecution in all this governmental pressure?”
Unhesitatingly, Mordechai answered. “There is. It is my Christianity that they cannot accept. That is the source of my problems with my case.”
The rest of Jerry’s report follows, but first let me tell you a little about Jerry.
Jerry Levin, a secular Jew and CNN’s former Mid East Bureau Chief in the 1980′s was kidnapped by the Hizbuloh in Lebanon and held for nearly a year. Meanwhile, his wife Sis, a Christian had been praying and persistently working for his release. On Christmas Eve, Jerry had a mystical experience of Christ and shortly thereafter escaped unharmed.
Ever since, the couple have dedicated their ‘retirement’ years working for peace and pursuing justice in the Holy Land. Jerry’s book “My First Noel” about that event and his hard hitting expose “West Bank Diary” can be purchased through Hope Publishing House.
I met Jerry for the first time on the third Tuesday in June 2005, when he ‘shepherded’ me through Hebron. Hebron is where 450 Israeli settlers are protected by 3,000 Israeli Defense/Occupying Forces. I was nauSEOus the entire day for the oppression is visceral and the visuals reminded me of every photo and movie I had ever seen of the ghettos the Jews were forced into during the Holocaust. The settlers [who are are illegal colonists according to International law] spray painted “GAS THE ARABS” and Stars of David upon what had once been peaceful Palestinian homes.
A main street in Hebron where the colonists/settlers live on one side and Palestinians on the other is connected by a thick yet deeply sagging netting above ones head. Huge rocks, shovels, electronic equipment, furniture and all manner of debris have been flung onto it by the settlers with the hope that it will give way and hit a Palestinian on the head.
Jerry told me, “It gets cleaned out about every year or so. Come back in a few months and there will be more. The settlers just throw what ever they want onto the netting, they do what ever they want and get away with it. The CPT’s run interference by non-violent resistance, we get the children and woman to where they need to be going and back again. Sometimes the settlers curse and stone us all; it keeps it interesting.”
Now, for Jerry’s report:
(Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine December 3, 2006) A friend responding to my latest report on the trials of Mordechai Vanunu (See From The Inside Looking Out report-73, December 2, 2006: Mordechai Vanunu and the Perils of Speaking English) described his travails as a “pathetic little Kaka tale.” Down home in Alabama we have another way of describing those ordeals, You can’t win for losing.”
Take for instance his civil suit against the Israeli newspaper, Yediot Aharanot. It was launched while he was still in prison for revealing Israel’s secret atomic and hydrogen bomb making program through an article in the London Times.
“The newspaper published stories about me saying I was sending information out how to build bombs to the Hamas,” said a still incredulous Mordechai. “When I came out of prison the trial started.”
“We bring to testify the head of the Shabak [Ed: aka Shin Bet, the Secret Service, equivalent to the FBI in the United States]. He said that he received the information from his people and that he didn’t check it. And we proved that I don’t know any information about how to make bombs. But a year ago they win in the court.”
“How? Why?”
“The judge decided that the newspaper has the right to publish the story because it received it from the Shabak. Shabak is like the voice of god.”
“So you lost.”
“Big.”
“What do you mean, “big?”
“Well, if newspapers publish lies about me, you would think I have the right to receive compensation from the newspapers and they would be denied to publish more lies. But the judge decided, no, I should pay Yediot Aharanot $10,000.00. How can a newspaper be damaged by publishing such stories about me? So we are appealing this decision.
The hearing could be soon.”
Turning to the criminal charges against him for speaking to foreign journalists, I asked if his defense intends to call any more witnesses beyond the army general who signed the orders restricting his freedom of movement and speech.
“Yes, Peter Hounam, the reporter who in 1986 wrote the story I give the London Times about Israel’s nuclear bomb program. They have charged me that when I was released from prison in 2005, he was involved in a big interview which I gave to the BBC. But the allegation is not true because the interview was done by an Israeli journalist. But they deported him anyway. So we are negotiating about this,”
“About what?”
“Well, he has accepted to come, but the government wants to complicate the case by insisting to decide that they can refuse to let him come back. So they are saying he must have the same restrictions on him that they put on me. But he says that if they confine him to a hotel he will not come.”
“So what is being negotiated?”
“We accept not to bring him, if the government cancels this charge about the BBC interview. If they don’t take it out, we will bring him.”
“Do you see an element of persecution in all this governmental pressure?”
Unhesitatingly, Mordechai answered. “There is. It is my Christianity that they cannot accept. That is the source of my problems with my case.”
“All?”
“Yes, because even if they understand they need to make justice with me and let me go and let me speak, they have a problem with their people. What to do about a Christian man who was born a Jewish man who became a Christian and who received respect from all over the world. They don’t want this man to be receiving a good image especially with the young Israeli generation. So that is the first point.
“The second point is, because Israel is a Jewish State, the government believes they have the right to have the bomb. But I am coming and saying they don’t need to have the bomb. They need to make peace. And that is another source of the problem for them. But even with that I don’t understand why they are persecuting me. What are they afraid from?”
“But they say they know what they are afraid from. They say you have more secrets.”
“But they know that this is blah, blah, blah, because my secrets are twenty years old. All this nuclear weapons has continued to develop and all what I had was published twenty years ago. There is nothing new from me. And now North Korea has built the bomb. Iran is going to build the bomb. So what information can I contribute when it is twenty years old? Israel should let me go. They have had their revenge. Even killers murders in Israel are released after fifteen years, seventeen years. They let them go. Run away do what ever they want.”
“Are you hopeful?”
“I have my scenario that includes the hope that Israelis are also human beings and that one day they will wake up because they must wake up and become normal society. Because there still is danger that what they saw in the past one hundred fifty years, all those extreme nationalists, dictators, right wings that brought tyranny to Italy, Spain, Germany, South Africa, Russia all of them collapsed because they were not normal society. Their people woke up because they wanted normal society. But here we don’t have normal society. Here is Jewish religion society and even liberals here are speaking like they are dictators.
“Israel is not like the United States. People came from Europe to build new society in the name of freedom, liberty for all the human beings. But they didn’t respect the Indians in the beginning and the blacks. But then one day they woke up and start giving them rights. That is what normal society does. But here it is not normal society. It is about religion. So my scenario is when the Israel people who want normal society wake up it will be a total disaster for the Jewish state.”
“Supposing five years from now when I’m eighty and you are fifty-five, we are still here talking about your situation; we are talking about how every year the government renews the restrictions and the courts agree; and we are talking about your scenario that has stayed just a dream?”
“I hope when you are eighty I will meet you in Washington DC. But for that to be we need to do some extraordinary acts to get out from here.
“What kind of extraordinary acts?”
“I can tell you this way. Israel kidnapped me from Rome in 1986 and put me in prison. So I’m calling to the CIA and to all the world to kidnap me from Israel.”
“Kidnap you?”
“Yes, if some one or any organization will help me to try to get out from here. I will do it. And the Israelis know it very well. I am ready to leave the country in any way.”
“Even being spirited out?”
“Yes, because I am not allowed to go to foreign embassies where I can ask for asylum. That’s why they watch me, because they don’t want me to get out from here.”
“You want the CIA, special forces, whatever to do a reverse Entebbe?”
“Yes,” he said with a big grin, “the Marines. But I don’t think your military your defense establishment like me. Otherwise they would have helped me long ago. But the real government of the United States is the Pentagon. That is the power behind Israel. They give Israel two billion dollars and military power in support. And so those military maybe don’t like me because I am speaking against nuclear weapons and I am speaking for peace. So they are worried.”
“What you want to do is dangerous.”
“Yes. But you have done it. So I will be happy for anyone to take me out from this prison.”
When Israel became a state in 1948, it was contingent upon the upholding of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief…Article 18.
Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state…Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own…Article 13, 1-2
Eileen Fleming
http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/a-request-to-be-kidnapped-from-jerusalem-79518.html
Christopher Hitchens – The Tyranny of a Callous God
This panel was part of the Christian Book Expo of 2009. Here, Hitchens gives one of his signature rants against the Judeo-Christian god. This is Hitchens at his best. Be sure to watch the entire video.
I hope to upload many more videos related to atheism. So if you enjoyed this one, please subscribe!
Duration : 0:6:54
When did the tyranny of the minority become the problem of the majority?
The libs have made a cottage industry of the "Tyrrany of the Minority" to control socieity…
Is this nothing more than cultural Marxism?
Appeasers, apologists, criticizers, and chickenshitz. Spineless players in the most formative American justice system,
The playground justice system.
These were the kids that would say or do anything to avoid a confrontation or a fight. The future libs. Anyone threatening their safe existence, usually a bully, had their ass kissed by the future libs. When a bully was confronted, exposed, and/or had his ass handed to him, our future libs could let out a sigh of relief and/or change the panties. Then a strange thing would happen. After the initial celebration and admiration of the hero they would completely forget the event and soon turn on the hero out of jealousy or they knew the courage of our hero only illuminated their cowardice.
Fast forward to today and plug in the bully minorities that play to the liberal cowards.
muslim extremists; it wasn’t long before 9/11 was forgotten and old ladies were cavity searched and the ones that resembled terrorists walked the red carpet
illegal aliens; "who picks your lettuce?" the libs would say. Who sells drugs to your children?
I would say
African Americans; reparations for racism and slavery. Equal opportunity!
Hello, no slave owner or slave is alive from that sad period of history, hundreds of thousands of Americans paid with their life to free slaves and equal has taken on a whole new meaning . It has produced nothing but reverse racism.
The libs are afraid of getting their ass kicked by these groups even though the majority of these groups disdain libs except for the money they can can shake them down for. The muslims would kill the libs first because it is the immorality and depravity of the west that started this in the first place and they want to protect their children from it.
Most illegals and African Americans are of Christian influence and family orientated. Their families do not include two mommies or daddies. Believe it. But they’ll take the money from your sorry asses.
We Can Begin the World Again
Jerusalem-On June 26, 2006 this reporter attended a world wide satellite linked Interfaith Peace Conference at Jerusalem’s Notre Dame Cathedral. Dan Rather moderated from Washington DC and the Holy Land interfaith panel were all moderates attempting to reclaim the battlefield of ideas from extremists on both sides.
Rev. Theodore Hessburgh, President Emeritus University of Notre Dame began the evening with a pledge and a summons: “The Peace of the world begins in Jerusalem.”
Dr. Tsvia Walden, Board of Director of the Peres Center and Geneva Initiative stated, “There is a need for a third party in the negotiations that could enable both sides to trust each other. There are more people in this region interested in making concessions, they all want peace so desperately.”
The Coordinator of World Bank emergency services to the Palastinian Authority, Rania Kharma commented, “We all need to be the bridges to our leaders that justice, equality, and human rights will bring peace. Give people justice and they will reward you with peace.”
Sheik Imad Falouiji warned, “Religions must go back to their origins. God commands us to love each other and live together. This Holy Land was given to all people. This land is on fire. There is an occupation that musty be removed. The language of peace cannot succeed without justice for all.”
President Bush in his second inaugural address promised, “In the long run, there is no justice without freedom, and there can be no human rights without liberty…. All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand or liberty we will stand with you.”
The Rt. Rev. Bishop Riah Abu Assal affirmed, “Peace is an act. Blessed are the peacemakers not the peace talkers. Peace is possible in the Holy Land. The root cause for the lack of peace since 1967 is the occupation. For peace to make progress in the Middle East we need to deal with the root cause…Religion was not meant to bring death. All those involved in searching for peace should commit themselves to work for justice and truth.”
On November 1, 2006, Jeff Halper, American Israeli, Founder and Coordinator of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions/ICAHD and a 2006 Noble Peace Prize nominee informed this reporter:
“It has been said that the Israeli’s do not love this land, they just want to possess it. There have been three stages to make this occupation permanent. The first was to establish the facts on the ground; the settlements. There are a quater of a million Israeli’s and four million Palestinians here. They have been forced into bantusan; trunkated mini states; prison states. It is apartheid and Bush and Hillary are both willing collaborators. In 1977, Sharon came in with a mandate, money and resources to make the Israeli presence in the West Bank irreversible. The second stage began in April 2004 when America approved the Apartheid/Convergence/Realignment Plan and eight settlement blocs. This is just like South Africa!
“The Bush Sharon letter exchange guaranteed that the USA considers the settlements non-negotiable. The Convergence Plan and The Wall create the borders and that is what defines bantusans. Congress ratified the Bush plan and only Senator Byrd of West Virginia voted no and nine House Representatives.”
With the turnover in Congress the words of Tom Paine come to mind, for in solidarity “we have it in our power to begin the world again.”
The gospel of Jesus Christ can become relevant in the 21st century if all who claim to be Christian’s follow his philosophy. Thomas Jefferson weeded out the miracle stories from the gospels and clarified the teachings of Christ in “The Jefferson Bible: The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth” which clarify what Christ was really all about:
To be just and justice comes from virtue which comes from the heart. To treat people the way we want to be treated. To always work for PEACEFUL resolutions, even to the point of returning violence with COMPASSION. To not judge others and bear no grudges, and those who think they know the most are the most ignorant.
“Soon after I had published the pamphlet “Common Sense” [on Feb. 14, 1776] in America, I saw the exceeding probability that a revolution in the system of government would be followed by a revolution in the system of religion. The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.”-Tom Paine
Christ’s other name is “The Prince of Peace” and he walked and preached the good news that God is within all people. To truly follow Christ means one will rise up, [in Arabic the word is "intifada"] for the oppressed, the outcast, the widow, the orphan, the poor, the prisoner and refugees. Christ taught that we are to pursue justice, and justice is the only way to security and peace.
The Christian population of the Holy Land has decreased from 20% of the total population to less than 1.3% since 1948. 90% of Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land never even meet any Palestinian Christians; thus they are known as The Forgotten Faithful.
Prior to 1948, 70% of West Jerusalem was Palestinian. From ’48 to ’67, Jerusalem was divided into Israeli West Jerusalem and Palestinian East under Jordan’s control. When Israel captured and occupied the West Bank in 1967, the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem were also redefined. Israel annexed the greater Jerusalem area but did not ‘adopt’ the Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem as Israeli citizens.
Today, Palestinians living in Jerusalem are classified differently from those in the West Bank. They are called permanent residents, they can vote in local elections but not in Israeli national elections. Most do not bother to vote as a statement against the occupation.
Today, West Jerusalem in nearly 100% Jewish. The Palestinians in East Jerusalem pay the same taxes as those on the West side, but receive only 8% of the total municipal budget. Orthodox Jews pay no taxes. Palestinians make up 1/3 of the total Jerusalem population, but pay over 40% of the taxes. One is immediately aware when one walks from the East to the West that one is truly in two different worlds. On the West side of town there are many parks, the roads and streets are well maintained and sanitation pick up is predictable. Twenty-six of the thirty-one City Council members of Jerusalem are Orthodox Jews. The East side of Jerusalem resembles the lower east side of New York.
While the Israeli government considers Jerusalem the capitol of Israel no foreign country does. There are no international embassies in Jerusalem, except for a fundamentalist International Christian Zionist one.
The Wall that was begun after the Second Intifada/Rise Up, has expanded the municipal boundaries established in 1967 and the Israeli settlements/colonies are growing unabated.
According to International Law all the settlements are illegal and the world is silent. In the 1930′s Ben Gurion said that the settlements will define the boundaries of Israel.
In 1973, Ariel Sharon told Winston Churchill III, “We’ll make a pastrami sandwich of them. We’ll insert a strip of Jewish settlement, in between the Palestinians, then another strip of Jewish settlement, right across the West Bank, so that in 25 years time, neither the United Nations, nor the United States, nobody, will be able to tear it apart.”
But all things are possible and miracles do occur.
God has always spoken through Jewish prophets and Jeff Halper is one. On November 1, 2006 he informed this reporter, “Israel has set up a matrix of control; a thick web of settlements guaranteed to make the occupation permanent by establishing facts on the ground. Israel denies there is an occupation, so everything is reduced to terrorism. It is our job to insist upon the human rights issue, for occupied people have International Law on their side.”
While International Law guarantees the rights of the occupied to rise up with violence against their occupiers. But, prophetic organizations such as ICAHD, Anarchist’s Against the Wall, International Solidarity Movement and Sabeel all promote Creative Nonviolence.
Jeff stated, “When Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan, the East side was 6 sq. km. Since 1967, Israel has added 64 km. The West side was 38 sq. km until ’67 and is now 108 sq. km’s. Israel plans to develop 17 settlements. Israeli policy is to maintain a 72% Jewish and 28% Arab population. Palestinians cannot get building permits to build upon their legally owned land. The Arab land has been re-zoned as green space, and the green space will be re-zoned for the settlements.
“Every single Palestinian home in Jerusalem has a demolition order. The entire West Bank has been zoned as agricultural land by Israel, and that will also be re-zoned again for more settlements.
“It has been said that the Israeli’s do not love this land, they just want to possess it. There have been three stages to make this occupation permanent. The first was to establish the facts on the ground; the settlements. There are a quater of a million Israeli’s and four million Palestinians here. They have been forced into bantusans; trunkated mini states; prison states. It is apartheid and Bush and Hillary are both willing collaborators. In 1977, Sharon came in with a mandate, money and resources to make the Israeli presence in the West Bank irreversible. The second stage began in April 2004 when America approved the Apartheid/Convergence/Realignment Plan and eight settlement blocs. This is just like South Africa! The Bush Sharon letter exchange guaranteed that the USA considers the settlements non-negotiable. The Convergence Plan and The Wall create the borders and that is what defines bantusans.Congress ratified the Bush plan and only Senator Byrd of West Virginia voted no and nine House Representatives.”
Orwellian doublespeak has also been employed in the USA to turn the illegal colonies into “neighborhoods”. A new highway has already begun to link all the settlements. The Eastern Ring Road will have bridges for Israelis but is just another wall against the Palestinians. The settlements-and all settlements are considered illegal under international law- will ring around the Old City of Jerusalem.
Jeff concluded with, “I don’t just have a political problem with this Judiaization of the Old City, it is ecologically and environmentally offensive.”
I add it also is spiritually impoverished. The raping and pillaging of what is claimed holy ground refutes and denies the biblical meaning of dominion. The ancients understood dominion meant to nurture, love and protect and the destruction of Palestinian homes, the stealing of their legal property, their water is an abomination.
On May 14, 1948 The Declaration of the establishment of Israel stated:
“One the day of the termination of the British mandate and on the strength of the United Nations General Assembly declare The State of Israel will be based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel: it will ensure complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion it will guarantee freedom of religion [and] conscience and will be faithful to the Charter of the United Nations.”
“What does God require? He has already told you o’man! Be just, be merciful and humble.”-Micah 6:8
“The greatest menace to freedom is an inert people.”-Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis
The “fierce urgency of now”-Rev. MLK, Jr should compel we the people of the United States to rise up and demand Congress hold President Bush to the promise in his Second Inaugural Address:
“In the long run, there is no justice without FREEDOM. There can be no human rights without LIBERTY. All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know the United States will not ignore your oppression or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for liberty, we stand with you.”
The “war on terror” must be fought at the root and all roads lead to Jerusalem.
Eileen Fleming
http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/we-can-begin-the-world-again-76476.html
Globalization: an Islamic Perspective
This paper investigates from an Islamic perspective the consequences of globalization in general. To specify my argument in accordance with my understanding of Islam, I would strive to argue that globalization might be very harmful before society reaches maturity but very useful after that. Allow me a brief prefatory note about my methodology in this essay: in the first part, I provide many specifics about how Islamic texts and sources view the human being as God’s creation and his ultimate goal in the world. In the second part, after a brief definition of globalization, I apply the analytic method employed in the conventional literature of economics to show why the market mechanism fails to satisfy equality and eradicate poverty in the globalization era. Finally, I try to explain how a free but virtuous, mature society can satisfy equality throughout the world in this era. Obviously, my argument relates, to some extent, to normative aspect of economics. However, it does not follow the ideological methodology at all.
Let me begin by elaborating briefly on the ultimate goal of man’s creation in Islam, since this is so essential to understanding my argument.
The Human Being as God’s Creation
From monotheism, the pivotal pillar of the Islamic worldview, we can conclude that the universe is the best and perfect manifestation of God’s beautiful names and that there is no better alternative system to govern the universe. Indeed, this principle refers to the conception of creation. That is, God is like a secret treasure, so He creates and expands the universe not only to give a clue to His throne but also to reveal His beauty and His brilliance. Some facets of His attributes such as His majesty may manifest themselves in a deterministic environment such as with galaxies and other physical phenomena. There are, however, other facets of His characteristics such as His wisdom and His mercifulness that are impossible to manifest themselves except in indeterministic form.
There seem to be many common elements in the explanation of the philosophy of man’s creation in all Abrahamic religions of which Islam is believed to be a sequel and culmination. By investigating the quality of Adam’s creation, which stands as the symbol of human being in the Quran, we can infer the kind of status he occupies in the sight of God in Islam, as well as in other religions.
In the beginning the Lord addresses all the angels[1]that He wants to create a viceroy[2] on earth. This position will be held by man. The angels object to Him and say that He wants to create a vengeful and vindictive creature to commit crime and bloodshed on earth again! But God responds that He knows something they do not know. And so, God became engaged in creating man. And this is the point which symbols, loaded with profound anthropological connotations, come into being.
From a faithful Muslim point of view, God is the greatest and most exalted. Thus, with this providential address the mission of man on earth is clarified. That is, man’s mission on earth is to fulfill God’s creative work in the universe. Therefore, man’s first superiority is that he represents God on earth.
Since God wants to create a viceroy for Himself on earth, He must, as a rule, choose the most valuable and sacred material. Yet He selects the basest matter. In the Quran there are three references relative to the material that man was made of: from sounding clay[3], like unto pottery[4], and from mud[5]. Finally, the Lord blew His spirit into the dry mud and man came into being.
In the human tongue, God is the most sacred and exalted being so the spirit of God refers to the most exalted, and the noblest manifestation of His being, while mud stands as a symbol of the meanest and the basest thing. Accordingly, He blew His own Soul, not something else like His breath, blood, or flesh, into man in its creating process. God is the most sublime being and His spirit is the finest entity for which man can possibly have an epithet in his language.
Thus, man who was formed from mud and God’s spirit is a two- dimensional being. For unlike all other beings which are one dimensional, man is two-dimensional; one dimension tends towards mud, lowliness, sedimentation, and stagnation while the other aspires to the loftiest imaginable point possible. Thus man’s significance and grandeur lie in the fact that he possesses two poles: mud and the spirit of the Lord. It is up to man to choose where to go, towards mud or providence. And as long as he has not selected either of the poles as his fate, struggle will perpetually rage within him.
Another surprising point in man’s creation in the Quran is that God calls upon the whole universe that He has a trust to offer it, but everything refuses to accept this offer except man[6]. This is indicative of the fact that man possesses another virtue; that is, his acceptance of a trust that everyone else refused. This means that man is a representative of God in the universe as well as His trustee. As to what the trust is, Islamic scholars mention many things. Some of them such as Mawlavi and Shariati[7], believe that it is will and choice. I agree with that, however, it means much more than that. It means that man has adopted a great responsibility to personify all His beautiful names; individually and collectively. Of course, such responsibility requires the ability of will and choice.
Shariati (1981) says that the only superiority that man has over all other beings in the universe is his will. He is the only being that can act contrary to his nature, while no animal or plant is capable of doing so. It is impossible to find an animal which can fast for two days. And no plant has ever committed suicide due to grief or has done a great service. Man is the only one who rebels against his physical, spiritual, and material needs, and turns his back against goodness and virtue. Further, he is free to behave irrationally, to be bad or good, and to be mud-like or divine. The point is that possession of will is the greatest characteristic of man and it throws light upon the relationship between man and God.
Man is a viceroy of God on earth as well as His trustee among the universe, and the spirit of both quenches their thirst from the same fountain of virtue: possession of will. God, the only being in the universe, who possesses an absolute will and can do whatever He wishes, blew His spirit in man. Hence, man is capable of working like God (not on par with Him, only as an image of God), or acting against the physiological laws of his own nature. Therefore, as in the Old Testament[8], He has created mankind as a potentially perfect image of Himself. Obviously, this perfect image goes beyond the interpretation that some distinguished scholars have given it[9]. It shows that all God’s beautiful names may manifest themselves with man and human society. Consequently, it requires the ability to mastery and rule over the universe.
Two kinds of rationality
As mentioned above, according to my Islamic understanding, man is a two-dimensional being. During his spiritual evolution, he should pass from being mud-like to approaching God-like. In other words, God has invited him to pass through an important reference point, maturity[10]. Thus, we can imagine that he has two distinct parts of his life: an individualistic, selfish period (before maturity of society, when the real love is not the dominant flow in the society); and a God-like, selfless period (after maturity of society). Clearly, each specific period requires a certain and separate corresponding rationality. The rationality[11] discussed in the conventional literature of economics, which is based on a low-level self-interest, only corresponds with the period of childhood. Mainstream economics, based on Adam Smith’s invisible hand and the market mechanism, quenches its thirst from this fountain of rationality. In the next part, I will explain how the market mechanism increases the gap between poor and rich countries as well as the gap between poor and rich classes. That is, the more international trade and the more integration of financial markets, the more market failure and more divergent economies! However, when society evolves from selfishness and being mud-like to altruism and being God-like, this rationality will not be effective at all and will collapse instantaneously. The alternative and mature rationality creates a special dynamism for the economy which is very powerful and without any failures. The driving force of this rationality is still self-interest, but a high-level one rooted in being God-like.
I would like to refer to one verse of the Quran, which clearly argues that the individual desires derived from a low-level self-interest lead to harm and corruption[12]: “Corruption doth appear on land and sea because of which men’s hands have done, that He may make them taste a part of that which they have done, in order that they may return.” We may deduce this corruption is only a part of the consequences of what man has done as a result of his selfishness, and that there might many other bad consequences washed clean by God’s forgiveness. In other words, the invisible hand in an immature society not only is not able to optimize social benefits, but also it creates a great deal of harm and corruption that surpasses our imaginations. However, most of this corruption will be removed by the mechanism provided in the universe by God. The remaining corruption serves to warn the people and deter them from being selfish.
Due to self-interest maximization in immature society, we may also observe clearly many, many problems such as global warming and environmental destruction which will definitely jeopardize future life, while the market mechanism and its price signals fail to reduce these consequences, much less to motivate sustainable development.
Globalization and the issue of equality
In this part of my essay, I would like to show why globalization in the context of low-level self-interest motivation and based on the market mechanism may not lead to equality. Instead, it is biased to developed countries where there is located a complex of various industries and the benefit of economies of agglomeration can be utilized. To do this, it is necessary to have a brief definition of globalization first.
The definition of globalization
As globalization is a multi-layer concept and it has become a buzzword in recent years, globalization has already been defined in many ways. I, in some extend, agree with what Thomas L. Friedman defines globalization. He says: “it is the inexorable integration of market, nation-states and technologies to a degree never witnessed before- in a way that it is enabling individuals, corporations, and nation states to reach around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before, and in a way that it is enabling the world to reach into individuals, corporations, and nation states farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before” (Friedman 2000, 9). He says: globalization “also has one overarching feature- integration. The world has become an increasingly interwoven place, and today, whether you are a company or a country, your threats and opportunities increasingly derive from who you are connected to. This globalization system is also characterized by a single word: the Web”(ibid, 8). This system is a dynamic ongoing process, with a driving idea of free-market capitalism, and “its own dominant culture” involving “the spread of Americanization” (ibid, 9). It has its own defining technologies, and is measured by its speed, “speed of commerce, travel, communication and innovation” (ibid, 10). He suggests that “globalization is not simply a trend or a fad but is, rather, an international system. It is the system that has now replaced the old Cold War system, and, like that Cold War system, globalization has its own rules and logic that today directly or indirectly influence the politics, environment, geopolitics and economics of virtually every country in the world” (ibid, IX).
What I want to focus on is strictly the economic layer of globalization. In my view, economic globalization refers to a completely different process of internationalization. Although in internationalization the cross-border relations between countries will increase, the nation-state institution will play the main role in the economies, they can still make economic policies and decisions. Economic globalization, however, refers to the process of removing government-imposed restrictions on movements between countries in order to create an “open”, “borderless” world economy’ (Scholte 2000: 16) so that the nation-state institution will be eradicated and no longer play no role in economy. Instead, the Transnational Companies (TNCs) will be the main players in the economy. More technically speaking, the nation’s Production Possibility Frontier (PPF) makes nonsense in the literature and there is only the worlds PPF and TNCs follow fragmentization policy in their production and distribution which is definitely alien from conventional international trade and international finance.
The Inevitability of Asymmetry in Globalization
According to mainstream economics, policies of openness through liberalization of trade and investment regimes, and capital movements have been advocated worldwide for their growth and welfare enhancing effects on the basis of the propositions embedded in the well-known economic theories of international trade and investment (i.e. the Ricardian comparative advantage theory, the Heckscher-Ohlin-Samuelson (HOS) model, the new trade theories of Krugman, or the model of intertemporal international borrowing/lending or portfolio allocation models). In these models, the main goal of openness is assumed to increase social welfare through: (i) static efficiency gains associated with improved resource allocation for national economies as well as for the world economy due to increased specialization; (ii) dynamic efficiency gains from such factors as economies of scale, diffusion of information, technology transfers, knowledge spillover effects as well as intertemporal trade gains from cross-border borrowing/lending for increased investment and consumption smoothing and portfolio risk diversification.
Convergence in accordance with international trade theories is still a serious dilemma. That is, there is no doubt that the level of social surplus will increase totally after free trade or integration of financial markets. However, there is a lasting concern regarding how these gains are distributed between trade partners; are they biased toward developed countries or at least unbiased. Mainstream economics’ theories including static and dynamic insist that international trade will reduce the per capita income gap amongst the open countries. For instance, one of the main theorems that derived from the static model of HOS Theory, implies that when the prices of the output goods are equalized between countries as they move to free trade, then the rewards of the factors (capital and labor for instance) will also be equalized between countries. Therefore we should expect that the increase of free trade due to globalization will reduce the North-South per capita income gap. The dynamic version of this model also suggests a convergent per-capita income trend between north and south countries.
To explain cross-country differences in economic performance, Matsuyama (1996) employs symmetry-breaking methodology. Symmetry-breaking creates asymmetric outcomes in the symmetric environment. It is the key concept for understanding self-organized (a.k.a. endogenous) pattern formations[13].
As a key answer to the increasing gap between North and South countries in the level of cross-country differences as well as the increasing gap between poor and rich classes inside the countries, Matsuyama (2005), rejects coordination failures as the key notion to understand these questions. Instead, he argues that such emphasis is misplaced; the key to understanding the diversity is symmetry-breaking. The notion of coordination failures is not only irrelevant but also misleading when thinking about diversity.
Quoting Matsuyama’s (1996) explanation briefly, it will be shown how globalization can be considered as an endogenous (or a self-organized) factor to create the inequalities.
He offers a model of the world economy, where many (inherently) identical countries trade with one another. It is shown that cross-country differences in the standard of living and in income appear as a stable outcome of international trade. According to his model, the coexistence of rich and poor countries is not just a possibility. It is an inevitable aspect of the world trading system. Although his model adopts many assumptions for the sake of simplification and concreteness, the logic behind the result is fairly general and can be understood intuitively.
Imagine that there is a list of goods that need to be consumed. Furthermore, there are some agglomeration economies in the production of each of these goods. In the absence of international trade, these goods must all be produced in each country. Without any innate difference across countries, each country produces these goods in the same amount, and there is no cross-country difference.
Now introduce the possibility of international trade in these goods. As different countries start acquiring comparative advantage in different goods, the production of each good concentrates into some countries, which leads to an emergence of a system of international division of labor. The stable cross-country difference appears as a result of ‘‘symmetry-breaking’’ in the world economy, caused by international trade. Some countries become rich if they are lucky enough to acquire comparative advantage in goods associated with large agglomeration economies, while other countries, those which happen to acquire comparative advantage in goods with small agglomeration economies, become poor. They fail to achieve a necessary coordination to reach a Pareto-superior equilibrium and find themselves in a Pareto-inferior equilibrium. The problems thus seem just a matter of coordination failures. The global perspective, however, offers a different view. The international division of labor requires different countries to take charge of producing different tradable goods with differing degrees of agglomeration economies. International trade thus creates a kind of ‘‘pecking order’’ among nations. Not all countries can be rich: some countries must be excluded from being rich, just as in a game of musical chairs[14]. At the same time, the model does not rule out the possibility that some (but not all) countries might succeed in overcoming the coordination failures, and becoming rich. This feature of the model makes it possible to talk about the effects of such an ‘‘economic miracle’’ in the world economy.
Since the economies of agglomeration requires the diversity of industries which produce intermediates available in the marketplace, we can conclude that only those countries which have already bypassed the threshold of diversity have a chance to be industrialized and reach to a Pareto-superior equilibrium. Hence, this shows how the phenomena of economies of agglomeration cause a symmetry-breaking to separate the otherwise identical regions into the manufacturing belt and the agricultural hinterland.
Globalization in Mature Society
To explain how globalization in mature society accomplishes beneficial goals, first we have to take into account the two following challenges:
1. The problem of static market failure: This problem arises mainly because of externalities (including public goods, pollution and common pool resources), transaction cost, asymmetric information (such as incomplete markets[15], moral hazards and adverse selection), as well as organization failures. The most common response to a market failure in the literature of the public sector is to use the government to produce certain goods and services. However, government intervention may cause non-market failure. Besides, as mentioned above, globalization causes nation-state eradication so there will be no effective government in such an era. Furthermore, I can hardly believe that international institutions are able to fulfill this responsibility, even if they were independent from the USA.
2. The problem of dynamic market failure: As Matsuyama showed accurately, international trade creates a specific chaos in the symmetric environment so that the operations of markets normally lead to increasing inequality across the countries over time. Likewise, inequality across inherently identical households is caused endogenously by symmetry-breaking. Matsuyama (2004) explains how the class structure is an inevitable feature of capitalism. Even if every household starts with the same amount of wealth, the society will experience “symmetry-breaking,” and will be polarized into the two classes in steady state, where the rich maintain a high level of wealth partly due to the presence of the poor, who have no choice but to work for the rich at a wage rate strictly lower than the “fair” value of labor. Hence, in the capitalistic context we may consider these increasing gaps –whether between countries or inside countries – as an indication of market failure in a dynamic version.
It is now necessary to show how mature society, using a different rationality, may bypass these challenges. This rationality formally is very similar to the conventional one. It is, however, very different in content. I would like to refer to a few verses of Quran related to this subject. God says: “Man has been created restless, so he panics whenever any evil touches him, and withdraws when some good touches him; except for the prayerful who are constant at their prayers and whose wealth comprises an acknowledged responsibility towards the beggar and the destitute; and the ones who accept the Day for Repayment.” These verses show sufficiently that the rationality that guides immature people is definitely different than that which guides mature people, although they benefit from the same potential characteristics. The main distinction between mature and immature is that the mature direct these potentials toward a transcendental personality which is beyond selfishness. They are concerned with all human beings’ needs in all generations rather than their own selves individually or at most their families.
It is very appropriate to ask about the driving motivation in this society. Of course, conventional self-interest cannot motivate people efficiently to be concerned about others. It is extremely in need of a stronger motivation based on an exalted worldview. This worldview should consist of specific beliefs that grant the greatest reward to the doer when he considers all people of all generations altruistically. As I understand, the mature society may not be blind and aimless. Society can achieve this reference point of maturity only when the true beliefs such as the belief in oneness of God, the Day of Judgment, Justice drive it entirely. Passing this reference point is a necessary condition, but divine love, which requires perfection in selflessness, is the sufficient condition for the maturity. In general speaking, love when it appears, has no room but for itself and the lover thinks of no one except the beloved. In other words, selfishness destroys love and it can never be considered as co-existent of love. Nonetheless, worldly love is too weak and ineffective to last and motivate society toward its transcendental goals. In contrast, divine love is quite sustainable and powerful. Since nature is the realms where God’s beautiful names are exhibited, divine love implies, in turn, love of the entire world and the whole creation particularly human beings, the most comprehensive fruit of existence. Therefore, love is at the core of the concept of mature rationality and creates a specific invisible hand to satisfy social benefits including prosperity and equality for all regions and all generations.
Now, allow me to explain how globalization might be useful in a mature world society. As mentioned above, a mature society is a society where all God’s beautiful names have flourished. Therefore, as God provides mercifully all necessary requirements for all creatures, in such a society, each person possesses a certain portion of natural resources consistent with his area of interest. All initial endowments are redistributed by lump sum among the people so technically speaking, all individuals move to the central points of Edgeworth’s box. All members subject to all generations’ benefits do their best to produce more and more creatively because they are His representatives. According to symmetry-breaking methodology, there is still some potential of asymmetry. However, people will share their incomes voluntarily to produce public goods and to reduce the existent gap.
The communist system is as far away as the capitalistic system from the system based on love. The lack of motivation in people’s activities as well as the inefficiency of government –especially when the size of society grows enough- are the essential issues in communism while there is no concern about them in mature society. It is because the people are mature enough to understand that more being active means being closer to God. Besides, there is no need for the presence of strong and big government because this society is governed by many small components of authority connected together in a world wide network. There is hardly conflict of interest between these components because selfishness is the main source of confliction while here the people are selfless. Moreover, they are tolerant and educated enough to avoid violence and to discuss their problems peacefully.
It should be noticed that the economy in mature society serves only as a means by which we can improve the level of virtue so that we are not allowed to sacrifice humanity and its dignity and virtue because of economic benefits.
Endnotes
——————————————————————————–
[1] Quran, 2:30: And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a viceroy in the earth, they said: wilt Thou place therein one who will do harm therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee? He said: Surely I know that which ye know not.
[2] It shows very clearly the worth of man in Islam. Even the Post-Renaissance European humanism has not been able to bestow such an exalting sanctity upon man.
[3] Quran, 15:26, 15:28, and 15:33
[4] Quran, 55:14
[5] Quran, 6:2, 7:12, 23:12, 32:7, 37:11, 38:71, 38:76
[6] Quran, 33:72 Lo! We offered the trust unto the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they shrank from bearing it and were afraid of it. And man assumed it.
[7] See: Sahriati (1981)
[8] Old Testament, 1:27-28 Elohim said, “Let us make humanity as our image, according to our likeness. And let them rule over the fish of the sea, the bird of the heavens, the beast, the whole earth, and all the swarmers which swarm on the earth. And God created humanity as his image: as the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.
[9] Thomas Aquinas (1976) located the image in the human ability to think and reason, to use language and art, far surpassing the abilities of any animals. Leonard Verduin (1976) says that the image consists in our dominion over animals and plants, which continues despite our sinfulness. Emil Brunner (1976) says that it is our ability to have a relationship with God, reflected in the tendency of all societies to have forms of worship.
[10] Quran, 90:10-17 And [Did We not] guide him to the parting of the mountain ways? But he hath not attempted the Ascent. Ah, what will convey unto thee what the Ascent is! (It is) to free a slave, And to feed in the day of hunger, an orphan near of kin, or some poor wretch in misery, and to be of those who believe and exhort one another to perseverance and exhort one another to pity.
[11] I will discuss the other kind of rationality which corresponds with mature period later on.
[12] Quran, 30:41
[13] For example, cosmologists wonder why the matter in the universe is distributed in clusters, leaving much of the universe empty. Earth scientists study the formation of wave patterns, such as jet streams, ocean currents, and continental drifts. Material scientists study phase transitions, how molecules aligned themselves when they reach the critical temperature. Molecular biologists ask how life began in the primordial soup of amino acids, and developmental biologists attempt to explain how living organisms acquire forms through cell division and morphogenesis (Weyl 1969, Prigogine 1980). Similar questions of pattern formations also exist in economics. Why are there rich and poor countries? Why are industries clustered? Why are there booms and recessions? Why are some ethnic groups underrepresented in certain jobs or neighborhoods?
[14] Musical chairs is a game played by a group of people (usually children), often in an informal setting purely for entertainment such as a birthday party. The game starts with any number of players and a number of chairs one fewer than the number of players; the chairs are arranged in a circle (or other closed figure) facing outward, with the people standing in a circle just outside of that. A non-playing individual plays recorded music or a musical instrument. While the music is playing, the players in the circle walk in unison around the chairs. When the music controller suddenly shuts off the music, everyone must race to sit down in one of the chairs. The player who is left without a chair is eliminated from the game, and one chair is also removed to ensure that there will always be one fewer chair than there are players. The music resumes and the cycle repeats until there is only one player left in the game, who is the winner.
[15] The theory of incomplete markets is an extension of the general equilibrium approach to intertemporal economies with uncertainty, where the set of available contracts which can be used to transfer wealth across time is limited relative to the possible probabilistic states that an economy might find itself in. Unlike in the standard Arrow-Debreu model where all trade takes place at beginning of time, in an economy with incomplete markets, agents trade in sequential spot markets.
References
The Noble Quran.
Aquinas, T. (1976), Man to the Image of God, in Millard Erickson (ed.), Man’s Need and God’s Gift: Readings in Christian Theology, Grand Rapids: Baker, pp. 37-43.
Emil, B. (1976), Man and Creation,” in Millard Erickson (ed.), Man’s Need and God’s Gift: Readings in Christian Theology, Grand Rapids: Baker, pp. 45-54.
Friedman, T. L. (2000), The Lexus and the Olive Tree, New York: Anchor Books.
Krugman, P. (1992),Geography and Trade (Gaston Eyskens Lectures), The MIT Press
Matsuyama, K. (1996), Why Are There Rich and Poor Countries?: Symmetry-Breaking in the World Economy, NBER Working Paper Series
Matsuyama, K. (2005), Structural Change, forthcoming in L. Blume and S. Durlauf, eds., the New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, 2nd Edition, Macmillan (available at: http://www.faculty.econ.northwestern.edu/faculty/matsuyama/Structural%20Change.pdf )
Prigogine, I. (1980), From Being to Becoming: Time and Complexity in the Physical Sciences, Freeman, 1980.
Scholte, J. A. (2000) Globalization. A critical introduction, London: Palgrave.
Shariati, A. (1981), Man and Islam, Translator: Fatollah Marjani, Houston: Free Islamic Literature-Filinc.
Verduin, L. (1976), A Dominion-Haver, in Millard Erickson (ed.), Man’s Need and God’s Gift: Readings in Christian Theology, Grand Rapids: Baker, pp. 55-74.
Weyl, H. (1969), Symmetry, Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Nasser Elahi
http://www.articlesbase.com/ethics-articles/globalization-an-islamic-perspective-293758.html
Political Appointments: “politics of Recycling Hands” Will Lead Nigeria to Nowhere
There is nothing wrong with the Nigerian political system unlike most of us assume, have you bothered to cogitate on why many countries of the world do not bother to find out whether there is anything in the wrong with their constitutional provisions or not, yet these countries are doing buoyantly well economically and politically? I am not writing to justify the Nigerian constitution, but rather to glaringly state that there are in many ways, areas we have continued to consciously maintain that the country should remain in her present situation of underdevelopment. Nigeria’s problems are too numerous to account, but let us try to mention the ones which glaringly occur.
We are all aware of the country’s problems, even our governmental people cannot claim ignorance of this, and I also know that these problems are not insolvent as we can solve them but because we shy away from doing so for the fear of losing out in amassing a lot more wealth from the country’s economy. This urge amassing indefinable proportion of wealth from the country’s purse is the beginning of corruption which today is growing bigger than its perpetuators.
For the benefit of strangers to Nigeria’s problems, I shall possibly highlight the pressing problems confronting us today as a nation, as I do, bear in mind that Nigeria’s problems by far surpass those I shall highlight here because Nigeria is a country where nothing is just right from constant power failure to death traps called bad roads. The Nigerian people have never seen the good side of life and its beauties, we all are simply inured to sufferings crowned with smile. A friend, who traveled out of the country to Sweden, called back after precisely 2 weeks to scream to friends here that the country was like it was rugged.
Nigeria’s problems no matter how much of them I will highlight still find its grouping under bad leadership and corruption. Whereas these two vices exist side by side, bad leadership begat corruption and corruption begat underdevelopment, so obviously, underdevelopment is the grandchild of bad leadership, parented by the nation’s selfish political office holders and passed down to the generality of Nigerian children who think nothing but how to make money. Today, very many of Nigerians can resist reading Nigerian dailies because no good news ever emanates from the country, what you consider juicy is trade of blames among the big politicians in our land, accusations of corruption, electoral judgments, neglect of certain parts of the country, trials of ex-governors, predicaments of ex EFCC Boss, just mention them.
So we have bad leadership, corruption, denial of right to qualitative education through poorly organized admission processes, denial of right to qualitative health services and facilities through unattainable imposition of medical fees and expenses (Lagos State falls under this category), lack of infrastructures in the country, imposition of increasing of increasing taxes on traders especially Lagos State, which sends even ordinary “pure water sellers” back to far more worst situations. All of these problems have worsened the plight of the people of Nigeria and has grossly subjugated more than 82% of Nigerians to poverty.
One problem which by far I thought the Yar’ Adua administration could correct for good was governance with old and tired recycled hands which since independence has led the country to where. I feel disappointingly surprised that our government has failed to learn that this very tradition has ensured that the nation does not see improvement even when defined from any perspective of what “development” should mean. Why will a country with group of few people in the society that have run it since decades without improvement and fresh ideas record developments in any sphere of life. It is a sad situation for the country and her citizens, because we have lost any hope that improvement will come our way with same people who have ruled us since independence and lacking in potent ideas.
Nigeria with a population of 250 million people with more than 500 ethnic groups and hundreds of languages and dialects, it is the same old song and story for leadership hands. This is something most people do not talk about but it is like worms eating off our heads. In reference to Orji Kalu’s comment, while he was still a secondary school student, Olusegun Obasanjo as the then Head of State, paid his school an official visit, and in his speech pointed out that the they as the youth were the leaders of tomorrow, yet Orji Kalu would turn a full blown man decades later with Obasanjo’s return as the President of Nigeria, so what opportunity does Kalu have as the potential leader of tomorrow?
I do not know what qualifications it takes to win political appointments in Nigeria’s governmental system; qualifications do not exist in determining what political appointment anyone can get, except that it is an avenue of compensation, simply put. It is as a result of this that capable hands are never employed to work for the country’s good, and we the ordinary masses are at the losing end because when health facilities are lacking, like all al university teaching hospitals in Nigeria lack modern health facilities. Modern diagnostic equipment cannot be found in most parts of the country. I hope you still recall that no Nigerian university is ranked among the 500 universities in the world.
Obasanjo ruled Nigeria twice, but his return was disastrous to the African continent as a whole, unknown to Buhari and Atiku, talks in the Nigerian streets especially in the southern part of the nation negatively centres on what it would seem like returning Buhari or Atiku after the experiences drawn from Obasanjo’s return as the country’s president and his failed third term extension bid. Nigerians are obviously tired of hearing same names in the political arena of the country, appearing, disappearing and reappearing. The people would prefer to vote in an unknown character because we think that unknown individuals are preferable to tried hands. Return of past government officials when the country has not improved are like putting a new wine in an old bottle.
Once you find yourself in Nigeria’s corridor of power, you have probably won for yourself and family a lifetime contract, because it is only death that can do you apart with you newfound journey. Even death is incapable of separating your family from political appointment in Nigeria, because at your death, your children, children have inherited a gift of appointment. Two things are basically wrong with the assignment of political appointments in Nigeria. Firstly, as stated here once in power, one expectedly remains in power until he is no more courtesy of death, even he is considers to have failed by one administration, another administration that comes to power finds him useful again. His is one identifiable system of granting political appointments in Nigeria.
Today, Rilwan Lukeman, a man in his 70s has returned as the country’s Minster of finance, and the Nigerian people are wondering what again he owes us with the Minitry’s portfolio, are there no more capable hands that can deliver to the country? For Christ’s sake, Nigeria cannot be lacking of brains that can positively better the petroleum sector that can effectively run the industry. Will Rilwan Lukeman construct more refineries for the country? Will he even repair the non-functional ones, something he did not consider doing for ages as the Minister of that very sector? The moment I noticed the name of Lukeman on list of ministerial nominees as presented to the senate, I surmised he was to return to his former home which is the petroleum ministry. Was your guess as good as mine? Her perhaps needed to continue from he left-off several years ago.
We also have a system, which sees individuals winning political appointments in Nigeria where criteria are lacking. A man who read Arabic or Christian Religious Studies in our University system could head our “Science and Technology Ministry”. Is this not interesting? Dora Akunyili, a medical Doctor who contributed so much to the war against substandard drugs in the country lost her job in other to head Information Ministry. Imagine the relationship between these two Ministries? An anti fake drug crusader will now take up the responsibility of protecting the image of the Federal Government through publicities and unnecessary press conferences whenever the State appears challengers by a personality like Wole Soyinka whose views against the government cannot be ignored for any reason at all. Was Sam Egwu, an ex Governor of Ebonyi State compensated with the Education ministry?
Save your laughter for Abba Sayyadi Ruma, a PhD holder in International Relations, who now carries the portfolio of Agriculture Ministry, Was baba ever taught how hoes and cutlasses are held? Ironically Mustapha Shettima, a PhD holder in Agriculture, a very learned man, will be defending the territorial integrity of the nation as the nation’s Minister of Defence. Does this erudite agriculturalist know how a gun is held? The federal government of Nigeria at long last decided to replace is knowledge of growing and harvesting with attacking and defending diplomacies. A pharmacist, Alhaji Ibrahim Bio will head the transport Ministry. Dr. I. Y. Lame, an educationist and former principal in a secondary school will head Police Affairs Ministry, where he will be tackling insecurity. He has been promoted beyond his field of knowledge; he is obviously replacing his cane with a tear gas. Are these men who are accomplishments in their various field not square “giant” pegs in round holes? The world may be laughingly waiting on how this men will function will record successes in their assignments.
The situation as seen above is not strange to Nigerians, where a graduate in Yoruba Literature works as a cashier in a Nigerian Bank, and a graduate in Laboratory Technology works with Power Holding Company of Nigeria. But I choose to remind our politicians and political appointees that a Professor in Medicine could become an illiterate in History, and a graduate of Estate Management could become an illiterate in Electrical electronics, consequently, a Mathematics professor may just turn out to be an Illiterate where it concerns Igbo Language as a discipline. So they should not complain or pass the buck when they fail to succeed since the impression is that our politicians are more concerned about wealth than making societal achievements.
It is on this note that I leave you with the question of “can this country benefit from their services when politics is always triumphing over competence and experience? (Saturday Punch, December 20, 2008)
Emeka Esogbue
http://www.articlesbase.com/politics-articles/political-appointments-politics-of-recycling-hands-will-lead-nigeria-to-nowhere-692645.html