tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65662086089784654142024-02-21T13:24:22.718+05:00Our Voice MattersAhsan Jehangir Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060161044428652026noreply@blogger.comBlogger442125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-87693502246384109002023-10-28T14:07:00.001+05:002023-10-28T14:07:23.188+05:00The TRUTH against the Israeli Lies<p>The true location of the Temple Mount according to the Bible and the Jewish historian Josephus. Only Herod’s Palace and Legion’s quarters laid on the top of the Mountain. The temple was not there hence no artifacts have been found. The western wall was actually a part of King Herod’s palace and his own temple. </p><p><br></p><p>According to Josephus’ account the Temple in Jerusalem was inside the walls of the city of David, as can be seen in the image above, although this might not be a completely precise depiction either, but it still reveals how the Temple used to be lower on the side of the mountain inside the walls of the city of David, as the Bible states.</p><p><br></p><p>There must have been a water source near the Temple, because the priests had to purify themselves in flowing water before going into the Temple to serve, and the blood of sacrificed animals was washed and purified in flowing water as well. The Gihon spring was the only water source in Jerusalem, which means that the threshing floor of Ornan, where Solomon built the Temple, must have been near this water source. A significant fact is that the Temple of Solomon was built before there were any reservoirs built in Jerusalem. This also proves that the Temple could have not been at the top of the Temple Mount, because they couldn’t have directed the flowing water there, and that water would have been necessary in the temple. Water does not flow upwards, but downwards and this detail also debunks the idea that the top of the Temple Mount would have been the location of the Temple. From the Gihon spring water was led down into the city and into the Temple area, because water was an essential part of the Temple service.</p><p><br></p><p>Jerusalem had only one water source in a harsh environment in the middle of Jerusalem, the city of David. This is an example of God, is the only source of living water, which refreshes the hearts of the hungry and the thirsty with truth and love, which flows from God’s spring of living water. </p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p><br></p><p>Jud 19:10 But the man would not tarry that night, but he rose up and departed, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem; and there were with him two asses saddled, his concubine also was with him.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>The above image is from king David’s time. The city named Jebus is the city of Jerusalem, the city of David, which David conquered from the Jebusites. The area of Jerusalem (Jebus) had only one water source, the Gihon spring, which is the reason why the Jebusites chose to settle in Jebus. Without a water source they would have not survived in Jerusalem. When God chose a Temple place for David in Jebusites’ threshing floor of Ornan, near the city of Jebus (Jerusalem – the city of David), it had to be close to a water source, because without water they would have not survived. Jebusites’ threshing floor of Ornan must have had a water source nearby, where the Temple was built, because in Temple service water was needed for when the priests washed themselves and for purifying the blood of sacrificed animals, and the Bible states it was namely flowing water that was needed. The Gihon spring is a flowing spring. The city of David was very close to the Gihon spring, which was the place where the Temple of Solomon was located, at the threshing floor of Ornan.</p><p><br></p><p>2 Ch 27:3 He built the high gate of the house of the LORD, and on the wall of Ophel he built much.</p><p><br></p><p>King Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Temple of the Lord and parts of the Ophel wall as well. Why does the Bible mention Ophel in relation to the Temple? The Bible gives</p><p><br></p><p>The Bible says that the Temple servants lived in Ophel at the Eastern Water Gate. In the image above the Eastern Water Gate is attached to the Temple wall. Notice that there are two water gates in the picture, the other one is near the Tunnel of Hezekiah, and the Eastern Water Gate is attached to the Temple wall. The Bible says that Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Temple of the Lord and parts of the Ophel wall, because a part of the Ophel wall was attached to the Temple and its walls. Josephus uses the word Ophlas, which means the same thing as Ophel. That is why the Temple was located near a place called Ophel.</p><p><br></p><p>The Bible says that the priests repaired the wall above the Horse Gate, each one repairing where their house was. From the above image we can see how the Horse Gate was located right next to the Temple. Where else would the priests have lived if not near the Temple? The Horse Gate was situated near Ophel. The Temple was in the city of David in Ophel or in very close.</p><p><br></p><p>The Bible says that the Upper Gate was located at the Temple. The Bible brings up how there was a straight passage into the king’s castle from the Temple of the Lord through the Upper Gate. The Bible says that in the city of David (Jerusalem) the Temple and the king’s castle were close to each other. If the Temple would have been at the top of the Temple Mount, there would have not been a straight passage into the king’s castle from the Upper Gate of the Temple, in such a case they would have had to walk some ways down to the city of David. The Bible testifies that the Temple was in the city of David, and not at the top of the Temple Mount.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>The above image depicts the area from king Solomon’s time to king Hezekiah’s time, and the Temple and the king’s castle can be seen next to each other in the image. If you look at the current gates and walls of Jerusalem, you will be misled from the truth, because during the time of Solomon and even during the time of Jesus the walls were in different places to where they are now. Jerusalem was razed and destroyed in 70 AD, which means that the terrain has also changed significantly, but we can still understand and situate the Temple in the area of Ophel.</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p>Ophel.</p><p><br></p><p>In the image above the Temple has been wrongly placed at the top of the Temple Mount, but the location of Ophel (marked in green) is correct. The city and its walls, where Solomon built the Temple, were surrounded by walls differently during David’s time than what can be seen in the image. The Temple of the Lord fits inside the walls of the city of David during the time of Solomon. We can also see this elsewhere, for example, when Jotham built the Temple of the Lord and parts of the Ophel wall.</p><p><br></p><p>Ophel is situated lower on the side of the mountain, where the Temple of the Lord used to be as well, as it was near the Gihon spring, which provided flowing water for the Temple. It would have been impossible to make the flowing water go up to the top of the Temple Mount. The image above with a white base also situates Ophel in the right place.</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p><br></p><p>The image above shows the location of the Dome of the Rock at the top of the Temple Mount. You can see from the image how lower on the slope in the area of Ophel there is the city of David, where the Temple used to be, because the Temple was originally in the area of Ophel.</p><p><br></p><p>The wrongful depiction of the Temple in Jerusalem in Avi Yonah’s small scale model makes it more difficult to understand this issue correctly, as well as tradition, which teaches wrongful information. When and if people try to approach this matter through tradition and faulty depictions, they won’t be able to see the truth. Only the Bible can tell us the final truth. That is why we must put aside tradition and its interpretations and study this matter in the light of the Bible and its truthful words, because only then can we find the truth by the grace of God.</p><p><br></p><p>According to the Strongs dictionary ophel (06077 hill) is the same thing as Strongs’ 06076 (hill, mound, fort, stronghold, Ophel, tumour, hemorrhoid) ophel word.</p><p><br></p><p>Mic 4:</p><p>7 And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.</p><p>8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold (ophel - strongs 06076) of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.</p><p><br></p><p>The fourth chapter of Micah tells about the Millennium, a time of peace. The Bible says that the Lord will be their King during the time of peace, meaning the King of all who have been saved by God, for the people who live there. The Bible refers to Mount Zion and says that it’s the castle of the daughters of Zion (Ophel). This is a clear indication and a clue that Solomon built the Temple in the place pointed to David to the threshing floor of Ornan in the city of David, which was in Ophel at Mount Zion, which is the same as Mount Moriah.</p><p><br></p><p>2 Sam 5:7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.</p><p><br></p><p>1 Ch 11:7 And David dwelt in the castle; therefore they called it the city of David.</p><p><br></p><p>The city of David is called Zion and the Temple was in the city of David, which was located at Mount Moriah, which is also called Mount Zion, when it is being referred to that the city of David used to be there where the Temple was. That is why the Bible says that in the Millennial Kingdom the Lord Jesus rules from Jerusalem, from Zion, from the city of David, where the Temple of the Lord used to be.</p><p><br></p><p>This does not mean, however, that there would be a man-made Temple in the Millennial Kingdom, because the sin offering of the Lord Jesus ended the temple service of the Old Covenant, and we will not go back to it. In chapter four of Micah, however, it is revealed that Ophel was the place, where the Temple of the Lord used to be, at the side of Mount Zion, but not at the top.</p><p><br></p><p>1 ¶ And Solomon made affinity with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh’s daughter, and brought her into the city of David, until he had made an end of building his own house, and the house of the LORD, and the wall of Jerusalem round about.</p><p>2 Only the people sacrificed in high places, because there was no house built unto the name of the LORD, until those days.</p><p><br></p><p>The Bible tells how Solomon was going to build his own castle in the city of David, the Temple of the Lord, and that he surrounded Jerusalem (the city of David) with a wall, which held the Temple of the Lord inside.</p><p><br></p><p>Because the Temple contained gold treasures and were a sacred place for the Israelis, the Temple could not have been built unprotected at the top of the mountain, but inside the walls of the city, where the king lived and from where the army could best protect the Temple and its treasury. But the most important criterion was the nearness of the Gihon spring, which enabled water flow into the Temple area for the priests to wash themselves and to purify the blood of sacrificed animals.</p><p><br></p><p>1 Ki 7:51 So was ended all the work that king Solomon made for the house of the LORD (the temple). And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, did he put among the treasures of the house of the LORD.</p><p><br></p><p>1 Ki 8:</p><p>1 ¶ Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the city of David, which is Zion.</p><p>2 And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month.</p><p>3 And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark.</p><p>4 And they brought up the ark of the LORD, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, even those did the priests and the Levites bring up.</p><p>5 And king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel, that were assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude.</p><p>6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims.</p><p><br></p><p>In chapter 7 and 8 of the First Book of Kings it is revealed that the Temple was in the city of David. The Bible says that the Temple of the Lord was finished, and that on the feast during the Month of Ethanim the Ark of the Covenant was taken out of the city of David because of the celebration. So many animals were sacrificed during the celebration that they couldn’t count the number of them. That is why it was done outside the Temple and the city, because it would have not been possible to sacrifice that many animals in the Temple area or in the Temple. After the celebration the Ark of the Covenant was brought back in the Temple and placed in the most holy place. This Bible verse undoubtedly proves that the Temple was in the city of David, and not at the top of the Temple Mount. The Ark was brought out from the Temple for the celebration and was returned to the Temple, which lied in the city of David, as the 1 Kings 8 says.</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus’ and historical testimony of the Temple in Jerusalem</p><p><br></p><p>Testimony of the Bible is the most important testimony for the location of the Temple in Jerusalem and for all other teachings regarding what the Bible has announced. Testimony of Jewish historian Josephus about the location of the Temple in Jerusalem is significant, because he says that the Temple was in Jerusalem, in the city of David.</p><p><br></p><p>He also enjoined them to cut out large stones for the foundations of the temple, and that they should fit them and unite them together in the mountain, and so bring them to the city. - Josephus Antiquites of the Jews Book VIII chapter 2</p><p><br></p><p>According to the Josephus account large temple cornerstones were made at the mountain, where they were matched together and when they matched, they were brought into the city. The Bible says that Solomon had to build the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, in the city of David. Josephus’ historical testimony says that the cornerstones of the Temple were brought from the mountain into the city (the city of David), because the Temple was built in the city of David.</p><p><br></p><p>And that if any of the people of his countrey had differences of great consequence, they should send them out of the other cities to these Judges, who would be obliged to give righteous sentences concerning such causes; and this with the greater care, because it is proper that the sentences which are given in that city wherein the temple of God is, and wherein the King dwells, be given with great care, and the utmost justice. - Josephus Antiquites of the Jews Book IX chapter 1</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus talks about sentences, which the judges passed in the city, where the Temple of God used to be and the king used to live, and how these sentences were to be passed as cautious and as justifiably as possible. Josephus says that the Temple was in Jerusalem, where the king lived. Jerusalem (the city of David) held the king’s castle and the Temple of the Lord.</p><p><br></p><p>Now the King of Babylon was very intent and earnest upon the siege of Jerusalem. ........ And when the city was taken, about mid-night, and the enemies generals were entred into the temple; and when Zedekiah was sensible of it, he took his wives, and his children, and his captains, and his friends; and with them fled out of the city, through the fortified ditch; and through the desert. - Josephus Antiquites of the Jews Book X chapter 8</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus tells about the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian king, conquering of the city and how the warlords of the enemy entered the Temple. This account by Josephus also reveals that the Temple was in Jerusalem, in the city of David.</p><p><br></p><p>1. At this treatment Pompey was very angry, and took Aristobulus into custody. And when he was come to the city, he looked about where he might make his attack; for he saw the walls were so firm that it would be hard to overcome them, and that the valley before the walls was terrible; and that the temple, which was within that valley, was itself encompassed with a very strong wall, insomuch, that if the city were taken, that temple would be a second place of refuge for the enemy to retire to.- Josephus The Jewish War Book I chapter 7</p><p><br></p><p>Roman military commander Pompey besieged and conquered Jerusalem in 63 BC. Josephus tells how Pompey planned his attack on Jerusalem. Pompey saw the strong walls and how the valley before the walls was terrifying (the Kidron Valley) and how the Temple that was also near the valley, was also surrounded by walls (a temple surrounded by walls). The word within in the translation of Josephus’ texts usually means inside etc., but when referring to distances, it can also mean a certain distance from something. The Temple in Jerusalem was not located in the Kidron Valley, and that is why within means a distance, and in this particular instance it means a short distance.</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p><br></p><p>The city of Jerusalem was fortified with three walls, on such parts as were not encompassed with unpassable valleys. Josephus Wars of the Jews Book V chapter 4</p><p><br></p><p>The above image depicts Solomon’s time during king Hezekiah’s day. Josephus described how there were three walls in Jerusalem during king Herod’s time, apart from valleys unfit to be passageways, which were not surrounded by walls. We should understand that the current walls around Jerusalem were not the same walls that used to surround Jerusalem during the time of Jesus and king Solomon. If we look at Jerusalem and the walls through the current location of the walls and gates, we won’t be able to find the Biblical truth.</p><p><br></p><p>But John held the temple, and the parts thereto adjoining, for a great way; as also Ophla, and the valley called the valley of Cedron. - Josephus The Jewish War Book V chapter 6</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus tells how John held the Temple and the areas next to it, including Ophel (Ophlas) and the Kidron Valley. Josephus says that Ophel was right next to the Temple. According to Josephus’ testimony the Temple was located in the area of Ophel or next to it.</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p><br></p><p>But if we go the other way westward, it began at the same place; and extended through a place called Bethso, to the gate of the Essens: and after that it went southward: having its bending above the fountain Siloam; where it also bends again towards the east at Solomon’s pool, and reaches as far as a certain place which they called Ophlas, where it was joined to the eastern cloister of the temple. The second wall took its beginning from that gate which they called Gennath, which belonged to the first wall. It only encompassed the northern quarter of the city, and reached as far as the tower Antonia. - Josephus The Jewish War Book V chapter 4</p><p><br></p><p>Jerusalem had three parts of the wall. Josephus says here about the Jerusalem city wall that extends to Ophel (Ophlas), where it is connected to an Eastern colonnade of the Temple. Ophel was very close to the Temple, because from Ophel the wall extended all the way to the Eastern colonnade of the Temple (causeway of colonnades) The account by Josephus reinforces the Bible testimony about the Temple’s location in the Ophel area. Josephus says that the second wall began from the Gennath Gate of the first wall. Josephus tells how the second wall went around the Northern part and extended (ended) all the way to Antonia Fortress.</p><p><br></p><p>The image above is an image reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and Antonia Fortress, which isn’t quite right in the sense that the Temple was clearly situated lower than the Antonia Fortress. The image is not a precise depiction in any case, but we can still make out from the picture how the other wall of the city might have extended to the Antonia Fortress. According to Josephus the causeway of colonnades (ca. 183m long - 600 feet) lay between the Temple and the Antonia Fortress uniting them. We will discuss more of this later.</p><p><br></p><p>According to Josephus’ account the Temple in Jerusalem was inside the walls of the city of David, as can be seen in the image above, although this might not be a completely precise depiction either, but it still reveals how the Temple used to be lower on the side of the mountain inside the walls of the city of David, as the Bible states.</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p><br></p><p>The above image shows very accurately the true location of the Temple. On the picture can be seen the Kidron Valley, which is to the East when looking for the Temple. According to Josephus military commander Pompey saw that the Temple wasn’t far away from the Kidron Valley. Images that have been produced afterwards might confuse and mislead, and that is why one shouldn’t rely too much on them. Josephus, however, brought up many times that the Temple in Jerusalem lies in the city of David. Josephus doesn’t say that the Temple would have been at the top of the Temple Mount, but he says it was in the city of David, which is concordant with the Bible testimony.</p><p><br></p><p>Now this temple, as I have already said,14 was built upon a strong hill. At first the plain at the top was hardly sufficient for the holy house and the altar: for the ground about it was very uneven, and like a precipice. But when King Solomon, who was the person that built the temple, had built a wall to it, on its east side, there was then added one cloister, founded on a bank cast up for it, and on the other parts the holy house stood naked. But in future ages the people added new banks; (12) and the hill became a larger plain. They then brake down the wall on the north side, and took in as much as sufficed afterward for the compass of the entire temple. And when they had built walls on three sides of the temple round about, from the bottom of the hill; and had performed a work that was greater than could be hoped for; - Josephus The Jewish War Book V chapter 5</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus says that Solomon built the Temple on a strong hill, and how in the beginning there were hardly enough space on the hill to the Temple, because the terrain was uneven and steep. According to Josephus Solomon built a wall in the Eastern part of the Temple. According to Josephus the terrain for the Temple was enlarged later, making it a larger flat area, and the Temple was surrounded by three walls. Josephus says that Solomon built a wall on the East side of the Temple and a wall surrounding the whole Temple as well.</p><p><br></p><p>The account by Josephus reveals that there weren’t much space on the hill (not on the top of the mountain, but on the flat area on top of a hill on the side of the mountain) and that they were barely able to build it in the flat area, which was steep and uneven. The walls that were built after the expansion in the area had enough space to surround the Temple from three angles.</p><p><br></p><p>Tradition says that the Temple and the Antonia Fortress were both at the top of a mountain. Josephus’ account debunks this tradition and claim.</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p>Avi Yonah’s model of the Temple in Jerusalem and Antonia Fortress during the first century</p><p><br></p><p>Next to this, and before you come to the edifice it self of the tower, there was a wall, three cubits high; but within that wall all the space of the tower of Antonia it self was built upon, to the height of forty cubits. The inward parts had the largeness and form of a palace. It being parted into all kinds of rooms, and other conveniencies; such as courts, and places for bathing, and broad spaces for camps: insomuch that by having all conveniencies that cities wanted, it might seem to be composed of several cities; but by its magnificence it seemed a palace. And as the intire structure resembled that of a tower, it contained also four other distinct towers, at its four corners. Whereof the others were but fifty cubits high: whereas that which lay upon the south east corner was seventy cubits high: that from thence the whole temple might be viewed. But on the corner, where it joined to the two cloisters of the temple, it had passages down to them both: through which the guards (for there always lay in this tower a Roman legion) went several ways among the cloisters, with their arms, on the Jewish festivals; in order to watch the people, that they might not there attempt to make any innovations. For the temple was a fortress, that guarded the city; as was the tower of Antonia a guard to the temple. And in that tower were the guards of those three (14). There was also a peculiar fortress belonging to the upper city, which was Herod’s palace. But for the hill Bezetha, it was divided from the tower of Antonia, as we have already told you.23 And as that hill on which the tower of Antonia stood, was the highest of these three, so did it adjoin to the new city:24 and was the only place that hindred the sight of the temple on the north. - Josephus The Jewish War Book V</p><p><br></p><p>Titus, a Roman military commander </p><p>For if we go up to this tower of Antonia, we gain the city. For if there should be any more occasion for fighting against those within the city; which I do not suppose there will; since we shall then be upon the top of the hill, and be upon our enemies before they can have taken breath, these advantages promise us no less than a certain and sudden victory. - Josephus The Jewish War Book VI</p><p><br></p><p>We are told by Josephus, when you read his accounts carefully, that the whole northern wall of the Temple was parallel to and flanking the full length of the southern wall of Fort Antonia. He said there was an open space of 600 feet (a stade) between the two walls. ............ Recall that Herod built the Tower of Antonia as a fortress to protect the Temple and the City of Jerusalem. In order to render direct protection to the Temple from Fort Antonia, Herod built a causeway of two colonnades (situated alongside one another - one on the west and another adjacent to it on the east with a narrow open space in between). They spanned a distance of one stade (600 feet) from the southwest angle of wall of Fort Antonia directly southward to encounter the northwest angle of the northern and western colonnades of the outer walls of the Temple. Remember that Josephus himself stated that the distance between the southern wall of Fort Antonia and the northern wall of the Temple was exactly one stade (600 feet). Ernest L. Martin The Temples that Jerusalem Forgot Chapter 32</p><p><br></p><p>Because the account by Josephus about the Antonia Fortress describes it as if it were comprised of many cities, it debunks the claim that the Temple and the Antonia Fortress would have been side by side at the top of the Temple Mount. According to Josephus it was as if Antonia Fortress was comprised of many cities. The area in Temple Mount is ca. 36 acres and it could fit a large Roman fortress, which seems to consist of many cities.</p><p><br></p><p>According to Josephus the corner in the southeast part of Antonia Fortress was 70 cubits high, from where the whole Temple was visible. The image above is Avi Yonah’s traditional view of the location of the Antonia Fortress and the Temple, which are attached to each other.</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus tells how the Antonia Fortress was situated on a higher hill than the palace of Herod and the Temple. Josephus tells how Titus the military commander of Romans said that the Antonia Fortress was located on a mountain top and how they will be above the enemy. This detail also debunks the idea that the Temple and the Fortress would have not been attached to each other.</p><p><br></p><p>According to Josephus’ testimony the Temple was situated lower on a mountain slope, whereas the Antonia Fortress at the top of the mountain, from where you could see the whole Temple, as Josephus stated. According to Josephus the Antonia Fortress was so large that it prevented anyone seeing the Temple from North. The above image depicting the small-scale model of the Antonia Fortress by Avi Yonah does not correspond with the way that the Antonia Fortress was like in actuality.</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p><br></p><p>According to Josephus there were two causeways of colonnades between the Antonia Fortress and the Temple, and they went from the Fortress down to the Temple. Between the Antonia Fortress and the Temple there used to be a wall of the Antonia Fortress and a wall of the Temple, and the distance between these two walls used to be 600 feet (ca. 183m) The two causeways of colonnades of the Antonia Fortress united the Fortress and the Temple with two causeways of colonnades. According to Josephus account the distance between Antonia Fortress and the Temple was ca. 183 meters, and there were two causeways of colonnades between, and they went from the Fortress down to the Temple. In the model by Avi Yonah the walls of the Fortress and the Temple are attached to each other. Avi Yonah’s model is not correct depiction.</p><p><br></p><p>And now Herod, in the eighteenth year of his reign,15 and after the acts already mentioned, undertook a very great work; that is to build of himself the temple of God, (28) and make it larger in compass, and to raise it to a most magnificent altitude: as esteeming it to be the most glorious of all his actions, as it really was, to bring it to perfection; and that this would be sufficient for an everlasting memorial of him ...................... So Herod took away the old foundations, and laid others, and erected the temple upon them: being in length an hundred cubits; and in height twenty additional cubits: which [twenty], upon the sinking of their foundations, fell down. - Josephus Antiquities of the Jews Book XV chapter 11</p><p><br></p><p> Nature</p><p><br></p><p>Herod built the Antonia Fortress ca. 37-35 BC. Herod began expanding the Temple ca. 19-20 BC. Herod first built the Antonia Fortress and after about 15-16 years he began the expansion of the Temple, making the Temple larger than before. According to Josephus Herod removed the foundations of the old Temple and laid new foundations, and the Temple was built on those foundations. The distance between the Temple of Herod and the Antonia Fortress walls was 600 feet, which means that Avi Yonah’s model distorts the truth, because of Yonah’s model the Temple and the Fortress are side by side.</p><p><br></p><p>The image above is indicative, and it is missing the other causeway of colonnades, but we can still see how the distance between the Temple and the Antonia Fortress walls was ca. 183 meters, and how the Temple was situated noticeably lower than the Fortress. When Herod built and expanded the Temple, he also built two causeways of colonnades between the Temple and the Fortress. Herod’s intention to build the Antonia Fortress was to protect the Temple and that is why he built two causeways of colonnades into the expanded Temple, so that there would be a quick passage into the Temple and its area from the Fortress.</p><p><br></p><p>Now as to the tower of Antonia, it was situate at the corner of two cloisters of the court of the temple:21 of that on the west, and that on the north. Josephus Wars of the Jews Book V chapter 5</p><p><br></p><p>Antonia Fortress was situated at the Western and Northern corner of two causeways of colonnades (causeway of colonnades) of the Temple. The causeways of colonnades had around 600 feet between them and the Temple was situated on a lower elevation on the mountain.</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus’ account on the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple</p><p><br></p><p>Cæsar gave orders that they should now demolish the intire city, and temple: but should leave as many of the towers standing as were of the greatest eminency, that is, Phasaelus, and Hippicus, and Mariamne: and so much of the wall as inclosed the city on the west side. This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison: as were the towers also spared in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valour had subdued. But for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground, by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited. This was the end which Jerusalem came to, by the madness of those that were for innovations. A city otherwise of great magnificence, and of mighty fame among all mankind. - Josephus The Jewish War Book VII chapter 1</p><p><br></p><p>According to Josephus the whole city and Temple had to be destroyed, except for three towers and a part of the city wall in the West.</p><p><br></p><p>Eleazar Ben Yair Jewish military commander of Masada:</p><p><br></p><p>Where is this city that was believed to have God himself inhabiting therein? It is now demolished to the very foundations: and hath nothing but that monument of it preserved; I mean the camp of those that hath destroyed it: which still dwells upon its ruins. Some unfortunate old men also lie upon the ashes of the temple; and a few women are there preserved alive by the enemy, for our bitter shame and reproach. .... And I cannot but wish that we had all died, before we had seen that holy city demolished by the hands of our enemies; or the foundations of our holy temple dug up after so profane a manner. - Josephus The Jewish War Book VII chapter 8</p><p><br></p><p>The Jewish military commander of Masada said that the city of Jerusalem had been destroyed completely, and the only thing that had survived was a Roman fortress. According to Eleazar the Temple had been destroyed to the ground all the way to its foundations.</p><p><br></p><p>While they overthrew the city themselves; and forced the Romans, whether they would or no, to gain a melancholy reputation by acting gloriously against them: and did almost draw that fire upon the temple, which they seemed to think came too slowly. And indeed, when they saw that temple burning, from the upper city, they were neither troubled at it, nor did they shed any tears on that account. - Josephus The Jewish War Book V chapter 10</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus tells in his fifth book how people watched the fire raging in the Temple from a higher part in the city. The city faced many riots, and the fire described here is not the fire that led to the complete destruction of the Temple.</p><p><br></p><p>And besides, one of those that went into the place prevented Cæsar, when he ran so hastily out to restrain the soldiers: and threw the fire upon the hinges of the gate, in the dark. Whereby the flame burst out from within the holy house itself immediately: when the commanders retired, and Cæsar with them; and when nobody any longer forbad those that were without to set fire to it. And thus was the holy house burnt down, without Cæsar’s approbation. - Josephus The Jewish War Book VI chapter 4</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus tells in his sixth book (Keep in mind! After the events of the fifth book) how the Temple was burned and destroyed to the ground. Later, after the destruction of the Temple the whole temple area was destroyed.</p><p><br></p><p>(Endnote number 7) We may here note, that Titus is here called a King, and Cæsar by Josephus, even while he was no more than the Emperor’s son, and general of the Roman army; and his father Vespasian was still alive. - Josephus The Jewish War Book V chapter 5</p><p><br></p><p>In the concluding remarks (Endnote) in Josephus’ book it is stated that Josephus used the words king and Caesar when referring to Titus in his book, although Titus was only a son of a Caesar and a commander of the Roman army, and how his father Caesar Vespasian was still alive. This concluding remark clarifies why Josephus writes so much about Caesar and that the context refers to Titus.</p><p><br></p><p>******When I came near your temple, I again departed from the laws of war, and exhorted you to spare your own sanctuary, and to preserve your holy house to yourselves. I allowed you a quiet exit out of it: and security for your preservation. Nay, if you had a mind, I gave you leave to fight in another place. Yet have you still despised every one of my proposals: and have set fire to your holy house with your own hands. And now, vile wretches, do you desire to treat with me by word of mouth? To what purpose is it that you would save such an holy house as this was, which is now destroyed? What preservation can you now desire, after the destruction of your temple? - ********Josephus The Jewish War Book VI chapter 6</p><p><br></p><p>Josephus keeps describing how the Temple has been destroyed and wiped out.</p><p><br></p><p>Matt 24:</p><p>1 ¶ And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.</p><p>2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.</p><p><br></p><p>The Lord Jesus said that there would be nothing left of the Temple and its buildings. Josephus confirms the prophecy of Jesus by telling how the Temple in Jerusalem, its buildings and the city were destroyed. There was nothing left of the Temple and its buildings, and only the Romans fortress was left to stand its foundations, </p><p><br></p><p>*****which means that the Western Wall is a part the Roman Antonia Fortress.</p><p><br></p><p>According to the testimony of the Bible, as we have seen above, the Temple was located in the area of Ophel or very close to it lower on a mountain slope. All other Bible verses that discuss the location of the Temple, except John 5:2, situate it in or next to it. It is even said directly that there was a straight passage way to the king’s castle from the Temple through the Upper Gate. The king’s castle was in the city of David.</p><p><br></p><p>Acts 21:</p><p>28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.</p><p>29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)</p><p>30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut.</p><p>31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.</p><p>32 Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.</p><p>33 Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done.</p><p>34 And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.</p><p><br></p><p>Acts in chapter 21 tells how Paul was in the Temple and how he was brought out of the Temple and the gates were shut due to a riot caused by Paul that began in the Temple. Paul and his capturers were in the Temple area even after the gates were shut. The Bible says how Roman soldiers and chiefs ran down (down a causeway of colonnades) to Paul and his capturers, who were in the Temple area. Paul was taken to the castle, that is to the Antonia Fortress.</p><p><br></p><p>This Bible verse proves undoubtedly that the Antonia Fortress was located at the top of the Temple Mount and the Temple lower on the side of the mountain. If the Temple had been at the top and attached to the Antonia Fortress, as is in the model by Avi Yonah, Bible wouldn’t say that soldiers ran down from the Fortress to the Temple. </p><p><br></p><p>Thoughts on the Third Temple and closing words</p><p><br></p><p>According to the Bible prophecy the Third Temple will be built in Jerusalem near the end of time. The sin offering of the Lord Jesus, his blood, carries the eternal sin offering for all sins and salvation, which means that there will be no more man-made Temples and animal sacrifices by the will of God and by His command.</p><p><br></p><p>The coming Third Temple in Jerusalem might be built at the top of the Temple Mount, or in its original location further down on a slope in the mountain side, or perhaps somewhere else. Building of the Third Temple, where ever it’s going to be built, and its introduction are anti-Christian plans, not the will of God.</p><p><br></p><p>The fact that Islamic mosques lie at the top of the Temple Mount nullifies the Jews rights to the whole Moriah mountain. If the Temple is built in its original place or at the top of the Temple Mount, it would be partially in Muslims’ possession in either case. Placement of the coming Third Temple in its original location would still be the works of lies, despite the location being accurate, because of the sin offering and blood of our Lord Jesus, it is unnecessary, and it’s an anti-Christian plan. Placing the Third Temple at the top of the Temple Mount, however, is an even bigger lie, as it makes people believe that it was the original location of the Temple, although it was actually lower on the side of the mountain in the Ophel area or near it.</p><p><br></p><p>Joel 3:2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.</p><p><br></p><p>Zec 14:</p><p>2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.</p><p>3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.</p><p><br></p><p>I cannot say where the Third Temple will be built. Will it rise in its original place in Ophel, that I cannot be certain of? Or will it happen that because of the division plan of Jerusalem, in which to Palestinians will be suggested that because they have obtained parts of Jerusalem, they should make compromises as well, as the Jews have done. Would that be the kind of compromise, where the Palestinians accept the Third Temple being built somewhere on the Temple Mount? I don’t know what will happen, but time will tell, but we can still be certain that the Temple will be built in Jerusalem before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus.</p><p><br></p><p>Building of the third temple in Jerusalem is an anti-Christian plan, in which Antichrist shall go to the third temple and declaring and showing himself that he is "God". The Lord Jesus is only Messiah, who shall come back and return to bring His bride to the marriage of the Lamb.</p><p><br></p><p>What could possibly be the kind of compromise that would make Palestinians accept the building of the Third Temple on Temple Mount? After Eastern Jerusalem and some other parts have officially been given to the Palestinians and the East Jerusalem has been declared as the capital of Palestine, it could be possible that the Palestinians will be reminded of the compromises the Jews have made, and suggested that they make a compromise too, which would be the building of the Temple at Temple Mount. I’m not saying that this will certainly happen, but this kind of thought and possibility has come into my heart.</p><p><br></p><p>The above compromise that affects both parties would be something that might be thought to bring peace in the Middle East, but it would still be a false peace, because according to the Bible prophecy of the end of times, according to the prophecy from Zechariah and Joel, many heathen nations will attack Israel. Heathen nations will attack Israel from the Kidron (Jehoshaphat) Valley. The heathen nations will suffer a total loss. The division of Israel will take place at the end of times (Palestinians will be given parts of Jerusalem and other parts), but in the end God will condemn all of those, who have been a part of and accepted the division of Israel, and will destroy every heathen nation that has attacked Israel.</p><p><br></p><p>Author Petri Paavola (15.4.2019 Finnish Version)</p><p><br></p><p>Translation from Finnish to English Miriam Paavola 25.4.2019</p><p><br></p><p>References:</p><p>Finnish Bible 33/38</p><p>Finnish Bible 1776</p><p>King James Version 1769</p><p>Online Bible Hebrew and Greek Lexicons</p><p>Josephus The Wras of the Jews</p><p>Josephus Antiquites of the Jews</p><p>Pauli Huuhtanen Juutalaissodan historia</p><p>Bob Cornuke: Temple video</p><p><br></p><p>If the Temple would have been at the top of the Temple Mount, there would have not been a straight passage into the king’s castle from the Upper Gate of the Temple, in such a case they would have had to walk some ways down to the city of David. The Bible testifies that the Temple was in the city of David, and not at the top of the Temple Mount.</p><p><br></p><p>http://www.kotipetripaavola.com/antoniafortressandjerusalemtemple.html</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Ahsan Jehangir Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060161044428652026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-25692460251263737562023-09-21T01:29:00.001+05:002023-09-21T01:31:23.679+05:00Thoughts on Kashmir<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">There is a revealing social and political anomaly hitting across India and Pakistan. In India, uneducated people are demonstrating a praiseworthy maturity of oneness emanating from the few rural communities, and, if not all, most educated Indians are well-established fascists. The problem in India are not the rural illiterate but urban educated. All these so-called educated people are fostering a paranoia of anti Muslim construct of history. At least, that is what I could gather from Indian Americans. The testimony is that most of the RSS funds go from foreign lands. However, the recent orders of Haryana high court has spared no punches against BJP government by saying “exercising ethnic cleansing” of a particular community. BJP is attempting to replace a swastika sign with Bulldozer. Almost a year ago the same story was carried out by New York Times when RSS volunteers put on a show of strength in New Jersey by running a Bulldozer </span></p><p>On the other hand, the educated youth of Pakistan, predominantly in urban areas, is alive and responsive against the Militaries and political leaders' corruption. It should trigger a hope that a genuinely democratic society may evolve. But on a cautious note, as long as they will not unseat the army from political and financial power, there will not be any progress in that country. The Pakistan Army claims its slogan on three fundamentals (a) Iman, (b) Etihad, and I guess it is (c) Jihad. On all three accounts, they draw a blank.</p><p>Iman: you can't have Iman while siphoning 12 billion rupees by (Gen. Bajwa) of the country or taking a bribe of 200 million from India on 370 abrogation.</p><p>Etihad: Unity is impossible without national interest, and individual interests cannot foster unity. It only encourages competition of corruption and Pakistan is undergoing that curse as a whole </p><p>Jihad: the corrupt army can't fight. The level of corruption has so profoundly seeped into the military that Ajit Doval reportedly has reached out to a few Arab countries to strike a deal with the Pakistan army to allow them to stage incursions into AJK and hold it for a while till Indian elections are over. And they Pakistan army and BJP had reached such a deal in Pulwama and Balakot air strikes. I have never come across such a bizarre instance in history. I mean, African pirates are not taken for that dirt cheap. May God save Kashmir</p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Ahsan Jehangir Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060161044428652026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-58333436758219491412021-02-14T03:54:00.006+05:002021-02-14T03:58:13.940+05:00KAZANANI OLMAYAN KAYIPLAR!<p><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1f23; font-size: 16px;">Akan bir nehirden abdest alırken dahi israf etmeyi men eden bir Peygamberin ümmeti olarak, hepimiz büyüklerimizden</span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1f23; font-size: 16px;"> </span><strong style="border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">‘nimet israf edilmez günahtır’ </strong><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #1e1f23; font-size: 16px;">sözünü mutlaka duymuşuzdur. Nimet ve imkânlar istifade etmek ve istifade ettirmek üzere bizlere verilmiştir.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">İsraf; her türlü nimet ve imkânın sahip olana da, ihtiyacı olan başkalarına da fayda sağlamadan ziyan edilmesidir.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Yoksul ülkelerde gıda yetersizliği sebebiyle vahim boyutlarda açlık yaşanırken gıda israfı bireysel, toplumsal ve küresel ölçekte büyük bir sorun olarak karşımıza çıkıyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BM Gıda ve Tarım Örgütü (FAO), çeşitli ülkelerden üniversiteler, kurumlar, kuruluşlar ile araştırma şirketleri gıda israfı verilerinde (farklılıklar ve tutarsızlıklar olsa da), refah seviyesi yüksek toplumların müsrif hayat tarzına ayna tutuyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Sahra Altı Afrika ve Güney/Güneydoğu Asya'da kişi başına yılda sadece 6 ila 11 kg gıda israfı olurken, Avrupa ve Kuzey Amerika'da kişi başı gıda atığı ortalama 100 ila 300 kg arasında gerçekleşiyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ABD ve Avrupa ülkeleri tarafından çöpe atılan gıda miktarı dünya nüfusunun 2-3 katını besleyebilecek miktardayken, sadece ABD’nin bir yıllık gıda israfı Afrika kıtasının bir yıllık gıda üretimine tekabül ediyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Gün geçtikçe çığ gibi büyüyen gelişmiş ülkelerdeki gıda israfı, yoksul insanların sağlıklı besleyici ve yeterli gıdaya kavuşmasının önüne aşılmaz duvarlar örüyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">BM Gıda ve Tarım Örgütü’nün raporlarında dünyada üretilen yiyeceklerin %14’ünün daha tüketiciye ulaşmadan çöpe gittiği, dünya ölçeğinde israf edilen gıdanın %50’sinin evlerde çöpe atıldığı, her yıl üretilen gıdaların yaklaşık 1,4 milyon tonunun çöpe atıldığı, ekonomik maliyetinin ise 750 milyar dolar civarında olduğu bilgisi yer alıyor. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) tarafından yapılan araştırmalara göre, gıda atığı miktarı bugün olduğu gibi artmaya devam ederse, 2030 yılında gıda israfının dünya ölçeğinde yıllık 2,1 milyar tona çıkacağı ve bu israfın parasal olarak 1,5 trilyon dolara tekabül edeceği tahmin edilmekte.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dünya genelinde israf edilen gıdayı üretebilmek için 9,6 milyon kilometre kare olan Çin'in yüz ölçümünden daha büyük bir alana ihtiyaç var.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">En çok gıda israfı yapan gelişmiş ülkelerden birkaçının gıda kaybı ile bu kayıptan doğan ekonomik maliyet korkunç bir tabloyu gözler önüne seriyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Avustralya</strong> (Nüfus 25 milyon)<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </strong>Avustralya Çevre Departmanı tarafından yayınlanan bir raporda; 2011’de kişi başı 361 kg gıda israfı olduğu, 2013 yılında ise hane bazında gıda atıklarının ülke ekonomisine maliyetinin 8 milyar doları aştığı bilgisi yer alıyor. (<a href="https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/25e36a8c-3a9c-487c-a9cb-66ec15ba61d0/files/factsheet-food-waste_0.pdf" style="border: 0px; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/25e36a8c-3a9c-487c-a9cb-66ec15ba61d0/files/factsheet-food-waste_0.pdf</a> -2016)</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Başka bir araştırmada ise, her yıl çöpe atılan 5 milyon tondan fazla yiyeceğin 9.000 Olimpik yüzme havuzunu dolduracak büyüklüğe ulaştığı; her beş alışveriş poşetinden birinin çöpe atılması ile birlikte hane başı yıllık 3.800 doların da çöpe atıldığı; ev çöplerinin % 35'inin gıda atığından oluştuğu; gıda israfının 2030’a kadar Avustralya ekonomisine her yıl 20 milyar dolara mal olacağının tahmin edildiği; 2017’de Avustralya’nın yıllık gıda israfının 8,95 milyar kg olarak gerçekleştiği ve en büyük 9. gıda israf eden ülke olarak listede yerini aldığı belirtiliyor. (2019-Tracking the future of food waste in Australia, Karize De La Cruz-Western Sydney Unv.)</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ABD </strong>(Nüfus 330 milyon)<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </strong>Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nde her yıl kişi başı 280 kg civarı gıda israfı gerçekleşiyor. 2017'de ABD’de hane bazında yaklaşık 39,6 milyon tonu yaş gıda olmak üzere ülke bazında yıllık 91 milyar kg toplam gıda israfı gerçekleşmiş. (Statista)<br style="outline: 0px;" />Yapılan araştırmalar Amerika’nın tek başına İngiltere, Almanya, Fransa İtalya ve İsviçre’nin toplamından daha fazla gıdayı çöpe attığını gösteriyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">İsviçre </strong>(Nüfus 8.57 milyon)<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">:</strong> 2017'de gerçekleşen gıda israfı yaklaşık 2,8 milyon ton, kişi başı yıllık 330 kg önlenebilir gıda atığı tarımsal üretimin % 37'sine eşdeğer. Bu israf kişi başı yıllık 600 İsviçre Frangı ve ülke bazında 5 milyar doların (5 milyar frank) üzerinde bir ekonomik maliyet oluşturuyor. (The Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich) 2019)</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kanada </strong>(Nüfus 37.59 milyon)<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">: </strong>%63’ü yenilebilir durumda kişi başı yıllık 200 kg'dan fazla gıda çöpe atılıyor. 140 kg civarında yenilebilir durumdaki gıdanın hane başı maliyeti 1100 doların üzerinde. Kanada’nın 2,2 milyon ton önlenebilir evsel gıda atığının maliyeti ise 17 milyar doları aşıyor. Ülke bazında 4,5 milyar kg gıda israf ediliyor. (The National Zero Waste Council, Research on household food waste in Canada-2019):</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Kanada’da her gün çöpe atılan bazı gıdaların rakamsal değeri:<br style="outline: 0px;" />2.400.000 patates<br style="outline: 0px;" />1.225.000 elma<br style="outline: 0px;" />1.200.000 domates<br style="outline: 0px;" />1.000.000 bardak süt<br style="outline: 0px;" /> 750.000 somun ekmek<br style="outline: 0px;" /> 555.000 muz<br style="outline: 0px;" /> 450.000 yumurta<br style="outline: 0px;" />Günlük miktarları 365 ile çarptığımızda ortaya çıkan rakam dudak uçuklatacak cinsten.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fransa </strong>(Nüfus 66,99 milyon)<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">:</strong> Statista’nın yaptığı ankette Fransızların %23'ünün sık sık ekmeği çöpe attığı, % 9'unun ise düzenli olarak et ve balıkları çöpe attığı belirtiliyor. Fransa’da kişi başı gıda israfı yıllık 106 kg. Gıda İsrafı Yasasına rağmen israf edilen 10 milyon ton gıdanın ekonomik maliyeti yıllık 16 milyar Euro.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">İngiltere </strong>(Nüfus 66,79 milyon)<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">:</strong> Hükümet tarafından finanse edilen ve kar amacı gütmeyen bir kuruluş olan Wrap, 2007’de ülke bazında yıllık 11,2 milyon ton olan gıda israfının o zamandan bu yana 9,5 milyon tona düştüğü bilgisini paylaşmış 29 Eylül’de. Yine de son bir yılın gıda israfı ile Wembley Stadyumu yaklaşık 20 defa doldurulabilir.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Ayrıca Meksika, Almanya, Finlandiya, İtalya ve Belçika ilk on ülke arasında yerini alıyor. Liste bu şekilde uzayıp gidiyor, ancak ortaya çıkan tablo gerçekten dehşet verici. Ülkeler gıda israfının küresel bir sorun olduğunun altını çizseler de, sorunu çözecek politikaları üretmekte yetersiz kalıyorlar.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Tarım ve Orman Bakanımız Bekir Pakdemirli’nin çeşitli açıklamalarında yer alan bilgilere baktığımızda ülkemizdeki gıda israfı rakamlarının da memnuniyet verici olmadığını görüyoruz.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Türkiye'deki gıda kaybı neredeyse %40 Civarında, üretilen sebze ve meyvelerin %50'sinde kayıp yaşanıyor, günlük olarak 5 milyon civarında ekmek, hizmet sektöründe işletme başına yılda 4,2 ton gıda, 2 bin lt içecek israfı gerçekleşiyor. Ülkemizde her yıl yaklaşık 19 milyon ton gıda çöpe gidiyor, bu miktar üretilen gıdanın neredeyse 5’te 1’ini oluşturuyor. Gıda kaybının sadece % 2’si (10 milyar TL) 360 bin ailenin asgari geçim rakamına, %5’i ise (25 milyar TL) 900 bin ailenin 1 yıllık asgari geçim rakamına eşdeğer.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br style="outline: 0px;" /><b>“…Yiyin, için, fakat israf etmeyin; çünkü Allah israf edenleri sevmez.”</b> (A‘râf Sûresi, 31)</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fatma Çağıran</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMqhtl3Awn46lTREQzu3jt5GFSkWdDND2gI4kn-f9dt6Dd_nYLP6fHY_syJZ0rRlioTAFSwofapki3pSyS0mlLKZMbDpt3WTVaJi8LPmhfG_AOD2Tfb1yzuRSCDU40bRmp7apvHWWTBE/s1440/20161208_foodwaste.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoMqhtl3Awn46lTREQzu3jt5GFSkWdDND2gI4kn-f9dt6Dd_nYLP6fHY_syJZ0rRlioTAFSwofapki3pSyS0mlLKZMbDpt3WTVaJi8LPmhfG_AOD2Tfb1yzuRSCDU40bRmp7apvHWWTBE/s320/20161208_foodwaste.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Bizim Meselelerimizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11562539459471392037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-44855901247718291782021-02-09T01:20:00.007+05:002021-02-09T01:40:20.094+05:00PAHA BİÇİLEMEZ VARLIKLARIN KONTROLÜ...<p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1e1f23; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Hakiki değerini ölçmenin hiçbir yöntemi ve imkânı olmayan varlıkları saklayan bir banka düşünün. Her ülkede en az bir veya iki tane olmak üzere dünyanın dört bir yanında binlerce şubeleri olan, yükte hafif pahada ağır varlıkları saklayan, tohum bankaları bunlar. Bir de bu zincir bankaların bir nevi ana kasası olarak nitelenebilecek bir Küresel Kasa var.</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content float-container" id="post-body-6078777439167190128" style="color: #757575; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 1.5em 0px 2em;"><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">İnsan hareketliliğinin olmadığı Arktik Okyanusu\"nda bir takımadada, tam zamanlı çalışan personeli olmayan, kara ulaşımı olmayan, yüksek güvenlik önlemleri ile korunan, erişimin çok zor ve kısıtlı olduğu bir banka bu. Adına Kıyamet Ambarı da denilen dağa oyulmuş bir Küresel Tohum Deposu.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bu banka dünyadaki tüm bitki türlerini, özellikle “endemik” türleri tek elde toplamak üzere tasarlanan NATO destekli bir proje. Norveç hükümetiyle ‘Kültür Bitkileri Çeşitliliği Küresel Fonu\" (Global Crop Diversity Trust) ve Kuzey Genetik Kaynaklar Merkezi tarafından da destekleniyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Uluslararası Tarım Araştırmaları Enstitüsü tarafından organize edilen, dünyanın dört köşesinden toplanarak yerel "gen bankaları"nda saklanan tohum örnekleri, bu devasa kasaya taşınıyor. Sürekli yeni tohum numuneleriyle zenginleştirilen kasa, böylece fikir ve kurucu babalarının “tekel” alanına dönüşüyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Gıdayı sonsuza kadar güvence altına alma” sloganıyla geleceğe vurgu yapan, tohum bankaları zinciri ve küresel kasanın hissedarları ise ABD menşeli uluslararası birkaç şirketten oluşan bir konsorsiyum.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“İnsanlığın son umudu” olarak tanıtılan Küresel Kasa projesine; ABD, İngiltere, Norveç, Almanya, İsviçre ve Kanada`nın devlet fonlarından yıllık yaklaşık 125-150 bin dolar aktarıldığı, Küresel Hasat Çeşitliliği Örgütü’nün yıllık 125-150 bin dolar arasında finansman sağladığı, Microsoft`un kurucusu Bill Gates’in kendini “Asya ve Afrika`daki çiftçilere yardıma adadığını” beyan ederek Gates Vakfı aracılığıyla tohumların hazırlanması ve ulaşım ücretlerini tamamen “iyilik” gayesiyle karşıladığı biliniyor. Ayrıca Dünya Bankası, çok uluslu şirketler ve vakıflar da bağışçılar arasında yer alıyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bu tohum bankalarının en büyüğü ABD hükümetine ait. Diğerleri büyükten küçüğe doğru; Çin, Rusya, Japonya, Hindistan, Güney Kore, Almanya ve Kanada’da bulunmaktadır. İlaveten CGIAR seçtiği ülkelerde tohum bankaları zincirlerini işletmekte.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dünya tohum tekelini elinde tutan konsorsiyumun, kurdukları lobilerle faaliyet gösterdikleri ülkelerde, kendi çıkarlarına hizmet edecek yasaları çıkarttırdıkları bilinen bir gerçek.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">“Siyasi ve gıda güvencesi olmayan bölgeler” olarak belirledikleri ülkelerde (Suriye, Irak, Kuzey Afrika, Afganistan, vb.) “iyi niyetle” verdikleri hibeler karşılığında ve uluslararası anlaşmalarla baskı kurarak, yerel bankalarda saklanan tohumları küresel kasaya vermeye “yönlendirdikleri ve zorladıkları” da yaygın bir kanı.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Numunelerin ortadan “kaybolması” ise özellikle çatışma ya da iç savaş (çıkarılan) yaşanan bölgelerde sıklıkla görülen bir durum.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bilim muhabiri Virginia Gewin, Mayıs 2015’te Ensia dergisinde yayınlanan makalesinde konuyla ilgili ilginç bilgiler paylaşıyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Suriye’de iç savaşın başlamasıyla, bölgenin kontrolünü ele geçirmeye çalışan farklı gruplar camileri, kiliseleri, mezarları, bölgedeki paha biçilmez eserleri yakıp, yıkıp yağmalarken, bütün bu savaş ve yıkımın arasında sadece bir “tohum” deposu ayakta kalır.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Halep’in 32 km güneyinde kurulu bir saha araştırma istasyonu ve tohum bankası olan “Kuru Alanlarda Uluslararası Tarımsal Araştırma Merkezi” (International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas), 128 ülkeden yaklaşık 150.000 farklı buğday, arpa, mercimek ve bakla tohumundan oluşan eşsiz bir koleksiyona sahipti.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2012’nin başlarında depoyu ele geçiren “isyancılar”, biyolojik çeşitliliği korumanın ne kadar önemli olduğunun farkına varırlar ve beş Suriyeli ICARDA personelinin koleksiyonu koruma-çoğaltma programına devam etmelerine izin verirler.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Halep’te “güvende olmayan” paha biçilemez değerdeki yaklaşık 150.000 çeşitlik tohum koleksiyonu ve çoğaltılmış numuneler, Suriye\"deki durum kötüleşmeden önce Türkiye ve Lübnan üzerinden Küresel Tohum Kasasına taşınır. Numunelerin çok az bir kısmı ise Lübnan ve Fas’a aktarılır.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ICARDA\"nın genetik kaynaklar birimi başkanı Ahmed Amri, “isyancıların bu farkındalığının” kendileri için çok büyük bir “şans” olduğunu söyler.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Suriyeli savaşçıların ICARDA’nın tohum bankasına neden dokunmadıkları ise; şirketin saygınlığına ve personelin “isyancıları” bunun önemi konusunda “ikna etmiş” olmasına bağlanır. (<a href="https://www.croptrust.org/in-the-news/ensia-gene-banks-future-agriculture/" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #2196f3; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.croptrust.org/in-the-news/ensia-gene-banks-future-agriculture/</a> )</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">ICARDA, “yeryüzündeki geniş genetik çeşitliliğin kaybolmaması için “başka yerlerde depolanmak üzere” tohum toplayan ve kopyalar oluşturan yüzlerce mahsul gen merkezinden sadece biridir.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Suriye örneğinin benzerleri iç savaş çıkan başka ülkelerde de görülür. Afganistan, Burundi, Ruanda ve Solomon Adaları’ndaki iç savaş ve çatışmalar nedeniyle tohum bankası mahsulleri taşınır, “kaybolur veya yok edilir”.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Irak ise başlı başına bir vahamettir. Irak’a “demokrasi” götüren ABD askerleri karşılığında Kadim Mezopotamya havzasının yüzlerce yıllık eşsiz tohum depolarını yağmalayarak, ABD (konsorsiyum) için “gıdayı sonsuza kadar güvence altına alırlar”. Savaşla birlikte Irak’a kabul ettirilen bir yasa ile de Irak halkının hayati kaynaklara erişimi tamamen kısıtlanır. (15 Temmuz işgal girişimine bir de bu açıdan bakmak gerek)</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2011\"de Tayland\"daki tohum bankalarını su bastığında, orada saklanan 20.000 pirinç numunelerinden bazıları sonsuza dek “kaybolur”. Filipinler\"in ulusal tohum bankası, 2006\"da sel hasarından kurtulur ancak 2012\"de “yangınla yok olur”. Bu örnekleri çoğaltmak mümkün.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dünya genelinde sayıları 1.750 civarında olan tohum bankaları, 2 milyonu “endemik” tür olmak üzere yaklaşık 7,4 milyon tohum çeşidini kapsayan devasa bir koleksiyona sahip. Küresel Kasa ise tek başına 4,5 milyon tohum barındırma kapasitesine sahip.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dünyadaki özel tohum bankalarını, CGIAR olarak bilinen “küresel konsorsiyum” kontrol ve idare etmekte. 1977’de Suriye Merkezli kurulan ve 60 civarında ofisi olan ICARDA da, Uluslararası Tarımsal Araştırmalar Danışma Grubu (CGIAR) tarafından desteklenen 15 merkezden biri.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Küresel Kasa\"nın eski Koordinatörü Ola T. Westengen ile Program Başkanı ve Crop Trust Genebank Platform Koordinatörü Charlotte Lusty, Nature Plants dergisinin geçen haftaki sayısı için \"Suriye\"den Svalbard\"a Küresel Tohum Mirasının Korunması\" başlığıyla yazdıkları makalede, “koleksiyonun kurtarılış hikâyesini” anlatırlar.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Küresel Kasa 2008’de faaliyete geçtiğinde (savaşın başlamasından 3 yıl önce) ilk numunelerin ICARDA tarafından Suriye’den getirilmesiyle başlayan hikâyede; ülkelerin “kendi gen bankalarında bir sorun olması durumunda” değerli koleksiyonları saklamak için küresel kasanın en güvenli yer olduğu anlatılıyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Personelin profesyonelliği ve uluslararası işbirliğinin önemine dikkat çekilen makalede; savaş patlak verdikten sonra Suriye’den çıkarılan tüm tohumların % 83\"ünün Türkiye ve Lübnan üzerinden Norveç’teki Küresel Kasaya aktarıldığını, 13.939 adedinin Türkiye\"deki Ulusal Gen Bankası\"na aktarıldığını; Tel Hadya tohum bankasındaki 141.052 adet tohumun, neredeyse % 99\"unun başarıyla kurtarıldığını ve savaş sebebiyle 1.657 tohumun kaybolduğunu” da yazmışlar, mutlu sonla biten masalda.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(“Savaş sebebiyle kaybolan” 1.657 adet tohumun dökümü ve akıbeti merak uyandırıyor elbette.)</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> (<a href="https://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=122695" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: #2196f3; cursor: pointer; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.seedquest.com/news.php?type=news&id_article=122695</strong></a> )</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">2017 itibariyle Türkiye, küresel kasaya en çok numune gönderen 15. ülke olarak geçiyor kayıtlara.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Türkiye’de bugün 2 tohum gen bankası ve 18 arazi gen bankası bulunuyor. Tohum gen bankalarından biri İzmir’de, Ege Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü bünyesinde 1964’ten bu yana faaliyet gösteriyor. Dünyadaki tohum gen bankalarının ilk örnekleri arasında yer alan merkez, 1974’den beri “Ulusal Gen Bankası” adıyla çalışmalarını sürdürüyor. Burada, gelecek nesillere aktarılmak üzere yaklaşık 60 bin tohum örneği ve 3 bin 500 civarında “endemik” bitki türü koruma altında tutuluyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Diğer tohum gen bankası ise Ankara’da. Tohum örneklerinin güvenlik yedeklemelerinin yapılması amacıyla 1988’de Ankara Tarla Bitkileri Merkez Araştırma Enstitüsü bünyesinde başlatılan çalışmalar, 2010’a gelindiğinde iyice olgunlaştı ve “Türkiye Tohum Gen Bankası” adıyla faaliyete geçildi. Ankara’daki merkez 250 bin tohum saklama kapasitesine sahip. Türkiye Tohum Gen Bankası aynı zamanda, dünyadaki en önemli 10 gen bankası arasında gösteriliyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Küresel Kasaya taşınan tohumların bir kısmının çoğaltılmış numuneleri olsa da, geçmişte ortadan “kaybolan” tohumlar göz önüne alındığında savaşlar, terörist eylemler, güçlü salgınlar, yangınlar ile yok edilmesi işten bile olmayacak. Bu durum, ABD’nin (konsorsiyumun) siyasetine karşı gelen ülkeleri tohumdan mahrum bırakma noktasına çok kolay evrilebilecek büyük bir risk taşıyor.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Bu sebeple dünyanın gıda arzı, toplumların ve devletlerin istikbâli, hiçbir surette “seçilmiş” birkaç devletin, şirketin, kişinin eline geçmemelidir. Dünyadaki tüm tohum çeşitleri bir araya getirilip kontrol altına alındığında, çıkartılabilecek kaos senaryolarını düşünmek bile dehşet verici.</p><p style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #1e1f23; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 15px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Fatma Çağıran</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPf4n3y2H78-mOHtkh5fZmtijLYb-AXIaSu6QUDEdYkIHMTWUEVOQpNj_lsUTYSrQgCCTwC0PLhDWNhPwwboOoq-BgS0554K-kQtXECPYrzvfVClmGhMOB3KlmUjJjbUJY3mx1NeXsfY/s863/TOHUM.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="485" data-original-width="863" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPf4n3y2H78-mOHtkh5fZmtijLYb-AXIaSu6QUDEdYkIHMTWUEVOQpNj_lsUTYSrQgCCTwC0PLhDWNhPwwboOoq-BgS0554K-kQtXECPYrzvfVClmGhMOB3KlmUjJjbUJY3mx1NeXsfY/s320/TOHUM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div></div><div class="post-bottom" style="-webkit-box-align: center; align-items: center; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap;"><div class="post-footer float-container" style="-webkit-box-flex: 1; -webkit-box-ordinal-group: 2; clear: left; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.54); flex-wrap: wrap; flex: 1 1 auto; margin: 0px; order: 1; width: inherit;"><div class="post-footer-line post-footer-line-1" style="-webkit-box-flex: 0; background-color: white; flex: 0 1 auto; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Bizim Meselelerimizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11562539459471392037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-63982950962516144622019-06-08T12:10:00.001+05:002019-06-08T12:10:13.739+05:00Everyday is an opportunity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Everyone of us is blessed with an opportunity every day, to strengthen
our relationship to Allah Almighty; our good, fair and honest
relationship as a muslim with everyone else including people close and
far. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVNCQqaSEZQUgHIm0W8HQDpWsYDMlGB2AfjCLC2Dliz-vFt6fX7G_CTW_WeHT4M7vQbCCzIBzMc2b-bBY04B2TWawFtVSFKSccaC3qtTwaEsesMhIk3GviGtIn5DyXp3-ygpTVdEY_ao/s1600/62016875_1183011815240844_2005064400775413760_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioVNCQqaSEZQUgHIm0W8HQDpWsYDMlGB2AfjCLC2Dliz-vFt6fX7G_CTW_WeHT4M7vQbCCzIBzMc2b-bBY04B2TWawFtVSFKSccaC3qtTwaEsesMhIk3GviGtIn5DyXp3-ygpTVdEY_ao/s320/62016875_1183011815240844_2005064400775413760_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our sincere efforts to keep connecting with the people as a
building block of our faith rather on the basis of our needs or
interests. To connect to even those who disconnect you, to show mercy to
those who show no mercy to you. We have to review ourselves as who we
are,<span class="text_exposed_show"> who our leader is and what is our
purpose in life. We either get consumed as fuel for this life or we
prepare and put our efforts on the good path. Do we appreciate a culture
of listening first before speaking; a culture to facilitate to find
answers of our problems and questions we face daily, to be open and
fair, to rectify ourselves and to get help to be rectified. We need
guidance more and more with the passage of time, everyone of us facing a
challenge meanwhile we are blessed with life and opportunities to act.
We must act with forbearance, tolerance and with mercy. It is not about
right and wrong mostly or how we perceive matters individually but its
about our togetherness. This is about our complete picture, seeing
humanity as one entity collectively. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="text_exposed_show">We must ponder more to learn how to
be good and less selfish. To make an effort at least to facilitate on
every possible level even if its just to boost morale for another’s
path, or brainstorm for goodness even in one’s career or faith. We must
keep the cycle going which brings positivity, hope and a collective
social responsibility to act for goodness for all. Knowledge and seeking
the path to learning is our utmost priority and to facilitate growth
especially to those around us.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Ahsan Jehangir Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060161044428652026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-58679590709738451112019-04-02T18:04:00.001+05:002019-04-02T18:04:54.647+05:00Kashmir Podcast: Highlighting the voices of Kashmir<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Kashmir Podcast: Highlighting the voices of Kashmir</h3>
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<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="300" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/599720331&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=true&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Source: <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-859045586-381856257/introduction-to-kashmir-podcast" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/user-859045586-381856257/introduction-to-kashmir-podcast</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdVQomoz0qrDepXKk7EYPQ5oQq0PU6EGIAvzt4vXE_h9fditAtHEoSvPGtxmOZ8OU6L7Cbvme5JsPMMybLov-idRc6WyKTh2jROfO1TDxzgCHaGJLpoQM8V_kq3up7GBmR4xObOOLZNM/s1600/logo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="750" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBdVQomoz0qrDepXKk7EYPQ5oQq0PU6EGIAvzt4vXE_h9fditAtHEoSvPGtxmOZ8OU6L7Cbvme5JsPMMybLov-idRc6WyKTh2jROfO1TDxzgCHaGJLpoQM8V_kq3up7GBmR4xObOOLZNM/s320/logo.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Transcript of the voice message:</h4>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
I am the creator of Kashmir Podcast. I came up with this
idea after seeing the Kashmir dispute being debated and discussed constantly
without the inclusion of the Kashmiri voice. The citizens and children of those
born in Kashmir (Indian Occupied Kashmir, Azad Kashmir); play an important role
in this dispute. They are also multi-faceted humans; who despite the conflict,
have managed to follow their dreams and advocate for others as well. I started
this podcast with the intent to provide a platform to highlight the Kashmiri
Voice, to highlight the stories of Kashmiris living in Kashmir as well as
Kashmiri diaspora all around the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Kashmir is the most militarized region in the world. In
between two nuclear nations; India and Pakistan, who both hold power in the
international arena. Kashmir is important to discuss because a nuclear war
would affect everyone on this planet. I wish to empower Kashmiris; men and
women to join me to amplify our voices and our stories. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We will be talking about controversial topics. Some stories
may be graphic or violent and may not be suitable for children to hear. This is
not a religious based or political based project; rather a public platform that
stands for inclusivity, freedom of expression and diverse views. No hate based
views will be shared in order to maintain the goal of this project; to instill
unity and progress.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Storytelling is powerful. Powerful stories propelled nations
to wage war through the use of manipulative media storytelling. Many countries
were liberated due to the awareness brought by positive storytelling<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I want everyone to be able to share their stories; negative
and positive experiences, their struggles, their passions, their ideas and
their opinions. This is a safe space; no photos, no names are shared unless you
wish to provide it.Anonymity is power when journalists are constantly killed
and Kashmiri voices are constantly monitored, taken down and ignored. Many
still living under occupation may be fearful for their safety after speaking
out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
Another reason to provide the option to remain anonymous is
to provide a safe space for women to speak up. Women are the most neglected
group in the political arena, yet women are used as weapons of war through
gendered violence, systematic rape and more. I want to encourage women to share
their stories anonymously if they wish to escape from the fear of societal
judgement. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
This podcast is open to all genders, all religious
backgrounds and all cultures; but I want to amplify the Kashmiri voice. The
benefit of audio submissions are that elders and many who aren’t tech savvy may
also share their voice by simply speaking. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
We will be releasing topics as talking points on a regular
basis. If you have a story for any topic we are working on, or you have any additional
ideas, topics, or stories to share. Please send your audio to
KashmirPodcast@gmail.com Try to keep it under 5 minutes, and try to speak as
loudly and clearly as possible. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
You may speak in English, Kashmiri, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Farsi and Spanish currently
as we will only be able to provide translations for these languages currently. Later on, we may be able
to accept more submissions in other languages. All your emails and private information are confidential,
and after sending a submission, you will be emailed back a contract from us;
guaranteeing your confidentiality unless you choose not to be anonymous.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
I apologize for the audio quality, as we will be collecting
audio submissions from all around the world, most likely recorded through
phones; therefor the quality of recordings may not be the best. I will be
improving on this as we go, but I want to reiterate that audio quality is not
of the utmost importance here; but a fully inclusive platform where Kashmiri's
can debate, share their stories and let their voices be heard is the purpose of
this podcast. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you.<br />
<br />
<!--[endif]--><a href="https://twitter.com/KashmirPodcast" target="_blank">Kashmir Podcast</a><o:p></o:p></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Kashmir Podcasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08840343013953135186noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-28391072274750340572019-01-29T22:10:00.002+05:002019-01-29T22:16:23.978+05:00Who are voice of voiceless<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b><br /></b></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><img alt="" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0COP7U6HpsaoALH9SUXomxo0zYmsOFedO0zeIkUAnfpCA_CSz" title="" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful"</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Anyone who stands for truth, justice and faith.</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Anyone who believe in Allah and His guidance, which is Islam.</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Anyone who stands with truth, anyone who is oppressed.</b></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img height="208" src="http://ourvoicematter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/cropped-what_if_we_really_loved_all_humanity1.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"></span></span></span></h3>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Image Source: </b></span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: verdana, sans-serif;">unknown</span></span></h4>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>We are all together in this path for justice.</b></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><img alt="Our Voice Matters" height="200" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/865530864368721921/HQqnwU6v_400x400.jpg" width="200" /></span></h3>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Ahsan Jehangir Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060161044428652026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-69750361918107212032019-01-08T01:45:00.000+05:002019-01-08T01:45:36.456+05:00What They wrote about Hajiya Bridget Aisha Lemu ?! & Who is she ?!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYqieJPyHCgCGBSiW6kAapUAuylj1-TJu5BAY3CJBILu7NoYjQ9DlIG3M4fyCPvJpf6YxMRB7WNJLUWbX_yFbMyK8sQySRh5zMA_hIX_sY5bV_FPYA6zZS_GERBi0AEctb-KXr6NaevyY/s1600/49761376_10217523196888620_671267830330556416_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="960" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRYqieJPyHCgCGBSiW6kAapUAuylj1-TJu5BAY3CJBILu7NoYjQ9DlIG3M4fyCPvJpf6YxMRB7WNJLUWbX_yFbMyK8sQySRh5zMA_hIX_sY5bV_FPYA6zZS_GERBi0AEctb-KXr6NaevyY/s400/49761376_10217523196888620_671267830330556416_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hajiya Bridget Aisha Lemu</td></tr>
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<b>What They wrote about Hajiya Bridget Aisha Lemu ?! & Who is she ?!!</b><br /><br /><a data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard-referer="ARRam7i21m-IhozKxrFLsDc3l3Xe_Q4x72Pki1fyIlzOmJEyY34h6spDZdM6-A2Ttdk" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1137704124&extragetparams=%7B%22__tn__%22%3A%22%2CdCH-R-R%22%2C%22eid%22%3A%22ARCwRRpxkVz5okKhCfTS0Zg2TL0qu3R-6-X-hpCs50idlIjyAMU5pxIfUDBIrnKIxkMT4-jA-aG-SAyT%22%2C%22hc_ref%22%3A%22ARRam7i21m-IhozKxrFLsDc3l3Xe_Q4x72Pki1fyIlzOmJEyY34h6spDZdM6-A2Ttdk%22%2C%22fref%22%3A%22nf%22%7D" href="https://web.facebook.com/bashir.mundi?__tn__=%2CdCH-R-R&eid=ARCwRRpxkVz5okKhCfTS0Zg2TL0qu3R-6-X-hpCs50idlIjyAMU5pxIfUDBIrnKIxkMT4-jA-aG-SAyT&hc_ref=ARRam7i21m-IhozKxrFLsDc3l3Xe_Q4x72Pki1fyIlzOmJEyY34h6spDZdM6-A2Ttdk&fref=nf" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 600; text-decoration-line: none;">Bashir Mundi</a> :<br />I have lost my second mother. <br />We belong to God and to Him is our return. <br />Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un. <br /><br />With the passing of the great Hajiya Bridget Aisha Lemu, on Saturday, 5th January, 2019, in Minna, Nigeria, I've lost a second, very loving, and inspirational mother. I am always humbled and pleased that she used to call me her second son. <br /><br />An accomplished educator and author of several Islamic books used by institutions all around the world, Hajiya continues to influence and inspire millions across generations, genders, nationalities, and creeds. Prayers and deepest condolences to our esteemed father and mentor, Dr. Sheikh Ahmed Lemu, my beloved brother and sister, Ustaz Nuruddeen Lemu and Sister <a href="https://web.facebook.com/maryam.s.lemu?__tn__=%2CdK%2AF-R&eid=ARC8RuWkC5UTfh9ZJe8VPE0kH3IcFGupTz-HYUm_dgUjefY-NBqDYk-hcCtsmn-x5K9YFOlGAalpAJXq">Maryam S. Lemu</a>, and the rest of the Lemu family. <br /><br />Our deep regards also to the great institutions that she has helped found, the Islamic Education Trust, New Horizons College, FOMWAN, and all those who she has inspired with her remarkable life. <br /><br />As I grieve feeling alone and far from home, I give gratitude to God that He blessed us and the world with you. <br /><br />What a beautiful life. <br /><br />What beautiful soul. Your remarkable life was lived truly as a Sign of God - an Ayah of Allah. I rejoice at the eternal bliss and tranquility that greet you in the Divine Presence of Your Loving Lord. May God color your extraordinary life with values of infinity by His infinite Mercy. <br /><br />Dearest Mum, may Allah grant you the highest stations in jannat al firdaus, the garden of paradise. Ameen <br /><br />Your son, Bashir Mundi<br /><br />====<br /><br /><a href="https://web.facebook.com/ImamAbdulMalikMujahid?__tn__=%2CdlC-R-R&eid=ARDcA6WMM1lW0LL1MTe8TrpsVSKQYJ7KGqzilSGf8J8w4HSiIUf40tL5dRB4yukdq7805KeShTnXUcE9&hc_ref=ARRhPgdPq3hzRPcb9Gx8trBCR-YpTrCNIoeUXZi1zRDIYS5UzXKf8OmCIPH_3_D2Btc">Abdul Malik Mujahid</a><a href="https://web.facebook.com/ImamAbdulMalikMujahid?__tn__=%2CdlC-R-R&eid=ARDcA6WMM1lW0LL1MTe8TrpsVSKQYJ7KGqzilSGf8J8w4HSiIUf40tL5dRB4yukdq7805KeShTnXUcE9&hc_ref=ARRhPgdPq3hzRPcb9Gx8trBCR-YpTrCNIoeUXZi1zRDIYS5UzXKf8OmCIPH_3_D2Btc"></a> <br />else said om his account on FB :<br /><br />Just heard from brother <a href="https://web.facebook.com/bashir.mundi?__tn__=%2CdK-R-R&eid=ARAkM1V_iX05tccBTzDYhzkX8Sm1HVqp_XZcchGe6zhHBwGg77HgMWdLkB5Heim6FK94VWCNvwEh0_h0&fref=mentions">Bashir Mundi</a> about the passing away of a great scholar Aisha Lemu in Nigeria. May Allah give her the best. <br /><br />I had the honor of introducing two of her books about 20 years ago to the US Muslim weekend schools: Islamic Tahdhib and Akhlaq and Islamic 'Aqidah and Fiqh. Both books are extra-ordinary textbooks for Muslim youth. <br /><br />Both books were later revised and published by Iqra Foundation in Chicago. <br /><br />I also promoted her booklet about the Ideal Muslim Husband. It was a unique take. <br />May Allah bless her and her family and may her book continue to be a source of reward for her.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Aameen</b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-34763689902308638902019-01-06T21:26:00.001+05:002019-01-06T21:26:20.081+05:00China Targets Prominent Uighur Intellectuals to Erase an Ethnic Identity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By: <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/austin-ramzy">Austin Ramzy</a><br />5,Jan.,2019<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5_ONQOUW2zXJ-vU5xkd6r8sIxEjwx6FlvN1NjHFr2AaEuNLcm_1Z727UVURS3m9r3nA5fJPPGUyGrlgBdPpc-PE13Cu1rj9mpyG6W9dirBO8Jwr95S8Og4yaHL2yhXd3kjvwSZohdu1c/s1600/jumbo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5_ONQOUW2zXJ-vU5xkd6r8sIxEjwx6FlvN1NjHFr2AaEuNLcm_1Z727UVURS3m9r3nA5fJPPGUyGrlgBdPpc-PE13Cu1rj9mpyG6W9dirBO8Jwr95S8Og4yaHL2yhXd3kjvwSZohdu1c/s400/jumbo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rahile Dawut, above with camera, is an anthropologist at Xinjiang University who studied Islamic shrines, traditional songs and folklore. She was detained in December 2017 and has not been heard from since. Lisa Ross</td></tr>
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<br />ISTANBUL — As a writer and magazine editor, Qurban Mamut promoted the culture and history of his people, the Uighurs, and that of other Turkic minority groups who live in far western China. He did so within the strict confines of censorship imposed by the Chinese authorities, who are ever wary of ethnic separatism and Islamic extremism among the predominantly Muslim peoples of the region.<br /><br />It was a line that Mr. Mamut navigated successfully for 26 years, eventually rising to become editor in chief of the Communist Party-controlled magazine Xinjiang Civilization before retiring in 2011.<br /><br />“My father is very smart; he knows what is the red line, and if you cross it you are taken to jail,” said his son, Bahram Sintash, who now lives in Virginia. “You work very close to the red line to teach people the culture. You have to be smart and careful with your words.”<br /><br />Then last year, the red line moved. Suddenly, Mr. Mamut and more than a hundred other Uighur intellectuals who had successfully navigated the worlds of academia, art and journalism became the latest targets of a sweeping crackdown in the region of Xinjiang that has ensnared as many as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/world/asia/china-uighur-muslim-detention-camp.html?module=inline">one million Muslims in indoctrination camps</a>.<br /><br />The mass detention of some of China’s most accomplished Uighurs has become an alarming symbol of the Communist Party’s most intense social-engineering drive in decades, according to scholars, human rights advocates and exiled Uighurs.<br /><br />As the guardians of Uighur traditions, chroniclers of their history and creators of their art, the intellectuals were building the Central Asian, Turkic-speaking society’s reservoir of collective memory within the narrow limits of authoritarian rule. Their detention underscores the party’s attempts to decimate Uighur identity in order to remold the group into a people who are largely secular, integrated into mainstream Chinese culture and compliant with the Communist Party, observers say.<br /><br />The Chinese government has described the detentions as a job training program aimed at providing employment opportunities for some of the country’s poorest people. But a list of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/100000777053688/posts/2314003391968873/">more than 100 detained Uighur scholars</a> compiled by exiles includes many prominent poets and writers, university heads and professors of everything from anthropology to Uighur history.<br /><br />“The fact that highly educated intellectuals and academics and scientists and software engineers are being held in these facilities is one of the best counterarguments to authorities’ claims that this is some kind of educational program meant to benefit Uighurs,” said Maya Wang, a Hong Kong-based researcher for Human Rights Watch.<br /><br />The removal of high-profile Uighur scholars familiar with the Chinese government, and the country’s education and legal systems, is aimed at erasing not only the group’s unique ethnic identity but also its ability to defend such traditions, said a Uighur professor now living in Istanbul who asked not to be identified because of possible risks to family in Xinjiang.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="820" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjflNzhxqdPXGINStVqq9wF5m2GOufMDvPGvGqKcK8AtSdQqv5RvMAEzqh47kkoxxcEPzCYxuP3MXRb6WCRtKln_dmddRc7ELm_aMUdPvrxsHXiAXP2v9CM2hQVQclSOA4tABqFAgwHgoRt/s400/merlin_148625610_b8fc2b8e-58af-4f5c-9368-8463270fe2ce-jumbo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Qurban Mamut, a magazine editor in Xinjiang who has been detained. <br />“My father is very smart; he knows what is the red line,” his son said. Bahram Sintash</td></tr>
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Many scholars trace the assault on intellectuals to the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/24/world/asia/china-court-sentences-uighur-scholar-to-life-in-separatism-case.html?module=inline">imprisonment of Ilham Tohti, a Uighur economist, in 2014</a>. Mr. Tohti, who was an outspoken critic of the discrimination Uighurs face in China, was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of separatism.<br /><br />More detentions came in 2017. Many of those targeted worked on preserving Uighur culture.<br /><br />Rahile Dawut, one of the most well known of the disappeared Uighur academics, is an anthropologist at Xinjiang University who studied Islamic shrines, traditional songs and folklore. Ms. Dawut <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/10/world/asia/china-xinjiang-rahile-dawut.html?module=inline">was detained in December 2017</a> and hasn’t been heard from since.<br /><br />Before the crackdown, the Uighur intellectual elite offered a bridge between the body of Uighur society, who number about 11 million and are largely poor farmers, and the much wealthier Han Chinese, who dominate economic and political power. The scholars also worked carefully to try to improve the lot of a group that complained of widespread discrimination and draconian restrictions on religious activity.<br /><br />These scholars offered a moderate path, where Uighurs could maintain religious and cultural practices without turning to extreme and isolationist ideas, said Rune Steenberg, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Copenhagen.<br /><br />“This is the really big tragedy about the clampdown,” Dr. Steenberg said. “They were actually bridge builders of integration of broader Uighur society into modern Chinese society and economy.”<br /><br />Many young Uighurs have been inspired by the scholars’ accomplishments, said Erkin Sidick, a Uighur engineer who went to the United States for graduate school in 1988 and now works on telescopes for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Mr. Sidick said hundreds would attend informal talks he gave on pursuing graduate degrees and many closely studied a book he published that compiled biographies of Uighur academics.<br /><br />“Uighur people value education very much,” he said.<br /><br />Now, Uighurs keep a grimmer list of Uighur intellectuals — those who have disappeared in the current campaign.<br /><br />Tahir Hamut, a Uighur poet who lives in Virginia, began working with other Uighur exiles to collect the names of those detained over the past year based on news reports and information from families and classmates. The list has now grown to 159 Uighurs and five others from other minority groups.<br /><br />“These people are all the most prestigious in Xinjiang,” Mr. Hamut said. “They are models who all study diligently and raise themselves up. Their arrest is a great injury, a great attack to all Uighurs.”<br /><br />The Chinese authorities have accused Uighurs in official positions of being “two-faced,” or mouthing the official line in public but resisting the crackdown in private. Such labels have surrounded the removal of several top administrators at universities in Xinjiang.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="1024" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEF_zIdYsoZ1nIqk10jvv9b-v6LBZJWsuof7hvNi4eTBWTrnlNW305sfwhwFy6rKb1L-jDCnIEfKah6HtHdjURxcOiURcOwRWc1cwIRd1BC5QSc_8mb5zA0LjWivgzEpfq6PXYEGNwpxX/s400/merlin_87398555_8cb2cc68-84ab-48b0-997f-cf88e35b26f9-jumbo.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Many scholars trace the assault on intellectuals to the imprisonment of Ilham Tohti, <br />a Uighur economist, in 2014.CreditAndy Wong/Associated Press</td></tr>
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The Xinjiang government propaganda department and the news office for the State Council, China’s cabinet, did not respond to faxed requests for comment. But officials in Xinjiang have clearly stated their resolve to pursue people they see as hindering efforts to rewire Uighurs and steer them from what authorities have called religious extremism.<br /><br />“Break their lineage, break their roots, break their connections and break their origins,” wrote Maisumujiang Maimuer, a religious affairs official, in <a href="https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309351000444139144631708028">a commentary in the state news media</a>. “Completely shovel up the roots of ‘two-faced people,’ dig them out, and vow to fight these two-faced people until the end.”<br /><br />The campaign has not spared scholars who expressed support for the party, such as Abdulqadir Jalaleddin, a scholar of medieval Central Asian poetry at Xinjiang Normal University who worked to preserve Uighur culture and identity.<br /><br />“He was a very moderate man who always tried to give a balanced view, so much so that a lot of Uyghur nationalists accused him of selling out to the regime,” Rachel Harris, who studies Uighur music at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London and has known Mr. Jalaleddin for more than a decade, said in an email. (Uyghur is an alternative spelling of Uighur.)<br /><br />Last year, Mr. Jalaleddin joined a government-led campaign for prominent Uighurs to write open letters declaring their allegiance to the state.<br /><br />Despite that declaration, he was detained in January 2018, according to overseas Uighur organizations.<br /><br />“So many moderate intellectuals have been detained now,” Dr. Harris said. “I don’t know how else to understand this, except as a deliberate policy to deprive Uyghurs of their cultural memory.”<br /><br />It is a pattern that has repeated itself in the far western region. The authorities targeted Uighur intellectuals after the People’s Liberation Army occupied Xinjiang in 1949, and even before in the late 1930s, when Xinjiang was ruled by a Soviet-backed warlord, said Ondrej Klimes, a researcher with the Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences who studies Xinjiang and the Uighurs.<br /><br />“It makes the community easier to be subjugated, more cooperative, more docile,” Dr. Klimes said. “You have this whenever an authoritarian regime comes, they first target intellectuals.”<br /><br />By detaining so many influential figures, the government appears to be acknowledging that its efforts to woo Uighurs to accept the primacy of the Chinese state have failed, and that it must use more forceful methods, Dr. Steenberg said.<br /><br />“The government has lost,” he said, “and now like a chess player about to lose, it swipes the board.”<br /><br /><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/austin-ramzy">The Source</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-45100583312026397562018-11-11T14:59:00.002+05:002018-11-11T14:59:42.098+05:00هل يعمل الاتحاد الدولي لعلماء المسلمين من أجل الأمة ؟<h3 dir="rtl" style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 20px;">
<br /><span style="font-size: small;">الناشط الإيغوري عبدالغني ثابت:</span><br /></h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixPdqW9r6ZI_NhVUHXlI8_oG3hzQa6F3qXzAqzSPe6951_soxowPFtMpVWhhNVmZEIhBSIqd-ndS9HcDYyfcMF3xASyV_aEbfdPXYkxSaPEH6QDboBOZ0zEtZszS6HXNHgUGgcEr6za2X/s1600/%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25A5%25D8%25AA%25D8%25AD%25D8%25A7%25D8%25AF+%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25B9%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D9%258A+%25D9%2584%25D8%25B9%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D8%25A7%25D8%25A1+%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D8%25B3%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D9%258A%25D9%2586.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="854" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgixPdqW9r6ZI_NhVUHXlI8_oG3hzQa6F3qXzAqzSPe6951_soxowPFtMpVWhhNVmZEIhBSIqd-ndS9HcDYyfcMF3xASyV_aEbfdPXYkxSaPEH6QDboBOZ0zEtZszS6HXNHgUGgcEr6za2X/s400/%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25A5%25D8%25AA%25D8%25AD%25D8%25A7%25D8%25AF+%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D8%25B9%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D9%258A+%25D9%2584%25D8%25B9%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D8%25A7%25D8%25A1+%25D8%25A7%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D8%25B3%25D9%2584%25D9%2585%25D9%258A%25D9%2586.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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هل هذه المنظمة (الاتحاد الدولي لعلماء المسلمين) تعمل فعلا من أجل الأمة الإسلامية؟ <br /><br />إن كانت تعمل إذا كيف ذلك؟ نحن الأويغور المسلمون في تركستان الشرقية نعاني من النظام الصيني منذ 68 عاما. <br />أنا شخصيا كتبت عدة مرات .لهذه المنظمة عن محنتنا، لكنني لم أتلق أي رد<br /></div>
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هل هؤلاء العلماء يعيشون في هذا العالم أم في كوكب آخر؟ <br /><br />منذ ما يقرب من عامين تغطي وسائل الإعلام الدولية ما يجري في معسكرات الاعتقال الصينية في تركستان الشرقية.<br /></div>
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أعلنت الصين بالفعل الحرب ضد الإسلام وأعلنت الإسلام أنه "معد" ومرض نفسي وعقلي في جميع أنحاء المنطقة.<br /></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">الناشط الإيغوري عبدالغني ثابت</span></span></h3>
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لماذا هؤلاء العلماء المسلمين هادئين؟ ما هي مسؤوليتهم؟<br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-6489511450000212882018-11-04T19:36:00.000+05:002018-11-04T19:36:16.287+05:00A Muslim Divide in ChinaUyghur Muslims face stricter controls on religion than Hui Muslims.<em style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></em><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">By: Rukiye Turdush </span></b><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">File photo of Muslim Uyghurs praying at the Jame Mosque during Ramadan in Hotan in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region</td></tr>
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China says its laws provide equal religious freedom for Uyghurs and the country’s other main Muslim group, the Hui, but Uyghurs face stricter controls on religious education and worship and how they dress because of Islam’s links to their political identity, analysts say.<br /><br />Islam flourishes in China’s Ningxia and Gansu provinces, home to many of the country’s 10 million Hui Muslims, where mosque-based schools offer religious teachings to adults and children.<br /><br />Hui Muslims in other parts of China as well are also allowed to run religious schools.<br /><br />But in the Xinjiang region in China’s far west, where the mostly Muslim, Turkic-speaking Uyghurs form an ethnic group 9 million strong, government policies bar women and anyone under age 18 from attending mosques.<br /><br />Uyghur parents are forbidden to teach religion to their children at home, and private religious education is subject to harsh crackdowns.<br /><br />Many Uyghurs believe China is practicing a double standard in its religious policy toward Uyghur and Hui Muslims.<br /><br />Although the laws on the books were the same, in practice, policies vary for both groups, said Dru Gladney, an anthropologist at Pomona College in California.<br /><br />“Chinese laws about religious freedom are very clear. But like any other good Chinese law, there is uneven enforcement,” he said.<br /><br />“Xinjiang has strict religious freedom because the political situation of the region is much different than other regions.”<br /><br />But officials maintain Uyghurs are not getting the short end of the stick.<br /><br />The head of the government-sanctioned Islamic Association of Urumqi, in the Xinjiang capital, said this month that China allows equal religious freedom for Uyghurs and Hui Muslims.<br /><br />“There is no difference in religious policy,” Keram told RFA’s Uyghur Service.<br /><br />“Uyghurs enjoy the same religious freedoms as Hui Muslims do,” he said.<br /><br />But he refused to comment on crackdowns on Uyghurs’ religious freedom, including harsh sentences for unauthorized Islamic study and police raids on illegal schools in the region.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Crackdowns and police raids</span></b><br />
<br />Six teenaged Uyghur boys who were arrested for studying the Quran on their own after school are now serving sentences of 8 to 14 years in jail, a Uyghur farmer in the area who wished to remain anonymous told RFA this month.<br /><br />The boys, who were between the ages of 14 and 17 at the time, had been arrested in April 2010 in Hotan's Keriye county, and are now being held in jails in Aksu and Yarkand far from their hometowns, he said.<br /><br />In May this year, an 11-year-old Uyghur boy died under suspicious circumstances in police custody after being detained when police raided his teacher’s home in Korla prefecture where he had been studying the Koran with two other boys when police took him away.<br /><br />In a separate incident weeks later, a dozen children in Hotan prefecture suffered burns after police using teargas and stormed a religious school where some 50 children were studying under “illegal preachers.”<br /><br />Aside from restrictions on Islamic education and worship, Uyghurs are also subject to restrictions on traditional Islamic dress.<br /><br />Chinese officials have denied there were such restrictions, which in theory are prohibited by laws protecting religious freedom.<br /><br />Earlier this month, a Uyghur member of the Xinjiang delegation to the ruling Chinese Communist Party’s 18th congress in Beijing, Kurex Kanjir, said there is “absolutely no ban” on Uyghurs wearing traditional Islamic dress, according to the Hong-Kong based South China Morning Post.<br /><br /><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Political identity</span></b><br /><br />Hui Muslims, on the other hand, are much freer to practice Islam, although Hui Muslims in Ningxia suffered persecution during the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s and ‘70s.<br /><br />Hui Muslims do not suffer the same level of repression as faced by Uyghurs because they have been much more assimilated into Chinese culture, says Uyghur writer Ghulam Osman.<br /><br />“Hui Muslims are Chinese Muslims, but Uyghurs are not. Uyghurs are of a different race than the Chinese.”<br /><br />“Hui Muslims have never been a nation-state; they always lived together with the Chinese, because they belong to the same ethnic group as the Chinese,” he said.<br /><br />The Hui, whose forefathers hundreds of years ago were traders from Central Asia or other places who practiced Islam, live throughout China and, unlike the Uyghurs, many of them speak Chinese as their mother tongue.<br /><br />The Hui are counted as one of China’s 55 distinct ethnic minorities, but are unique in that they are the only group to be defined solely on the basis of their religion, rather than language or genealogical differences. By definition, China’s Hui minority includes all historically Muslim communities in the country who are not members of other ethnic groups.<br /><br />“Uyghurs are different; they had their own land and were invaded by China,” Ghulam Osman said, referring to Xinjiang’s past before it came under Chinese control following two short-lived East Turkestan Republics in the 1930s and 1940s.<br /><br />China, fearing a separatist movement in Xinjiang, represses Uyghurs’ religious freedom because Islam is significant in the survival of their identity, he said.<br /><br />But if China is worried about an independence movement blossoming among Uyghurs, such a movement would be more likely to be spurred in reaction to repressive religious policies than religion on its own, Gladney said.<br /><br />“All the Uyghur movements against the Chinese government were caused by frustration that resulted from the heavy-handed repression of the Chinese government in the region, not by radical religious forces,” Gladney said.<br /><br />But the political role of Islam in allowing Uyghurs to maintain an identity separate from the rest of China should not be underestimated, Ghulam Osman said.<br /><br />“It is true that all political movements of Uyghurs are caused by the heavy handed policy of China and not by radical religious forces.”<br /><br />“However, this does not mean religion does not play a significant role in Uyghur survival and Uyghur political movements,” he said.<br /><br />“Islam and the Uyghur language are deeply embedded in Uyghur identity. They strengthen our racial and historical differences with Han Chinese.”<br /><br /><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;">
<i>Reported by Rukiye Turdush for RFA’s Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.<br /><a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/hui-11302012172354.html" target="_blank">From the Source</a></i></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-66610214494107300722018-11-04T19:11:00.000+05:002018-11-04T19:11:07.359+05:00Why China Is Not Worried About Offending Muslim Allies<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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By: Rukiye Turdush </div>
<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBopUHWdIm8Bh6xXxuyTGkwrjMFuk84o-tTfkxiQSCT4x8nDC8NZ8SecjdY5u_ThtA14VrrZMSR5Vj2jNsSIosubK8Je9Z_v4cRTOwN2Gj4_YQ3loc26D9eqyqiM1wQQ-cefZ7Dsq3zexs/s1600/thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBopUHWdIm8Bh6xXxuyTGkwrjMFuk84o-tTfkxiQSCT4x8nDC8NZ8SecjdY5u_ThtA14VrrZMSR5Vj2jNsSIosubK8Je9Z_v4cRTOwN2Gj4_YQ3loc26D9eqyqiM1wQQ-cefZ7Dsq3zexs/s400/thumb.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: DroidArabicNaskhRegular; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Turkey's Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak and China's National Energy Administration Chairman Nur Bekri signed a nuclear energy agreement between the two countries, Beijing, September 2016.</span></em></td></tr>
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The Chinese government released a New Silk Road project <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/capital-projects-and-infrastructure/our-insights/one-belt-and-one-road-connecting-china-and-the-world">action plan in 2015 </a>to facilitate the achievement of its global ambition. The project aimed to materialize China’s dream of expansion through Central Asia to Europe.<br />
<br />China colonized East Turkistan (which the Chinese government also calls the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region) in 1949. The region is located at the major gateway to this “New Silk Road” project and is mainly populated by Turkic-speaking ethnic Uyghurs and Kazakhs.<br /><br />To promote the success of the “New Silk Road” project and make it easier to gain access to Muslim countries, China should respect the religious identity of Uyghurs and implement fair policy in the colonized land. Uyghurs and Kazakhs share the religion of the Central Asian nation, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and many other countries that play integral roles in the project. However, China has harshly implemented a destruction policy in the region, locking up several million Muslims in so-called re-education camps that are no different from Nazi-style concentration camps. <br /><br />According to eye witnesses and countless of media reports, belief in Islam, praying to God, eating halal food, practicing Islamic funeral ceremonies and refusing to marry Han Chinese have all been banned. Moreover, Chinese officials have called <a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/08/china-muslims-camps-uighur-communist-party-islam-mental-illness.html?gtm=bottom&gtm=top">Islam a mental disease</a>. The Han-centric nation-building manifestation of China has aggressively moved to abolish Islam in the region. This should offend all Islamic nations. Surprisingly, it does not offend them at all.<br /><br />Why doesn’t China have to worry about offending its Muslim allies? The reasons could vary. For one, China has mastered its cheating and bullying strategy. For example, through economic war, China’s cheating <a href="https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/trade-deficit-with-china-costs-2-million-jobs-to-united-states-white-house-1827827">has cost the United States alone two million jobs</a> since it became a member of the World Trade Organization. In addition, the bullying of Taiwan and building of an artificial island in the South China Sea have manifested the Thick Black Theory (Hou Hei Xue) of China.<br /><br />After getting away with all of this, China believed that it could also get away with offending its Muslim allies. Alternatively, it may have believed that such a risk was worth taking since East Turkistan has significant strategic importance to China.<br /><br />The purpose of the “New Silk Road” or “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) is to use China’s economic power and capital export as leverage to shape its main interest in geostrategic targets and to export the dominance of Han Chinese nationalism. China believes that it cannot fulfill these imperialistic goals without achieving total Han nationalist dominance in East Turkistan. Based on this belief, China has banned religion and Uyghur ethnic identity in East Turkistan to eliminate spaces that would allow the influence of other worlds.<br /><br />Secondly, China has effectively manipulated the conflict between the West and Muslim countries, took the position of guardian over the Muslim countries in exchange for their silence regarding the issue. For example, the Turkish government was previously very supportive of East Turkistan. Back in 2009, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-china-sb/turkish-leader-calls-xinjiang-killings-genocide-idUSTRE56957D20090710">President Erdogan criticized China</a> and depicted the Urumqi massacre as a “genocide”. China demanded an official apology for that but never received one. In recent years, however, the adversary relationship between Turkey and the US has pushed Turkey further into the strategic circle of China. On numerous occasions, Turkish President Erdogan was quoted as saying, “Only atheist Satan can be silent in the face injustices”. Yet he now chooses to remain silent in the face of the tremendous injustices the Uyghurs are experiencing.<br /><br />Furthermore, the financial crisis, the weakening of Western democratic ideology and rise of illiberal democracy in the West have given the green light to China’s genocidal policy against the Uyghurs. In fact, China tested the water before implementing the destruction of the religion and identity of Muslims in the region. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-media/chinas-xi-urges-state-media-to-boost-global-influence-idUSKCN0VS1IF">Chinese state media produced vast amounts</a> of propaganda material in several languages and circulated them around the world to further their agenda. They tried to illustrate that state oppression was a consequence of separatism and religious extremism or terrorism despite the fact that there was little evidence of organized terrorism, separatism or religious extremism.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKckiAQNgUiN6AzPNF4DadgEvxjPWxcoC8djlLzVF9bpVXN6ykXUB3O0Il9Axp2bhHtDZVeSkq-4c6kwCvWw6t_im3hBraV9AmDC52x4hjRT5MytODs4xcqmzCOXf44zdKNgcKXINoQIGJ/s1600/Xinjiang_Re-education_Camp_Lop_County.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="404" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKckiAQNgUiN6AzPNF4DadgEvxjPWxcoC8djlLzVF9bpVXN6ykXUB3O0Il9Axp2bhHtDZVeSkq-4c6kwCvWw6t_im3hBraV9AmDC52x4hjRT5MytODs4xcqmzCOXf44zdKNgcKXINoQIGJ/s400/Xinjiang_Re-education_Camp_Lop_County.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: DroidArabicNaskhRegular; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Detainees listening to speeches in a re-education camp in Lop County, April, 2017</span></em></td></tr>
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In 2014, China was successful at convincing Egypt to deport thousands of Uyghur students in <a href="http://www.tradearabia.com/news/CONS_325023.html">exchange for a $40 billion trade deal</a>. Furthermore, China arrested hundreds of ethnic Kazakhs in the region in the absence of any pending charges just to see the reaction of the Kazakh government. China also succeeded in getting the Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister, Cavus Ogli, to <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/Uyghur-community-fear-plight-forgotten-media-blackout-take-places-1230193452">promise not to allow</a> the Turkish media to publish items on Uyghur human rights. The reactions of these Muslim countries eased China’s worries that it would offend them. As a result, China enhanced its genocidal policy in the region.</div>
<br />China’s multistage and political strategy based on Sun Tzu’s “The Art of War” states: “befriend them to get their guard down, then attack their weakest point.” Chinese political strategies have never been based on transparency and honesty. If China is buying these Muslim countries trust to open their door for OBOR project and making them ignore religious and moral obligations, then soon, there will be a day that China can attack their weakest point.<br /><br /><b>"Rukiye Turdush</b> is an independent human rights activist and writer based in Toronto."<br /><div style="text-align: left;">
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-22430119707607521032018-11-03T21:17:00.000+05:002018-11-03T21:17:56.101+05:00What is India hiding in Kashmir?<br />By: Syed Ali Geelani<br /><br />New York. October 27, 2018.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />“Human rights violations in Kashmir perpetrated by Indian army with legal immunity dwarf in scale the violations that provoked international humanitarian action in other international disputes. Human rights violations in Kashmir have been documented by all international and neutral human rights organization. Very recently, it was also documented in the United Nations report issued by the High Commissioner on Human Rights. The High Commissioner urged India to allow the United Nations delegation to visit Kashmir to asses the situation. But India does not allow such a delegation to visit Kashmir. It clearly shows that India has something to hide. May be, India does not want the world powers to know the following: tens of thousands indiscriminately slaughtered and countless rapes, abductions, custodial disappearances, arbitrary detentions, arsons, and brutal suppression of peaceful political protest,” this was conveyed in a message to the conference attendees of Pakistani American Society of New York (PASNY) by Syed Ali Geelani, Chairman, All Parties Hurriyet Conference, Jammu & Kashmir.<br /><br />The Indian army is involved in serious war crimes. They open fire on unarmed civilians at their will because they have been given immunity under draconian laws, like Armed Forces Special Powers Act. (AFSPA). We demand an inquiry into these war crimes by a neutral agency, like the United Nations, Mr. Geelani added. Geelani Sahib insisted that the movement in Kashmir is indigenous, popular and people’s movement and rejected the notion that it is Pakistan sponsored. Geelani said,<br /><br />Speaking as a guest speaker, Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum reminded the audience of the injustice, tyranny and inhumanity of the Indian military as it occupies Kashmir. He cautioned that at this moment in our historic struggle for self-determination, the Kashmiri people with poise, confidence and unity are taking their inalienable struggle in a new direction of non-violence and peaceful agitation.<br /><br /><br />Dr. Fai reiterated that major challenge faced by activists interested in a peaceful, just and lasting resolution to the Kashmir problem was the manner in which world powers spoke for Kashmiris and not to Kashmiris. This form of hegemony was most pronounced by constructing a false history and destroying Kashmiri identity. How often do we hear outlandish statements like, ‘Kashmir is an integral part of India’ or ‘Kashmir is a bilateral issue between New Delhi & Islamabad.’? These statements do not exist in a vacuum. They are loaded and violent. This form of violence is more insidious, more difficult to confront, for it is attempting to indoctrinate Kashmiris about their past, their present and direct them to a future that does not belong to them. They had become the objects of history rather than the masters of it.<br /><br />Col. Maqbool Malik the Secretary General, (PASNY) reminded that it happened 71 years ago when Indian troops invaded Kashmir under the auspices of a fraudulent Instrument of Accession. British Scholar, Alistair Lamb has convincingly demonstrated that the Instrument was as bogus as an original has never been found, and there is no plausible explanation for a disappearance if an original had ever existed.<br /><br />Mr. Malik reminded the audience that the conflict began in 1846 with the illegal, immoral and inhumane sale of the historic state of Jammu and Kashmir to a non-Kashmiri Dogra family for services rendered to the British Raj. From that point, onwards, Kashmiri’s have long for self-determination. Yet, tragically, their legitimate aspirations were crushed with the grotesque, irregular and illegal ascension, by the brutal foreign ruler Maharaja Hari Singh who did not have the consent of the people. With the arrival of Indian soldiers - the historic Black Day of Occupation begins its most recent and insidious manifestation.<br /><br /><br />Mr. Ashraf Aazmi, the President of PASNY and emcee of the event said that the world powers should exert its considerable powers of persuasion to mediate a peaceful conclusion of the Kashmir conflict with India, Pakistan, and the Kashmiri leadership. Bilateral talks and negotiations over Kashmir between Pakistan and India have proven sterile for 71 years, and nothing in that dismal equation has changed.<br /><br />Sardar Imtiaz Khan Garalvi said that October 27th is celebrated all over the world as the day of occupation. Today, we are observing October 27th as a day of grief and sorrow, because it was on that day in 1947 that India sent its army to occupy our land without the consent of the people and in defiance of international norms. He said that Indian forces are using brute and excessive force against unarmed civilians and taking revenge from innocent citizens.<br /><br /><br />Sardar Taj Khan emphasized that Kashmiris will resist India's colonial occupation for as long as necessary to enjoy their right to self‑determination as prescribed by international law, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and a long series of United Nations Security Council resolutions that were agreed upon by both India and Pakistan and accepted by the International Community.<br /><br />Ms. Amna Taj Khan urged the leadership of India and Pakistan to include the accredited leadership of Jammu & Kashmir in all future negotiations. Any Kashmir solution that fails to command the consensus of the 22 million people of Kashmir, Amna underscored, is doomed to shipwreck moments after its launch. She however, emphasized that with Kashmiri participation, anything is possible. Without it, nothing is.<br /><br />Shahid Comrade of Pak USA Freedom Forum said that Kashmir continues to be a nuclear flashpoint in South-Asia, periodic eruptions will continue to risk the nuclear neighbors and violence will continue to chase the region unless the Kashmir problem is resolved to the wishes of the people of the state.<br /><br /><br />Shahid believes that a just and lasting settlement of the dispute is possible only through tripartite negotiations between the Governments of India and Pakistan and the legitimate leadership of the people of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.<br /><br />Others who spoke included: Mr. Naeem Iqbal Cheema, Pakistan Consul General, Dr. Amarjit Singh, President, Khalistan Affairs Center, Dr. Syed T. Ahmad, Mr. Muhammad Ashraf, Dr. (Professor) Tamkeen and others.<br /><br />Dr. Fai can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-23095553834949635812018-11-03T01:47:00.000+05:002018-11-03T01:52:17.187+05:00History should not imprison the future of KashmirBy: Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai<br />
October 19, 2018<br /><br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Human rights work in tandem with Kashmir peace initiatives. The two do not war with one another. The idea that suppression of human rights promotes peace is discredited by all history, including that of Kashmir. The denial of freedom of speech, association, religion, due process, equal justice, and self-determination in Kashmir has sabotaged peace, not boosted its chances. Ditto in the past for East Timor, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Southern Sudan and etc. The people of Kashmir no less demand dignity and respect than do other peoples.</span><br />
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History should not imprison the future, but neither can it be ignored in assessing the justice and morality of aspirations. A brief chronicling of Kashmir’s history will enlighten understanding of its current plight and viable solutions.<br />
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The territory was a princely state ruled over by an oppressive Maharajah at the time British India was partitioned in 1947. The partition lines were drawn with a religious eye. In cases of doubt as to the sovereignty sentiments of a region, the British held plebiscites, which were honored. The more than 500 princely states enjoyed the option of acceding to India, Pakistan, or choosing independence on August 15, 1947, the date when British sovereignty lapsed. Kashmir was one of three states that had not chosen an option at the deadline. With regard to the other two, (Junagarh and Hyderabad) which were predominately Hindu but ruled over by Muslims, India by force of arms insisted on a plebiscite. Both voted in favor of accession to India. <br />
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Kashmir presented the flipside of the issue. According to the self-determination standard for princely states promulgated by India’s Prime Minister Nehru, a plebiscite should have been held in Kashmir to determine its sovereign future. Every reasonable opinion knew that Kashmiris would then have voted either for independence or accession to Pakistan. <br />
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Knowing that self-determination for Kashmir would prove adverse to its interests, India schemed with the Maharaja to fabricate a document of accession that would save the Maharaja from toppling to indigenous insurgent forces. India also arranged for the Maharaja to invite its army to defeat the insurgency, which provoked Pakistan to rally military in their support. <br />
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India raced to the United Nations Security Council and the Council enacted resolutions in 1948 and 1949, eagerly accepted by both India and Pakistan, stipulating a self-determination plebiscite for Kashmir conducted by the United Nations. In preparation for the voting, Indian and Pakistan forces would be substantially thinned. India, however, quickly fabricated excuses for foiling self-determination by raising endless quibbles about demobilization and scaling back its military presence. The sole reason for India’s obstructionism was knowledge that Kashmiris would never vote accession to its orbit.<br />
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India thus unilaterally annexed Kashmir in the early 1950s with a special constitutional status that promised autonomy. But India gradually reneged on its promise, and Kashmir was reduced to virtually the same status as all of India’s other States.<br />
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Kashmiris, however, are exceptionally patient and accommodating. For years they struggled through peaceful and democratic means to protest their denial of self-determination. But 1987 marked the straw that broke the camel’s back. Another rigged election by India created despair, especially among the Kashmiri youth. ‘India Today’ magazine reported, “In the Amira Kadal constituency of Srinagar, Muslim United Front (MUF's) Syed Mohammed Yusuf Shah (Alias: Syed Salahuddin) was a candidate. As the vote counting began, it was becoming clear that Yusuf Shah was winning by a landslide. His opponent, Ghulam Mohiuddin Shah, went home dejected. But he was summoned back by the electoral officials and declared the winner. When the crowds protested, the police arrived and arrested Yusuf Shah and his supporters. They were held in custody till the end of 1987.” Further, India’s ruthless suppression of peaceful dissent destroyed the moderate option, resulting in the latest uprising in 1989.<br />
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Since the 1989 uprising, more than 100,000 Kashmiris have died. Greater numbers have been tortured, mutilated, kidnapped and arbitrarily arrested. Political prisoners number in the thousands. Emergency laws were enacted. The gruesome human rights landscape in Kashmir has been confirmed by every independent human rights organization in addition to the recent report by the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights.<br />
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Although it is neither for Pakistan nor for India to determine the self-determination timetable for more than 22 million Kashmiris, we welcome the peace initiative between the South Asian neighbors, which include negotiations over Kashmir. We believe in the universality of human rights and human aspirations. Thus, we welcome the initiative to the extent it seeks to lift a heavy financial and military burden from the necks of Pakistan and Indian. <br />
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India’s so-called “democracy” in Kashmir resembles Myanmar’s patently bogus democracy. The recent nationwide Panchayat (local bodies) elections are emblematic. Let me review the stunning voter boycott statistics from Srinagar and its surroundings on October 15, 2018.<br />
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The Economic Times reported on October 18, 2018 that when the time for voting had ended, the turnout for the final phase of elections, which was held only for two municipal bodies in Kashmir, remained low as usual at 4.2 per cent. <br />
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These boycott figures are not aberrational but typical. They represent a stunning vote of no confidence by the Kashmiri people in their current illegal governance by India.<br />
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Kashmir’s right, however, is not self-executing. Diplomacy, perseverance, and small but gradual steps will be necessary. The following is urgent to jump start progress on human rights and peace in Kashmir:<br />
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1. India must repeal all of its draconian laws that violate human rights in Kashmir;<br />
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2. Military hostilities must cease immediately, and a scheduled withdrawal of security forces should commence;<br />
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3. All political prisoners must be released;<br />
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4. Fundamental human rights to assemble peacefully for political purposes, to freedom of speech and of association, and to freedom of religion should be recognized and honored;<br />
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5. Kashmiris should be included in all future negotiations along with India and Pakistan..<br />
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Fulfillment of this 5-point agenda would not be a dead end but a beginning of a better tomorrow.<br />
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The peace process and human rights in Kashmir cannot be separated. They will succeed or fail together. We hope we can count on the moral suasion and conscience of the world leaders to push success forward.<br />
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Dr. Fai is the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum and can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435 or gnfai2003@yahoo.com<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-71241860039568306912018-10-25T21:44:00.000+05:002018-10-25T21:44:21.391+05:00Millions of Khashoggi's that the world doesn't look for..<br />
<br /><br />Did you found Khashaggi ?!<br />Millions of Khashoggi's that the world doesn't look for...<br /><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is in everywhere around us in this world<br />On the land of, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, Turkestan, Burma, Kashmir, Egypt, Afghanistan, Libya, Bosnia, Iraq, Iran .. and more places<br /><br />But the world has a one-eyed to see & move or investigation but only one Khashaggi,<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Our Voice Matters</span></span></span>Twitter: <a class="ProfileHeaderCard-screennameLink u-linkComplex js-nav" href="https://twitter.com/OurVoiceMatterz" style="background: rgb(230, 236, 240); color: #657786; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none !important;"><span class="username u-dir" dir="ltr" style="background: rgb(230, 236, 240); color: #657786; direction: ltr !important; font-family: "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none !important; unicode-bidi: embed;">@<span class="u-linkComplex-target" style="font-weight: normal;">OurVoiceMatterz</span></span><span style="background: rgb(230, 236, 240); color: #657786; font-family: Segoe UI, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: none !important;"><span style="background: rgb(230, 236, 240); font-size: 14px;"><b> </b></span></span></a><br />Facebook: @ourvoicematterz<br />Website: https://write.ourvoicematter.com/<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-43127259653004687652018-10-10T02:31:00.000+05:002018-10-10T02:31:16.161+05:00THE EMERGENCE OF ETHNIC ROHINGYAS<br />
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The term Rohingya is derived from the word Rohai or Roshangee, a terminology pervered to Rohingya. Rohai and Roshangee are terms denoting the Muslim people inhabiting in the old Arakan (Rohan/Roshang/ Roang). It is probably the corruption of Arabic term Raham (blessing) or Raham Borri meaning the land of God's blessings.<br />
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The word Rahma to Rahmi-Rahmia-Rahingya to Rohingya, which denotes honest, dutiful, pitiful or kind hearted to others.<br />
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But there is another historical defination of Rohingya. That is Rohingya which derived from the Magh language "Rwa-haung-gya-kyia". The Magh used to call the Pathan army of General Wali Khan and General Sandi Khan, who came to restore the throne to Narameikhia, as "Rwa-haung-gya-kyia"- which was changed time to time - as Rwahingyia - Rohingya-which denotes as brave as tiger. As the Pathans army defeated the<br />
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Mon-Talaing army, the Rakhine Maghs used to call the Pathan as brave as tiger. They mixed with the Arab descendants for centuries and become Rohingyas.<br />
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"Arakan, infect, a continuation of the Chittagong plain was neither purely a Burmese nor an Indian territory till the 18th century of the Christian era. Chiefly for its location, it was not only remained independent for the most part of history, but endeavoured to expand its territory in the surrounding tracts whenever opportunity came and Chittagong was the first to be the victim of the territorial ambition of the Arakanese monarchs.<br />
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...... Shut off from Burma by a hill range, it is located far away from the Indian capitals. The relation between Chittagong and Arakan is influenced by geographical, ethnological, cultural and historical considerations, from about 1580 A.D. nearly a century, Chittagong was under almost uninterrupted Arakanese rule which is undoubtedly an important period marked by momentous events.<br />
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"There were Moors, Moghuls and Pathans also in Arakan.... Thus, the Muslim population of Arakan consisted roughly of four categories, namely, the Bangalee, other Indian, Afro-Asian and native. Among these four categories of Muslims the Bengali Muslims formed the largest part of the total Muslim population of Arakan."<br />
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The Arabs and Pathans army are founded the original nucleus of the Rohingyas in Arakan, who arrived from Arab and Bengal Sultanate during the time of Arakanese kings.<br />
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The Arabs were the first to lay the foundation of Muslim society in Arakan in the later part of the 7th century A.D. and the waves of immigration from Bengal were very significant, for with these immigrants came the Muslim nobels, statemen, traders, teachers, poets, and soldiers.<br />
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There had been large-scale conversion of the Hindus, Buddhists and animists to Islam who also constitute part and parcel of the Rohingya. In 15th century the number of converts to Islam soared, specially as the Muslims has established standard of credibility and stature in the community, initially through inter-mirrages.<br />
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These various migrations led to the admixture of blood and culture to form one common racial and linguistic classification to be known as Rohingya a term derived from "Rohang", the ancient name of Arakan.<br />
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The Rohingya people developed a culture which was relatively advanced for that period. Schools, Madarasas were established, epics, ballads and riddles were advanced, music and dances were performed. This culture spread out all over Arakan. The Rohingya economy was also relatively developed. They developed agriculture, trade and commerce and extended their trade relation with neighbouring countries. Today the majority of the Rohingya people rely on agriculture as their base of subsistence; even Rohingya fishermen engage in agriculture during the non-fishing period.<br />
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Among the Muslim population of Chittagong two distinct ethnic characters are found; one is known as Chatgaiya and the other Rohai. Although professing the same religion they have different cultural habits. In fact the Rohais of Chittagong today are those Muslim people who fled Arakan (Rohang) as a result of Bunnan atrocities after the country was occupied in 1784 A.D. As many as 50% of the total population of Chittagong district are Rohais who trace their ancestoral origin to Arakan. The Rohingyas trace their origin to Arabs, Moors, Turks, Persians, Moghuls, Patthans and Bangalees.<br />
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Since Rohingyas are mixture many kinds of people, their check-bone is not so prominent and eyes are not so narrow like Rakhine Maghs and Burman. Generally they are broad shouldered, thin-bearded, a bit taller in stature than the Rakhine Maghs and Burmans but darker in complexion. They are some bronze coloured and not yellowish.<br />
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THE ROHINGYAS ARE A NATION<br />
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"From 1430 to 1531, for more than one hundred years, Arakan was ruled by the Muslims." "Their Muslim Kingdom was independent in the 14th and 15th centuries. It was later absorbed by Burma" in 1784 A.D. The people of Arakan, the Rohingyas and Rakhines, had already organized their own statehood patterned after the Sultanate system of government current in those days. Thus in the context of Arakan the Rohingyas are not a minority but part of an integral whole. Today Rohingya nation exists because it is rooted in the direct personal feelings and the material interests of the large section of the Rohingya people whether in the homeland or in the places of refuge:<br />
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Aside from the compulsion of geography the Rohingya national identity is unique into Itself in terms of language and culture. The Rohingyas speak a common language and have common cultural trials. Almost all the Rohingyas are Muslims though there are a few Rohingya language speaking Hindus and Baruas. The Rohingyas are proud of their distinctive culture and language. They can not be classified cultural sub-group.<br />
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ROHINGYA HOMELAND<br />
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The Rohingyas inhabit a contiguous area and therefore have a separate territory which is the most crucial element in a national identity. The Rohingya populations in North Arakan are united by ancient heritage, a rich culture and distinct language. They have lived for many centuries within well defined geographical boundaries which demarcate their "Traditional Homeland". The group identity of the Rohingya people has grown over the past several centuries, hand in hand with the growth of their homeland in North Arakan, where they worked together, spoke to each other, founded their families, educated their children and also sought refuge, from time to time, from physical attacks elsewhere in Arakan and Burma.<br />
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The Rohingyas were once in absolute majority in the whole of Arakan. But they have been exterminated in a systematic and planned way and their homeland has now shrunk progressively in insignificance or to semi-preservations — a process still evidenced. Planned increase in the Buddhist population systematically exterpate the Rohingya people and destroy the crucial geo-graphical link between areas in the whole of Arakan. It threatens the Rohingya's claim to a contiguous homeland of the whole of North Arakan. The face of Rohingya homeland has been changed as the Rohingyas are helpless to check their demographic erosion. Despite systematic extermination of Rohingya population by means of genocidal actions and continued persecution, the Rohingyas still predominate in the area between the river Naf which demarcates the border between Burma and Bangladesh and river Kaladan, the longest river in Arakan. But the Rohingyas still claim that all those areas which have been inhabited by Muslims or atleast within their sphere of influnce before the pogram of 1942 are also included in their Traditional Homeland.<br />
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Arakan has always been a country with two nations within one geographic entity. Two different peoples, from the very ancient period, have been inhabiting Arakan. During the course of their settlements Arakan is divided into two parts : Muslim North and Buddhist South. That is the Rohingya homeland of North Arakan and Rakhine homeland of South Arakan.<br />
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Though Rohingyas live everywhere in Arakan and they are once majority in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathidaung, Akyab, Kyauktaw, Mrohaung and Minbya. Now, they are majority only in former Mayu Dist. and Akyab Island.<br />
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RELIGION AND SOCIETY<br />
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All Rohingyas profess Islam. They are strict followers of Islamic traditions. In every village there is atleast one mosque and one grave-yard.<br />
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Rohingya Muslims celebrate religious festivals with great joy and enthussasm. Great rejoicings marked the two Eids, Eidul-Fitr, and Eidul-Azha (Qurbani Eid). Eids prayers were generally offered at Eidgahs or Mosques (where there is no Eidgah) and the days were spent in feeding, feasting and visiting the houses of the neighbours and relations. They also visit graveyard for ziyarat who left them earlier. Zakat is paid by all solvent Rohingya people ordinarily during the month of Ramadan. Qurbani is offered by all according to their financial means. Shab-i-Maraj, Shab-i-Barat and Shab-i-Qadar were observed with prayer, devotion, alms-giving and feeding of the poor. Romadan is greeted by all Rohingyas with much religious fervour. The birth day of Hazart Mohammed (s.m.) was celebrated every year on 12th of Rabiul-Awal as known Uman-Nabi.<br />
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Though the Rohingyas lived together with Rakhine Maghs, they lived with their own culture.They never eat together. Inter-marriage also not so common. They live in separate villages.<br />
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Every compact village or a part of it formed a social unit with the mosque as its centre and a uniting force for the convenience and regulation of social life of the inhabitants of the area. The eldest, pious, and influential man in the society was recogonised as the head of village society (Samaj) who decide all disputes among them with the help of village elders.<br />
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DWELLING-HOUSES<br />
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In Arakan, Rohingya people live in somewhat densely packed villages and the majority of their houses are built of wooden pole, bamboo, thatched with palm-leaves (Dani) and stand on stilts as a protection against the floods that rise and surge under the monsoon rains.<br />
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At townships headquarters and at most villages of any size or importance a few brick houses are to be found in Arakan. In the large villages have a fair number of wooden houses with thatch (dani) or corrugated iron roofs.<br />
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OCCUPATION AND TRADE<br />
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The soil of Arakan is very fertile and the climate is ideal for rice cultivation. Arakan is dependent entirely on agriculture; all other occupations are subsidiary to, or exist for the maintenance of, the agricultural population. Of total Rohingya population 80% are occupied in agriculture or pasturing. The next order of numbers are those engaged in trade in food-stuffs. The third in respect of numbers are shop-keepers and followed by persons engaged in transport by water and by road, wood workers, fisherman, manufacturers of tobacco and salts.<br />
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MARRIAGE<br />
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Endogamy is a factor resulting in the practice of segmentation. In other words, endogamy reinforces ties of common descent. The Rohingyas practise endogamy.<br />
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In early days, a Rohingya would not be eligible for marriage until three voyages of trade by water or three trips of trade on land. Otherwise, he would be looked down by the society and would call him impotent with contempt.<br />
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The Rohingya would never marry with other non-Muslim without conversion to Islam. If one many without conversion to Islam, the Rohingya society would boycott them until and unless he or she embraees Islam. So, the Rohingya parents control their children and arrange marriage between the parents. If they eloped, after having love affairs, the Rohingya society used to condemn them.<br />
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Betrothal is arranged by the Rohingya parents. The bride and the groom are not allowed to meet before marriage. Family lines are thoroughly checked before the engagement. Engagement breaks if there arise dissension amoung the parents or guardians. Mohar is fixed by the parents or guardians of the bride and the groom and it is most essential according Islamic law. It must be given by the groom for the bride. Both the bride and groom must declare their willingness by pronouncing the words "Khawbul Ahsi" (we do agree) in front of at lest two witness and the molvi Shaheeb (Alim) who perform the mirrage. Divorce rate among the Rohingyas is less then other races of Burma. The wedding ceremonies are held in receptions as far as possible. The receiption diner is usually held by the family of the bride-groom. In special case called "Salami", the reciption dinner is hold at bride home. During the wedding month the relatives of the newly wedded couple use to invite them and are served with at least one meal in consecutive days by each and every household of their relatives which shows their affections for the couple. In almost all Rohingya's marriage ceremonies 'Howlla’ (Group singing) songs sing and folk-dancing of girls and women are common.<br />
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FOODS<br />
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Rice is the staple food grain of Arakan. The diet of the Rohingya is simple rice, fish, vegetables and chillis; meat was taken on occasions. The majority Rohingyas eat dry fishes with fresh vegetables or potatoes or also without any of them. On all festive occasion cows, water-buffolos and goats were slaughtered for sales and distribution.<br />
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Rakhine Maghs like pork very much. Rohingyas never touch or eat pork. Pork is forbidden by Islam. They eat mutton, beef, chicken after making Halal according to Islamic teaching. Rohingyas honoured their special guests slaughtering a goat or more with their means and the poor with a chiken.<br />
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DRESS<br />
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The Rakhine Maghs males wear Gaung-Boung and Rohingyas males wear caps. The Rakhine Maghs wear Burmese jackets and Rohingyas wear coats. In olden days Rohingya used to wear Turbans of white clothes of 10 yards long and 1/2 yard breath. But British and Indian culture changed the dress of the Rohingya.<br />
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The male Rohingya wears a shirt with long sleeves called Bazu covering the upper part of the body while the lower part is covered a sheet of cloth stitched from side to side called longgi. Vest or gonji is wear as inner garment by the Rohingya male.<br />
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The adult female Rohingya wears long sleeved garment known as Suli to cover the upper part of the body while the lower part is covered with a Tami. Inner garment called Boduli long sleeve barazier wear every gril and woman of Rohingya. They wear a petticoat of cloth called Assar. This is without tie or fastening, but is broutht round the waist, with the edges well twisted in and kept on by the graceful curve of the hips. Young woman fastened a silk Belt called Rayshamer-Dowali and old women fastened a pice of red cloth 2.5 yards long and six inches wide stitched from side to side called Jali to hold their Tami on their waists.<br />
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She also wears a scarf known-as Romal which cover the head and shoulders. Whenever she is out-door she wears a Burkha, traditional veil covering the whole body.<br />
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RITES AND RITUALS<br />
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Some Rohingya males keep hair fallen on shoulders. They are mostly Molvis. The Rohingyas, on their brith, they keep the Islamic names in Arabic. Some prefer Burmese names or Rakhine Magh names at schools mostly where the teachers are Rakhine Maghs as they can not pronounce Muslim name correctly. Some keep both names such as, Saleh Tun Sein, Ahmed Maung Maung and so on. It is also not good. Muslim should take pride as the kings of Arakan used Muslim titles.<br />
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On the death of a Rohingya Muslim all the members of the society arranged his / her funeral as a social duty and hurried him/her in the graveyard with a prayer (janaza) according to Islamic Law.<br />
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Rohingyas are good natured people. They are honest. They are not oppressors. They can not tolerate the oppressors. They defend their people even not caring their lives. They are brave and intelligent people.<br />
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During the Second World War, the Rohingya fought for the Independence of Burma with courage. Though the Japanese easily conquered the Southern part of Arakan within a few days, the Japanese were unable to control the North-Arakan due to the defence strategy. Even the Japanese had to retreat failing to advance-through the defence operation of Rohingyas. The courage and bravery of Rohingyas should be recorded in Myanmar Razawin. As Rohingyas are always neglected people, their bravery was never recorded. Rohingyas respect laws and are peace loving people.<br />
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SPORTS AND GAMES<br />
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Rohingyas have may indigenous sports and games which are usually held during summer and winter. Some also in rainny season. They are Boli-Khela (wrestling), Ghari-Khela (Boat racing), Mohal Khela, Gila-Khela Du Du Khela, Qunda Khela (weight lilting of round stone), Dan Khela, Ulu Khela, Ciyar Khela, Luk-palani Khela, Phoni Khela, Mal-pat Khela, Bak-goru Khela, Bosgya-buri Khela, Morish Khela, Bat Khela, Kalatur Khela, Saws-sa-rani Khela, Dope-marani Khela, diving and swimming, Paddy transplanting competition.<br />
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SONGS AND MUSICS<br />
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The Rohingyas are fond of music (both vocal and instrumental) and dance. Rohingyas have their own folk songs, dances and musics. Howla songs sing by women in almost all Rohingya's marriage ceremonies and also women dance their flok dences in the same ceremonies. Young women mostly used mouth orgen (Baza) while dancing.Bitayali Geet, Jari Geet and Gazir Geet are very music is very sweet and meladious. Those who had came across the Rohingya National Programme from the Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS), they may recall the art of the Rohingya music.<br />
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LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE<br />
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There is separate Rohingya language, literature and civilization. It developed through Islamic civilization. Rohingya language is a mixture of Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Bangali and Rakhine Maghs, because they are the people of border and as same as the people of other border of Burma.<br />
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In the year 1429 A.D. General Wall Khan introduced Persian as state language of Arakan and also introduced Qazi courts in Arakan. Rohingya language is not recent make up. Muslim writers and poets used to write in this language since the early days in Arabic and Persian alphabets. One of the book is still in the possession of the author (Tahir Ba Tha). In addition to this, the coins of Arakan were melted in Arabic and Persian and also there are numerous Kyauksa (stone inscriptions) carved in Arabic.<br />
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The Rohingya literature is considerly rich in ballads, love songs, Floktales, Baramasa, legends,mystic songs, proverbs, bewsans, riddles, lullabies (Auli) and so on.<br />
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There are many Rohingya poets and writers who flourished in the court of Arakan kings. The Arakanese kings had come under the influence of Bengal Sultans. Most of the their courtiers were Bengali speaking people from Bengal and neighbouring Chittagong region and they encouraged the cultivation of Bengali language. The poets and writers who wrote in Bengali and a good number of their poems and works have been discovered.<br />
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Some of the Rohingya poets and writers who flourished in Araka court are: Abdu Minyo or Ahmedu Minyo, Shah Barid Khan, Daulat Kazi, Mardan and. Shah Alawal.<br />
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Quraishi Magan, Abdul Karim Khandkar, poet Abdul Karim are also well known writers and poets of Arakan.<br />
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The British government also used Persian as the official language of Arakan till 1836 A.D.In addition to Rohingyas many Rakhine Maghs also learned Persians. For example- Seikky Thado Pe and U Aung Gyi. Later on Persian was replaced by English and Urdu.<br />
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Thus written languages of Rohingya, Persian and Bengali almost disappeared from Arakan during the later part of British rule. The British subtitued English, Urdu and Burmese in place of Rohingya, Persian and Bengali. The Rohingya used Urdu till 1945 British re-entry. Urdu language is rich in poetry and literature.<br />
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The kinds of birds can be differentiated with their feathers. So it is time for Rohingyas to establish their ancestral dress, literature and culture. Rohingyas are rich with fine-arts, music and architecture. Rohingya architecture resemble the Arab Saracenic style which is witnessed by the mosques of Arakan. Sandi Khan mosque was built with hard rocks and easier design which stood as the oldest Rohingya's archeological monument.<br />
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So, it must be preserved by the Rohingyas.<br />Rohingyas should take pride for those Muslims who had built this mosque.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kaladanpress.org/" target="_blank">The Source</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-13481869503106866392018-10-04T20:31:00.002+05:002018-10-04T20:31:33.398+05:00China says Rohingya issue should not be 'internationalized' BEIJING (Reuters) - The Rohingya issue should not be complicated, expanded or “internationalized”, China’s top diplomat said, as the United Nations prepares to set up a body to prepare evidence of human rights abuses in Myanmar.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrktF-nhbG530lX3iXHvDXSGmeTQ7So6RqfkbUMITg2oHaGEFaV8l2iD17wops1bmK9fk-xkJ3c74Nd-baPccOcjUNbSTdxQH60jZYTkr9Z7mj_PYqlHRfvQKN5loPax52azjnLbr7QkwS/s1600/170928143226-01-rohingya-refugees-0918-super-169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1100" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrktF-nhbG530lX3iXHvDXSGmeTQ7So6RqfkbUMITg2oHaGEFaV8l2iD17wops1bmK9fk-xkJ3c74Nd-baPccOcjUNbSTdxQH60jZYTkr9Z7mj_PYqlHRfvQKN5loPax52azjnLbr7QkwS/s400/170928143226-01-rohingya-refugees-0918-super-169.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">FILE PHOTO: Rohingya refugees scramble for aid at a camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh September 24, 2017. </span></td></tr>
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The U.N. Human Rights Council voted on Thursday to establish the body, which will also look into possible genocide in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine.<br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />SPONSORED</span><br /><br /><br />China, the Philippines and Burundi voted against the move, whose backers said it was supported by more than 100 countries.<br /><br />Over the last year, more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled the Buddhist-majority country to neighboring Bangladesh following a military response to attacks on security posts by Rohingya insurgents.<br /><br />The United Nations has called Myanmar’s actions “ethnic cleansing”, a charge Myanmar rejects, blaming Rohingya “terrorists” for most accounts of atrocities.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ57XaJ4sOzfvGeuoflm81xco4rdBU8Ez7huoui9FHWj5aJsK5MACHbl8rzbJgf6HRgNTL4YcsrX1SLssqn9nA8wp5Th5AcIW7RFnT8t0hVAM1F5mLgCTXXC6HdPaH4lPqIUo5JuPcZuKi/s1600/1112613556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="1000" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ57XaJ4sOzfvGeuoflm81xco4rdBU8Ez7huoui9FHWj5aJsK5MACHbl8rzbJgf6HRgNTL4YcsrX1SLssqn9nA8wp5Th5AcIW7RFnT8t0hVAM1F5mLgCTXXC6HdPaH4lPqIUo5JuPcZuKi/s400/1112613556.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FILE PHOTO: Rohingya refugees try to take shelter from torrential rain as they are held by the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) after illegally crossing the border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, August 31, 2017.</td></tr>
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China has close relations with Myanmar, and backs what Myanmar officials call a legitimate counter-insurgency operation in Rakhine. Beijing has helped to block a resolution on the crisis at the U.N. Security Council.<br /><br /><br />Speaking to Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali and Myanmar’s minister of the office of the State Counsellor Kyaw Tint Swe in New York on Thursday, China’s State Councillor Wang Yi said the Rakhine issue was a complex, historical one.<br /><br />“The Rakhine state issue is in essence an issue between Myanmar and Bangladesh. China does not approve of complicating, expanding or internationalizing this issue,” Wang said, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement issued on Friday.<br /><br /><br />China hopes that Myanmar and Bangladesh can find a resolution via talks, and China is willing to continue to help provide a platform for this communication, he added.<br /><br />“The international community, including the United Nations, can also play a constructive role on this,” Wang said.<br /><br />The statement added that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also attending the meeting, held on the sidelines of a U.N. summit.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-rohingya-china/china-says-rohingya-issue-should-not-be-internationalized-idUSKCN1M8062" target="_blank">The Source : Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Michael Perry</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-45239850684603316542018-09-21T23:51:00.000+05:002018-09-21T23:54:23.429+05:00Egypt: Unprecedented crackdown on freedom of expression under al-Sisi turns Egypt into open-air prison <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirD-kKo5HRDfBjWk9Y3tUjFXh8gKyn2JDeePP5fw1uBWcKKP5K1jCxTmh4tzQILtMKu6efg8Vu1dRex5YBsXmh7Bqj1rJ2Dd3UJ9CRwc0xbixqXXS32pChnCYVOKczJoJCFZf6MNRTt86-/s400/FCYmI93-.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The crackdown on freedom of expression under Egyptian President Abdelfattah al-Sisi has reached alarming new levels unparalleled in Egypt’s recent history, Amnesty International said today as it launched a campaign calling for the unconditional and immediate release of all those who have been detained solely for peacefully expressing their views.<br /><br />The campaign, “Egypt, an Open-Air Prison for Critics”, is being launched in response to the unprecedented severity of the crackdown in Egypt, as people around the country increasingly express discontent with the economic and political situation. Amnesty International invites supporters from around the world to show solidarity with those risking their freedom to express their views by writing to the Egyptian government and calling for an end to the persecution.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>“It is currently more dangerous to criticize the government in Egypt than at any time in the country’s recent history. Egyptians living under President al-Sisi are treated as criminals simply for peacefully expressing their opinions,” </b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> said Najia Bounaim, Amnesty International’s North Africa Campaigns Director.</span></blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“The security services have been ruthless in clamping down on any remaining political, social or even cultural independent spaces. These measures, more extreme than anything seen in former President Hosni Mubarak’s repressive 30-year rule, have turned Egypt into an open-air prison for critics.”</span></b></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />Since December 2017 Amnesty International has documented cases of at least 111 individuals who have been detained by the National Security Services solely for criticizing the President and the human rights situation in Egypt.</span><br />
Hundreds of Egyptian political activists, journalists, human rights defenders, members of the opposition, artists and football fans are currently in jail for daring to speak up. The reasons for their arrests range from social media activity to having a history of activism. At least 35 individuals have been detained on charges of “unauthorized protest” and “joining a terrorist group” because they stood together in solidarity in a small peaceful protest against increased metro fares. Comics and satirists are among those who have been targeted, including at least two individuals who posted satirical commentary online and were arrested by the police under the pretext of “violating public decency” or other vaguely defined offenses.<br />
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The Egyptian authorities have recently passed new legislation that enables mass censorship of independent news platforms and pages belonging to human rights groups. Since April 2017, security agencies have blocked at least 504 websites without judicial authorization or oversight. The laws were adopted by the country’s parliament without any consultation with civil society or journalists, mainly under the pretext of “anti-terrorism” measures.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>“President al-Sisi’s administration is punishing peaceful opposition and political activists with spurious counter-terrorism legislation and other vague laws that define any dissent as a criminal act,” </b></span>said Najia Bounaim.</blockquote>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“The newly adopted media and cybercrime laws are further enforcing the Egyptian authorities’ near-total control over print, online and broadcast media.”</span></b></blockquote>
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Amnesty International is calling on the Egyptian authorities to release all detainees who are in prison solely for peacefully expressing their opinions, end their repressive campaign of media censorship and abolish legislation that tightens the state’s stranglehold on freedom of expression in the country.<br />
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The Egyptian authorities’ relentless and unjustified measures to mute peaceful voices have pushed hundreds of activists and members of the opposition to leave the country to avoid being arbitrarily arrested. However Amnesty International has also highlighted the bravery of Egyptians who continue to speak up against injustice.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>“Despite these unprecedented challenges to freedom of expression, and despite the fear which has become a part of daily life, many Egyptians continue to peacefully challenge these restrictions, risking their freedom in the process,”</b></span> said Najia Bounaim.</blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>“That’s why we are asking Amnesty International supporters around the world to voice their solidarity with all those detained in Egypt simply for peacefully expressing their opinions. We must show these brave individuals that they are not alone.”</b></span></blockquote>
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Amnesty International is calling on supporters to sign its petition and write to the Egyptian authorities, calling on them to immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely for peacefully expressing their opinions.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/09/egypt-unprecedented-crackdown-on-freedom-of-expression-under-alsisi-turns-egypt-into-openair-prison/" target="_blank">Click to see the source of the article </a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-62658008858538079912018-09-21T17:38:00.000+05:002018-09-21T17:38:38.725+05:00Shifting inmates to outside pure vengeance and violation of prisoners' rights: Jama’at-e-Islami <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Srinagar: Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir strongly denounces the plan of shifting of thirteen inmates lodged in the district jail, Kehribal Mattan Islamabad to the jails outside the valley and calls it an unwarranted action based on political bias and vengeance having no legal and moral justification. All these inmates are political detainees and are being shifting to outside jails for subjecting to suppression and physical and mental torture which is a blatant violation of the basic rights of prisoners under the international law to which India is also a signatory. These inmates were boarded in a police bus during the daytime but on strong protests from their close relatives they were again taken inside the Mattan jail to avoid the protest and during the night hours, they are likely to be shifted as scheduled. <br /><br />Among those who apprehend shifting is one Peer Mohammad Ashraf of Batagund Verinag now languishing in the jails for more than fourteen years and has no legal trial pending against him and one Abrar Ahmad from Chowgam Qazigund district Kulgam who is suffering from a fatal disease and needs homely care and proper medical treatment which he is sure to be deprived of in an outside jail. In the jails outside the valley these Kashmiri political detainees are subjected to inhuman treatment by the jail authorities being mostly from the police department having neither any knowledge of the rights of the prisoners and detainees nor trained therefor. These officers are trained in handling the law and order situation but deputed in jails to deal a situation quite strange to them with the result these jails have virtually turned into the interrogation centers and police lock ups losing their basic concept of the correction centers. These officers maltreat and misbehave with these jail inmates thereby violating all jail rules and regulations written in the jail manuals and the local and international laws relating thereto.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir while vehemently condemning the shifting of political prisoners and detainees to the jails outside the valley, appeals the International and local human rights institutions to take cognizance of these inhuman methods to suppress the jail inmates in this unfortunate part of the globe and take concrete steps to safeguard their rights guaranteed to them under the international conventions and local laws. Jama’at impresses upon the jail authorities to desist from intimidating these innocent detainees and provide them all facilities available to them under the jail manuals. Jama’at also demands unconditional release of all these political detainees and shifting of all those detained in the jails outside the valley including the Tihar jail, Delhi to the jails in the valley, particularly the DeM chief Asia Andrabi, her two colleagues Nahida Nasreen and Fahmeeda Sofi, Shabir Ahmad Shah, Muzaffar Ahmad Dar , Altaf Ahmad Shah, Peer Saifullah, Naeem Khan, Meraj-ud-Din Kalwal, Ayaz Akbar, Syed Javed Ahmad and his younger brother Shahid Yousuf , Adv. Shahid ul Islam and Zahoor Watali.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Advocate Zahid Ali<br /><br />Chief Spokesperson<br /><br />Jama’at-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hizbmedia.net/home/newsdetail/923" target="_blank">Source of article from here</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-82709474641143287142018-09-21T17:21:00.003+05:002018-09-21T17:41:47.526+05:00Pellet blind victim from South Kashmir booked under Public Safety Act<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQjkvUmg6TXk_DLgJ6NCZvd4gpNRdk-ctj72kX6v5uqzr3NZ-dAemIKsHZ5U-MhsFyrt5NycJQHrwG3LHA3b18z2mdDjvziBZnNomrtRjaebEgDK3Byx41gGuADobW2tRDSoV30CxjsPD/s1600/screenshot_2017-11-21-22-13-50-292_com359716310.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="758" data-original-width="1080" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqQjkvUmg6TXk_DLgJ6NCZvd4gpNRdk-ctj72kX6v5uqzr3NZ-dAemIKsHZ5U-MhsFyrt5NycJQHrwG3LHA3b18z2mdDjvziBZnNomrtRjaebEgDK3Byx41gGuADobW2tRDSoV30CxjsPD/s320/screenshot_2017-11-21-22-13-50-292_com359716310.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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PULWAMA: Authorities have booked a pellet victim under draconian Public Safety Act here in South Kashmir's Pulwama district.<br />
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Suhail Ahmed Trambo son of Muhammad Ashan, a resident of Muran Pulwama was arrested by Government Forces along with many youth some two weeks before and today he was booked under PSA and shifted to Kathua jail.<br />
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Suhail according to sources is the brother of 3 sisters and lone bread earner of his family. In 2017, he sustained pellet injuries in his left eye and lost vision.<br />
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Family appealed authorities to release him. "We can't afford to meet him in Kathua jail. He should be at least lodged at Srinagar Central Jail. He is blind by one eye and not a stone pelter anymore,"<br />
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<br />Source of article from here<br /><a href="https://www.fastkashmir.com/2018/09/pellet-blind-victim-from-south-kashmir-booked-under-public-safety-act/" target="_blank">Source 1</a><br /><a href="http://kashmirwatch.com/pellet-blind-victim-from-south-kashmir-arrested-under-public-safety-act/" target="_blank">Source 2 </a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-50919365480694660152018-07-31T17:19:00.001+05:002018-09-21T23:21:05.713+05:00آگہی<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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نفسا نفسی، غفلت، خواہشات، بہتات کی حرص،دنیا کی رنگینی اور خود پرستی بس آگے اور آگے بڑھنے کی لگن، بس یہی سب ہے جس کے گرد انسان گھوم رہا ہے، اسی کے لیئے کوشش کرتا ہے، خود کو تھکا دیتا ہے بس اس سب کے حاصل میں،اپنی لاحاصل جہد کے ذریعے، بے لگام خواہشات کو پورا کرنے کے لیئے۔کیا انسان اتنا بے وقعت ہے، کہ بس وہ اس سب کے پیچھے اپنی زندگی کا اہم عرصہ گزار دے، بے سوچے سمجھے بس ہوا کے رخ پر چلتا چلا جائے۔۔زندگی اتنی بے معنی ہے کہ اس سب میں مشغول ہو کر وہ اسکو ضائع کر دے۔۔پھر کبھی اک لمحے میں خیال آئے، کہیں اندر کی آواز جس کا کبھی گلا گھونٹا گیا ہو۔۔یہ لاحاصل جستجو آخر کہاں لے جارہی ہے، جینے کی کوئی تو وجہ ہو؟ کوئی تو مقصد؟ کوئی تو راستہ؟ </div>
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ایک منٹ کیا یہ سوچنے کا موقع سب کو ملتا ہے؟ سب اس لمحےکو پا سکتے ہیں؟<br />
ایک سیکنڈ میں زندگی بدل جاتی ہے، سب ختم بھی ہو جاتا ہے۔صرف ایک سیکنڈ لگتا ہے اور آپ ماضی کا حصہ بن جاتے ہیں، کچھ عرصے بعد آپکا نام بھی بھول جاتی ہے دنیا، آپ، آپکی ذات، آپکی کامیابیاں بس ایک سکینڈ کی مار ہوتی ہیں، پھر بس سب ختم ہو جاتا ہے۔۔دنیا کی ہر چیز اس کی بے ثباتی، اور زوال کا ثبوت پیش کرتی ہے، سورج اور چاند کے ڈوبنے میں، رات دن کے الٹ پھیر میں، ستاروں کے انکھوں سے اوجھل ہو جانے میں یہی سبق تو پنہاں ہے کہ کچھ بھی دائمی اور ابدی نہیں۔ہمیشگی کی زندگی یہ نہیں ہے، یہاں آنے والا ہر فرد اپنی مدت مہلت پوری کر کے رخصت ہونے والا ہے، ہر چیز ختم ہونے والی ہے۔۔ابھی ہماری جان باقی ہے، سانس رواں ہے۔مہلت باقی ہے،یہ وقت ہے جو ہمارے ہاتھ میں ہے۔<br />
یہ لمحہ جو ذرہ ذرہ کر کے بس ہاتھ سے نکلتا جا رہا ہے، ابھی بھی نہ جاگے ہم تو کب جاگیں گے، یہ سوچنے اور زندگی بدلنے کا وقت ہے، کوشش کرنے کا وقت ہے۔</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09825289184737919342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-2346269112648396492018-07-17T15:43:00.001+05:002018-07-17T15:43:23.238+05:00Why Are Uyghur Muslims Protesting All Over the World and What Can You Do to Help Them?<br />
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<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/iamgul8"> By Gulnaz Uyghur</a><br />
<br />
There are chances that you must have heard about Uyghur Muslims and
East Turkestan by now, but many of you may not know the exact situation
of our community.<br />
<br />
Uyghurs are ethnic Turks who believe in Islam. We once had our own
country known as East Turkestan. Our ancestors enjoyed rich culture, we
wore colorful clothes, designed beautiful patterns, wrote literary
works, followed the path of Allah, decorated our Mosques, handcrafted
delicious food and remained happy. Our motherhood was rich and we
nourished her with love. Today however, our motherland East Turkestan is
bruised, she is bound by chains. Today her jewels are being robbed. Her
once glorified past is now being erased with red ink and that ink
belongs to China.<br />
<br />
It was the horrible year of 1949 when Mao Zedong ordered PLA to
capture East Turkestan. Despite the differences in our language,
culture, way of life etc, PRC eyed us for the natural wealth of our
land. Like all the other invasions, this one also happened for the
acquirement of natural resources. That was the time when skies turned
grey and wells started drying up. Soon the People’s Republic of China
started throwing us out of our houses because our lands were to be used
for factories. Our ancestral homes where our previous generations shared
joys and sorrows, where their blessing were present, were snatched
away. Slowly, Uyghurs were forced to live in alien looking houses away
from their homes.<br />
<blockquote>
“Do you know how it feels when the home, where your
parents were born, where you spent your childhood, gets destroyed by an
enemy? It feels like a part of us is lost, forever…”</blockquote>
After attacking our homes, the Chinese attacked our lives.
Restrictions started coming on following the Islamic way of life. Uyghur
Muslims are not allowed to keep beards, tie a scarf on their head,
teach Quran to their kids, or even marry each other according to Islam.
The worst part is that now Chinese are<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrEIYUwbvJQ"> forcing Uyghur girls to marry Han Chinese!</a><br />
<br />
More Han Chinese were forced to settle in our cities, their
businesses were uplifted. It became difficult for us to run our shops or
get a decent job until we show acceptance to the Chinese occupation by
adopting their culture and language.<br />
<br />
Then came the cultural revolution. The main victims of this
horrendous happening were Uyghurs and other ethnic populations in China.
The Maoist gangs hunted Uyghurs fearlessly, as if their main motive was
to convert Uyghurs into Chinese. Among millions of people who lost
their lives were a large number of Uyghur Muslims. That incident sowed
the seed of horror in our lives. Even after so many years, the crackdown
on our community gets worse. Most of the Uyghur activists have either
been killed, imprisoned under unknown circumstances, are in exile or
have been disappeared by the state.<br />
<br />
China is keeping a tab of each breath we take, and a specific
crackdown has happened on religion because Communist Party Of China does
not want people to believe anyone else other than the party. They want
us to worship Xi Jinping and praise him before Allah. If you visit East
Turkestan (which they falsely call Xinjiang) today, you will find
Chinese army at every corner, there is a check post at every 100m, they
are even outside the Mosques, inside the Mosques. The DNA of Uyghurs are
collected for no reason, they are not given passports. The only way for
Uyghurs to get out of the country is to flea in dangerous conditions.
Uyghur women are now being also <a href="http://muslimcouncil.org.hk/police-cut-muslim-uyghur-womens-dresses-for-being-too-long/">banned from wearing long skirts</a>, tops etc.<br />
<br />
As if all these things were not enough, Xi Jinping has <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/opinion/china-re-education-camps.html">started locking Uyghurs in Nazi-style camps</a>.
These concentration camps are given the name of ‘re-education camps’
where Uyghurs are being brainwashed into forgetting Islam and their
identities. Millions of people have been thrown in them. The survivors
of these camps, lucky enough to flee, are narrating worrisome stories of
torture. Satellite images of these camps are being leaked but China
still denies its existence. Apart from Uyghurs, Kazakhs are also locked
in the camps. This is the reason why Uyghur diaspora, in spite of
numerous threats by Chinese embassies, agents, are protesting. We are
asking China to immediately shut these camps and free our country.<br />
<h3>
How You Can Help</h3>
We ask you to Stand up for Uyghurs and take one action to save our
country. Below are the things that you can do to stop China’s
suppression of the Uyghur community.<br />
<br />
1. <strong>Stop Using Chinese Products</strong>: Economy is the fuel
of dictatorships like China. They have acquired our land to boost their
economy and that is the only way to stop them. If you stop using even ½
of the Chinese products that you use now, then you will help us win the
half battle. You can start with your purchases of local manufactured
items – check labels to see if its made in China; stop buying Chinese
mobile phones; un-install their applications like Wechat etc; stop
shopping from Alibaba, Tencent and other Chinese giants. You can find a
list of China’s most valuable brands <a href="http://here./">here</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">.</a><br />
<br />
For travelers, avoid China, avoid their hotels etc. Make the Beijing
government realize that they cannot prosper on the tears of innocents. <br />
<br />
2. <strong>Spread Awareness About East Turkestan</strong>: Not many
people know about our situation, many of them don’t even know that we
exist. Centuries of bright culture is being wiped out due to PRC’s
greediness. The more people know about us, the more they talk, the more
they question, the better. China is afraid of people knowing the truth
about them and this will reveal their true face. You may make clubs,
organize conferences, or just set up a group talk at lunch. Do anything,
no matter how big or small but discuss the Uyghurs.<br />
<br />
3. <strong>Protect Uyghurs Living In Your Area</strong>: There are
chances that Uyghurs are living in distress around you. Maybe you see
their faces everyday but don’t talk or know about their problems. It
will be helpful if you can led your hand to the Uyghur community around
you, try to engage, listen to them and protect them in any manner. Your
support can refill us with new spirit.<br />
<br />
4. <strong>Holding Peaceful Demonstrations</strong>: You do not need
to go to the UN or EU or hold a large rally. You may organize yourself
anywhere, although it would be even better if you could do it in front
of a Chinese embassy in your area. This should be a peaceful
demonstration, asking PRC to stop suppressing Uyghurs. You may also join
the protests being organized by the local Uyghur communities. These
demonstrations or any other peaceful way of protest is important to send
a message that the world is against their clampdown on Uyghur Muslims.<br />
<br />
5. <strong>Ask for Your Government to Call Out China</strong>: Write
letters, Tweet them on social media, tag them on Facebook or try to
petition them. Ask them to call out China and stop them from wiping out
our community.<br />
Today there is not a single Uyghur left who has not lost someone due
to China’s crackdown. Some of us have even lost our parents, children,
relatives, friends. No matter how you choose to support us, what matters
is your will to do so. The Uyghur diaspora is fighting for their
motherland and we will keep doing so until our last breath.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://themuslimvibe.com/muslim-current-affairs-news/why-are-uyghur-muslims-protesting-all-over-the-world-and-what-can-you-do-to-help-them">Source </a><br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327241901963271540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-72804723088151733502018-05-20T17:14:00.000+05:002018-05-20T20:32:06.629+05:00Kashmir Nakba<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h2 style="text-align: left;">
Kashmir Nakba</h2>
<br />
First, British created nakba to kashmir in 1947 then Palestine in 1948.<br />
<br />
The 1947 Kashmiri exodus, also known as the Nakba, occurred when more than 500,000 Kashmiris Butchered & thousands were expelled from their homes, during the 1947 Kashmir Genocide.<br />
<br />
Genocide of Muslims in Jammu over three weeks between between October - November 1947 is one of the least known genocides in modern history. It was carried out with such a precision that it is difficult to find its traces, except in the memories of the survivors and the tales of horror they passed on to their next generations. It was such an operation that language lacks words to express this offence of demolition of human being.<br />
<br />
The historians & survival witnesses say that the killings carried out was a "state sponsored genocide" to bring out demographic changes in Jammu - a region which had an overwhelming population of Muslims.<br />
<br />
"The massacre of more than five lakh Muslims was state-sponsored and state supported. The forces from Patiala Punjab were called in, RSS (a right-wing Hindu organisation) was brought to communalise the whole scenario and kill Muslims,"<br />
<br />
The Muslims, who constituted more than 60 percent of the population of Jammu region, were reduced to a minority after the killings and displacement.<br />
Women were raped mercilessly at will. Many women preferred death and committed suicide than falling prey to the cruel beasts who wouldn’t tire calling themselves as secular people.<br />
<br />
An organised carnage was orchestrated to kill Muslims, wherever found or spotted in Jammu.<br />
#KashmirNakba<br />
#KashmirIsNotIndia<br />
<br />
Author :- Suddhan Sadaf Shareef<br />
<br />
Twitter :- <a href="http://twitter.com/SuddhanSadaf30" target="_blank">@SuddhanSadaf30</a><br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Ahsan Jehangir Khanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04060161044428652026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-91419190339838016102018-05-18T15:07:00.000+05:002018-05-18T15:20:48.891+05:00Stop China before Uyghur Muslims are wiped out!<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; line-height: 120%; }</style>
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<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
By Gulnaz Uyghur </div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This time I am not
writing to tell you about East Turkestan which has been occupied by
China since 1949 nor I will tell you about how millions of Uyghurs are
suffering each day just because they are born as Muslims. But this
time, I am going to write down my screams which you can’t hear, my
tears which you can’t see and my anger which you are not feeling
right now.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
These are not only
my feelings but the emotions of Uyghurs all around the world who are
silently being assaulted by China. Its been years since I have been
hearing about it, have been a victim of it myself too but a recent
story by Associated Press made me shiver with fear.</div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Recently, AP’s
China Correspondent, Gerry Shih did a <a href="https://apnews.com/6e151296fb194f85ba69a8babd972e4b?utm_medium=AP&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter">brave story </a>on the
‘re-education’ camps being run in East Turkestan (Falsely Known
as Xinjiang). He interviewed former inmates of the camps who were
fortunate to escape these camps alive. While reading it I stopped at
one particular incident where the Chinese Government officials
maligned our Uyghur History by targeting and insulting the Uyghur
women.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
They have been
telling Uyghurs in the camps that in past, Uyghur Women didn’t wore
undergarments, braided their hair to signal sexual availability and
had numerous sexual partners.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Did you read the
above lines? Take your time to sink it in….</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Until now, China was
forcing us to abort our children,send them to orphanage by unlawfully
imprisoning us, ban us from following Islam, from wearing head
scarves, celebrate Ramadan, burning our Qurans, forcing us to drink
alcohol, deploying officials in our homes to keep an eye on us and
now they are declaring Uyghur women as prostitutes!!!!! They are not
only declaring us so but also brain-washing us into believing so.
They are trying feel us ashamed us of our cultures by spreading such
insults about our History.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
These new
‘re-education’ camps by Chinese Government are more dangerous
than the Nazi style camps by Hitler. Because here Uyghurs are being
mentally and physically tortured into death. Even those who somehow
return alive are not able to forget the scenario. Now with such
insults towards the Uyghur women, China has crossed all its limits
and showed how low it can stoop to wipe out our community.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If Xi Jinping and
CCP is not stopped from doing this in East Turkestan then soon even
other countries will see same kind of ‘re-education camps’ where
their identities will be taken and they will be turned into Chinese
slaves or The Party’s slaves…. </div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05327241901963271540noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6566208608978465414.post-68051555503360784022018-04-10T00:20:00.001+05:002018-04-10T16:19:43.948+05:00The story behind a front-page photo<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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By : Al-Orjwan Shurrab</h4>
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On March 30, unarmed Gazan Palestinians marched to the border. Until 1948, the land on the other side had been their families’ home. Then, came the Nakba—“catastrophe”—when Israel was created and they were pushed off their land—many of them forced to settle in the densely packed Gaza Strip. Seventy years have passed and today, about 70 percent of Gaza residents are refugees. On that Friday, more than a quarter of a million Palestinians congregated to march nonviolently to remind the world of their right to return.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__V9IND0v8WoI2DEj2AlDgH6L9FjEapH8BpPzCB7DoypvL6KOUDSDBf6vL0n-jY-im6OzefQroKl6ecDVl2XLEtz_tSHO1EwLAUmtk3sD0OmWE1S5UyyFRyQ9cWWypVca0fIGQv028PFl/s1600/1523200487.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__V9IND0v8WoI2DEj2AlDgH6L9FjEapH8BpPzCB7DoypvL6KOUDSDBf6vL0n-jY-im6OzefQroKl6ecDVl2XLEtz_tSHO1EwLAUmtk3sD0OmWE1S5UyyFRyQ9cWWypVca0fIGQv028PFl/s400/1523200487.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fares Reqeb is shown in the lead, helping to carry out the injured. Later, he too was killed.</div>
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One of them was Fares al-Reqeb, 26. He also was one of 22 Palestinian protesters who died from injuries received that day. He was shot in the stomach by one of about 100 Israeli snipers. Doctors believe he was hit by either by an “exploding bullet” or high-velocity munitions normally used for targets a long distance away. He remained anesthetized and unconscious until he died of his wounds three days later, at 7 a.m. April 2 in Khan Younis’ European Hospital. </div>
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"We aren’t the terrorists; those who killed Fares are the terrorists," says Fareed, Fares' older brother. "We witnessed the Israeli occupation forces shoot an old woman at the border, just before Fares was injured." </div>
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Fares, who lived in a community in the Khan Younis area, in southern Gaza, left school at 17 to try to find work, earning income in construction, supermarkets and restaurants. Nevertheless, despite his hard life, Fareed says Fares was always smiling and loved to play with children. He married his wife, Bader, and had two boys, 3 and 5 years old. Bader is five months pregnant with their third child. Although Fares joined the Islamic Jihad movement in 2015, frequently helping to guard the Gaza borders at night, his family says he participated in the demonstration in a spirit of nonviolent unity. All political factions have come together for the march.</div>
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"Fares went to protest peacefully against the occupation of our land," Bader says. "The martyrdom of Fares shows to the world that Israel is willing to kill Palestinians even if they are peacefully asking for their rights." </div>
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To date, 29 Palestinian protesters have been killed, and 2,850—including 24 women and 81 minors—have been injured. Seventy-nine are in serious condition, according to Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman for the Gaza Health Ministry. In addition, Israeli authorities confirmed they are holding the bodies of two Palestinians who were killed while trying to cross the border March 30. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53P-8YdhC1qQjOduRGdmcn0ulAzwfXgaaHsJAFjj9gVERZWmmHUc8Pp04Hkk7xeU_QlLXEjDQxYI3xc-C7z1iCEKZ-jVUbc-dlOjw-xtcvSdu-6ntQJf4SAuvJjiMwy69gBIAef6PRTw1/s1600/1523201642.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53P-8YdhC1qQjOduRGdmcn0ulAzwfXgaaHsJAFjj9gVERZWmmHUc8Pp04Hkk7xeU_QlLXEjDQxYI3xc-C7z1iCEKZ-jVUbc-dlOjw-xtcvSdu-6ntQJf4SAuvJjiMwy69gBIAef6PRTw1/s400/1523201642.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fares and his family grilled lunch at the demonstration</td></tr>
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The al-Reqeb family, like many others in the Gaza Strip, was displaced from Jaffa by Israeli occupation forces in 1948. Sixty-eight percent of Gaza residents are refugees, according to the Wafa Information Center. They were forced to move to the Gaza Strip, while others were massacred.</div>
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Fares went to the border to protest with a large number of his relatives, including women and children, early Friday morning, March 30. They took a grill and some meat, since they were planning to spend the whole day there. In a photo taken of him and featured on the front page of the U.S. newspaper The Washington Post, Fares is seen helping nurses carry the injured to ambulances. </div>
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"He told me he thought he would be killed there, but I thought he was joking,” his nephew, Mohammed, recalls sadly. "My uncle was shot about 60 meters away from the separation fence. Nothing was in his hands; he was not even holding a stone!" </div>
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Ismail Haniyeh, the senior political leader of Hamas, which governs Gaza, said in a written statement that the Palestinian right of return to their homeland must be more than a motto.</div>
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"Since [U.S. President Donald] Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, many other country leaders have started to support normalization with Israel. Gazan Palestinians are sending a message to the world that for us, there is no alternative than a return to our homeland, Palestine," Haniyeh said.</div>
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Despite the grief of losing her son, Fares’ mother agrees: "We have a right to our land, and we all will sacrifice our souls for the sake of this land. Israel must know that Palestine is ours.”</div>
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This story was originally published by <a href="http://wearenotnumbers.org/">We Are Not Numbers</a></div>
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Mentor: <a href="https://wearenotnumbers.org/home/Mentor/Pam_Bailey">Pam Bailey</a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://www.ourvoicematter.com">Our Voice Matters.</a></div>Asma11sephttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04381905788473099808noreply@blogger.com0