Redefining the “Jewish” in the Jewish state by Marc Gopin

WASHINGTON, DC – States defined as religious or ethnic are almost always injurious to human rights, and injurious to the moral integrity of either religious or cultural traditions. Citizens who do not belong to the designated official religion or culture have customarily been mistreated in history. This is true of Jewish, Christian, Muslim or Hindu states.

But the fact is that Israel has been defined as religious or ethnic, and this will not change any time soon. Therefore, a new social contract is required in order to negotiate the circumstances under which an extremely diverse population of Jews and non-Jews can coexist in both safety and equality.

An earnest process of negotiation and compromise would include some of everyone’s interests and needs, but is particularly essential for enabling a rule of law that will be adhered to by the vast majority of the citizens. This is essential for Israel and any other state’s peaceful future in the region.

Although Israel has been built on stories of persecution, self-defence and survival, victim stories are not a sustainable foundation for a democratic state. A stable and mature state can only emerge from a social contract that is visionary, based on the present and future, not a dark past.

A social contract between individuals and communities who are diverse must be sufficiently neutral to entice and maintain a full embrace of all citizens. This is the best recipe for nonviolence, equality, diversity and prosperity. In this environment, enforceable anti-discrimination laws become doable instead of a utopian dream.

There are profound psychological and historical reasons why so many Jews embrace a “Jewish state”, and why the majority of Israeli Jews hold tenaciously to that definition. Similarly, religion is a bedrock of Arab societies. With some polls suggesting that as many as 31 percent of Palestinians identify themselves first as Muslims, we must face the reality that as in Israel, religion is also a central component of Palestinian identity.

Expressions and interpretations of religion have historically depended on whether a given society is at war or living in a climate of safety. Probably, the lack of a just settlement between Jews and Arabs is the most important factor which drives militant and destructive expressions of the Jewish part of an Israeli identity, and the Muslim aspect of Palestinian identity. As long as there is no social contract between Jews and Arabs inside Israel, and between Jews and their Palestinian neighbours, we can expect a downward spiral of religious extremism on both sides.

In order to steer the religious or ethnic character of Israeli and Palestinian societies in a more benign direction they must reach a comprehensive settlement.

The overwhelming evidence from the nineteenth century is that, despite over a thousand years of vicious persecution in Europe, even the Zionists—who were the most nationalist group of Jews at the time—were themselves divided over a “Jewish” state. Many, such as Ahad Ha’Am, a beloved founder of modern Zionism, believed in a benign national home emphasising the positive virtues of Hebrew cultural revival, not the negative exclusion of others.

This positive and benign approach to Jewishness means that you can honour Jewish history without denying Palestinian history; in fact you can even embrace it. You can ensure the rights of persecuted Jews to have a safe haven in Israel, enshrine them in a constitution, without trying to eradicate the identity, culture or civil rights of Palestinians. There is precedent in Zionist history, in other words, for moving cultural and national identities in more benign directions.

In the absence of final political settlements on the horizon, it is essential that citizens, NGOs, social entrepreneurs and businesses, not sit back passively and wait for leaders to forge a new reality. We as third parties should facilitate in whatever way we can, ever expanding social networks which are committed to a more benign definition of the Jewish aspect of a Jewish state and the Arab or Islamic aspect of a future Palestinian state.

A Jewish state, for example, can be Jewish because Jewish history and culture are taught, and Hebrew is honoured, but not because Jews are privileged in every job sector, or are given exclusive rights over security. A Jewish state can embrace Jewish refugees, without excluding other victims of persecution. It can embrace many cultures while ensuring the continued honouring of Jewish history and the Jews’ ancient connection to the land.

A proud Jewish state, for example, could embrace its ancient prophets who stood for social justice, love of strangers, hospitality and humility. If this were a prominent feature of its national character, it would not exclude the identity of non-Jewish citizens who can embrace those values through their own heritage.

The Jews as the now dominant group in Israel need to begin a broad-based debate to forge a new definition of the “Jewish” in their conception of a Jewish state. Doing this in earnest, together with Palestinian fellow travellers, may be the best way to build trust and a new social contract.

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* Marc Gopin is the author of marcgopin.com and To Make the Earth Whole: The Art of Citizen Diplomacy, and Director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution at George Mason University. This article is part of a special series on freedom of religion in Israel and the Palestinian Authority and was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 12 November 2009, www.commongroundnews.org

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Montreal World Partnership Walk campaign launches today

This year’s Montreal edition of the World Partnership Walk is on June 6 in the Old Port.

Picasa

The Montreal branch of the national World Partnership Walk launched its annual campaign today.

Now in its 26th year, the Walk raises awareness and funds for international development initiatives in some of the world’s poorest communities, such as revitalizing rural economies in Asia and Africa, ensuring access to clean water and sanitation, and the education of women.

100 per cent of the funds raised go directly to the Walk’s development initiatives, which are implemented by the Aga Khan Foundation Canada (AKFC).

The projects touch on a variety of cross-cutting themes and often meet more than one AKFC priority, from culture to health care and the environment. AKFC works with the communities to empower them to help themselves improve their own lives and livelihoods, teaching them how to work their way out of extreme poverty and providing a spark of hope for a better future for their families.

This year’s walk will take place in the Quays of the Old Port’s Place des Vestiges on June 6. Everyone is invited to contribute to the cause by raising funds or simply by walking the Walk. The day will be full of activities, including live entertainment and a kids’ corner, offering a fun and easy way to help make a difference.

The World Partnership Walk is held annually in nine cities across Canada. In 2009, the 25th edition of the Walk raised over $50 million thanks to the more than 40,000 participants.

Visit the Walk’s website for more information or to start raising funds.

Visit the source for more news: Montreal Headlines Examiner

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Howard Zinn, Israeli Political Leaders and the Holocaust – Rabbibrian’s Blog

Last week, Howard Zinn, the great Jewish teacher and activist, died leaving behind a profound legacy of a life long commitment to justice and human dignity for all people.  He was truly a Jewish hero who embodied  Jewish values in his life and work.  His life will always enrich and inspire the lives of the living.

Last week Israeli politicians, Netanyahu, Peres and others, were in European capitals exploiting International Holocaust Day to garner support for Israeli government policy.  The TV news here in Israel focussed at length on the public speeches and commemorations.  Commentators on radio and TV talked at length about the uniqueness of the tragedy of the Holocaust, not once relating it to the suffering of any other people, but only to the threat from Iran, Goldstone, and implicitly, from the Palestinians and Arabs.

I find the way Israeli political leaders use the Holocaust to garner support for their policies really disturbing.    It seems to me that by appropriating it to justifly Israeli political policies, they  belittle the enormous tragedy of the Holocaust.     They, and many American Jewish leadersת always emphasize the uniqueness of the event, thus disconnecting the enormous suffering of our people from the suffering of many peoples in history and the suffering of many people in our world today.

This view is the antithesis of the traditional Jewish view of suffering.  The Torah makes it very clear that our experience as slaves in Egypt must open our hearts to all who are enslaved.

As a tribute to Zinn, my friend, Mark Braverman, posted the text of the speech that Zinn gave in 1999 about the meaning of the Holocaust.   I was thinking about the staged public relations events in Europe when I read the piece.   I was so moved as it powerfully articulates a completely different approach to the meaning of the Holocaust.  I am copying it here and urge you to read it to the end.  It is long but so important.  I have taken the liberty of bolding some of the text.

Read More at: Rabbi Brian

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What is the Aga Khan Trust for Culture and where does it work? – Jurjen van der Tas and Ellen Lammers

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is restoring historic buildings in cities across the Muslim world. While culture can be a catalyst for development, urban poverty remains a massive challenge.

ANP / Gavin Hellier

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is part of the Aga Khan Development Network. This network, founded 50 years ago, brings together 80,000 people working for many private and non-profit organizations. It is headed by His Highness the Aga Khan, the 49th hereditary Imam of the Shia Ismaili Muslims. The member organizations carry out their work without regard to faith, although most projects aim to improve the quality of life in societies where Muslims have a significant presence.

About 90% of the Trust for Culture’s work goes into its Historic Cities Programme. It was started in 1992 to promote the conservation and re-use of buildings and public spaces in historic cities. Of all UNESCO’s world heritage sites, one-third are located in the Muslim world. That says a thing or two about its incredibly rich heritage. But for decades, and sometimes centuries, many of these sites have been succumbing to decay. Countless old mosques, palaces and town houses, city walls and gardens are in a dismal state. The sad fact is that culture becomes a luxury when social and economic needs are not met.

Read more at: The Broker

Some related news by Paderborner ’sj’

• US$2.4 million Revitalisation of Forodhani Park in Zanzibar’s Historic Stone Town Completed

• The American University in Cairo’s Desert Development Center and Aga khan foundation beautify al azhar park

• Restoring Afghanistan: A tour of Asheqan wa Arefan.

• ‘Let the Beauty we Love Be What We Do’ – A Podcast on Profile of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture

• The most peaceful place in Kabul

• Lahore,Pakistan: Walled City to be restored in 2 decades

• Preserving cultural treasures in Afghanistan

• Mawlana Hazar Imam opens “a park for all seasons” in the Khorog city centre

• An Urban Park Is Inaugurated in Khorog, Tajikistan

• Restoring Afghanistan

• India: Ghalib’s mazar to come alive again with mushairas – Indian Express

• Guidebooks Available for Three Historic Syrian Citadels

• AKTC and MIT created ArchNet became an valuable resources for the Architecture students world-wide

• Restoration of the Old Quarter in Herat: A Race against Time

• On six Monuments Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is collaborating with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture

• AKTC-Afghanistan newsletters on restoration work on the Ulya Madrasa in Kabul’s old city, the Noh Gumbad Mosque in Balkh,repairs to the vast godam in Herat and more…

• Zanzibar: an urban idyll?

Visit also

Aga Khan Trust for Culture

Historic Cities Programme

at:

http://www.akdn.org/aktc_hcp.asp

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AKUH, Nairobi: The ‘magic bullet’ treatment

Nuclear medicine technologist Patricia Mbaabu scanning images of a patient using the DXA bone density image scanner at the Aga Khan University Hospital. Photo/FREDRICK ONYANGO

You have cancer,” your doctor politely tells you. Your heart skips a beat, you gasp for air and your ears start ringing, eyes become still and wet.

Your mind and emotions wrestle for control. Your world has come to an abrupt end.

Cancer, other chronic diseases — cardiovascular, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes — are responsible for more than 60 per cent of all deaths globally and are projected to account for two-thirds of all deaths globally in the next 25 years, according to the World Health Organisation.

Scientists in the past decade have made great advancement in nuclear medicine, and especially the use of a gamma camera, also know as positron emission tomography, or PET scanner.

It is now possible for images taken by the PET scanner to be superimposed with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce special views, a process known as image fusion or co-registration.

These views allow the information from two different studies to be correlated and interpreted on one image, leading to more precise information and accurate diagnoses of cancers and other diseases.

According to Dr Khalid Makhdomi, of the radiology department of Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, this branch of nuclear medicine is now available at the hospital.

Read more at: The East African

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Austin,Texas: Ismaili Muslim students establish group, work for interfaith dialogue

By Vidushi Shrimali

For the small group of students trying to create the Ismaili Muslim Students Association, the third time’s the charm.

Since 2004, various students have unsuccessfully tried to start the association twice on campus.

Ismaili Muslims belong to the Shia doctrine of Islam. They practice Islam under the guide of a spiritual leader whom they call Imam, who they believe is the direct descendent of the Prophet Muhammad. Ismailis are led by His Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan, called Mawlana Hazar Imam, a spiritual leader who preaches the Ismaili way of life.

In his teachings, the Aga Khan promotes sports and good health. This emphasis led to a collaboration between the Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board and UT students to form the group in November. On Wednesday, the association had its first meeting, drawing a crowd of about 80 students.

“There wasn’t proper communication [between Ismailis on campus],” said Rahim Lakhani, club president and finance junior. “There are 200 to 300 Ismailis on campus. People who attended the meeting said 65 to 75 percent of the faces were new to them. Our Ismaili brothers and sisters are there, we just don’t know them.”

The association joins five other Muslim organizations on campus. Ashish Hamirani, club member and electrical engineering freshman, said the organization has something different to offer to Ismailis, who practice Islam a little differently than other Muslims.

“Most people don’t realize that we have the same beliefs and core but not system,”

Hamirani said. “It’s like comparing Jews and Christians because they come from the same testament.”

Lakhani said the group is an extension of their church, known as “jamatkhana” by fellow Ismailis around the world. The jamatkhana is open to Ismailis twice a day seven days a week — once in the morning and once in the evening ­— to pray. Most students, who can’t make it everyday, go to jamatkhana on Fridays, spending about an hour in organized prayer and then socializing afterwards.

The group plans to have biweekly meetings, speaker events and social mixers with both different Muslim groups and other non-Muslim campus organizations. They also plan to play sports and give back to the community. On Sunday, they hosted a flag football tournament for members.

“This organization is established to [represent] who Ismailis are,” Lakhani said. “We would like for non-Ismailis to come and get an idea of who we are and what we teach.”

Middle Eastern studies graduate student Abdullah Kanatsiz is president of the Islamic Dialogue Student Association, a group that also wishes to promote interfaith dialogue between communities. Unlike the Ismaili Muslim Student Association, which is based on values and beliefs specific to those of the Ismaili subbranch of Islam, the dialogue group explores the facets of various Islamic groups, such as Shias, Sunnis and Sufis, as well as other faiths.

“We try to fill the gap between Muslims and other faiths and engage in dialogue between them,” Kanatsiz said.

Hope 242 group leader and civil engineering senior Anne Hulsey brought the group of Christian students she leads to meet with the Islamic Dialogue Student Association as a part of Hope 242’s outreach program.

Hulsey said the two groups would meet once a month to discuss a universal topic, such as sin, from the perspectives of both religions.“I like that they are extremely devoted and know what it is that they are devoted to and yet are still willing to have these conversations with other people who are just as committed to what they [themselves] believe in,” Hulsey said.

Source: The Daily Texan

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Tolerance Education: “Shaping the Image of the Other”…

In order to foster a culture of tolerance and diversity, it is necessary to work on cultivating personal awareness of prejudice, stereotypes and social mechanisms.

By Nilly Venezia

“It is easier to split an atom than a prejudice.” (Albert Einstein)

Recently I took part as a moderator in an international conference that examined dialogue between people from different backgrounds in a multicultural society. The conference was also attended by the American writer Rebecca Walker who was born in the United States in the mid 1960s to a white Jewish father and a black Christian mother, when such marriages were still considered illegal. She was, therefore, categorised as an “illegal” baby.

Walker talked about her long-term experiences of rejection; to the Jews she was not “white enough” and to the black children at the school she attended she wasn’t “black enough”. At the end of her talk I asked Walker if she could describe a moment in her life when she didn’t feel “illegal” or outside the consensus. After a moment of silence she answered: “No I cannot remember such a moment”.

Deliberate cultivation of prejudice

Feeling like one is “outside the consensus” is not unique to people living the black-white divide. It is a universal social phenomenon which exists in societies where the social and political systems cultivate prejudice towards the Other.

The experience of living “outside the consensus” also describes the mutual feelings that exist between the Jews in Israel and the Palestinians on either side of the green line. Each side perceives the other as a “stranger” who threatens his/her security on an existential level as well as in the day-to-day. Hence, we tend to cast the Other in the role of an enemy who exists “outside the consensus”.

Syria: With First Lady’s help, Syria wakes up to benefits of volunteerism

By: Sarah Birke

The Latin church, Al Safina, Damascus, where volunteers are running music therapy for handicapped children Adel Samara for The National

DAMASCUS // In the courtyard of the Al Safina school for the disabled in the Old City of Damascus, a noisy class is taking place: music therapy. The classes help the school’s pupils to improve their concentration skills, using drums and maracas to count from one to 10 and following instructions to play loudly or quietly, quickly or slowly.

Leading the class with boundless enthusiasm is Khaled Korbaj, a 27-year-old masters student and volunteer with Family International Community Services, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) that runs the initiative. After the class, Mr Korbaj manages to squeeze in a lecture before donning a clown outfit for his weekly show at the children’s cancer hospital.

“I started to volunteer four years ago when someone told me that an extra clown was needed for the show and I love it,” he said.

After years of suppressing civic society and limiting the role of non-government groups, Syria is now hoping people such as Mr Korbaj will help propel the country forwards.
At a conference last month, the first lady, Asma al Assad, a long-time patron of Syria’s fledgling voluntary sector, said the government would set out a new legislative framework to allow non-governmental groups to partner with government agencies. While there are just 1,500 non-governmental groups, mainly charities, in Syria, against an estimated 3,500 to 5,000 in Lebanon or 2,000 in Jordan, the concept of volunteering has been slowly taking hold in Syria. And the trend is not confined to the capital.

In Damascus the Syrian Environmental Association (SEA) recently transformed a rubbish site into a botanical garden and arranges litter clean-ups. In Aleppo, the Aga Khan Foundation’s summer schools for children are run entirely by volunteers.

Read more at: The National

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Aga Khan attends the International Global Zero Summit Against Nuclear Weapons, 2010.02.02 – Ismaili Net

Date:

Tuesday, 2010, February 2 – Thursday, 2010, February 4

Location:

Le Grand InterContinental Hotel

2010, February 2-4: Paris, France – Prince Karim Aga Khan attends the International ‘Global Zero’ Summit Against Nuclear Weapons.

2010 PARIS SUMMIT – The Global Zero Summit in Paris will bring together 200 international political, military, business, and faith leaders for strategy talks on the phased elimination of all nuclear weapons and for the launch of the next phase of the global campaign to build public and political support for this agenda. The Summit will take place at the Le Grand InterContinental Hotel in Paris, beginning at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 2nd and concluding at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 4th

person_place_reference:

H.H. Prince Karim Aga Khan IV

Photo Album:

2010-02-02 Paris

For more photos visit:  http://ismaili.net/heritage/node/25570

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Knowledge Discovery Challenge sparks innovative solutions to address global development problems

For decades, refugees in the Hangu district of Pakistan have been plagued by socio-economic and health concerns, including high rates of maternal and infant mortality. Realising that such deaths were preventable, Anisa Shivji and her team — the Hangu Helpers — came up with a solution that involved training and supporting traditional community birth attendants, and supplying them with tools such as clean home delivery kits to be assembled by local women as a way to earn income.

The innovative proposal, which combined community self-reliance with improved access to health care professionals through mobile phone-based telemedicine, earned the team first place in the Knowledge Discovery Challenge, a competition that invited Ismailis in Canada to create solutions that would address important development issues around the world. The Challenge was a component of the Aga Khan Education Board for Canada’s Spark of Knowledge Golden Jubilee initiative, which explored the diverse historical traditions and values of Ismaili Muslims and the ways in which the Jamat and the Imamat have applied knowledge to facilitate social change.

The Hangu Helpers innovative proposal combining community self-reliance with improved access to health care professionals, earned them first place in the Knowledge Discovery Challenge. Left to right: Rahim Shivji, Anisa Shivji, Anisa Daudji, Zeeshan Hemraj. Photo: Courtesy of Anisa Shivji

The Hangu Helpers — which in addition to Shivji also included Anisa Daudji, Zeeshan Hemraj and Rahim Shivji — was one of 112 teams from across Canada that tested their creative powers major development challenges. Other submissions sought to address a range of issues including social isolation among the aged, the growing cadre of unemployed yet well-educated youth in parts of the developing world, and the need for a sustainable and renewable supply of electricity in isolated mountain communities. Submissions were evaluated by a panel of judges comprising university professors, business executives, and development professionals with experience from the Aga Khan Development Network, Focus Humanitarian Assistance, the Google Foundation, and the World Bank.

“We worked on this project with our hearts,” said Shivji, adding that her team’s motivation stemmed from a 1983 speech made by Mawlana Hazar Imam in India, in which he explained of how poverty can deprive people of the means and motivation to improve their lot. “Unless these unfortunates can be touched with the spark which ignites the spirit of individual enterprise and determination,” said Hazar Imam, “they will only sink back into renewed apathy, degradation and despair.”

“That is what our project aimed to do,” said Shivji, “provide that spark.”

As the winning team, the Hangu Helpers had an opportunity to visit a number of Aga Khan Development Network projects in Kenya, including the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, the Frigoken vegetable factory, and the Nation Media Group. The team members also met with local communities and saw first-hand the long-lasting impact that the institutions had on their quality of their lives.

“The attention to detail, the success, the sustainability [of the AKDN projects] — not to mention the beauty of the places we visited — made us feel proud,” said Shivji. Although they had read about the work of the Imamat institutions, the visit brought them much closer to the projects.

Shivji and her team were deeply touched by the hospitality of the Kenyan community and the humility of the staff at the AKDN institutions. “We left with the hope in our hearts that we would one day come back and serve these communities,” she said.

Organisers of the Knowledge Discovery Challenge competition were impressed with the range of high-quality solutions submitted, and they hope to repeat this competition in the future. AKDN is also looking into implementing some of the key ideas outlined in top submissions, and Shivji and her team would like to see their project implemented.

“We are hoping we can make a difference in the lives of the Hangu people.”

Source: The Ismaili

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