Islamic countries complain about comments made by member of Dutch
parliament
Twenty-one ambassadors from Islamic countries affiliated with the
Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) submitted a letter
to the Dutch parliament in which they express their displeasure
with the comments made by parliament member Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The
parliament member, originally from Somalia, said last month in a
newspaper interview that the prophet Mohammed would be considered
a 'pervert' by today's standards. This is because he married a nine
year-old girl. This is not the first time that Hirsi Ali's uncloaked
criticism of the Islam has enraged Muslims. Many Muslim organisations
do not appreciate the fact that she has publicly disavowed what
used to be her religion. In their letter, the ambassadors demand
that Hirsi Ali retracts her comments and apologises. According to
the diplomats, she has insulted one and a half billion Islamic people
throughout the world. Hirsi Ali's life has been threatened by Muslim
fundamentalists for a considerable period of time. This despite
the fact that the law of the Netherlands protects every citizen's
right to express their views on religious matters.
For more information (in dutch):
NRC, Dossier
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Trouw, het
interview met Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Trouw, Dossier
Ayaan Hirsi Ali
27/02
Performing artists protest threatened attack on Iraq
Performing artists throughout the world have voiced their protests
against a possible war on Iraq. For example, fifteen reknowned architects
from a variety of countries, including Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid,
collectively compiled a statement in which they condemn an attack
by America as being 'immoral'. During the Film Festival in Berlin,
American filmmakers and actors used press conferences to plea to
their President to change his mind about a war. Students from the
art academies in Spain staged a novel protest during the opening
of the Spanish art fair Arco'03. American singer Madonna is using
her newest video clip to protest an attack. During Brit Award, the
ceremony for the most prestigious music award in Great Britain,
bands including Coldplay openly opposed a war. Singer George Michael
also performed a protest song during the ceremony written to the
tune of his early hit 'Faith'.
American poets invited to a poetry meeting by First Lady Laura Bush
joined forces in a collective named Poets
against the War. They hoped to use the evening to voice
their aversion against an attack through poetry. The meeting was
subsequently cancelled. The organisation's website has received
anti-war poems from 5,300 artists from all over the world. Billy
Collins, Andrew Motion and George Bowering had already voiced their
views against a war. These three are the most prominent poets in
the United States, Great Britain and Canada, respectively.
22/02
Representatives Eurovision Song festival cause commotion
In Spain, the winner of the television programme Operación
Triunfo, singer Ainhoa Cantalapiedra, has caused some commotion.
The winner of the programme will represent the country during the
coming Eurovision Song festival in Latvia. Viewers voted for their
favourite by telephone. According to Arnaldo Otegi, leader of the
forbidden political branch of the Bask terrorist organisation ETA,
however, the Spanish government manipulated the outcome so that
the winner would be a Bask. The objective of Aznar's government,
he asserts, is to ensure that the Basks cheer for Spain during the
festival. Both the government and the programme organisation have
dismissed the accusations as ridiculous.
The singer who was to represent Belgium during the festival, Soetkin
Collier, is not being permitted to perform by the Belgian Minister
of Culture and Media. When she was an adolescent, the country's
state security department had Collier listed as an extreme-right
activist. A person with that type of history could damage Belgium's
image, according to the Minister. Collier herself says she has distanced
herself from her youthful sympathies.
20/02
Free literature for American soldiers
Three major publishing houses will be sending free books to American
troops abroad. Four titles are involved: The Art of War by Sun Tzu,
Henry V by William Shakespeare, Medal of Honor, a non-fiction work
about soldiers performing heroic deeds, and War Letters, a collection
of exceptional letters written during various wars compiled by the
American Andrew Carroll. Carroll is also the project coordinator,
bearing responsibility for the choice of the other three titles.
The books are the latest additions to the Armed Services Editions
(ASEs), which were handed out to American troops free of charge
in the period from 1943 to 1947. This series, with books originating
in every possible genre, had a special size making them easy to
carry. During the period mentioned, nearly 123 million copies were
distributed.
Critics would have preferred that Carroll selected titles that were
less war-mongering and patriotic. If the publishing houses receive
more donations, more titles will be published in the series.
18/02
UNESCO devotes special attention to reading
This month the Decade of Literacy commenced. This UNESCO initiative
was festively launched at the UN headquarters in New York. Twenty
percent of all adults throughout the world are illiterate, and most
of these are women. UNESCO hopes to halve that number by the year
2015. It has established an ambitious, global project for that purpose
that primarily focuses on disadvantaged groups, including refugees,
migrants, children with no education and indigenous tribes.
For that part of the world's population that is literate, UNESCO
is organising World Book Day on April 23rd of this year. The objective
of this event is to introduce both children and adults to the joy
of reading books. The day will also be used to focus attention on
the phenomenon of 'copyright': protection of intellectual ownership.
13/02
Archaeologists ask Pentagon to spare Iraq's legacy
The Archaeological Institute of America has urged the Pentagon
to spare the astonishing cultural legacy of Iraq should it come
to a war with that country. The group of archaeologists has compiled
a list of more than four thousand important historical sites. Their
colleagues throughout the world refer to Iraq as the 'crib of Western
civilisation'. Iraq is built on top of the remains of what was known
as Mesopotamia 6000 years ago. This is where the first cities grew
and script was developed.
During the Gulf War in 1991, monuments that were centuries old were
damaged. The Ziggurat of Ur, for example, a temple in the south
of Iraq that was 4000 years old, suffered hundreds of holes from
bomb attacks. The chaos and poverty in the country following the
Gulf War resulted in extensive plundering; later many antiquities
were discovered on European markets.
10/02
One hundred new libraries in Morocco
The Moroccan Ministry of Culture and the French Embassy in Morocco
have spent the past two years developing a plan to open one hundred
new public libraries in the next three years. A large part of the
Moroccan population still cannot read. Rural areas in particular
are culturally underdeveloped. After extensive research, the Ministry
of Culture has selected ten regions that are in the most dire need
of new facilities. A network of ten libraries will be established
in each of the regions. The libraries are intended to function as
cultural centres, not only where books can be borrowed but also
where debates and intellectual meetings are held. The entire project
is to be completed by the end of 2006. The French Embassy is absorbing
one-third of the project costs.
11/02
Canada supports project by Zimbabwean Women Writers
Canada has donated a sum to a project being organised by the Zimbabwean
Women Writers Association (ZWWA). The project, which commenced late
in 2002, strives to focus attention on the circumstances of female
prisoners in Zimbabwe. The ZWWA is compiling a book in which prisoners
have written about their experience. By collecting and documenting
information, the ZWWA hopes to influence the governing bodies that
can improve the circumstances of female prisoners.
The Canadian government supports a variety of development projects
in Zimbabwe. The donation for the ZWWA came from the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
10/02
Is Europe Christian?
Members of the European Convention have not yet agreed whether
God should be mentioned in the European Constitution. Section 2
of the constitution-under-development discusses the values common
to the member states. This is intended to emphasise the fact that
Europe is not only an economic but also a cultural community. The
Pope urged the Convention's chairman, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing,
to emphasise the part Christianity has played in the formation of
Europe. Countries including Italy and Ireland have voiced their
support for this request. The French, Spanish, Portuguese and Dutch
representatives see no need for the reference; the memories of the
influence the Catholic church exerted in their countries in the
past are not good ones. What is more, a reference of this type would
not do justice to the religious diversity of Europe.
08/02
Muslims drink 'relevant' cola
A cola brand has been introduced on the market in Great Britain
intended specifically for Muslims: Qibla
Cola. The brand hopes to follow on the tide of success experienced
by Mecca Cola, the 'relevant'
soft drink launched by the French-Tunisian entrepreneur Tawfik Mathlouthi
late in 2002. With this cola, Mathlouthi hoped to offer Muslims
a sympathetic alternative to the American soft drinks, ensuring
that less Islamic money flowed to the hated United States. Ten to
twenty percent of the income goes to charity projects, including
in the Palestinian areas. Other groups concerned about the influence
exerted on the world by the United States, such as anti-globalists,
have apparently switched to the activist soft drink. The cola brand
was even one of the major sponsors of the anti-war demonstration
organised this month in London. According to the initiator of Qibla
Cola, there is a large enough market for two suppliers: Muslims
throughout the world are expressing a high demand for 'their own'
products.
04/02
Sources: Algemeen
Dagblad, NRC
Handelsblad, het
Parool, Rotterdams
Dagblad, Trouw, de
Volkskrant, De
Standaard, Der
Spiegel, The
Guardian,The
Independent, The
Age, Deutsche
Welle, BBC
News, BBC
Online, News24.com, Reuters, AllAfrica.com, IAfrica.com, Time.com, Agenzia
Giornalistica Italia, Palestine
Chronicle, Austin
American Statesman, Voice
of America, Soccernet.com
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