The conflict in Sri Lanka really troubles me. They claim that the fighting is over, that the "rebels" have been defeated and peace will soon follow. I am wary.
SRI LANKA CRISIS DEEPENS AS RED CROSS SUSPENDS AID
Robert Bosleigh in Colombo
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been forced to suspend the distribution of emergency supplies to as many as 300,000 people displaced by the Sri Lankan Army’s victory over the Tamil Tigers after the Government blocked access to aid camps.
Fears have been growing over the welfare of those forced to flee the conflict zone – many of whom are sick or suffering from battlefield injuries – after tight restrictions were placed on the UN and other agencies trying to administer aid.
Urgently needed supplies of food and clothing had been suspended after access to the camps was restricted by the Government, an ICRC spokesperson told The Times this morning.
The ICRC had been the only neutral aid organisation allowed inside the conflict zone. It had between 20 and 25 staff on the ground in the northeastern region where the Tigers made their last stand over the weekend but has not heard from them since last week.
Those who escaped had to wade through a mine-strewn lagoon, journeying several days to reach camps that are struggling to cope.
Accounts of conditions inside the camps — gained from testimony recorded covertly by aid workers — and the journey to them are horrifying. (continue reading...)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
LIFE: What it means to be a Christian
Recently, I've found myself contemplating the question, "what does it mean to be a Christian?" and not in the cliche' WWJD way, but in the "what does the Bible say, what does God himself say" way.
James says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." As an American, its easy for me to think just about myself (and maybe my husband) but...I can be such an individual that I forget about the world around me and those suffering and those alone. In our Bible study last night, someone brought up a great point, (we're reading Daniel) and he noted that Daniel came before God and confessed the sins of the nation, he confessed and begged for forgiveness on a national level. What a different way of thinking! He cared DEEPLY about those around him who would suffer if God didn't intercede.
My husband and I have talked about what kind of family we want to be, what type of Christians we want to be. We've both feel strongly that we want to be "bridge builders." We want to open our home to anyone who needs a place that is safe and warm and loving. We want to care for the orphan and the widow. Often times, this is just inviting friends out for a beer on Friday night, or listening to a co-worker whose having trouble at work, etc. It' not glamorous, some days its hard. I don't want to care...but I feel...like God is calling us to be different.
A friend told me this fabulous story: 3 men arrived in heaven. The first man was from China, Jesus embraced him and said "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced immense persecution even at the sake of your own life and remained faithful to me." The second man was from Zambia. Jesus embraced him and said "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced poverty and destitution and remained faithful to me." The third man was from America. Jesus embraced him and said, "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced greed and selfishness and remained faithful to me." This story always makes me stop in my tracks. It encapsulates one aspect of what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian means (in part) looking beyond ourselves, to go beyond our natural selfishness and greed to reach out to those around us who need a touch; who need peace, comfort, a friend.
James says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." As an American, its easy for me to think just about myself (and maybe my husband) but...I can be such an individual that I forget about the world around me and those suffering and those alone. In our Bible study last night, someone brought up a great point, (we're reading Daniel) and he noted that Daniel came before God and confessed the sins of the nation, he confessed and begged for forgiveness on a national level. What a different way of thinking! He cared DEEPLY about those around him who would suffer if God didn't intercede.
My husband and I have talked about what kind of family we want to be, what type of Christians we want to be. We've both feel strongly that we want to be "bridge builders." We want to open our home to anyone who needs a place that is safe and warm and loving. We want to care for the orphan and the widow. Often times, this is just inviting friends out for a beer on Friday night, or listening to a co-worker whose having trouble at work, etc. It' not glamorous, some days its hard. I don't want to care...but I feel...like God is calling us to be different.
A friend told me this fabulous story: 3 men arrived in heaven. The first man was from China, Jesus embraced him and said "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced immense persecution even at the sake of your own life and remained faithful to me." The second man was from Zambia. Jesus embraced him and said "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced poverty and destitution and remained faithful to me." The third man was from America. Jesus embraced him and said, "well done my good and faithful servant for you have faced greed and selfishness and remained faithful to me." This story always makes me stop in my tracks. It encapsulates one aspect of what it means to be a Christian. To be a Christian means (in part) looking beyond ourselves, to go beyond our natural selfishness and greed to reach out to those around us who need a touch; who need peace, comfort, a friend.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
The Last Battle
What News the Eagle Brought...
"Nay, sister," answered Jewel, "all worlds draw to an end; except Aslan's own country."
How the dwarfs refused to be taken in...
"You see," said Aslan. "They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they can not be taken out."
Night Falls on Narnia...
"...as they came right up to Aslan one or the other of two things happened to them. They all looked straight in his face; I don't think they had any choice about that. And when some looked, the expression of their faces changed terribly-it was fear and hatred; except that on the faces of Talking Beasts, the fear and hatred lasted only for a fraction of a second. You could see that they suddenly ceased to be Talking Beasts. They were just ordinary animals. And all the creatures who looked at Aslan in that way swerved to their right, his left, and disappeared into his huge black shadow...but the others looked in the face of Aslan and loved him though some of them were very frightened at the same time. And all these came in at the Door, in on Aslan's right."
Further up, Further in...
"...that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which had always been here and always will be here: just as their own world, England and all, is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan's real world."
"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it until now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this!"
"Nay, sister," answered Jewel, "all worlds draw to an end; except Aslan's own country."
How the dwarfs refused to be taken in...
"You see," said Aslan. "They will not let us help them. They have chosen cunning instead of belief. Their prison is only in their own minds, yet they are in that prison; and so afraid of being taken in that they can not be taken out."
Night Falls on Narnia...
"...as they came right up to Aslan one or the other of two things happened to them. They all looked straight in his face; I don't think they had any choice about that. And when some looked, the expression of their faces changed terribly-it was fear and hatred; except that on the faces of Talking Beasts, the fear and hatred lasted only for a fraction of a second. You could see that they suddenly ceased to be Talking Beasts. They were just ordinary animals. And all the creatures who looked at Aslan in that way swerved to their right, his left, and disappeared into his huge black shadow...but the others looked in the face of Aslan and loved him though some of them were very frightened at the same time. And all these came in at the Door, in on Aslan's right."
Further up, Further in...
"...that was not the real Narnia. That had a beginning and an end. It was only a shadow or a copy of the real Narnia which had always been here and always will be here: just as their own world, England and all, is only a shadow or copy of something in Aslan's real world."
"I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it until now. The reason why we loved the old Narnia is that it sometimes looked a little like this!"
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Sri Lanka's War
James Traub, a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine and director of policy for the Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, wrote an excellent article about the conflict in Sri Lanka (see below). Its a complicated conflict and he articulates the nuances well. One point he didn't raise, which I see as being essential to any discussion about Sri Lanka, is the growing religious persecution which is part of the bigger conflict taking place and will remain even after the current skirmishes are over.
Religious persecution has been a constant undercurrent in Sri Lanka, this combined with the current ethnic conflict has greatly curtailed the full functioning of civil society and has the potential to further destabilize the country. Thus far, the Sri Lankan government has, to their credit, taken care to protect the constitutional right to freedom of religious choice by not enacting proposed laws subjecting religious conversion to criminal scrutiny. However, various parties within the government and religious extremists outside the government are continueing to pressure lawmakers to pass several pieces of draconian legislation. For example, several months ago an anti-conversion bill was pushed by the Buddhist Commission on Unethical Conversions. The bill would declare Buddhism the State religion and require government approval for a Sri Lankan citizen to change his or her religion from Buddhism. The bill also contained draconian punishments for the concept of "alluring" one away from his or her religion, but the definition of "alluring" and "religion" are vague and unclear, leaving room for abuse. The bill didn't pass, but how long will the Parliment have the political will to stand against such ideas?
Religious diversity is a lynch-pin of a free "full functioning" civil society, as shown throughout the world. A great example in Sri Lanka is despite persecution (churches being burnt, threats are made to the personal well-being of pastors and their families, etc) the Christian Church in Sri Lanka, representing all ethnic communities, is making every effort to care for and meet the humanitarian needs of all religious and ethnic groups. The Sri Lankan government needs to guard itself against fanatical groups which are looking to undermine society and limit its citizen's fundamental freedoms.
At Risk in Sri Lanka's War
James Traub
April 22, 2009
At this moment, at least 60,000 civilians trapped in a tiny strip of land along the northern coast of Sri Lanka are being deployed as human shields by the insurgent force known as the Tamil Tigers -- while artillery shells fired by the Sri Lankan army land indiscriminately among rebels and noncombatants alike. The United Nations asserts that at least 4,500 civilians have been killed since January as the government has sought to decisively end a bloody rebellion that has lasted for a quarter-century. The army is said to be preparing a final assault that, according to U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, could produce a "bloodbath." Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has spoken of "tens of thousands" of lives at risk. Yet the conflict has barely been reported, and the international community has barely stirred.
The fighting threatens to produce exactly the kind of cataclysm that states vowed to prevent when they adopted "the responsibility to protect" at the 2005 U.N. World Summit. This doctrine stipulates that states have a responsibility to protect peoples within their borders from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. When states are found to be "manifestly failing" to protect citizens from such mass violence, that responsibility shifts to the international community, acting through the United Nations. At the core of this norm is the obligation to act preventively rather than waiting until atrocities have occurred, as has happened too often...(read more)
Religious persecution has been a constant undercurrent in Sri Lanka, this combined with the current ethnic conflict has greatly curtailed the full functioning of civil society and has the potential to further destabilize the country. Thus far, the Sri Lankan government has, to their credit, taken care to protect the constitutional right to freedom of religious choice by not enacting proposed laws subjecting religious conversion to criminal scrutiny. However, various parties within the government and religious extremists outside the government are continueing to pressure lawmakers to pass several pieces of draconian legislation. For example, several months ago an anti-conversion bill was pushed by the Buddhist Commission on Unethical Conversions. The bill would declare Buddhism the State religion and require government approval for a Sri Lankan citizen to change his or her religion from Buddhism. The bill also contained draconian punishments for the concept of "alluring" one away from his or her religion, but the definition of "alluring" and "religion" are vague and unclear, leaving room for abuse. The bill didn't pass, but how long will the Parliment have the political will to stand against such ideas?
Religious diversity is a lynch-pin of a free "full functioning" civil society, as shown throughout the world. A great example in Sri Lanka is despite persecution (churches being burnt, threats are made to the personal well-being of pastors and their families, etc) the Christian Church in Sri Lanka, representing all ethnic communities, is making every effort to care for and meet the humanitarian needs of all religious and ethnic groups. The Sri Lankan government needs to guard itself against fanatical groups which are looking to undermine society and limit its citizen's fundamental freedoms.
At Risk in Sri Lanka's War
James Traub
April 22, 2009
At this moment, at least 60,000 civilians trapped in a tiny strip of land along the northern coast of Sri Lanka are being deployed as human shields by the insurgent force known as the Tamil Tigers -- while artillery shells fired by the Sri Lankan army land indiscriminately among rebels and noncombatants alike. The United Nations asserts that at least 4,500 civilians have been killed since January as the government has sought to decisively end a bloody rebellion that has lasted for a quarter-century. The army is said to be preparing a final assault that, according to U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, could produce a "bloodbath." Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has spoken of "tens of thousands" of lives at risk. Yet the conflict has barely been reported, and the international community has barely stirred.
The fighting threatens to produce exactly the kind of cataclysm that states vowed to prevent when they adopted "the responsibility to protect" at the 2005 U.N. World Summit. This doctrine stipulates that states have a responsibility to protect peoples within their borders from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing. When states are found to be "manifestly failing" to protect citizens from such mass violence, that responsibility shifts to the international community, acting through the United Nations. At the core of this norm is the obligation to act preventively rather than waiting until atrocities have occurred, as has happened too often...(read more)
Monday, April 20, 2009
S. African military to deploy to Sudan
Please pray for the South African military, who leave for Sudan this month.
Several groups worked together to distribute about 1700 bibles to both Christians and Muslims soldiers who have been deployed to Sudan. The Senior staffs of the Military Camp have requested Complete Bibles
Please Pray as we believe these bibles will be of use to the soldiers but also an opportunity to reach out to the Sudanese.
Several groups worked together to distribute about 1700 bibles to both Christians and Muslims soldiers who have been deployed to Sudan. The Senior staffs of the Military Camp have requested Complete Bibles
Please Pray as we believe these bibles will be of use to the soldiers but also an opportunity to reach out to the Sudanese.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The realities facing Universal Children's Day
The workloads of Afghan children (BBC)
By Pam O'Toole
11/20/08
Although millions of Afghan children have gone back to school since the fall of the Taleban, full time education remains a distant dream for many.
Continuing poverty means many children, including some as young as six, are forced to work to help their families.
Afghanistan has signed and ratified the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that children should be protected from dangerous work.
As countries around the world mark Universal Children's Day on Thursday, the BBC's Afghan service spoke to some young workers in the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah.
'I'm poor' said, Twelve-year-old Izatullah while pushing a cart containing heavy sacks of flour.
"I take this load to another shopkeeper. They will give me 10 or 20 Afghanis (21 pence or 42pence). I am poor, I don't have bread. My father is an old man. I earn our living," he said.
Sohrab, who is only nine, works in a carpenter's shop.
"We make doors and sell them. Before I was in school. But now I've been told not to go any more because there is a lot of work here in the shop," he said. "We have no other option but to ask the children to work."
Another child worker, Naik Mohammed, said his family came to Lashkar Gah after being displaced by fighting in another part of Helmand.
But, he says, he is luckier as he only works in the morning and attends school in the afternoon.
His father, Khawaja Mohammed, is distressed that he has to send his son to work at all.
"Our house was destroyed. We lost our land and our property. Accommodation here costs between 5,000 to 10,000 Afghanis ($105 - $210). One sack of flour is 3,000 Afghanis ($63).
"We have no other option but to ask the children to work. You saw my child yourself. He is not strong enough to work. You can see his condition. But we don't have any other option."
Tens of billions of dollars in aid have flowed into Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban in 2001.
But many ordinary Afghans still struggle to make a living; and for now, many parents have little choice but to continue to send their children to work.
By Pam O'Toole
11/20/08
Although millions of Afghan children have gone back to school since the fall of the Taleban, full time education remains a distant dream for many.
Continuing poverty means many children, including some as young as six, are forced to work to help their families.
Afghanistan has signed and ratified the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that children should be protected from dangerous work.
As countries around the world mark Universal Children's Day on Thursday, the BBC's Afghan service spoke to some young workers in the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah.
'I'm poor' said, Twelve-year-old Izatullah while pushing a cart containing heavy sacks of flour.
"I take this load to another shopkeeper. They will give me 10 or 20 Afghanis (21 pence or 42pence). I am poor, I don't have bread. My father is an old man. I earn our living," he said.
Sohrab, who is only nine, works in a carpenter's shop.
"We make doors and sell them. Before I was in school. But now I've been told not to go any more because there is a lot of work here in the shop," he said. "We have no other option but to ask the children to work."
Another child worker, Naik Mohammed, said his family came to Lashkar Gah after being displaced by fighting in another part of Helmand.
But, he says, he is luckier as he only works in the morning and attends school in the afternoon.
His father, Khawaja Mohammed, is distressed that he has to send his son to work at all.
"Our house was destroyed. We lost our land and our property. Accommodation here costs between 5,000 to 10,000 Afghanis ($105 - $210). One sack of flour is 3,000 Afghanis ($63).
"We have no other option but to ask the children to work. You saw my child yourself. He is not strong enough to work. You can see his condition. But we don't have any other option."
Tens of billions of dollars in aid have flowed into Afghanistan since the fall of the Taleban in 2001.
But many ordinary Afghans still struggle to make a living; and for now, many parents have little choice but to continue to send their children to work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)