The commemoration was filled with formative and heated discussions with contents ranging from academic, ethnic and religious perspectives.

Among the contributors was Laween Atroshi, a 22 year old British Kurd and Peace ambassador. Here he discusses the successful and applause worthy developments the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq has made thus far in its running. Laween raises points such as our strong education system, and the legal laws implemented within the region which condemn honour crimes and honour killings as well as other acts of human injustice.

He also mentions and makes a request for the UK Labour Party to consider Kurdistan’s cause and struggle for independence and the not so long-ago history of our Halabja genocide.

Laween Atroshi on Kurdistan’s Rights & Development

]]> http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/29/kurds-human-rights-talk-uk/feed/ 0 House of Lords,Human Rights Commemoration,Kurdish Youth,Kurdistan,Kurds,london,UK Human Rights Day 2011 was warmly welcomed in London's House of Lords where a board of delegates came together from across Europe in discussion and reflection of the developments and progress made within the global community on the agenda of human right... Human Rights Day 2011 was warmly welcomed in London's House of Lords where a board of delegates came together from across Europe in discussion and reflection of the developments and progress made within the global community on the agenda of human rights. The commemoration was filled with formative and heated discussions with contents ranging from academic, ethnic and religious perspectives. Among the contributors was Laween Atroshi, a 22 year old British Kurd and Peace ambassador. Here he discusses the successful and applause worthy developments the Kurdistan Region of Northern Iraq has made thus far in its running. Laween raises points such as our strong education system, and the legal laws implemented within the region which condemn honour crimes and honour killings as well as other acts of human injustice. He also mentions and makes a request for the UK Labour Party to consider Kurdistan's cause and struggle for independence and the not so long-ago history of our Halabja genocide. Laween Atroshi on Kurdistan's Rights & Development Mideast Youth no http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/04/occupy-bardo-tunisians-are-keeping-an-eye-on-the-representatives-they-elected/ http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/04/occupy-bardo-tunisians-are-keeping-an-eye-on-the-representatives-they-elected/#comments Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:47:17 +0000 Bedlam Beggar (Tunisia) http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=13959 Tunisians are keeping an eye on the representatives they elected on October 23. Occupy Bardo is a open sit-in held in front of the National Constituent Assembly premises, seat of the former Camber of Deputies to demand transparency of the democratic process within the Constituent Assembly. Thousands of citizens gathered there to claim a wide range of demands.

General Mobilization, a call from Doustourna:

“Doustourna, we’re from the street and we’ll come back to it”

Political activists from Doustourna have called via facebook to a “General Mobilization” in front of the National Constituent Assembly on December 30 from 9 a.m. to midday to criticize the draft law providing for the provisional organisation of the public authorities presented by the the majority tripartite coalition, which comprises Ennahdha Movement, the Congress for the Republic party and the Democratic Forum for Labour and Liberties. The sit-in actually continues until this minute. According to Doustourna, this draft law will re-establish dictatorship bcause of the following reasons:

- The powers of the prime minister are absolute and illimited (The Prime Ministeris from Ennahdha party).

- The powers of the president of the republic are very limited.

- The referundum on the constitution was not mentioned.

The goals of the “General Mobilization” and the continuing Occupy Bardo are mainly:

-  The seperation between the three powers.

-   50%+1 are necessary to nominate the three presidents (the president of the Assembly, the president of the republic and the president of the government)

-  The adoption of each article of the constitution requires a two-third majority

-  A two-third majority is necessary for the ratification of the constitution in case of a second reading.

- Insertion of the Code of Personal Status in the constitution

- Members of the Constituent Assembly should not hold positions in the government.

-  Live broadcast of the negotiations of the Constituent Assembly.

- 50%+1 votes are necessary to grant and repeal confidence from the government (the draft proposes 50+1 to grant confidence and 2/3 to repeal it.)

- Bringing killers of martyrs to court without delay.

- Granting the injured of the revolution their rights.

- Giving unemployed people from Gafsa priority over others concerning job opportunities in the field of phosphate.
- The independence of the judiciary

Representatives of the political parties and components of civil society as well as thousands of citizens are occping Bardo.

The Salafists Sit-in at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of Manouba, Tunis prompts a reaction on the part of Bardo secularist sit-inners:

Salafist students have been holding a sit-in in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in Manouba, Tunis, since Monday, December 28 after a girl wearing niqab was prevented from sitting for the exam. Lessons were suspended and other students prevented from sitting for their exams. The number of girls wearing the full-face veil are 3 out of 40,000 students. Salafist students have been camping out in front of the Dean’s offic who said he was held hostage all night on the first day of the sit-in. Salafist students asked for the right of girls wearing the niqab tobe enrolled at universities and to sit for exams. They also asked for a prayer room at university and no gender mixing in classrooms. The last demand which challenges a whole tradition of education in Tunisia was denied later on. The Dean affirmed that he had been physically abused on Wednesday after salafists broke into the universities despite suspending lectures.

In response to violence against the Dean, university teachers, students, political parties representatives, trade unionists and citizens rallied in front of the Constituent Assembly in Bardo on Thursday, December 1, to add other demands to those claimed by the sit-inners. They emphasized the importance of respecting academics, separating between powers and not between genders and denounced extremism.

Testimony of a student who witnessed violence at the Faculty of Manouba and took part in the Bardo sit-in (Video shot in December 1)

The protest was an action part of the general strike decided by the General Higher Education and Scientific Research Federation stemming from the Tunisian General Labour Union, following the violence against the Dean of the Faculty of Manouba.

Among the sit-inners who were camping out in front of the Constituent Assembly, a number of citizens has come from the Gafsa, the Mining Basin to claim their right to work and denounce the maldistribution of wealth. Citizens also demounced mixing religion in politics and education which distracts Tunisians from the real issues such as employment, the independence of the judiciary and the injured of the revolution.

The Commission on public authorities’ provisional organisation had adopted, on December 2, the draft law providing for the provisional organisation of the public authorities after some amendments that increased the prerogatives of the President of the Republic and reduced those of the Prime Minister. The amendments also ensured the adoption of the country’s new constitution with a two-third majority by the National constituent Assembly or else a referendum would be held.

Islmists pour to Bardo

On Saturday, December 3, thousands of islamists and secularists held parallel protests as islamists and salafists poured in hundreds to Bardo in answer to the sit-in in which has been staged there since Wednesday. They claimed that the people wanted an Islamic regime and that the Bardo sit-inners should accept the will of Tunisians who have elected the only religious Tunisian party Ennahdha in a relative majority and respect Islam which is the religion of the vast majority. Islamists waved Ennahda flags and black banners of the Salafist Hizb Tahrir which did not get a licence and did not take part in the elections held on October 23. Islamists asserted that secularist governments in Tunisia never gave them the full right to exercise the Islamic faith in total freedom and claimed the right to niqab for girls. They considered the attempt to ban the niqab at university to be much similar to Ben Ali’s ban of the hijab (the veil) in public places.

The Bardo sit-in is continuing. Keep up with all the developments and lively discussions on the ground via this live channel.

Feras Baqna, Hussam Al-Drewesh and Khaled Al-Rashed started an online television series based in Saudi Arabia called “We are being cheated.” They posted several episodes on topics that are often not covered by mainstream Saudi television. The last episode was called ‘Poverty’ where many issues were raised regarding Saudi Arabia and increasing poverty, which is ignored by the government. As a result on October 16, 2011 these three young Saudi men were summoned by the Bureau of investigation and Prosecution. They have been detained ever since, without charges, arrest warrant or legal representative.

The online series was started by these three young men because they loved Saudi Arabia and wanted to change aspects of it that were implemented poorly. Highlighting poverty was not to mock Saudi Arabia, but to change the lives of those who are poor by giving them better opportunities. Instead of these three pioneers being applauded, they were met with an iron fist, making the Kingdom appear as ridiculous, even more so than the ban on women driving.

Every country needs an opposition, it will keep the ruling party in check through scrutiny and accountability. Saudi Arabia’s attempts to censor voices of opposition, or concerned citizens will inevitably led to increased frustration and anger. And this particular case sets a precedent for future Saudi youth that their voices don’t matter, and efforts to highlight injustices will be met with scrutiny, which means citizens of Saudi Arabia must campaign for this case, and not allow censorship to continue.

The last video which led to their detainment has been translated to English, but was originally published without the subtitles, and has over one million views since the arrest. You can watch the video below for yourself and be the judge on whether the content was appropriate. If you believe their detainment is unlawful, please support their release campaign and raise awareness.

How can you help?

1. Raise awareness through social networking sites, on Twitter follow the Hashtag #Mal3ob3lena, and post their campaign blog on Human rights groups on Facebook.
2. Make a video on Youtube to show your support.
3. Contact the Saudi Embassy in your country and ask for their release.
4. Get in touch with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other relevant organisations to help this campaign grow bigger.
5.  Start a petition.

…Just don’t stay silent.

Often i read in CNN, BBC or Reuters that Libyans are divided and the country could very possibly decent into another civil war between competing tribes or Islamists v. Secularists. Personally, I do not know the extent of tribalism or sectarianism in Libya as I have never been there. **If you are from Libya, please comment below and tell me** As we have all too often seen in the Arab World, tribalism and social divides can lead to violence and civil war. The foundation of democracy is respect for the rule of law and the respect for the constitution as the supreme law of the land. This is why the writers of the Constitution of Libya and other revolutionized Arab states have a huge task in front of them.

They must draft a constitution within the next 10 months that codifies and manifests the visions that they have for their nation and their people. Most nations that draft constitutions start from scratch, barely benefiting from other constitutions. However a constitution is like a software program and any programmer will tell you that there is no need to make a new version of a program from scratch. They learn from other programs and in some cases even use those programs and change them to suit their specific needs. There is no shame in asking from help to draft a constitution, and the judges and lawyers drafting these ones need to closely study the constitutions of the U.S, Canada and France. These constitutions all guarantee the fundamental rights of freedom, liberty and the means to be happy. I think Arabs countries should go the route that Canada has gone down and adopt “fundamental freedoms” that are guaranteed by the constitution. These should include the right to freedom of thought, of assembly, speech and the press.

The constitution will be the most fundamental part of forming new democratic societies and I think this should be done before a leader is elected. For the constitution to feel like it is absolute and concrete, it must exist before the first president/prime minister is elected. A respect for a constitution and a sense that it is more than just a piece of paper but instead the general will of the entire population has to exist if the rights we all dream of are to be realized.

The protesters demanded the closing of the private broadcaster Nessma TV, which broadcast the film. Hundreds of attackers later attacked the house of Nabil Karoui station manager and set it on fire.

The film Persepolis from 2007 is based on a comic who lives in France. Iranian author Marjane Satrapi talks about her childhood and youth in Iran. She was nominated for an Oscar and won the Cannes Film Festival with a special price. Iranian filmmakers are becoming in internationally acclaimed works deal with the political and social reality of their country. Including Jafar Panahi.

In 2006 he received for his film Offside, the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in February that he would even sit on the jury of the Berlinale – but was allowed because he was under house arrest for not leaving Iran. Now he must go to prison for six years. As state media reported on Saturday, Panahi failed on appeal, his sentence was confirmed in this instance. The 20-year career and travel ban on Panahi has also been maintained.

If you saw the film you will understand it is a classic piece of art that needed to be shown all over schools in the Mideast ,many youth will find them connected with the tale of freedom against tyranny of radical mind ,the protester leaders may win points in the election but had lost for them self and the new tunisa points in respect ,open minded and the hope to build a model state to lead the Arabic future as they did when the lead the Arabic revolutionary movements , I believe they went out to stop the warning message of the movie against radical domination  of power in name of Islam ,and they used the God image as excuses.

Over the years, different people the world over embraced different interpretations of “freedom.”

Janice Joplin used to sing of freedom as “…nothing left to lose.” Is that what it means to be free? Or is that the state of mind that is needed to put everything on the line, and to venture forth in search of freedom?

The framers of the U.S. Constitution thought of freedom as conferring certain inalienable rights to the citizenry, such as freedom of religion, speech, a free press, free assembly, and free association.

On January 6, 1941, President Roosevelt spoke of the four fundamental freedoms that people “everywhere in the world” are entitled to: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear.

However you define it, the notion of freedom has captured hearts and minds of people in all four corners of the world. And still somehow, it is often difficult to define what exactly it means to be free. Yet we realize, as we fight for freedom, that it is important to understand what it is to be free, so that at the end of the day, we know what it is we’re looking for, and recognize what it is when we finally find it.

Certainly there is a role for government to play in assuring to their people the basic right of freedom. Liberty is enhanced to the extent that governments undo the shackles of oppressive rule, external control, interference, regulation, etc. Freedom also grows as a person comes to believe that he is the master of his destiny and that he can make the decisions to chart his course in life, without excessive and unreasonable interference from government. And of course, freedom connotes a fundamental respect for human life, and the protection of a person’s right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

However, just as government can play its role, the individual himself has a role to play as well, in fighting for and sustaining a sense of personal freedom. It could well be argued that the greatest freedom of all is the freedom to think. Rene Descartes famously said, “I think, therefore I am.” Inherent in the human condition, and our existence as free human beings, is our ability to think, and I would add, our ability to think clearly, with common sense and personal dignity, unhampered by the biases, suspicions, prejudices and superstitions which are thrust upon us, at an early age, by the societies we find ourselves.

As we search for freedom in such diverse places as the Middle East, or the Far East, or the West, or wherever the need arises; if it is really freedom we’re after, and if we dare to be true to ourselves, then we have no choice but to let go of past prejudices and wrong-headed thinking, in favor of what makes sense, and what promises hope for the future.

Our challenge, as freedom fighters, is not an easy one. All too often, we are called upon to put everything on the line, in hope of finding something that may never be found. But perhaps the greatest challenge of all, as we seek our freedom, and the freedom of others, is to break the chains that bind us to the thinking of the past, and that keep us imprisoned in the psychological cages that we have built for ourselves. If we find the courage and the wisdom to break these chains of the mind, then, and only then, will we shine the light on the path to freedom.

Please join us, with your comments, at www.sellingavisionofhope.org

University of Kurdistan Hewler

Because of the autocratic regimes in the Middle East countries, educational institutions have been rarely creative and productive. As a result of current universities which have kept students subordinate and refrained them from thinking for their own, we have witnessed the drawback of the Middle East in many academic subjects throughout the world.

‏The Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which gained its autonomy in 1991 through a complex process, has already a state-funded university which can be seen as unique in the area.

‏University of Kurdistan-Hewler was established in 2006 by the then-Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government, Nechirvan Barzani, with the aim of making the University an institution where young people of Kurdistan would be educated to become the future elites in their subjects and contribute to the developments in the Region.

‏UKH has been established as a public international university and is free from any interference and influence by the government, political parties or family relations. The latter one is of utmost importance, as this allows educational institutions independently to work without hindrance.

‏Its motto “Knowledge to Shape the Future” is built upon the needs of Kurdistan Region, that UKH graduates turn their attained skills into practice to further progress the society.

‏The University is established to create interaction, communication, critical and create a good environment between students and lecturers, whom the latter are mostly from Western countries.

‏UKH is teaching its students leadership skills. Its students are hard-workers, critical, creative, organizeble and communicative. It teaches students how to think rather than memorize; rely on themselves; and how to work in groups to increase the potentiality of success. In UKH, student is the top priority. UKH has recruited internationally known scholars to teach its students; it has provided its students the equipments and facilities that are required to make them successful students. Moreover, students have their own student body, called as the “Student Union”, whose president and its head of departments are elected freely and fairly by the students, which is also rare comparing to other universities in the area.

‏UKH’s library, which is the most advanced and liberal library in the area – being the only uncensored library from Turkey to Saudi Arabia and from Iran to Lebanon-, is providing its student excellent studying resources. The most recent published books are there, and online databases and free and wireless internet do exist. In addition that UKH through its library is teaching students how to respect copyrights – a right that doesn’t exist in the Middle East.
‏The market demands on the students prove that they are currently uncompetitive in the Kurdistan Region. Before graduation, firms, organizations and the government ministries ask UKH students to join working with them.

Currently, UKH graduates (the University has so far two rounds of graduates) work in senior positions in international companies, civil society organizations, and public institutions. And, a number of UKH alumni’s study at the top universities in U.S., U.K., Australia and other countries; namely, Colombia, Warwick, Nottingham and South Australia.

‏All of these prove that UKH is a productive institution and more things are expected in the coming years.
‏The KRG decision to establish UKH was a clear vision to build the future by well-educated youths. The short but large outcome of UKH makes Mr. Nechirvan Barzani to be happy about his decision: UKH’s students are able to defeat the challenges of the era.

‏As a graduate of UKH, I feel proud that one of my subidentities is to be an “UKHian”.

‏Examples of UKH, as an independent international public university, should be seen elsewhere in the Middle East, if the region wants to take role in the future global policies, as current students will be in tomorrow’s top positions.

Such statements only highlight the importance of grassroots campaigns that continue to speak out about the plight of minorities in Iran. The “Can You Solve This?” campaign has sent over 1,700 letters to top European leaders, including Secretary-General of the UN, Ban-Ki Moon, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay, and German Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Guido Westerwelle.  Tireless campaign activists and media attention from Mashable and more have helped bring the message of the denial of education in Iran to thousands more. “Can You Solve This?” is gearing up to launch globally, after having successfully stickered and QR coded many German cities. With the coordinated global efforts of grassroots activists around the world, Catherine Ashton won’t be the only top official to speak out against the persecution of the Baha’i community and the global problem of the denial of education that we can all help solve.

To bring the campaign to your city, or to find events happening locally, email us at hello@can-you-solve-this.org.

[Originally posted at bahairights.org]