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	<title>Mideast Youth &#187; Current Events</title>
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	<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com</link>
	<description>Thinking Ahead</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:04:18 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<itunes:summary>Thinking Ahead</itunes:summary>
	<itunes:author>Mideast Youth</itunes:author>
	<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
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	<itunes:subtitle>Thinking Ahead</itunes:subtitle>
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		<title>Mideast Youth &#187; Current Events</title>
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		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/category/news-and-politics/current-events/</link>
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		<title>Freedom Is Not A Political Agenda</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/02/11/freedom-is-not-a-political-agenda/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/02/11/freedom-is-not-a-political-agenda/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 11 Feb 2012 21:54:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Anonymous</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Awareness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Affairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islamophobia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palestine]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=14973</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It&#8217;s tragic when some people gain from a human rights violation to further a political agenda, but it happens every day. And not just here. This is actually common practice for the governments of the USA and Israel, and elsewhere &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/propaganda.jpg" alt="" title="propaganda" width="420" height="315" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-14974" />It&#8217;s tragic when some people gain from a human rights violation to further a political agenda, but it happens every day. And not just here. This is actually common practice for the governments of the USA and Israel, and elsewhere across Europe (right-wing political parties.) It&#8217;s discouraging for us because it gives many of us the feeling that we shouldn&#8217;t be in involved loudly in human rights issues so that we don&#8217;t give these imperialist governments more reasons to attack/occupy us. </p>
<p>There is no better example than Iran. The Iranian government is not a victim of this, they deserve any revealing coverage that comes their way. It&#8217;s a country that thrives on its own people&#8217;s blood and by executing people at such a fast rate that it&#8217;s difficult to be shocked or even shaken by such news anymore. People hear about it so often that it&#8217;s numbing. They hear about it mostly because it&#8217;s accessible. U.S and Israeli media report it every day as a strategy to empower itself. It&#8217;s a brutal psychological war that uses real lives and real personal stories, real people, to give itself more power. The more it happens, the more they celebrate it. It shows from their energetic coverage of such news. For their convenience, such news helps to divert your attention away from their own crimes and their own dirty games that play a big role in today&#8217;s political and human rights crisis across our countries. Protesters shot and killed in Saudi Arabia or Bahrain? Move along people, nothing to see here. </p>
<p>Many of my activist friends in Iran share this same feeling. These governments (also oppressive) taking advantage of these activists who risk their own freedoms to expose these stories and who, as a consequence, have to witness these stories being used against them. We all know that the U.S and Israel, and their allies, have no interest in human rights and in us as human beings. They have an interest in their political and economic status, and to maintain Israel&#8217;s role as a superpower in the region, one that also thrives on blood and murder. But the U.S regards that as &#8220;necessary crimes&#8221; for Israel&#8217;s &#8220;survival,&#8221; though Iran and Syria can claim the same thing. They kill for the survival of their current government and current structure and to protect the current people in power. You can justify anything if you try to and sometimes it would even make sense, it just would never be right. Especially if it means you end up putting even more people in danger than they already were, which is what both the U.S and Israel are doing with its narrow coverage. </p>
<p>Some people ask why others are so focused on Israel when there are crimes happening in their own countries or other neighboring ones. The answer is that coverage of these issues gets in the wrong hands all too often. These are powerful hands who call the shots (literally.) In one instance you still want the entire world to know what crimes your government is committing and in another you don&#8217;t want to empower occupying and imperialist forces to use that as justice for their interference. A lot of people feel that the latter is an important struggle because the human rights movements feels incomplete without it.</p>
<p>Unfortunately for us, this will happen regardless of our fight against it. That doesn&#8217;t mean we can sit back and watch it happen, but we should expose it and discourage it and even refrain from speaking with certain journalists at certain papers and state our reasons why so that they understand that we&#8217;re not going to help their agendas that are in direct competition with ours. And our agenda is the simplest demand that is the hardest to fight for: to be free. Free from tyrannical regimes and free from occupying foreign forces. </p>
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		<title>Saudi Tweep Escapes</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/02/07/saudi-tweep-escapes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/02/07/saudi-tweep-escapes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:26:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Aalia (Saudi Arabia)</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Atheism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Censorship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freedom of Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi Arabia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Society]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Taboos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blasphemy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hamza]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prophet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saudi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twitter]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=14881</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hamza Kashgari, a young journalist has caused a wide anger among Saudis when tweeting on the Mawlid (the Holy Prophet&#8217;s birthday). His tweets included his opinions about the prophet, how he&#8217;s equal to him and how he hated some of &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Hamza Kashgari, a young journalist has caused a wide anger among Saudis when tweeting on the Mawlid (the Holy Prophet&#8217;s birthday). His tweets included his opinions about the prophet, how he&#8217;s equal to him and how he hated some of his characteristics.<br />
Many Saudis were outraged and started a hashtag #hamzahKashghri where they&#8217;ve accused him of blasphemy, atheism and apostasy; some asked for his head. Moreover, Some prominent sheikhs like al awdah and others were furious and demanded for his punishment. Others filed for a law suit against him which made the Minister of Information ban him from writing in Saudi Arabia.<br />
Hamza has apologized on his account and even issued an official apology where he acknowledged his mistake and how he hadn&#8217;t meant it the way it came out but it wasn&#8217;t accepted. While many have defended him after his apology and said it was a misunderstanding, the majority still wouldn&#8217;t forgive him and demanded for his prosecution. It was reported that he <a href="http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/02/07/193207.html">has escaped</a> to a Southeast Asian country after issuing a court order against him.<br />
UPDATE: He has been <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/08/twitter-aflame-with-fatwa-against-saudi-writer-hamza-kashgari.html">detained</a> in Malaysia.</p>
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		<title>Syria at the UN: Are we dancing or playing monkey in the middle?</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/02/04/syria-at-the-un-are-we-dancing-or-playing-monkey-in-the-middle/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/02/04/syria-at-the-un-are-we-dancing-or-playing-monkey-in-the-middle/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:56:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Suzan Boulad (Syria)</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Demonstrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Affairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=14846</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For the last few days, hundreds of diplomats and politicians of various importance have gathered in New York to Talk About Syria. News media has been abuzz with the back and forth like high schoolers passing notes. Russia did what? &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For the last few days, hundreds of diplomats and politicians of various importance have gathered in New York to Talk About Syria. News media has been abuzz with the back and forth like high schoolers passing notes. Russia did what? There goes the Arab League again. Wow, Qatar thinks it has teeth! Oh look, Hillary Clinton’s playing Angry Birds on her phone again.</p>
<p>Needless to say, the issue of what the international community’s response should be to the Syrian uprising has even our brightest political leaders perplexed. The leaders of the main Syrian opposition group, the Syrian National Council, have used this UN meeting to bring out their new found diplomacy skills in full force, demanding that the Security Council pass a resolution condemning Bashar Al-Assad, and demanding some sort of (diplomatic and economic) intervention.</p>
<p>While the focus is on Syria, however, it is the Arab League that has enjoyed the spotlight, as it has formally led the campaign “for” Syria within the international community. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been the most grateful out of anyone for the Arab League’s leadership, and as diplomats have organized further meetings to pass a resolution about Syria, Clinton has continued to parade the Arab League’s initiative as the path that Syrians and the international community should follow. The initiative itself calls for Bashar Al-Assad to step down and relinquish power to one of his vice-Presidents, who will then form a “unity government” within two months. At last, one might say. A specific plan. A path. Maybe one that we can waltz down. Syrians should breathe a sigh of relief.</p>
<p>A proposed UN resolution, then, would throw some support to this Arab League initiative, but the how, where, and why of it has member states quabbling. Russia has stood firm against any explicit calls for Assad to step down, nor would it accept an arms embargo or sanctions of any sort. As it stands, the debate over the resolution will continue into the weekend as Russia attempts to navigate away from calling for “further measures” should Assad fail to comply with the resolution after 21 days. Russia would prefer the word “steps” over “measures”.</p>
<p>And so the waltz music screeches.</p>
<p>Watching this debacle, I don’t know what to think, except that I’m vaguely reminded of the Palestinian bid for statehood in the General Assembly last September. Sure, some action is better than no action, some might say, but is this action actually just spinning us in circles? The United Nations is a corrupt, inept bureacratic system rigidly set up in a way to protect the interests of more powerful nations and preserving the status quo. When Palestine was voted as a state in the General Assembly, Israeli guns did not stop shooting, and Palestinian bodies did not stop suffering. Instead, a specific, PC idea of Palestine led by the Palestinian Authority was oh so graciously allowed to participate in the same system that disenfranchised it to begin with.</p>
<p>That is not waltzing. That is monkey in the middle.</p>
<p>Rather than reassure me that everything will be all right in the end, this recent game of diplomatic charades has me worried about who do these people really think Syria belongs to. The only reason I’m not more worried, is because I know they’re useless. And my worry will begin when anyone thinks that they are of some use. As much as I would appreciate an arms embargo that stops Russia from feeding Bashar’s killing machine, and as much as I want to believe that targeted sanctions will chip away at the regime, I refuse to be the monkey in monkey in the middle and thank everyone for letting me play.</p>
<p>The United Nations, the United States, the Arab League, and the whole damned lot have no interest in the lives of Syrian people, not in Syrian freedom and not in a electrical powerful, free and fair and shouting out loud Syria. When I hear the condemnation of Assad, I know they’re not speaking the same language that I am. They’re not dancing.</p>
<p>It does not matter if Russia rolls over and plays good doggy to American demands. (Seriously though it’d be nice if they stop this whole arming business.) It does not matter if a resolution is passed tomorrow. Syrians are fighting for a new world of possibility, and the United Nations and Arab League are the picture perfect representation of the old one. Whats more, it takes away the emphasis of Syrian liberation belonging in Syrian hands and places the responsibility for ousting Assad on the shoulders of diplomats rather than the shoulders of protesters. The Syrian National Council is the mechanism for which this happens, by making diplomacy and tragedy the public face of the Syrian revolution, rather than grassroots mobilization, individual sacrifice, and a unity among the Syrian people the likes that has never been seen.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, protests alone will not bring down Bashar Al-Assad. But neither will playing games. Although the priority right now must be the downfall of the current regime, Syrians must not allow the current “support” of regimes as corrupt as Bashar’s to influence the creation of our new political consciousness. The debacle at the UN may cause some good, but will definitely cause harm, if Syrians themselves are not the very strong leaders of this very complicated dance.</p>
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		<title>Can you help Kurds to have a remembrance day for the Genocide?</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/01/19/can-you-help-kurds-to-have-a-remembrance-day-for-the-genocide/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/01/19/can-you-help-kurds-to-have-a-remembrance-day-for-the-genocide/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:28:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Laween Atroshi</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Awareness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreign Affairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Human Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iraq]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alliance for Kurdish Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arabs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Barack Obama]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Egypt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Environment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Prophet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[help]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jordan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurdish Human Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kurdish rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurdish Youth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kurdish youth festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurdistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maikel Nabil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Maikel Nabil trial]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palestine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[peace]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[petition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[revolution]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=14636</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Friends of Kurdistan, I have set up an e-petition urging the British Government to recognize the Genocide inflicted upon the Kurdish population by the former regime of Saddam Hussein. If we get 100,000 signatures than they will debate this &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/2012/01/19/can-you-help-kurds-to-have-a-remembrance-day-for-the-genocide/kurdish-flag-007/" rel="attachment wp-att-14637"><img class="size-medium wp-image-14637 alignleft" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Kurdish-flag-007-300x180.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="180" /></a><strong>Dear Friends of Kurdistan, </strong></p>
<p>I have set up an e-petition urging the British Government to recognize the Genocide inflicted upon the Kurdish population by the former regime of Saddam Hussein.</p>
<p>If we get 100,000 signatures than they will debate this cause in the British Parliament, thus please sign and pass on your petition.</p>
<p><a href="http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/25526">http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/25526</a></p>
<p>I would like to thank you all for the support and for being a friend to Kurdistan.</p>
<p>Laween Atroshi</p>
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		<title>Occupy Cabinet: Egypt in Blazes</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/18/occupy-cabinet-egypt-in-blazes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/18/occupy-cabinet-egypt-in-blazes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Dec 2011 09:26:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Suzan Boulad (Syria)</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Civil Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Demonstrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Egypt]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=14298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For the third day now, protesters in Egypt have been subjected to another round of horrifying violence by the counterrevolutionary forces of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. Protester have staged a completely peaceful sit-in in front of Egyptian cabinet &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For the third day now, protesters in Egypt have been subjected to another round of horrifying violence by the counterrevolutionary forces of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces. Protester have staged a completely peaceful sit-in in front of Egyptian cabinet buildings for the last three weeks in a remarkable display of perseverance and dedication to a truly free Egypt. Instead of recognizing protesters legitimate demands for SCAF to step aside, SCAF has instead used their military forces to kill 10 people, burn tents, sexually harass and beat protesters, and in general act in the exact same manner as their doomed predecessor, deposed former president Hosni Mubarak.</p>
<p>SCAF leader Mohammed Tantawi has apparently been looking to Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad for tips on how to suppress peaceful protesters rather than look to Mubarak for a reminder about where he will one day end up. As the violence in Tahrir gets worse, it is highly likely that the on-going elections will no longer satisfy the majority of Egyptians as sufficient progress towards freedom and democracy.</p>
<p>What is clear is that SCAF is a roadblock, not a facilitator, to that freedom, and that all support to SCAF must end so that Egypt&#8217;s path forward may be cleared. As a Syrian, I recognize that our own revolution will be severly compromised if our Egyptian brothers and sisters aren&#8217;t able to lend us their support as a truly democratic country. As an American, I recognize the crucial role the US plays in supporting SCAF and suppressing true democratic reform in Egypt. All Syrians must recognize the negative role the US plays, and all Americans, especially those in the Occupy Wall Street movement, must make the end of US aid to Egypt a top priority. Not only is the US&#8217;s corrupt foreign policy funneling badly needed funds out of the US, but it is also subsidizing the worse brutality and oppression on behalf of the Egyptian military.</p>
<p><a href="http://crowdvoice.org/emergency-law-and-police-brutality-in-egypt" target="_blank">Crowdvoice </a>has collected some of the latest videos, pictures, and articles from the latest uprisings in Tahrir. Now more than ever it is important to shed light on the crimes of the Egyptian military, and to spread awareness of the dedication and courage of the Egyptian protesters.</p>
<p><iframe src='http://crowdvoice.org/widget/emergency-law-and-police-brutality-in-egypt?size=small&#038;scope=this&#038;show_description=0&#038;rtl=0' scrolling='no' frameborder='0' style='overflow:hidden; border:none; width:100%;height:400px;' allowTransparency='true'></iframe></p>
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		<title>Arrests and Trials of Kuwait&#8217;s Stateless Protesters</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/16/arrests-and-trials-of-kuwaits-stateless-protesters/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/16/arrests-and-trials-of-kuwaits-stateless-protesters/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Dec 2011 23:34:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Mona Kareem (Kuwait)</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Civil Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Demonstrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kuwait]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=14282</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are at least 120,000 Bidun jinsiyya (without nationality) in Kuwait today suffering from the lack of human rights. They cannot legally obtain birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates. The same applies to driving licenses, identification cards, and passports. They &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div id="attachment_14284" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 522px"><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/16/arrests-and-trials-of-kuwaits-stateless-protesters/bidun-16th/" rel="attachment wp-att-14284"><img src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/bidun-16th.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="291" class="size-full wp-image-14284" /></a><p class="wp-caption-text">Kuwaiti riot police use water cannons to disperse stateless protesters (AFP, Yasser al-Zayyat).</p></div>
<p>There are at least 120,000 Bidun jinsiyya (without nationality) in Kuwait today suffering from the lack of human rights. They cannot legally obtain birth, death, marriage or divorce certificates. The same applies to driving licenses, identification cards, and passports. They do not have access to public education, health care, housing or employment. And while they face some of the state’s harshest discrimination policies, they have no recourse to the law and its courts. Simply stated, the Bidun, who are equal to about 10% of the Kuwaiti population, do not exist. They have been dehumanized and rendered invisible by government policies coupled with pervasive social stigmatization. </p>
<p>Last February and March, Hundreds of the stateless community in Kuwait protested demanding their rights of documentation, education, health care, employment, and naturalization. The protests were brutally dispersed by riot police and tens of young men were arrested for a week or so. Riot Police used water cannons, teargas, smoke bombs, and concussion grenades to disperse the protesters. According to <a href="http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/19/kuwait-dozens-injured-arrested-bidun-crackdown">Human Rights Watch</a>, over 30 people were injured and 120 were detained by state security in the first day of Bidun protests. </p>
<p>On the 12th of December, the stateless attempted to protest again to state their demands and to show support for those who were going on trials for protesting. Around 31 men were in court for &#8216;illegal protesting&#8217; and were released as the judge decided to adjourn the case to the 23rd of January. Kuwaiti and stateless activists showed up to the court hearing to show support as the interior ministry refused to give permissions for any sit-ins. <a href="http://www.alqabas.com.kw/Article.aspx?id=755298&amp;date=12122011">Kuwait Human Rights Association </a>issued a statement condemning the trials and stating that the Kuwait constitution grants the rights to peaceful protesting and thus none should be prosecuted. Parliament members did not have a say in this and the only political bloc to have issued a statement in solidarity was the leftist <a href="http://taqadomi.com/?p=760">Taqadomi movement</a>. According to their lawyer Mousaed Al-Shammari, the 31 men might get 3 to 5 years jail sentences. </p>
<p>On the 14th, three other stateless men faced another trial for illegal protesting: Abdulhakim Al-Fadhli, Tariq Al-Otaibi, and Ridha Al-Fadhli. On Sunday the 18th, other 45 stateless men will face another trial and this time charged with violence against police men. The charges in the first two trials were submitted by the public prosecution, but in the coming trial, charges were submitted by the state security police. According to Kuwait Human Rights Association&#8217;s spokesman Taher Al-Baghli, state police did not charge the stateless for &#8216;illegal protesting&#8217; only because such a charge will most probably be dismissed by the higher court. </p>
<p>Since the first trial started, the stateless community had several attempts to protest again. Activists tried to get permissions to protest in Erada square, in front of the parliament, where protests took place in the past two months against former prime minister Nasser Al-Mohammed which led to his resignation. The interior ministry refused to give such permission which made some of the stateless protest in their poorly-conditioned areas. The number was not large and protesters left in response to calls from some activists to avoid clashes. </p>
<p>This Friday, as reported by activists, tweeps, and news agencies, riot police used violence against stateless protesters and more than 20 men were arrested, among them two journalists who were later released (Fahad Al-Mayah and Hamad Al-Sharhan). According to a <a href="www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5i_rjP8HCz9-nqWHhuxfiPnpZVBuA?docId=CNG.ca4a676bb722f822158734e811868afc.761">report </a>by AFP: &#8220;Kuwaiti riot police used tear gas and water cannons on Friday to scatter hundreds of stateless protesters demanding citizenship. The police sought to break up a crowd of 400 people gathered after noon prayers in Jahra, raising Kuwaiti flags and banners that read: We demand Kuwaiti citizenship.&#8221; Stateless activist <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/Bu_Anas">Mousaed Al-Shammari </a>was reportedly arrested as he was trying to convince protesters to leave. Some wrote that he is now on hunger strike protesting his detention. According to a report by <a href="http://ara.reuters.com/article/topNews/idARACAE7BF0K620111216">Reuters</a>, there were also minors beaten and arrested in Friday protest. </p>
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		<title>Strike for Dignity, Strike for Syria</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/14/strike-for-dignity-strike-for-syria/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/14/strike-for-dignity-strike-for-syria/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:25:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Suzan Boulad (Syria)</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Civil Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Demonstrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Syria]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=14229</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A new stage of the Syrian revolution has begun. After nine months of brutality and a conservative death toll at 5,000, Syrians are still congregating and protesting in the usual manner, but the local coordinating committees have brought out a new tool &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A new stage of the Syrian revolution has begun.</p>
<p>After nine months of brutality and a conservative death toll at 5,000, Syrians are still congregating and protesting in the usual manner, but the local coordinating committees have brought out a new tool for the revolution, one that may very well prove to be the peaceful mortal blow to the regime.</p>
<p>The LCCs have outlined the six different phases of the Strike for Dignity, or Karameh Strike, meant to gradually bring people together in shutting down all of Syria and paralyzing every apparatus of the regime. The LLC site <a href="http://www.lccsyria.org/3528" target="_blank">outlined the general stages</a> of the strike:</p>
<p dir="LTR"><strong>Stage One</strong>: closing sub-lanes, sit-down strike (showing up to work &amp; refuse to perform any tasks), turn off cell phones between 2-6 PM<br />
<strong>Stage Two</strong>: closing all stores and shops<br />
<strong>Stage Three</strong>: Universities’ strike<br />
<strong>Stage Four</strong>: Transportation strike and the closer of all major road and highways between cities<br />
<strong>Stage Five</strong>: Government’s employees strike<br />
<strong>Stage Six</strong>: Closing all international roads and highways</p>
<p>The first phase of the Karameh Strike, or Strike for Dignity, began on December 11th after activists in Syria had called for a nation-wide general strike from the hours of 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM. This was the first stage of the strike, which was unique in that it was the first country-wide organized general strike, motivated by the success of multiple local strikes from throughout the revolution. The strike shut down cities all over Syria, including in some parts of Damascus and Aleppo. In cities like Daraa, regime thugs reacted violently, destroying businesses and threatening owners who refused to open.</p>
<p><iframe width="586" height="330" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4yOAdumfF3c?fs=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>Today marks the second stage of the strike. More stores closing, and the first attempts to shut down streets. The LCCs have even coordinated a nation-wide strategy for doing so, to block, run and repeat. So far, every major city has reported at least some participation. Just like the protests themselves, the strike will not be an instantaneous phenomena, but will gradually gain more and more supporters. Just like how youtube slowly filled with videos of protests, it will slowly fill with videos of businesses completely shut down, of streets blocked, of school abandoned, and not just in Homs and Daraa, but in Damascus and Aleppo as well.</p>
<p>The Strike for Dignity is not just a set of actions, or of important days. It is not just a method for bringing down the regime. It is the beginning of a new Syria, and the means through which all Syrians will create a national consciousness of solidarity, of entitlement to their political rights, and of a constant dedication to justice. Every video made by Syrians urging them to take part in the strike is another act of brotherhood and sisterhood, and ever person who responds to that video is taking their place as an agent of change. The very concept of peaceful civil disobedience and of agency in our own self-determination is being birthed with every stage of the strike, and these will not go away once the regime of Bashar Al Assad falls. After 40 years of tyranny, Syrians are teaching each other how to be free.</p>
<p><iframe width="586" height="330" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VtJ9-I4-5to?fs=1&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>The Syrian revolution is more than the violence. It is more than the political games being played by the United Nations, Russia, the West, the Arab League. It is about human beings, strong proud Syrians, taking hold of their futures and demanding hope and change.</p>
<p>Support the strike for dignity, and support Syria.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		<title>Occupy Bardo!</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/04/occupy-bardo-tunisians-are-keeping-an-eye-on-the-representatives-they-elected/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/04/occupy-bardo-tunisians-are-keeping-an-eye-on-the-representatives-they-elected/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2011 19:47:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Bedlam Beggar (Tunisia)</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Civil Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Demonstrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freedom of Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tunisia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Youth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=13959</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[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 &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>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.</p>
<p><strong>General Mobilization, a call from Doustourna:</strong></p>
<p><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_06791.jpg"><img src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_06791-1024x916.jpg" alt="" width="348" height="311" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left"><em>&#8220;Doustourna, we&#8217;re from the street and we&#8217;ll come back to it&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Political activists from Doustourna have called via <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/145810078857720/">facebook </a>to a &#8220;General Mobilization&#8221; 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:</p>
<p>- The powers of the prime minister are absolute and illimited (The Prime Ministeris from Ennahdha party).</p>
<p>- The powers of the president of the republic are very limited.</p>
<p>- The referundum on the constitution was not mentioned.</p>
<p>The goals of the &#8220;General Mobilization&#8221; and the continuing Occupy Bardo are mainly:</p>
<p>-  The seperation between the three powers.</p>
<p>-   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)</p>
<p>-  The adoption of each article of the constitution requires a two-third majority</p>
<p>-  A two-third majority is necessary for the ratification of the constitution in case of a second reading.</p>
<p>- Insertion of the Code of Personal Status in the constitution</p>
<p>- Members of the Constituent Assembly should not hold positions in the government.</p>
<p>-  Live broadcast of the negotiations of the Constituent Assembly.</p>
<p>- 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.)</p>
<p>- Bringing killers of martyrs to court without delay.</p>
<p>- Granting the injured of the revolution their rights.</p>
<p>- Giving unemployed people from Gafsa priority over others concerning job opportunities in the field of phosphate.<br />
- The independence of the judiciary</p>
<p>Representatives of the political parties and components of civil society as well as thousands of citizens are occping Bardo.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_06831.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-14019" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_06831-1024x994.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="563" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0685.jpg"><img src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0685-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0684.jpg"><img src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0684-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0677.jpg"><img src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0677-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0668.jpg"><img src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0668-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a></p>
<p><strong>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:</strong></p>
<p>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&#8217;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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vj_VUQcHKY">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)</a></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>The Commission on public authorities&#8217; 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&#8217;s new constitution with a two-third majority by the National constituent Assembly or else a referendum would be held.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0567.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13960" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0567-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0597.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13965" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0597-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0706.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-14001" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0706-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0702.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13999" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0702-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0692.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13991" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0692-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0688.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13988" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0688-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0689.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13989" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0689-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0655.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13972" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0655-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0650.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13970" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0650-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0611.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13966" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_0611-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_05691.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-13964" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_05691-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_06441.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-large wp-image-14018" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/100_06441-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="580" height="326" /></a></p>
<p><strong>Islmists pour to Bardo</strong></p>
<p>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&#8217;s ban of the hijab (the veil) in public places.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0013A3.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14010" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0013A3.jpg" alt="" width="281" height="578" /></a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0002A.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14003" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0002A.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0004A1.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14007" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0004A1.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0010A.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14011" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0010A.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></a><a href="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0021A.jpg"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-14012" src="http://www.mideastyouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG0021A.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" /></a></p>
<p>The Bardo sit-in is continuing. Keep up with all the developments and lively discussions on the ground via this <a href="http://www.ustream.tv/channel/bardo-1-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A3%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%B3%D9%8A">live channel. </a></p>
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		<title>Erdogan’s Dersim Apology Highly Welcomed by the Kurdistan Region</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/04/erdogan%e2%80%99s-dersim-apology-highly-welcomed-by-the-kurdistan-region/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/12/04/erdogan%e2%80%99s-dersim-apology-highly-welcomed-by-the-kurdistan-region/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Dec 2011 10:09:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Koshan A. Khidhir</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Civil Rights]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurdistan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Turkey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[erdogan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.mideastyouth.com/?p=13955</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered an apology for the killings of 13.806 in the southeastern town of Dersim, Tunceli, between 1936 and 1939. The apology came after quarrel or a war of words between Erdogan &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered an apology for the killings of 13.806 in the southeastern town of Dersim, Tunceli, between 1936 and 1939. The apology came after quarrel or a war of words between Erdogan and the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), according to Today’s Zaman.</p>
<p>The apology has been viewed in diverse perspectives. This article is affected by perspective of officials in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which I have seen in their official statements.</p>
<p>Most of the officials in the Kurdistan Region have seen this apology as rewriting Kurdish history and restructuring Kurdish issue in Turkey within a new framework, so they highly welcomed this initiative. It is not only about the historical incident. It is the political ones, at this time, that some of the points will be elaborated in this article.</p>
<p>The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK party) and Turkish Prime Minister have been working on a variety of initiatives that sustain its power in the country. As well as, he cuts off roots of conservatives and fascism. That will secure the future of the party and implementation of its visions.</p>
<p>Turkish Premier and his party are working on resolving Kurdish issue in the country, but they are doing it step by step. The apology will not be the final step, and it was not the first one, but it is one of the most radical and rooted one. Meanwhile, premier apologizes for a historical incident, which means they are restructuring not just the future, but also their history. While he apologizes on behalf of other and former governments, it means he sees himself responsible for the country not just for the current government. That is the radical points about this apology.</p>
<p>AK Party tries to avoid excluding different ethnics to have their rights within the Turkish state system. Kurds have been deprived from their substantial rights; therefore, the party could gain enormous support, if they protect the rights of Kurds. AK party has good relations with political parties in Kurdistan Region, especially with Kurdistan Islamic Union, and the two ruling parties Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and Kurdistan Democratic Party. That will be helpful for the party to have an indirect impact on Kurdish actors in Northern Iraq, and then they affect Kurds in Turkey.</p>
<p>The Kurdistan Region has economic ties and trade, which reaches up to 6$ billion dollars yearly. It is increasing continuously. Turkish Airline has formally opened by the Premier this year. There are Turkish companies, banks, private schools and even universities. This has expanded cultural, economic, and social interaction between Turkey-Kurdistan Region. In the last year, thousands of youths in the region have been travelled to Turkey to spend their holiday. That means Turkey-Kurdistan Region has friendly relations. Regarding future progress towards Kurdish issue in the country, I have to say that Turkey need to take this cooperation ties into considerations.</p>
<p>There is another significant point regarding the apology by Turkish premier, which he apologized in a right time. Turkey does not have any elections in coming weeks or months. It shows the party has not done it for the sake of votes. On the other hand, there are revolutions outside Turkey, even in its neighbor countries, it means that Erdogan reaffirms his support for Kurdish issue, while there is instability in the region, and suppressed ethnics are struggling for their rights. He has done it to claim indirectly that he is going to implement his promises and to change the atmosphere for the rights of different ethnics in Turkey. In addition, it uncovers the Erdogan’s methodology to resolve Kurdish issue, in peaceful means, instead of militarizing the issue. This apology has questions the position of military in Turkish politics again.</p>
<p>For ordinary people in Northern Iraq and in Turkey, Turkish official apology for this incident suggests that the ruling party wants to alter government’s standpoint toward Kurdish issue. This would be seen as a starting point for rewriting the new constitution in Turkey, which secures equal rights for different ethnics in Turkey.</p>
<p>It is expected for premier and AK party to have more initiatives towards the Kurdish Issue in Turkey, especially constituting their fundamental rights within the constitution. If events going on in this way, it will not be just expectations, it will also become reality.</p>
<p><em>*The author is a Journalist, Blogger, and Senior Undergraduate Student in Political Science and International Relations at the University of Kurdistan-Hawler. <a href="http://koshanali.blogspot.com">Koshanali.blogspot.com</a></em></p>
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		<title>Gandhi, King and Mandela</title>
		<link>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/11/29/gandhi-king-and-mandela/</link>
		<comments>http://www.mideastyouth.com/2011/11/29/gandhi-king-and-mandela/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:49:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Nissim Dahan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Activism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Current Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Demonstrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freedom of Speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Middle East]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Politics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Regional Issues]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Egypt]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Some of the strongmen of the Middle East are no longer in the picture, but who, and what, will come to replace them? Yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Egypt is a case in point. Certainly, there was a sense of hope &#8230;]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some of the strongmen of the Middle East are no longer in the picture, but who, and what, will come to replace them?</p>
<p>Yesterday’s parliamentary elections in Egypt is a case in point. Certainly, there was a sense of hope written on the faces of Egyptians who voted, as perhaps a first step in reclaiming their country. But who did they vote for? Undoubtedly, the Muslim Brotherhood will garner a strong position in the new government. But does that necessarily mean an end to democracy even before it starts?</p>
<p>It came as a surprise to some to find out that in recent months, the Muslim Brotherhood has advocated strongly on behalf of foreign investment in Egypt, and on behalf of job creation. Even though there are fears in the air that women’s rights are in danger, and that a return to religious fundamentalism is in the offing, still, the Brotherhood, at least for now, doesn’t seem to dwell on such things, but focuses its rhetoric on jobs. Is this just a ploy to win elections, or is it the real deal?</p>
<p>There is no doubt that ordinary people on the streets of Cairo, and throughout the region, yearn for many of the same things that are sought after the world over, like freedom, dignity and economic security. It would seem to make sense, therefore, that these causes should be at the heart of any successful political campaign, even campaigns conducted by those with leanings toward religious fundamentalism. In other words, to the extent that the people on the street are deeply committed to such things as freedom, democracy and jobs, then to that extent, any political party, regardless of its ideological inclinations, will have no choice but to speak about, and deliver on, the causes which are most important to the people, in order to win elections, and most importantly, to win hearts and minds.</p>
<p>That, at least, is the hope for the revolution that some call the Arab Awakening.</p>
<p>Of course, there are no guarantees, especially when you’re talking about political revolutions. In fact, most times things go badly, before getting any better. But there are things, three things in particular, that may help to move a revolution in the right direction, in a direction that is in line with the aspirations of the people.</p>
<p>The first thing that can help bring success to a revolution is to embrace a vision, a vision of hope, that calls for change which is positive, realistic and attainable. For example, if it is freedom and jobs you want, then advocate on behalf of these, because they are within the realm of possibility. And in fact, personal freedom and job creation go hand in hand. Any regime which strives for economic growth and job creation in this globalized world of ours, will  have no choice but to allow some measure of freedom, as a way of instilling a sense of trust among prospective investors. These freedoms may be limited somewhat, as in the case of China, but greater openness is indispensable to economic growth.</p>
<p>The second factor that helps to bring success to a revolution is to bring life to a vision of hope using the right tactics, and this involves a strategy of non-violence. You don’t want to demonize certain individuals, or certain groups, because this will cause such groups to retreat into their own corners, in preparation for civil war. You want to be inclusive of all people, and advocate on behalf of a vision which is welcoming to all, and which inspires everyone to come together in common purpose. And you want your voice to be heard throughout the land, while shying away from violence, even in the face of violent attacks by the opposition, which for the most part has been the case in places like Egypt and Tunisia. Syria is another matter, but the violence there by the government is so overwhelming, that some violent resistance is inevitable.</p>
<p>The third, and perhaps paramount aspect of a successful revolution is to pick leaders in the mold of visionaries like Gandhi, King and Mandela, who inspired their people, and who used non-violence to give substance to the aspirations of the people. They were not motivated by revenge. Gandhi could have turned the people against the British, but he didn’t. King had reason to turn against his country, but he didn’t. And Mandela could have launched a campaign to turn against the whites, and confiscate their property, but he didn’t. Instead, these leaders chose a different path: to advocate on behalf a vision of hope, to give substance to their vision using non-violent means, to be all-inclusive in their approach, and to deliver on promises made so as to give hope for a better future.</p>
<p>The Arab Awakening is at a crossroads. We can become entrenched ideologically, and consolidate political power by demonizing one another. Or we can choose instead to embrace a vision of hope, and deliver on that promise with real change, change that capture hearts and minds, and that gives life to the aspirations of the people. The choice is ours and everything we love and hold dear hangs in the balance.</p>
<p>Please visit us at <a href="http://www.sellingavisionofhope.org">www.sellingavisionofhope.org</a></p>
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