Catégorie : World People

Linked with The Long Ordeal Of Sami Al-Arian (or the same: countercurrents.org April 6, 2007).
versus:
SITE Search for International Terrorist Entities, their ‘Sami Al-Arian Fact Sheet’ of February 20, 2003.

I also want link this case with the one of Akbar Ganji – Iran (being released on October 10, 2006). Watch yourself their similitudes.

First my comment: This is an exemple of the difficult thruth finding for people outside the Mix ‘The USA and its Terrorists’. My biggest difficulty with all this: I have not a slice of confidence in the American ‘war-on-terror’ justice. This, because the US mix up constantly justice and power play, being NOT able to separate the two items. No excuse for a civilised nation.

But just read both sides claiming innocence versus charges:

Sami Al-Arian said: « I do not support that. I said that over and over again. … Morally, religiously, Islam is against the killing of any civilian, of any mother, of any father, of any ethnicity, and I do not support, you know, Palestinians being killed by the Israeli army ».( St. Petersburg Times online).

Sami Al-Arian – USA & Kuwait

Sami Amin Al-Arian (Arabic … ) (born January 14, 1958 in Kuwait) is a Palestinian-American computer engineer who was convicted of conspiracy to help Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Al-Arian, a former university professor, was arrested by the United States government in 2003 on charges of funding terrorists. He was acquitted on eight of the 17 charges against him last December after a six month trial with three co-defendants. On April 14, 2006 Al-Arian pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and agreed to be deported. In return, federal prosecutors agreed to drop the remaining eight charges against him. Al-Arian was sentenced to the 57 months in prison and given him credit for time served. He is to serve the balance of 19 months and then be deported … (Read the whole long documentation collected on wikipedia).

The following articles are all Excerpts:

Continuer la lecture de « Sami Al-Arian – USA & Kuwait »

Linked with The International Center for Islam and Pluralism ICIP, with The Qur’anic Concept of Justice, with Modernity, Democracy Are Only for the Privileged. See also Eugen Drewermann, Germany.

TV-Sendung auf SF1 (siehe Sendezeiten), Der Islamwissenschaftler Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd im Gespräch mit Norbert Bischofberger – Die islamische Aufklärung geht nicht auf den westlichen Rationalismus zurück, sondern gründet in der Auslegung des Korans und muss immer wieder gegen Islamisten verteidigt werden. Davon ist der ägyptische Islamwissenschaftler Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd überzeugt. Seine offene Haltung hat ihm in Ägypten den Vorwurf der Ketzerei und Morddrohungen eingebracht. Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd lebt seit 1995 in den Niederlanden im Exil. Er gilt als einer der bedeutendsten zeitgenössischen islamischen Denker. In der « Sternstunde Philosophie » erzählt er aus seinem Leben mit dem Islam und zeigt auf entwaffnende Weise, wie menschenfreundlich der Islam ist. Literaturhinweis: Nasr Hamid Abu Zaid: « Ein Leben mit dem Islam. Erzählt von Navid Kermani ». Verlag Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2006.

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, in Arabic …, (born October 7, 1943) is an Egyptian Qur’anic thinker and one of the leading liberal theologists in Islam. He is famous for his project of a humanistic Qur’anic hermeneutics. (full text).

He says: ”Now, the question is: Is it really possible to recognize the emergence of a world culture through the international criticism of globalization? In other words, would international criticism be considered as a form of cultural protest against the « culture of capitalism » which is inherent to globalization? And finally, does international criticism reflect the existence of a common culture, one which is the grounds for nurturing democracy/human rights and not only the economic needs of globalization? » (full text).

Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd – Egypt

The Nasr Abu Zayd case: Zayd suffered major religious persecution for his views on the Qur’an as a religious, mythical literary work. In 1995, he was promoted to the rank of Professor, but Islamic controversies about his academic work led to a court decision of apostasy and the denial of the appointment. A hisba trial was started against him by fundamentalist Islamic scholars, he was declared a heretic (Murtadd) by an Egyptian court, was consequently declared divorced from his wife (since she is not allowed to be married to a non-Muslim) and, in effect, forced out of his homeland. (full long text).

Continuer la lecture de « Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd – Egypt »

Linked with Women without borders / Frauen ohne Grenzen, with Now up to 35 Iranian children facing execution.

She is a notable Iranian journalist and women rights activist, (see: Seven Who Create New Pathways for Success). Sadr majored in law and political science and hold a master degree from Tehran University (1999). She is also editor in chief of the Web site Women in Iran. Shadi Sadr has been arrested by Revolutionary Guard in March 2007 just before the women’s day. [See: Campaign to Free Women’s Rights Defenders in Iran: Three Women’s Rights Defenders Remain in Detention]

Read on Amnesty International, Maarch 22, 2007.

I am very pleased to inform you that the last of the thirty four women arrested in Tehran on 4th March were released from prison yesterday. (See previous posts for details) Shadi Sadr and Mahboubeh Abbasgholizadeh were released from Evin Prison but subject to a prohibitively high bail of 200 million Toman each ( approx €190,000). None of the thirty four women have been formally charged but a number of the women have been accused of compromising the security of the state amongst other accusations. Their legal cases remain open. The Iranian authorities have moved to close three human rights NGOs with which some of the women were linked: the Iranian Civil Society Organizations Training and Resource Centre (ICTRC), the Iranian NGO Training Centre (NGO-TC) and the Raahi Institute. (Daniel O Neill, March 22, 2007, full text).

Shadi Sadr – Iran, with her husband

Read: Iranian Women Activists Shadi Sadr and Mahboubeh Abasgholizadeh Released, March 20, 2007. Same on IFEX, and on Middle East Times,

Read also: Questions women ask.

She writes to His Excellency, Mr. Seyyed Mohammad Khatami, The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

Continuer la lecture de « Shadi Sadr – Iran »

Joachim Clemens Fest (December 8, 1926–September 11, 2006) was a German historian, journalist, critic and editor, is best known for his writings and public commentary on Nazi Germany, including an important biography of Adolf Hitler and books about Albert Speer and the German Resistance. He was a leading figure in debate among German historians about the Nazi period.He says: ”History is a fickle mistress and follows curious rules. She has a predilection for questions whose answers always leave something unexplained. She can be seduced by high drama, by splendour and mischief, by the rise and fall of powers and people. When Voltaire was asked why he had chosen to write about Charles XII, he replied that the king had been great, mysterious and mad; that was the stuff of history. On the other hand, history feels contempt for the unfortunate losers, for the causa victa of which Cato was so fond, rather than the causa victrix. History does not care about them; although the story of the defeated can often tell us more about a time than the story of those who seem to be the victors ». (full text).

Joachim Fest – Germany (December 8, 1926–September 11, 2006)

Laudatio: THE GERMAN historian and journalist Joachim C. Fest was a central figure in his country’s postwar debate about the origins and consequences of the Nazi catastrophe. His biography of Hitler, published in 1973, was a bestseller which stimulated national debate for many months. And his other writings, including assessments of the career of Albert Speer, the resistance to Hitler and life in the last days of the Third Reich in the Berlin bunker were also successful.
Fest was also active as a radio and TV journalist, a cultural critic especially during his two decades as co-publisher of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and a vigorously conservative political commentator, who challenged all utopian thought from an instinctively sceptical point of view, and was especially critical of what he saw as a leftist establishment holding sway in German life. In recent weeks he had been one of the harshest critics of the novelist Günter Grass, a prominent figure on the Left, following his revelations of wartime service with the Waffen SS — a step Fest had taken pains to avoid. (full text).

Continuer la lecture de « Joachim Fest – Germany (1926–2006) »

Linked with The Jane Goodall Institute.

No other primatologist or ethologist has made the cover of National Geographic more than her. Not even Louis Leaky gets more recognition. Her name is synonymous with the names Flo, Freud, and David Greybeard. Jane Goodall is more than just the « chimpanzee lady ». Her work gives new insight to our own humanness and humaneness. We now have the knowledge to explore our own behaviors and emotions in a new light. We share many things with chimpanzees. Jane Goodall has shown us this through her research at the Gombe National Reserve in Tanzania. We share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees. They often use facial expressions that look uncannily human, although we will never know if they truly possess any emotions that correspond with the expression. Chimps often greet one another with a kiss, hug, or gentle hand touch. Babies stay with their mothers until they reach adulthood. Chimps are omnivorous. They can make and use tools. All of these behaviors were researched and observed by Dr. Jane Goodall for the last 38 years. (full text).

She says: « Chimpanzees are intelligent, social beings. Before Dr. Goodall began her landmark study of them in 1960, however, almost nothing was known of their behavior in the wild. Through our studies of chimpanzees, we humans have learned that we are not the only animals who have close family bonds, make and use tools, or engage in warfare against one another. Here at Chimpanzee Central, you too can learn about our closest relatives! »

Jane Goodall – USA

Listen to her speach of 71 minutes on Google Video, May 6, 2006.

Her Work and Bio:

• on wikipedia;
• on the JGI;
• on JGI.uk;
• on BiographyShelf.com;
• on Women’s International Center WIC;
• Nature;
• on animal planet.

Read:

• Chimpanzees – Bridging the Gap;
• Dr. Jane Goodall’s Earth Day Message of Hope.

Jane Goodall on Blogs:

• Literati.net;
• the Gombe Chimpanzee Blog.

Continuer la lecture de « Jane Goddall – USA »

Linked with Mathaba News Network, with Cost, abuse and danger of the dollar, with US-Iran: Raid on nuclear fuel market, and with Pipeline projects through Afghanistan.

He writes: Excerpt: … How Can The Dollar Collapse In Iran? – The advent of the new euro-denominated Iranian Oil Bourse will cause the collapse of the US dollar, says Ruijter, and is far more significant to the US than any Iranian nuclear threat. For decades, the US has imported more than it exports. It manages to do so because oil is sold exclusively in US dollars, creating a permanent demand for the currency. The cycle goes like this: US dollars go from the exchange market to oil-producing countries via oil-buying countries, which then spend their dollars in different global markets, thus bringing dollars back to the exchange market. Over time, foreigners require more and more US dollars as prices rise and more oil is consumed. The US Treasury prints the dollars and spends them abroad, but never has to deliver anything in return. For the US, the oil trade works like a credit card with no limit. Saddam Hussein tried switching to oil for euros in November 2000, and a plunging US dollar was the result. The US eventually invaded Iraq in March 2003, and in June 2003 the oil trade reverted to US dollars, halting – not reversing – the US dollar’s descent. Iran, however, opens its Oil Bourse in March 2006 and the US dollar will once again be vulnerable. The Bourse will not only reduce the power of IPE and NYMEX, but also influence the exchange rate between US dollars and euros. Declaring war against Iran won’t solve the problem, writes Ruijter. While such a move may prevent Iran from selling oil for euros and force the world to buy with US dollars once again, it would only be a matter of time before another non-US-dollar oil bourse (or several) would be established. A war or an embargo may buy some time for the US, but at a very high price. (full long text).

..

Sorry, I can not get any photo, nor a biography of Rudo de Ruijter, Netherlands, but there is a big amount of his research-articles.

• Read: Investigative Reporting: 9-11 To Big Oil – Which Facts Behind Afghanistan Invasion And 9-11 Attacks? August 19, 2006.
• Read: Pijpleidingen naar 11 september, November 2006.
• Read: Can the dollar collapse in Iran? February 15, 2006.
• Read: Wáárom de VS Iran zouden willen aanvallen.
• Read: Tue 27 Mar 2007, How You Know 9/11 Was An Inside Job.

He writes: Excerpt: … Dictator: A few days later, on December 18, speaking at the Capitol, Bush joked about his starting relationship with the four congressional leaders: « If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier….just so long as I’m the dictator. »

Continuer la lecture de « Rudo de Ruijter – Netherlands »

Linked with The World Future Council, with How to feed Africa, with Feeding the world and restoring the land, and with When Northern Elephants Fight Over GMOs.

Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher (born 1940) is an Ethiopian who won the Right Livelihood Award in 2000 « for his exemplary work to safeguard biodiversity and the traditional rights of farmers and communities to their genetic resources. » (full text).

He says: « I am local, rural, communal. And I find that the whole world is a community. We have made progress in asserting our local community rights globally. We shall continue to do so ».

He says also: « The elephants that are Europe and the US thus fight, and the grass that is Africa gets trampled ». (this link).

He received the Right Livelihood Award on 2000 « …for his exemplary work to safeguard biodiversity and the traditional rights of farmers and communities to their genetic resources ».

Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher – Ethiopia

He is Counsillor at the World Future Council.

Read: all his articles at UNjobs.
Read: an open letter to Dr. Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher.
Read: Facts to Consider when Receiving Genetically Engineered Food Aid.
Read: Paper from Ethio-Forum 2002 Conference.

And he says: (excerpt): … « My country is still very poor. I leave it to you young graduates with myriads of options ahead of you to bring sufficiency to every Ethiopian life. I would love it if you could change every child that begs for a meal to a student like you.

Continuer la lecture de « Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egziabher – Ethiopia »

She is a journalist. She writes: I … ‘have lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg on and off since 2001’.

She writes: « I will write for Global Voices and I am really excited about that », (found on the Liubisa Bojic Blog).

Found on Global Voices from her blog: Russia, User Guide … Monday, March 26, 2007 – This has been an eventful weekend, rally-wise. (In Minsk, Belarus, water cannons had to be used against several thousand citizens opposed to Aleksandr Lukashenko’s regime. In Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia, it took some 20,000 police and military personnel to prevent yet another “Dissenters’ March” from happening. In Moscow, however, 3,000 riot police were called to guard 15,000 pro-Kremlin Nashi members during their celebration of Vladimir Putin’s seventh year as Russia’s president. Gallery owner Marat Guelman (LJ user galerist) got hold of Nashi booklet – and here’s what he thinks of it. (full text).

Veronica (Neeka) Khokhlova – Russia

Go to her blog: NEEKA’S BACKLOG, an accumulation of uncompleted work, unsold stock, etc. to be dealt with.

Bio: I’m a Kyiv native; have lived in Moscow and St. Petersburg on and off since 2001; spent nearly three years in the United States, attending Rutgers University (1993-94) and doing my master’s in journalism at the University of Iowa (1996-98); from 1999 to 2001, an NGO job took me to all but two regions of Ukraine, more than once, by train. Marta, my wonderful baby daughter, was born in Kyiv on Dec. 1, 2005;
a year later, we’re all in Moscow again. A stay-at-home working mom, I blog at Neeka’s Backlog; my current photos are at Flickr; nearly 4,600 photos from Kyiv, Moscow, St. Petersburg and Istanbul are at Neeka’s FotoPage; my Global Voices translations are stored on Work Log; some of my pre-blog/non-blog work has been Filed Away.

Continuer la lecture de « Veronica (Neeka) Khokhlova – Russia »

Added on May 26, 2007 this links: Clearstream and some french politics, and:

• how to launder 1.000.000 $, 3.04 minutes, April 3, 2007;
• Christian Cotten et Basano Affaire Clearstream, 28.40 minutes, March 12, 2007;
• Clearstream Comptes non référencés, 4.09 Minutes, February 3, 2007;
• Clearstream, 2 minutes, January 19, 2007;
• Denis Robert ClearStream journaliste investigation, 28,49 minutes, November 28, 2006;
• Le petit papier – l’affaire ClearStream, 2.13 minutes, November 22, 2006.

His book « Revelations »: This is a story about a massive money-laundering operation run by the world’s biggest banks. It hides behind the “eyes-glazing over” technicalities of the international financial system. But it could be one of the biggest illicit money-moving operations anyone has ever seen. And it’s allowed to exist by the financial regulators who answer to Western governments. In these days of global markets, individuals and companies may be buying stocks, bonds or derivatives from a seller who is halfway across the world. Clearinghouses like Clearstream keep track of the “paperwork” for the transactions. Banks with accounts in the clearinghouse use a debit and credit system and, at the end of the day, the accounts (minus handling fees, of course) are totaled up. The clearinghouse doesn’t actually send money anywhere, it just debits and credits its members’ accounts. The money involved is massive. Clearstream handles more than 100 million transactions a year, and claims to have securities on deposit valued at $10 trillion. (full text).

Read: Denis Robert’s whole blog.

Denis Robert – France

• Read: Denis Robert, « Révélations et Clearstream, l’enquête » (scroll down to the title), et « l’Affaire Clearstream 2 ». Sur wikipedia français: lire Clearsstream 1, et lire Clearstream 2 (same, scroll more down).
• on the english wikipedia: Denis Robert, and Clearstream (general).
• Lire: Denis Robert, la justice aux trousses.
• Lire: Politis.fr.
• Read: Soutenons Denis Robert: Attac France apporte son total soutien au journaliste et écrivain Denis Robert victime d’un harcèlement judiciaire (200 visites d’huissiers, 30 procédures judiciaires en cours …). Les travaux de Denis Robert ont apporté des éclairages importants sur les paradis fiscaux et les dérives de la finance internationale, notamment sur le fonctionnement de la société Clearstream. (full text).
• Read: Défendons la liberté d’expression, soutenons Denis Robert;
• Read: Cartes de voeux pour soutenir Denis Robert;
• Read: Site du comité de soutien.

Continuer la lecture de « Denis Robert – France »