London calling--long reply

Mon Jul 11 08:24:57 PDT 2005

I currently live in south of Nova Scotia, in a rural environment surrounded by forests and lakes, at a place called the Shire, a learning center...the day of the attacks, we were hosting a group of people from all over the world, for an open space gathering...As the day progressed, part of me was busy with the news from London, yet another terrorist attack
not only because I have close friends living in London but also what this meant to us, as part of this globe and I remain with the questions,
‘what kind of injustice in the world ignite people to do such violence to fellow human beings’ 
rather than 'why are these bloodthirst monsters attacking 'us' ' (who is this 'us' for god's sake?)
and ‘what is my responsibility, directly or indirectly, to prevent these happening’ rather than blaming bush or tony blair (whose wisdom I deeply question by the way) 

I know deep inside that the work we are committed to, as to open spaces for people to come and be together, to grow as a compassionate beings and to help create spaces where human goodness can manifest, has something to do with all of this madness. However desperate and afar the situation might seem, I feel, everyone has a role in healing part of the whole, starting with ourselves

I feel that the problem goes on and on as long as we stick to 'duality', as long as we disattach ourselves from the 'whole' picture and look outside of ourselves for answers. let's stop for one second and ask ourselves honestly, how our actions or non-actions contribute to the world out there? 

filiz

p.s. I would really appreciate if we keep the sarcasm out of our messages. I think we are here for a dialogue rather than proving each other how 'right' we are. thanks! 

Jon Harvey <only.connect at virgin.net> wrote:
Paul

Thank you for your comments and support. 

I think the core problem is that certain groups of people (and Moslems are by no means alone in this) regard other groups as being of less value. To my mind a person dying in Fallujah, London, New York, Jerusalem or the West Bank - are all of equal value - no life is worth more than any other. I look forward to a time when the women and men of religion throughout the world, of all religions, unaninmously condemn all acts of violence - be they acts that kill people, maim or mutilate people, impoverish people or push people to despair - instead of (as many of them do) excusing acts of such violence in names of 'war', 'the market' or distorted ideas of 'freedom' (which are often code for 'my freedom to have licence over your life..')

All violence is wrong. Any religion which actively or tacitly supports such violence is not a religion I can support. In this sense it is not a Moslem problem - it is a World problem, I believe.

Peace be with you

Jon
-----Original Message-----
From: EVERETT813 at aol.com [mailto:EVERETT813 at aol.com]
Sent: 09 July 2005 01:34
To: only.connect at virgin.net; OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: Re: London calling--long reply

Jon,

Just as it is for me, personally, peace is an inside job.  Until the Muslim societies do what Mr. Friedman talks about in the below editorial, we are going to be in this assymetrical warfare, tacitly supported by Muslim's the world over.  Remember the Palestinians dancing in the streets when 9/11 occurred?  That attitude toward the West hasn't gone away.  Muslim societies MUST make this terrorism a totally unacceptable response to real or imagined grievances, just as North Ireland's courageous ladies are beginning to do there.  Just as the West did when it intervened in Kosovo, on the side of the Muslims there.  

Peace is an inside job.  There is no peace where expansionist Muslim societies rub up against others of different beliefs in many parts of the world.  There is a bad litany of religious violence all over Africa, Asia and SE Asia where others believe differently than the Muslim's do.  The idea that religion can be spread by violence is what must also be confronted by the Muslim leadership itself.  The world is NOT going to become Muslim, no matter how much Osama and his ilk think it should be.  Or, the folks in Sudan think it should be.  Or, in Indonesia.  The rest of the world will fight back.  If it gets really grim, tens of millions will die.  Huntington's theses will have been proven true, to the great detriment of the world's peoples.  

So, the solution is for the Muslim folks to decide they aren't the only Way to God around this planet (true of the right wing Christian folk, too, but they aren't out blowing up themselves, initiating slaughters like in Darfur, Nigeria, etc.) and decide that want to live in harmony and peace with their neighbors, who just happen to believe differently than they do.  I'm sure the majority of them do want peace and harmony.  But, the truth is, many don't.  Those who do had better start speaking out and saying so in loud words that have the impact like the fatwa issued against Salman Rushdie, who had to go into hiding to save his life.

These are un-PC comments, I realize, but they are reflections of what I see in the world where Muslim's dominate or are trying to dominate.  The recent reports by the UN, done by Muslim scholars, give strong evidence that some people do see that their societies are the creators of their own problems.  Only one example: disenfranchisement of women in nearly all those societies (but not all, I realize, Turkey a real exception) for education, choice of husband, choice of whether or not to have a family, female genital mutilation, etc.; a whole half of their population repressed in ways we can't even comprehend.  They detail these kinds of repressive practices.  And the lack of societal hope because of their dictatorial governments, which the West has supported and condoned, to their detriment, too.

Peace is an inside job, everywhere.

Paul Everett

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