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ACHA PEACE BULLETIN
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http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/ACHAPeaceBulletin
A publication of
Association for Communal Harmony in
www.asiapeace.org & www.indiapakistanpeace.org
Editor: Pritam K. Rohila, PhD pritam@open.org
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Editorial
Communal Violence
and Communal Harmony in South Asia- Pritam Rohila
*Indian Air Force Shield Pak Troops From
Common Foe
*Pakistanis And
Indians Organize First Joint Fundraiser In
*Picture Of
Harmony In
*Muslims
Offer Prayers For
*A 'Fatwa' Against Terrorists Attacking Places Of
Worship
*Bowling For Harmony
*
*Lanka for open skies accord with
*
*
*Pak-Afghan Women Traders To
Ink Accord
*Visa
Exemptions In
*
*
*3 Indian Banks Plan Branches In Pak
*Lanka, Pak To Discuss
*Third Round Of Indo-Pak Talks From March 28
*B'desh Pm's
*Next Round Of Lanka Peace Talks In
April
*
*
*
*
*Lankan Govt, Rebels
Mark End To Deadlock
*Safta: Help For Ldcs
Applies From Jan 1
*Five Ex-Commanders Surrender Arms
*Indo-Pak Conclave For Free Flow Of Journals
*Aman Setu (
*Thaw In The Thar: New Train Links
*Hindu-Muslim Muharram Procession
*Pak Group Attends Indian History Congress
*S Asian Media To Work For Peace, Harmony
*We
Are Committed To Dialogue With Pak: Indian President
Kalam
*Indian Pm Singh
Calls
*’Composite Culture In A Multicultural Society’ Book Fair,
*Seema Anil Sehgal
*The Upeace Dual Campus Master's Degree Program In Peace Ed
*6th South Asian Orientation Course In Human Rights And Peace Studies.
*A Force More Powerful:
*Foundation For Pluralism,
________________________________________________________________________
Pritam K. Rohila, Ph. D. pritamr@open.org
Communal conflict has plagued
Of course, there are many grievances and injustices are responsible for the problem. Media also has something to do with it.
Reports of communal violence in the news make it appear to be more widespread than it really is. This has the effect of provoking frustration, anger, resentment, suspicion and enmity in some people; others respond to it with pessimism and despair. The former are then encouraged to seek revenge and resort to more violence; the latter become unwilling or unable to do what they can and should do to counter the problem.
Communal conflict in
There are many cultural
practices, and places of worship shared by followers of different faiths. It is not uncommon for Hindu and
Sikhs to visit shrines and participate in festivals of each other.
Representations of Christ are found in many Hindu homes, and people of other
faiths celebrate Christmas and attend Christian educational institutions.
Even in
During communal riots, there have been many instances of members
of one religious community protecting those of others.
In an attempt to counter-balance
the propagation of violence by media, ACHA, since its inception in 1993, has
been publicizing peace and communal harmony news from
Is it like pursuing a dream? May be it is. But we would rather chase a dream that instill a sense of hope, than something that drowns people in despair!
Is it too little, too late? Probably it is. We hope these little drops of rain, someday will turn into a pond, a stream, a river, and may be even an ocean!
*Indian Air Force shield Pak troops from common foe HINDUSTAN TIMES
NEW DELHI: Believe it or not, an IAF contingent flew off to the Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday with its task cut out: to give air cover to Pakistani ground troops stationed at Bukavu, one of the areas worst hit by the civil war in Congo. Both the Pakistani and Indian troops are part of a UN peacekeeping force… Moreover, Indian and Pakistani soldiers will be sharing the same camp and eating at the same mess,” said an IAF officer.
*Pakistanis and Indians
Organize First Joint Fundraiser in
Buena Park, CA, USA: Spurning animosities and embracing affinities, members of
the Pakistani and Indian communities in the Los Angeles area organized the
first-ever joint fundraiser in aid of the October 8 Earthquake victims at the
Jain Center Cultural Complex on Saturday, March 4.
The artists of the two countries set the tone of the evening's proceedings as
they crooned with remarkable spontaneity:
Dharkan hae
Chand
Maen bhi
Too bhi
The evening seemed to relay a message:
*Picture of harmony in
Varanasi, India The Telegraph |
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=277175&category=Frontend&Country=INDIA&pro=0
In
Lyricist Javed Akhtar, social activist Swami Agnivesh and human rights lawyer
Teesta Setalvad participated in a peace march taken out from the BHU gate to
Rajendra Prasad Ghat. The activists of a cultural organisation "Bharat
Vikas Parishad" took out a procession and raised slogans advocating
Hindu-Muslim unity.
A "Sadbhavna Yatra" was taken by the workers of the Nehru Yuvak
Kendra from Lanka to Dashaswamedh area. A large number of Muslims attended a
public meeting. prominent leaders of various minority
outfits criticised the terror attacks and urged the people of the city to
maintain peace to foil the designs of the perpetrators of the blasts.
*Muslims
offer prayers for
Thousands gathered at the holy shrine of Hazrat Abbas in
*A 'fatwa' against terrorists attacking places of worship, Sharat Pradhan, Rediff.com, March 13, 2006 21:30 IST, http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/13up.htm
Lucknow: Firangi Mahal chief Maulana Khalid Rasheed
, who was also the Imam of Lucknow's Idgah, " ruled, "There was
absolutely no room for terrorism in Islam and murder of one innocent person
amounted to murder of entire humanity." The Maulana's fatwa added,
"If any Muslim causes harm to any place of worship of indulges in killing
of innocent people, Islam would regard it as the worst possible crime and the
Shariat would consider it absolutely unlawful."
*Bowling for harmony, Indian
Express,
http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=87893
Karawada is only 10 km from the Gujarat border, where in ’99, Seva
Mandir, an organisation working in 500 villages in Udaipur district, decided to
take up the challenge of restoring communal harmony. A
‘Urja Ghar’ was established where the children of both communities could play
games, watch TV, borrow books and celebrate religious functions. Seva Mandir
then decided to promote village cricket.
Ansarbhai Makrani, has been astounded at the
transformation of relations between the communities.
*
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=277564&category=Frontend&Country=BHUTAN
*Lanka for open skies accord with India LANKA BUSINESS ONLINE |March 14,2006
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=277372&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
*Bhutan & India:
Along friendship trail KUENSEL ONLINE |
*
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=276274&category=Frontend&Country=BHUTAN&pro=0
*Pak-Afghan women traders
to ink accord PAJHWAK
|Thursday,
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=276198&category=Frontend&Country=AFGHANISTAN
*Visa exemptions in
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=275945&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
NEW DELHI: Journalists of five-year standing from the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) countries will soon be exempted
from obtaining visas for entering India, said the Indian government in the Lok
Sabha on Wednesday.
*
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=275423&category=Frontend&Country=BHUTAN&pro=0
KOLKATA: The
*
http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/mar/07air.htm
*3 Indian banks plan branches in Pak, Rediff.com,
http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/mar/07bank.htm
In a written reply to a question
in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Pawan Kumar Bansal said Tuesday
that the Reserve Bank has received requests from State Bank of
*Lanka, Pak to discuss
range of issues DAILY NEWS
|Monday,
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=275106&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
The bilateral talks will focus on a range of issues including defence
cooperation.
*Third round of Indo-Pak talks
from March 28, Rediff.com,
http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/mar/06pak2.htm
*B'desh PM's
http://www.southasianmedia.net/index_story.cfm?id=273870&category=Frontend&Country=MAIN
*Next round of Lanka
peace talks in April TIMES OF INDIA |Tuesday,
*
AIZAWL: Indian High Commissioner
to Bangladesh Veena Sikri Sunday stated that
*
http://in.rediff.com/cricket/2006/feb/25world.htm
The four South Asian Test
nations,
*
KOLKATA (PTI) - The first Indo-Bangladesh joint Coast Guard
exercise was held in the
The objectives of the exercise
were to develop standard operating procedures between the two countries to
tackle smuggling, poaching, piracy, maritime terrorism, and oil spills, the
sources said.
*
*Lankan
govt, rebels mark end to deadlock AFP |
CELIGNY,
*SAFTA:
Help for LDCs applies from Jan 1 DAILY TIMES |
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan,
while ratifying the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement, has decided
that provisions related to technical assistance to the Least Developed
Countries (LDCs) of SAARC will have retrospective effect and should be deemed
applied from January 1, 2006.
*Five ex-commanders surrender arms REUTERS |Wednesday,
*Indo-Pak conclave for free
flow of journals,
Rediff.com,
http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/22books.htm
A three-day 'Pen for Peace' conference, underway at the Jamia Millia University
in New Delhi, has brought about 50 Pakistan writers, poets, artists, musicians
and media persons in a bid to further the process of peace through
people-to-people contact.
*Aman Setu (
http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/feb/21firstlook.htm
The Aman Setu or
*Thaw in the Thar: New Train Links India and Pakistan,
Yoginder Sikand, February 19, 2006
Cries of 'Long Live India-Pakistan Friendship' rend the air as the Thar Express
streams out of the Jodhpur railway station on the evening of the 17th of
February, heading for the Pakistan border. The next afternoon, a train
bearing the same name crosses into India from Mirpur Khas in Sindh and chugs
into Munabao, a desert settlement in Rajasthan's Barmer district, barely two
kilometers from the border, being warmly welcomed by an enthusiastic crowd of
several thousand people. 'May the Thar Express become the Yar (Friendship)
Express bringing India and Pakistan ever closer than before', exclaims the
compare of the function held by the Indian Railways to inaugurate the
resumption of the railway link between Rajasthan and Sindh, which was
terminated in the wake of the 1965 India-Pakistan war.
*Hindu-Muslim Muharram
Procession,
KADEGAON, Maharashtra (PTI):
Hindus and Muslims took out a joint procession to mark Muharram here in Sangli district
February 9. The Muslim festival was marked peacefully all over
*Pak Group Attends Indian
History
KOLKATA, West Bengal (PTI):
*S Asian media to work
for peace, harmony THE DAILY STAR |Thursday,
DHAKA: South Asian media can effectively contribute towards promoting peace and harmony in the region by minimising negative trends for larger benefits of the one fifth of mankind living in the area, a high-profile media conference agreed after three-day deliberations.
*We are committed to dialogue with Pak: Indian President Kalam,
President A P J Abdul Kalam said on Thursday that the
government is committed to a composite dialogue process with
*Indian PM Singh calls Kashmir
peace conference, Reuters, 15 Feb 2006 08:44:50 GMT
NEW DELHI, Feb 15 (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called a
conference of Kashmiri politicians and separatist leaders this month to help
boost a peace process in the revolt-torn region, his spokesman said on
Wednesday. The Feb. 24 conference, the first of its kind, would be held in the
Indian capital and aims to broaden the dialogue in the troubled region where
*’Composite culture in a multicultural society’ Book
Fair, Hindu.com,
Mumbai-based singer-composer from Jammu & Kashmir,
Seema Anil Sehgal, has been conferred
Seema has effectively employed her music with meaningful poetry to establish
peace and communal harmony in
*
*March 25 is the deadline for applications for the SIXTH SOUTH ASIAN ORIENTATION COURSE IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND PEACE STUDIES. The last date for receiving applications is Application form can be downloaded from http://www.safhr-hrps.org/ApplicationForm.doc and http://www.safhr.org/ApplicationForm.doc
For further information on the course structure, content and methodologies,
read the fifth course report at http://www.safhr-hrps.org/asset/Peace%20studies%20report5.pdf
*A FORCE MORE POWERFUL: This is the first and only game to teach the waging of conflict using nonviolent methods. Destined for use by activists and leaders of nonviolent resistance and opposition movements, the game will also educate the media and general public on the potential of nonviolent action and serve as a simulation tool for academic studies of nonviolent resistance. More Info from http://www.afmpgame.com/
*Foundation For Pluralism, www.FoundationforPluralism.com
, Contact Person: Mike Ghouse, 214.325.1916, MIKEGHOUSE@aol.com
Founded in Texas, USA, on May 28,
2004, the Foundation For Pluralism
is a moderated electronic discussion group with a mission to “promote Religious
pluralism, i.e., learning to accept and respect every which way people have
come to worship the divine, including but not limited to the Baha'i, Buddhist,
Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jain, Jewish, Sikh and Zoroastrian systems of
belief.”
It observes the following seven “Commandments Of
Pluralism”
1. We shall not commit another sin in attempting to make our religion look
better by blaming other religions for the shortcomings of their
"followers".
2. We shall not contaminate the purity of our hearts with negative (ill)
thoughts about others religions of God. We should not build our castles on some
one else's "perceived" weaknesses, which would be a poor foundation to build
our faith on.
3. We shall not ridicule any one that God has created. It
amounts to ridiculing the will of God.
4. We shall not attempt to undermine the divinity of other faiths, that would
amount to arrogance and that is the first thing God wants us to shed to be a
righteous person.
5. We shall not blame any religion or a group for the acts of the individuals.
Let’s separate wrong doers from religion and appreciate the goodness of each
Religion.
6. We shall not forget that spirituality comes from winning over (Jihad) one's
greed, anger, instincts to control, haughtiness, ill will, pettiness, malice
and ignorance.
7. We shall not dishonor any form of praise and worship to the divine. The
world is a better place today because of religion, without which there would be
more chaos.
We believe that knowledge leads to understanding and understanding to
acceptance and appreciation of people with a different point of view.