For better newspapers

One teacher gave us a puzzle what would happen if the only film that remained was of Data on Star Trek? How would a historian interpret this information? What would they say? And how would society be portrayed? Imagine for one moment how historians will use what reporters write in newspapers. This led me to re-think journalism as reporters are today's historians because they record and report on daily events. How will our world be interpreted if all that is left in our daily newspaper????

Reporters and journalists are there to bring the news too often it is bad news, and only negative events get attention. Communities do not get coverage hence there are community newspapers and magazines. I would suggest a new branch of journalism would be interesting that is to bring a history of the city, when various communities came to live in a city, stories of unusual individuals who have contributed to society and made a difference in their own community or another community.

The press can be racist and this can cause a great deal of pain to one community, the solution is to give a fair and balanced view of a community, give the positive and also the negative that way one group does not become stigmatized or feel they are victims of hatred.

Inclusiveness in one way to make sure that everyone is welcome and part of society from historical perspective historians will be able to give a more balanced view of our own century and the contribution we made. It is to plant seeds now so that in the future we can be remember as we are and not as someone imagines us to be.

Here are some suggestions, the cost is a few minutes of your time an email or one stamp and you can make a difference.

1. Write to the newspapers and ask to get fair coverage
2. For radio and television write to producers to advertisers and ask to be inclusive.
3. For the written press you can write to the Editor in Chief or the owners
4. In Quebec you can write the Federation des Journalistes
5. Conseil de Presse
6. CRTC for radio and television
7. You can write to newspaper editors, journalists and columnists

FOr those who have known war and immigrate to another country

Here are some suggestions I would like to see implemented for new immigrants.

It is important to learn about the new culture and the ways of the country of adoption. But, it is also important to have in place some special services for people who have known war. This should apply to all those who have been traumatized by bombings, the fear of loss of life, knowing gun fire or the incessant noise of bombs.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Person traumatized by war should be given help, which includes post traumatic stress disorder treatment and counseling.
2. Victims of war should be helped to re-adjust to life
3. Woman and children should be helped; if women were raped they should get counseling as for children they should be given special treatment.

If a person gets help when they first arrive it will help them adjust and also relieve some of the stress associated with the terror of war. Too many times a person is left alone, without help, hence they isolate the pain, refuse to talk about it and in the long run they hurt themselves and maybe others.

Joseph Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1L1
Canada

Your Excellency:

Please reconsider your rejection of the Khalids' request for asylum. This would be the humanitarian course to take since they are clearly in need of a the support of a network of family and friends who are already Canadian citizens. Both our countries have admitted some rather questionable immigrants in recent decades, surely you can find room for two whose only crime is telling the unpleasant truth.

Sincerely,
Ann Wilmer
USA


The New York Times


August 2, 2005
A Pakistani Rape, and a Pakistani Love Story
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Rapes occur in Pakistan at an estimated rate of one every two hours, and the rape itself is only the beginning of the horror. As in much of the world, the victim is frequently expected to atone for her "sin" by killing herself, while her attacker goes unscathed.
But Dr. Shazia Khalid, through all her tears, guilt and self-doubt, pushed for something more: punishment for the man who raped her. In my column on Sunday, I described how local authorities reacted after Dr. Shazia was raped early this year: they drugged her and confined her to a psychiatric hospital to hush her up.
It didn't work, and the incident provoked unrest in the wild area of Baluchistan, where the rape occurred, because of rumors that the rapist was not only an outsider, but also an army captain. President Pervez Musharraf became determined to make the embarrassment disappear.
So the authorities locked up Dr. Shazia and her husband, Khalid Aman, keeping them under house arrest for two months. Then officials began to hint that Dr. Shazia was a loose woman, perhaps even a prostitute - presumably as a way to pressure her and her husband to keep quiet.
Dr. Shazia, mortified, tried to kill herself. Mr. Khalid and their adopted son, Adnan, stopped her.
Meanwhile, the family's patriarch, Mr. Khalid's grandfather, sent word that because Dr. Shazia had been raped, she was "kari" - a stain on the family's honor - and must be killed or at least divorced. Then, Mr. Khalid said, his grandfather began gathering a mob to murder Dr. Shazia.
"I was very angry because he must know that Shazia is innocent," Mr. Khalid said. "They treat a woman like a cow."
General Musharraf was finding this couple's determination to get justice increasingly irritating. So, Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid said, the authorities ordered them to leave the country, and warned that if they stayed, they would be killed - by government "agencies" - and that no one would even find their bodies.
When Dr. Shazia demanded that Adnan be allowed to accompany her, the officials warned that there was no time and that she would be murdered if she delayed. Then the officials forced Dr. Shazia to make a video recording in which she thanked the government for helping her. And, she said, they warned her that if she had any contact with journalists or human rights groups, they would strike back at her - or at her relatives still in Pakistan.
"They said, 'We know where your family is here,' " Dr. Shazia recalled. "I'm very scared and concerned about my family and their safety. But I believe we must tell the truth, and I have entrusted my family to God."
So the Pakistani officials put Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid on a plane to London, without their son. As soon as they arrived, Dr. Shazia inquired about asylum in Canada, where she has relatives and friends. But a Canadian bureaucrat rejected the asylum application on the ground that they were now safe in Britain. (Come on, Canadians - have you no heart?)
Dr. Shazia and Mr. Khalid are now living in a one-room dive in a bad neighborhood in London, while applying for asylum in Britain. Dr. Shazia dreams of someday returning to Pakistan to found a hospital for raped and battered women, but for now she is simply a lonely, fragile and frightened refugee who leaves her bare room only to make trips to a nearby Internet cafe.
With Dr. Shazia constantly tearful and unable to sleep at night, Mr. Khalid gave up his job to take care of her and drive home a message: "Shazia, you did nothing wrong. You are still pure!"
Dr. Shazia's voice broke as she said: "Khalid supported me. He showed me his true love. ... He showed me that I have committed no sin. I am pure today, no matter what the world says."
Half-sobbing, she added: "I stay awake at night, thinking, 'Why me?' My career is ruined. My husband's career is ruined. I cannot see my son. ... If I had died then, it would have been better."
But it wouldn't have been. Dr. Shazia's ordeal offers us a glimpse of life for women in much of the developing world today, and it's also a reminder of the one factor that gives me hope. That's the growing number of people who refuse to cower in the face of injustice and instead become forces for change. To me, Dr. Shazia is a hero, for her courage and determination - and, yes, her purity.
E-mail: nicholas@nytimes.com

Madrassa Teacher Terms by Salah Shoaib Choudhury

MY DEAR FRIEND, BROTHERS AND SISTERS!
I AM EXTREMELY SHOCKED AND ANNOYED TO SEND YOU ALL THE
FOLLOWING NEWS, WHICH APPEARED IN LOCAL DAILY TODAY. PLEASE
READ THIS NEWS AND KINDLY LET ME KNOW YOUR REACTIONS. MOREOVER,
AS PEACE-LOVING PERSON, PLEASE SPREAD THIS NEWS TO OTHERS,
SO THAT THE WORLD WILL KNOW THE 'WORLD' WE ARE
LIVING IN HERE. PLEASE EXCUSE ME FOR BEING SO MUCH
EMOTIONAL AND ANGRY.
YOURS ... SHOAIB


Madrassa Teacher terms
rape victim child as Jew

- Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, from Dhaka

June 25 2005:

The Madrassa Teachers Committee in Banshkhali, Chittagong, eastern port city in Bangladesh, made nasty attempt to save rapist madrassa teacher Abdus Sattar.

Principal of the madrassa, Mufti Feroze declared the victim's family as 'Jews', reports vernacular national daily Shamakal.

In this connection Public Prosecutor (PP) of Women & Children Repression Court, Mohammad Mofizul Haque Bhuiyan expressed his anger saying that, "rapist remains Muslim while the rape victim innocent child's family became Jews by the fatwa of the radical clerics".

Rapist Moulvi Abdus Sattar surrendered before the court on Thursday. His bail prayer was rejected by Hassan Shahid Dawood, judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal No. 1, and send the Moulvi to jail.

On 18th June, first year (preliminary) pupil of 'Jami'a Millia Azizia Quasemul Ulum & Orphanage' was victom of barbaric sexual abuse by it's teacher Abdus Sattar.

Mother of the child, being pannicked observing continuous bleeding of her daughter, took her to the Combined Military Hispital (CMH) for check-up. Doctors at CMH, after check-ups, informed the mother "your daughter has been raped".

Victim's father, a member of the armed formes, on receiving urgent phone call from CMH, rushed for Chittagong from Dhaka cantonment.

Next day, mother of the victim took the child to the madrassa along with other local people for the child to identify the rapist. The victim showed the Moulana (teacher) pointing her finger towards him. Father of the victim immediately fainted and collapsed on the bed in for the teacher.

Principal of the madrassa, Mufti Feroze told everyone present, "lets see what happened", taking a chance, rapist Abdus Sattar fled the place.

In the evening, a public meeting was organized by the madrassa committee. In the meeting, all the teachers of the committee said - "it is all a conspiracy against Islam by the Jews. This family is Jew, and they are liars". Father of the victim child burst in tears and prayed 'Let me speak! My daughter is like your daughter too. Please do not label any false blame on us to give chance to the culprit to espace the charges".

Madrassa authority mislead the masses. As revenge they also expelled two brothers of the victim, student of the same madrassa namely Rokonuddin and Tamim.

The local civil and police administration are seen reluctant to take actions as the family of the victim were termed as Jews by the radical clerics.

END
__________________________________________________

Lettre envoyee a La Presse suite a un article de Mme Collard Stephan Hachemi et la librarie Cote St Luc

Mme Collard,
Permettez-moi de vous faire remarquer que la rectitude politique semble avoir tellement pénétré les moeurs journalistiques, que sans vous en rendre compte, vous accusez de censure M. Libman, simplement parce qu'il exprime, par son geste le désaccord avec la présentation des Palestiniens comme victimes, sans rappeler leur choix de la voie de la violence et du terrorisme et en ignorant la soufrance des Israéliens.
Il ne peut y avoir censure, puisque M. Libman ne cherche pas à empêcher M.Hachemi de présenter son point de vue ailleurs et il n'existe pas de droit qui garantisse à M.Hachemi de présenter ce que bon lui semble où bon lui semble, même si sa mère a été victime d'un régime totalitaire et obscurantiste.
Nous sommes ici en présence de deux points de vues opposés et peut-être bien que le plus rationnel n'est pas celui de M.Hachemi, malgré la sympathie que sa tragédie lui confère. L'ouverture d'esprit consisterait à présenter aussi le point de vue de M. Libman et donner un traitement plus équilibré aux deux points de vue.

Salutations,

lettre singe mais non publier par La Presse

Letter published in The Suburban

To read the story about the Cote St Luc Library and Stephan Hachemi go to www.thesuburban.com you will also find other letters and an excellent editorial


The other side

Stephan Hachemi’s choice of his mother’s photos to be displayed at the Côte St. Luc Library — Zahra Kazemi’s photos — didn’t show how Iran stripped its Jewish citizens of their nationality, then persecuted, imprisoned and executed them. Many were hanged publicly in front of cheering crowds, accused of being Zionists. Zionism in Iran is considered as sedition and is punishable by life imprisonment or death.

Perhaps Zahra Kazemi even has photos of the 1995 trial of 13 Jewish men accused of being Zionists and imprisoned. Some are still in prison, accused of sedition.

Or maybe she photographed scenes showing how Jews are treated as second class citizens. Iranian Jews pay higher taxes, and cannot visit or have any contact with Israel. If they do they are jailed, tortured and killed.

How dare Stephan Hachemi take the Côte St. Luc Library to the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal when it is he who has violated the truth with his malicious and dishonest editing of his late mother’s work?

Celine Leduc
via e-mail
2005-06-15 21:17:33
www.thesuburban.com

Lettre envoyee a La Presse suite a un article

Mme Collard

Je ne peux que déplorer la fin atroce qu’a connue Mme Kazémi. Et je compatis avec son fils qui restera marqué à vie par cet événement tragique. D’après les reportages à la télé, il semble être un homme intègre et sensible.

Pourtant, malgré ces qualités, il n’a pas réussi à comprendre la réaction des Juifs à l’exposition de certaines photos de sa mère. Mme Kazémi a été victime de l’intolérance et la cruauté. Plus que quiconque, son fils devrait comprendre que montrer des photos qui dépeignent Israël en État intolérant et cruel est inéquitable. Si Mme Kazémi avait photographié les enfants israéliens déchiquetés par les bombes dans des autobus ou des restaurants, les orphelins juifs qui souffrent, les milliers d’israéliens blessés et mutilés à vie, l’exposition aurait été équitable.

Mais montrer uniquement la souffrance des Arabes et pointer du doigt un État qui essaie de se défendre du terrorisme aveugle, comme n’importe quel État le ferait, ça, c’est inacceptable.M.

Hashémi aurait dû pouvoir comprendre cela.

Vous, en tant que journaliste, devriez être capable de comprendre cela également. Mais la volonté de comprendre ne semble pas être au rendez vous. Seulement, la critique.


R. Pontremoli.

Kazemi photos should not be censored. Letter sent to The Montreal Gazette, Globe and Mail National Post

Kazemi's photos should not be censored, Gazette headline. Kazemi’s son takes Cote St Luc library to the Human Rights Commission. The reason his mother’s photo exhibit was taken down from the library exhibition hall. Because people complained. He claims it is a justified criticism and adds my mother did criticize Iran. She was killed because she took photos of a protest in Iran.

Kazemi is politically to the left, hence she criticizes the theocratic oligarchy, the Ayatollahs. However, Kazemi does not criticize Iran for its the treatment of Jews.

Her exhibit criticizes the Zionist State. She can be pro-Palestinian without being biased and anti-Zionist. Because, she censors the voice of Jews from Iran, who lost their citizenship, their rights, their savings, their land. They were sent into exile stateless and penniless. They were jailed, tortured, imprisoned and even hung in front of cheering crowds in Teheran, between 1947 and 1967. Zionism in Iran is sedition punishable by life imprisonment or death. Iran 1995, 13 Jewish men were accused of being Zionists. They were tried, and are still in prison.

Canada accepted a few thousand Jewish refugees from Iran, they came settled, opened business and became Canadian citizens. Their voices have been censored. WHY?

SAVE THE LIFE OF SALAH SHOAIB CHOUDHURY THANK YOU!

I would like to thank The editor at Jewish Indy for posting my letter asking to save Salah on their site.

Visit their interesting and informative site at this url: http://www.israpundit.com/archives/2005/03/action_choudhur.php

for the letter about Salah
http://www.israpundit.com/archives/2005/03/action_choudhur.php

Once again thank Celine

SAVE THE LIFE OF SALAH SHOAIB CHOUDHURY For more information on Salah

http://www.freechoudhury.com/

http://penusa.org/go/programs/honorary-member/choudhury

http://www.mideastweb.org/log/archives/00000169.htm

http://www.pencanada.ca/prison/ran.php?ranID=20

http://www.wan-press.org/article4538.html

http://es-israel.org/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=826

http://www.jewishindy.com/article.php?sid=3409

www.hopeways.org

www.iflac.com/ada


POR FAVOR AYUDEN Y FIRMEN LA PETICION

http://www.petitiononline.com/IFLAC102/petition.html

If you want to help you can translate the petition in other languages, please let me know if you do so I can add your translation to this site. Thank you Celine