Our Africa Program Associate, Shaya Gregory Poku, was recently in Liberia to see our program activities there.
Driving through Monrovia’s streets, it is readily apparent that this is a country that is rebuilding itself. The international community’s role in the rebuilding is evident—their presence is felt nearly everywhere. Another NGO headquarters pops up every few minutes, their well-known logos dot the cityscape on cars, billboards and buses:
“Real men don’t rape.”(The IRC)
“Stay in School.”(Save the Children)
Buses are stamped, “Donated from the People of India.”
It’s hard to imagine what the place will look like once they leave. Many Liberians are certainly grateful for the support of the international community, but they also wonder why the world didn’t intervene sooner during the two civil wars, when action could have been preventative rather than restorative. read more…
1001 Stories of Common Ground is announcing its first ever “Positive Change in Action” Competition!
The competition is for citizens of an Arab country who believe in improving their society! 1001 Stories of Common Ground invites submission of original photos, videos and articles that show positive social change in the Middle East and North Africa, and which demonstrate that people from different backgrounds can, and do, come together to change our world for the better. A new Search for Common Ground initiative, 1001 Stories is a website for sharing opinions and experiences that portray a positive view, action or accomplishment and show people working together in the Middle East and North Africa. Learn more about 1001 Stories here.
Four prizes will be awarded in the “Positive Change in Action” Competition: best photo, best video, best article and best video focusing on women!
Make your voice heard by 30 June 2011!
Judging will be completed by a panel of judges from SFCG staff and regional organizations. Judges’ criteria for determining winners include:
- Whether submissions are new, unpublished material
- Number of votes received from users of the 1001 site
- How well the work demonstrates the idea of positive change in a constructive, common ground way
- Style, originality, timeliness
Awards
Winners will be creators of videos, written pieces or photos.
Up to eight finalists in the categories of best photo, best written piece and best video will have their photo, written piece or video featured in the Common Ground News Service, (www.commongroundnews.org) website and email distribution to over 32,000 subscribers worldwide.
Up to four overall winners will be selected, with one winner in each of the following categories.
- Best photo: $500 grant
- Best written piece: $500 grant
- Best video: $500 grant
- Best video highlighting an initiative to promote women’s rights or gender equality: $500 grant plus $500 cash
The best overall will receive an additional $250 grant.
Learn more about the “Positive Change in Action” Competition here!
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.
~John Donne, Mediation XVII
Fighting the Silence screens in rural Congo
Dutch filmmakers Ilse and Femke van Velzen first learned of the violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo while they were in Angola near the Congolese Border. Their interest evolved into two films, Fighting the Silence and Weapon of War and a third film in production now. Although Fighting the Silence was intended to speak to Western audiences about the atrocities being committed in the Congo, the van Velzens wanted to find a way to bring the stories back to the communities they had come from, where they might have even greater impact.
They have since collaborated with Search for Common Ground to facilitate bringing the films to rural and more remote areas. We’re also using the films in security sector reform; working directly with Congolese military units to address ways that soldiers can change their behavior and attitudes to help combat violence against women. Check out the new trailer:
NY Times: Reading the Koran
By Habeeb Alli
Toronto, Canada – I’m thrilled again to have been a part of recent history – while someone burned the Qur’an in the United States, another presented us with a Qur’an in an expression of solidarity. I told this to my congregation during a Friday service and they were all moved by the gesture.
For the eighth year, an exercise of interfaith exchange between Jews, Muslims and Christians in Ontario has progressed in good faith – and the gift of the Qur’an was this year’s highlight. The Abraham Festival in Peterborough originated on the premise that all three faiths have a common heritage, which needs to be explored and shared. Walking through the symbolic tent of Abraham – referring to the Biblical prophet’s tent, a place of hospitality and engagement with strangers which was open to the four winds – in order to enter the St. Andrew’s United Church gave attendees the sense that history can be relived, even in a modern day setting.
Dr. Dan Houpt, a Jewish partner, facilitator and doctor who has been keen in bringing the three faiths together in Peterborough, presented the Qur’an to us Muslims during the festival last month. He first suggested the idea to his Muslim counterpart and co-founder Elizabeth Rahman, who then consulted with the Canadian Council of Imams about the gift. Rahman is a convert from the UK and first became active in the community in the 1970s, with her late Indian husband.
The Muslims Students Association at the nearby Trent University hosted the Friday service, on the first day of the festival this year, so that Christian and Jewish neighbours could observe the presenting of the Qur’an. Houpt offered some thoughts on the gift, stating, “It shows we stand with [Muslims] in solidarity,” and then added that this offering “shows it’s a terrible act to burn a holy book.”
I offered my gratitude and reminded the audience – comprised of people of all three faiths – that it is a tribute well received on behalf of all Muslims and that the desecration of any holy book is an attack on all Holy Scriptures. I also reminded them that this act was in line with a historic tradition when the Muslim Ibn Rushd, Jewish Maimonides and Christian Thomas Aquinas learnt from one another’s works in 12th century Spain, which even John Paul II recognised as being of significant historical importance.
This year’s theme of the Abraham Festival was forgiveness. Many facilitators were present to share what their faith offered on the subject of forgiving others. In my speech, I told attendees that “forgiveness is an interesting topic because you often need it for people you love the most. The person you love the most can hurt you the most. And forgiveness lightens the burden.”
The presentation of the Qur’an by the local Jewish community was a way to show goodwill and remove any misunderstanding and hurt that Muslims may have experienced in today’s unfortunate atmosphere of Islamophobia – something Jews can relate to given their long years of dealing with anti-Semitism.
I also told festival goers that recently a group of Jewish people had donated money and time to build a mosque in Toronto. Television producer Kenny Hotz will highlight this daring project – the Peace Mosque – in his documentary to be shown on the Showcase Television channel this spring.
Rahman was recognised during the event and I handed her a card of appreciation along with the Qur’an, which she will use during her tours to the area’s schools and prisons. Muslims have been overwhelmed by and thankful for this token of solidarity, for such is the tradition of Abraham.
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* Habeeb Alli is a freelance writer for The Ambition, a scholar on www.allexperts.com, and the author of 12 books on Islam. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).
While youth across the Middle East and North Africa have taken to the streets to make their voices heard, SFCG has been supporting Moroccan youth participation in local political debates. SFCG implemented a project to create a media platform for dialogue between the youth and the local government officials. This project aims to empower young participants and increase the accountability of local government officials through regular discourse.
Youth participants at training in responsible civic journalism
During the project, 22 youth, aged 20 to 26, received training in responsible journalism. The participants were trained by media professionals who taught them about techniques for responsible and informative reporting. The young participants also learned about the impact of media in conflict resolution, democracy promotion and local development. Participants then had the opportunity to try out their new skills by developing articles and radio programs, which were distributed through the internet and on radio stations, including Morocco’s national radio station.
SFCG also organized six dialogue sessions with local youth and government authorities in Marrakech and in Meknes. Several civil society organizations also participated in the dialogue sessions as well as the young journalism trainees. The sessions addressed many issues affecting Moroccan society; the role of educational institutions in instilling a culture of civic participation, the use of media to promote good governance and how youth can be instrumental in the development of their own communities. Nearly 500 participants attended the dialogue sessions and the event received wide press and radio media coverage.
Our work in Morocco aims to strengthen the capacity of government authorities while encouraging the positive participation of youth in political issues that affect their lives and communities. These projects empower local youth and set an example for the national level. As the youth involved continue to hone their skills we will see the true impact of these programs in Morocco’s future.
