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Armenia: Bloggers Throw Funeral at Georgian Embassy

Simon Maghakyan · 20:48 · Central Asia & Caucasus

lingua → zht · zhs

Carrying a black casket labeled “The Newborn Georgian Democracy,” a group of bloggers in Yerevan have marched toward the Georgian Embassy protesting what they call the destruction and desecration of Armenian cultural monuments in neighboring Georgia. Bloggers tell the story.

Posting a YouTube video of the march, ahousekeeper says the bloggers’ November 27, 2008 action was “[i]n response to regular desecrations, vandalism and attempts (often successful) to appropriate Armenian churches by Georgian clerics.”

Another blogger, 517 design [RU], posts photographs of the action and links to nine other bloggers he knows who participated in the protest. An E-Channel post quotes one participant, Hayk Balanyan who blogs at infernorarm, as saying in Armenian:

Հայերի համար Վրաստանը միշտ էլ մոտիկ երկիր է եղել։ Բայց վերջին 5 տարիների փորձը ցույց տվեց մի բան, որ այդ երկիրը շարժվում է դեպի ֆաշիզմ։ … Մեզ հետաքրքրում է մի բան՝ կատարվում է հանցագործություն, բացահայտ խուլիագնություն. գերեզմաններ են քանդում,
փոշիացնում են պատմական հուշարձաններ:

For Armenians, Georgia has always been a close country. But the experience of the last five years shows that [Georgia] is moving toward fascism… All that interests us is one thing – a crime, blatant hooliganism is going on: [Georgians] are destroying Armenian cemeteries, reducing historic monuments to dust.

The recent controversy surrounds the removal of Armenian gravestones from Norashen, a church that Georgian priests are accused of taking over. Several days ago England-based Armenian blogger Mark Grigorian [Ru], a journalist in exile, reported and commented on desecrations at Norashen:

…когда к церкви “Норашен” прибыл член парламента Грузии, этот священник сказал, что лишь временно передвигал камни, “чтобы ПОЧИСТИТЬ под надгробными камнями…”

Представляете? Почистить под (!) могильными камнями!

[…]

Интересно, грузинское общество снова промолчит?

When a member of Georgia’s parliament arrived at the Norashen church [to inquire about removal of Armenian gravestones], that [Georgian] priest said stones were temporarily removed “so that to CLEAN under the tombstones.”

Can you imagine? Clean under the gravestones!

[…]

It’s interesting; will the Georgian society be silent again?”

Grigorian’s information came from another blogger, vesta923, who had posted information and photographs about the gravestone removals. The blogger was one of the participants of the November 27 “funeral.” The news, nonetheless, broke at an online Russian-language Armenian forum Hayastan in mid-November, when user Nick posted photos he had taken at the Norashen church.

While the overwhelming majority of Armenian bloggers seem to be in support of the protest at the Georgian Embassy, a blogger from Tbilisi cautions not to generalize all Georgians in such actions.

Commenting on pigh’s post, juventini says:

[…]

Самое обидное, что многие сейчас подумают, что все грузины такие и что к армянам там ужасно относятся, но это, конечно же не так. Мы (тбилисские армяне), всегда жили и продолжаем жить дружно с грузинами и не жалуемся.

[…]

Most troubling, many now will think that all Georgians are like that and that Armenians are treated [in Georgia] horribly. We, Tbilisi Armenians, always lived and will continue living with Georgians in friendship and [we are] not complaining.

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Egypt: Police officers banned off university campus

Marwa Rakha · 20:35 · Middle East & North Africa

lingua → es

In a historic court ruling, police are now banned from patrolling Cairo University's campus. Instead, the university will have to deploy civilian personal as security guards. Bloggers welcomed the ruling with guarded optimism.

In a series of posts, blogger and activist Hossam El Hamalawy linked police recklessness to March 9 movement, a group of Cairo University professors who came together in March 2003 in protest of the US invasion of Iraq and who now press for university autonomy and academic freedom, to the final court order that banned police officers off campus.

In his post AI: Egyptian police are reckless, El Hamalawy quoted Amnesty International saying:

Against the backdrop of recent killings during police operations, Amnesty International deplores the increasing use of excessive force by police and security forces in Egypt when carrying out search operations, seeking to disperse protestors or patrolling the Egyptian borders, which have often led to deaths. The organization fears that this pattern of killings and excessive use of force will continue unless those responsible are brought to justice and clear instruction and adequate training is given to police and security forces.

In a subsequent post he quoted journalist Sarah Carr saying:

The Cairo Administrative Court Tuesday issued a ruling that bans the presence of police officers on Cairo University’s campus. The verdict obliges the university to employ civilian personnel as security guards.

While the verdict only concerns Cairo University, its effect should extend to all Egyptian universities, Cairo University professor Abdel Galil Mostafa from the faculty of medicine told Daily News Egypt. University campuses are currently policed by interior ministry personnel and police officers who have no link to the university in which they work and are not answerable to it.

Earlier this month, two engineering students from Helwan University, Nagy Kamel and Mostafa Shawky, filed a legal complaint against police officers who physically assaulted them while they were attempting to enter the engineering faculty. Both students are known members of the Socialist activist group, Resistance Students. Kamel told Daily News Egypt that interference by security bodies in Helwan University is pervasive and that politically active students and their families receive threats from them.

The case had been brought by members of the March 9 Movement, a group of Cairo University professors who came together in March 2003 in protest of the US invasion of Iraq and who now press for university autonomy and academic freedom. The administrative court upheld March 9’s challenge to the presence of police personnel on university campuses on the basis of its violating the Egyptian constitution and the universities law.

Speaking of Helwan University, Hossam El-Hamalawy reports a silent protest that took place today:

Helwan University’s Resistance Students organized a march against police brutality on campus today. Simultaneously, professors from the 9th of March Movement held a silent protest in front of the university’s administration building denouncing the administration’s involvement in the security assaults.

Zeinobia commented on the court ruling saying:

I am so happy with the historical rule of the administrative court to kick out the security forces aka the university security from the Cairo university campus. I am so so so happy. This is the best way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cairo University to liberate it from that ugly control.

Unfortunately Cairo University administration appealed !! Anyhow I will not be dreamy because even if the security is outside of the University now ,it is still inside it through the pro-regime administration and staff. This is an old legacy I am afraid that goes back to the Nasserite era.

You know I have a mad thought now or rather a prediction on how the security will come back to the University. Expect in any moment a clash between some pro-regime students or even thugs entered illegally and others mainly from the MB students “with my all respect to them”. Those pro-regime students would provoke the MB students and the rest is well known. Believe me this could happen, in fact wait with me and see.

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Georgia: Armenian Church Scandal

Onnik Krikorian · 20:17 · Central Asia & Caucasus

lingua → es

With religion arguably playing a greater role in the lives of most of its citizens according to recent surveys, the ever strengthening power of the Orthodox Church in Georgia has long been of some concern in the South Caucasus republic. Publishing her research paper online in August, blogger Diana Chachua warned of the dangers.

[…] A truly democratic society cannot accept physically or verbally aggressive treatment of its people on the basis of religion or belief — which has taken place to a great extent over the years in Georgia. From a legal standpoint, these aggressive acts represent a classic case of hate crimes motivated by religious bias, and religious extremism. […]

Misusing of those religious values against other religious representatives and in personal political aims is what makes hard for country like Georgia to exceed from transition period into full length democracy. […] Looking through Georgia’s past and present, religion nationalism still keeps its hazard and this is what should be avoided.

Today, that point was not lost on protesters who gathered outside the Georgian Embassy in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, to protest the latest example of religious hegemony and intolerance, presumably with the tacit approval of the State, in their northern neighbor.

This time, however, the target of the Georgian Orthodox Church came in the form of seizing a derelict Armenian church in Tbilisi which should have been returned to its rightful owners following the collapse of the former Soviet Union.

Conflicts between the Orthodox Church and other religious denominations have been complicated and frustrated by the special recognition afforded to it under the Georgian constitution.

The demonstration, organized by a small group of [mainly nationalist] local bloggers, decried what they called the “death of a newborn democracy” in Georgia. Ahousekeeper [EN/AM/RU] posts a video of the action.

Interestingly, while The Tunnel at the End of the Tunnel sets the background, The Armenian Observer notes that [ethnic Armenian] bloggers in both Armenia and Georgia were the first to report on the scandal which soon escalated when a Georgian priest was discovered desecrating Armenian graves.

Blogs were the first to blow the whistle about the fresh attacks by Georgians on Armenian church - St. Norashen in Tbilisi. The traditional media tailed the blogosphere in disseminating the information and providing analysis.

The posts and comments started rolling in the blogosphere after Vesta’s post:

“Today, on November 16th, father Tariel Sikinchelashvili, along with several workers, started to demolish the graves of Tamamshyanns placed in the backyard of Norashen church. The crowd of frustrated Tbilisi-Armenians demanded that tombstones be returned to their original locations”.

[…]

Another journalist-blogger Mark Grigoryan is drawing parallels and asking questions.

“I want to particularly stress the fact, that it is hard to imagine something like this happening in the capital of “much hated by Armenians - Turkey”. And here, look, in the “brotherly Georgia”… what a shame! I am appalled by the silence of Georgian public.”

Indeed, the threat to St. Norashen is not new and was reported on by Armenian blogger Pigh [RU] in June.

Since then, 517 Design [RU] has started a Facebook Group to protest the inaction of the Georgian authorities in preventing what most see as a clear case of violating ethnic minority and religious rights.

The blogger also posts photographs from today's demonstration. A blog, Save Armenian Church “Norashen” in Tbilisi, Georgia! [EN/GE/AM], has also been set up at http://norashen.blog.com.

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Is Secularism the answer to Egypt's Sectarianism?

Marwa Rakha · 19:37 · Middle East & North Africa

Egypt has always been known as an Islamic country where Muslims, Christians, and Jews peacefully co-existed. Today this is no longer the case. Is secularism the solution?

Voice of Egypt reported the recent Muslim-Christian sectarian strife about turning an old clothes factory into a church in the area of Matareya:

وكان مئات من المسلمين تجمعوا أمام مصنع ملابس داخلية تحول إلى مكان يقام به شعائر العبادة المسيحية الكنسية … ثم أعقب ذلك حضور قوات من الأمن قامت بتفريقهم بالقنابل المسيلة للدموع، مما دفع المتظاهرين إلى إضرام النار فى سيارة “دوجان” لأحد الأقباط. وألقى الأمن القبض على عدد من المتظاهرين من الطرفين كما أصيب عدد كبير في المشاحنات نقل إلى المستشفى على أثرها ثلاثة مسيحيين واثنان من المسلمين وعدد من أفراد الأمن

Hundreds of Muslims gathered in front of an old under garments factory that became a place of worship for the Copts in the area. Security forces used tear gas bombs to disperse the crowds which led the demonstrators to setting a parked car, that belonged to one of the Copts on fire. Demonstrators from both parties were taken into custody and those who were wounded were taken to the hospital.

Voice of Egypt added:

دلوقتي أنا بجد زهقت من الحوار ده بقي
ايه حكاية كل شوية مظاهرة لأن المسيحيين بيعملوا كنيسة من غير ترخيص؟
و سؤال للمرة المليون امتي هيتطبق قانون دور العبادة الموحد اللي بقاله ٢٠ سنة في أدراج مجلس الشعب؟
علي الأقل ساعتها لو حد بني كنيسة من غير ترخيص يبقي يستاهل اللي يجراله لأن ما عندوش حجة انه يمشي قانوني
و ساعتها اللي هيتظاهر علشان كنيسة بتتبني يبقي ما عندوش حجة غير انه مش بيحب يشوف كنايس.. فيبقي قدامنا حاجة من اتنين يا نفهموا ان الكنيسة مش بتتبني لتدمير الأسلام و ان الناس بتخش تصلي جواها مش تلعب قمار و لو ما قدرش يستوعب ممكن يسافر السعودية.. هناك مفيش كنايس

I am sick and tired of the whole issue of demonstrations because some Christians are allegedly building a church without a license. I am asking for the millionth time: when will there be a law that equally regulates building places of worship (churches or mosques)? At least then when someone protests, we would all know that he hates the sight of churches. Then we would be left with one of two options: explain to him that churches are not built to destroy Islam and that people frequent them for prayer, or, if he could not understand that, he could go to Saudi Arabia because they have no churches there.

The dilemma gets worse as The Religion Virus sheds light on another debatable issue:

Here is a story is so absurd it requires almost no comment. It seems Egypt may ban organ transplants between people unless both are the same religion (Christian or Muslim). The ban is supposedly to cut down on wealthy Christians buying organs from destitute Muslims, but it doesn't take a genius to see through the ruse. It's nothing more than religious discrimination at its worst.

On a brighter side, Mona Eltahawy was faced with the following questions:

What does a Muslim look like? What does a Muslim home look like? And just who exactly makes up the Muslim mainstream? These questions came to mind after I took part in a panel discussion in New York City recently called “American Muslims”. It was meant to highlight the diversity of Muslim voices and experiences in the United States.

Two women from the audience were later overheard saying “They’re trying to convince us they’re the mainstream? They’re not the mainstream.” That, coupled with a question during the Q&A on “what does a Muslim home look like” (read: it can’t possibly look like a home I would recognize got me wondering against whom my co-panelists and I were being compared.

I’m quite sure it’s Angry Bearded Muslim Man. And Covered in Black Muslim Woman.

Angry Bearded Muslim Man is easily recognizable. He is usually yelling “Allahu Akbar” and burning something – an effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush, an American flag or an Israeli flag, preferably all three.

Angry Bearded Muslim’s female counterpart is Covered in Black Muslim Woman. She either walks silently behind Angry Bearded Muslim or she is the subject of countless books, magazine articles and documentaries about the miserable plight of Muslim women. While I do not doubt for a second that terrible abuses of women’s rights are sadly too often justified in the name of Islam, it is incredibly frustrating to feel one is always on the losing end of the authenticity battle. It feels at times as if I’m not Muslim enough simply by virtue of not needing to be rescued from an evil, abusive father, brother or husband.

The next time I’m asked how representative I am, I will ask back “What kind of Muslim do you want?” and quietly celebrate that I am obviously not what they had in mind.

And Ahmed El Masry wrote an apology to his Christian friend

وأثناء نقاشنا جاءت سيرة المسيحيون وحاولت ان ابتعد عن الموضوع خاصة واننا في وقت تلوح فيه الفتنه في الافق إلا انني فوجئت به يقول ” و الله النصارى فعلا متبهدلين هنا و هذا ليس من الدين في شيء “
قلت له كيف؟ قال لي اولا في الاسلام النصارى اموالهم علينا حرام ودمهم علينا حرام و عرضهم علينا حرام
بل لا يصح ان نسكب خمرهم او نقتل خنزيرهم ان كان ملكهم و من حقة علينا في الاسلام ان نساعدة ان كان فقيرا من اموال المسلمين و نتصدق عليه و نحميه وله مثل ما لنا والا نهدم لهم كنيسة و لو تزايد عددهم في مكان تبنى لهم كنيسة لتستوعب هذا العدد و ان سافر للخارج و ظلم في شيء في دولة اخرى يقوم من اجله جيش الدولة الاسلامية بنفسه ان لم يرد له حقه “مفهوم المواطنة ” لانه واحد منا و لا يجوز التعدي عليه بالقول او على دينه و لعل قول رسول الله عليه الصلاة والسلام ” من اذى ذميا فأنا خصيمه يوم القيامة ”
صديقي المسيحي
اعتذر لك عن نفسي فديني يمنعني الا افعل

The issue of Christians came up in the course of our discussion. Seeing the burning flames of sectarian strife, I tried to avoid the subject. He caught me by surprise when he said “Christians really suffer in our society and this has nothing to do with the teachings of our religion.”
I asked him how come and he replied saying that in Islam it is forbidden (haram) to take money from Christians we are equally not allowed to shed their blood or to taint their honor. We are not allowed to forbid their wine or kill their pigs. It is our duty though, as Muslims, to help our fellow Christian with money if he was poor. We ought to protect them and treat them equally. We should not destroy their churches; on the contrary, if they grow in number in an area, we should build them a church. This is the true meaning of citizenship in Islam and our prophet says: “He who harms a Christian or a Jew will find me his opponent on judgment day”.

My dear Christian friend I apologize to you for my religion forbids me not to.

Without borders shared a post about secularism in Spain saying:

أمر القاضى اليخاندرو فالنتين المدرسة بإزالة «جميع الرموز الدينية من غرف الصف والأماكن العامة وقال القاضى فى معرض حكمه إن وجود مثل هذه الرموز فى الأماكن التى يتلقى فيها الصغار تعليمهم تشيع فكرة بأن الدولة أقرب إلى الكاثوليكية منها إلى الأديان الأخرى

Judge Alejandro Valentin ordered a school to remove religious symbols from classrooms and public places.
“The presence of these symbols in areas … where minors are being educated can promote the idea that the state is closer” to Roman Catholicism than other faiths, the judge said in his ruling.

In his call for a secular Egypt, the blogger says:

الدولة لا دين لها. الدولة كيان إعتباري لا يحمل شخصية ذات صفات إنسانية محددة مثل التدين أو الإنحياز أو التعصب لفئة على حساب الأخرى. لا تنصر دين على دين ولا تقوم أجهزتها برعاية دين ونبذ الآخر. هذه هي العلمانية التي تحافظ على ترابط شعب الدولة الواحد مهما إختلفت وتعددت دياناته ومعتقداته ومذاهبه. لا للرموز الدينية بكافة أشكالها وأنواعها. لا للحجاب والنقاب والإسدال. لا للسلاسل التي تحمل الصليب. لا للصليب على الرسغ الأيمن. لا للملصقات في الشوارع ووسائل المواصلات. لا لحصص الدين التي تفرق بين الطلاب. لا لأصوات الآذان التي ترتفع مهما كان الوقت ومهما تسببت من إزعاج. لا للخطب الدينية التي تثير متبعي الأديان ضد بعضهما البعض. لا للبرامج الدينية في غير القنوات المتخصصة على أن تكون القنوات الدينية تحت رقابة علمانية صارمه حتى لا تتحول لمنابر تثير الفتن الطائفية وتنمي الأحقاد وتزرع الحقد والكراهية. هذه هي العلمانية التي نرغبها ونموت لأجلها

A country has no religion; it is an entity that has no human characteristics like religiousness or bigotry. It does not favor one religion over the other. This is the kind of secularism that keeps a society intact regardless of the multitude of its religions, beliefs, or sects. We say “No” to all religious symbols. No to the veil, the headscarf, or Niqab (covering the face). No to a cross dangling from a necklace or tattooed on a wrist. No to all posters in the street or in means of transportation. No to religion classes in schools that call for segregation. No to the calls of prayer that are more of a nuisance than a call from God. No to hate speeches that add fuel to the fire. No to unsupervised religious programs on unspecialized channels. This is the secularism the we dream of and would die for.

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Mumbai: The Taj Hotel Burns

Neha Viswanathan · 19:23, November 27th, 2008 · South Asia

lingua → pt · fr · ar · zht · zhs · es · mg · sr

Photographs are appearing on flickr and elsewhere, allowing us a glimpse beyond the visuals provided by mainstream media. Arun Shanbhag has a post full of photographs - from blood pools, to chalk marks and a burning Taj Hotel. More of his photographs on flickr here.

A photograph of the Taj hotel up in flames by Soumit Kar. A photograph of the same hotel by Mayank Austen Soofi - on fire at night. Ashesh Shah has a photograph of ladders and cranes being placed by the hotel to aid rescue work.

The Taj Mahal Hotel is an iconic structure in Mumbai. Seen often in photographs as a backdrop to the Gateway of India, it is a heritage building, and has seen several world famous figures occupy its rooms. Some of the shock expressed by bloggers has to do with the fact that the structure is still on fire, and the upper floor looks like it has been gutted by the flames.

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India: War, terror and Mumbai

Javits Rajendran · 18:17 · South Asia

lingua → fr

‘What has struck India?’ is the question at the moment as the world awakes to yet another horrific day in the lives of millions in the Indian subcontinent. The attacks go far beyond terror; bloggers are certain this is war. What has the Government of India done so far? Is this the time to question or criticize the Indian Government? Political analysts are speculating on terror groups as they remain unsure.

Desh at Drishtikone, is sure that this is a war and not a religious war at that.

“……I don't want the terrorist angle to be played for long. Yes, these guys spread terror.. but MAKE NO MISTAKE.. this is NOT terror.. this is WAR. It is as much a war as any can be! If we get into this definitions of terrorism.. and then digress into Hindu nationalists should not retaliate and all the rest of the rhetoric of “resilience of Mumbaikars” etc.. then we will MISS the point - which is THAT THIS IS A WAR just as ANY that an enemy could have declared!”

Confusedgatha at Retributions is questioning Indian political leaders and is not quite happy about it.

“..As the Indian state is engaged in exterminating those who have attempted to cripple India’s financial capital, it is incumbent upon those of us forced to watch from the sidelines to support the state in its need of its hour.Because the state in a modern nation-state is much more than the government. The government is merely its representative facade which may change with each electoral cycle. The state on the other hand carries the collective faith of the Indian people–in many ways embodies the idea of Indian nationhood it self. Questioning the state at this juncture wounds the idea of India.There will be time for recrimination, for angry postmortems; and yes for accountability. But for now, as the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and leader of L.K Advani demonstrated, it is time to stand as one.”

Yossarin from Offstumped takes it straight to Prime Minister Singh,

“In a brazen act of shamelessness and crass opportunism the Prime Minister had the audacity to put up the pretense of acting against terror and even when he did so he did not “order it” he did not make a decisive announcement of taking executive action. Instead he reminded us of the spineless wimp that he is with merely making a “suggestion”. When the post mortem of the War on Mumbai is conducted it will be incomplete if it didnt look into how the Government and the media lost perspective from the unfinished war in their eagerness to draw moral equivalences and political brownie points.”

Bill Roggio is quite certain that another group is taking credit for this and he has reasons why.

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