if what the sudanese militias are doing is genocide, then the world must act!

if what the sudanese militias are doing is genocide, then the world must act!

yesterday, u.s. secretary of state colin powell stated that the “abuses by government-supported arab militias in sudan qualify as genocide against the black african population in the darfur region” (usa today).

this does not mean that the u.s. and the world will act against this genocide soon. rather, this means that they’re going to start referring to it officially as genocide so they can talk about it officially at the united nations security council!

meanwhile, more than 1.5 million people are displaced and more than 30,000 people are murdered. the number of refugees increases by the hour. people are being killed everyday. and the rest of the world is now beginning to talk about it officially.

the u.n. is still reluctant to call it genocide. i’m not surprised. some members of the u.n. security council are in an awkward position to shout “genocide!” they must be careful because the killings in sudan’s darfur region is an internal affairs issue. the outside world is not supposed to interfere, just like the way the world responded during the genocide in rwanda.

why would some members of the u.n. security council be reluctant to point fingers at the sudanese government?

hmmm… let me think. ah!

» perhaps china is afraid because the world might see what they are doing among the people of tibet! the tibet issue, according to beijing, is an internal matter.

» perhaps russia is afraid to open up the discussion about the chechen people’s cry for independence. chechnya wants to secede from russia. (this, however, doesn’t justify the killing of children in beslan.) as far as moscow is concerned, the chechen affair is an internal issue.

» perhaps the u.s. is too careful to recognize this as genocide because they want to avoid focusing the eyes of the world on the 11,720+ civilian casualties in iraq.

this is my humble opinion why i can understand the world politicians' fear of confronting the sudanese government. their words might backfire. darfur is a sudanese internal affairs issue.

i understand their political talks, but i do not agree with them. the united nations must act against the sudanese government. if, indeed, the united states want to see justice among the oppressed—just like what they want us to believe regarding their actions in iraq—then they should send peace-keeping troops in sudan, right?

i wish. but i doubt if the u.s. would act soon. the oil reserves in sudan is not as significant as the amount of oil in iraq. there’s not much in there for the national interest of the united states. this time, the white house can afford to wait for the united nations and they have the time to analyze the situation forever.

meanwhile, thousands more will die and thousands more will be displaced.

and here i am with the rest of the world—busy talking…

global terrorism, mindanao muslims, and philippine-american relations

in a recent issue of the international herald tribune, nicholas platt expressed his views regarding the relationship of the united states with the republic of the philippines, especially in light of president gloria arroyo's withdrawal of filipino troops from iraq. the u.s. described it as an encouragement to terrorist hostage-taking. platt, a former u.s. ambassador to the philippines, argues that the relationship between the two nations must be evaluated from a bigger picture. he also affirmed the importance of the philippines as a u.s. ally in a war against global terrorism.

i am impressed with the depth and sincerity of his analysis, particularly with the issue of muslim separatist movement in mindanao:

the mindanao region in the southern philippines is the scene of a bloody decades-long conflict between separatist muslim rebels and the manila government, which has resulted in thousands of casualties and displacement and disruption of lives. at the heart of this conflict are muslim filipinos known as the bangsamoro people, who have long sought self-determination, right to land and greater equality...as all sides take a fresh look at the negotiations, there is an important job ahead for the foreign-policy research community. we need to understand in greater depth the critical issues for the bangsamoro people, including the status of ancestral land, autonomy and political rights, increased resources for schools to improve education including in the madrassas, greater equity and economic opportunities. it is these issues, rather than radical islam, that drive the separatist conflict.

arguably, the best source of knowledge on these questions are muslim intellectual leaders from mindanao communities. but the united states has so far denied them a hearing. earlier this may, when some 20 credentialed experts and stakeholders were scheduled to meet at a conference on mindanao at the asia society in new york, u.s. authorities at the los angeles airport detained professor abhoud syed lingga, a filipino muslim and chair of the bangsamoro people's consultative assembly. professor lingga, who represents a thoughtful muslim perspective on the mindanao conflict, had a valid u.s. entry visa, and a track record of participating in other international events, including at the united nations.

but on arrival he was labeled "inadmissible into the united states" and flown back to manila. in a show of solidarity, the other speakers cancelled, and the conference was called off. the incident was front-page news in mindanao for a week.

the conference has been rescheduled for late september. the asia society, in cooperation with the u.s. institute of peace and the woodrow wilson center for international scholars, is inviting, among others, representatives of the u.s. government, military officials and policy experts to discuss the challenges for resolving the mindanao conflict. allowing muslim leaders to speak and u.s. officials to hear them this time would be an important step in the right direction.

u.s.-philippine relations have long been close. the united states is the philippines' largest trading partner and a major source of development assistance, much of it focused in mindanao.

manila was among the first governments to embrace u.s. anti-terrorism policy after 9/11. it is time for washington and manila to resume and redouble their cooperation both on the global war against terrorism and for a negotiated tend to the conflict in mindanao.

i hope many americans would listen to him, especially those hawks in the white house. would george w. bush really listen? i hope so... i hope so...wow! i have such high hopes, eh?

a sad week of global terrorism and glorification of an unjust war

i am saddened by the fact that around 300 children in russia are being held hostage this morning, allegedly by chechen rebels. along with the hostage children are some 40 parents. 8 people have been killed. although i am seeking to understand and am trying to empathize with the chechen people’s cry for justice, this act is not justifiable. it is an act of cowardice!

i’m saddened by the death of 90 people who died in russia last tuesday night in two planes that went down within 20 minutes of each other. i cry with the families of those 90 people who died. the chechen rebels denied any involvement in the plane crashes. those responsible for these acts of terrorism are cowards!

i’m saddened by the death of 16 people and the hurting of 100 others in two suicide bus bombings last monday in be'er sheva, israel. hamas claimed responsibility for the attack (ha aretz news). this unjust act by hamas only exacerbates the cycle of bitter violence in the region!

i’m saddened that, the other day, 12 nepali workers in iraq were killed. one of them was beheaded. these are fathers and brothers of poor families in nepal who simply wanted to earn more to better their lives. there is no moral justification whatsoever for this disgusting act of cowardice! i am praying for the families of these workers. the iraqi militant group who murdered these nepali workers claims—a false claim—that they are doing this in the name of god.

i’m saddened that, as of today, 11,723 civilians and 1,109 military personnel have died in the past 532 days of this unjust war in iraq. i’m saddened most of all by the republican party’s glorification of this war, especially by those republicans who profess to be the followers of the prince of peace. perhaps, the republican national convention is the place for these right wing conservative christians to wear and reflect on the meaning of their “what-would-jesus-do” bracelets as they applaud the u.s. war against iraq. this war has nothing to do with the war on terror. this war is about the national interest of the united states—fueled by oil.

god, i continue to pray for justice and peace in our world. amen.