France to grant asylum to Iraqi Christians

France has announced that it will be granting asylum to 500 Iraqi Christians. The announcement has created controversy both in and outside of Iraq. Many Muslims have claimed that this move by France is blatant discrimination against Muslims. Both Muslims and Christians have been targets for abductions and murders on the basis of their religious beliefs but France feels as though Christians are having a particularly difficult time and that the situation continues to worsen. Pierre Henry, head of the France Terre d'Asile organization said, "It is risky showing preference to refugees on the strength of their religion." Is France making the right decision?

Franklin & Marshall College in South Africa

Hi Folks,
I just wanted to bring your attention to a blog that the F&M soccer team has on their Grassroots soccer trip to Cape Town, South Africa, particularly, the shanty town of Khayelitsha.
The student athletes are there to help educate and fight HIV/AIDS. Check out their blog!

Westboro Baptist Church Strikes Again

The tragic murder of UNC-Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson has not only upset the UNC community, but the entire college community as a whole. It has also affected the Westboro Baptist Church, but not in a heartfelt way. On the WBC website godhatesfags.com they have posted a flier stating that they will be picketing at the memorial service for Eve Carson at UNC-Chapel Hill on Tuesday, March 18th. In the flier it is written, "God Hates American Colleges. They are filthy, anti-God, arrogant, debauched, decadent & depraved. This victim was student body pres." It also says, "God Hates Fags! & Fag-Enablers. Ergo, God hates N. Carolina Univ. It is a cesspool of iniquity - throughout: top to bottom - staff, administration, faculty, alumni, student body." The flier goes on to say that anyone associated with a college or university is doomed and that American Universities are "God-defying, Satanic, and vile." Eve Carson had the potential to be a great figure in American society, and now she is being mocked and disrespected by the WBC in the name of God. The Westboro Baptist Church is saying that her cold-blooded murder was as a result of how American universities accept and promote what they deem to be "vile and satanic" behavior. In addition, the WBC in their flier emphasizes AMERICAN universities. American universities are something cherished and important to American society. If the WBC really disagrees with American education then why don't they just leave? It makes no sense for them to stay in the US if they hate something that America prides itself on. I feel that the WBC is becoming more and more extreme.. and now they are picketing at an innocent girl's memorial service. From originally picketing outside of military funerals to now picketing outside of a school leaders memorial service it leads one to believe that the Westboro Baptist Church will picket and protest at any tragedy that occurs to anyone besides those within their small, extreme, and obviously ignorant community.

Using the Olympic Games as a Platform

A few weeks ago Steven Spielberg pulled out as an artistic advisor to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Spielberg said that China has not put enough pressure on the Sudanese government to end the conflict in Darfur and that he could not continue to play a role in the 2008 Olympics with a clean conscience. The Chinese government responded by saying Spielberg's decision was unfortunate and that politicizing the games is out of synch with the Olympic spirit.

Chinese citizens are also challenging the domestic human rights record of the Chinese government. A social activist was recently arrested for distributing a petition titled "We Don't Want the Olympic Games, We Want Human Rights." This "crime" could carry a penalty of up to five years imprisonment for Mr. Wang.

Do you think a country with a record of human rights violations should be allowed to host the Olympic games? Are the games an appropriate platform to campaign for political change and human rights?

Human Trafficking: Fighting Losing Battle?

A recent article about human trafficking concerns in China suggests law enforcement officials are not doing their part to fight this growing crime. Published statics would indicate that the country is making a substantial effort to combat human trafficking and that reported incidents have decreased over the last several years. However, these numbers are a result of "China's narrow definition of human trafficking, which only covers the kidnapping, purchase, or sale of women and children younger than 14." In many instances young adults are caught up in his dangerous cycle as well because of pressures to find work and assist in supporting their families. Cases of forced labor and sexual exploitation are on the rise, and the Chinese government has been apathetic in responding to this issue; it has even, in some instances, ignored known illegal exploitation of women and children in factories. The government has announced several anti-trafficking initiatives, but they do not appearing to be working. Moreover, because of the migration tendencies inherent in China's framework, trafficking offenses are difficult to prosecute. In a country where everything seems to be working against the safety of its citizenry, can there be any hope?

Is The United States Shirking its human rights obligations?

A United Nations human rights expert, Jorge A. Bustamante has criticized the United States government for the "mandatory detention of illegal immigrants", claiming that the "overuse of immigration detention in the US violates the spirit of international laws and conventions, and in many cases, also violates the actual letter of those instruments".
Do you agree?

Bush vetoes bill banning waterboarding

Last Saturday, President Bush said he would veto a bill banning waterboarding, explaining "The bill Congress sent me would take away one of the most valuable tools in the war on terror..." The bill simply proposed to limit the CIA's ability to use unconventional methods of interrogation, restricting them to the same methods allowed in branches of the armed services. After the bill was passed by both the House and Senate, I have trouble understanding the rationale. Why does the CIA need exclusive interrogation privileges? The article is pretty self explanatory so I will let you read. Just curious about everyone's thoughts on the issue.

Being a gay Iranian

Mehdi Kazemi, a 19 year old boy from Iran was granted a visa to pursue his studies in the UK in 2004. Some time later he received news that the Iranian authorities had arrested a male friend of his who had claimed to be in a relationship with Mehdi. Mehdi, afraid to return to Iran, filed for asylum in the UK. When his claim was refused by the home office, Mehdi fled to the Netherlands afraid of the consequences he would face in Iran for the 'crime' of being gay. He is presently held by the police in Rotterdam and is under suicide watch. Recently when the Iranian President was in the US, he claimed that there were no gays in Iran. In a country where being gay is so openly condemned, Mehdi most likely faces the fear of persecution. He is scheduled to be returned to the UK and could face deportation. Should not a 19 year old boy be granted asylum when his life is so obviously in danger on return to his country? And on a larger scale should not something be done about the Iranian government that persecutes the homosexual community in Iran due to their sexual orientation?

Is There No Safe Haven for Child Asylum Seekers?

The UK government announced that children under the age of 18 who are not granted asylum would be sent back to their country of origin. The government claims that no child will be sent back without being "100% sure of a safe reception." Currently the UK receives approximately 2,000 unaccompanied minors every year. These new measures have been put into place to help stop child trafficking gangs. Most of the unaccompanied minors entering the country come from war zones seeking refuge.

After reading this article and thinking about all we have learned about the asylum process my question for everyone is: Do you think it's fair for children to have to go through asylum process all alone?

I personally disagree with what the UK government is doing. Many adults have a hard time making it through the asylum process. I cannot imagine a child having to go through these proceedings all alone. Many times these children are trying to cope with tragedy or the danger they faced in their homeland on top of being separated from their families and being in a strange new place. I feel that the governments’ main concern should be trying to help these children cope with what they are going through, and not exposing or forcing them through court procedures which could do more harm than good. People always claim that children are our future, but how can they be if the government cannot do something as basic as protecting their human rights.

Can music change the world?

While this article may not be the most relevant to our discussions, it really spoke to me. These young, twenty-something people are singing out against their society's traditions and attempting to make a change in their home. The Somalian music group has been displaced by the fighting and violence in their home country, and have been living in Kenya, some for over a decade. Singer Jamila Jamma says in the article "We are not happy with what has been happening back home, in fact we have recorded a thought-provoking song that we hope will bring our leaders back to our senses." While singing out against the war in Somalia, the group, "Waayah Cusub," is also crossing serious cultural boundaries to alert the people in their communities about social problems like AIDS. (You can listen to some Waayah Cusub songs on the BBC site)
This article raised some questions for me about the relevance of art and the responsibilities of artists when it comes to issues like AIDS, war and human rights all over the world. There has been a long standing tradition of using literature, art and music to speak out against injustices, and popular artists have a large audience to make their claims to. The question, I guess, is how much do you think the arts have an impact on society and global issues? Is there a responsibility among artists to address issues going on in the world today? How much change can they actually create?