Humanity? A hopeless case.

By: Ahmed M. ElNahas – Firenze, May 27th 2015.

Terror, fear, torture, mutilation, rape, extortion, enslavement, desperation or death.. The horrors of man’s worst invention: WAR. The reasons for which hundreds of thousands men, women and children have been, and still are, fleeing their homelands each in search for a dream: safety, wealth, opportunity, job, marriage, freedom, liberty, education…etc.. Yet the majority of them, along with their dreams, die!

They cross the deserts and they die.. They cross the seas and they die.. Meetings are held in New York, in Geneva and in Brussels yet still they continue to die.. Politicians talk, tweet and chat while they die.. The EU Commission recommend welcoming norms and they die.. Italian Parliament legislate for their delinquency and they die.. Maltese and Spanish Cost Guards shoots on their fortune boats and they die.. African leaders dispense free promises and they die.. European farming firms enslave them and they die.. They are dying by the thousands while a handful of “Businessmen and Women” on both sides of the Mediterranean are making their life’s fortunes.

They are so desperate as to bet their lives on taking chances between:

·         dying in the desert, or

·         dying at sea, or

·         being locked up for months or years in jails falsely named “Welcoming Centres”, or

·         getting extradited back to the starting point and losing everything, or

·         somehow acquiring the luck to work like slaves in European farms, or

·         getting really lucky to obtain an Exile Permit after several years of humiliation and exclusions.

Anyhow, if not their lives are at stake; they will lose all what they have risked for in the first place.. Their Dreams.

Since the early 20^th century until now, the Mediterranean have swallowed over 20000 of them; and only God knows how many have perished while crossing the deserts on foot or on trucks.. Even inside the Libyan “Recovery Centres” (jails financed by the European Community) duly converted into ‘State Subsidised’ transit zones in their desperate ordeal waiting to board the floating coffins.

Parliaments and Governments do not hesitate for a glimpse of an eye while voting in favour of war; and their belligerent financial and logistic contributions are ready to go at a moment’s notice.. But when it comes to saving lives (others of course) they take all the time in the world, and the topics helming their agendas’ priority list become “Domestic Unease and Security Hazards”.

Recent experiences proved that most, if not all, of the international timid and slim Humanitarian Aid efforts, other than being politically manipulated and officially mismanaged, were targeting explicitly the prevalent superiority of one part of a given conflict over the other(s)!! See the difficulties and bureaucratic obstacles implanted before all the UN Organisations and NGOs operating in the fields of Refugees, Aid and Relief in every part of our planet.

As today’s world is swerving towards ‘Right’, and National Parties from every colour are winning grounds all over the globe; dividing and discriminating entire populations has become the moment’s socio-politico-cultural vogue carried over various racial, ethnic, sectarian and religious perceptions, and all are commonly blinded by the “US vs. THEM”  spotlights; unable to see the fading light of a candlelight called “TOGETHER”.

Therefor, an inevitable “Regression Backward” is likely the most logic opposed reaction to cripple our existence. I think that many tangible present facts do support this conclusion of mine.

Pass On The Word.

Once upon a time, there was the “Separation Of Powers”..*

By: Peter Gomez; translated By: Ahmed M. ElNahas.. Firenze, May 23^rd 2015.

In his usual elegant style, the Italian constitutionalist Michele Ainis writes: “In these times of crisis, even the old separation between powers has become a Lux; to the Juridical power serve major Political Sensibility as much as major juridical sensibility would serve to the Political power.. There are also a need for communication channels and structures for liaisons”.

In an attempt to discredit the Constitutional Court sentence, which blocked the Pensions Indexation Bill announcing it unconstitutional; Carlo Padoan, the Italian Minister of Economy, argued that “The Court didn’t carefully evaluated the financial hole that the sentence will create”; and that he finds himself “puzzled because the Judges sustain themselves not obliged to make any sort of economic analysis regarding the consequences of their measures”; the Minister, while tracing his view of a way out from the crisis, promoted the idea of “a dialogue” between the ‘Independent Organs of the State’; he also see the answer in “sharing information concerning the accounts of the State with the Court”!

To defend these claims, the Prime Minister, Matteo Renzi, stepped forward and with an apparent reasonability said: “The Constitutional Court has made its sentence, we have respected it; now it is a question of working together so as the recovery signals in sight may grow stronger and consolidate”.

However, having a Constitution in force, the Constitutional Court does not have to work together with no one. Its judges remain in their seats exclusively to control the total respect of the Chart. They must verify what the political power is doing, even though it nominates them in part. “Channels of Communication” or “Structures for Liaisons” are not admitted or even supposed to be allowed.

They have overlooked the fact that a sentence which foiled the robbery of pensions, has left for the legislator the possibility to beat many other ways. If, for example, the pension is a “Postponed Retribution” then it is logic to ask ourselves whether it’s right or not treating in the same way and measure, a person who receives a pension based upon the Contributions Actually Deposited and a the one who, instead, is pocketing the pension on the basis of the Average Retributions Received through the last working years?!

Because, in the end, in order to avoid crossing out the law and economise; there is no need for “Channels of Communication”.. Only little preparation and lots of common sense are best needed.

Pass On The Word.

* The article appeared on ‘La Repubblica’ of May 23^rd 2015.

Social Seismic Events.

Excerpts from Mr. Vittorio Zucconi’s “Warning to the White House”.

Translated by: Ahmed M. ElNahas – Montopoli, April 30^th 2015.

Dear Friends,

I have chosen for you today few paragraphs from an impressive article published on yesterday’s edition of ‘La Repubblica’ simultaneously with the ‘Guardian’, in which Mr. Zucconi is trying to comprehend what is really going on in an “Intestinal War” that could overwhelm the entire American society.. The kind of war(s)* that Uncle Sam have already engineered and exported towards many parts of our planet.

a)      “It is absolutely futile saying whether what occurred in Baltimore last Monday night could be another ground settling tremor of the same earthquake or the aggravation of the same social and racial seism; indeed because the geologic metaphor should be applied to what is happening at the Urban War Front. Where under the crust of Racial Pacification, beneath the strong and evident flourishing of a New Social Class of successful Afro-Americans that, right here in Washington with President Obama and in Baltimore with Mayor Stephanie Blake, the Tectonic Plaques of hate and incomprehension continue to press one against the other producing periodic, yet inevitable, stirring movements”.

b)      “The success attributed to new social classes of Afro-Americans, together with other advancing populations of Latinos and Asian recent emigrants, has made it more splitting the condition of those who have lost the train of opportunities forged from the great battle for Civil Rights back in the 60s and 70s of last century”.

c)      “The desperate sense of being condemned to remain at the bottom of the social barrel, not important by own or others’ responsibility, renders every contact with the harsh and immediate expression of Power, for those castaways and refugees of the Ethnic Revolution, a confirmation to Inequity by now entrusted to the ones who seem, but aren’t anymore, Brothers and Sisters of the Colour”.

d)      “Nothing could be more atrocious then feeling emarginated not by the usual bad slaver, but by one’s own equals.. In those Cotton Fields that today have been turned into Cement Deserts”.

Pass On The Word.

*The present US social conflict is still contained within an ETHNIC perspective and haven’t yet reached the Civil War event; while elsewhere the nature of the conflict has turned out to be a Civil War type reasons of which vary from Ethnic to Sectarian to Religious to Doctrinal to Cultural to Social to Economic..

Conclusion:

What I want from our Ulemàa ﻋﻟﻣﺎﺀ

By: Ahmed M. ElNahas – Castelfiorentino , May 4^th 2015.

“Soldatessa Del Califfato – il racconto della miliziana fuggita dall’ISIS”* (lietrally: Woman Soldier of the Caliphate – The accounts of a Militant who escaped from ISIS), an interesting book that, just few days ago, came to light in most of Italy’s libraries and news-stands. The authors, a couple of investigative journalists, were able to meet and interview the young Tunisian woman who went to Syria hoping to assist her beloved husband building a “Perfect New World”; but shortly after decided to escape being unable to match hopes with means.

Aisha, a fictitious name chosen by the authors for the young woman as not to disclose her real identity, was a young beautiful strong intelligent Tunisian girl from a moderate middle class family with a Sunni observance. She graduated in Information Technology with perfect practical knowledge of French and English languages.

Bekir, also Tunisian Sunni, the beautiful young man with a promising soccer player career and a brilliant student, was her true love but also her perdition.. He suddenly disappeared, and after several months reappeared via chat explaining his new life as a soldier of the Caliphate.

Let’s hear what Aisha said: “…he asked me to follow him in Syria where we shall marry and live in the best possible world.. A world that he is contributing in building under the guidance of the Caliph Al Baghdadi”. At that point of her life, Aisha decided to become a Pilgrim Spouse.. A Muhajirah.. Who’d transfer to Syria where she“.. discovered hell”.

I will not go into all the details of her accounts, regarding the atrocities she met and saw; but in few lines I can synthesise her confessions after defecting from the ranks of ISIS (or ISIL if you wish).

“In Tunisia, I could have never found a stable professional engagement; and I had no intention to migrate like my sister who’s working as a slave in European restaurants for a morsel of bread…”. After reaching Syria, through a distressing, dangerous and adventurous voyage, she finally met her love Bekir who became “…ugly, black his bearded and black the outfit he’s wearing.. We got married without a ceremony and I’ve lost the joy of that event because of the Caliphate”.

At first, after getting married, she was “assigned to Al Khansàa Brigade as adept to Digital Warfare for $200.ₒₒ/month; the Caliphate procured us a house (confiscated from a Christian family) and guaranteed a $20,000.ₒₒ compensation in case of my husband’s death..”. Money was not a problem to the Caliphate since fluently and constantly pouring in from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Libya, Russia and even from the Chechen Republic. Every recruiter, head hunting in North Africa and other parts of the world, gets between $3,000.ₒₒ to $10,000.ₒₒ for each new entry.. A flourishing business.

When Aisha discovered that among the tasks assigned to her, as part of the work routine of Al Khansàa Brigade, was exercising the role of “Moral Police” (which reminded me of George Orwell’s 1984) where the soldier women, says Aisha “all fully covered inside black dress showing only cruel cold menacing eyes,  unexpressive and heartlessly without a soul, would march the streets in platoon formation; to entre homes and schools to control that students and teachers are wearing the Veil adequately.. We battered women and girls caught smoking or listening to music”.

But according to Aisha, her worst nightmare materialised when she had to join in the inspection of what she called “..the sex camps where female Infidel prisoners were forced to submit to rape by, or consensually give free sexual performance(s) to, the Caliphate Soldiers.. Many of them preferred death and committed suicide, that’s why they were obliged to remain completely nude at all times.. The Yazidi women were sold as slaves in those camps to the soldiers for no more than $30.ₒₒ.. They were just abandoned lacerated corps and meat piles..”.

The day when Bekir told her the details of the “Children Massacre” as per the Mosul scenario, where Christian families who refuse to convert were lined up in the main square and exterminated, was “..the moment when I immediately desired to break away from him. I didn’t have any wish to hug him or sleep in his arms and feel his breathing on my hair”.

These are the excerpts I chose here. Statements of an average Arab Muslim girl, innocent in her dreams and hopes who couldn’t understand why she was thrown into that crucible of unlimited and immeasurable violence.

At this point, I prefer to pass on to our most esteemed religious references (Ulemàa) the following interrogatives:

a)      In a modern world where life has become so complicated yet interlaced by Globalisation and Information Revolution; a world where the issues to debate are the ‘New Ideas’ of Human Rights, Transparency, Abolition of Death Penalty, Sexual Liberties and Orientations, Gender Equality, Scientific Research, Adoption, Assisted Fecundation, Co-Living as a substitute to Marriage, Equal Sexes Matrimonies, the Secular vs. Religious… Etc.; a world that has already made amends for its past crimes (The Massacres committed by the Christian Inquisition all over the world; the blood shed among Eastern and Western Churches; the atrocities of wars, slave trade, and many Crimes Against Humanity catalogued or not made by the hands of those who follow every faith or belief); in such a world as ours today,  a world that has finally discovered ways by which Science and Religion would peacefully co-exist, is it considered legitimate or even reasonable the call to return to the Middle Ages? ISIS, by their practices incompatible with Modern Age as we conceive it, is actually opting for that particular aim: bring the entire world back 15 centuries to a new era of conquest and conflict for dominance.

b)      Moreover, how would you,  our most esteemed religious references, judge Aisha? That average Muslim young girl, modestly educated, who passed directly to womanhood without living the hopes and goals of her adolescence, when she says: “Today I live in misery.. My soul has become a desert the moment I decided to help a mad world.. I think that my God will not condemn me when I’ll stand before Him. Because I am already serving my punishment here in life”.

Having said that, here is a statement I’d like to partake with you just as a reminder:

While addressing the seminar of Human Rights NGO ‘Oasis Foundation’ held in Tunis the Capital last month, Mr. Moncef Al Marzouqi – former President of Tunisia – said:

“The Tunisian Revolution can be distinguished for having been neither a Religious Revolution nor a Secular one; it has out-fashioned those sterile oppositions for the sake of Dignity and for Liberty.. The issue of Religious Liberty shouldn’t be thought of separately from the Citizenship issue hence from Democracy itself and its ensemble of values and mechanisms helmed by Freedom Of Expression. Challenges are numerous and the sources for worry are many, nonetheless the pessimistic manner by which most preoccupied western commentators offer to the Arab World should vanish away. The debates over Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Belief or even the Sense of The Sacred itself are not a Tunisian or an Islamic exclusivity”.

Pass On the Word.

*Published by Imprimatur editors; interviewed, reported and written by Giuseppe Iannini and Simone De Meo.