Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

The Taliban prides itself on killing apostates from Islam, killing people brutally under Sharia Islamic law and enforcing its Islamic inquisition on all and sundry. It matters not if they kill Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims, Christians, and so forth; the only logic to the Taliban is that all other thought patterns must be crushed and defeated utterly. This brutal methodology is also being unleashed against the people of Syria, northern Mali, Somalia, parts of northern Nigeria and in other parts of the world where Islamists have a strong foothold.

Malala Yousafzai, a young girl from Pakistan, is fighting for her life because of an Islamist organization which glorifies in killing children, Shia Muslims and any individual which opposes their Islamic inquisition. Part of the blame for this hatred also belongs to the government of Pakistan which bankrolled the Taliban in its proxy war in Afghanistan. Likewise, the draconian nation of Saudi Arabia alongside the United Arab Emirates fully recognized the Taliban diplomatically prior to September 11, 2001.

In many ways the Taliban is the “outward mirror” to what Saudi Arabia believes in. After all, in the land of Saudi Arabia you also have an Islamic inquisition whereby Muslim converts to Christianity/Buddhism/Hinduism/Judaism/Sikhism and so forth, face either the death penalty or prison.

Minority Muslim groups like the Shia and Ahmadiyya also suffer horrendous violence at the hands of Islamists in Pakistan. In recent years Sunni Islamists have taken the Shia off buses and then killed them systematically. Shia Muslims were also butchered by the Taliban and al-Qaeda in vast numbers prior to the loss of Taliban control over vast areas of Afghanistan.

Malala Yousafzai is clearly a victim of the barbarity of the Taliban but within Pakistan many non-Muslim and Muslims also reside in fear because of institutional hatred by the government. Blasphemy laws are clearly breeding grounds of hatred whereby nobody can feel protected because so many innocents have suffered, irrespective if Sunni, Ahmadiyya, Shia, Christian and so forth. Until rationality returns to Pakistan within all major levers of society then hatred will continue to rule the day. After all, the riots which erupted over the “innocence of Muslims” in Pakistan were about “blind hatred,” an excuse to incite violence and to manipulate the masses. Many Muslims were killed by “mobs of religious bigots” but will the same “religious fanatics” kill in order to protect the freedom of Malala Yousafzai?

Of course not, because it is not part of the Islamist agenda. Simply put, it is hard to burn American flags when it is Pakistan nationals which care little about killing young girls and ruling by fear. It is time for the people of Pakistan to stand-up against institutional hatred within the government system and against Islamists which desire to turn Pakistan into “year zero.” The foundation of Pakistan was not based on religious hatred but day by day the freedom of many is being crushed.

In Saudi Arabia you have no Christian churches, Ahmadiyya mosques, Jewish synagogues, Hindu temples, Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines and so on. Instead, you have an Islamic inquisition whereby even reading the Bible outside means persecution. Likewise, women are still forbidden from driving cars and you have no freedom over dress and shopping freely. This barbarity is the same mirror which the Taliban supports and the same applies to other Islamists like al-Shabaab in Somalia and Islamists in northern Mali, who are now destroying black African Islam in this nation.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan commented that “It was not a crime against an individual but a crime against humanity and an attack on our national and social values.” However, this is only part true because blasphemy laws agreed by the government of Pakistan are also inciting hatred and playing into the hands of Islamists.

Malala Yousafzai was attacked because this brave young girl just wanted a normal future, which is taken for granted in the vast majority of nations throughout the world. It is time for the Taliban to be openly challenged religiously and it is also time for Pakistan to amend laws which are encouraging hatred and supremacy. Also, all ratlines which still exist between the Taliban, and institutions within Pakistan and outside of this nation, must be severed completely.

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker

Modern Tokyo Times

Biram Ould Obeidi is a distinguished anti-slavery activist in Mauritania and widely respected for his important work in highlighting the dark side of this country. In recent times the government of Mauritania increased the punishment for individuals who continue to use slavery but to many individuals the legislation is “window dressing.” Also, slavery is firmly engrained in society therefore it is very difficult to eradicate slavery completely in Mauritania. This applies to cultural and conservative Islamic religious traditions which remain powerful in this country and which have been fused together in order to justify slavery.

Therefore, Biram Ould Obeidi felt this frustration deeply and during a protest against slavery he began to burn religious books regarding Islam. He burnt these books because according to him they justify and promote slavery in Mauritania.

This behavior wasn’t welcomed by many and protesters took to the streets and condemned this act. Biram Ould Obeidi didn’t intend to upset anyone and states that the “intention was certainly not to hurt the pride of the Muslims.” In his world the burning of books was meant to highlight the ongoing problem of slavery in Mauritania which he claims is still ongoing. However, given the conservative nature of Mauritania and with many Islamic clerics doing little to eradicate past traditions, he gave his enemies an excuse to rise against him. Therefore, the same state institutions which aren’t clamping down enough – according to activists against this terrible practice – have been given the opportunity to arrest him. Another six activists have also been arrested along with Biram Ould Obeidi.

Jacey Fortin, International Business Times, comments that “Slavery was officially made a crime only as recently as 2007, but that doesn’t seem to have made a dent in this pervasive problem…The Mauritanian government passed similarly toothless legislation to ban slavery in 1905, 1961 and 1981, but none of those decrees was ever enforced. Officially, the government denies the existence of slavery in Mauritania. Journalists who travel there to report on the magnitude of the problem must operate covertly, or else face expulsion.”

“The slaves themselves are often unable to fight for their freedom, as their captivity is not only physical, but mental. Many who are born into slavery grow up knowing no other way of life. Isolated by vast stretches of desert that surround the places where they live and work, these slaves often give their lives to their masters without ever encountering the concepts of equality, freedom and self-determination.”

It must be remembered that Saudi Arabia only abandoned slavery in the middle of the twentieth century because of international pressure. This fact means that Sunni Islamic clerics in Saudi Arabia weren’t concerned about slavery because you didn’t have any major movement within this country to abolish slavery. Also, in Sudan the Arab dominated leadership in Khartoum supported various militias in the 1980s and early 1990s which enslaved various black African ethnic groups.

Therefore, until anti-slavery laws have real power and Islamic preachers turn against this tradition within Mauritania, then little will change to alter the status quo irrespective if this applies to slavery or the exploitation of labor. It is also abundantly clear that divisions within Mauritania based on ethnic factors are leading to a host of other major problems.

Jacey Fortin, International Business Times, comments that “Regardless of whether or not Obeidi is convicted, news of his indictment sheds light on the issue he was fighting against: the widespread existence of slavery in Mauritania. There, slaves and slave owners are largely separated by differences in skin tone; for centuries, lighter-skinned Arabs have historically been the masters of darker-skinned West Africans.” 

“Mauritania has recently become a focal point for the international community due to its new status as an oil producer; it has also been considered an ally of the United States in the war on terror. But the slight increase of international attention in recent years has so far done little to eradicate the scourge of slavery in Mauritania.”

“This not a marginal issue. Hundreds of thousands of Mauritanians live in slavery today — a shocking 10 to 20 percent of the country’s total population of 3.4 million people.”

In a Human Rights Report by the US State Department in 2010 about the current situation in Mauritania it was stated that “…mistreatment of detainees and prisoners; security force impunity; lengthy pretrial detention; harsh prison conditions; arbitrary arrests; limits on freedom of the press and assembly; corruption; discrimination against women; female genital mutilation (FGM); child marriage; political marginalization of southern-based ethnic groups; racial and ethnic discrimination; slavery and slavery-related practices; and child labor…” persist within this country.

Mauritania rejects the charges and claims that poverty, lack of modernization, and traditional relations between slave owners and families still persist. It is also pointed out that you don’t have slave markets and that cheap labor is the root cause. Politicians in the current government state that they are sincere in trying to eradicate a system which is firmly entrenched in culture. However, the international community needs to be patient because political reforms need to be followed by re-education and this will take time given the economic reality of Mauritania.

Brahim Ould M’Bareck Ould Med El Moctar, Minister of Rural Development, also denies the accusation against Mauritania. According to him and other individuals you have a misconception between past history and governments which were less active in eradicating slavery.

He comments that “I must tell you that in Mauritania, freedom is total: freedom of thought, equality – of all men and women of Mauritania. Equality for all people. There is a phenomenon to which you are probably alluding, that has existed in Mauritania that has existed in other countries, which is slavery. And it is abolished in all communities, and criminalized today by our government. Therefore, there is absolutely no more problem of that in Mauritania. In all cases, especially with this government, this is in the past.”

“There are probably former relationships – slavery relationships and familial relationships from old days and of the older generations, maybe, or descendants who wish to continue to be in relationships with descendants of their old masters, for familial reasons, or out of affinity, and maybe also for economic interests. But (slavery) is something that is totally finished. All people are free in Mauritania and this phenomenon no longer exists. And I believe that I can tell you that no one profits from this commerce.”

The best hope of changing society in Mauritania is based on economic progress and greater links with the international community. Also, Muslim clerics have to become more involved irrespective if this applies to “slavery” or “cheap labor.” If religious leaders continue to remain mainly quiet then in time their own power base will be eroded by creeping modernization and links with the international community. 

The situation of Biram Ould Obeidi and other activists arrested needs to be monitored and outside nations with friendly relations with Mauritania need to raise this issue. It is in the interest of Mauritania to give opportunities to all Mauritanians irrespective of ethnicity because marginalization will hinder the future of this nation and will lead to instability.

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/347716/20120601/mauritania-slavery-obeidi-charged-protest-sos-abolition.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18282569

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

John Gomez  -  Special Contribution

Modern Tokyo Times

On Monday April 9, 2012, a seminar on the issue of child abduction to and within Japan will be held in Tokyo. This event has been supported by the Harvard Club of Japan.  Filmmaker David Hearn and I are co-hosts of this event

The issue of child abduction in Japan has become one of the most important domestic social topics in Japan today, and its priority in foreign affairs has now been raised to one of the five top-level bilateral issues between the US and Japan. At the UN General Assembly bilateral meeting on Sept. 21, 2011, President Obama asked Prime Minister Noda to proceed with joining the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and resolve existing cases. This occurred as the result of a world-wide human rights movement. On January 6 this year, Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell stated while visiting Japan that more progress is needed.

At the seminar, there will be networking sessions with government officials and diplomats of Japan and several countries to create a convivial atmosphere where constructive discussion can take place. Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Kazuyuki Hamada will give the welcoming speech. People will be flying in from countries around the world such as China, Australia, Norway, and the US to attend the event.

In the afternoon, the issues will be explored in a panel discussion. Panelists include Colin Jones JD, Dr. Akiko Ohnogi, and left-behind mother Kirsten Snipp. The panel discussion will have simultaneous interpretation in Japanese. The purpose of the seminar is to improve understanding and facilitate discussion about this human rights issue with the aim of considering constructive solutions for reuniting left-behind parents with their children. I am a member of the Harvard College Class of 1983 who has been working on the issue in both the US and Japan with left-behind parents and government officials from several countries around the world.

In the evening, there will be a screening of “From the Shadows,” a documentary film about child abduction to and within Japan that focuses on the efforts of five left-behind parents to see their abducted children. Two are mothers; one is Japanese. Two fathers are the sole-surviving parent, yet they have no access to their respective children. Two parents in the film, Paul Wong and Rina Furuichi, will participate in the discussion. In November 2011, by invitation from U.S. Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey, the directors screened “From The Shadows” on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and the film has appeared on CNN, ABC News, and the Today Show. This will be a private screening and fundraiser in the evening with open discussion about the film to follow. Please note that the current version is mostly in English without Japanese subtitles. David Hearn will answer questions. The website and trailer are at:

http://www.fromtheshadowsmovie.com/english/index.html

Please note: Reporters and media people may watch the movie, but they are prohibited from writing or making a media story about the movie in an official capacity for their work. It is a private screening and fundraiser for a work in progress. No pictures, video, or audio recording of this screening is permitted. Thank you for your cooperation.

The seminar will serve as the launch of activities to advance the process of resolving the abduction issue.

john.gomez.83@post.harvard.edu  contact John Gomez for full details of the event

DATE: April 9, 2012 13:00 – 17:00 and 18:00 – 21:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAv5pcqWogY&feature=youtu.be  

http://www.facebook.com/events/315155805215355/  

http://www.harvardclubofjapan.org 

ADMISSION: 4,000 yen for movie (6:30 pm), and/or 4,000 yen for seminar (3 pm), 8,000 yen in total (50% discount for students).

REGISTRATION: Please register by e-mail to address below.

e-mail: john.gomez.83@post.harvard.edu   

Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker 

Modern Tokyo Times

Saudi Arabia continues to allow old men to marry young girls aged eight years old and upwards. The mantra by Muslims and converts to Islam, is that Islam equals morality and that Mohammed is a great role model but this depends on your interpretation of a good role model?  Therefore, with Saudi Arabia supporting Islamic Sharia law and believing that society should be based on what Mohammed did and stated in the Hadiths, it is clear that child marriage is sanctioned because Mohammed also married a child.

This reality is creating a problem for the Guardians of Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. If this nation modernizes, then it may be seen to be pandering to Western morals and increasing the age of marriage will be challenged by conservative Sunni Islamic leaders in Saudi Arabia.

Ironically, the people who use the “Islamophobia card” are basically trying to prevent individuals speaking out against Islamic Sharia law. This is despite the fact that Islamic Sharia law and the Hadiths support pedophilia, killing homosexuals, killing apostates, chopping hands and feet off for petty crimes, stoning people to death for adultery, and other draconian laws. All these draconian measures are based on the life and sayings of Mohammed.

Therefore, if people are deemed to be “Islamophobic” for fighting against the brutal reality of many Islamic states which are based on hatred and supporting the abuse of children, apostates, homosexuals, and others; then in a world based on justice and morality the overwhelming majority of people should be deemed to be “Islamophobic.”

However, democratic nations, the mass media on a whole, international child advocates, and major institutions like the United Nations are not doing enough to fight against a legal system which clearly discriminates against non-Muslims and allows children to be married to old men. 

More surprisingly is that major religious leaders, irrespective if they are Christian, Buddhist, or whatever, appear to be fearful of speaking out against this injustice. The political correct brigade and “trendy left” and “trendy liberals” appear to have “sold their soul” because if anyone speaks out against the brutal reality of Sharia Islamic law then they are deemed to be “Islamophobic.”

However, it is the political correct brigade, “trendy left” and “trendy liberals” who have joined forces with a legal system and a religion which supports pedophilia; killing homosexuals; supporting the notion that a female testimony is unequal in law; killing or victimizing apostates; and supporting a dhimmitude system which states that non-Muslims are unequal. 

Not only this, it is only Islamic sources which are being used by individuals who fear the growing threat of Islamic Sharia law.  Despite this, freedom to counter the reality of Islamic Sharia law in nations like Saudi Arabia or rebuking the most draconian aspects of this legal system is being crushed by political correctness and moral relativism.

Therefore, despite a raped teenager being stoned to death in Somalia by Sunni Islamists; converts to Christianity being beheaded in Somalia; homosexuals being hanged in Iran; women facing being whipped in Saudi Arabia for not covering up; non-Muslim men facing the death penalty if marrying a Muslim female in several Islamic Sharia law based nations; old men marrying young girls in nations like Saudi Arabia and Yemen; people facing the death penalty in Pakistan for blasphemy; and so much more, including the unequal testimony of women and chopping hands and feet off; this hatred is being allowed because of the weakness of nations and the failure of people to confront this reality.

Turning back to Saudi Arabia, in an earlier article by Modern Tokyo Times it was stated that “On the one hand the Saudi Arabian legal system of Islamic law supports killing people for adultery and homosexuality. However, on the other hand it is deemed to be Islamic to marry a young child of 8 years of age or 9 years of age, irrespective if the male is 30 years old or 40 years old, or even older. Surely these morals are twisted?”

“Before focusing even more on the strange morals of the Saudi Arabian legal system it is vital to state why child marriages are allowed. This of course applies to Mohammed. “After all, when Mohammed, the prophet of Islam, was 49 years of age he married a 6 year old child called Aisha. When Aisha was 9 years old and Mohammed was 52 years old, he consummated the marriage.”

“Therefore, this sets a major problem for the conservative Islamic religious leaders in Saudi Arabia because they want to govern society by the laws of Islamic Sharia Law and the Hadiths. If they support increasing the age of marriage like the majority of mainly Muslim nations have done, then how does this fit in with the legal system being based on the teachings of Mohammed?”

This is a real problem for Saudi Arabia because the majority of Muslim nations have introduced laws which protect children by increasing the marriage age.  Also, more secularized Muslim majority nations have introduced reforms whereby the most draconian aspects of Sharia Islamic law have been rejected.

However, many conservative and radical Islamic organizations in the so-called Muslim world and within Western nations desire to re-introduce the most draconian aspects of Islamic Sharia law. 

Turning back to Saudi Arabia and allowing old men to marry young girls then clearly this is based on the Hadiths. The following quotes are from highly acclaimed Islamic scholars and these Hadiths have been known since the early days of Islam.

“Narrated Aisha: The prophet engaged me when I was a girl of six. We went to Medina and stayed at the home of Harith Kharzraj” and it continues that “Unexpectedly Allah’s Messenger came to me in the forenoon and my mother handed me over to him, and at that time I was a girl of nine years of age.” Sahih Al-Bukhari states in volume 5, 234

“Aisha reported: Allah’s Messenger married me when I was six years old, and I was admitted to his house at the age of nine…..” Muslim, volume 2, 3309

“Narrated Aisha: that the prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old.” Al-Bukhari

Therefore, the Hadiths vindicate religious leaders and the kingdom’s Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, commented that “A girl aged 10 or 12 can be married. Those who think she’s too young are wrong and they are being unfair to her.” From an Islamic point of view and based on what Mohammed did, then the Grand Mufti is technically correct – however, how is this moral and why no reformation like in other faiths?

In an earlier article it was stated that “…a judge in Saudi Arabia justified the right of an 8 year-old child to marry a man of 47 years of age. Even after the mother signed a petition to demand the annulment of the marriage, the judge still refused because of the teachings of Islam. Therefore the judge, Sheikh Habib Abdallah al-Habib, refused openly to annul the marriage and in his eyes it is morally right to marry a child to an old man.”

In the modern world you still have seven Islamic Sharia law based nations where apostasy is punishable by death.  Also, in nations like Saudi Arabia men who are very old are allowed to marry young girls.  Therefore, it is time for nations like Saudi Arabia to be challenged and the same applies to societies which sanction child marriage to old men.

Also, in modern day Saudi Arabia many Muslim citizens are fed-up and ashamed by religious clerics and some brave human rights organizations in this nation desire change.  It is vital that their voice is heard and supported.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-17/world/saudi.child.marriage_1_saudi-arabia-deeply-conservative-kingdom-top-saudi-cleric?_s=PM:WORLD

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-04-12/world/saudi.child.marriage_1_appeals-court-marriage-girl-s-mother?_s=PM:WORLD

leejay@moderntokyotimes.com

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Xavier Patras William

Modern Tokyo Times

Faryal Bhatti made one mere misplaced dot in an exam and this led to the accusations of Blasphemy against a Christian eighth grade student in Havelian near Abbotabad, Pakistan. This is the fear that non-Muslim children and parents have to put up with when a school is run by either religious zealots or teachers who are inept.

Faryal Bhatti, the daughter of Sarafeen Bhatti, was accused at the POF (Pakistan Ordnance Factories) High School located in POF Havelian colony. According to the school authorities Faryal Bhatti made a mistake in her school exam on Thursday. Faryal Bhatti misspelled a word in the Urdu language by wrongly placing a dot in a poem written in praise of the Prophet Muhammad, the word was “Naat” (poem of praise), it was misspelled by a dot as “Laanat” (a curse), it is a common error by a child of this age because the written form for both words are quite similar.

The Urdu teacher, Mrs. Fareeda, while checking the papers located the mistake and called on Faryal Bhatti. The teacher in front of the whole class spoke harshly to the child and questioned why she did so. Faryal Bhatti said it was a mistake, but Mrs. Fareeda in her fury assaulted the child and the class pupils learning of the act also became furious. The teacher then took the matter to the principal.

After this, word got out about this and the news about the mistake spread quickly throughout the school and the POF Havelian colony. The teachers and the school management created a huge over-hype over a mere misplaced dot and made the matter serious beyond understanding. Therefore, the child was accused of Blasphemy but despite being a child and pleading her innocence, the misery didn’t end because the situation became inflamed by the school.

The school authorities called on Muslim religious leaders and this made matters worse because the clerics showed no compassion. Therefore, religious clerics along with the colony residents took to the streets and demanded a FIR (First Information Report) for blasphemy against the 8th grader.

Not only this, they demanded the expulsion of the child from school and throwing out the whole family from the colony in order to set an explanatory punishment of a blasphemer. They chanted slogans against the child, her family and Christianity. In the Friday sermons in the mosques the clerics also condemned the child and called it “a conspiracy against Islam” and that this conspiracy must be crushed.

The ten years old Faryal Bhatti is going through great trauma and she is still not aware what she has done wrong and why she is being made to go through all this suffering. After all, it was merely a misplaced dot by the innocent child, but she is made to go through a living hell as this dot is considered a grave and intentional mistake.

Muslim clerics have added fuel to the fire by claiming it was a derogatory remark and a conspiracy. MD (Managing Director) of POF School, Asif Siddiqui, on Saturday summoned a meeting of religious clerics, school staff, scholars and Sarafeen Bhatti and Faryal Bhatti. The accused in tears explained that it was a human error as both the words have a strong resemblance, she clarified that she had no ill intention. The child and her mother apologized for the mistake.

Maulana Syed Ejaz Ali, a cleric from the Jamia Masjid (Mosque), who was present at the meeting, saw the examination paper and he talked with the girl and her mother. He concluded that he is “…still unclear of Faryal Bhatti`s intentions (the eyes filled with tears show her innocence), but her dot made the word derogatory and this is a good enough reason for the consequence because she should never in her life dare to think anything against Islam.”

The school administration wanted to please the clerics and other religious elements by expelling Faryal Bhatti from school. However, Muslim clerics demand a punishment for her mother as well and forced the POF administration to terminate her from her services and vacate the colony residence immediately. The POF administration under strong pressure transferred Sarafeen Bhatti to the POF Wah Cantonment Hospital and asked her to vacate the house without delay. Not only this, the Muslim clerics demand that a FIR be placed on the child in order to fulfill the legal formalities.

The devastated mother and daughter moved to Wah Cantonment just hours after the decision was given by the administration. Pastor Tahiq Emmanuel, on behalf of the Masihi Foundation which is a humanitarian and legal aid organization, contacted the family and assured them of their support. Masihi Foundation has been providing aid to Asia Bibi as well.

On Monday morning two Muslim religious scholars from Islamabad, Maulana Mehfooz Ali Khan and Hussain Ahmed Malik, on the request of Masihi Foundation, had a meeting with the POF authorities in Wah Cantonment to discuss the matter. Maulana Mehfooz Ali Khan said, “This is merely an innocent mistake by a child due to the similarity in the two words and should have been treated as one. Many Muslim students in the madrassas wrongly pronounce Arabic words and these mistakes change the whole meaning but these are human errors by innocent children, you can’t punish a child for an unintentional mistake. The girl is only ten years old but she is going through real trauma, just because people think that a dot was such a huge mistake…”

“The teacher should have handled the matter herself instead of creating such a terrible situation. This shows the incapability of the teacher to handle the basic error and scolding her in front of the class only made the matter worse. Teaching is a sacred profession, only capable and competent people should be hired as teachers. I am 100% sure if I ask any of her own children to read the Quran in Arabic, he / she will make a mistake – then she along with her child should also be expelled. Such people are portraying a negative picture about Islam. Faryal Bhatti was made to go through hell only because she is a Christian, I protest against the decision of expelling the child and transferring the mother. This action by the committee has printed a very negative image about Islam on the child’s mind and we want people to learn about Islam, not to make them hate it.”

The scholar Hussain Ahmed Malik said, “I totally agree with Maulana Mehfooz Khan, this incident has shown the narrow mindedness of the school administration. I don’t know why a teacher would make an issue of such an error by a small child. What does she know about blasphemy and what does this say about religious tolerance and pluralism. Calling religious clerics for a routine school matter is narrow minded and shows the incapability of the school management. A ten year old child doesn’t even know the meaning of Blasphemy, but thanks to all this hype she will fear Islam for the rest of her life.”

“The reaction of the teacher and the school administration clearly shows their deep rooted hatred towards other religions. Therefore, a petty matter which could have been ignored by the teacher was given so much attention as if the child has committed an unforgivable crime. Our religion teaches us the lesson of forgiving. She is immature and an innocent girl and she just made a spelling mistake. Instead of the sadistic pleasure from humiliating the innocent child, the administration should have acted wisely. A person not belonging to the Islamic faith should not be living in fear, checking and rechecking their actions to ensure that they don’t make an error which would shake the very fibers of their existence and shun them out of society. The administration should understand that the two words are similar in written form. Masihi Foundation brought the case to us, I have talked to Faryal and her Mother and she made this mistake unintentionally. Masihi Foundation is an excellent example of bridging gaps between the communities and promoting religious tolerance in society. ”

Bishop of Rawalpindi-Islamabad Rufin Anthony said, “I condemn the incident, now even Christian students are being victimized and accused of Blasphemy. This society has become so intolerant, that merely a petty mistake was given so much attention and even the religious ulemas, clerics were called to decide the punishment for the innocent child, who didn’t even know what she has done. The misdeed, if it actually was such, should have been explained to the child, gaining her confidence and thereby doing religion a service in the process. What now has happened is exactly the opposite. Children make mistakes, assuming that this was deliberate would you burn an 8th grader at the stake? Instead of teaching her the difference between right and wrong a xenophobe doesn’t need much of an excuse to punish someone different. Pakistan was born because it did not want to be a minority but apparently it is having trouble tolerating minorities.”

Urdu of Laanat – لعنت
Urdu of Naat – نعت

http://moderntokyotimes.com

James Jomo

Modern Tokyo Times

President Obama of America raised the issue of the Hague Convention with regards to the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction with Prime Minister Noda of Japan. The issue is clearly delicate in Japan and domestic law also infringes on the rights of Japanese nationals when it comes to joint custody. 

Domestic law in Japan and the Hague Convention may be separate issues but enforcement and other areas overlap despite the situation being very different.  Therefore, if Prime Minister Noda is serious about implementing the Hague Convention which relates to Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, a complete overhaul of the justice system will need reforming in family law and issues related to joint custody in Japan.

It surely would be strange if Japan abided by enforcing the Hague Convention without enabling the enforcement of domestic laws related to joint custody and other aspects. Also, it is clear that Prime Minister Noda is still learning the ropes and only time will tell if Japan is really serious about implementing reforms and allowing loving parents to see their missing child or children.

In saying this, it is clear that international pressure is mounting on Japan about this issue and the DPJ is more open-minded.  

If Japan does start to recognize international law and court orders related to child abduction then clearly this will bring music to the ears of many parents, grandparents and other relatives and friends, who have also suffered great anxiety. 

President Obama also highlighted existing abduction cases and how these needed to be resolved. This is very important because it is feared that these cases would be in limbo but according to the sensitive conversation between both leaders then it would appear that existing cases will also be prioritized.

It must be stated that the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) appears to be much more serious about this issue than past Liberal Democratic Party governments.  

The Hague Convention and the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is one of many different areas in Japan which relates to parental alienation. After all, Japanese left-behind parents are also victims and some foreign nationals will have got married in Japan. Therefore, issues related to equality in the internal legal system are a major issue. This applies to the bias towards Japanese nationals in domestic courts and parental alienation in cases involving family courts irrespective of the ethnic background of the individual.  .

However, it is heartening for parents, grandparents, and other relatives, that light is starting to flicker in a cave which was so dark for many decades.  President Obama also must be praised for taking this bold step and highlighting the need to solve existing cases.

According to The Asahi Shimbun they report that “Obama also praised Japan’s efforts to join the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.”

Prime Minister Noda commented that “We are preparing the domestic laws that will be needed to enter into the convention at the earliest possible date.”

Brian Prager commented that “This was a statement made by Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell yesterday, September 21, 2011, after Barack Obama met the new Japanese PM Noda at the U.N. General Assembly. Our pain and agony, Japanese International Child Abduction, has finally reached the level of the President of the United States.”

“It is not the public statement from Barack Obama that we are hoping for, but it is a significant step in the right direction. It shows that at the executive level there is much greater awareness of Japanese International Child Abduction today than ever before.”

It is clear that both America and Japan will have vetted each other before talks began between both nations who have friendly relations and strong bonds.  Also, from the DPJ’s point of view they may have desired President Obama to have raised this issue because President Obama’s thinking carries a lot of weight in Japan.

Therefore, without any cross-party support to implement legal reforms in Japan the statement by Obama will carry a lot of importance.

Obviously, for the vast majority of left behind parents they may be either surprised or angry by President Obama praising “Japan’s efforts to join the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction” which was reported by the Asahi Shimbun.

However, the DPJ, unlike the LDP, does appear to have moved dramatically in the right direction, even if “the extra mile” is still not seen because implementation will take time until domestic laws are put into place.  Also, pressure will be put on the DPJ to implement some safety measures from the Japanese point of view.

Despite this, the current government in Japan is much more open to change than prior LDP governments which either turned a blind eye or just dragged their feet by leaving it to the next administration but without any real conviction to change anything.

Therefore, while the vast majority of parents will be at a loss by President Obama speaking positively about “Japan’s efforts” this must be viewed by past governments in Japan who did little to nothing about this very important and tragic situation.

Obviously, many obstacles are still in the way and the road remains to be long but some hope is being seen at the end of the tunnel. However, until real change is implemented and images of children are seen with parents who have been disenfranchised and abandoned by a brutal system, then doubts will always remain about sincerity.

It is essential that individuals and pressure groups keep on demanding their rights and building a positive network with senior politicians and important agencies which have influence.

However, like Brian Prager comments “It shows that at the executive level there is much greater awareness of Japanese International Child Abduction today than ever before.”

http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/politics/AJ2011092211633

http://japanabductionrui.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/campbell-speaks-about-obama-noda-meeting-at-u-n-general-assembly/

http://japanabductionrui.wordpress.com/

http://www.crcjapan.com/ Children’s Rights Council of Japan

http://bachome.org/wordpress/ Bring Abducted Children Home

Children First http://www.childrenfirst.jp/ 

http://www.chowiechowz.com/ 

Kevin Brown – Special Contribution

Modern Tokyo Times

My name is Kevin Brown and I am the co-founder of Children First (http://www.childrenfirst.jp), an NPO that advocates for children in Japan. Children Firsts mission “is to ensure children’s welfare and rights are the top priority for parents, policymakers and the public-at-large.” Therefore, the role of Children First applies to many factors related to the rights of children in Japan and how to relate this knowledge to appropriate bodies in order to tackle and focus on areas which need changing in order to protect children.

Children First also understands the need to raise awareness and to connect with organizations, government bodies and the general public. Therefore, our next campaign is to interact with the general public and local government offices. In order to do this I am going to ride my bike from Kumamoto to Tokyo and throughout my journey I will be raising the issue of the rights of children. 

My ride will begin on September 13th and end on October 17th. Therefore, I will visit many prefectural offices during my journey and give a short presentation about the rights of children. In the past I have already visited 8 prefectural offices and given presentations about serious issues related to children. This proved beneficial and often they were unaware about serious issues related to the rights of children. Therefore, it was a great chance to interact with people of importance and to develop ties between Children First and local government bodies.

During the meetings we talked about a DVD made by the Supreme Court of Japan in 2006. The message in the DVD is quite simple. To be happy, children need both parents after divorce when both parents care about bringing up their child or children in the right way. The Supreme Court made the video but the Family Courts don’t show the video because of factors only known to them but is doesn’t make sense to ignore the Supreme Court. More surprisingly the Family Courts hide the existence of the video, therefore, the majority of parents don’t know about the importance of this video and the ones that do, are often not allowed to see it.

Another important piece of information I give to prefectural offices relates to the United Nations Convention on the Right of a Child (UNCRC). This Convention was signed and ratified by Japan and it states that children have the right to maintain contact with both parents. If the parent and child are separated for some reason then the state (Japan) must help re-establish contact with the non-custodial parent. The Family Courts also ignore this Convention, which is equivalent to a law which was ratified by the Japanese government.

Alongside this important information I also give prefectural offices a book written by Colin Jones, a law professor in Kyoto, related to the Family Court system. This book is about the Family Court system in Japan and it highlights the inadequacies of this institution. For citizens who support the rights of the child/children and both parents, then they would agree that the rulings handed down by judges are detrimental to the well-being of children in Japan. The Family Courts are not acting in the best interests of children because they are not considering all the facts and the wishes of each individual involved in each case. Family Courts need to revise their outdated laws and implement laws which are clear and which focus on human rights.  This applies to the well-being of children and all involved parties in each respective case. 

Children First also talks about Parental Alienation (PA) which is common in hostile divorces and this issue is very serious in Japan because of the inadequate legal system. This is when one parent says something bad to the child/children about the other parent in order break the bond that the other parent had and. It is clear that this manipulation is very damaging to all children who face this serious issue. According to child psychology experts there are different degrees of PA ranging from mild to severe. The main point being, PA is bad for children irrespective of the degree. Recently Brazil passed a law making PA a crime and it would be great if more countries did the same thing because this is a huge step in the right direction.

Another important area that Children First gives to prefectural offices is a “Did you know” hand out about statistics in Japan. “DID YOU KNOW: Every 3 minutes a child loses contact with one parent because of divorce…Every 7 minutes a child is a victim of school bullying…Every 12 minutes a case of child abuse is reported to protective services…Every week at least one child dies as the result of abuse.”

This is a great way to raise awareness quickly and not only is it interactive and easily understood but it is also designed to shake up a system which needs to make major changes, in order to protect children from abuse.

Every year around 160,000 children lose contact with one parent in Japan. However, to make matters worse Japan is not a good place for children who get caught up in divorce when one parent decides to control and alienate the child/children from the left behind parent. Government officials, bureaucrats, educators, and parents need to do more to make Japan a better place for all children and this is where Children First wants to help.

You can help Children First (Kevin Brown) raise awareness by following me on Facebook during my journey. Therefore, people can communicate with me through Facebook, share links with your friends and spread the word because together we can make a difference.

Children First cares for all children irrespective of race and gender because our goal is to bring more “light” to children who have been neglected and had their rights violated.

Please follow on http://www.facebook.com/oyako (Joint Custody in Japan) and Children First at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Children-First-Japan/115396388532379. Also, please visit Children First website at http://www.childrenfirst.jp/ for more information and how you can get involved and help in this important area.

Sincerely, Kevin Brown (Children First http://www.childrenfirst.jp/)

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Xavier Patras William

Modern Tokyo Times

Taseer's daughters with Asia Bibi

Pakistan’s notorious “blasphemy” laws can put even children at risk, and Christians, Hindus, and other minorities, say the days when they could protect their offspring is getting harder and harder because of institutional discrimination and growing Islamic militancy in Pakistan. This applies to disparaging Islam and the prophet of this faith.

In the past children escaped heavy questions about religion which many entrap them innocently. A 30-year-old Pakistani woman who grew up in Lahore said her Christian parents taught her formula answers to keep from falling prey to accusations under the blasphemy statutes, such as “I am a Christian, I can only tell you about Christianity.” However, before radical Islamists began influencing Pakistani society as they have in recent years, schoolchildren were taught not to discuss religion commented the young lady.

She continued by stating“We knew never to get into religious discussions with others.” Therefore, “We had them at home – our parents would put us through the drill of asking us tough questions to see how we answered. Only now do I realize that was practice for school.”

In this way, she was imbued with the fundamentals of the Christian faith and at the same time learned that she should discuss it only with her parents, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Though the Christian faith is inherently evangelistic, the need to remain silent is even more important today, she added.

She further added that today Christians, Hindus, and other minorities, constantly face questions like, “What do you think of the Quran, do you like it?” and “what do you think of Muhammad?’” In the past a simple saying that they could not read Arabic was enough but today times have changed and it is getting riskier for children from non-Muslim backgrounds

The blasphemy statutes signal to non-Muslims that they are second-class or “dhimmi” status citizens who must stay within narrow social boundaries. At worse, it is a threat to Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, and others, to leave or be killed.

Ahmadiyya Muslim children also face enormous problems because mainstream followers of Sunni Islam deem them to be apostates despite them being Muslim. Therefore, sectarianism and classification of what it is to be a Muslim is also turning on the diversity within Islam in Pakistan.  This trend is worrying and is spreading to nations like Indonesia where Ahmadiyya Muslims face open persecution and clearly this religious minority needs global support.

“Some parents don’t even tell their children about Jesus, because they are scared they will go to school and say something wrong,” she said. “One street kid did not know anything except about the blasphemy law. When her mother was asked why she did not teach her daughter about Jesus instead of the blasphemy law, she replied, ‘If I tell her too much, she will talk about it on the street, and someone will kill her or charge her with blasphemy.’”

An entire generation, Christians and other minorities fear, is growing up not knowing their faith for fear that it will lead to potentially disastrous schoolyard talk. Moreover, children required to take Islamic studies in school are in danger with a single misstep.

“If they write anything or misspell anything to do with the prophet Muhammad, they can be in serious danger,” the source said. “In fact, the other side of this is that they are made to answer questions saying what a wonderful man he was.”

Christian kids in predominantly Muslim areas don’t have friends to play with, as even a cricket game can be risky, she said. Adults are equally fearful and the international community just doesn’t understand the real Pakistan.

Conviction under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law for derogatory comments about Muhammad is punishable by death, though life imprisonment is also possible. Curiously, accusers in blasphemy cases cannot repeat the alleged derogatory comments without risk of being accused of blasphemy themselves. Section 295-B makes willful desecration of the Quran or use of an extract in a derogatory manner punishable with life imprisonment. Section 295-A prohibits injuring or defiling places of worship and “acts intended to outrage religious feelings.” It is punishable by life imprisonment, which in Pakistan is 25 years.

Law Leading to Lawlessness

A district court judge last November stunned the nation and the international community by handing down a death sentence to a Christian mother of five for allegedly speaking ill of Muhammad.

Subsequently three politicians spoke out against the blasphemy law that put Asia Noreen (also called Asia Bibi) in prison. Two of them have been killed for standing up for Noreen and against the blasphemy law. One is in hiding for fear of her life.

Noreen, mother of two children and stepmother to three others, has been in prison in solitary confinement since June 2009, accused of having blasphemed against Muhammad, after a verbal disagreement with some women in the village of Ittanwali, near Lahore. If she is released from prison, her life will be at risk. Her husband and children are on the run, receiving constant threats from Muslims who say they will take justice into their own hands.

Thousands of Pakistanis who think and believe differently than mainstream Muslims are at risk of being slandered under the blasphemy law, and those who live in poverty or are illiterate are particularly vulnerable. Personal vendettas from neighbors, co-workers and rivals are the most common reasons blasphemy law cases are filed, according to Paul Marshall of the Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom.

“Most victims are Muslims, but non-Muslims or minority Muslims suffer disproportionally,” said Marshall. “Ahmadis [an unorthodox Islamic sect] are probably proportionally the greatest victims. There are more victims from mobs and vigilantes than from the government itself, but the government bears responsibility because it does not protect the victims.”

Suspected Islamic extremists in Faisalabad shot dead two Christians about to be acquitted of blasphemy charges on July 19, 2010. The Rev. Rashid Emmanuel, 32, and his 30-year-old brother Sajid Emmanuel were shot days after handwriting experts on July 14 notified police that signatures on papers denigrating Muhammad did not match those of the accused. Expected to be exonerated, the two leaders of United Ministries Pakistan were being led in handcuffs under police custody back to jail when they were shot.

Christian Lawyers’ Foundation President Khalid Gill said the two bodies bore cuts and other signs of having been tortured, including marks on their faces, while the brothers were in police custody.

Most recently, 40-year-old Arif Masih, from a village near Faisalabad, was arrested after leaving his house on April 5 after Muslims accused him of ripping pages of the Quran and writing a threatening letter ordering them to become Christians. His brother claims that a neighbor fabricated the accusations in order to acquire property adjacent to that of Masih’s. 

Though the much-abused blasphemy law is punishable by death, at times vigilantes have taken matters into their own hands. At least eight Christians accused of blasphemy are estimated to have been killed since 1986. The number of Muslims accused of blasphemy and killed extra-judicially may be twice that figure.

For secular-educated Pakistanis, the blasphemy law has come to symbolize the measure to which extremist Islam has overtaken society. In the span of three months, radical Islamists have murdered two of the nation’s most outspoken leaders against the blasphemy law. On Jan. 4 Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab Province, was murdered, and on March 2 parliamentarian Shahbaz Bhatti, who as federal minister for minority affairs was the only Christian cabinet member, was assassinated in Islamabad.

A third official, Sherry Rehman, a parliamentarian from Karachi, led an effort to reform the blasphemy law after Noreen was sentenced to death last year. Taseer, Bhatti and Rehman were the most vocal about injustices that Noreen has suffered and their disapproval of the law was well-known. Rehman, in hiding since Taseer’s murder, is said to be next on the Islamic terrorists’ hit list.

Noreen’s case drew little attention before she received the death sentence. One advocate said he believes that had her case not drawn so much attention, she would have been quietly acquitted by a higher court without criticism abroad or at home. Now her release would look like a win for the “Christian” West, he said.

Of course the Christian faith is not from the West and Hindus predate both Christianity and Islam in this part of Asia. Therefore, the “Christian West” is just sheer propaganda and nothing to do with this issue.  Also, Muslims are victims of the same blasphemy law and Islamists will use anything in order to back-up their indoctrination.

“Hence, we are not going to have any concrete benefit out of whatever decision comes on her,” said Rizwan Paul. He continued by stating that “I don’t see any decision having some fruitful result” said the representative from the Life for All organization.

Paul concurred with other Christians that the blasphemy law has led to a steep drop in freedom of expression. Mosques in neighborhoods where blasphemy cases are filed become centers for inciting people to the streets and where destruction ensues. Since Noreen’s death sentence in November, sermons against changing the blasphemy law are commonly broadcast from mosques, especially in neighborhoods where there is a Christian presence.

“People do not talk, and it is proving an embargo on thinking,” Paul said. “It has caused vigilante justice, and several incidents have taken place. After that, now whenever this issue arises, people become afraid that it might turn into a demolition of the entire place.”

Victims of the blasphemy law cannot hope for justice from the local police, who “do not dare to declare innocent anyone accused of blasphemy,” Paul said, and often lower court judges and magistrates do little to give them their rights. “Now the slogan is that the one who sympathizes with the blasphemer is also a blasphemer,” he said, pointing to the deaths of Taseer and Bhatti.

Pakistan is moving increasingly towards a state driven by fear of extremists, where even moderate politicians make conservative choices to appease Islamist threats, according to Sara Taseer Shoaib, daughter of the late Taseer. 

“Pakistan is definitely becoming more right-wing and extremist when it comes to religion,” she said. “Religious parties are gaining a cult following, and even moderate leaders are trying to gain popularity and votes by taking a right-wing position.”

The reasons for this shift to the ultra-right, she said, are many: conservative issues like defense of the blasphemy law serve to deflect attention from the real issues of poverty and lack of hope; there is an increasing trend to blame all woes on the West; and there is a prevailing sense of a need to defend Islam as the perception remains that it is under global attack.

Shoaib said her father spoke about Noreen as a member of Pakistan’s poor, disenfranchised minority. Determined to defend her and the rights of others like her, Taseer had visited Noreen in prison before he died.

“He felt that she was a victim of the ambiguity of this law, and [that] she was unable to defend herself fairly,” she said. “[He felt that] she was the prime candidate where the unfairness of this law could be brought to light. He wanted an amendment to the law which is man-made.”

The source from Lahore said that fear among Christians after Taseer and Bhatti’s death is palpable. Christians feel left alone, not knowing who to trust. The same applies to other minorities which includes Ahmadi Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and all minorities who reside under constant fear.

“Everything seems to have snowballed,” she said. “People are really, really scared. Someone who you see as out there defending you and speaking for you has been silenced; someone just goes up to him and shoots him.” Therefore, this increases the fear factor because if Islamists have no qualms in killing Muslims who are trying to speak out against injustice – then, clearly, the same Muslim radicals will not think twice about killing non-Muslims who are also fighting against the system.

She said Christians feel that the mentality of their Muslim fellows has hardened as the Pakistani Taliban and other extremist elements seem to be holding the government and people’s minds to hostage.

“For the extremists, it’s no longer making Pakistan a Muslim country, but how they use Pakistan to promote the cause of Islam across the world,” she said. “It’s not for love of the nation, or national identity, but entirely about religious identity. That completely isolates those who do not subscribe to the same views … you are on the street in terms of identity and your social belonging in the community.”

Growing Issue

Paul said blasphemy looms larger in Pakistani minds and anti-Christian sentiment is growing because of socio-economic and global reasons.

“In today’s impoverished Pakistan, and after U.S. led wars in Muslim-majority Iraq and Afghanistan following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, people see even Pakistani Christians as allies of the West and threatening their identity… Poverty and a religion that upholds violence as a means to an end only fuel this mob mentality,” he said. 

“This has helped create a sense of alienating the Muslim world, and that the ‘blasphemous’ West is trying to snatch the values by movies and technology and globalization and trying to capture areas of the Islamic world,” Paul said. “Because of this, their sense of insecurity has made them more religious.”

Of course in the real world Christians resided in Iraq long before the Islamic invasions of this nation.  Also, Saddam Hussein slaughtered vast numbers of Shia Muslims and Kurds who are mainly Muslim.

More ironic, Iraq was secular before the American led invasion and the Christian minority was mainly left alone.  However, since the American led invasion around 40% of all Christians have fled and now the legal system is based on Sharia Islamic law.

However, Islamists are not being challenged about this by either political institutions or mainstream Islam within Pakistan.  Therefore, the propaganda machine is gaining in the war for hearts and minds.

Pakistan’s law against defaming religion was amended in 1982 to include desecrating the Quran and in 1986 to include disparaging Muhammad. Since then, at least 37 blasphemy law suspects have been killed while in police custody, according to Paul.

On March 15, Qamar David, 55, died while serving a life sentence in a prison in Karachi for alleged blasphemy. Prison authorities claimed that David died of a heart attack, but his supporters have called for an investigation, as he had received threats and was subject to beatings and mistreatment from prison authorities.

While the murders of Bhatti and Taseer have helped to remove a “Defamation of Religions” resolution from the United Nations which was under consideration – for now – the assassinations have also brought any movement toward amending Pakistan’s blasphemy laws to a standstill.

“Although there is a section of the media that is highlighting the issue of blasphemy, the situation hardly allows any movement or legislation on this subject,” said a Pakistani lawyer on condition of anonymity. “In my experience in the past 24 years, I have not seen [such a] stalemate condition, mainly due to the violence and terrorist threat that prevails.” 

http://moderntokyotimes.com

Elijah Jacob

Modern Tokyo Times

A street demonstration and march from Mikawadai Park near exit 6 of Roppongi station past the US Embassy and Japan Federation of Bar Associations, ending in Hibiya Park on Tuesday August 23. The meeting starts at 11:00 am. The march starts at 11:30 am and goes till 12:30 pm.

Japan and Child Abduction: facts and issues raised by Fukushima
 
On July 28, there was a Congressional hearing in Congressman Chris Smith’s subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and Special Adviser to the Office of Children’s Issues Susan Jacobs testified. The next day there was a town hall meeting for left-behind parents that they attended along with Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Janice Jacobs and the new director of the Office of Children’s Issues Beth Payne as well as other US Government officials. Ambassador Roos participated from Tokyo via DVC.
 
The general message was that the State Department was pleased that Japan has agreed to sign the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. No reservations that would water down or invalidate the spirit and important principles of the convention would be tolerated. It was also indicated that there have been great efforts in diplomacy with the Japanese government on the issue of child abduction. Ambassador Roos and Assistant Secretary Campbell agreed in their approach of private diplomacy on the issue while defending the public diplomacy on North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens 30 years ago. Left-behind parents are baffled if not outraged at the insistence of conducting the diplomacy on child abduction of American children in Japan privately. Scarcely any details were given about the strategy for recovering children in existing cases.
 
There were a number of other troubling developments during the Congressional hearing and town hall meeting. In Assistant Secretary Campbell’s written testimony to the hearing, he wrote that “As recently as 2005, the Department counted only 11 reported abduction cases involving Japan.”(1) This is clearly incorrect. Data obtained from the State Department indicates there were 85 reported cases involving 114 children at that time. The actual number of cases is certainly higher and always more than the reported number of cases. As of January 2011, there were 230 reported cases involving 321 American children abducted internationally to Japan. Since Christopher Savoie’s arrest in September 2009, the annual rate of reported international abductions of American children to Japan seems to have nearly tripled. From 2000 to his arrest in 2009, 23 children per year were reported abducted. Since his arrest over the last two years, the rate is about 62 children per year. A report of the current number of cases was not prepared for the town hall, and there was a steadfast refusal to acknowledge inactivated cases in a private conversation.
 
At the town hall, Dr. Coleman from the Department of Health and Human Services, a nuclear radiation oncologist, stated that there was no radiation exposure risk in Japan. However, there are a number of reports that are cause for concern. Kevin Maher who just left the State Department after 30 years has just published a book. He stated that there was a US Government plan to evacuate 90,000 US citizens from Tokyo in the days following the earthquake. “The US high-ranking officials wanted to evacuate the US citizens [from Tokyo] but the local officials including Maher objected, as “it would severely undermine the US-Japan alliance.”(2) The plan was never implemented. Maher later left the State Department over unflattering remarks that he made about Okinawans. This week he published a book called “Japan that cannot decide” in Japanese by the publisher Bunshun Shinsho. There are several long term studies that will be conducted. Two million people from Fukushima will have their health monitored for 30 years to check for the effects of radiation. (3) There will be lifetime testing of the thyroid for those who are children now in Fukushima.(4) There will be an epidemiological study of 100,000 mother-child groups across the country for children from birth to 13 years of age.(5)

The cause for concern is justified considering that children have been found to have radioactive cesium in their urine and radiation exposure to their thyroid gland.(6-8)
 
Quite a number of concerns have been raised. The State Department and US Embassy are conducting private diplomacy. Meanwhile, they are under-reporting the numbers of cases and claiming that there is no radiation exposure risk. Furthermore, US radiation policy considerations and press reports indicate there are in fact considerable grounds for concern about radiation exposure risk.
 
Consequently, both foreign and Japanese left-behind parents will stage a street demonstration and march from Mikawadai Park near exit 6 of Roppongi station past the US Embassy and Japan Federation of Bar Associations, ending in Hibiya Park on Tuesday August 23. The meeting starts at 11:00 am. The march starts at 11:30 am and goes till 12:30 pm. Vice President Biden will be in Tokyo during that time. The purpose of the demonstration is to raise public awareness about the abduction issue and urge Vice President Biden to address child abduction publicly so that the human rights of children and parents are protected and abducted children are returned to their loving parents. (9, 10) In order to end child abduction in Japan, there must be public announcements on the issue from the highest ranking elected officials of both governments.
 
References:
1. http://www.state.gov/p/eap/rls/rm/2011/07/169210.htm
2. http://ex-skf.blogspot.com/2011/08/us-government-considered-evacuation-of.html
3. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110627x2.html
4. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110725p2a00m0na007000c.html
5. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110812p2a00m0na011000c.html
6. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110627a2.html
7. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110701a2.html　　
8. http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20110705p2g00m0dm079000c.html
9. http://www.meetup.com/Left-Behind-Parents-Japan/events/29426721/
10. http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/4/e/7/1/highres_49220081.jpeg

Please visit the following websites for more information about child abduction:

http://www.crcjapan.com/

http://www.chowiechowz.com/

http://bachome.org/wordpress/

Please inform friends about this issue.

http://moderntokyotimes.com

International Crisis Group

Central to Nepal’s peace process is the integration of some of the Maoist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) into the state security forces and the “rehabilitation” or retirement of the rest. These steps are part of a complex set of negotiations about the future of the peace process and the Constituent Assembly (CA) that is drafting a new constitution. A settlement is urgently needed to give combatants a dignified exit, years after the initial ceasefire. It is also essential to protect the constitution-drafting and to reduce two standing armies to one. All involved will have to make compromises to settle an issue that lies at the heart of a sustainable peace.

Despite only sporadic negotiations after the CA’s term was extended in May 2011, agreement is possible. Negotiations have focused on integration into the Nepal Army (NA), and basic issues to be decided include: the number of combatants to be integrated, standards for integration, determination of rank and prospects for promotion, and the role of the former Maoist troops in the NA. For those who will choose rehabilitation or “voluntary retirement”, the issues include how many will want skills training, how many cash and how many a combination of the two. Also of concern are how these payments will be handled, how ex-combatants will be accommodated in Maoist party structures and how discontent will be handled.

It is tempting to see integration and rehabilitation (I/R) as a largely technical issue, but it is deeply political. The peace process viewed both armies as equals; neither was presented as having been defeated. All parties signed up to bring the PLA into the security forces, including the national army, which in turn was to undergo a process of reform to make it smaller, more inclusive and more accountable.

For the Nepali Congress (NC) and other traditional actors, the process is an opportunity to push the Maoists to become like the other parties and get rid of their army before the new constitution comes into force. For more conservative forces, generous terms for the fighters would give the sense that violence is being rewarded. That line runs up against the Maoist view that the PLA drove vital political change in Nepal, particularly the creation of a secular republic.

The Maoists accept that combatants will be integrated into a new directorate under NA control, although its mandate and size are unclear, and leadership will probably not at first be given to an ex-Maoist commander. There is a tacit understanding that combatants will have to meet some, though not all, existing recruitments standards and that wholesale integration of entire units will be difficult. This will in no sense be a merger of the two armies, as the Maoists used to demand. The party is also not going back to war, and the PLA has been systematically separated from political life since 2007. But all this is difficult to sell to some factions of the party and the PLA, as the Maoists are also making deep compromises on constitutional issues and many leaders are seen as increasingly caught up in politics. For the party’s own transformation to succeed, its army must be seen to have been treated respectfully. The Maoists need concessions, even if only symbolic, as much as the other actors might resent this. All parties must guard against reducing the issue to a political bargaining chip.

For the 19,000 combatants, their post-PLA options are a matter of more than just symbolism. As the parties determine how to reduce the perceived risks of the process, including those of ex-combatants joining criminal groups, turning their anger against their own party or engaging in subversion within the NA, they must remember that this is a diverse group. Different responses are needed for different ranks, and even within these groups, multiple options must be available.

Integration is also a test of the NA’s willingness to be a constructive player. Its leadership says the army will accept political decisions. The proposal the NA unofficially presented to the government has framed the negotiations, and some parts present a broadly acceptable way forward. That the army has set the agenda, though discreetly, runs counter to principles of civilian control of the military. But realistically, it means the army’s interests are well represented, a key point to keep it in the process.

I/R is a matter of urgency if the parties are to reach agreement on constitutional issues, including by extending the CA’s term, as needed. It is of limited public interest, but the overall slowdown is contributing to some frustration with mainstream political parties and further de-legitimi­sation of democratic processes. This is opening up space for fringe actors who wish to roll back the political changes since 2006. The cantonments also cost the Nepali state a lot of money and have been in place for over four years. Finally, conditions in the Nepal Army are relatively favourable at this time, with a chief who is willing to meet the parties part of the way. Formal closure on the war can, and should, begin now.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Integration and rehabilitation should serve a number of purposes: mark the end of ten years of war and progress in the five year-long transition; acknowledge recent history and political changes; and reduce the risk of localised conflict or political violence. Specifically:

• Combatants integrated into the NA should have a chance of a reasonably successful career within the constraints of age and years of service and so should be given opportunities to catch up with NA colleagues. Bridge courses have already been discussed. Perhaps some combatants will need a little more time to gain further qualifications, while others would benefit from seats at the staff college. While there is certain to be some wariness of ex-Maoist combatants, leaving integrated personnel uncompetitive could fuel discontent.
• If integration takes place primarily into the proposed new directorate under the NA, its mandate needs clear thinking. Being considered “non-combat” or unarmed is problematic for the PLA personnel, but the Maoist suggestion to deploy it for border security is unacceptable; Nepal’s borders do not need to be militarised. The parties should discuss whether the new directorate can participate in the NA’s more prestigious activities, such as peacekeeping operations and protection of national parks, for example. Although the debate has so far focused on the NA, the police and armed police could still be options, and the parties need to quickly do homework on this. The Maoists must clearly rank their priorities in negotiations: where integration happens, the mandate guiding integrated combatants, or the ranks at which they want integration.
• Preparations must immediately begin in the NA to accommodate the newly-integrated personnel.
• Independent assessments are that markedly more combatants will opt for rehabilitation and political work or “voluntary retirement” than integration, if offered attractive cash or cash and vocational training packages. This is appealing and broadly acceptable, but without safeguards, the payouts could mean a large infusion of cash into Maoist coffers and become a source of political tension. Payments should be made in instalments over a period of time. Some portion could be linked to completion of training, take the form of low- or no-interest loans, be paid to employment agencies for those seeking to work overseas, or consist of government bonds. Discussions on some options have already taken place; these should be formalised.
• The fraught 2010 exercise in discharging disqualified combatants holds some lessons. Vocational training options should consider the combatants’ interests and qualifications and not be presented patronisingly. Given the sensitivity around language, the vocabulary of “rehabilitation” could be replaced with the less judgmental-sounding “training”. Donors who fund or oversee these programs must ensure they are getting value for money, as combatants will know the official cash worth of their training programs.
• Integration and rehabilitation both should be monitored closely to address discontent early. The monitoring could be carried out by what is currently the secretariat of the special committee, which will have gathered experience and personnel during the cantonment monitoring and I/R process. Monitoring could also support a dispute or grievance resolution mechanism. Career counselling and psycho-social support for those who opt for training programs or political work still need to be discussed. Donor support for these activities could be helpful and allow low key international observation of the I/R process.
• As the cantonments empty, the parties must begin two exercises. A review of working conditions for soldiers in the NA can help mitigate the potential for resentment posed by the addition of new personnel who are seen to get special treatment. Secondly, the government and political actors, possibly through a strengthened and empowered national defence council, and civil society must begin policy-oriented research and discussion on key aspects of security sector reform so as to guide the thinking of successive governments, including: Nepal’s security concerns; making the NA more accountable and affordable; simultaneously downsizing the security forces and making them more effective and representative; and strengthening the defence ministry.

Kathmandu/Brussels

http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-asia/nepal.aspx

Please visit http://crisisgroup.org for more in depth reports from this highly acclaimed think tank.

CTV: International Child Abduction Exposes Canadian/US National Border Passport Security Problems

Stephen Watkins Precious Boys Are Missing.  Please help him find his son’s.

Sonia Denice

chow-E-Chowz Expressions

Alexander Watkins & Christopher Watkins are missing. Have you seen them?

Stephen Watkins’ two sons were abducted by his estranged wife. Police believe they are in Poland. Watkins had custody, and tried to prevent the abduction. He has not seen his two son’s since 2009. Watkins is still searching for his two son’s.

I have had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Stephen Watkins more than once over the telephone about his missing children and his fight to find them. It is important if you have any information or know of anyone who has any information about his two son’s to please notify the authorities immediately. You may also contact Mr. Watkins by clicking on any of his links below.

Mr. Watkins ex-wife broke the law by abducting his two boy’s and fleeing the country.  His ex-wife is on the “Most Wanted” High Alert and a lead investigator has been assigned to help Mr. Watkins find his children. It is important that we help to reunite our missing children back to their families. Together, we can make it happen.

Other details about Stephen Watkins have been issued in the Canadian press and this will be expressed below in order for people to fully understand the severity of his case.  With every passing day his anxiety grows and it is vital that fresh leads are found.

Stephen Watkins

Canada AM – News & Interviews – Canadian / US Border Security Issues:

An Ontario father whose two sons were allegedly abducted by their non-custodial mother says he had fears that something might happen well before they disappeared more than two years ago.”

Stephen Watkins said he wrote letters to Passport Canada to have his Children’s Passports canceled but was unsuccessful. The Ontario’s Family Responsibility Office finally “Canceled” his ex-wife’s passport and “Suspended” her driver’s license through appropriate Provincial Enforcement Measures due to over a year of unpaid child support.”

Watkins said the issue has exposed a major security issue. Her passport had been cancelled after she failed to pay child support, but she still managed to cross the U.S. border and fly to Europe.

At the time, Canadian citizens could cross a U.S. land border with only a driver’s license and birth certificate.

U.S. Border customs only conducts VISUAL inspections of Canadian Passports as there is no shared database between Canada and the United States.

Edyta’s Drivers License were also confirmed “Suspended” by Ontario’s Family Responsibility Office along with her “Canceled” / “Revoked” Canadian Passport prior to the children’s abduction.

US Homeland Security confirmed with York Regional Police that 3-Canadian Passports were used.

“There were lots of signs and clues that told me there was a chance that they could be abducted,” Watkins told CTV’s Canada AM on Tuesday. “Going through court when there is parental alienation happening is a clue. And obviously where there is a threat — I received a threat that I would never see my boys again — that is another clue.”

Watkins last saw his children on March 6, 2009; Alexander was seven years old and Christopher was four. Stephen Watkins was granted final sole custody by the Ontario Family Courts on January 26, 2009. The family courts allowed his ex-wife to visit on weekends.

Police believe they were abducted to Europe by their non-custodial mother Edyta Watkins. York Regional Police say her father drove her and her sons across the border into the U.S., where they boarded a plane from Detroit to Frankfurt, Germany.

Det. Const. Jesse Mann said they believe she has since moved her boys to Poland, her country of origin, but need proof before local authorities will come on board.

“It is difficult to determine how engaged the Polish authorities are because all the information goes through the appropriate channels, RCMP and Interpol,” Mann said. 

A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for Edyta Watkins, who goes by several other names, and she also appears on the RCMP’s most wanted list.

A world-wide Interpol “RED NOTICE” has also been issued by the country of Canada for the apprehension of Edyta Ustaszewski Watkins and her extradition and “YELLOW NOTICE” for the Watkins Missing Children

“It is so difficult, you can’t imagine, not knowing where they are or if they are alive. We see all these things in the news, there are tons of parental abductions, but we know bad things are happening.

“Finding them is really important,” Watkins said.

With files from The Canadian Press

ctvtoronto.ca – Date: Tuesday Mar. 8, 2011 10:12 AM ET

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/latest/abducted/#clip429441

York Regional Police: Media Press Release (Jan 20, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4hiqnCEZbc

WATKINS MISSING CHILDREN – LINKS :  http://www.Watkins-Missing-Children.com/

YouTube MAIN Video :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ6ixtePgyI

YouTube Channel :  http://www.youtube.com/stephenawatkins

Facebook Group :  http://www.facebook.com/Watkins.Missing.Children

Twitter : http://twitter.com/Child_Abduction   ( @Child_Abduction )

HELP FIND MY CHILD : http://www.helpfindmychild.net

FOREVER SEARCHING :  http://www.foreversearching.com

CRIME STOPPERS OF YORK REGION
WISH TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS?
TEXT: Text your tip to CRIMES (274637) starting with the word YORK
CALL: 1-800-222-TIPS
WWW: http://www.1800222tips.com

CASH REWARD: $2,000 CDN

Susan Sachinelli

Modern Tokyo Times (Part 2)

In a mission statement published by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it states that Japan aims to contribute to the overall maintenance of a safe and peaceful international society that would “implement good international environment” as well as “keep and develop harmonic foreign relationships.” However, even with this being said, Japan continues to act as a “safe haven” for abducted children for over 55 years. With numerous countries, including, but not limited to, the United States, Canada, Australia, France and other countries, trying to get Japan to budge on the issue of child abduction to Japan by a Japanese national, Japan has not changed its stance. In the United States, according to the U.S. Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues, there are 230 active cases involving 321 U.S. children abducted to Japan. Since Japan will not change its position on the issue and continues to act as a “safe haven” for child abduction, it is time now for the United States to set the leadership role and begin extraditing the parents and/or relatives of parent abductors under the Pinkerton Rule.

Under the Pinkerton Rule, Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640 (1946), established by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), each member of a conspiracy can be held criminally liable for the crimes that were committed by other members acting within agreement of the conspiracy. In Japan, the parents and/or relatives of the abducted children routinely help the parent who abducted the child or children to hide them so that the left-behind parent cannot have access to them. This has been evident in a number of abduction cases to Japan.

Under the Pinkerton Rule, misprision of felony – failure to report felonious conduct of another individual, conspiracy to commit a crime, solicitation with the idea to entice or counsel one to commit a crime, and aiding and abetting in a crime are all criminal offenses. Since the United States – Japan Extradition Treaty (signed in Tokyo on March 3, 1978), allows both countries to extradite citizens of the other country when a crime has been committed, the Pinkerton Rule is what the United States can use to show that an American law has been broken and that the abductor and/or the abductor’s parents and/or relatives can be extradited back to American soil.

In short, the Pinkerton Rule allows for the parents and/or relatives of the parent abductor to be extradited if they are aiding and abetting the kidnapper, taking part in extortion or blackmail (such as telling the left-behind parent that they can only see the children if they pay money and/or sign Japanese custody documents), fraud, and forgery of documents pertaining to the children (in some cases forging the left-behind parent’s signature to the aforementioned documentation).  Since the Japanese government has not budged on the issue and continues to act as a “safe haven” for abducted children, it is time now for the United States to set the leadership role by extraditing the parents and/or relatives of the parent abductors, who were co-conspirators of the abduction.

One of the more well-known American cases of a parent left-behind is that of Mr. A (protecting his identity) and his son Child A (protecting the name of the child) who was abducted by his ex-wife, Mrs. A (protecting her name), in 2008. Prior to the abduction, during the divorce after it was found that she was alleged to have embezzled family funds, Mrs. A was ordered by the court to turn over passports and the alleged funds that had been taken. Mr. A asserts that in 2007 when Mrs. A’s parents came for a visit, plans to abduct Child A were initiated behind Mr. A’s back. Since Mrs. A. fled to Japan with their son, Mr. A has been working with the U.S. State Department to see his son but all visits have been denied and ignored by Mrs. A, her parents, and the Japanese government. Currently, all Mr. A has is a last known address and no further information.

Although the United States has been objective in the case, and politicians such as Congress Chris Smith (NJ-04) have done what they politically can to assist Mr. A, Japan has blocked Mr. A every step of the way in getting his son, Child A back from his ex-wife, although Mr. A has a court order mandating that he receives custody of his son, and that Mrs. A has committed various felonies. This is one of the many reasons to start applying the Pinkerton rule – to help people like Mr. A. Unfortunately, under current Attorney General Eric Holder, there has been no progress in extraditing parents and/or relatives of parent abductors. Even though Holder said in a May 2010 document published by the U.S. Department of Justice on “The Crime of Family Abduction” that family abduction is illegal throughout the entire nation, he has not done enough to assist these left-behind parents. Just like his “Operation Fast and Furious” to curb illegal gun trafficking failed, so too are his erroneous policies concerning international child abduction and the expediting of the abductor or their parents and/or relatives in an effort to bring these abducted children back home.

Currently, Japan refuses to abide by the United Nations Convention for the Rights of the Child. It legally binds all countries that signed to provide equal access to the child and that the person or persons committing the abduction would be prosecuted. Japan states that since the United States did not ratify the treaty,  therefore, Japan does not have to honor the pact. Because of this, numerous left-behind parents have not seen their child or children in years, and many times, left-behind parents are wondering where the child or children are living and if they are still alive.

However, the United States has made a number of provisions within their own national and state laws regarding the abduction of children. A recent case to hit the United States by storm was the Casey Anthony trial. Her daughter, Caylee, was missing for 31 days until she was reported missing by Caylee’s grandmother. Because this could have been avoided if reported much sooner, a new bill called Caylee’s law, is being proposed in a number of U.S. states making it a felony for parents and legal guardians who fail to file a report of a missing child, especially in instances where the child could be in danger.

The bill would require notification within 24 hours of the child’s disappearance. Many states are looking to adopt this new law. Yet, with the issue of left-behind parents,  whose child or children have been abducted to Japan for years, neither the left-behind parent nor the U.S. government knows the safety or welfare of the child or children, or even if the child or children are still alive.

One left-behind parent stated that “Our children are not ‘property’ of the abducting spouse or the Japanese government. They are children with basic human and constitutional rights they inherited by being born and living their entire lives in the United States of America.”

While a number of parent abductor respondents in a survey given by the Japanese Foreign Ministry believe that Japan should signed the Hague Convention on Child Abduction, Japan is still shunning the possibility of becoming a signatory in the full sense (many obstacles appear to be in the way even if Japan does sign), and parents like Mr. A are left wondering if they will ever see their child or children abducted to Japan ever again.

Since Japan continues to act as a “safe haven” for abducted children, then the United States must set the leadership role to extradite the parents and/or relatives of parent abductors, who acted as co-conspirators in the child abduction, under the Pinkerton Rule.

Relevant Links:

Create Caylee’s Law http://www.change.org/petitions/create-caylees-law

Office of U.S. Attorney General http://www.justice.gov/ag/

FBI Most Wanted (Parental Abduction):

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/parent/ryoko-uchiyama/view

http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/parent/chiharu-wakao/view

http://www.crcjapan.com/ Children’s Rights Council of Japan

http://bachome.org/wordpress/ Bring Abducted Children Home

http://moderntokyotimes.com