| Posted: April 24 2005,16:17 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
We
have indeed seen some porogress toward a global culture of peace.
However, unfortunately, we have not seen much progress toward a culture
of peace and nonviolence in our domain of action: Peace Culture and
Literature, especially in the Middle East, during the first half
of the Decade. We had hoped the new millenium would be much better than
the one before it, and what we often see is growing violence,
especially on the electronic media, and a lack of teaching,
propagating and creating a literature and a culture of peace that can
guide the new generation toward a better world.
We have
developed a Program called: TURN OF VIOLENCE ON TV, by which viewers
that are offended by the murder and crime films which are daily
presented, write to the sponsors and directors of the films and tell
them they have lost their money as millions of viewers have "Turned off
Violence on TV." And that if they want us to watch they should give us
Peace Culture films. Responses have been promising.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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The most important obstacles that have prevented progress are to my view:
1.
The leaders and governments of the world, as well as the responsible
institutions and media, have not given enough weight and resources and
support to the spreading of a global Peace Culture, and to the NGO's
working on the creation of Peace Culture. We are unfortunately Nuclear
Giants and still just Peace Culture Infants!
2. The Electronic Media spreads a culture of Violence and Murder and it endangers society as it becomes more violent.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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We
have organized 5 International IFLAC PAVE PEACE CONGRESSES, at which
participants from 25 countries participated. The firts one in 2000 was
in the Galilee, Israel, and it comprized a delegation from Gaza,
Palestine, the second IFLAC Conference took place in Sydney, Australia
(2001), the third one was in London (2002), the fourth one took place
in Bursa, Turkey, and it was opened by the Minister of Culture and the
Minister of Religion, the fifth one will take place in Los Angeles in
August 2005, and it is opened to the large public. The Invitation and
Program appear on the following websites: www.iflac.com
and www.iflac.com\ada
We
met every month in the TENT OF PEACE in Ussfiya, for the celebration of
common: Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze feasts, and the celebration
of new Peace Books and stories,
and poetry presentations, as well as
peace drama. We also celebrated the International Day of Peace which
occurs every year on September 21, and the International Women's Day,
on March 8.
We created 5 IFLAC Pave Peace Petitions, that have been widely circulated and signed by thousands of people.
We have written and circulated 1050 IFLAC Peace Culture Digests, and more than 3000 email messages, in 3 years,
to
our members and thousands of supporters, on our daily online
Digest. We have also written hundreds of letters to various
institutions concerning the urgency of spreading a Peace Culture and
counteracting the growing violence and terror in our societies,
including in the Middle East. One of the letters is attached
below: PRESS RELEASE (29.1.04)
From the Office of World IFLAC The International Forum for the Culture of Peace
Dear Media Colleagues and Friends,
Please
publish and widely post the attached “APPEAL AGAINST SUICIDE BOMBINGS
AND THE GLORIFICATION OF THE SHAHID- SUICIDE BOMBER.”
To make
this crucial campaign to obliterate the phenomenon of suicide bombings,
a successful one, please also post the following APPEAL to the UN,
UNESCO, your Governments and related Institutions, as well as to your
friends and group lists, as widely as possible. Try to involve
organizations and NGO’s to adopt the APPEAL. If we all join hands
together to create a powerful Peace Culture world movement against
Suicide Bombings, we will succeed. The sane world cannot keep silent
any longer and we have to defend ourselves energetically against this
“bloodthirsty monster” that strikes again and again (recently, even
under the “pseudo artistic” umbrella of “Art”), in various parts of the
world. Please call on all sane persons and organizations to help free
the democratic world from this new horrifying monster.
APPEAL TO
THE UN, TO UNESCO AND TO WORLD GOVERNMENTS TO CONDUCT A COMMON
URGENT AND POWERFUL CAMPAIGN AGAINST SUICIDE BOMBINGS
Suicide
bombings, like the recent horrifying ones in Israel and Turkey, will
not lead to the creation of a Palestinian State yearned -for by the
Palestinian people, but only to the continuation of the abominable
cycle of destruction and tragedy, and to the closing of opportunities
for ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Israelis,
Palestinians, and all the conscientious leaders and citizens of the
world should urgently join hands together to save the newly born
"Road Map" baby before it suffocates. Suicide bombers kill
babies. The continuous suicide bombings at the opening of 2004,
is not a philosophical question, it is an atrocious reality targeting
all “infidels,”meaning all that are not Muslims, whether they are
Christian, Jewish or Buddhist, they are still considered "Infidels."
This tragic phenomenon has to be dealt with in the most urgent,
effective and powerful way.
The horrifying carnage
of September 11, or the bloodied Haifa Maxim restaurant, in Israel, and
in the Erez Pass, in Gaza, where hundreds of Palestinian workers were
on the point to be admitted to work in Israel, in Turkey, Bali, Morocco
and Saudi Arabia, were further tragic slaps on the face of humanity.
IFLAC
PAVE PEACE: The International Forum for the Literature and Culture of
Peace, condemns the horrible carnage of innocent people, under the
banner of pseudo "heroism", and calls on the UN and UNESCO and all the
governments and conscientious people in the world to cry aloud
"Enough!" to those who send these murderous suicide bombers, and to
condemn them as enemies of humanity. We have to divulge the real
identity of the suicide bombers, not as "sacrificial heroes" as they
are hailed by fanatic extremists, but as the tools of murderous forces
that are against life and peace. The indoctrinating of little
Palestinian children in summer camps and schools, to yearn to become
suicide bombers, should be outlawed.
A general and powerful
Campaign against the glorifying of Suicide Bombings, initiated and
coordinated by the UN and UNESCO in conjunction with all the
governments in the world, institutions, human rights organizations and
NGO's, can save the world from the horrifying phenomenon of Suicide
Bombings. It can also save as well the Road Map devised by the Quartet,
which can promote and lead to a fruitful and harmonious resolution of
the Palestinian Israeli Conflict.
***************************************************
Prof. Ada Aharoni
President IFLAC: International Forum for Literature and Culture, and Conflict Resolution.
P.O.B: 9934 Haifa, Israel 34341
IFLAC Tent is a Meeting of the Council in the Peace Tent in the Druze Village in Ussfiya, in Israel.
The Board of IFLAC at its Founding Conference in the Galilee.
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
The Advice I would like to give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a culture of peace is:
1)
To provide substantial financial support for the creation of Peace
Literature, Theatre, Television films and Programs, Peace Literature
Education, Prizes (as substantial as the Nobel), for Peace Literature
for all ages, Peace Literature Competitions, Grants, and support to
Peace NGO's.
2) To create the WSPN: The World TV Satellite for
Peace Network, as powerful as CNN, which would have an agenda of Peace
literature, films, interviews and Peace Culture feasts, discussions,
roundtables and dialogues among and between members of all ages, of
conflicting parties.
3) Women Peace Leaders should be supported and take an
equal part in running the world, and building a Culture of Peace.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Our organization has a Partnership with Haifa University, with
IPRA: The International Peace Research Association, with
"Gather
the Women," with "UN Peace Art and Mural" and various other Peace
Culture and Literature organizations. Several of them appear on:
www.iflac.com and also on our Guestbook at:
www.iflac.com/guestbook
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
5 More World Congresses for Paving the Culture of Peace.
We
will not only preach to the convinced, but will try to reach the masses
through the electronic media, and we will invite top celebrities that
are for the promotion of Peace culture, such as Richard Gere. Please
see attached picture of the IFLAC Jewish and Muslim Women for Peace
celebration with Richard Gere. We will also try our best to
promote the creation of the WSPN - the World by Satellite TV for Peace
Culture, and try to convince major institutions like UNESCO and the
World Bank, that this is the best way to protect the future of humanity
and our children from violence and terror.
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Postal address of organization
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Prof. Ada Aharoni - IFLAC
57 Horev Street, Haifa, Israel 34343
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E-mail address of organization
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ada@iflac.com
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Website address of organization
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www.iflac.com and www.iflac.com/ada
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Culture of Peace Domains
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Understanding, tolerance, solidarity
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Israel
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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International
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