Upcoming documentary

If you are following my new media group on Facebook, you may have seen that I am going to try to lay the groundwork for a documentary. Its going to be set in Asia, but it will take me some time to decide which country will be suitable. As of now, I have the list narrowed down to two choices: Pakistan and the Philippines. My strong interest in these countries (along with networking) has made me fortunate enough to have available contacts and resources that will be critical to the success of a project.

A view of Korangi road in Karachi.

Pakistan’s largest city and financial capital, Karachi, draws me in not only because it is full of culture and warm hospitality, but because it has been in the news a lot lately. For the past few years, violence has shadowed itself over the city in the form of target killings, kidnappings, and executions that carry with them an undertone of ethnic, political, or religious strife. As of this moment, ethnic clashes are raging between supporters and opponents of a proposed boundary that would divide the province of Sindh, which Karachi is part of. This is in addition to the attacks on Shiite Muslims by hardline Deobandi movements (fundamentalist Sunnis) and the shootouts that erupt between police and gangsters.

I have covered the Karachi crisis in earlier posts, particularly last year when the violence began to match the levels that were seen in Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez. This time though, I am ready to go there in person and capture everything I see — it may include interviews with the most fiery activists who  represent warring political factions or ride-alongs with the paramilitary Rangers on patrol. It might be simpler things though, like the vendors closing up shop on the beaches for the evening. Whatever I encounter, I will be eager to write about it in detail. This is a city that has been calling me since I was crossing through the Indian subcontinent back in 2009 and the time has come to go.

Journey to the southern Philippines

There is another area of the world that has had my attention recently…the Mindanao region in the Philippines. For years it has captivated the attention of the US military as Muslim rebels — the most notorious of whom are the Abu Sayyaf — fight for control of the southernmost islands with the Philippine Government. Foreigners are frequently targeted for kidnappings and the main island was the scene of a massacre that left nearly 60 people dead in 2009.

The bustling streets of Isabela City, Basilan’s capital.

If the Philippines ends up being the more suitable location I will start off in Manila and work my way down. Key cities to visit in the south will be Zamboanga and Davao, but my real interest will be in Basilan, Jolo, and the rest of the Sulu Archipelago. While there, I plan to attend several Friday prayer sermons in the mosques, meet local police/politicians, and immerse myself in the daily life of places like Isabela City (capital of Basilan). There are questions I plan to ask, but I will save them for when the trip progresses and becomes closer to a reality. To give you an idea, I have been hearing a lot of paranoid conspiracy theories lately about the “War on Terror” and whether or not Al-Qaeda and their affiliates really exist. These delusions have penetrated into even the most respectable people (including friends of mine and people I have gone to school with). Knowing this, I’d like to bring the answers to them.

Sound interesting? If it does (or if you have other ideas that I should be focusing on) please send me an email through unitedworld.ch [at] gmail.com. A trip like the ones above is something I am ready and committed to do. As always, I will do my best to provide nothing short of an experience that we can all share together.

New talk show appearances

My friend — Podcast personality Jesse Stout — invited me for an interview earlier this month, which can be seen here. Since I’ve already contributed to a portion of his air time, he felt it was important for the audience to get a better understanding of where I stand on major domestic and international issues.

More recently, I came the show to fill in for another contributor who was unable to make it to the broadcast. The main topic discussed was same-sex marriage, in light of President Obama’s decision to throw his support behind it on a national level. Other points did come up, such as Senator Richard Lugar’s primary defeat and whether the Tea Party or the Occupy Movement are more effective in confronting corruption in America’s financial sector. This link will take you to the show.

Feedback is always greatly appreciated…both here and over on Jesse’s page.

Blind hatred and irrational foreign policy really screw up the world

While hardly a good source of information on the Iranian people or the majestic country they live in, the English-language “Tehran Times” sometimes features stories that show why the Middle East and at times, the Muslim world, are in the situations they are in. It does this unknowingly, of course, and the masses who read what the online paper puts out think it’s actually promoting honesty and truth. Lately there has been a lot of coverage about the inroads Iran is trying to make across the international community, mainly in areas outside of the Western sphere of influence. Malaysia is one of those inroads…and the Tehran Times recently featured an article boasting of the warm relations between the two countries.

Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani has said that close cooperation between Iranian and Malaysian parliaments helps promote unity in the Muslim world.

Larijani made the remarks during a meeting with Pandikar Amin Mulia, the speaker of the lower house of the parliament of Malaysia, on Monday on the sidelines of the second meeting of the General Assembly of the Forum of Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians for Education, which opened in Tehran on Monday and closes on May 1.

 .

During the meeting, Larijani said that the Iranian parliament supports every effort to strengthen ties with Malaysia in all spheres.

Yeah, that’s really warm and cute, aside from a glaring revelation. Iran, as just about anyone knows, has no relations with the hated nation of Israel and its leaders speak out against it every chance they get. They do this to help champion a message that they are standing up for the Muslim world, since Israel is currently in control of Jerusalem, the third holiest city in Islam. Iran also sees the Palestinians as oppressed Muslims and spends a great deal of money on advancing their cause. Hamas leader Ismail Hanniyeh was even the keynote speaker for the this year’s 1979 Revolution anniversary. With weight like this behind it, Iran is one of the Islamic world’s foremost critics of Israel…and its all supposedly because they are outraged at the Jewish State’s treatment of fellow Muslims.

 .

The holiest city in Shia Islam…Najaf.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with Malaysia. The Southeast Asian nation, despite a reputation of being “moderate” with religion, is viscerally anti-Shia Islam…which happens to be the faith practiced by virtually all of Iran’s top leaders, including “Supreme Leader” Ali Khamenei and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the majority of the population. In contrast, the faith is not even recognized in Malaysia, leaving many Shiites to practice their faith rather secretly while religious edicts brand them as deviants and authorities harass them with claims of proselytizing. Last year, Malaysian authorities raided a Shiite prayer room and detained over 100 people who were observing the Ashoura Holiday. The response from Iran to all of this? Apparently there was one backdoor letter urging the government to give Shiites more rights. No mass rallies, government propaganda in mosques, formation of terrorist groups to “liberate” the oppressed (a la Hezbollah), or expulsion of diplomatic officials. Malaysian Shiites just don’t matter as much as Palestinians do to the hysterical clerics who reign over Tehran and beyond.

.

Iran’s warm feelings toward Malaysia are not the only relationship that should raise eyebrows when the country’s leaders go on a rant about Israel. The government often boasts of its “brotherly” relations with neighboring Pakistan, even as armed gangs ruthlessly gun down innocent Shiites from the port city of Karachi to the mountains that border Afghanistan. Target killings have intensified in recent years — and are sometimes eclipsed by even more violent suicide bombings — as hardliners attempt to subjugate and destroy the Shia culture in Pakistan, with the authorities doing little to stop the violence. Anti-Shia blocs have even held sway in the Pakistani government…with some stating a goal of blocking the influence of Iran’s 1979 Revolution from coming into Pakistan.

.

Malaysia, for its part, looks just as ridiculous with its Imams accusing Shiites of “distorting” Islam while ministers travel to Iran to embrace the leaders of a Shia powerhouse. Despite being far removed from the Middle East, it is also vehemently anti-Israel and the government routinely encourages rallies to protest Israeli policies — which tend to turn into rabid flag-burning demonstrations and calls for violence. All of this takes place even though Israel could be an effective trading partner and cross-cultural center for Malaysians. After all, despite the disdain — at least on a governmental level — for Shiites, Malaysia wants to be close to Iran. Why not do the same for Israel and promote peace?

.

There is nothing wrong with Iran and Malaysia’s friendship or the letters sent between the two countries to promote “human rights”. What is wrong  is that such a relationship with Israel is rejected, which leads to extremism, blind hatred, ignorance, and eventually, war. If Iran was rational, it would reach out to the Palestinians by forming a normal relationship with the Israelis, just as they have done with their “brotherly” allies in Malaysia and Pakistan. The flaws in those two countries — which are even uglier than Israel’s  – don’t stand in the way of peaceful relations and Iran should keep the same standards for everyone.

Podcasting — the next recording

My second appearance on The Jesse Stout Show. Topics that come up include Anders Behring Breivik, The “Occupy Movement”, economics, and the Secret Service Scandal.

I will be looking forward to hearing feedback and I am open to everything, from praise to criticism.

This has to stop

When is the United Nations going to realize that people like Kofi Annan — a failed leader/diplomat from years past who is currently trying to oversee “peace” in Syria  – only make it look like the organization is mocking the suffering that Syrians are experiencing at the hands of Bashar Al-Assad?

Bashar Al-Assad is in the final process of implementing "reforms" in Syria...

The obvious and most likely answer to this is never. Remember, a year before Annan came to bumble around the country, his superiors were considering a warm welcome for Bashar on the UN Human Rights Panel, even in the midst of bloody street protests.

Centennial

The Titanic had a major impact on my childhood…and my fascination with its story continues to this day, the 100 year anniversary of the sinking.

Podcasting has started

On Monday I made an appearance on “The Jesse Stout Show”. My friend Jesse and I debated and discussed several of the major issues happening in the realm of current events, from the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida to the future of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. Enjoy the broadcast…and please feel free to leave feedback on the positives and negatives of the show.

This is my first recording with Jesse and we plan on doing more. You can follow the link to it here.

Violence falls along Mexico’s border region, rises further south

According to a new report:

A new report by the Trans-Border Institute documents the major trends in Mexico’s drug war last year, which saw violence dropping in some of the most dangerous areas, and rising in places far from the US border.

This trend should not be surprising. At the beginning of the year I suggested that the shifting dynamics of Mexico’s cartel battles would become a major headline in 2012.

Abductions plaguing Sri Lanka

Although some Sri Lankans are angry, there seems to be good reason for the government of Mahinda Rajapaksa to remain under scrutiny in the international community:

Almost three years after the end of the civil war, Sri Lanka is still dogged by allegations of human rights violations. Amid fresh moves in the UN’s Human Rights Council to hold Sri Lanka to account, the BBC’s Charles Haviland in Colombo reports on a rise in sinister abductions by anonymous squads in white vans.

At a small shrine in her home, Shiromani lights a candle and rings a bell, offering prayers to the Hindu deities. She has few consolations now.

Her life has been a nightmare since her husband, Ramasamy Prabagaran, a Tamil businessman, was snatched by eight men outside their front door last month, in front of Shiromani and their three-year-old daughter, and taken away in a white van

“He was screaming, calling for help, hanging on to the gate,” Shiromani said tearfully.

“There were people and vehicles in the street but no-one came to help as they had T56 guns and pistols. They pushed me down. I pleaded: ‘Sir, don’t do anything’.”

But the vehicle disappeared and she was unable to follow in her own car.

Mr Prabagaran was abducted shortly before his case accusing the police of torture was due to be heard. He had been held for two-and-a-half years by them and, he claimed, badly tortured before being released without charge.

Unidentified bodies

Human rights campaigners say there were 32 unexplained abductions between last October and this February, mostly in Colombo or northern Sri Lanka, the victims a mix of Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim.

In addition, 10 mostly unidentified bodies were found in February alone. It’s not clear how many of these, if any, are linked to the disappearances – but their discovery has added to a heightened sense of unease here.

Of the kidnappings that were witnessed, most were said to have taken place in white vans – which for years have been the vehicle of shadowy gangs behind enforced disappearances.

One victim was seized right outside the Colombo law courts – snatched from prison guards bringing him for a bail application. Five of the 32 escaped but seven bodies have been found, including a woman in her 60s. The other 20 have simply vanished.

The witnessed disappearances include the case of two young activists, Lalith Weeraraj – half Sinhala and half Tamil – and a Tamil, Kugan Muruganathan. They spent 2011 organising a number of demonstrations, bringing to Colombo people from the former war zone whose family members disappeared as the war ended – mostly, they claim, at the hands of the security forces.

In a sinister development in December, Lalith and Kugan themselves vanished in northern Sri Lanka, seemingly abducted as they prepared another demonstration.

Pakistani soldiers speak out

A few days back the Associated Press published this story. It was picked up by DAWN, Pakistan’s largest English-language news agency and for good reason. The article gives a much-needed position that counters the rhetoric spewed out by so many western news agencies and American politicians that accuse Pakistan of working with the Taliban. While Pakistan certainly HAS made its mistakes, berating the country relentlessly as it suffers from countless terror attacks disrespects the many soldiers who have laid down their lives to keep terrorism far outside the borders of any western country.

DAWN reports via AP:

KALPANI BASE, Pakistan: The wind was howling and the snow outside their bullet-pocked bunker lay knee-deep as the men of the 20th Lancer armored regiment bedded down for the night, nearly 2,500 meters (8,000 feet) up a mountain on one of the world’s most inhospitable borders.

They cheered themselves up by singing songs. Their commander gazed at photos of his 4-year-old daughter on his computer. But as the men chatted, it became clear that they were feeling a bit underappreciated.

Why did the West accuse Pakistan of not pulling its weight in the war on terror? They asked. Hadn’t large numbers of their comrades died at the hands of militants?

Why else were they in this hellish place if not to keep them at bay? “They say we aren’t doing enough,” said their commander, Capt. Imran Tanvir. “What more can we do?”

Pakistan has lost more than 3,000 soldiers in battles with al Qaeda and Taliban militants since it deployed soldiers to its western border, more than all the foreign deaths in Afghanistan since 2001.

Although it sees India to its east as its biggest military challenge, it regards its Afghan flank to the west as critical enough to warrant stationing 130,000 soldiers there.

The base called Kalpani is on the front line in the 10-year war against militants, a war that allies Pakistan with the US and Nato in an uneasy, distrustful partnership.

Pakistan feels scapegoated for the coalition’s failures in Afghanistan.

Read more from the article “Braving ‘hell’ to keep militants at bay” here.