scholarly journals Human Rights Abuses in Xinjiang: Perspectives and Responses from the Islamic World and the Middle East

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carson Ezell
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Community Impact ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
History Of

There are significant geographical disparities in activism throughout the world with respect to supporting the Uyghur cause against human rights abuses in the Xinjiang region of China. This paper introduces the history of Chinese rule of the Xinjiang region and examines the ways in which the Uyghur diaspora has spread. It then explores how geographical, cultural, economic, and religious relationships between Xinjiang and segments of the international community impact attitudes and levels of activism in response to recent developments in Xinjiang, particularly focusing on the weaker responses in the Middle East relative to the rest of the Islamic community. It then proposes recommendations for regional stakeholders in Middle Eastern civil society to encourage greater support for the Uyghur community.

The Sociopolitical Discourse of Violeta Parra and Víctor Jara - The Culture of People's Power

2017 ◽  
pp. 109-126
Author(s):  
Elena Maria De Costa
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Central America ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Social Space ◽  
Social Commentary ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Military Regimes ◽  
The World ◽  
Latin American Culture ◽  
History Of

While its roots lie deep in Latin American culture and history, the New Song music was first brought to the attention of the world when totalitarian military regimes seized power in South America during the 1970s. Torture, death, persecution, or disappearance became the tragic fate of thousands of citizens including Violeta Parra and Victor Jara of Chile, popular and talented singer-songwriters (cantautores), the latter executed for his songs of justice and freedom. Other New Song artists were driven into exile to avoid a similar fate. Later, during the 1980s, a second, deadlier wave of terror swept through Central America in genocidal proportions. Again, New Song artists urgently sang about these horrific human rights violations, denouncing the perpetrators of this violence and telling the story of the struggle of people resisting. Beyond the desired social space in which to talk about horrific human rights abuses, there is a deep history of social commentary in musical and other performative traditions in Latin America.

AL-AHBASH AND WAHHABIYYA: INTERPRETATIONS OF ISLAM

2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 519-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Kabha ◽  
Haggai Erlich
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Political Islam ◽  
Active Participation ◽  
Significant Issue ◽  
Islamic History ◽  
The World ◽  
Islamic Countries ◽  
History Of

Islam is a universal religion and culture. Scholars who tend to focus on Islam in specific societies may overlook connections that, over the centuries, were important in shaping various Islamic intercultural dialogs. One case in point is the role of Ethiopia in the history of Islam. Although situated next door to the cradle of Islam, Ethiopia conveniently has been perceived by many Western historians of the Arab Middle East as an African “Christian island,” and as largely irrelevant. In practice, however, the Christian-dominated empire has remained meaningful to all Muslims from Islam's inception. It has also been the home of Islamic communities that maintained constant contact with the Middle East. Indeed, one of the side aspects of the resurgence of political Islam since the 1970s is the emergence in Lebanon of the “The Association of Islamic Philanthropic Projects” (Jamעiyyat al-Mashariע al-Khayriyya al-Islamiyya), better known as “The Ethiopians,” al-Ahbash. Its leader came to Beirut from Ethiopia with a rather flexible interpretation of Islam, which revolved around political coexistence with Christians. Al-Ahbash of Lebanon expanded to become arguably the leading factor in the local Sunni community. They opened branches on all continents and spread their interpretation of Islam to many Islamic as well as non-Islamic countries. This article is an attempt to relate some of the Middle Eastern–Ethiopian Islamic history as the background to an analysis of a significant issue on today's all-Islamic agenda. It aims to present the Ahbash history, beliefs, and rivalry with the Wahhabiyya beginning in the mid-1980s. It does so by addressing conceptual, political, and theological aspects, which had been developed against the background of Ethiopia as a land of Islamic–Christian dialogue, and their collision with respective aspects developed in the Wahhabi kingdom of the Saudis. The contemporary inner-Islamic, Ahbash-Wahhabiyya conceptual rivalry turned in the 1990s into a verbal war conducted in traditional ways, as well as by means of modern channels of Internet exchanges and polemics. Their debate goes to the heart of Islam's major dilemmas as it attracts attention and draws active participation from all over the world.

scholarly journals Spatializing Memory and Justice in Transformation Processes

2020 ◽  
pp. 25-35
Author(s):  
Susanne Buckley-Zistel
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Transitional Justice ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Transformation Processes

Abstract This chapter asks what processes of dealing with the past have been set in motion and how they relate to the search for justice and the quest for remembrance on a more global scale. In the aftermath of the “Arab Spring,” the affected countries have been going through transitions of various forms that are significantly re-configuring the MENA region. In this context, a number of new civil society actors, political elites, and international norm entrepreneurs are engaging with the lengthy histories of repression in the respective countries as well as with the violence that occurred during the Arab Spring in order to reckon with the legacy of human rights abuses (Sriram, Transitional justice in the middle East and North Africa, Hurst, London, 2017). These transitions to justice are not without obstacles and challenges, though. The objective of her chapter is therefore not to tell the stories of various transitional justice and memory projects in post-Arab Spring countries, but to situate such practices in time and space.

1. Human rights: the idea and the law

2021 ◽  
pp. 3-19
Author(s):  
Howard Davis
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
International Protection ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Key Points ◽  
The World ◽  
Protection Of Human Rights ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Uk

Without assuming prior legal knowledge, books in the Directions series introduce and guide readers through key points of law and legal debate. Questions, discussion points, and thinking points help readers to engage fully with each subject and check their understanding as they progress and knowledge can be tested by self-test questions and exam questions at the chapter end. This chapter discusses the idea of human rights, as well as a range of political and constitutional issues to which they give rise. The general history of the international protection of human rights from which the UK system is derived is also introduced. The chapter furthermore presents examples of human rights abuses specific to the UK that are, to some extent, at the mild end of the full spectrum of human rights abuses found in other parts of Europe or in the rest of the world. The concept of human rights assumes that all reasonable human beings share the feeling that, in whatever they do, they need to accord proper respect to the dignity of all individual human beings. States and governments, in particular, must ensure that individual dignity is respected in their laws and practices.

scholarly journals Turkmenistan and the Middle East

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Michael B. Bishku
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Natural Gas ◽  
International Relations ◽  
Political System ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
Government Documents ◽  
Homogenous Population

Turkmenistan is a weak country militarily, but well-­endowed with natural gas reserves. While the latter also insulates it somewhat from international criticism of its human rights abuses, unfortunately, Turkmenistan is landlocked and dependent upon the goodwill of its neighbors in order to export that commodity. Additionally, Turkmenistan is in need of technological assistance. Given its relatively homogenous population and its hydrocarbon wealth it has adopted a policy of subsidizing certain necessities—though it underfunds other—and is fairly stable internally. Nevertheless, it is ruled under an autocratic political system, suffers massive corruption, and has to contend with fears of instability on its borders. Therefore, Turkmenistan has adopted a policy of permanent neutrality and is open to cooperation with all its neighbors as well as the big powers. The countries of the Middle East as both immediate and nearby neighbors play an important part in the international relations of Turkmenistan and in providing technological assistance and economic investments. This article, which reviews and analyzes those ties, utilizes government documents, academic works and newspapers from Turkmenistan and Middle Eastern countries.

scholarly journals New Trends in Islamic Political Parties in the Arab Spring Countries

2014 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. 459
Author(s):  
Ibnu Burdah
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Arab Spring ◽  
Literary Research ◽  
Justice And Development Party ◽  
The World ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Islamic Political Parties

The recent developments of Islamic political parties in the Arab spring countries show new orientation and agendas, i.e. reconfirmation of their commitment to democratic values, strengthening civil society, and adopting human rights principles. In the same time, they indicate not to be interested in the old Islamic agendas relating to jihad for Islamic states (dawlah Islāmiyah) and “global Islamic government” under one centralized caliphate (al-khilāfah al-Islāmiyyah). It is the case of Justice and Development Party (Ḥizb al-‘Adālah wa’l-Tanmiyah) in Morocco, Freedom and Justice Party (Ḥizb al-Ḥurriyyah wa’l-‘Adālah) in Egypt, and Awakening Party (Ḥizb al-Nahḍah) in Tunis. This paper seeks to explore and explain this new fact. Based on literary research and interviews with the leaders of the Justice and Development Party (Ḥizb al-‘Adālah wa’l-Tanmiyah) in Morocco, the paper concludes that the new orientation and agendas of Islamic political parties in the Arab spring states are related to democratization in the world, strong waves of Arab spring in many Arab states, and the dynamics of the internal parties.[Perkembangan mutakhir partai-partai politik Islam di sejumlah negara Arab “Musim Semi” menunjukkan adanya perubahan orientasi dan agenda baru, berupa penegasan kembali komitmen mereka terhadap nilai-nilai demokrasi, penguatan masyarakat sipil, dan adopsi prinsip-prinsip hak asasi manusia. Pada saat yang sama, mereka tampak kurang tertarik kepada agenda-agenda politik Islam lama seperti jihad bagi pendirian negara Islam dan pendirian pemerintahan Islam global di bawah satu khalifah yang tersentralisasi. Hal ini relevan terhadap kasus Partai Keadilan dan Pembangunan (Ḥizb al-‘Adālah wa’l-Tanmiyah) di Maroko, Partai Kebebasan dan Keadilan (Ḥizb al-Ḥurriyyah wa’l-‘Adālah) di Mesir, dan Partai Kebangkitan (Ḥizb al-Nahḍah) di Tunisia. Artikel ini berupaya mengeksplorasi dan menjelaskan fakta baru ini. Berdasarkan kajian pustaka dan wawancara dengan sejumlah petinggi Partai Keadilan dan Pembangunan di Maroko, penulis berkesimpulan bahwa orientasi baru ini terjadi akibat dari gelombang demokratisasi dunia, “angin kencang musim semi” Arab yang begitu kuat, dan dinamika internal partai.]

scholarly journals Middle East & African Student (MEAS) Perceptions of Islam and Islamic Moderation: A Case Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-80
Author(s):  
Mansoureh Ebrahimi ◽  
Kamaruzaman Yusoff ◽  
Rozmi Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
East African ◽  
African Students ◽  
Islamic Thought ◽  
The World ◽  
African Student ◽  
Definition Of

Islamic Moderation is such a fundamental concept that without it understanding the faith is inadequate at best. Muslims are required by definition of the term ‘Muslim’ to remain on the middle path in everything pertaining to the life ways. They must not overstep the bounds (tafrit) and become trapped in the extremist quagmire (ifrat). As an Islamic doctrine par excellence, moderation inherently finds solutions for injustice and the violation of human rights. Nonetheless, some schools of Islamic thought (madhhabs) attend extremist ideology, particularly those of Middle East and African savour. These have spread a frightful spirit of intolerance throughout the world that has indelibly blackened Islam’s image by choosing to deny Islam’s characteristic spirit of moderation. In so doing, they marginalize any proper implementation of authentic Islam and block all corrective political discourse. Militant radicals clearly neglect moderation as a doctrinal position that is traditionally essential to the creed. This paper presents a broad exposure to Islam’s middle path with a focus on 192 respondents to a survey taken by Middle Eastern and African students (MEAS) studying in Malaysia.Qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to achieve four significant findings indicating these students do not understand the nature of being a good Muslim.

Послестолетийодиночества:изменение социальнойпсихологиисирийскиххристианвновоевремя

2019 ◽  
pp. 218-255
Author(s):  
T.Yu. Kobischanov
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Cultural Psychology ◽  
Historical Science ◽  
Capitalist System ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
The World ◽  
Psychological Transformation ◽  
History Of

Quite often in the course of historical events, social and economic changes obscure the changes in cultural psychology of ethnic groups and their representatives. The historical science explains what happened, how and why it was happening but very rarely gives us a chance to understand what people were feeling in this respect, what processes were going on in their individual and common consciousness and in the subconscious. The drama that the Christians of the Middle East are going through, the final act of which we are probably witnessing these days, urges us to look for its roots in the distant past. The Ottoman period in the history of East Christian communities is of particular significance. The Middle East Christians got under the Turkish rule as a discriminated minority pushed out on the curb of sociopolitical life, but by the beginning of the 20th century the Christians of the Middle East as a whole, and Christian communities of Syria and Lebanon in particular, were flourishing and were perfectly well adapted to possibilities that inclusion of the Ottoman state into the world capitalist system had to offer. The upgrade of the Christians status was accompanied by gradual changes in their social psychology including self identification of the members of the Christian communities, remodelling of their behaviour patterns in everyday life and in conflict situations as well as psychology of introconfessional relations. This research is an attempt to describe and analyse this cultural and psychological transformation.Нередко в ходе исторических событий социальноэкономические изменения затмевают изменения в культурной психологии этнических групп и их представителей. Историческая наука объясняет, что произошло, как и почему это происходило, но очень редко дает нам возможность понять, что чувствовали люди в этом отношении, какие процессы происходили в их индивидуальном и общем сознании и в подсознании. Драма, которую переживают христиане Ближнего Востока, заключительный акт которой мы, вероятно, наблюдаем в эти дни, побуждает нас искать ее корни в далеком прошлом. Османский период в истории восточных христианских общин имеет особое значение. Ближневосточные христиане попали под турецкое правление как дискриминируемое меньшинство, вытесненное на обочину общественнополитической жизни, но к началу 20 века христиане Ближнего Востока в целом, и христианские общины Сирии и Ливана в частности, процветали и были прекрасно приспособлены к возможностям, которые могло предложить включение Османского государства в мировую капиталистическую систему. Обновление статуса христиан сопровождалось постепенными изменениями в их социальной психологии, включая самоидентификацию членов христианских общин, перестройку их моделей поведения в повседневной жизни и в конфликтных ситуациях, а также психологию внутриконфессиональных отношений. Это исследование является попыткой описать и проанализировать эту культурную и психологическую трансформацию.

The burden of cardiovascular disease risk factors in the Middle East: A systematic review and meta-analysis focusing on primary prevention

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula ◽  
Abdullah Shehab ◽  
Anhar Ullah ◽  
Jamal Rahmani
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Family History ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
History Of

Background: The increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) threatens the Middle Eastern population. Several epidemiological studies have assessed CVD and its risk factors in terms of the primary prevention of CVD in the Middle East. Therefore, summarizing the information from these studies is essential. Aim: We conducted a systematic review to assess the prevalence of CVD and its major risk factors among Middle Eastern adults based on the literature published between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2018 and carried out a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched electronic databases such as PubMed/Medline, ScienceDirect, Embase and Google Scholar to identify literature published from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018. All the original articles that investigated the prevalence of CVD and reported at least one of the following factors were included: hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, smoking and family history of CVD. To summarize CVD prevalence, we performed a random-effects meta-analysis. Results: A total of 41 potentially relevant articles were included, and 32 were included in the meta-analysis (n=191,979). The overall prevalence of CVD was 10.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 7.1-14.3%, p<0.001) in the Middle East. A high prevalence of CVD risk factors, such as dyslipidaemia (43.3%; 95% CI: 21.5-68%), hypertension (26.2%; 95% CI: 19.6-34%) and diabetes (16%; 95% CI: 9.9-24.8%), was observed. The prevalence rates of other risk factors, such as smoking (12.4%; 95% CI: 7.7-19.4%) and family history of CVD (18.7%; 95% CI: 15.4-22.5%), were also high. Conclusion: The prevalence of CVD is high (10.1%) in the Middle East. The burden of dyslipidaemia (43.3%) in this region is twice as high as that of hypertension (26.2%) and diabetes mellitus (16%). Multifaceted interventions are urgently needed for the primary prevention of CVD in this region.

War and the Politics of Ethics

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maja Zehfuss
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Cultural Knowledge ◽  
Ethics Training ◽  
Human Rights Abuses ◽  
The World ◽  
Ethics And Politics

Contemporary Western war is represented as enacting the West’s ability and responsibility to help make the world a better place for others, in particular to protect them from oppression and serious human rights abuses. That is, war has become permissible again, indeed even required, as ethical war. At the same time, however, Western war kills and destroys. This creates a paradox: Western war risks killing those it proposes to protect. This book examines how we have responded to this dilemma and challenges the vision of ethical war itself. That is, it explores how the commitment to ethics shapes the practice of war and indeed how practices come, in turn, to shape what is considered ethical in war. The book closely examines particular practices of warfare, such as targeting, the use of cultural knowledge, and ethics training for soldiers. What emerges is that instead of constraining violence, the commitment to ethics enables and enhances it. The book argues that the production of ethical war relies on an impossible but obscured separation between ethics and politics, that is, a problematic politics of ethics, and reflects on the need to make decisions at the limit of ethics.

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