Peace and Justice @ MFM

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2010-03-06T16:18:00.001-05:00

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Prayers for Peacemakers: Pray for the people of Chile and Haiti

2010-03-06T13:27:00.000-05:00

On his tour of the quake-damaged area of Concepcion and the nearby port city of Talcahuano last week UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon observed: "Your people were generous enough to rush to Haiti when it was hit. Now it is the moment for the international community to stand with the Chilean people. I can feel all this, for your loss, for your struggle.” As we continue to support Haiti in our prayers and relief efforts, may we also embrace the suffering in Chile.

2010-03-05T16:27:00.000-05:00

[Cross-posted from the Montreal Gazette's University City blog]

Dr. Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts on behalf of human rights, especially those of women and children, in her native Iran, will be in Montreal Wednesday as a guest of the Concordia Student Union.

Last fall, Ebadi, a lawyer and former judge who is the first Muslim woman to receive the Peace prize, said her Nobel medal had been confiscated on the orders of Tehran's Revolutionary Court, which also froze her bank accounts, claiming it was owed $410,000 in taxes on the $1.3 million prize money.

Ebadi, who has strong ties to this city – her daughters studied international law and engineering at McGill – will speak on "Women, Peace and Iran" as part of the CSU's week-long celebration of women, beginning with International Women's Day on Monday.

The event takes place Wednesday, March 10 at 5 p.m. in Room H-110 of the Henry F. Hall building, 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.

Images: International Women's Day

2010-03-04T16:49:00.000-05:00

MCC's International Women's Day slideshow:

In honor of International Women’s Day, on March 8, we lift our voices in thanks for the courageous women around the world who work, sometimes against great odds, to improve their livelihood and communities, support their families and open doors to a brighter future.

Prayers for Peacemakers: Pray for the shopkeepers of Hebron

2010-02-26T16:13:00.003-05:00

Pray for the shopkeepers of the Old City of Hebron. Shuhada Street, their main commercial thoroughfare, has been closed to Palestinian traffic for years by Israeli order. A few shops remain open as a sign of resistance.

Prayers for Peacemakers: Pray for Afghanistan

2010-02-22T17:27:00.001-05:00

Pray for Afghanistan as the population faces changes to the country's election law. These include the removal of the three foreigners appointed by the United Nations to the five-member Electoral Complaints Commission designed to look into voting fraud. The changes would also limit the number of women in the Afghan parliament.

Prayers for Peacemakers: Civilian Deaths in Iraq

2010-02-14T11:27:00.000-05:00

Iraq Body Count reports that violent civilian deaths in Iraq have fallen from 200/week in 2008 to 100/week in 2009. Pray that this violence declines and a just and stable peace emerges.

Canadian School Of Peacebuilding 2010

2010-02-04T08:27:00.001-05:00

Join local, national and international practitioners and students of peace, justice and development at the second annual Canadian School of Peacebuilding to be held at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg, MB, June 14 to July 2, 2010. Three 5-day sessions, each with two or three courses running concurrently, will be offered for academic credit or for training for practitioners. For more information or to apply, go to cmu.ca/csop or e-mail csop@cmu.ca.

Speaker: Paul Dewar, MP, on Civil War and Mining in the Congo

2010-01-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

Paul Dewar, MP for Ottawa-Centre and NDP Foreign Affairs Critic, on "The Congo: Civil War and Mining"
Date: Tuesday February 2nd - from 3:15-4:15
Place: McConnell Engineering, room 12
Hosted by Amnesty McGill as part of their "Five Days for Human Dignity" campaign.

Civil war has raged for over a decade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spawning horrors including child soldiers and systematic rape, and resulting in the loss of over 3 million lives.

The fighting continues in part due to various militas' desire to control the mining of coltan, a metal essential to many consumer electronics, including cellphones. Some miners are child slaves. A number of Canadian mining companies have been, or are involved in, the mining of coltan in Congo.

Paul Dewar, MP (Ottawa-Centre), NDP Foreign Affairs Critic, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Prevention of Genocide and Other Crimes Against Humanity, will visit McGill to speak about this issue, his trip to the Congo last year, and his efforts (including Bill C-298) to have Canadian companies held responsible for their operations overseas. There will be time for questions and discussion, and admission is free.

Bits and Peaces #36

2010-01-20T13:27:00.004-05:00

The January edition of Bits & Peaces is here! As usual, you can read the issue online, or download the pdf.

In this issue:

Haiti earthquake update
Canadian Council of Churches Afghanistan brief
New Report on Military Spending from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
New peace resources from MCC Ontario

Feel free to pass it along, and send any comments or feedback to peace@mennonitecc.ca

Peace Signs, January 2010

2010-01-20T13:27:00.002-05:00

January 19, 2009 Number 71

In this month's issue:

Road Construction

News and notes • Lisa Amstutz

Haiti's disaster: human or natural? • Susan Mark Landis

Otterville • Merrill R. Miller

Capitol Reflection

What we owe Haiti • Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach

WorldViews

Who's in charge? • Max Ediger

Shield of Faith

Don Cachaco's three-cornered prayer • Anton Flores

Peace Before The Sun Goes Down

Waiting with Haiti • Brother James Dowd

Arts Crossing

The battle for hearts and minds • Tim Huber

Praying for Peace

Prayers for Haiti

A prayer for reflective pause • Tim Huber

Reader Response

Readers respond to past issues

Protest to denounce mining violence in Mexico

2009-12-08T23:27:00.000-05:00

On International Human Rights Day, Thursday December 10th, a gathering will be held in front of the Mexican Consulate in Montreal to denounce the assassination of environmental activist Mariano Abarca and the violence generated by the presence of mining companies in Mexico. Three workers of Canadian mining company Blackfire Exploration Ltd. were arrested today in connection with the killing.

Meeting time: noon
Address: 2005 Peel St. (corner de Maisonneuve)

Bits & Peaces #35

2009-12-07T15:27:00.001-05:00

The December edition of Bits & Peaces is here! You can read the issue online, or download the pdf.

In this issue:

Mennonite Church Canada is encouraging congregations to proclaim peace "in the public square" and has launched
www.liveforpeace.org as a resource.
Advent prayer for peace in Afghanistan by Carol Penner
KAIROS invites churches across Canada to show support for a bold action to address climate change at upcoming UN talks in Copenhagen. How? By ringing your church bells 350 times at 3:00 pm on December 13. Read more at the KAIROS website.
Update on the Canadian Department of Peace initiative
The Mining Justice campaign is in full swing! Visit the Mining Justice website for case studies, fact sheets, policies and suggestions of what can be done to promote mining justice. A recent news release highlights the visit to Canada of Francisco Machado, a Honduran Mennonite pastor and advocate for mining reform.
The schedule of this summer's Canadian School of Peacebuilding.

Feel free to pass it along, and send any comments or feedback to peace@mennonitecc.ca,

Women of Zimbabwe Arise

2009-12-04T11:47:00.009-05:00

By LLEWELLYN KING, Montreal Gazette

Of all those who have been hurt and died terrible deaths in the time of Robert Mugabe as prime thug in Zimbabwe, none have been hurt more than the women. They have been beaten, imprisoned, raped and starved. They have watched the bulldozing of their shacks. They have watched the slow, terrible deaths of their children from malnutrition and untreated disease. Maybe one of the worst of the hurts suffered by the women is the fear that they will die ahead of their young children, leaving them to die alone of starvation.

Such a tale was told in Washington last week by two of Zimbabwe's most remarkable women. A mother of three went out to forage for food but collapsed and died. The starving children found some fertilizer she had hidden against the day when she could get some corn to plant. The children thought the fertilizer pellets were grain and made porridge with them. All three were poisoned and died.

Yet Magadonga Mahlangu and Jenni Williams, principles in the non-violent, grassroots movement WOZA, talked not about privation and murder, but hope. Hope for enough food; hope for an end to violence to themselves; hope for their children; and hope for a free, productive and stable homeland. Although both women have each been arrested more than 30 times, imprisoned and held without bail for a long period ("on remand," in the English common-law language of the tattered Zimbabwe legal system), they remain optimistic. In hell, they dream of heaven.

WOZA, which stands for Women of Zimbabwe Arise, was formed in 2002 as a non- violent, non-political group, committed to the protection of women and their families by teaching them to protest for their human rights and by teaching them some basic skills, such as how to avoid violence and rape, whether it is domestic or state-sponsored.

Both Mahlangu and Williams are from the nation's second city, Bulawayo, in Matabeland, where the predominant people are the Ndebele, an offshoot of the Zulus of South Africa. Mugabe might have reason enough to hate the women because of their activism, but the Ndebele have known his loathing since the first days of his rule in the early 1980s, when he sent his best troops, known as the Fifth Brigade, to effect a genocidal massacre that is believed to have cost as many as 25,000 Ndebele their lives. Mugabe is a Shona, the largest tribal grouping in Zimbabwe - which is slightly smaller than Saskatchewan - and the traditional rivals of the Ndebele. Mahlangu is a pure-bred Ndebele, with a regal bearing that belies her long suffering at the hands of the police and military in Zimbabwe. Williams is of mixed race -with European as well as African ancestry - and therefore easily accused by the state paranoiacs of treason and crimes against the state. She says she is the subject of racial slurs from the police and security forces. They accuse her of being "white, English and a colonialist" even though she has the same colouring as President Barack Obama.

Although the two women have been frequently arrested and detained without trial, they have never been convicted. The charges most levelled are for threatening public order. Mostly, they have been held in police cells. Once one of them was taken to a men's prison, where the arresting officer warned her that she needed a strong stomach. When she got there she found 500 men without sanitation, adequate water or food. Some had died, and others were dying of dysentery and starvation.

The women were brought to Washington on a low-key visit, organized by the Robert F. Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights to receive its human rights award for 2009. The prize money, $30,000, will go to a program to prevent violence and rape.

Extraordinarily, WOZA is not looking for money. Instead, they want the world community to bombard the police commissioner and the judiciary with faxes and e-mails to protest what Williams calls "persecution by prosecution." Both women go on trial again Dec. 7. "If they know the world is watching, it helps," says Mahlangu.

WOZA, now 60,000-strong, can be found on the Web at wozazimbabwe.org.

Hina Jilani Discusses the Goldstone Report at McGill Today

2009-11-25T10:27:00.001-05:00

"The Promise of International Law for Civilian Victims of War: The Goldstone Report"

The Arab Law Students Association of McGill and the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism are happy to invite you to a lecture by Hina Jilani, leading human rights lawyer and Member of the Goldstone Commission.

Ms. Hina Jilani is Advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and was the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Human Rights Defenders from 2000 to 2008. She has fought for human rights for over 30 years, especially in the areas of the rights of women, minorities, children and prisoners. She is internationally recognized for her expertise in critical human rights investigations.

Ms. Jilani will provide a first-hand account of the Gaza Mission, its methodology, and the challenges it faced in carrying out its mandate. She will address the Mission’s findings of violations of international humanitarian and human rights law by Israeli and Palestinian parties, and the potential of international law to ensure accountability for victims of the conflict. A question and answer period will follow.

Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009 @ 6:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: Moot Court (Room 100), New Chancellor Day Hall, McGill Faculty of Law, 3644 Peel Street
Information: 514-582-4391 or alsamcgill@gmail.com

If you miss the lecture, you can listen to an interview with Ms Jilani from the Australian Broadcasting Commission in in the player below:

Peace Signs, November 2009

2009-11-25T09:27:00.000-05:00

November 17, 2009 Number 69

In this month's issue:
Inseparable beams of the cross • Susan Mark Landis
The parable of the Good Samaritan was in so many of my Sunday school quarterlies when I was a child that one would think I've scrutinized every possible lesson.
Otterville • Merrill R. Miller
A new Colombia policy - now is the time! • Theo Sitther
Colombia is home to one of the longest running internal armed conflicts.
Afghanistan needs sustainable peace, not more troops • Susan Mark Landis
As Mennonite Christians who are called to go into the world to spread the good news of the gospel to all people, we proclaim that sending additional troops to Afghanistan is good news to no one.
Fifty ways to fade your footprint • Anton Flores
Set to the tune of Paul Simon's "Fifty Ways to Leave your Lover," this is a collaborative songwriting project by Dorie Callies, Kathy Etchison and Anton Flores.
Think about these things • Tom Beutel
Despite his own personal hardships and problems in the church at Philippi, Paul wraps up his letter to the Philippians by exhorting them to focus on that which is true, honorable, just, pleasing, commendable, excellent and worthy of praise.
Prayer for a caring spirit
A prayer written by Mike Mast, retired pastor from Dalton, Ohio.
Who we are
This prayer was written by by Malinda Berry, Instructor of Theological Studies & M.A. Program Director at Bethany Theological Seminary, Richmond, IN.
Reader responses to our past issues

Conference by Malalai Joya: Nov. 24

2009-11-20T15:27:00.000-05:00

The Collectif Échec à la guerre and the Fédération des femmes du Québec invite you to former Afghan MP Malalai Joya's conference in Montreal:

TUESDAY 24 November, at 7 pm in UQÀM's Marie-Gérin-Lajoie auditorium (metro Berri-UQÀM) as part of her current tour in the US and in Canada to mark the publication of her memoirs A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Speak Out.

The conference will be in English, with simultaneous translation into French.
Voluntary contribution: $5

In the aftermath of Afghanistan's presidential elections, marred with massive fraud, corruption and collusion with the country's warlords, this conference by Malalai Joya, which has been called "the bravest woman in Afghanistan" by the BBC, could not be more timely. As early as 2003, at a constitutional assembly in Kabul, she stood up and denounced her country's powerful NATO-backed warlords. Two years later, she became the elected representative from the poor province of Farah in the Afghan Parliament:

"In 2005, I was the youngest person elected to the new Afghan parliament. Women like me, running for office, were held up as an example of how the war in Afghanistan had liberated women,” writes Joya, an outspoken critic of the Karzai government and NATO occupation. “But this democracy was a facade, and the so-called liberation a big lie."

In 2007, she was suspended from Parliament for her persistent criticism of the warlords and drug barons and their cronies... who were sharing Parliament seats with her! An illegitimate suspension which she is still challenging. She has survived four assassination attempts to date.

Often compared to Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi, Malalai Joya has emerged as a symbol of Afghans’ desire for freedom from corruption, warlordism and foreign occupation. Her father, who lost a leg fighting the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, named her after a 19th century hero in the fight against the British Empire, Malalai of Maiwand.

Her book tells the story of her life in the context of three decades of war. Joya details her reasons for opposing NATO's war and suggests concrete steps for building an independent and genuinely democratic Afghanistan. And she hopes her book will "correct the tremendous amount of misinformation being spread about Afghanistan":

"Afghans are sometimes represented in the media as a backward people, nothing more than terrorists, criminals and henchmen. This false image is extremely dangerous for the future of both my country and the West. The truth is that Afghans are brave and freedom loving people with a rich culture and a proud history. We are capable of defending our independence, governing ourselves and determining our own future."

Malalai Joya's conference tour in the US and Canada takes place as president Obama is about to announce an increase in US troops in Afghanistan and as the Harper government is musing about extending Canadian involvement in the war in Afghanistan beyond July 2011.

Her conference in Montreal and the discussions we will have with her will be a key moment of information sharing and reflection as we prepare for the People's Summit Against War and Militarism (19-21 March, 2010) and for the actions of the World March of Women 2010 that will be launched this coming March 8th.

An event not to be missed! To be shared with your colleagues, parents and friends.
for the Collectif Échec à la guerre, Raymond Legault
for the Fédération des femmes du Québec, Alexa Conradi

Peace Signs, October 2009

2009-10-22T22:27:00.003-04:00

October 20, 2009 Number 68

In this month's issue:
Bleeding hearts can't change the world • Susan Mark Landis
No question, I'm a bleeding heart. I feel hugely guilty about how good and easy my life is on a global scale. When I become aware of how rotten life is for someone else, I quickly give up something so they have enough and so I don't feel guilty.
Otterville • Merrill R. Miller
Not far enough • Tammy Alexander
The healing story in Matthew describes a woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for twelve years. Aside from her physical suffering, the woman was also likely a pariah in society, an outcast, unable to marry or have a family or be a part of community life.
A persistent faith • Max Erdiger
Mrs. Hai Khanjanta is a grandmother with a message for us. She does not share her message through words, but rather through her example.
"Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry?" • Brother James Dowd
Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are well into the season of autumn, and along with the beautiful leaves and the crisp weather comes the harvest... All of us have much to be grateful for, not the least of which is the fact that we rarely, if ever, have to worry about having enough food on our tables.
Review of 'A Persistent Voice: Marian Franz and Conscientious Objection to Military Taxation' • Muriel T. Stackley
Review of 'Pray the Devil Back to Hell'
Public footpaths and dog-friendly pubs • Tom Beutel
My wife and I recently returned from a long-anticipated trip to England... As a sabbath from our busy lives it could not have been better. As a chance to see a different, beautiful, and historic land and meet some of its people, it surpassed our expectations.
Prayer based on the hymn
This month's prayer was written by Hilary Scarsella, AMBS student and member of the Iraq Christian Peacemaker Team.
Reader responses to our past issues

Prayers for Peacemakers: Give thanks for all those who build peace.

2009-10-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

A prayer of thanksgiving for all those who build peace. For some it is by great acts of courage, for others by small acts of kindness. As we admire the Dalai Lama and other role models, let us remember that peace starts in our own hearts; "nonviolence is about becoming the change we wish to see in the world" (M.K Gandhi). Thanks be to God for helping all those who tackle this challenge.

MCC appeals for donations for Asia disasters

2009-10-08T09:27:00.002-04:00

Mennonite Central Committee is appealing for an initial $100,000 to assist people in Asia whose homes and lives were devastated by recent earthquakes and flooding.

Two earthquakes struck the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, the first on Wednesday, Sept. 30, and the second on Thursday, Oct. 1. The earthquakes caused buildings to collapse and trapped thousands under rubble. On Friday, the United Nations reported that 1,100 people had died. Earlier in the week, Typhoon Ketsana in Southeast Asia caused heavy rainfall, widespread flooding and mudslides. Hundreds of people have died and at least 500,000 were displaced. Ketsana prompted the worst flooding in the northern Philippines in 40 years when it struck Saturday, Sept. 26, and then continued its deadly path across Southeast Asia. It battered central Vietnam with powerful winds and heavy rain and then weakened as it moved into Cambodia and Laos.

The $100,000 (USD) will be used to provide immediate shelter, food and other emergency supplies to people in Indonesia and the Philippines and to meet longer-term recovery needs in Vietnam. These are countries where MCC has workers or connections with Mennonite congregations.

In Indonesia, the Mennonite Diakonial Service has sent an assessment team to the earthquake area. MCC anticipates requests for funding to provide emergency shelter and food. Mennonite Diakonial Service is the disaster response arm of the Gereja Kristen Muria Indonesia, the Muria Mennonite Synod.

In the Philippines, MCC has started communication with the Integrated Mennonite Churches (IMC) to assess the needs. Next week, MCC will send Bruce Glick of Millersburg, Ohio, to the Philippines. Glick will work in cooperation with IMC and other organizations to develop an emergency response plan. MCC has not had a country program in the Philippines since 2005. However, Glick, who worked with MCC for 19 years, will return to the country where he served in 2004-2005.

In Vietnam, MCC workers are assessing the need as they communicate with the Social Work Committee of the Vietnam Mennonite Church. MCC anticipates the need for recovery funds to help affected communities rebuild once the initial crisis passes.

MCC is also monitoring the ongoing needs of people in Cambodia and Laos who suffered damage from Ketsana.

Financial contributions may be made to any MCC office (designated for "Asia disasters") online at mcc.org/donate or by telephoning toll free:
In Canada: 1-888-622-6337
In the U.S.: 1-888-563-4676

Prayers for Peacemakers: Pray for the victims of natural disasters

2009-10-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

Pray for the survivors of the natural disasters that occurred in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific this week. According to the UN, over 1,100 people died in the earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra, and hundreds others died in the tsunami that hit Samoa. A typhoon wreaked havoc in the Philippines and Vietnam, and another is forecast for this weekend. May rescuers find the strength and resources to give aid in these desperate situations.

Peace Signs, September 2009

2009-10-02T11:27:00.000-04:00

September 15, 2009 Number 67

In this month's issue:
Thriving takes time • Susan Mark Landis
A friend in his mid-20's made time to help us in the garden last week...
Otterville • Merrill R. Miller
Action alert: ACT for access • Susan Mark Landis
We provide suggestions for prayer, reflection and action on health care.
Action alert: Afghanistan
Congress, the Obama Administration and the military are considering significantly increasing U.S. troop numbers in Afghanistan. But we believe that troops do not bring security or peace.
Act for Peace in Uganda • Mary Stata
For the past two decades the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebel group has threatened communities in northern Uganda and across central Africa by brutally targeting civilians and abducting thousands of children. Even though the LRA is small in numbers (less than 1.500 members), their ruthless attacks have wreaked havoc on the region and caused massive internal displacement of civilians.
When victims become healers • Max Ediger
For those of us living half-a-world away it may be easy to pick up a good book or turn on a television show and pretend that the war in Viet Nam never happened, but for the people of Viet Nam, the reminders of those tragic years of unnecessary violence are always in front of them, not just in their memories but in the lives of the many people suffering the effects of unexploded ordnance and herbicide poisons.
The International Day of Peace • Brother James Dowd
Since the early 1980's, the United Nations has proclaimed September 21st as the International Day of Peace, and throughout the world various vigils, commemorations, rallies, festivals and other ways to mark the day have been held on or about that date. And so, once again, we find ourselves preparing for another Day of Peace with hope and expectation. Or do we?
Trusting God • Tom Beutel
Within the context of shalom--peace which permeates all of life and which is centered in well-being and right relationships--it is common to focus on nonviolence. There seem to be two somewhat mutually exclusive strains within this focus on nonviolence: nonresistance and nonviolent resistance.
Prayer based on the hymn
This month's prayer was written by Joel Beachy.

Dalai Lama in Montreal

2009-10-01T16:48:00.001-04:00

The Maison de l’amitié is part of a planning committee organizing events associated with the visit of the Dalai Lama to Montreal, Oct. 2-4, 2009. MA will be having a booth at the Bell Centre during the event as well. For details see: Tools of Peace
The Dalai Lama will give a public talk in Montreal entitled "Educating the Heart: The Power of Compassion" at 14:30 on Oct. 3.

A symbol of peace from a legacy of war

2009-09-24T13:02:00.005-04:00

Between the International Day of Peace (September 21) and Remembrance Day (November 11), five dollars from every Peace Dove Necklace sold will be used to help support victim assistance programs in Cambodia.
By transforming old bombshells into symbolic jewellery, artisans with Rajana Association in Cambodia are turning the ugly legacy of war into a peaceful future.
For more information, go to 10,000 Villages
To join the movement to ban landmines and cluster bombs, see Mines Action Canada

Buddha’s Savage Peace

2009-09-22T09:21:00.003-04:00

"After 26 years and 70,000 casualties, Sri Lanka’s civil war has ended — for now. The key to easing the fears of the country’s historically beleaguered Buddhist majority while protecting its Hindu minority? Rediscovering the blend of faiths that laid the foundation for the ancient kingdom of Kandy." Read the article by Robert D. Kaplan in The Atlantic