Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World

Kenan Yurttagül, 7 September 2012

on: Aleppo's Old Town: World Cultural Heritage threatened by Syria's Civil War, by Claudia Mende

Appeal to the International Community for the Preservation of Syria's Cultural Legacy

Intergovernmental organisations were ineffective in preserving cultural property during the Gulf, Afghan, and Iraq wars, having failed to prevent the looting of museums and the irreparable damaging of historical sites during these conflicts.

In the last Iraq war, according to the Archaeological Institute of America's website, up to 100 thousand historical, cultural, and religious artefacts were stolen, initially at the Baghdad Museum but later from various other locations, too.

Now, the historical, cultural and religious legacy in Syria is facing a similar fate. Various archaeological and historical sites, including the Aleppo and Damascus Museums, are under threat as a result of the destruction caused by armed clashes in the region.

All parties to the Syrian conflict should be reminded of Syria's obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols, signed also by Turkey in 1965. The inability to abide by this convention during previous conflicts in the Middle East should also be brought to light.

Kenan Yurttagül, Former General Director of Monuments and Museums at the Turkish Ministry of Culture

Ketab Jameel, 22 April 2012

on: Shiites in Afghanistan: Confident Reformers, by Martin Gerner

Strange how the article talks about the fact that other countries ("the West") have a distorted view of Afghanistan, specifically about Shiites appearing to be 'radical Muslims'... In my experience, the Sunnis have the reputation of being radical (especially on being 'conservative' in religion)... Either way, I do not understand what you would expect someone to believe when all they see is President Karzai signing off on this document as Law. (Many non-Muslims do not even know the difference between Sunni and Shia sects, if they even know those words in the first place, so you would have to start there, to be honest.)

Even the 200 women that protested was not enough to effect any change, was it? What else can be done to stop the people in power in Afghanistan from making laws that do not reflect the ideas of the people, if this is the case? Many of the people that leave Afghanistan due to lack of local education opportunities and disagreement with the government could also help if they stayed, but don't they also have a right to live somewhere where they can live as they choose?

It is a difficult question, having to choose between your love of your homeland and the option to emigrate to a country that may offer things that you can't do or have in the current Afghanistan. The Afghans that I talk to want to bring their children back one day to Afghanistan, for many reasons, but not until they are older. They do not see themselves moving back to live in Afghanistan permanently at this time.

Iftikhar Ahmad, 23 April 2012

on: Muslims in Germany: Integration in Germany Is Making Progress, by Jonathan Laurence

There is a conception that by chucking lots of different kids together, they will learn to get along, learn to not be racist or prejudiced. This isn't true.

If interaction is to produce toleration, respect and engagement it needs the different partners to be on equal terms, with equal resources, and a strong shared common ground.

Many state schools are ethnically diverse, but there is a huge amount of racism that exists since due to various factors.

A report by the Institute for Community Cohesion found that native parents were deserting some schools after finding their children outnumbered by pupils from ethnic minorities. Schools in parts of England are becoming increasingly segregated. The study focused on 13 local authorities. Many of the schools and colleges are segregated and this was generally worsening over recent years. This is racism, because British society is the home of institutional racism.

Muslim children need Muslim teachers during their developmental periods. For higher studies and research, Muslim teacher is not a priority.

The shortage of native children in inner city Bradford is because of the shortage of native parents. The majority of native people remaining anywhere near the centre of Bradford are old and too poor to move, otherwise they would. Bradford has a huge Pakistani ghetto of around 30 sq. miles around the city centre and it is growing pretty rapidly.

There is absolutely no chance of the Pakistani community integrating because there is no one to integrate with.

Some people may be interested in an Ofsted report about a school which is typical for the area, such as this. The Ofsted report shows that out of 390 kids in the school only two are natives, two are Indian and the rest Pakistani.

The report mentions: Nearly all of the pupils on the school roll speak English as an additional language but speak Punjabi at home.

I'd like to know what David Cameron would propose for such a school. Does he honestly think that there would be an uptake for a 25% quota for natives? The man is living in cloud cuckoo land.

Iftikhar Ahmad