"Class Dismissed" - Short documentary on Swat Valley, Pakistan

After watching this 14 minute documentary chronicling the last hours before an 11-year old girl's public school in Swat Valley, Pakistan, is closed, I must say, I am very saddened and depressed by the whole situation. I've been reading news about how schools are closing down, week after week, by the dozens, but it never really hits you until you see visuals. Thanks to the documentary, I now appreciate the struggle of women the world over who yearn to be educated.

Ziauddin is not your typical male, and his daughter - or family, in general - are not your typical family. He is a social activist who wants his daughter to be a politician. She, on the other hand, wants to be a doctor. And both dont want to leave Swat! I salute their courage. Not much is left of their once serene valley. I had the pleasure of visiting the northern areas of Pakistan, specifically Swat and some other cities nearby, in 2001, and was blown away. Such beauty! Those images will be eteched in my mind forever.

Tragically, Balakot - the city which is traditionally considered a gateway to the North - was destroyed nearly completely in the October 2005 earthquake. And Swat - well, we know what's happening there now.

My hope is that the New York Times and other media outlets continue to focus on this story. No one should ever live in fear. Please take a moment to thank the Times for this video. I dont agree with a lot of their journalistic viewpoints and policies, but when any one does good, a little encouragement goes a long way.

Bhutto on peace?

Yes, ironic, I know. But after reading this piece she wrote on peace, i've begun to gain a newfound respect for the woman.

Bhutto is dead. Long live Bhutto.

NY Event - Iran and the U.S.: Preventing Conflict by Promoting Civil Society and Diplomacy - 4/7

Iran and the U.S.:
Preventing Conflict by Promoting
Civil Society and Diplomacy

co-sponsored by the Hunter College Chapter of
Americans for Informed Democracy

Saturday, April 7, 2007 | 11 A.M. - 2 P.M. | Hunter College

How significant of a threat does Iran pose to the U.S. and Israel? How can the international community promote civil society without undermining Iranian national pride? How can we effectively discuss issues that are politically and religiously sensitive?

Ervand Abrahamian (Baruch College) will discuss Iranian foreign policy, the autonomy of the Iranian people, and civil society's role in Iranian politics

Alice Slater (Nuclear Age Peace Foundation) will discuss the effectiveness of grassroots efforts and how to mobilize Americans to promote diplomacy toward Iran

Bob Zuber (Global Action to Prevent War) will discuss substantive entry-level jobs in conflict resolution and social entrepreneurship in the field

A brief panel discussion will be followed by an open dialogue between the experts and attendees. Come share your views on the topic and find out how to have the most impact on conflict resolution. Refreshments will be served.

RSVP to clmadden@gmail.com for details.

"South Asian Cooperation and the Role of the Punjabs" by Tridivesh Singh Maini

(Photo of Singh with Ambassador John McDonald)

I recently came across some information about a fascinating book written by an Indian Punjabi fellow by the name of Tridivesh Singh Maini. Singh has studied in England and the US and has worked all over the world in diverse sectors and organizations, and is using his experiences constructively to talk about the role of the two Punjabs - Indian and Pakistani (that were torn apart during the Partition of India and Pakistan in 1947) - in South Asian cooperation.

I have yet to get my hands on it, but will leave you with some resources that show you how much of a must-read this book is for anyone remotely interested in South Asia, especially cooperation and peace in that region.

Happy reading!

Links to coverage in Pakistani papers:

http://www.dawn.com/2007/03/01/nat39.htm

http://www.thepost.com.pk/CityNews.aspx?dtlid=85085&catid=3

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=42205

http://www.pakistanlink.com/Headlines/Feb07/12/10.htm

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C02%5C27%5Cstory_27-2-2007_pg7_54

Coverage in Indian Papers:

Punjab link can further Indo-Pak peace'
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070217/delhi.htm

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070218/spectrum/books.ht

Coverage in America:
http://www.bridgestv.com/show_news.asp?newsid=1475

http://veracity.univpubs.american.edu/weekly/032707/032707_people.html

The book is available from the following website;

https://www.dkpd.com/servlet/dkNewRel?offset=80

Event: COSMOPOLITAN ETHICS & BEING PEACE: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY, JUSTICE, & PEACE - 10/19

“COSMOPOLITAN ETHICS & BEING PEACE: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY, JUSTICE, & PEACE”

DALE SNAUWAERT
Associate Professor of Educational Theory and Social Foundations of Education; Chair of the Department of Foundations of Education, University of Toledo

Thursday, October 19, 2006 - 7:00-9:00pm

Location: Teachers College, Columbia University (Room 179 Grace Dodge)
***NOTE VENUE CHANGE (formerly at Fordham University)***

RSVP KINDLY REQUESTED (not required) send to: peace-ed@tc.edu

The purpose of this presentation is to explore the relationship between a cosmopolitan conception of justice and spirituality as foundations of peace. “Peace” is a cosmopolitan social order that secures justice by guaranteeing all dimensions of rights and common duties necessary for human flourishing. Justice and thus peace are in turn contingent upon the development of internal moral capacities necessary for moral responsibility, the most central of which is the notion of Being Peace. Being Peace is a spiritual condition that functions as our moral compass, ensuring that we are capable of responding to others with respect and compassion. In a negative sense the moral standard here is internal discord. The positive conception is being-peace, is being at peace with one’s self. This perspective asserts an independent moral resource that is not contingent upon social custom. It thus provides a moral check on the society, enabling one to say no when the society around you is saying yes to an immoral act. From this perspective, ethics is a function of our spiritual condition, the state of our being.

Click here to visit the event website for more information. (www.tc.edu/PeaceEd/spiritethic/snauwaert.htm)

DALE SNAUWAERT

Dale T. Snauwaert, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Educational Theory and Social Foundations of Education and Chair of the Department of Foundations of Education at the University of Toledo. He received his B.A. in Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1983, a M.Ed. in Educational Policy and Ph.D. in Philosophy of Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1990. He has also taught at Colgate University, The University of Missouri, Teachers College, Columbia University, and Adelphi University. He is the author of Democracy, Education, and Governance: A Developmental Conception (State University of New York Press, 1993), which received an American Educational Studies Association Critics' Choice Award in 1995. He has published in such academic journals as Educational Theory, Journal of Educational Thought, Peabody Journal of Education, Holistic Education Review, Current Issues in Comparative Education, and Encounter on such topics as democratic education, the nature of teaching, moral education, holistic education, and international ethics. He is currently working on a book on the ethics of war and peace and human rights education. He was Associate Editor of Encounter: Education for Meaning and Social Justice from 1997-2002, and remains on their editorial board. His research interests focus on two areas: (1) moral and political philosophy as they pertain to educational theory, especially the ethics of war and peace, democracy, and human rights, and (2) the nature of consciousness and holistic education. He teaches courses in the philosophy and social foundations of education.