by | October 7, 2011

Peace Works

Forget the Milwaukee Chicago rivalry.

The Marquette University Center for Peacemaking is spreading peace and conflict resolution program in Chicago Jesuit high schools.  The Peace Works Program is creating more fellow Peacemakers in teachers and students to reduce conflict and promote a peaceful community.  The program provides role models for respect while building listening, meditation and conflict resolution skills.

This isn’t the first time the Center has developed training programs for Non Violence.  There have been programs in Pulaski High School and Washington High School in Milwaukee as well as St. Giles Elementary in Oak Park, IL.  These programs get results in transforming the students decreasing discipline referrals and increasing problem solving behaviors.

Stay tuned to find out more about the Peace Works Program.

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by | September 27, 2011

The Path to Peace Starts at Home

I met a good number of well-meaning Westerners in Uganda who were trying to be global citizens. That is, many of the Westerners wanted to “save Africa” or “fix” some problem. For many people this means encouraging Western style development in Uganda. However, I have found the truth to be that if we want to be good neighbors to the developing world, we should begin by looking for positive changes that we can make in our own lives here at home.

I struggle with the fact that in one of the world’s most developed nations, happiness and satisfaction with life seem to be declining.  In many ways, it is over-development that has led to our unhappiness as people feel increasingly disconnected from their communities and overwhelmed by faceless systems and institutions.  I love my clean water, interstate highways, fast internet, and other amenities available here in the U.S., but where is the tipping point when it becomes too much development, technology, and growth?  How big is too big?  I will not attempt to answer that complex question here, but my experience in Uganda has given me a few ideas for ways that the United States can dial back its own development, and hopefully increase quality of life for everyone here and there.  To sum up the idea of gradually swinging the pendulum back from our current state of over-development, I have decided to coin the term “Revelopment” from the Latin meaning “to wrap back”.  You won’t find it in the dictionary, but revelopment is basically the process by which an overdeveloped country can gradually “wrap back” and reach a consensus that more does not equal better.

So here is a list of a few of my Millennium Revelopment Goals for the United States as a country, Americans as people, and myself as an individual:

1.  Produce and consume real food.  This means a return to eating stuff that was grown in dirt and harvested near where we live.  Eating real food not only lets us live healthier lives, but is also a surefire way to engage your local community.

2.  Don’t waste.   We may like to think that our consumer society fuels the developing world’s economy, but the truth is that less developed countries will never get the elbow-room they need to succeed if we don’t commit to consuming and wasting less.

3.  Slow down and fill life with meaningful activity, not just activity.  Most people don’t realize that the word career comes from a French word literally meaning racecourse.  We need to abandon the rat race in favor of pursuing our true vocation in life.

Aaron Owen is a senior in the College of Health Sciences pursuing a passion for global health.
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by | July 29, 2011

Nonviolence: A Universal Lifestyle

 With its remarkable variety of religious practices, India is an effective microcosm of today’s international, interreligious stage. The country is the stadium for the evolution of many world religions. Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism originated in India. Additionally, the country is home to the largest population of Muslims outside the Middle East, and Christianity is nearly as old in southern India as anywhere else in the world.

India, therefore, is an incredible subject for studying interactions between these religious traditions. Sharing bus seats and classrooms, shop-queues and sari-tailors, people practicing a variety of religious traditions are observed interacting quite literally every minute of every day. A Hindu temple exists peacefully next to a Muslim shrine; a Muslim jeweler fashions glass bangles for a Hindu wedding; a Sikh welcomes people of all faith traditions to his Golden Temple. These relationships – ranging from neighborly to economic to evangelical in nature – break down webs of prejudice that tragically keep a person from engaging with someone about whom they know very little.

India’s inevitable interreligious relationships therefore foster daily understanding between many people of different faiths. Those who interact peacefully have come to know each other as brothers, sisters, friends, colleagues and coworkers instead of as an “Other,” as religious groups are at times portrayed in one-sided conversations or popular news media coverage.

This type of relationship is interreligious nonviolence in its most basic form: a fearless meeting with one another of different religions in a spirit of respect. It is this raw connection that obliterates stereotypes, while embracing and affirming the real presence of a human being in his or her own quest for meaning.

Violence, then, is the direct opposite of this dialogical relationship. In considering India’s long history of interreligious violence – such as the genocide of more than 2,000 Muslims in communal riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002 – it is evident that those who have attempted to justify physical violence with religious motives have relied upon intense degrees of communalization. Parties like the engineers of Gujarat’s violence assert illusionary stereotypes and adopt hate-mongering slogans to manufacture the fear that effectively alienates Hindus from their Muslim friends, Christians from their Sikh coworkers, Buddhists from their atheist brethren.

The simple answer to this violence committed in the name of religion – which is just as real in the rest of the religious world as in India – is nonviolence. Nonviolence demands a real knowledge of the “Other” instead of blind prejudice. A nonviolent attitude requires a right understanding of religion that regards healthy concern for others as ultimate decree. It necessitates a deep appreciation of diversity and, perhaps above all, commands engaged dialogues instead of stubborn monologues.

And this nonviolent lifestyle is not reserved for the theology or philosophy students, nor for those who can speak the language of the “activists” or can keep up in circular conversations with fast-chatting politicians. It is, instead, a universal lifestyle based on the few values that can be dubbed absolutely true about our human nature: honest communication, real relationship and radical interdependence.

Leah Todd is a senior studying philosophy and journalism at Marquette University. As a Szymczak Peacemaking Fellow, she researched religious violence and interreligious unity in Rajasthan, India.

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by | July 13, 2011

Amani kwa watu tafauti: Peace for different people

I do not think I could define peace in a way that would translate universally for every person. Spending six months in Kenya during 2010 solidified this idea for me. Why peace is important, what peace is, and how to bring peace seems situational.

For a Kikuyu person living in the Kibera slums, peace may be learning to accept a Luo person. Maybe it is a journey of overcoming prejudice against other people. Finding peace may be a process of forgiving and coming to terms with the traumatic events of 2008 when 1,200 people were killed along ethnic lines and more than 600,000 people were internally displaced. Finding peace may be a matter of reconciling a damaged relationship with a neighbor, or maybe it is trying to form a relationship with a neighbor of a different tribe for the first time.

For a twelve-year old girl who was orphaned by HIV/AIDS, her adversity is multifaceted. Devastated by the loss of both parents, she has endured severe psychological trauma. Additionally there may be no one who loves her, has her best interests at heart, and takes care of her basic needs. The process of healing and finding internal peace might begin by having a caring adult come to her aid. Having someone who can prevent her from living in abject poverty by providing food, housing, school fees, and clothing is a blessing. Further, knowing that someone cares about her, wants her to succeed, and thinks she is worth the world seems integral to elevating her self-esteem and ensuring she can form future healthy relationships.

For an over privileged mzungu such as myself, finding peace may be a more internal struggle to identify how I should live in a world where I have been given access to a disproportionate amount of resources. How do I live in a way that is not individualistic and overly consumptive? How do I live in solidarity with people while in Kenya when I have different health and security concerns, different access to resources, am recognized as a symbol of affluence and greed, and cannot communicate effectively in Kiswahili? Identifying how to find peace with these dilemmas is something I will be working on for awhile. In the meantime, meeting people with different lifestyles and perspectives helps.

Although I am hesitant to create one all-inclusive definition of peace, I think there may be common threads that we all seek in our promotion of peace. Cultivating relationships, developing a mentality of acceptance, and embracing diversity all seem to be critical to creating a more peaceful world.

Amani kwenu,

Colleen O’Conor

 

Colleen O’Conor is a senior at Marquette studying International Affairs. She was able to spend 6 months in Kenya thanks to the generosity of the Center for Peacemaking. As a result of having such transformative experience in Kenya, she is spending the fall semester in Zanzibar to learn Kiswahili at the State University of Zanzibar.

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by | April 7, 2011

Pursuing Peace in Afghanistan

Thoughts from Patrick Kennelly

Last week, General Petraeus testified before Congress that the war in Afghanistan is making progress.  While Petraeus may have believed his comments, the situation on the ground contradicts his statements.  Afghanistan has been overwhelmed by decades of war filled with foreign military forces, armed opposition groups, and a struggling government. Since 2001, there has been general consensus that American led ISAF has not resulted in progress for Afghanistan.

The country faces many serious problems such as environmental degradation and inadequate health care.  Electrical outages are common and clean water does not appear to be in Afghanistan’s immediate future. It is also apparent that Kabul’s infrastructure has not benefitted from the billions of dollars that have flowed into Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion. The sewage and sanitation systems are exposed. Around the city, clouds of deadly air are stirred up by the busses, cars, trucks, and donkey carts that maneuver the paved and unpaved roads.  The neighborhoods are filled with homes made of bricks or mud, bombed-out buildings, and piles of rubble that have survived the thirty years of war.  However, even though these structures are still standing, they do not provide adequate shelter for their residents. Additionally, due to Kabul’s inadequate sanitation system, garbage piles, excrement, and animals abound creating a smelly and unsanitary environment. As a result of this pollution, Afghanistan has the highest amounts of fecal matter in the air of any place in the world. These poor living conditions result in nearly 3,000 people dying every year from diseases and medical conditions related to the pollution (wagingnonviolence.org) and a life expectancy of only forty-five years.

Additionally, Afghanistan is plagued by poverty.  As the  third poorest nation in the world, the country is overflowing with orphans, widows, unemployed, and underemployed. The United Nations reports that 36 % of Afghans live on less than a dollar a day. Compounding the problem is that since the US invasion, Kabul’s population has grown by over 600 percent. Outside of Kabul, the situation is not much better. Nearly 850 children die from respiratory, gastrointestinal diseases, and malnourishment each day (Save the Children, 2010). These are  some of the issues the people must face as they continue to deal with the thirty years of war that have gripped Afghanistan.

Violence is the other major challenge facing the country. The Red Cross says the security situation in the country is deteriorating and life is untenable (International Red Cross, March 15, 2011)  The threat of violence is never far from people’s minds, and the reality that violence could break out at any time is a constant challenge for Afghans. Since December 2010, levels of violence have increased across the country and Kabul has been rocked by three suicide bombings. While the ISAF is hidden behind 12 foot blast walls rung with barbed wire and sentry post, the day-to-day security operations are left to Afghans. On nearly every block there are people with automatic weapons patrolling the streets, acting as security for private institutions, and staffing the official and unofficial checkpoints that dot the city. The situation is further complicated by the blast walls and the barb wire which make the city look like an armed camp.   The resulting siege mentality and threat of violence creates futility and shows that the current strategy in Afghanistan is not working.

However, the Afghan people have not given up. There are a number of Afghan lead groups that are looking for viable alternatives to rebuild and reclaim their country. The consensus developing among these groups is that the environmental problems, the poverty, and the health situation are directly tied to the reliance on violence.  Force has not worked in repairing the destruction that has been done. Further, it has failed to provide security and sucked up the resources that could be used to provide the basic prerequisites needed for daily life. These groups have launched initiatives which are asking how do we build peace and live without war. They have begun publicly communicating a minority view but their view is logical, contains a hope for the future, and is growing in popularity. They are saying that the international community and Afghans need to be honest and realize that the continued reliance on violence is compounding problems. Instead, nonviolent alternatives need to be pursued.

Two of these groups, the Open Society and the Afghan Youth Volunteers,   gathered people from across Afghanistan in the capital in a walk to spread their message. Starting at the Emergency Hospital and walking to the United Nations, these adult and youth peacemakers carried a message to Petraeus and the world that “Peace is a prerequisite to Progress”. This walk was the beginning of three days of Peacemaking. Joining these groups was a delegation of Americans and Australians who were working to create an international community of peacemakers committed to building a future that is peaceful, economically stable, and without continuous security crises. However, for these efforts to be successful, people from around the world need to join and support these efforts. In the words of one of the peacemakers, “We are the future, and if we aren’t, there may be no future”

Kennelly is the Associate Director of the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking and is participating in the peacemaking efforts organized by the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and Voices for Creative Nonviolence.  He writes from Kabul, Afghanistan and can be contacted at kennellyp@gmail.com

 

 

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by | April 7, 2011

Celebrating Nauroz in Kabul

Thoughts from Patrick Kennelly

Throughout Afghanistan people are gathering to celebrate the Afghan new year, Nauroz. It is a chance for Afghans to celebrate the rebirth of nature after the long winter. In Kabul, today thousands of gathered in the cemetery and spent the day picnicking. Before heading home to share a meal that included seven items to symbolize their hope for the coming year: wheat for rebirth, a sweet pudding for affluence, garlic for health, apples for beauty, berries representing the sunrise, vinegar for patience, coins for prosperity. After 13 days the wheat will be collected and tossed into flowing water, by which time it will have collected the family’s bad luck for the year.

While some Afghan’s describe the situation in their country as bad luck, the majority of Afghans realize that there is a direct correlation with the increased number of American and foreign fighters entering the country. Currently, there are more foreign troops in Afghanistan than at any time since the American led invasion and the security situation is at the worst point since the beginning of the war.  While nearly all Afghan’s do not want to see the return of the Taliban, they do not want the status quo of violence caused by the International Security Assistance Force and the armed opposition groups to continue. Instead Afghans are realizing that the underlying problems of their country are the problems of poverty, hate, and violence.  They are also realizing that these are problems that cannot be solved by war.

In Kabul, a group of young people are adopting strategies that would help solve Afghanistan’s problems and allow them to see their wishes from Nauroz come to fruition.  They have consciously chosen methods that are exemplary in applying theoretical nonviolence to actively resist the indignity of violence and seek out life sustaining alternatives. For example, under the tutelage of professional journalist a group of young men and women in their twenties launched a campaign of public speeches, declarations, and photography by young journalist to manifest Afghan’s desire for peace.

On another occasion the group gathered nearly one hundred people, primarily school children and elders, to plant fruit  and nut trees at a school in Kabul. The trees will help clean the air of Kabul that is polluted from decades of war. The trees will produce nutritious food. The tree planting was preceded by a forum on the importance of creating educational opportunities. The action demonstrates the point of Gandhian nonviolence that from the seed grows the fruit or in other words that nonviolence has to begin with education and be integrated into daily living.

While these feats are exceptional considering the situation in Afghanistan, if Afghans are going to get their Nauroz wish the international community will need to begin following these Afghans example and integrate nonviolent strategies into their lives and foreign policy. This will begin by working to resolve the conflict in Afghanistan.

Kennelly is the Associate Director of the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking and is participating in the peacemaking efforts organized by the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and Voices for Creative Nonviolence.  He writes from Kabul, Afghanistan and can be contacted at kennellyp@gmail.com

 

 

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by | April 7, 2011

Killing Civilians in Afghanistan is Terrorism

Thoughts from Pat Kennelly

In Kabul, on the same day that Der Spiegel released photos
documenting American soldiers posing with the bodies of civilians they
murdered, the Transitional Justice Coordinating Group (TJCG), the
umbrella organization for NGO’s in Afghanistan that are pursuing
transitional justice, gathered Afghan, Australian, American, and
German peacemakers to discuss methods to bring peace and security to
Afghanistan. The photos present the grim reality that this conflict is
characterized by civilian killing and violence.

In 2001, the American led ISAF (International Security Assistance
Force), a coalition of the richest nations in the world, began
military operations in Afghanistan in response to the 9/11 killing of
civilians in New York and Washington. The purpose of the operations
was to fight terrorism and seek reprisal for the Taliban’s harboring
of Al Qaeda. The operation has turned into a near decade long war on
one of the poorest nations in the world.
After nearly ten years of war Afghanistan is mired in terror,
brutality, and a security situation that is worsening. Among Afghans
there is growing consensus that the ISAF is pursuing military
measures, such as the formation and arming of independent local
militias under the banner of the “Afghan Local Police” against the
wishes of President Karzai and the Afghan people, which undermine the
prospects of peace in the future and further endangers ordinary
people. However, it is the killing of civilians by American military
personal and mercenaries that most enflames the conflict and expands
the rift between ISAF and the Afghan people.
Most Westerners are familiar with the thousands of American civilians
killed 9/11, some people know about the atrocities committed by the
armed opposition groups in Afghanistan, and even fewer people are
familiar with the stories of Afghan civilians killed by ISAF forces.
Some of the recent civilian killings by ISAF, primarily composed of
American forces include:  2children in Kunar province on March 14, 9
children collecting firewood in Kunar province on March 1, five
civilians including two children  who were searching for food in
Kapisa province on February 24,  22 women, 26 boys, and 3 old men in a
raid on insurgents in Kunar province on February 17, 2 civilians were
killed  and one injured while traveling in a van in Helmand province
on February 3.
As the fallout from the Der Spiegel photos continues to be felt
around the world, ISAF and the other belligerents who have publicly
stated their objective is to prevent terrorism need to recognize that
the killing of civilians whether by Taliban, mercenaries, militias,
insurgents, or by soldiers of a nation is terrorism.
Kennelly is the Associate Director of the Marquette University Center
for Peacemaking and is participating in the peacemaking efforts
organized by the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and Voices for Creative
Nonviolence.  He writes from Kabul, Afghanistan. He can be contacted
at kennellyp@gmail.com

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by | April 7, 2011

Peace is a Dirty Word

Thoughts From Patrick Kennelly

Three years ago in Bamiyan, a central province of Afghanistan, a multiethnic group of university students gathered for a three month workshop on peacemaking. The group of young leaders met weekly ultimately concluding that peace is impossible in Afghanistan. Undeterred by their conclusion these young people asked: “What do we do to change this reality?”

In answering this question the students decided two critical issues needed to be addressed. First, how do you calm the enflamed ethnic tensions that plague the country? Second, how do you create a culture of peace in a society where the pursuit of peace is associated with wide scale violence and killing?

The university students realized that the decades of war and subsequent exodus of different ethnic groups fleeing conflict upset the power balance and ignited ethnic tensions. In order to tackle this issue the students brought together other students from the over twenty ethnic groups that comprise Afghanistan’s population. They divided into small groups to experiment with communal living. They hoped that by forming community they could restore some of the trust that has been destroyed by the conflict and help each other overcome their fear of others. This project lasted several weeks but then broke down into accusations and conflicts ending with death threats. The project was disbanded and some of the students left the region.

After regrouping, the students decided not to give up. They focused on their second question. Their initial step was to analyze the effect of the numerous invasions by outsiders. In their lifetimes, the students had experiences with the Soviets, the world wide Mujaheddin movement, the Taliban, and the Americans and had learned that foreigners could not be trusted to bring peace to their country, that they needed to acknowledge legitimate fears, and began forming a culture of peace from within Afghanistan.

One of the major concerns for many Afghan’s is that the pursuit of peace has been connected with political agendas and the wide scale killing of their friends and family. The ICRC reports that 96% of Afghans have been directly affected by the years of violence. In the words of one medical doctor “Peace is a dirty word”, derided because Obama won the Nobel peace prize. We know what it is like to be killed for peace. The peace we have seen pursued has no plan. It is not based on love, reconciliation, and truth” In order to counter this negative association with peace, the group decided to began approaching people and organizations one by one to ask them if they would say no to war.

Slowly, the group has grown from a small group of university students to a collection of organizations, government officials, schools, and civilians who are saying that they are volunteers for peace. They are saying that they will not shout down their critics. They are beginning to take public stands and engage in nonviolent actions that convey their desire to live without war. Recently , they launched a festival of human rights, created singing groups to spread their message to the illiterate, tagged the blast walls with message of peace, created peace parks, and planted trees. The group is encouraged because these items have not been vandalized or destroyed. Instead, the number of peace volunteers has grown. They are inviting the international community to come stand behind them and support their work. However, their message is clear that Afghans need to be in control of their own destiny. There are partners for peace in Afghanistan, and all people need to say no to war.

Kennelly is the Associate Director of the Marquette University Center for Peacemaking and is standing behind and supporting the peacemaking efforts organized by the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers and Voices for Creative Nonviolence.  He writes from Kabul, Afghanistan. He can be contacted at kennellyp@gmail.com

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by | May 15, 2010

From Pakistan with peace

Another post from Fr. Simon.

May 10, 2010

Had a 4.5 hour trip from Islamabad to Lahore. But the bus was fantastic. They had a “flight attendant,” headphones, movies (I couldn’t understand them), a snack, a drink, periodic trips by the attendant to give us water (in cups that they provided) … Greyhound, eat your heart out! I wish I could tell you about what the trip was like, but I slept through most of it.

We came to Lahore principally to meet with I. A. Rehman, Pakistan’s Human Rights Commissioner. He said some good things and gave me an important insight on the relationship between the Pakistan military and the Taliban.

First of all, he pointed out that “the militants” (as they are frequently called here) “recruit” the people by force. They say, “Give us 40,000 rupees or one of your sons. Otherwise we will destroy your house and family.” Kind of a crazy “protection racket.” (In fact, Rehman likened them to “NYC youth gangs” threatening a local business.) The people cannot afford the price, so they give up their son to protect the rest of the family. That is why it really is indiscriminate to attack the “Taliban,” because not all the participants are willing, or are convinced of the “mission.” So, the people are caught between the militants, and the Pakistani security forces who are trying to “eliminate” the militants, especially with indiscriminate shelling and “extrajudicial” killings.

We spoke briefly about the drone attacks. Rehman’s investigations show that drone attacks do NOT cause the least damage. Also, drones cause more hatred, and so, recruitment for the militants. Especially, again, because their own government cannot protect them from attacks from a foreign (i.e., US) power. I asked  about the legitimacy of a government that would allow a foreign power – even if it is an ally – to attack its own citizens, for whatever reason. Rehman’s wry response was: “We sold ourselves long ago; we have no shame on that now.”

Second, the militants do not recruit just from the poor. There are also young, rich Pakistani men among them. I heard later that often, retired military commanders from the Pak army go to the camps to train the militants – often because they are the “true Islam.” I heard that from Sr. Anna at the Jesuit Center later in the day. I suggested that the motivation might not be so much “true Islam,” but the fact that their own government and military cannot protect them – in particular from the US drone attacks. Others around the table seemed to agree with that.

There are two geo-political reasons I have heard about the Pakistani army’s strange dealings with the Taliban. First we see the kind of attacks on the Taliban that we heard about in the Swat Valley. The Pak army utterly destroyed every Talib they saw. Killed them, drove them out, bombed their houses.

At the same time, Pak military have trained the Taliban. And every once in a while, you hear a favorable statement from the army about the Taliban. For example, Colonel Imam in Pak army, boasting: “I raised the Taliban.” Rehman says that everyone knows that If US  pulls out of Afghanistan, the Taliban will take over (in fact the Taliban already has “shadow governments” in 32 of the 34 provinces in Afghanistan); but if Pak army “takes care” of Taliban, then if Taliban takes over; Pak army will have direct influence over Afghanistan. The second I heard: that the Pak army wants to have the Taliban as a kind of “militia in reserve” in the face of the massive numerical superiority of India (especially, I suppose, if it comes to armed conflict in Kashmir).

A third, socio-political reason is that the government of Pak is hopelessly corrupt, existing to enrich a small power elite (also see subsequent interview with Dr. Hassan).

Tax structure is a scandal. People on top earn much; pay nothing. Crime against minorities has increased; violence against women has increased; 40% of people are living below the poverty line.

There are problems in Baluchistan with the separatists, and in general, the democratization process, as the country moves away from the military dictatorship of Musharraf, is stagnant.

And while the new 18th amendment is good in that it provides provinces more rights and authority, the provinces do they have the governmental infrastructure to implement it.

In the face of all that, the people need to turn to some group that will “represent” them. Add to that the fact that Pakistan was formed as, and still considers itself an explicitly Islamic state, and the appeal of the Taliban to act in a way that is “true Islam,” becomes seductive – even though all of the Pakistanis I’ve met speak quite openly about how the Taliban teaches a corruption of Islam, and that their use of “forced conversion” is deeply and explicitly antithetical to Qur’an and Islam.

Rehman spoke about the role of China in the geopolitics of Pak. Pak is sitting in such a key position with respect to China, and China foresees that one day, China and the US will be the principle rivals in the region – like a new Cold War. (In the last Cold War, Pakistan sided with the US, Rehman pointed out, and India with Russia. He foresees that in the new Cold War, Pakistan will side with China, and India will side with the US.) Kathy pointed out that the Chinese have stopped funding the deep sea port in Pakistan. But Rehman said that China is waiting; not wanting to provoke others in the region, esp. US; that right now, China is Interested in maintaining their 10%+ rate of growth. They’re not opposed to the construction of the oil and gas pipeline through Afghanistan (for which, I think, the Afghanistan war was principally fought), but they are concerned about who profits from it.

Rehman gave us some more insight on the Pakistan army, which really runs the country. To him, it’s not as though the country has an army, but that an army has a country.

The  Pak army is a mercenary army; raised through the cold war years; paid for by the Americans to fight the Russians or the communists. “When the cold war ended, we didn’t know what to do; so God arranged for Afghanistan.”

Then army members went to Iran and gave them the technology to build an atomic bomb. Thus: “ Iran should do more to support Pak army.” (NB Rehman was telling these truths in an ironic, almost sarcastic tone. It is clear he regrets the military’s massive influence over the county.) Pak needs an external paymaster to keep its military going; Pak doesn’t have capacity to meet military’s demands.

Afterwards, I took some photos, and we left.

A coupla quotes from Rehman:

People may be misled for a time; but eventually, they learn to value peace

(No country stays the same way for ages; e.g. Mongolia forming its own nation now.}

The US should be respected for its values, not for its ability to harm people

The American mind is worried about bags of dead bodies; but should be more concerned about violations of human rights and lives around the globe.

Afterwards, Kathy and Josh went to the family where they were to stay, and I went to stay with the Jesuits. I was welcomed by Fr. Renato, a really tall Australian Jesuit with whom I had been in contact through email and phone. He was extraordinarily kind and accommodating, especially since our plans kept changing about when I was to arrive.

I got there in time to attend Mass. That was very good for me. The rector, Fr. Jacob celebrated. They were commemorating an older Jesuit who had died. So even though the reading was the “beatitudes,” Fr. Jacob talked about how the Jesuit who had died (didn’t get his name) had been an inspiration to him. There were several nuns there, and some of the workers at the high schools (one for boys, one for girls), and some candidates for the Society. Fr. Jacob projects this benign presence, almost Buddha-like kindness. When I asked him what would be the one message he would want me to bring back to the US from Pakistan, he said that the Americans should learn to love themselves. Because if they loved themselves, they would know how to love others, and not harm them.

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by | May 11, 2010

From Pakistan with peace

As you might know, Fr. Simon is in Pakistan. This is a post about his experience so far. He will share his experiences periodically.

Islamabad, Day 1, May 4, 2010.

It’s 5:15 a.m. and I’ve finally arrived in a friend-to-be’s house in Islamabad. The dog barked at us incessantly when we arrived, before she came down to greet us. We talked for too long, before I finally said that I had to sleep, and gave her the box of Godiva chocolates I bought for a gift in the Duty Free Store. (they also had a bottle of whisky for over $1,000 there. I took a photo of it)

After a wonderful but exhausting day visiting the Dubai Mall and especially the Bruj Khalifah Tower (tallest free-standing structure in the World!) Kathy and Josh went back to the airport to sleep, but I just had to go to the Tower’s observation level. You only live once, and I love tall buildings. Glad I did. It’s a stunning building, really.  Kathy hates malls, and this one was way too rich for my taste, but I got the image of an international suqh – a modern equivalent, and my visit there was not bad.

I got myself back to the airport and waited a coupla hours for the 5 hour plane ride to Islamabad. I watched The Blind Side again and still liked it. Slept only very little. Tomorrow the “fact-finding” begins, but I’ll surely have to sleep half the morning before I can take anything in. Sharing a room with Josh and Kathy … Both of them say they don’t snore. I told them that if they did, I’d throw water on them.

We were picked up by this good taxi driver. They speak Urdu and Pashtun here. The exchange rate here is about 80 rupees to 1 dollar.

Marebani means thank you.

Tired.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010.

Slept 12 hours and now the day is turned around. Just ate “breakfast” of rice and vegetables and lentils. Supper actually.

Now we have to consult: Kathy’s friend wants to take us to Chitral, near the Chinese border. Should we go? A bit dangerous, but also a bit “off mission”: mostly about Chinese – Indian relations, not so much refugees or attacks by the US.

End of day; Some planning; an email to the Jesuits in Lahore. A walk to end the day, and then a hope that I can sleep tonight, in order to turn my clock back around.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

OK, only a couple of hours of sleep last night.  My brain was racing, so I just lay there and prayed most of the night. Makes you wonder how Jesus did his all night prayers, because by mid-day, I was exhausted. But I was determined to stay awake all day, so that I could sleep tonight. Our hosts prepared breakfast for us – toast and eggs into a kind of omelet, with LOTS of peppers.

After some more planning, and some more disappointment, we decided to go to the Afghanistan embassy, so that Kathy and Josh could go to Afghanistan after I leave. The embassy looks like a regular house, with a sign outside. Pretty unprepossessing (I’ve always wanted to use that word). They’ll stay another 5 weeks after I go, so they’ll get a chance to go to Afghanistan, darn it!

I walked with them, just to get exercise and to stay awake and see a bit more of Islamabad. There wasn’t much to see. It was mostly walking along the highway – though I was impressed with the way they kept the trees growing instead of uprooting them. Trees were growing along the sidewalk and occasionally, in the middle of the sidewalk. We would pass by swaths of wooded areas, too.  It was about 95+ degrees, but I didn’t mind it that much; I’m kind of DNA-coded for this kind of heat.  We walked about 90 minutes in the heat, mostly because I got us lost on the way back from the embassy.

Alas, upon our return (to lunch and about 6 glasses of water) I failed pretty wretchedly on my resolve to stay awake all day. I lay down after our walk for a few moments, and CONKED for about 3 hours.

Later in the afternoon, we meet with man who has a Ph.D, I believe, and is an activist. He has a great concern for the poor and a great resistance to what he kept calling “binary thinking” (either .. or: Either you’re with the hegemonic powers, or you’re a terrorist). We asked, and he answered questions for a few hours. His understanding is that the military is still dominant in Pakistan. I questioned him on the legitimacy of a government (Pakistan’s) that, for whatever reason, allows a foreign power (USA) to attack its own citizens. He acknowledged that it was an extreme case in point, but a) the Pak military has always been attacking its own people, and so eroding the legitimacy of the “representative” government, and b) the attacks have always been with the military-economic support of the US.

We also discussed how the NYC Times Square bombing was going to affect the US-Pak relationship, and we agreed that it would spur / initiate attacks in the north, where Shazad was “trained” – a place that the US has not attacked before, but that has not been in agreement with the government for some time.  Shazad’s attempts would provide a good excuse for the US and Pak to team up on these attacks. A friend remarked how the media in Pak had learned from the media in the US to self-censor, and to deliver only one story line about what happened. We all remarked that Obama’s words after the failed attack were EXACTLY the same words that George Bush had used after 9-11: “They hate our freedom … we won’t be cowed …” all that stuff. I’m sad to hear that response, but not disappointed. I never “fell’ for Obama’s line anyway.  And no one seems to remember that we’ve been attacking Pakistan for months now.

We discussed why people would want to join the Taliban in Pak, but we knew the answer pretty much: economic deprivation. But also, all the military can do is kill folks and destroy villages here were entire villages leveled in the Swat Valley (Pakistan) offensive. But after that, what? People still need running water, garbage disposal, working hospitals, safe roads, access to food – all the civilian infrastructure. And the military is not “equipped” to provide that. So, in come the Taliban folks, who have only temporarily withdrawn under fire, and they begin providing these essential services for the people, and voila! They’re back “in power” again. One friend reports that the Taliban have these “shadow governments” in many of the provinces of Pak. And with the government so committed to a military “solution,” they have no resources (monetary or manpower) to provide them.  Add to that the continuous prodding of the US to undertake further military action, and you have the formula for an ongoing war. That would suit the corporations just fine, in my view.

But in the end, I asked him if we could establish some kind of dialogue between the Center for Peacemaking community, and a similar student body here. He said that he was working with a group of students, and would be happy to link us up with them. A good idea, I think! I always say to the CfP folks: “The opposite of war is community.” So it would be good if we could establish some kind of community interaction between us and this Pakistani student group. Help us to understand each other better. We even thought that it would be possible for us to “Skype” to each other. That would be great, because face-to-face is better than emails.

Folks are eating supper now, but I’m not too hungry. I am tired, though, and that makes me think that, despite my ruptured resolution, I can sleep tonight, and turn my day around finally.

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