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RELIGIOUS PERSPECTIVES ON HUMAN RIGHTS

E-Newsletter
Vol.3 No.20
May 14, 2001


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Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is now available online at: http://www.rghr.net

Religious Perspectives on Human Rights is a weekly e-newsletter issued by Buddhist, Muslim, Catholic and Christian Groups on Human Rights, initiated by the Asian Human Rights Commission.

1) THE POPE MADE HISTORY ON SUNDAY BY BECOMING THE FIRST ROMAN CATHOLIC PONTIFF TO SET FOOT IN A MOSQUE, WHERE HE PRAYED FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. BBC WORLD SERVICE
2) 12 BISHOPS OF JAPAN HAVE SENT THE FOLLOWING APPEAL ABOUT THE HISTORICAL TEXTBOOK
3) JAKARTA (JP): Islamic law or syariah in the restive province of Aceh.
4.1) SOUTH KOREA'S RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LEADERS CALL FOR EARLY RESUMPTION OF U.S.-N.K. TALKS
4.2) EU SEES PROGRESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA
5) SEX TRAFFICKING : BANGLADESH CONVICTS PAIR IN SMUGGLING CASE
6 1) Investigators from the UN Serious Crimes Unit in East Timor begun resigning
6.2) EAST TIMOR: UN Launches Training For Women Candidates
7) NEPAL: REFUGEES ASK FOREIGN MINISTER TO HASTEN VERIFICATION
8) CHINA: UNICEF Representative Lauds Child Rights Progress

1) THE POPE MADE HISTORY ON SUNDAY BY BECOMING THE FIRST ROMAN CATHOLIC PONTIFF TO SET FOOT IN A MOSQUE, WHERE HE PRAYED FOR PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST. BBC WORLD SERVICE

Historic visit

The Pope's landmark visit to the Umayyad mosque was part of an eastern pilgrimage...

Syria's top Islamic cleric, the Grand Mufti, escorted the Pope to the mosque in the heart of the Old City in Damascus, the world's oldest continually inhabited city.

In an address, the Pope said Muslims and Christians should "offer each other forgiveness" for all the times they "have offended one another".

Islamic official Farouq Akbik said it was a ground-breaking moment in Christian-Muslim relations. "It is important because it is high time the barriers of ignorance, of mistrust be pulled down. "Once the Christians see the Pope is being warmly welcomed at the Umayyad mosque, then people will ask, what is this Islam, what is this religion? What is being presented to us is something very negative.

"It is high time we knew the real value of Islam, its beautiful teaching and this big, open heart for others."

2) 12 BISHOPS OF JAPAN HAVE SENT THE FOLLOWING APPEAL ABOUT THE HISTORICAL TEXTBOOK - WE ASK YOUR HELP NOW!

On 3rd of April the junior high school history textbook edited by the Japanese Society for History Textbook Reform (Chairman: Mr.Kanji Nishio) was approved by the Education Ministry screening panel.

This book has a number of references which condone Japan's history of invasion and colonial rule, and glorify the rule of the Emperor. The approval of such a textbook will certainly lead to the concealment, distortion and glorification of the history of invasions and atrocities committed by the Japanese Imperial Military. We are deeply worried such a situation might happen in the future.

We sincerely hope that Japan will start this new century filled with new hope by constructing strong solidarity with all the peoples of Asia, regardless of nationality or race. For this, it is incumbent upon we Japanese to strive in all humility for honesty in historical interpretation in words and deeds, and thus win the trust of our fellow Asians. Based on this attitude, Japan has to review its past, reflect on it, determine not to repeat the same faults, and cooperate with other Asian countries. We will never attain all these unless we make serious efforts to make our own the viewpoint of the Asian countries which were victimized by the Japanese Military in the past.

7th May, 2001

Cathollic Bishops' Conference of Japan
Peter Takeo Okada (Tokyo Archdiocese)
Paul Yoshinao Otsuka (Kyoto Diocese)

URGENT APPEAL: Stop Japan's Ministry of Education Attempt to Re-write History
WE ASK YOUR HELP NOW!
Pressure must be brought on the Japanese government to stop this kind of text from being as an officially accepted junior high school history textbook. Particularly we appeal to our Asian co-workers and friends for your help NOW!

SEND LETTERS TO:
ADDRESSES:
(1) Prime Min. Mr. Koizumi Junichiro,
1-6-1 Nagata-cho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, JAPAN,100-8914
TEL: +813-3581-2361$B!!(BFAX$B!'!(B813-3581-3883
( Comments can be sent directly from the following HP site)
http://www.kantei.go.jp/foreign/index-e.html
For further information, please contact: e-mail: ncc-j@jca.apc.org

3) JAKARTA (JP): Despite opposition from the country's largest political party, President Abdurrahman Wahid insisted on Monday that the government would go ahead with its plan to implement Islamic law or syariah in the restive province of Aceh.

Abdurrahman, nevertheless, assured non-Muslims that the planned implementation of syariah in Aceh would not violate their basic rights as the law would apply only to Acehnese Muslims and not to the followers of other faiths.

Currently the House of Representatives is deliberating the Special Autonomy bill of Aceh Nanggroe Darussalam that gives the province broad authority in security, financial and legal matters, including the full implementation of Islamic law in all aspects of life.

Already, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), contended that it was against the country's basic principle of a unitary state.

4 KOREA
4.1 SOUTH KOREA'S RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL LEADERS CALL FOR EARLY RESUMPTION OF U.S.-N.K. TALKS

South Korea's religious and social leaders call for early resumption of U.S.-N.K. talks

A total of 113 leading figures from various walks of life yesterday called on U.S. President George W. Bush to resume dialogue with North Korea. They also voiced concerns over Washington's controversial missile shield plan.

Korea Herald

4.2 EU SEES PROGRESS ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN NORTH KOREA

EU Sees Progress on Human Rights in North Korea

NYKOPING, Sweden (Reuters) - North Korea (news - web sites) is making progress on human rights and two EU technical missions will soon start working in the isolated country, European Union (news - web sites) commissioner Chris Patten said on Saturday.

"We are well aware that we could be at the beginning of a road which is both long, winding and stony, but at last we have started,'' he said.

5) SEX TRAFFICKING : BANGLADESH CONVICTS PAIR IN SMUGGLING CASE

A judge in Bangladesh sentenced a man and a woman to 20 years of hard labor for attempting to smuggle five teen-age Bangladesh girls into India, court officials said today. The girls were believed to be destined for brothels.

The Associated Press calls the ruling a landmark, since the court imposed the highest possible penalty for a crime which is rarely prosecuted.

Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women, said in March that 10,000 to 15,000 Bangladeshi women are trafficked across the border to India annually. The Indian Association for the Rescue of Fallen Women estimated that in 1992 there were 8 million brothel workers and 7.5 million call girls in India (Dilip Ganguly, AP, 8 May).

6 EAST TIMOR
6 1 Investigators from the UN Serious Crimes Unit in East Timor, which is responsible for investigating violence following the territory's 1999 independence referendum, have begun resigning because of low morale, lack of resources and poor management, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

One investigator described a lack of coordination between the unit and the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor. "They are holding reconciliation negotiations with militia leaders we want to arrest," he said.

6.2)EAST TIMOR: UN Launches Training For Women Candidates

The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor yesterday launched a program to draw more women into the political process in preparation for elections to East Timor's Constituent Assembly.

This month, 169 potential candidates will receive training in political participation, decision-making and basic knowledge of being a candidate. Civil society organizations have been asked to help identify women who might be interested in running for the body, which will prepare and adopt a constitution.

7) NEPAL: REFUGEES ASK FOREIGN MINISTER TO HASTEN VERIFICATION

As the verification of the Bhutanese refugees goes ahead slowly, the Foreign Minister of Nepal met the joint verification team (JVT) and refugee representatives. The refugees expressed their desire that the verification should be completed within a year.Fr Amalraj said JRS is keeping a watchful eye on events in Khudunabari camp, where verification is currently under way. "There are occasions when we had to step in to instil positive feelings among the refugees, in the context of anxieties and fears about verification," he added. JRS

8)CHINA: UNICEF Representative Lauds Child Rights Progress

UNICEF China and Mongolia representative Erwin Judd praised China for its record on child rights and child development since 1990 during a Beijing press conference Friday.

"I'm very happy to see China's remarkable achievements in protecting children's rights and promoting child development here in recent years," Judd said.

Chinese infant mortality dropped to 3.2% last year from 5% in 1990, while the figure for children under the age of 5 dropped to 4% from 6.1%, according to official statistics. A nine-year compulsory education drive has led to the education of more than 190 million Chinese in 15 years (Xinhua News Service, 28 Apr).