Newsletter of the Center for the Advancement of Nonkilling, Germany - September 2009

Germans Kill in Afghanistan

Mainz (September 21, 2009) - There are eight articles in this newsletter: dead civilians in Afghanistan; the First Global Nonkilling Leadership Academy; Nonkilling Germany: How far did we get?; the Third Annual Festival of Peace 2009 in Ottawa; the Movement for a Nonkilling Philippines; a poem about Nonkillingland; a Fasting Experience, and the quote of the month. The press photo of the month is called  "Ghods Day". It is by the artist G. and deals with Iran and Palestine. You can see and download it here: www.nonkilling.de/cms/images/stories/2009/ghodsday.jpg

Since World War II German soldiers have not committed a more severe massacre than the one on September 4 in Northern Afghanistan. About 125 Afghans were killed, among them many civilians. It was a German who ordered to attack a fuel truck in an airstike. The truck got stuck in a river and people from nearby villages had come to get themselves free fuel, when the killing started. Even the American NATO commander in Afghanistan confirmed the death of civilians. The war on Afghanistan is not a defensive war. The USA started it shortly after September 11, 2001, although the alleged perpetrators of 9/11 came from Saudi-Arabia. Every expert on the region confirms that the war on Afghanistan, which in the meantime has expanded on Pakistan, cannot be won. The more dead there are the more terrorist groups will be strengthened. The country and its puppet government gets weaker and more destabilized with every month of war. Therefore, only an immediate withdrawal from the occupied territories makes sense. Germany's sole interest in this war is defined by its dependency relation toward the USA. The German minister of defense as well as a major part of the media (especially the Springer press) stand behind this killing and demand loyalty with the soldiers and the US warriors. In a similar way, killing is going on in Iraq and in Palestine. It is a shame for Germany with its history to take part in this killing. So far, no German has been taken to account and it does not look as if this would happen, either. On the contrary, according to experience, Germans vote exactly for those politicians who take part in such violence. So it is a question of social values.

First Global Nonkilling Leadership Academy
Germany will take part in the first Global Nonkilling Leadership Academy from October 4-16, 2009, in Honolulu, Hawaii. It is intended to provide a select group of promising young leaders from different fields, faiths, races, continents and backgrounds a life changing experience related to the real and much needed possibilities of a world where killing is no longer taken for granted. The pilot will be a two week program comprised of 15 participants (October 4-16, 2009). As envisioned, participants will be nominated by past Nobel Peace Laureates, as well as drawn from organizations and networks partnering with the Center for Global Nonkilling. The pilot will provide the basis for improving the content, structure and format of the Academy before being offered on a more wide-scale basis in future years. The concept of the Global Nonkilling Leadership Academy derives from the books The Scientific Study of Political Leadership (Macmillan 1977) and Nonkilling Global Political Science (Gandhi Media Centre 2002 and CGNK 2009) by Glenn D. Paige-and from the program of the First United Nations University International Leadership Academy held at the University of Jordan during June 1-July 2, 1997 inspired by the vision of Dr. Abdul Salam Majali, Prime Minister of Jordan and former Chair of the Council of the UN University. Participants will share their own experiences related to killing and nonkilling, review lessons from pioneering nonkilling leaders, evaluate new discoveries related to nonkilling, and reflect upon implications for their work. It is expected that an expanding global community of mutual understanding and support among nonkilling-oriented leaders will result from successive programs of the Academy. For Germany, Anis Hamadeh will travel to Hawaii. http://non-killing.net/academy

Nonkilling Germany: How far did we get?
The German Center for the Advancement of Nonkilling came into being in May 2009 with the publication of the German version of the nonkilling book and the website nonkilling.de. The initiative came from translator Anis Hamadeh who mainly has run the Center alone. He is supported by Sabine Yacoub (www.sabine-yacoub.de) and Heiko Seelbach. So far, the public interest in the Center and in the book has been very low in Germany and Anis only has a limited capacity as an individual. After the Hawaii journey, certainly a new chapter will open. The working fields and ways of support are described on the info flyer at www.nonkilling.de/cms/images/stories/2009/flyer_e.pdf. We are dealing with a worldwide, growing movement in which people can realize their own nonkilling ideas.  

Peace Festival 2009 in Ottawa Sep 21 - Oct 03
The 13-day Third Annual Festival of Peace 2009 is being organized by the Ottawa Chapter of the Canadian Department of Peace Initiative (CDPI, www.departmentofpeace.ca) in cooperation with over 18 Ottawa peace and justice civil society groups in the city. More than 24 activities will focus on Peace, Unity, and Harmony celebrating citizen-level activism for peace locally, nationally, and globally. All events are without admission fee. Recently, co-convenors Bill Bhaneja (political scientist and former diplomat) and Iman Ibrahim (master student in conflict resolution) explained during a radio appearance the vital need to get involved in working for a world without war. 'Stop complaining and start doing something about it,' said Dr. Bhaneja. The program of the festival is posted on www.departmentofpeace.ca, www.civilianpeaceservice.ca, and www.cicr-icrc.ca

Movement for a Nonkilling Philippines
The Movement for a Nonkilling Philippines will be formally launched on October 6, 2009, with the stated goal of "bringing about a life-sustaining and nonkilling Philippines." The Movement has 16 convenors representing over a dozen Filipino organizations and is headed by its Lead Convenor Jose V. Abueva, CGNK Governing Council member. The Movement will also count with the support of a newly created Philippine Institute for Global Nonkilling, established at Kalayaan College. Read more at www.nonkilling.org/node/176

Humankind in Nonkillingland: a  need  dreamed-of
by  Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist from Recife, Brazil. // One day, Humankind wanted Nonkillingland to enter / to share and enjoy all of its Life-supporting places / so an application was made to the NKL Center / stating that all human beings had nonkilling faces // No passports were needed / to visit Nonkillingland / the principle to be heeded: / Doing all things hand in hand. // All peaceful human  beings were admitted / Nonviolent persons followed suit / Groups for  nonlethality were permitted / all were given the Harmony fruit // Nothing challenged the right to live Peace / forms of nonviolence didn´t  exist / Universal cooperation  didn´t  cease / Compassion nobody could resist // One day  into Nonkillingland Humankind will go / and  joyfully will  visit all its blessed  sights / spiritually inspired Humankind will  know / how to wisely stop all conflicts and  fights // But that´s just another type of Utopia, many will say / Can a  major transformation  like that  ever  come true? / Dom Helder Camara humbly  showed us the way: / As Peace pilgrims, only Good Things let´s learn to do

A Fasting Experience
by Anis Hamadeh. All major cultures and religions know fasting as a part of human life. I am fasting at the moment, according to the Buchinger method (www.buchinger.de/lang-en/therapies/buchinger-fasting), with half a liter of juice per day plus water. In my meditations I had many visions and thoughts that were related to nonkilling. While fasting you learn value life, your own life and that of others. You learn something about the meaning and about the fugacity of life. The next time when I fast I will invite others to join me for a week, in the framework of the German Nonkilling Center. One week is already enough to understand what it is about. As an experienced faster, I this time I am fasting for 42 days, until next Friday - I never felt better than today, clean, calm, and 16 kilos lighter. My regards to all Muslims and all the best for the Eid.

Quote of the Month
"Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon was a military pilot who bombed Palestinian villages and refugee camps. He died in 2003 as the US shuttle Columbia carrying him crashed and its debris ironically fell over PALESTINE, Texas.   His son Asaf wanted to follow his footsteps and became an Israeli fighter jet pilot. Yesterday, the son was killed when his F-16 warplane (that helped bomb Palestinians) crashed on the South Hebron hills in PALESTINE during a training exercise.  I wonder when Israeli elites will learn that war and conflict do not pay and that he who lives by the sword dies by the sword." - Mazin Qumsiyeh, www.qumsiyeh.org, in his email newsletter from Sep. 15  

Events
September 21 - October 03: Third Annual Festival of Peace in Ottawa/Canada (www.departmentofpeace.ca) / October 4-16 First Global Nonkilling Leadership Academy (http://non-killing.net/academy/)

The Newsletter of the Center for the Advancement of Nonkilling, Germany, (ZFNND) appears monthly on the website www.nonkilling.de in German and English. Editor is Anis Hamadeh in Mainz. Contact and free email subscription: info (at) nonkilling.de