Category Archives: Rock on-Peace Out
How Syrian refugees helped an American student during the Cologne attacks | Germany | DW.COM | 17.01.2016
But the police outside weren’t much use. Overwhelmed by the mass of people in the main square in front of the station and trying to keep the situation under control, the authorities ended up forcing Duncan back into the crowd. From there, she found herself surrounded by another group of young men who started grabbing her body, pulling her hair and trying to push her down.”At that point I was pretty stressed-out, and pretty scared, ” she said.Unbeknownst to the American at the time, she was caught up in an event that would make headlines around the world and throw intense scrutiny on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s refugee policies in Germany. Hundreds of women reported being assaulted around the train station that night, mostly by men who appeared to be of North African or Arab descent. Since then, concern has grown in some circles about the possibility of truly integrating Middle Eastern refugees into Germany, and Merkel’s government has ramped up efforts to deport many of them back to their home countries.While the media coverage of that night shed light on many horrifying episodes, it also had the effect of obscuring some of the more positive developments. Duncan’s experience is one such example.After she managed to break away from the crowd, the American once again talked to the police – who, once again, seemed incapable of helping her. Desperate to find her boyfriend, who had her wallet and her phone, she hung around the edges of the crowd, scared and frustrated.Around that time, a young Middle Eastern man came up to her and asked, in German, if he could help her. Since she didn’t speak German and he didn’t speak English, the man called over one of his friends, Hesham Ahmad Mohammad, who did speak English.’We can help you’ Despite the fallout from the events, Ahmad Mohammad says he’s not afraidA 32-year-old former teacher, Ahmad Mohammad had, along with his four friends, braved an arduous journey from his native Syria to reach Germany, where he had been living for six months. The trek had taken the group to Turkey, then to Greece by boat, then through Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary and Austria, until finally they reached the Bavarian city of Passau.The five men, all of whom now lived in different parts of western Germany and had therefore not seen each other since their arrival, had chosen to reunite in Cologne for New Year’s Eve. But what they saw when they arrived at the central station shocked them. The people were extremely rowdy, Ahmad Mohammad said, and he even witnessed an attempted robbery.”We knew [shortly after we arrived] that that’s a dangerous place for us, because we saw that many people were drinking and they lost their minds,” he told DW.When he and his friends came across Duncan, he said the American was crying and clearly “afraid of all men.”After a while he convinced Duncan to let them help her. “At that time she said to me, ‘I’ve lost my friend and I am alone. I am American. I am here alone.’ I said to her, ‘You must stop crying. We can help you.'”As she set out once more to find her boyfriend, Ahmad Mohammad accompanied her. He said ten other men attempted to harass her, but he shielded her from them. Soon, his other friends also came to her aid, forming a circle around her.
New York City Council Member Shuts Down Victim Blaming in Two Minutes Flat
Cumbo — without missing a beat — explained:That’s typical of just what I spoke about: that individuals often talk about the woman, they rarely talk about the individuals who actually committed the rape. Those are the individuals that need to be focused on right now [….] We shouldn’t talk about whether she was drunk, we shouldn’t talk about whether she was properly dressed, we shouldn’t talk about the time of evening that it happened. That is too typical of how we discuss rape in the city, the nation, and really the world. We need to focus in this situation on those five individuals that committed this heinous crime and what were the bad decisions that they made all throughout the day.Cumbo goes on to speak eloquently about the systematic neglect and marginalization that Black folks — particularly Black women — suffer, and concludes with an affirmation that “whether you are on the Upper East Side or in Brownsville, all women matter, and we’re here to make sure that message is sent loud and clear.”
Source: New York City Council Member Shuts Down Victim Blaming in Two Minutes Flat
I went to a Trump rally in my hijab. His supporters aren’t just racist caricatures | Kaddie Abdul
It was interesting to hear Trump and his supporters’ viewpoints for more than just the few seconds offered by most soundbites, even though I disagreed
I understood that I was a guest at their rally, and that I had a duty to them to be a good guest; in return, I felt like they were good hosts. And whether they engaged me directly or not, many of them had to acknowledge the presence of someone who disagreed with them, but who did not fit their stereotypes by being disagreeable.
Yes, what I did could have been dangerous: the Trump campaign, like many movements, has been dogged by its share of mischief makers. The thugs and bullies who have hurt other dissenters are a small, but very real, part of the ultra-nationalism that vague, implausible rhetoric like Trump’s attracts.
But it was worth the risk to me to show them that their insecurities about Muslims was unfounded. It was worth it to humanize Muslims for them. And it was worth it, to me, to recognize their humanity, too.
Source: I went to a Trump rally in my hijab. His supporters aren’t just racist caricatures | Kaddie Abdul
What we talk about when we talk about women and aging | Fit and Feminist
We are told we will become invisible. That we will be ugly hags that no one will ever desire sexually again. That we will be biologically worthless once we can no longer bear children.Lies. It’s all lies. It’s not our aging they fear. It’s our power. Confident women still scare the shit out of many people in our society. What better way to undermine that confidence than by making us terrified of the single biological reality we cannot escape no matter what we do?We’re scary because we see through your bullshit. We’re scary because we don’t need your approval. We’re scary because we don’t need you.
Source: What we talk about when we talk about women and aging | Fit and Feminist
′No one is asking the women in Cologne what they feel′ | News | DW.COM | 06.01.2016
“No one is talking about the fact that this is happening to women every day,” Tanja, an activist and one of the initiators of the event told DW. Most of the attacks took place in and around the main station in Cologne”People are insisting on making this a political story, trying to shift the focus on pro- or anti-refugees. But in fact, no one is listening to what we have to say – the women – who suffer from this violence in the streets on a daily basis long before refugees even came here,” she says.The violence on New Year’s Eve was not different from any other big-scale celebration in the city, according to Tanja. “Because refugees are now a burning topic, the media all of a sudden report about these events, but what nobody wants to admit is that these things happen all the time. I’m sorry to break this to you, but German-born men also harass and rape.”
Source: ′No one is asking the women in Cologne what they feel′ | News | DW.COM | 06.01.2016
Tearful Obama, Announcing Gun Control Steps, Condemns Shootings – The New York Times
As tears streamed down his face, President Obama on Tuesday condemned the repeated spasms of gun violence across America as he announced new executive actions intended to reduce the number of mass shootings, suicides and killings that have become routine in the nation’s communities.Speaking in the East Room of the White House surrounded by gun control activists and the families of gun victims, Mr. Obama broke down as he spoke about the young children shot to death in 2012 at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.“First graders,” he said, his eyes drifting to a distant place and becoming red with tears. The president wiped his eye and paused to regain his composure. “Every time I think about those kids, it gets me mad,” he said.
Source: Tearful Obama, Announcing Gun Control Steps, Condemns Shootings – The New York Times
Video: Patti Smith Celebrates Her 69th Birthday At The Fillmore: SFist
The great and legendary Patti Smith did a series of three shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium last week, culminating in a New Year’s Eve show, and also including a show on her birthday, December 30th. Doing a trio of shows over these same three days of the year was something she began doing in the 1970s in New York and continued doing in the last decade at Bowery Ballroom, often featuring Michael Stipe with a birthday cake, and this year San Francisco got the honor.
Source: Video: Patti Smith Celebrates Her 69th Birthday At The Fillmore: SFist
vintage everyday: 26 Rarely Seen Vintage Photos of the First Nations People before 1900 Taken by Alex Ross
Crowfoot, head chief of the Blackfoot, 1887
Afghan Women’s Writing Project | A Wish for Peace, New Year 2016
It is midnight of December 30, 2015. I am alone in my basement and a strange silence fills my house. Whenever I think about celebrating the first day of 2016, the word that comes into my mind is “peace.”And after that, I miss my husband and children. We are separated because I moved to Canada with the hope that one day my family will join me. I came here to find peace. I was raised in a country full of war, and I hate the war and warmongers. Peace is the biggest miracle; life is meaningless without peace. The pain of being away from my family for three years bothers me greatly; it is not easy to tolerate it. I feel very weak, but my dream for my children is peace and to live a peaceful life.In my former home, the war is not the only big issue for my countrymen. There are so many other challenges for my people such as vile customs, illiteracy, violence against women, terrorist forces, the judgment of the desert, lack of law, and the thousands of human rights violations.Peace is necessary for survival. Whenever I am passing down the narrow street to my house, I see a beautiful, colorful house with the beauty of a Christmas tree with a snowman in the center. I feel a strange sense of happiness and I feel peace.My neighbors are celebrating the New Year and they buy gifts for their children, but I think what can I do? I remember my writing group. Yes, I can share my voice to celebrate the New Year.I wish the New Year of 2016 brings peace for all countries all around the world. May almighty Allah bring peace and happiness not only in my former home but in
We are separated because I moved to Canada with the hope that one day my family will join me. I came here to find peace. I was raised in a country full of war, and I hate the war and warmongers. Peace is the biggest miracle; life is meaningless without peace. The pain of being away from my family for three years bothers me greatly; it is not easy to tolerate it. I feel very weak, but my dream for my children is peace and to live a peaceful life.In my former home, the war is not the only big issue for my countrymen. There are so many other challenges for my people such as vile customs, illiteracy, violence against women, terrorist forces, the judgment of the desert, lack of law, and the thousands of human rights violations.Peace is necessary for survival. Whenever I am passing down the narrow street to my house, I see a beautiful, colorful house with the beauty of a Christmas tree with a snowman in the center. I feel a strange sense of happiness and I feel peace.My neighbors are celebrating the New Year and they buy gifts for their children, but I think what can I do? I remember my writing group. Yes, I can share my voice to celebrate the New Year.I wish the New Year of 2016 brings peace for all countries all around the world. May almighty Allah bring peace and happiness not only in my former home but in
I was raised in a country full of war, and I hate the war and warmongers. Peace is the biggest miracle; life is meaningless without peace. The pain of being away from my family for three years bothers me greatly; it is not easy to tolerate it. I feel very weak, but my dream for my children is peace and to live a peaceful life.In my former home, the war is not the only big issue for my countrymen. There are so many other challenges for my people such as vile customs, illiteracy, violence against women, terrorist forces, the judgment of the desert, lack of law, and the thousands of human rights violations.Peace is necessary for survival. Whenever I am passing down the narrow street to my house, I see a beautiful, colorful house with the beauty of a Christmas tree with a snowman in the center. I feel a strange sense of happiness and I feel peace.My neighbors are celebrating the New Year and they buy gifts for their children, but I think what can I do? I remember my writing group. Yes, I can share my voice to celebrate the New Year.I wish the New Year of 2016 brings peace for all countries all around the world. May almighty Allah bring peace and happiness not only in my former home but in
We are separated because I moved to Canada with the hope that one day my family will join me. I came here to find peace. I was raised in a country full of war, and I hate the war and warmongers. Peace is the biggest miracle; life is meaningless without peace. The pain of being away from my family for three years bothers me greatly; it is not easy to tolerate it. I feel very weak, but my dream for my children is peace and to live a peaceful life.In my former home, the war is not the only big issue for my countrymen. There are so many other challenges for my people such as vile customs, illiteracy, violence against women, terrorist forces, the judgment of the desert, lack of law, and the thousands of human rights violations.Peace is necessary for survival. Whenever I am passing down the narrow street to my house, I see a beautiful, colorful house with the beauty of a Christmas tree with a snowman in the center. I feel a strange sense of happiness and I feel peace.My neighbors are celebrating the New Year and they buy gifts for their children, but I think what can I do? I remember my writing group. Yes, I can share my voice to celebrate the New Year.I wish the New Year of 2016 brings peace for all countries all around the world. May almighty Allah bring peace and happiness not only in my former home but in the all countries around the world. I wish a Happy New Year not only for my family, but for all people around the world.By Mariam
Source: Afghan Women’s Writing Project | A Wish for Peace, New Year 2016










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