Broken Promises

Going back to the First World War, promises that were given then to the Arabs and were reneged on with disastrous consequences! Even now we said we would stand by Kurdistan again at the end of the .Second World War. There is a picture of the divide on page 3 of the Independent newspaper showing the girls and boys in Iran being kept apart from the nominations for the new science Minister, to hear President Hassan Rouhani talk.

In the same paper there was a piece by Mrs Melinda Gates who is quoted "Invest in a woman and you invest in everyone" "All lives have equal value  anywhere on the planet". We look around London and this holds true. Families during this economic purge, when they say there are a rising number of Millionaires in London, where is this money coming from? US!!

I look at the front page of The Sunday Times on Nov 23rd and read that "Fee paying schools have become so expensive that all sorts of professions could not afford them! They rely on pupils from overseas.

In "The Independent" today  Serco who has a dubious track record, is going to run "Yarls Wood" immigration centre despite a succession of scandals. I visited Yarls Wood a couple of years ago and they call it an immigration Centre , but it feels like a prison; you have to be locked out and locked back in. The endless clanking of keys as you come and go, The company appeared to be the best in meeting quality control and the cost criteria and provided value for money for the taxpayer.
The worry is that cutting corners does not help the prisoner inside!

Maybe Broken Promises doesn't cover this but maybe it should have been "Major Cover-Ups! They are happening allover the world!

The Boys are Next

We heard last night that Boko Haram the translation of which reads Western education is forbidden. Western influence is a sin and Westernization is sacrilege!There was a group of male pupils at a school Nigeria suicide bombers came in and blew them and a number of other people up.

Today in The Independent on Thursday 13th Nov the Christians are defying ISIS. There  are only 5,000 out of 8,000 that remain they are thinking of leaving as ISIS is getting nearer. Robert Fisk tells us that this Exodus of the Christians from the Middle East only began the invasion of Iraq by the Anglo-Americans.

There is a picture in the article of a wedding in Qamishli, conducted by Father Saliba. The article is titled  "a few thousand Syrian Christians remain to defy ISIS. What is ISIS? People say that it is the remnants of Al Qaeda, but the meaning of the word is "The Base" in Arabic. its a multinational, stateless army and an extremist group, it has been designated a terrorist organisation by the UN

Robert Fisd cites that when the Christians had to leave Mosul they thought that what had happened in Iraq would happen in Qamishli. ISIS did many things at this time to frighten us so our people are migrating.

I am watching the news tonight and the Syrians have moved away as thy think that their life in the past will never return many children singing about freedom in Turkey, so very sad it is really awesome the scale of it.

"Bahrain & Beyond"

We had the opportunity today to introduce the topic of Bahrain to a group of people that knew little about it but not in detail. We can't know everything about everywhere. There was an interesting book called "Interfaith Dialogue" an Islamic Perspective, an interesting book and informative with the insights of the area, which we got at the conference.
In the Guardian today Jo Tuckman writes about the murder of Mexican 43 Student teachers who were massacred in a rubbish dump very similar to the girls from a private school in Zimbabwe what happened to those parents who had been promised they would be returned!
It seems that the younger generations have been targeted in various parts of the world. The young people are becoming very vocal as are the women.
Watch this space you will see what happens! In the next few weeks.

Regarding Syria and the trafficking of migrants

John Cantlie was seen yesterday walking in the area that ISIS have taken, not in the orange boiler suit that we have come to expect, but in a "normal" suit. What does this signify. ISIS wanted to meet an official of the opposing group. Has this been done? Who would it be? It was stated on the last beheading! And what has happened to the next hostage targeted, Peter Kessig?

Amidst all this we now have the "shawish" system of Syrian supervisors which Robert Fisk writes in his article on Monday 27th October.This system pays the children only 90p per day! From this they have to rent one tent a lamp and even pay rent to live on the site, which can total up to £60 a month.
Where has the childhood gone in these parts of the world!

Today in the Independent there is a large article with a picture showing Syrians inspecting the site of a car bomb blast in the central Zahra district of Homs, which killed one and injured 25 It's no wonder the Syrians flee to the refugee camps!

In the same paper their was a piece that in Bangkok a gentleman was being held because of allegations regarding people being brought in from outside the country in Burma. The charges against him accused him of exposing the trafficking of migrant workers child labour violence against staff. He feels that it is his duty to protect these children. He feels he has not done anything  wrong; we.shall see what the courts decide!

Thailand Arrives on the Scene

What is going on? The girls were being kidnapped; now we have dozens of Bangladeshi males that have been kidnapped, drugged, handcuffed and sent to Thailand and were sold as Slaves, They were promised jobs and a good life. They have a family back home and are missing them.

Meanwhile, John Sopel on the news tonight from the US said that the battle over Kobani was raging and Frederike Geerdink reported that up to 200,000 Syrian Kurds have fled to Turkey, they are not very welcome as too many have arrived. ISIS is following them and they have laid siege to that town Today 21st November Patrick Cockburn says that the US are sending more troops.

Here at home we have our own problems!With our schools segregated and the communities they come from are gated, there is poor integration and they are unlikely to meet anyone from another socio economic group and so there is increased isolation between groups and problems are emerging in areas and it can be called a "fractured society" and in this climate you can see the rise of "Gang Culture" Put Your House in Order before you go and lecture to others! But when a movement called ISIS comes along you try hard to negotiate; and indeed they themselves are looking for some organisation or government to communicate with. A massive opportunity and one to grasp with both hands!  

Boko Haram

A long time ago a gang suddenly scooped up a number of well educated young girls; most people have forgotten all about it, except for their parents! They have always campaigned for their daughters to be returned. We are now aware that Boko Haram had abducted them, and what is the world doing? Oliver Wright and Jonathan Brown in "The Independent" last Tuesday reported about this. A number of top politicians say there is a moral argument for nations to intervene against Boko Haram and ISIS; together they form a growing, well organised international terror network reaching into areas that are worldwide. These girls will spend their sixth month in captivity somewhere in  Nigeria.

Chibok is where the school was and there are tales that these girls area alone and married off to their captives. They were studying to become teachers, nurses and engineers and scientists. Another major concern which concern is the fear that they seem to instill in us all. There was talk yesterday that ISIS asked for talks. But today there seems to be no report of it.

I saw on the news last night the macabre practice of female child circumcision which is carried out even in this country. There was a large lady wielding a knife and leading the child away.
No adult has been prosecuted for having allowed this practice. As I have said before this is very cross cultural but I do believe that it is wrong.  

Where has Speakers Corner gone?

As a friend mentioned last night: Britain needs somewhere for its people to vent their feelings as the times we live in are getting more and more confusing. So many people say they don't watch the news as it is too depressing!

We hear from Cahal Milmo and Paul Peachey that a medical student was among four men being investigated for undergoing a bomb making course in Syria! There is that young girl from Bristol who met with another girl from the same area and they too have gone to Syria. I have a lady in our house that knows the situation and wonders, being a Libyan, what is their reason for taking such a risk with ISIS in the area?

A friend of my daughter's is targeted by this group; although he is working in a humanitarian capacity he is still under threat! It is as if it seems to be that Man's inhumanity to Man holds sway at this moment!