President Jonathan, you must rescue the NYSC Members

Some NYSC members on national service for INEC during the 2011 Elections

President Jonathan on the National Youth Service Corps Members: “will do what is right” including Professional Mental Health Counseling

Our world has a long history of election violence but what makes the April 2011 Nigeria election violence distinct is the reported horrifying death of some National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.

How many of them actually got slaughtered, severely disfigured, vanished in the bushes or yet to be found remain unknown given our fragile intelligence and forensic power but we know that a good number of service corps members died in various riots across the predominantly Muslim northern States.

As young men and women serving in Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps, a mandatory yearlong service, doing their civic work, little did they know that some of them will fall victim to deadly rioting that tailed the presidential election in particular.
As part of their calling they were helping to run polling stations but most of these corps members happened to be of the Christian and Southern stock resulting in their been murdered, set ablaze, raped and maimed.

These victims reportedly fell to the hands of angry Muslim mobs who saw themselves avenging against the Southern Christian President, Goodluck Jonathan the declared winner of the presidential vote of April 16th, 2011.

There is no doubt that the government will financially compensate many victims, and the families of the sacrificial victims or the dead, as well as give official recognition to the victims.

But what is needed now and more than ever is putting in place crisis-based psychotherapy or counseling plans.
As soon as possible, we need professional form of mental health care assessing for brief and longer-term therapy for the possibly traumatized victims, their children and families.

Please note that this is not ‘Oyibo (White people) thing’ or plan as depression and anxiety knows no boundary when it comes to race, ethnic, religion or gender.

We will all agree that many victims of this huge and sudden trauma should not be alone to bear the psychological problems of these torturous and ferocious acts. The ones that are fortunate to be alive, and their families will need practical, insightful and humane way to deal with these traumatic worries.

Immediate crisis-based programs manned by competent psychologists, counselors, and clinicians across various regional human and social services agencies should be set up for the care of victims and their families as well as relatives.

In traumatic matters as it relates to this regional violence, feelings of irritation, apprehension, indecisiveness, hopelessness and other likes are expected and the successful management of these issues are essential.

The victims will gain greatly from counseling along with getting empathy, and a focus on the special needs of these vulnerable citizens will be helpful in the long term. The overall well being of these victims needs monitoring as many of them could be struggling with the effects of culture shock as many were reportedly victims of forced confinement, fire traumatization and explosive suffering.

The front line counselors and clinicians across what could be called or set up as Crisis Drop- in- Centers should be ready for and open to tolerance as they will be seeing persons with responses of all types which could include self-blame, fatigue, uneasiness, acute stress, insecurity, gloom, confusion and loss.

The federal and State governments should be aware that these violent occurrences will cause many non-Muslim northerners living in the north to possibly remain in a state of heightened anxiety both at work, school and in the marketplace. As such, their concerns about more violence should also be followed with various forms of actions like group counseling sessions, inter-community relations counseling, and a short tem neighborhood security or policing in highly sensitive areas of the North.

~ By John Oshodi

John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D., DABPS; FACFE; is a Licensed Clinical/Forensic Psychologist; Diplomate of American Board of Psychological Specialties; Fellow of American College of Forensic Examiners (For Psy); Former Interim Associate Dean and an Assistant Professor of Psychology, Broward College - North Campus, Coconut Creek, Florida.

Boko Haram Movement And Its Deadly Impact

Boko Haram Movement And Its Deadly Impact

By Barrister Bunmi V. Osin (Email: igbala1@yahoo.co.uk)
( Tuesday, April 5, 2011 )

"Back to the crux of the matter. Why has the National Assembly members suddenly gone to sleep? Have they not heard of the over 4,000 Darul Islam sect members in Mokwa of Niger State that were dislodged and sent to their respective States?" -Barrister Bunmi V. Osin

The Nigerian nation has had more than its fair share of conflicts. From inter-ethnic, intra-ethnic and religious conflicts to land disputes etc. e.g. Shagamu (Yoruba vs Hausa in July 1999; Aguleri vs Umuleri in Anambra State in April, 2000; the Ikulu vs Baju in Zango Kataf; the ethno-religious fracas in parts of Jos, in Sept. 2001, July 2002, and Nov. 2008; acts of militancy in the Niger Delta and most recently the attacks on innocent Nigerians that started in Bauchi and sporadically spread to other States in the North where the Boko Haram adherents had pitched their tents, etc. The latest incident is one attack too many on the psyche of Nigeria as a nation, I am no prophet of doom, but are all these incidents not pointers to the American prediction of the disintegration of the nation in no distant future?
The very foundation of our existence as a nation was rocked violently by the religious bigots called 'Boko Haram' literally meaning 'western education is sin', who were desirous of ridding the nation of the 'sins of westernization' by a futile attempt, to install a parallel government based on the Islamic principles, as according to Ustaz Yusuf, all those Northern Nigeria Governors clamouring for Sharia were hypocrites as reported in the Sunday Sun Newspaper of August 2, 2009 as they do not believe in Islam and in the process over 800 innocent Nigerians were reported to have been killed and properties worth millions of naira destroyed in these senseless attacks. We commend the security agencies that battled to restore peace and order in the northern parts of the country where this incident took place despite the problems confronting by them, ranging from inadequate funds, and use of archaic weapons, against more sophisticated weaponry flaunted by the Boko Haram bigots.

During the uprisings in Jos and other parts of the State, at different times, the stories were tilted to sound as if it were acts of genocide against the Muslims, which is a far cry from the truth. In Maiduguri, Bauchi, Yobe, Kano, etc. States where the Boko Haram people struck, the reportage was presented leaving out the attacks carried out on Christian's places of worship. For instance, the selective attack on places of Christian worship and the killing of the Pastors and forceful conversion of captured Christians to embrace Islam and join their evil jihad were not reported. The Light Bearer - a newspaper published by the COCIN Church, later presented pictures of burnt places of worship, with charred remains of adherents that met their unfortunate death in the hands of these devils. Why was the media silent on that aspect? Was that a deliberate plan to suppress the truth? Truth, like murder, will always out, as they say. Acts of arson targeted at Christian properties and places of worship have been going on in the country systematically, e.g. in Zaria where 37 Churches were burnt in 1987, and several others cases in Kano, Bauchi, Jos and other places.

Back to the crux of the matter. Why has the National Assembly members suddenly gone to sleep? Have they not heard of the over 4,000 Darul Islam sect members in Mokwa of Niger State that were dislodged and sent to their respective States? If Borno State had taken the bull by the horn and evicted Boko Haram sect members based on Security Reports, would that sect have been able to wreak havoc on the citizenry as they did? For fear of Darul Islam starting a similar attack from the fringes of River Niger, the Chief Servant of Niger State did well by being proactive and directed that the people who inhabited the Mokwa enclave be evicted to wherever they came from. That has since been done, and those that came from Bauchi, Borno, Kano, and even outside the shores of Nigeria, have been deported. A similar thing was belatedly done in Borno State, where the Boko Haram people were pitched and had wreaked havoc on the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The uprisings in Plateau State did not start with Governor Jang. It will be recalled that in September, 2001, there was Muslim vs Christian fracas in Jos, and later in June/July, 2002, there were incidents of uprisings in Barakin Ladi, Shendam, Wase when various indigenous tribes versus the Hausa Fulani settlers, and the November 2008 ethnic/religious crisis over an election conducted in Jos North Local Government Area of the State. For the fact that the crisis erupted before the announcement of the election results is a pointer to the fact that crisis was brewing waiting to be ignited! Governor Jang, in order to nip the brewing crisis in the bud, as would any responsible Chief Security Officer of a State, directed that the Boko Haram(?) people be dislodged from Wase LGA, and taken to their respective States. When that was done, the National Assembly cried foul, that as Nigerians, they were entitled to live in any part of the country and even set up a Committee to investigate the matter! Their eviction caused ripples for those who do not wish peace to be restored in Plateau State as they have sworn that Plateau will know no peace till the indigenous people are subjugated and annihilated. Let us rationally cite the matter of the ASUU strike which has lingered for over three months now, and the Federal Government is reluctant to sign an agreement that would be binding on the State Governments, yet it can set up a Committee to investigate a State crisis - why the double standard? If truly that is the position, the National Assembly should rise from its slumber and set up Committees to Investigate Niger and Borno States for dislodging Darul Islam and Boko Haram members from those States forthwith.

The arrow heads at the National Assembly calling for Governor Jang's head have so far kept mum. Were those people who were relocated to their villages not Nigerians? Why the double standard for God's sake? If a smaller incident takes place in Plateau State, the whole nation, especially those who are in a hurry to actualize the American prediction put their propaganda machinery to use, so much so that they make it sound as if it was a 8th wonder of the world! Or could it be said that their silence is now due to the fact that the Director-General, Department of State Security Service in a session with the Committee on Interior, according to Newspaper reports, informed them that the intelligence reports on the Boko Haram group were forwarded to the authorities concerned but that the powers that be treated it with kid gloves and maintained that he wanted to ridicule Islam because he is a Christian? If action had been taken on the Security reports, the mind bogging questions are: Would Nigeria be faced with such wanton destruction of lives and properties? Is there a superior religion in the country? Why are the Christians playing the second fiddle in the land? Is the Constitution of Nigeria no longer supreme, where it guarantees all citizens the freedom of worship and association?

It is said that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands, but we are seeing double standards being exhibited by those that find themselves in the corridors of power by hook or crook. Take for instance, the case of the dislodgement of those miscreants in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State, who claimed they were nomads, but the Chairman of the Local Government, who incidentally is a Muslim and also a Fulani man, reported that in view of the crisis that had rocked the State, he was weary of the people, as they came without cows nor sheep as the nomads usually do, but they arrived in truck loads, which made him suspicious of their mission, methinks they could be members of the Boko Haram.

It would be recalled that after the crisis in parts of Jos North LGA, it was alleged that mercenaries were being used for the attacks and as usual, there were denials, even when some were caught right in the township of Jos and the Okene Local Government Chairman in Kogi State quickly claimed they were Vigilante group members of the Local Government. If indeed his claim is true, what brought them to Jos at that point in time when there was crisis in the State, and who gave them permission to carry fire arms? Not only that they were armed, but also had fake Army and Police uniforms. What has scuttled the Nigeria Police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, etc. that tax payers money will be used to hire hoodlums that turn back to attack peace loving members of the nation? In a society where the rule of law is being upheld, the Okene Local Government should also joined and prosecuted along with his so-called Vigilante members to serve as a deterrent to those who fan embers of disunity in the country. Those mercenaries were not tried in Plateau State, but taken to the Federal Capital Territory only for the criminals to be freed. Is it that there was no court of competent jurisdiction to try them in Plateau State where they were arrested? The question is: who ordered their release and under what grounds? This gave them the lee way to continue their ungodly activities. One cannot but conclude that there is an evil conspiracy against Plateau State and Christians at large in northern Nigeria.

It is being rumoured that there is an Islamic agenda is being systematically implemented in the country as we recall some years back during the Gen. Ibrahim Babangida regime; Nigeria was surreptitiously smuggled into the membership of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). If no systematic Islamalization of Nigeria is being discreetly pursued, it should be clear to all reasonable people that what is good for Governor Mu'azu Babaginda is good for Modu Sherif and Governor Jang. If Jang or anyone for that matter falters, his attention should be drawn to it, but where discriminatory policies are meted out on Jang, while his contemporaries who did similar or more heinous things hold sway spells doom for the country. The people are wide awake and are seeing the injustice being done on particularly the Christians in this country and this portends great danger, if not checked, or else we are playing to the gallery to fulfil the prediction of the disintegration of the nation.

Let me conclude by saying that the enemies of Nigeria should not use religion to bring about the disintegration of the country to fruition. If Nigerians unite, no matter their religious beliefs, the country will be the better for it. Our common bond should be the nation, and not ethnic or religious affiliations. The situation as it is now in Jos where Christians occupy a particular section of the city and Muslims on the other side creates room for suspicion among the citizens. Jos is a cosmopolitan city habited by Christians, Moslems, Freethinkers and even the Atheists. With mutual suspicion which has made every kith and kin moving towards one side of the city lends credence to the fact that all is not yet well in Jos Township and it will certainly be a hard nut to crack given our recent experiences in the land for cohabitation to take place. I pray that God gives our leaders a foresight to tackle the situation and Nigerians the tolerance to live peacefully with each other in whatever area of their choice. My strong belief is that religion should serve as a means of uniting the people, no matter the differences in beliefs.

This write-up essentially serves as a call-up to all clergies both Muslims and Christians to rise to their callings by ensuring that sound doctrines are taught to their adherents so that the likes of Ustaz Mohammed Yusuf of Gaidam LGA Borno State, killer Pastor King of Lagos will not rise to teach some fallacies and hoodwink the people ultimately leading to loss of lives and destruction of properties. I could remember Pastor Sunday I. Peters, Pastor Timi Emmanuel who have been displaced for risk of assassination by members of Boko Haram because of their standing for the truth. All Nigerians of goodwill should condemn in the strongest terms, these senseless attacks on the citizenry. These are the lessons of Boko Haram which Nigerians have learnt in the hard way. The freedom of religion enshrined in the Nigerian constitution should not be abused, as none of the Holy books have been rewritten to now contain new and strange teachings of how to get to heaven other than those already known, tested and believed by their adherents. May the souls of those innocent people that were killed in these senseless attacks rest in peace, amen.

Barrister Bunmi V. Osin
Bauchi
Email: igbala1@yahoo.co.uk

Northern Nigeria: Background to Conflict

Northern Nigeria. Photo Credit: The Will

Dec 20, 2010 22:01 ET



Northern Nigeria: Background to Conflict


DAKAR, December 20, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Nigeria's far north is not the hot bed of Islamic extremists some in the West fear, but it needs reinforced community-level peacebuilding, a more subtle security response, and improved management of public resources lest lingering tensions lead to new violence.


Northern Nigeria: Background to Conflict,* the latest report from the International Crisis Group, examines the region's conflict risks. Violence has flared up there periodically for more than 30 years. Mainly in the form of urban riots, it has seen Muslims pitted against Christians, confrontations between different Islamic sects, and rejectionist sects against the state. The relative calm that much of northern Nigeria had enjoyed for several years was broken by the emergence in 2009 of Boko Haram, a radical group that appears to have some links to al-Qaeda.



Nigeria's northern emirs gave Prince Charles a royal welcome on his tour of the West African country this week. Here he arrives at the palace of the Emir of Kano (4th from right). Photo Credit: The BBC News

In the build-up to the 2011 national elections, the worst-case scenario is that local violence will polarize the rest of the country. This must be avoided through actions at the local, regional and national level.

“While some in the West panic at what they see as growing Islamic radicalism in the region, the roots of the problem are more complex and lie in Nigeria's history and contemporary politics”, says Titi Ajayi, Crisis Group's West Africa Fellow.
Many common factors fuel conflicts across Nigeria: in particular, the political manipulation of religion and ethnicity and disputes between supposed local groups and “settlers” over distribution of public resources. The failure of the state to assure public order, contribute to dispute settlement and implement post-conflict peacebuilding measures also plays a role, as does economic decline and unemployment. As elsewhere in the country, the far north – the twelve states that apply Sharia (Islamic law) – suffers from a potent mix of economic malaise and contentious, community-based distribution of public resources.

But there is also a specifically northern element. A thread of rejectionist thinking runs through northern Nigerian history, according to which collaboration with secular authorities is illegitimate. While calls for an “Islamic state” in Nigeria should not be taken too seriously, despite media hyperbole, they do demonstrate that many in the far north express political and social dissatisfaction through greater adherence to Islam and increasingly look to the religious canon for solutions to multiple problems in their lives.

On the positive side, much local conflict prevention and resolution does occur, and the region has historically shown much capacity for peaceful co-existence between its ethnic and religious communities. Generally speaking, for a vast region beset with social and economic problems, the absence of widespread conflict is as notable as the pockets of violence.

The starting point for addressing the conflicts must be a better understanding of the historical, cultural and other contexts in which they take place. The region has experienced recurrent violence, particularly since the early 1980s. These are the product of several complex and inter-locking factors, including a volatile mix of historical grievances, political manipulation and ethnic and religious rivalries.
“Northern Nigeria is little understood by those in the south, still less by the international community, where too often, it is viewed as part of bigger rivalries in a putative West-Islam divide”, says EJ Hogendoorn, Crisis Group's Acting Africa Program Director. “Still, the overall situation needs to be taken seriously. If it were to deteriorate significantly, especially along Christian-Muslim lines, it could have grave repercussions for national cohesion in the build-up to national elections in 2011”.



Source: International Crisis Group

Releases displayed in EST time
Dec 20, 2010
22:01	Northern Nigeria: Background to Conflict
Dec 18, 2010
00:54	Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and IOM Strengthen Cooperation
Dec 16, 2010
10:04	Strativity Group Announces 2011 Customer Experience Management Next Generation Certification Program
02:46	Le Président de la Commission de l'Union Africaine participe à Alger à une conférence internationale célébrant le 50ème anniversaire de la Résolution 1514 de l'Assemblée Générale de l'ONU
02:44	The Chairperson of the AU Commission concludes visit to Algeria where he participated in the International Conference on the 50th Anniversary of UNGA Resolution 1514

Releases displayed in EST time
Dec 20, 2010
22:01	Northern Nigeria: Background to Conflict
Dec 18, 2010
00:54	Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and IOM Strengthen Cooperation
Dec 16, 2010
10:04	Strativity Group Announces 2011 Customer Experience Management Next Generation Certification Program
02:46	Le Président de la Commission de l'Union Africaine participe à Alger à une conférence internationale célébrant le 50ème anniversaire de la Résolution 1514 de l'Assemblée Générale de l'ONU
02:44	The Chairperson of the AU Commission concludes visit to Algeria where he participated in the International Conference on the 50th Anniversary of UNGA Resolution 1514

On Nigerian Roads, Religion and the Nigerian Police Force

Mr. President, So What If Nigeria Is a Very Religious Society, the Curse on the Nigerian Roads remain Unbearable.

Sir, during your life interview with CNN Anchor Christian Amanpour in April of this year in Washington D.C. you proclaimed that Nigeria is a “very, very religious society”. But of what use is a religious atmosphere when the care of life and the disposal of dead bodies are handled with a Godless attitude?

Sir, no one should query with the office of the presidency as it is reportedly getting ready to buy three airplanes. Why, because the Nigerian roads are not routes in the civil, mechanical or actual sense. They are simply impassable and deadly.

The Nigerian Police Force in its style of traffic management remains crude at best, but how can one put all the blame on the police as its officers are products of an almost ruined society, in the institutional sense especially.

Who will like to maintain traffic rules in roads that lack updated or posted speed limits, adequate lighting, emergency telephones, rest spots, control of armed bandits and continue to lack operational rules in regards to curtailing abandoned vehicles?

For now there are crude like check-points set up by the police, mainly in busy highways and at times these check points have become temporal centers of unmanageable traffic jams, points for bribery negotiation and in some cases sites of deadly accidents.

In the face of these turbulences it is not uncommon to find victims of fatal accidents rotting away along the highway and in nearby bushes.

Mr. President, take the case of one 39-year old Egbosele Eronmosele of Uromi , Edo State. Just this past Wednesday, he left Uromi in his car on his way to the nation’s capital, Abuja.

Throughout Wednesday and Thursday attempts by his family to reach him on his mobile phone failed. He is a newlywed man and naturally his wife and family were concerned and heavily worried.

The family being disturbed by his unusual silence and by him not picking up his phone, some family members had no choice but to look for him. They then proceeded to do this manually by aimlessly travelling by car, as there are no functioning police emergency services for distressed callers. These family members on leaving Uromi, took the normal route which included Auchi, only to reach the town of Okene in Koji State, one of the leading towns to Abuja.

Sir, with bits and pieces of information around the surroundings, 39-year old Egbosele Eronmosele was found in the bush—all burnt up and dead.

His burnt body reportedly lay helpless facing the steering wheel in the burnt car. The family like every reasonable and concerned family proceeded to the local police station, Division 2 to inquire about the fatal accident.

They were reportedly informed by the attending station officers that the victim was involved in an accident with a trailer. As they requested to see the actual traffic incident report they were informed that there were no available reports of the accident. Also, there was no information provided on the trailer because the investigating officers were not currently on duty and could not be reached.

As to why the report which is supposed to be filed, kept and maintained in the police station, was not present the family were told, the report is with the investigators.

Mr. President, here is the most distressing part of the story. As to why the lifeless body of the victim was left rotting away from Wednesday up to Friday when the burnt car was found in the bush, the police reportedly stated that the body was left unattended due to religious reasons. What does that mean, the family asked the station officer? The apparent police response was gravely disturbing.

They were informed that Mr. Eronmosele died in a “very , very religious” area of Nigeria, a Muslim area. As such no casket could be procured, purchased, or publicly sold or allowed in the area. And neither was the body taking to any hospital mortuary as there is no fully functioning one in the area. Sir, all these occurrences generally resulted due to religion and as a consequence of the backward mentality that still exist in the policing of the Nigerian people.

The family then gathered the pieces of Mr. Eronmosele, and returned to Uromi to bury his remains this past Saturday. Sir, this reality!

Mr. President, fifty years later Nigeria the so called giant of Africa appears to be moving opposite to progress with a few Nigerians sharing in your sentiments that there is optimism for Nigerians.

No reasonable mind believes that the nation is finished but the evidence is openly clear that without sweeping improvement in the highways, traffic system, electric power, police system and in leadership; religion alone will not save the country from its quick entry into a state of an all-out collapse.

Mr. President, as you set out to declare a yes or no answer to the 2011 presidency on or about September 10th, 2010; hopefully you will remind the nation of the story of Egbosele Eromonsele as it relates to the need for a commons sense governance of the nation, despite the so called sacred state of the country.


~ By John Oshodi

John Egbeazien Oshodi, Ph.D, DABPS, FACFE is a practicing Forensic/Clinical Psychologist and the Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs-Behavioral Science, North Campus, Broward College, Coconut Creek, Florida. joshodi@broward.edu.

Growing Number of Americans Who Say Barack Obama is a Muslim

9 Aug 2010 05:01 Africa/Lagos



New Pew Research Center Survey Reveals Growing Number of Americans Who Say Barack Obama is a Muslim

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that a substantial and growing number of Americans say that Barack Obama is a Muslim, while the proportion saying he is a Christian has declined. More than a year and a half into his presidency, a plurality of the public says they do not know what religion Obama follows.

According to the survey, nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) now say Obama is a Muslim -- an increase from 11% in March 2009. Only about one-third of adults (34%) say Obama is a Christian, a sharp decrease from 48% in 2009. Fully 43% say they do not know what Obama's religion is. The survey was completed in early August, before Obama's recent comments about the proposed construction of a mosque near the site of the former World Trade Center.

The belief that Obama is a Muslim has increased most sharply among Republicans (up 14 points since 2009), especially conservative Republicans (up 16 points). But the number of independents who say Obama is a Muslim has also increased significantly (up eight points). There has been little change in the number of Democrats who say Obama is a Muslim, but fewer Democrats today say he is a Christian (down nine points since 2009).

The new poll, conducted between July 21 and Aug. 5 among 3,003 respondents, also examines the link between Americans' perception of Obama's religion and their opinion of his job performance, and covers views on the President's approach to religion, including the influence of his religious beliefs on policy decisions. In addition, the survey explores Americans' attitudes toward churches' involvement in politics and religion's influence on American life and government, and looks at religion's impact on voting preferences for the upcoming 2010 congressional races.

The report, including a summary and topline questionnaire, will be accessible on the Forum's new Web feature, "Religion & Politics 2010," which provides a variety of election resources, including:
-- Poll analyses and survey reports on topics related to the midterm
elections
-- Links to news stories about religion-related issues impacting 2010
congressional and gubernatorial races around the country
-- "Election news briefs" highlighting interesting articles and common
themes making news headlines

The Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life conducts surveys, demographic analyses and other social science research on important aspects of religion and public life in the U.S. and around the world. As part of the Washington-based Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy organization, the Pew Forum does not take positions on any of the issues it covers or on policy debates.
Source: Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life

CONTACT: Liga Plaveniece of Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion &
Public Life, Communications Coordinator, +1-202-419-4586
Web Site: http://www.pewforum.org/

A Different Kind of Religious War

Happy Easter with Our Best Wishes from Nigerians Report.


2 Apr 2010 15:00 Africa/Lagos


A Different Kind of Religious War

WACO, Texas, April 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- "Who do you say that I am?" asked Jesus of his disciples. And the rest of humankind has been struggling to answer that question ever since.

Nowhere has answering this question been more divisive and more of a struggle than in resolving the tension between two seemingly rival claims: Jesus was both fully human and fully divine, and Jesus was only fully divine. This schism was central to Christianity during the Church Councils of the fifth century, when it seemed inevitable that the church would abandon its belief in the humanity of Jesus.

It also is a schism that led directly to the collapse of Roman power in the east, to the rise of Islam, to the destruction of Christianity throughout much of Asia and Africa, and to the strengthening of Christianity in Europe. The mainstream Christian church kept the belief that Jesus was fully human - but at the cost of losing half the world.

This battle to "keep" Jesus human is recounted in "Jesus Wars: How Four Patriarchs, Three Queens and Two Emperors Decided What Christians Would Believe for the Next 1,500 Years," written by Philip Jenkins and published this month by HarperOne. Jenkins, a religious historian with joint appointments at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion and Penn State University, explores the violent and bloody controversy that erupted between the Western and Eastern churches. These battles, says Jenkins, had enormous impact on the future of Christianity and the world.

It was the Council of Chalcedon, near Istanbul in 451, that seemingly settled the matter, formulating the statement that eventually became the official theology of the Roman Empire. This acknowledged Christ in two natures, joined together in one person. This Chalcedonian definition stands today as the official view of Jesus for the vast majority of Christians.

"During the fifth century there were two sides, both of which thought Christ was God," Jenkins says. "What varied was the idea of how much humanity he held. The view that won and became orthodoxy was the view that Christ was both fully human and fully divine. The view that lost was the 'One Nature' view - the idea of Christ in which the human nature was wholly overwhelmed by divinity.

"But Chalcedon was not the only possible solution, nor was it an obvious or, perhaps, a logical one," Jenkins writes. "Only the political victory of Chalcedon's supporters allowed that council's ideas to become the inevitable lens through which later generations interpret the Christian message."

And, the "official victory of Chalcedon," as Jenkins terms it, came with a cost. Violence, bloodshed and death occurred, driven both by the quest for the "right belief" and the secular concept of honor prevailing at the time, which fostered vendettas and feuds. People of the fifth century had no qualms in justifying violence to support their view of the Christ they worshipped.

The struggles recounted in "Jesus Wars" remind us today that beliefs form and reappear throughout time - and must be engaged and confronted. While the violence prevalent then is abhorrent in today's world, the church must still explore new ideas - or risk extinction.

Writing in "Jesus Wars," Jenkins says, "...dialogue can itself be a positive thing, a way in which Christian thought develops its own self-understanding. A religion that is not constantly spawning alternatives and heresies has ceased to think and has achieved only the peace of the grave."

About Philip Jenkins

Dr. Philip Jenkins, one of the world's leading religion scholars, is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion, a position he has held since 2009. He is also is the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Humanities at Pennsylvania State University, where he has taught since 1980. An historian by training, Jenkins' work has been lauded in many different disciplines including sociology, criminology, and religious studies. Jenkins earned his bachelor's, master's and Ph.D. in History from Cambridge University. He is the author of 24 books, more than 100 book reviews and approximately 100 book chapters and refereed articles.

Provided by Newswise, online resource for knowledge-based news at www.newswise.com

Media Contacts: Jill Scoggins, 254.710.1964, jill_scoggins@baylor.edu

Source: Baylor University

CONTACT: Jill Scoggins, +1-254-710-1964, jill_scoggins@baylor.edu

Web Site: http://www.baylor.edu/

1 Apr 2010
23:12	Lion Energy grants incentive stock options
20:39	The African Union deploys an Election Observer Mission to Sudan
18:11	ICC: Judges Approve Kenyan Investigation / Witness Protection Key Challenge in Investigation

Majorities Reject Banning Defamation of Religion: 20 Nation Poll

23 Nov 2009 06:01 Africa/Lagos


Majorities Reject Banning Defamation of Religion: 20 Nation Poll

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Nov. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the UN General Assembly prepares to debate a proposal calling for nations to take action against the defamation of religion, majorities in 13 of 20 nations polled around the world support the right to criticize a religion.


On average, across all countries polled, 57% of respondents agree that "people should be allowed to publicly criticize a religion because people should have freedom of speech." However, an average of 34% of respondents agree that governments "should have the right to fine or imprison people who publicly criticize a religion because such criticism could defame the religion."


WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 18,487 respondents in 20 nations. This includes many of the largest nations -- India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia -- as well as Mexico, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, the Palestinian territories, and South Korea. Polling was also conducted in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The margins of error range from +/-3 to 4 percentage points. The surveys were conducted across the different nations between April 25 and July 9, 2009.


Support for the right to criticize religion is strongest in the United States, with 89%, compared to just 9% support for government restrictions. Though the strongest supporters of restrictions on criticism of religions are in Muslim countries, a separate poll by WPO in 2008 showed that overwhelming majorities said it is at least somewhat important for people to have the right to express any opinion, including criticism of the government or religious leaders. In fact, clear majorities in every one of the 20 nations included in that poll took the same position, ranging from 69% in India to 98% in the United States.


The two non-Muslim countries where majorities responded to the recent WPO poll by saying governments should be able to fine or imprison people for criticizing religions are India and Nigeria. This suggests that their support of government restrictions may stem not from a popular push to defend Islam -- Muslims make up roughly half of Nigeria's population but just 13% of India's -- but from a broadly shared desire to reduce incidents of inter-religious violence.


Source: Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland

CONTACT: Steven Kull of the Program on International Policy Attitudes
(PIPA) at the University of Maryland, +1-202-232-7500

Re: Why ATHEISM is GREAT (for those who don't think it is).

Orikinla Osinachi says:
Atheism is based on ignorance of the origins of our existence.
We have a beginning and our beginning has an author and the author is God. May I advise anyone who thinks the existence of God, spirits, and other heavenly beings are myths to read Scientists Discover Hell: As Astronauts Find Heaven by Olisaemeka A. G.
The book has facts based on actual testimonies.

The above response is my reply to the discussion on Why ATHEISM is GREAT (for those who don't think it is) published on Amazon.

NEWSWEEK Cover: Radical Islam Is A Fact Of Life. How To Live With It

In the March 9, 2009 issue of Newsweek (on newsstands Monday, March 2), "Radical Islam is A Fact of Life. How To Live With it" Fareed Zakaria makes the case for why the West needs to adopt a more sophisticated strategy toward Radical Islam. Plus: Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman discuss the country's future in their first foreign media interview since winning in the recent election. Lastly: A review of the latest comic book inspired movie, "Watchmen." (PRNewsFoto/NEWSWEEK) NEW YORK, NY UNITED STATES 03/01/2009

1 Mar 2009 17:18 Africa/Lagos

NEWSWEEK Cover: Radical Islam Is A Fact Of Life. How To Live With It

Fareed Zakaria Writes, "It is crucial that we adopt a more sophisticated strategy toward radical Islam"

Not All Islamic Fundamentalists Support Jihad or are Potential Terrorists

NEW YORK, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- In the March 9 Newsweek cover, "Radical Islam Is a Fact of Life. How to Live With It" (on newsstands Monday, March 2), Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria argues that radical Islam is a fact of life, which we must learn to deal with. He emphatically does not say that we should accept the medieval values of the Islamists, or that we should not continue trying to destroy Al Qaeda. But to prevail in a generational cultural struggle, the West must learn to distinguish between those who have nihilistic philosophies and expansionist aims and those looking to apply their values at home.


(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090301/NYSU003 )


Reports from Nigeria to Bosnia to Indonesia show that Islamic fundamentalists are finding support within their communities for their agenda, which usually involves the introduction of some form of Sharia-Islamic law--reflecting a puritanical interpretation of Islam. No music, no liquor, no smoking, no female emancipation. "The groups that advocate these policies are ugly, reactionary forces that will stunt their countries and bring dishonor to their religion. But not all these Islamists advocate global jihad, host terrorists or launch operations against the outside world--in fact, most do not," Zakaria writes. "Consider, for example, the most difficult example, the Taliban. The Taliban have done all kinds of terrible things in Afghanistan. But so far, no Afghan Taliban has participated at any significant level in a global terrorist attack over the past 10 years--including 9/11." Zakaria also points out that while some elements of the Taliban are closely associated with Al Qaeda, "the Taliban is large, and many factions have little connection to Osama bin Laden. Most Taliban want Islamic rule locally, not violent jihad globally," he writes.


This is why "it is crucial that we adopt a more sophisticated strategy toward radical Islam," Zakaria writes. "This should come naturally to President Obama, who spoke often on the campaign trail of the need for just such a differentiated approach toward Muslim countries." The Washington Institute, a think tank often associated with conservatives, also agrees with this view. Its report due to be released this week recommends that the United States use more "nuanced, noncombative rhetoric" that avoids sweeping declarations like "war on terror," "global insurgency," even "the Muslim world."


"Anything that emphasizes the variety of groups, movements and motives within that world strengthens the case that this is not a battle between Islam and the West," Zakaria writes. "Bin Laden constantly argues that all these different groups are part of the same global movement. We should not play into his hands, and emphasize instead that many of these forces are local, have specific grievances and don't have much in common. That does not mean we should accept the burning of girls' schools, or the stoning of criminals. Recognizing the reality of radical Islam is entirely different from accepting its ideas. We should mount a spirited defense of our views and values. We should pursue aggressively policies that will make these values succeed. Such efforts are often difficult and take time--rebuilding state structures, providing secular education, reducing corruption--but we should help societies making these efforts. The mere fact that we are working in these countries on these issues--and not simply bombing, killing and capturing--might change the atmosphere surrounding the U.S. involvement in this struggle."


(Read cover article at www.Newsweek.com)


Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090301/NYSU003
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
PRN2
Source: Newsweek

CONTACT: Brenda Velez, +1-212-445-4078


Web Site: http://www.newsweek.com/

150 Years After 'Origin of the Species', Science and Religion Remain as Conflicted as Ever

9 Jan 2009 11:20 Africa/Lagos

150 Years After 'Origin of the Species', Science and Religion Remain as Conflicted as Ever

GEORGETOWN, Texas, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- When Charles Darwin published his landmark book On the Evolution of Species in 1859, his theories on evolution were quickly accepted by the vast majority of scientists. The general public, however, was not as eager to accept Darwin's ideas, due largely to the fact that they challenged established religious beliefs.


Today, 150 years after the publication of Darwin's book, science and religion remain as conflicted as ever when it comes to the subject of evolution.


"There is a real disconnect between what science says and what the public believes, at least in the United States," says Ben Pierce, holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair in Biology at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.


Pierce is organizing one of the first events in 2009 that will mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of the Darwin book. The symposium, titled "Science and Religion: Conflict or Convergence," will be held at Southwestern University Feb. 5-6 as part of the university's annual Brown Symposium series.


Pierce points to Gallop Polls conducted between 1982-2004, which consistently found that 44 to 47 percent of Americans do not believe in evolution. Instead, they believe that humans were "created by God pretty much in their present form less than 10,000 years ago."


Meanwhile, a recent survey of more than 400 university professors in Texas, a largely conservative state, found that nearly 90 percent believe modern evolutionary biology is largely correct.


Pierce says there are four approaches to the conflict between science and religion. The "Warfare Model" presumes that one side is right, the other side is wrong, and the two are permanently conflicted. The "Separate Realms" approach -- which is taken by many scientists -- says there is no conflict between the two because they address very different questions. In the "Accommodation Model," science and religion each adjust their world views to accommodate findings from the other field. For example, some Biblical scholars reinterpreted the Genesis account of creation when science showed that the world is much older than previously thought.


The model Pierce plans to focus on at the February symposium is the "Engagement Model," which says that both fields can profit by understanding what is happening in the other fields.


For example, one of the conference speakers will be Dr. Andrew Newberg, director of the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania. Newburg has developed brain imaging techniques to determine what happens when people have a religious experience, and is co-author of the best-selling 2001 book Why God Won't Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief.


Pierce says students today are very interested in the subject of science vs. religion and are seeking ways to find a middle ground between the two fields. In his evolution course at Southwestern University last fall, four students wrote papers for their Biology Capstone project on ways science could be used to better understand religion. For example, one student wrote a paper on the health effects of prayer and meditation and another student wrote a paper on the genetics of spirituality.


"These students put into practice the notion that science and religion can indeed have something useful to say to each other," Pierce says.


Source: Southwestern University

CONTACT: Ellen Davis of Southwestern University, +1-512-863-1570

Good News From Nigeria!

I am 100% determined to spread the good news of this book Scientists Discover Hell: As Astronauts Find Heaven from my country Nigeria, because I am happy that such a great revelation is coming out where the rest of the world only expects 419 Yahoo-Yahoo Internet Scammers and shamelessly corrupt politicians,

I bought four copies of this book at $25 each and sent the four copies to the following people.

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Prof. Francis Collins
3. Ariana Huffington and
4. Pastor Sunday Adelaja.

I have also succeeded in getting the publisher/distributor to reduce the price of the paperback from $25 to $16 only. But the new price is only available on their own website until next week when it will be effective on Amazon.com.
I am going to buy and send 20 more copies to other people.

The book chronicles the true life testimonies of people who were brought back to life by Jesus Christ in present Day Nigeria, a Russian woman who actually saw hell, an American pastor's experience of heaven and the scientific reports of scientists and astronauts who discovered the existence of hell, heaven and angels.

About the author:
The Guild Of Researchers International is an intelligentsia of scholars committed to theology and public enlightenment through both spiritual and scientific research.

Scientists Discover Hell: As Astronauts Find Heaven
Edited By Olisaemeka A.G.

About the Book:

This and other publications are in fulfillment of a mandate and in satisfaction of the curiosity to conduct, as much as possible, comprehensive and incisive research works on various topical issues that are of global consequences to the entire human race. The facts are presented the way they are and the researchers have no bias or religious inclination in their presentation as the researchers have different background and the facts adduced hereto are as verifiable as they are purely scientific, historical, contemporary and testimonial in their extent, intent content and impact. Proper citations and sufficient acknowledgments are made of the various sources of facts referred to in this work as required in any academic research.

Publication Date: Sep 27 2008
ISBN/EAN13: 1440429995 / 9781440429996
Page Count: 400
Binding Type: US Trade Paper
Trim Size: 8" x 10"
Language: English
Color: Black and White
Related Categories: Religion / Religion & Science

List Price: $16.00
CLICK HERE TO ORDER THIS GREAT BOOK NOW!