French cartoons insulting Islam condemned as 'fuel on the fire'

As Muslims across the globe continue to protest the US-made film that insulted Islam's Prophet Muhammad, a French weekly called Charlie Hebdo published a series of cartoons of the prophet, sparking a new wave of rage in the Arab and Muslim worlds. Press TV reported that the cartoons were denounced by both Egypt's al-Azhar Mosque and the Vatican as "fuel on the fire," and Al Jazeera reported that a number of French embassies and schools would close today for fear of violence.

According to BBC Arabic, anti-blasphemy demonstrations have spread to South and Southeast Asia, specifically the capitals of Afghanistan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, while Pakistan experienced deadly Friday protests after security forces opened fire on demonstrators.

This Week in Syria: 'Friends of Syria' meeting, 'massacre' in ar-Raqqah, and fears of chemical attack

New TV reported a massacre by the Syrian regime in ar-Raqqah on Thursday, while Holland hosted a meeting of representatives of the group known as "Friends of the Syrian People," which includes 60 countries and the Arab League. Meanwhile, IBA reported on Tuesday that the Syrian army flew in members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to witness firing tests for chemical weapons at the country's largest chemical weapons research center. Newly-defected Major General Adnan Sillu, who was the head of the Syrian weapons program, also said that the Assad regime had plans to conduct a chemical weapons assault on the rebels, as well as transfer missiles with chemical warheads to Hezbollah.

Large-scale IDF exercises in Golan Heights, as Israeli air strike kills two Hamas officers in Gaza

IBA reported surprise large-scale military exercises involving top IDF brass amid the Jewish High Holy Days. The exercises simulated a deteriorating security situation in the Golan Heights. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that an Israeli air strike resulted in the deaths of two Hamas security officers near the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, saying that the officers were on an official mission near the tunnels by the Egyptian-Palestinian border. IBA, on the other hand, reported that the deaths were of Hamas operatives who were tasked with securing smuggling tunnels for explosives, and were planning a terror attack against Israel.

 

Image: A girl is photographed as she attends an anti-U.S. demonstration with religious students in the compound of the Red Mosque in Islamabad September 22, 2012: REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood

Myanmar's Rohingya population has been suffering greatly since sectarian violence broke out in the state of Rakhine, also known as Arakan, in June. The riots began with the alleged rape and murder of an ethnic Rakhine girl by men who were reportedly Muslim, triggering a backlash by Rakhine's Buddhist majority on the Rohingya, in the form of massacres and arson attacks on homes, mosques, and businesses.

Official reports from Myanmar's government have kept the death toll at about 80 since June, but estimates from rights groups say that hundreds, if not tens of thousands, have been killed, and the UNHCR estimates that 80,000 have been displaced, either internally or as refugees to Bangladesh and other countries.

Link TV's LinkAsia has covered the developments concerning the Rohingya since the unrest in June, but the plight of the Rohingyas has also garnered much attention in the Middle East, namely because the group suffering from persecution is historically Muslim. And although the violence in Rakhine State was targeted at Rohingyas, it was also directed towards Muslims in general.

Mosaic has focused on the Middle Eastern and Muslim angles of the conflict, such as Bangladesh's rejection of Rohingya refugees, protests by Iranian students in front of the UN office in Tehran, and the many demonstrations in Indonesia, where Muslim activists in Jakarta have called for Myanmar's suspension from ASEAN, the expulsion of the Myanmar ambassador from Jakarta, and more international action on the issue.

The Rohingyas have been considered foreigners in Myanmar for decades. In 1982, the government passed a law that effectively rendered them stateless. Myanmar considers the ethnic group of 800,000 to be British colonial-era illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, calling them "Bengali Muslims" in official releases. However, Bangladesh, a majority Muslim country itself, considers the Rohingyas to be Burmese, and has sent boatloads of refugees back to Myanmar, citing a dearth of resources. Bangladesh has also prevented humanitarian aid groups from continuing to work with the Rohingyas, fearing that the provisions would draw more refugees to the already-impoverished country.

Two of ASEAN's largest Muslim-majority countries, Indonesia and Malaysia, have offered to directly assist the Rohingyas. Indonesia, which boasts the largest Muslim population in the world, has also vowed to raise the topic of the Rohingya at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's next summit in Mecca next week. Saudi Arabia, which hosts the OIC and reportedly has a Rohingya population of hundreds of thousands, recently condemned Myanmar for what it called the Rohingyas' "ethnic cleansing," and the OIC's Turkish chief, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, has followed suit.

Unfortunately, countries and organizations willing to help are finding the refugees difficult to reach. Myanmar and Bangladesh have both restricted aid to their Rohingya populations, leaving the displaced people to fend for themselves. Some Burmese groups have skirted the issue by collecting money for the Rakhine "fire victims," without mentioning the sectarian violence that led to the fires. However, with a severe dearth of food and medical services, Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons are currently struggling to survive. This scene is sadly all too similar to the persecution they have suffered for years, with a similar lack of international empathy.

Image: Amena Akter, a Rohingya from Myanmar cries as she holds her six-day old son, Sangram in the office of the Bangladesh Coast Guard in Teknaf June 19, 2012: REUTERS/Andrew Biraj

(LinkAsia: June 29, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
It doesn't appear that tattoos on public employees are scaring away any tourists. Japan's tourism industry is experiencing a comeback this year after last year's earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters. While American and European tourists are just starting to trickle in, visitors from other Asian countries are surging, despite the strong yen and the high prices. Japanese broadcaster NHK has the story.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 22, 2012

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
One of Tokyo's most popular destinations, Asakusa, is once again enjoying a continuous flow of tourists from across the world.

Shop owner:
We see more and more foreign visitors everyday.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
The government's tourism organization says 669,000 travelers visited Japan in May. That's 87 percent up from last year, right after the March 11th catastrophe, and about 7 percent down from 2010.

Visitors from Asian countries, such as China, contributed dramatically to this return to pre-March 11th figures. But tourists from the United States and Europe have yet to make a comeback.

Tourists from other countries are filling their places. Tourism officials say more people from emerging economies in Southeast Asia are coming to Japan. The number of visitors from Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam hit a record high for the month of May.

Indonesian Tourists:
Yeah, today I bring my kids. I bring them to Disneyland yesterday. And maybe tomorrow we will be going to Mt. Fuji. We are ready for a vacation.

Indonesian Tour Guide:
Last year, they don't want to come to Japan because Fukushima problem. But this year, I think that Japan will be popular. And they want to visit Japan because of food and culture and people.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
Nowadays, yen is quite high.

Indian Tourists:
Yes, that we know. You go to have your chance when the time is right. We can't wait tomorrow.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
The Japanese government is aiming to attract more and more tourists from Asian emerging economies. This month, the foreign ministry launched a program to issue multiple-entry visas for Thai tourists.

Norifumi Ide, Commissioner, Japan Tourism Agency:
The recovery of tourism isn't happening that fast. The government, the private sector and municipalities have to roll up our sleeves and work closely together to attract more visitors.

Mitsuko Nishikawa, NHK World Reporter:
The strength of the yen means a trip to Japan can be expensive. But many visitors I've spoken to say cost isn't a concern. The Japanese economy still has a long way to go before it fully recovers from last year's disaster. But with the help of visitors from emerging economies, it might get back on track faster.

--

Yul Kwon:
If you're thinking about visiting Japan, but still worried about radiation, Japan's tourism bureau offers a radiation map so you can check out radiation levels for yourself. It also gives you a chart showing that you'd be exposed to less radiation in Japan than in some parts of Brazil.

(LinkAsia: June 29, 2012)
Yul Kwon:
Over in Indonesia, the country is celebrating a very special birth. The baby's name is Andatu. He was born after an 18-month pregnancy and weighed about 60 pounds. Andatu is one of about 200 critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros. He’s only the fifth Sumatran rhino to be born in captivity. And NHK explains that his birth gives symbolic and literal hope to a species struggling to survive.

--

NHK World NEWSLINE
Airdate: June 26, 2012

Reporter:
Indonesia's forestry minister announced the arrival of the baby rhino on Monday. The male calf was born two days earlier in a national park on the island of Sumatra. He’s named Andatu, from the Indonesian words meaning "gift from God." The last time a Sumatran rhino was born in captivity in Asia was 1889.

Zulkifli Hasan, Indonesian Forestry Minister:
The rhino birth will be a milestone for the conservation of the Sumatran rhinoceros and is expected to increase confidence in the international community and government efforts to conserve endangered species in Indonesia, especially rhinos.

Reporter:
The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that there are just 200 wild Sumatran rhinos left in Indonesia and Malaysia. The organization lists them as critically endangered.

Yul Kwon:
By the way, did you know that you can adopt a Javan rhino? The World Wide Fund for Nature offers a Basic Adoption Package for just $30. You can’t actually take the rhino home with you, but your money will help support it. And if you really want to make a difference, you can buy the Platinum Adoption Package for $12,000. It includes a lot of perks, including an eight-day trip to see your foster rhino.

Interview with Hamid Karzai

(Channel 4 News: March 1, 2011) Jon Snow from the UK's Channel 4 News interviews Afghan President Hamid Karzai about the military surge in Afghanistan, talking to the Taliban, corruption, and WikiLeaks.

 

 

Lampedusa: The Gate to Europe?

(Euronews: March 3, 2011) The small Italian island of Lampedusa, closer to Africa than Italy, is facing an influx of illegal immigrants from Tunisia. As the situation in Libya deteriorates, there are fears of a fresh wave of refugees.

 

 

Democracy, Indonesian-Style

(Al Jazeera English: March 4, 2011) After freeing itself from the grip of dictatorship more than a decade ago, Indonesia offers an example of how Islam and democracy and go hand-in-hand.

 

 

Christchurch Quake Unearths Time Capsules

(ITN News: March 1, 2011) What appear to be two time capsules have been discovered in the base of a statue in the aftermath of the recent earthquake in New Zealand.

 

 

(Al Jazeera English Headlines: 0635 PST, February 14, 2011) The opening of Egypt's stock exchange has been delayed until the economy stabilizes. The new military rulers are trying to assert their control over the country, and have warned they will act against chaos and disorder. Meanwhile transportation workers are striking in the capital, demanding better pay and an end to corruption.

 

In other news, the Taliban says it was behind an attack on a hotel in the Afghan capital Kabul that killed at least two people. Anti-government protests in Yemen enter their fourth straight day. The entire Palestinian cabinet has resigned and President Mahmoud Abbas has asked Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to form a new government. And, in Indonesia, cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has gone on trial over weapons terror charges.