1) What tangible outcomes would you like to achieve through your marketing strategy? rnI would like to hear people talking about the site in different publications, sites and in general, between them. Refering to it, as a great way of preserving culture. I would like to see people wearing their bracalets, promoting the site, with pride and people recommending the site to eachother.rnrn2) What are the characteristics of your stakeholders? How do they spend their time ( What is their gender, ethnicity and income level? Are they formally educated? rnBecause it is a website, a lot of people will be able to visit, get involved and experience it from different backgrounds, but in the beginning, it is focused for mexican people interested in indigenous culture from their country. They can be students, workers, etc. It is required a certain level of education because to visit the site you need to know how to use a computer.rnrn3) What are the barriers and benefits of your stakeholders thinking, feeling, or acting on your issue? What are the three most compelling sentences you could use to motivate your stakeholders?rnI believe that my issue, preserving indigenous culture, is a very important problem that is happening in almost all the globe! Most of the people are concerned about losing their culture, so get to people is not very difficult. Some sentences I could use to motivate my stakeholders could be.... 1.Preserve your culture, be part of the change. 2. Get INFORMED and INVOLVED with your culture 3.Indigenous culture might be in danger of exctintion but you can change that.rnrn4) Complete a list of channels that you would use to reach your stakeholders.rn- Newspapersrn- Magazinesrn- Governmentrn- Websitesrn- Librariesrn- Radio Stationsrn- Presentationsrnrn5) What are the activities, events, and/or materials—to be used in your selected channels—that will most effectively carry your message to your stakeholders?rnrn- Newspapers and Magazines: Articles, adsrn- Government: Sites and informing culture stabishments.rn- Websites: banners, links to the website,rn- Libraries: Adsrn- Radio Stations: Talking about the site in different programs.rnrn6) Please list allies or partners who support or work with your stakeholders or share in your project goals.rnrnStudents, co workers, family, indigenous youth.

Watch this video

From ABC4All: A chance for anyne receptive to read a New Year Wish from YUBUPA that can mean a better world for all. Please CLICK! here for another Wish for Peace in the New Year! Thank you YUBUPA! Thank you Yuel Bhatti, ABC4All Peace Advocate! Burt/ABC4All

CLICK! New Year Wish and Special Video by YUBUPA!

"This is a brilliant, exhilarating and breathtaking New Year Wish.
Certainly a must read for young people in transition
from school to the world of work."

Regards,

Richard Bbaale
ABC4All Mentor of the Week

Co-Founder, Local ABC4All / UGANDA

The purpose of my presentation would be to persuade, convince or inspire others about the status of indigenous culture in Mexico, by showing them the importance of their legacy in our society. Inspire people to make a change and get involved in what is left of the art, texts and culture that is still alive.rnrnMy audience would be anyone who is interested in the project, in getting informed or involved with the site. The age, education and status is very likely to vary because we cannot get a small target of the web community, it culd be anyone with a computer and the desire to help. It is known that indigenous culture is dissapearing, so they have an idea of what is happening, but the presentation would confirm their knowledge. rnTheir attitude is likely to be positive, willing to help and get involved.rnrnThe presentation would be offered in a classroom, in an university, using power point.

Do you know what a wordle is?

ANSWER: http://ABC4All.net


You will need to have Java installed on your computer to see the ANSWER!

http://www.java.com/en/

I found this new, and I believe it is very interesting for understading the current issues happening in Afghanistan. Let's hear the other side of the "story"...

Afghanistan on the edge

Living on the edge is nothing new to Afghanistan. The country and its people are familiar with extremes of most kinds – geographic, political, religious. But today they are well and truly on the brink.

During 2008 the conflict in Afghanistan has escalated dramatically, claiming some 3,000 lives, almost half of them civilians. This is worse than at any time since the US-led invasion seven years ago. The monthly death toll of international servicemen and -women in Afghanistan has topped that of Iraq. The Afghan police force has lost no fewer than 700 personnel this year, while the targeting of aid agencies by militants has led to a doubling of charity workers killed.

The Taliban is resurgent; its fighters determined to get foreigners off Afghan soil, to topple the Western-backed Government of Hamid Karzai and to impose sharia law. ‘No negotiations with invaders’ is their line – reiterated recently as US and British military top brass were saying: ‘We need to talk to the Taliban.’

The fundamentalists aren’t behaving quite as before, however. As well as engaging in conventional fire-fights with international and Afghan troops, they are also planting IEDs – improvised explosive devices – by roadsides. And they have resorted to a tactic that was previously taboo in Afghanistan – suicide bombing. It’s beginning to look and sound like… Iraq.

But Afghanistan isn’t Iraq. This, remember, was meant to be the ‘good’ invasion; or at least the ‘not so bad’ one. It had the tacit support of most of the country’s people. After all, it was Afghans who did most of the fighting to oust the hated Taliban.

So what’s gone so badly wrong?

The Afghan Government has been quick to blame its neighbour Pakistan. Since its defeat in 2001 the Afghan Taliban has been able to launch sporadic attacks from safe havens in the tribal areas across the border in Pakistan. Under the watch of former President Pervez Musharraf, Taliban militants enjoyed the support of their Pakistani equivalents and, it is said, Pakistan’s Interservices Intelligence (ISI).

But militant and meddling neighbours are not the sole reason for Afghanistan’s woes, as the contributors to this magazine show. The fact that the despised Taliban are regaining a measure of popular support, to the extent that in some regions they are operating parallel administrations, is indicative. It tells us what Afghans think about the performance of their own Government and of the US and NATO occupation forces.

At the time of writing, a bloody battle is raging across the border in Pakistan’s tribal area of Banjaur. Pakistan’s new President Asif Ali Zardari has launched an offensive against Taliban militants in one of their strongholds. For the moment, the Pakistani army has the support of local tribal groups who also want to see the back of the Taliban. However, their greater hatred is reserved for the US forces which have been conducting ground and air attacks against militants in their area, killing and displacing many civilians in the process. The situation is delicate and explosive. Al-Qaeda and the various groups associated with them are clearly dangerous. But so is the US, whether by design or blunder.

A new US Administration takes charge of the White House this month. Will it do any better? The arrogance of power, displayed so nakedly during the Bush years, led to the deaths of thousands as the advice of regional experts was repeatedly ignored in favour of simplistic, vote-winning, sound-bite solutions. If the new US Administration is deaf to the voices of those it carelessly tramples underfoot or sweeps to one side in the ‘war on terror’ then hatred of the US and its allies will only grow.

So far, American and British politicians have responded to the escalating conflict in Afghanistan by proposing that more international troops be sent to the region. But what do Afghans want? Is anyone asking? Defence journalist Khabaryal (see page 6) has a rather different view on what a foreign troop ‘surge’ would achieve in his country – and his analysis is shared by many Afghans and Afghanistan experts. While the ‘surge’ that journalist Horia Mosadiq wants to see in her country is one of democracy, justice and accountability (see page 16).

In a world of instant-access global news it’s easy to imagine we know exactly what’s happening in distant parts. We may, for example, interpret images of girls in school and women presenters on Afghan TV as indicators of liberation. But it takes an Afghan writer, Zuhra Bahman, to unpick the far more complex and intriguing daily lives of her compatriots, and enable us actually to understand what life is like for women in Afghanistan today (see page 11).

The contributors to this magazine – who are all Afghans – are outspoken and critical. But they are also practical and ready to suggest alternative ways forward. Their frustration is palpable at times, but they have not given up hope. ‘All is not yet lost,’ as Abdul Basir, writing about the scandal of official aid to Afghanistan, says.

But it might be if we don’t pay attention. History has taught us that the capacity of outsiders to mess up in Afghanistan is formidable – not for nothing has the region been dubbed ‘the graveyard of empires’. And if we can’t even listen to the voices of the country’s thoughtful journalists and commentators, disaster is more-or-less guaranteed.

Text taken from:
http://www.newint.org/features/2008/11/01/keynote-afghanistan/

Viewd on the 25 of November, 2008.

Star Wars: An Islamic perspective



The way "jedis" are taught to respect a greater power, fight for the defense of the
innocent and bring peace and justice to their society, is also what Islam teaches
all Muslims to strive for.



By Irfan Rydhan, June 17, 2005










Luke bin Anakin?
As most "Star Wars" fans know, director George Lucas took spiritual elements, which
are common in most major world religions to create his epic saga of good vs. evil.
As a Muslim, I always thought of the "Jedi" as what a true follower of Islam should
be like. Never mind the fact Jedi masters with their North African style cloaks and
scruffy beards look like Sufi Sheikhs, but they way they are taught to respect a
greater power, fight for the defense of the innocent and honor a code of morals and
ethics in order to bring about peace and justice to their society, is basically what
Islam teaches all Muslims to strive for. So what really is the connection between
these similar Islamic principles and the fictional "Jedi Order" of the Star Wars
saga?I decided to look into this question more deeply. What I came across from my
research off the internet and talking to other Muslim "Star Wars" fans was not only
surprising, but also a bit scary. For example it was reported in a National
Australian magazine that more than 70,000 Australians identified their religion as
Jedi, Jedi-Knight, or Jedi-related in the country's 2001 national census! Don't
these people realize that the "Jedi" are make-believe? There may be some truth in
fiction, but instead of looking for the truth, people get caught up with the
fiction. In this paper I hope to reveal where some of the truth of the "Jedi" and
"Star Wars" comes from: Islam.Back when "Episode I: The Phantom Menace" first came
out, "The Muslim Magazine" had some interesting pieces on the connections between
Islam and the content of the Star Wars films. One was an interview with Dhul-Nun
Owen who talks about how George Lucas had contacted members of the "Habibiyyah Sufi
Order" in Berkeley, CA in order to do research for "Star Wars." There was also a
piece by Mahmoud Shelton about how Sufi ideas of spiritual chivalry ("futuwwat")
have parallels in the Jedi teachings.Surfing the internet, I came across an
interesting article entitled "Eternal Jihad: The Way of the Mystic-Warrior" from a
Sufi website:"We are at the core a Movement of Jeddi; masters of Futuwwat ("the Way
of the mystic-warrior"). We encourage adherents to train both physically AND
spiritually, for their own personal edification and to enhance their knowledge and
abilities in the STRUGGLE. The Real does not lie alone in contemplation, prayer and
meditation; nor does it lie alone in action and revolution. Both of these are
notions of "one or the other" and Allah is not "one or the other." "Allah" literally
means "the One[ness] which manifests from Nothing." As we have stressed before, this
"Nothing" is not the "lack" of all, but rather, it is Nothing in the sense of
Totality of Being, which is symbolized by the numeral zero � this number itself
originated with Sufis. Allah is neither the positive alone, nor the negative. Allah
is the perfect balance between the two. The direct center of two polarities is
always zero, Pure Nothing, from which the Totality, the Tawhid (Unity), the Oneness
of ALL becomes manifest. For it is out of zero that all subsequent positive and
negative numbers reel. That is Allah."Notice the Arabic term "al-Jeddi" (master of
the mystic-warrior way) along with another Islamic term not mentioned, "Palawan"
(similar to Lucas' "Padwan" for Jedi apprentice) which were actual titles used by
Muslim Knights!The Force"The Force" is the common thread between all six movies and
is defined as an energy field, which binds all living things together (i.e. Allah,
God, a Supreme Being or Power that most religion's adherents worship, follow and/or
yearn to become a part of). According to Star Wars mythology, the Jedi "are a noble
order of protectors unified by their belief and observance of the Force." The "Jedi"
study and train under the apprentice-master relationship similar to how many
religious students study under a priest or religious scholar until they have learned
enough to teach and train the next generation of students.From a Muslim perspective,
the similarities between the Jedi and the Islamic traditions of instruction are
strikingly similar. For example a Muslim scholar usually trains under a Sheikh for a
number of years before they are given the right or permission ("Ijazah" in Arabic)
to teach others about Islam. "In Islamic Sufism Sheikhs will have "silsilas" that
list the chain of teachers going back to the Prophet Muhammad (S). A "silisia"
indicates a Sheikh's lineage of mystical learning from which he draws his spiritual
authority."Similarly in the "Jedi" tradition of Star Wars, each "Padwan"
(apprentice) is taught the same tradition and skills their Jedi masters were taught
by their previous masters. "Star Wars" fans know the lineage of Jedi instruction
starting from "Yoda" to "Count Dooku" to "Qui-Gon Jinn" to "Obi Wan Kenobi" to
"Anankin Skywalker."In the first Star Wars movie, "Episode IV: A New Hope," Luke
Skywalker, like his father, Anakin, live in the desert (The desert planet of
"Tatooine" was actually filmed near the real desert town of "Tataouine" in Tunisia).
From among this remote desert area with no roots of a civilized urban society, a
"Chosen One" (i.e. a Prophet) arises who brings a hope of peace and justice to their
society. Anakin is the "chosen one" in the latest Star Wars films, and Luke can be
considered the "chosen one" from the original Star Wars trilogy.Similarly, the
Prophet of Islam, lived in the desert where there was no true rule of law or justice
and people followed the tribal system of blood vengeance. Prophet Muhammad (S)
brought Islam to the Arabs, which completely changed their way of thinking and the
way they lived their lives. Instead of living for the present and for themselves, as
Muslims they live for the hereafter and are taught to take care of the poor,
orphans, those less fortunate than themselves and to fight for social justice and
well being for the whole community.Thus the Jedi too is taught to be selfless and
not selfish like the "Sith" (An ancient order of Force-practitioners devoted to the
dark side and determined to destroy the Jedi). Just as "Yoda" taught young "padwans"
not to give into fear and be tempted by the "Dark Side" (i.e. temptations of the
devil or "Shaytaan" in Arabic), Muslims are taught not to be attached to the "Dunya"
(life in this world) nor to fall prey to the diseases of the heart (jealousy, envy,
fear, hatred, etc.) as they lead to evil and sin.The Green OneThere is an
interesting connection between the Jedi master "Yoda" (a short, green skinned
creature first seen in "Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back") and Islamic traditions.
"Al-Khidr" means "the Green One" in Arabic. Qur'�nic commentators say that al-Khidr
is one of the prophets; others refer to him simply as an angel who functions as a
guide to those who seek God. And there are yet others who argue for his being a
perfect wali meaning the one whom God has taken as a friend.So in other words "Yoda"
(which means "Wise One" in Hebrew) is like an angel or spiritual mentor who guides
the young Jedi in the ways of the force and to be strong enough to resist the
temptations and evil inclinations of the Sith and other Dark Forces.In "Episode VI:
Return of the Jedi", the Emperor tries to influence Luke Skywalker to give into his
feelings of Anger and Hatred (As we all know Luke's father Anakin, did fall prey to
the Emperor's whispers and joined the Dark Side). Because the Jedi (as Muslim
warriors) are taught that one's intentions in battle must be pure and that it's
wrong to kill out of anger, even when is outwardly justified.'Ali (RA) the nephew of
the Prophet Muhammad (S), was faced with this situation at the Battle of the Ditch,
the noble Imam 'Ali had knocked an enemy soldier to the ground and was raising his
sword to kill him, when the unbeliever spat in the his face. Imam 'Ali at once stood
still and refrained from killing his enemy. Hardly able to believe his own eyes, the
unbeliever asked: "Why have you spared me, O gracious one?"To this, the noble 'Ali
replied: "Your property and your life have become sacrosanct to me. I am not
authorized to slay you. I can receive permission to kill only in holy combat, in
fighting commanded by Allah. Just a few moments ago, I had overcome you in battle,
knocked you to the ground and was on the point of slaying you. But when you spat in
my face, my selfish anger was aroused against you. If I had killed you, I would have
slain you not for Allah's sake but for my own selfish reason; they would then have
called me not a champion warrior, but a murderer. When you spat in my face, my
selfish passion threatened to overwhelm me, so instead of striking you with the
sword for my own sake I struck my passion for the sake of Allah, Exalted is He.
There you have the reason for your escape." The unbeliever was of course in awe by
Ali's noble character, and immediately accepted Islam and became
Muslim.Muh-Jedi-DeenThe Jedi could be considered "Holy Warriors" (or "Muhajideen" in
Arabic) as they fight for truth, justice and peace. They meditate (i.e. "Dhikr" �
remembrance of Allah) as much as they can, to become "one with the force", even in
the midst of battle. Just as in "Episode I: The Phantom Menace", the Jedi master,
Qui-Gon Jinn (The term "Jinn" in Islam is one of the forces of the "unseen") begins
to meditate in the middle of his battle with "Darth Maul", while he waits for a
force field to go down.Islamic History is filled with stories of Muslim Warriors who
also stop in the heat of the moment of battle to give their prayers to Allah.
Hussein (RA) the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (S) stopped to do his Asr (mid-day
prayers) at Karbala. There is even an account of 'Ali (RA), known as the "Sword of
Light" (light-saber?), who completed his "Salat" (Arabic for prayers) while he had
an arrow stuck in his leg or foot!The lack of fear for death exhibited by Jedi
Knights Obi Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Qui-Gon Jinn, Luke Skywalker (particularly in Episode
VI: "Return of the Jedi") resembles the Muslim warrior's creed that states that the
Muslim loves death more than the un-believer loves life.There is another saying in
Islam, which is "Life in this world is Paradise for the Un-believer and a Prison for
the Believer." Some reasoning behind this saying is that if one puts all their faith
in this world (the "Dunya"), then it is very easy to fall off the straight path and
be tempted by Satan (i.e. fall prey to the "Dark Side").This is shown very clearly
in "Episode III: Revenge of the Sith," which is all about the Chosen One's (Anakin)
fall into the dark side. Lucas, himself stated in an interview that the he chose the
final battle between Anakin and Obi-Wan to be on a planet with flowing molten lava
and fire, which represents the fires of Hell. The ultimate showdown between good and
evil.Anakin falls victim to the dark side because he loves power and the Dunya (as
he wanted to have the power to live forever and save his loved ones from death �
i.e. his wife from dying during childbirth). He has excessive anger and arrogance
(as he felt he was the most powerful Jedi and no other Jedi was better or stronger
than him) and distrust for those who are his righteous guides (as he felt Obi-Wan
was jealous of him and thought the Jedi Council was against him, which lead him to
follow other sinister forces for guidance). Lastly he had hatred in his heart (he
admitted to hating the "sand people")! Everything that Islam teaches the Muslim to
avoid!The Sand PeopleThe "sand people" or the "Tusken Raiders" could be considered a
metaphor of the Arabs and other people of the Middle East, since they live similarly
to nomadic Arabs in the desert. In "Episode II: Attack of the Clones", the Tusken
Raiders kidnap and torture Anakin's mother, Shimi, which eventually leads to her
death. Anakin then proceeds to kill all the "sand people" in vengeance, and as he
told "Padme," that he "killed all of them [sand people], including the women and
children." But this did not relieve him of his anger and hatred.I believe Lucas was
trying to make a point about the continuous spewing of hate and evil against the
Arab and Muslim people, specifically after September 11 th. Even though the
countries of Iraq and Afghanistan were bombed and destroyed relentlessly (it hasn't
stopped yet), as punishment for the attacks of September 11 th (without any proof or
legitimate legalities of course), many Americans still have a lot of hatred against
anyone that even looks like an Arab or Middle Eastern. Many innocent people,
specifically women and children, have been harassed, attacked and sometimes even
killed, because of this hate.This wasn't the only example of Lucas getting
political, since after Episode III debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, many
Europeans were saying that Anakin represents Bush and his Neo-Con cohorts currently
in power. One couldn't help but notice the very overt examples in the last and final
installment of the "Star Wars" series.An example that sticks in my mind is when the
Emperor was taking control of the Senate. Senate Palpatine (aka the Emperor) was
calling for war against the "separatists" (i.e. read as "insurgents", "terrorists",
etc.) and the Jedi, all the while the whole Senate erupted in agreement. Padme (aka
Queen Amadala) then says "..So this is how Liberty ends, with thunderous
applause"!Of course the most obvious example was when Anakin tells Obi-Wan before
their final duel, "Either you're with me, or against me", which is basically
straight out of Bush's mouth when he said "Either you're with us [i.e. America], or
you're with the terrorists" immediately after the attacks of September 11 th.Which
reminds me of a very funny take on the whole Bush Inspired U.S. "War on Terror"
transposed into "Star Wars" mythology I came across on the web. Here is an
excerpt:It's believed that Skywalker [Luke] was specifically trained by infamous
terrorist O bin Wankanobi. Wankanobi, occasionally called "Ben" and easily
recognized by his bearded visage and long, flowing robes, achieved near-martyr
status among the Rebels after his death last year during a spy mission. His more
fervent followers believe that Wankanobi lives on within them today, some even
claiming to hear his voice during times of duress.The attack on the Death Star came
shortly after the Empire's destruction of Alderstaan, a planet whose government was
known to harbor terrorists. Responding to criticism over the total annihilation of
the planet, [Darth] Vader stated, "There is no middle ground in the War on Terror.
Those who harbor terrorists are terrorists themselves. Alderaan was issued ample
warning. The fight for continuing Freedom is often burdened by terrible cost."In
other words, the Emperor, Darth Vader and the Empire are equivalent to Bush and
Company and Luke Skywalker, the Jedis and the Rebel Alliance are referred to as
"terrorists" (or "separatists", "insurgents", etc.).The Jedi ArtsOne of the most
popular aspects of the "Star Wars" films are the exciting light-saber duels and
swordsmanship (Lucas is an admitted fan of old Samurai films) and martial arts style
fighting (which of course originates from the East). As a former student of "Eskrima
Serrada" (Stick and Blade fighting developed by Muslims of the Philippines) myself,
I see a lot of similarities in the fast-moving and short-range fighting I studied
for about a year and a half, and the "invented" art of the Jedi masters.When Anakin
fights Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) at the beginning of the last "Star Wars" film,
at end of the fight, Anakin applies a disarm and cut that is a technique from
Eskrima to Count Dooku's arm. Going back into history, the technical differences
between the Japanese/Chinese arts and the Muslim arts of Southeast Asia regions of
Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia: The Muslim arts of "Pentjak Silat" and Eskrima
are based on paying attention to the Limb of the attacker and not an immediate
strike to the attacker's head or torso.Ray Park, who plays "Darth Maul" in "Episode
I: The Phantom Menace", studied Kung Fu (very similar to the empty hand techniques
of Serrada) and Wushu and frequently traveled to Malaysia (a Muslim country) to
refine and develop his skills.The spiritual basis of the Muslim arts of Southeast
Asia is very immense. This is the local Sufi expression of Islam, through martial
arts practice, rather than through poetry or music as otherwise done in India and
Turkey, etc. Traditional Indonesian/Malay folklore attributes initial design of
these arts to Muslim saints in the region of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines
in the 7th Century. The Silat system is attributed to nine main Wali or saints, also
called the Wali Songo in Indonesian language.Here another example of the Sufi and
Jedi connection. As Jedis study the force and train in the "Jedi Arts" under the
apprentice-master relationship, so do the Sufis."What I term the more Sufi exercises
include breathing exercises, means of meditative contemplation, and physical
exercises. This last activity is practiced within the Qadiri-Rifai Sufi order
through the Indonesian martial art of Pencak Silat Gerakan Suci. Here is a prime
example of the Order's growth. Extending beyond its originally Turkish character,
the Order has adopted a Muslim practice from a far corner of the Islamic world."From
my brief amount of research and study into the "Star Wars" saga, I found many
examples connecting the ideals and principles of Islam to that of the fictional Jedi
Order. Some of the similarities were clearly visible (as with the relations between
the Jedi master, apprentice and the Force to that of the Sufi Sheikhs, students and
worshipping of Allah), while others were a bit more hidden and surprising finds
(such as the term "Jeddi" and "Palawan" for Muslim knights and the story of
"al-Khidr" � the green spiritual guru which has an uncanny resemblance to the Jedi
Spiritual master "Yoda")!Even though Lucas himself is not a follower of any specific
religion, he has used elements of Islam (as well as other world religions) to convey
the universal understandings of good and evil. Combining that common thread of
humanity with a futuristic space-age setting and exciting martial arts
swordsmanship, came a creation that has inspired many, no matter their race,
religion or culture. There is something about the "Star Wars" saga that everyone can
relate to and enjoy. And I hope that those people who are searching for a "truth"
within the mythology of "Star Wars", will look a little deeper behind the fiction
and find Al-Islam: A true way of life which emphasizes peace, justice and
brotherhood for all humanity.

Irfan Rydhan is an architectural designer (and Star Wars fan). He lives in San Jose,
California.