Christians mark beginning of fasting season today

Christians in Pakistan and around the world will observe the beginning of the Lenten season with Ash Wednesday today.

Ash Wednesday is observed as a sign of repentance of the whole community. The ashes are placed on the forehead by the priest with the Sign of the Cross and the words: Remember you are dust, and into dust you shall return.

“Those ashes are last year’s palms from Palm Sunday. They are burnt and ashes are made from them and then blessed,” he said. During Lent Christians are encouraged to fast, pray, give alms and seek repentance for their sins for forty days in order to prepare for Easter.

“The time of Lent is important for us because it gives time to us to change and become closer to God, the priest said. In his message for Lent 2012 on the Vatican website, Pope Benedict XVI states that “in a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works.” Masses will be held in churches across the city at different timings to observe the day. 

Landmark women’s bill clears last hurdle

The National Commission on the Status of Women Bill, 2012, was finally passed in Senate without a single note of dissent. The bill was tabled by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Human Rights Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar.

“The commission will be independent and will have autonomous status with full financial and administrative powers,” Khokhar said. “Its fundamental functions will be to examine policies, programmes and other measures taken by the government for gender equality.”

Chairman Senate congratulated all the members of Senate on the sixth consecutive landmark women-specific legislation passed by Parliament in the last two years.

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani also congratulated members of both houses over the passage of the bill.

Efforts to have an autonomous body for women’s rights were first initiated over seven years ago by then chairperson of the National Commission on Status of Women Justice Majida Rizvi. However, due to unknown reasons, the bill could not be passed in Parliament for over seven years.

After the 18th Amendment, the women’s commission was selected to remain a national entity in view of Pakistan’s international commitments, while the women’s ministry was devolved to the provinces. In light of the 18th Amendment, a new bill was drafted by Senator Raza Rabbani and was presented to the prime minister and the cabinet on behalf of the implementation commission for the 18th Amendment. The bill was approved on June 29, 2011.

After it was tabled in the National Assembly on October 13, 2011, the Human Rights Committee was asked to review and improve it.

The bill was passed by the National Assembly on January 19, with some amendments proposed by the Opposition and treasury members.

The commission will:

• Assess implementation and make suitable recommendations to concerned authorities considered necessary for effective impact

• Review all laws, rules and regulations affecting the status and rights of women

• Suggest repeal, amendment or new legislation essential to eliminate discrimination

• Sponsor, steer and encourage research to generate information

• Conduct dialogue with non-governmental organisations, experts and individuals in society

• Help facilitate and monitor implementation of international instruments and obligations affecting adult and minor females to which Pakistan is a signatory

Nigeria army says kills 11 Boko Haram insurgents

(Reuters) - Nigeria's army killed 11 suspected Boko Haram insurgents during a gun battle at a checkpoint in the Islamist sect's heartland of Maiduguri on Saturday, the field operations officer in the remote northeastern city said.

Nigerian forces are reeling from a sharp uptick of increasingly sophisticated and coordinated attacks by Boko Haram. Human Rights Watch says it has killed hundreds of people since launching an uprising against the government in 2009, including an attack on the city of Kano that killed 186.

"Eleven BH (Boko Haram) members have been shot dead by the JTF (joint military taskforce) in Maiduguri today, following a shootout with the sect members at a checkpoint in a stop and search operation," field operations officer Colonel Victor Ebhamelehe said told Reuters.

"One member of the sect who was wounded is receiving treatment at the hospital."

Boko Haram began as a clerical movement opposed to western cultural influences in Maiduguri, a dusty town in the northeast region bordering Chad, Niger and Cameroon, on the cusp of the Sahara. It has since spread to much of Nigeria's north and has become the top security threat in Africa's biggest oil producer.

Suspected sect members attacked a police station in Mandwari, in north Nigeria's Kano state, on Friday, police and witnesses said, leading to more than an hour of running gun battles that fatally wounded one policeman.

"We lost one of our men in the attack in Mandwari inside the city. He is a corporal and he died on the way to hospital. The gunmen were repelled," Kano police commissioner Ibrahim Idris told Reuters on Saturday.

In an audio tape posted on the Internet on Thursday, the purported leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, threatened to kill more security personnel and kidnap their families, and accused U.S. President Barack Obama of waging war on Islam, in an apparent effort to strike a chord with global jihadists.

He denied that the group, which is loosely modeled on the Taliban, had been responsible for most of the civilian casualties in last Friday's attack on Kano. Police say most of those casualities were shot dead by sect members.

Nigeria: 5 Killed in Attack on Church

Gunmen attacked a church in northeast Nigeria during a prayer service on Thursday night, killing at least five people and wounding others on the heels of attacks on churches by a radical Muslim sect. Pastor Johnson Jauro said that gunfire sprayed the Deeper Life Church in Gombe, wounding several worshipers and killing his wife and two others. Two other people later died at the hospital from their wounds. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on Boko Haram, a sect that has carried out increasingly sophisticated and bloody attacks in its campaign to put in place strict Shariah law across the country.    

Happy New Year 2012

Dear Readers,

2011 is over, this year, the world witnessed famines, revolutions, earthquakes, tsunamis and human right abuses. Now as we all enter 2012, lets hope that this year the world enjoys peace. And Lets all hope that this year all conflicts on this planet comes to an end. War is not the answer; let’s hope this year for PEACE WORLDWIDE.

Happy New Year 2012

Peace Worldwide team

Message from the Chairman of Peace Worldwide Mr. Hector Aleem on International Tolerance Day

In 1996, the UN General Assembly (by resolution 51/95) invited UN Member States to observe the International Day for Tolerance on 16 November, with activities directed towards both educational establishments and the wider public.

This action followed on the United Nations Year for Tolerance, 1995, proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 at the initiative of UNESCO, as outlined in the Declaration of Principles on Tolerance and Follow-up Plan of Action for the Year.

The 2005 World Summit Outcome document (A/RES/60/1) furthered the commitment of Heads of State and Government to advance human welfare, freedom and progress everywhere, as well as to encourage tolerance, respect, dialogue and cooperation among different cultures, civilizations and peoples. 

This day is very important because there is intolerance everywhere. Almost every human being on this planet is carrying intolerance in his/her mind and that intolerance often takes the form of violence and other hate crimes. This day is not observed much like other international Observance days because people are not tolerant to anything they don’t like.

There are two main reasons why people are intolerant to each other i.e. “Religion” and “Race”. We must all understand that we are same human beings no matter what our color of skin is. Racial intolerance was the reason behind World War 2 which destroyed the lives of millions around the globe.

Religious intolerance on the other hand is growing even more than racial intolerance. Almost every country on this planet is in the grip of religious intolerance. There are religious extremist organizations which are responsible for many terrorist attacks across the planet. There is no religion which teaches any person to hate. There is one common message in all religions which is “love”.

So it’s better to put the differences aside and look what is common in us. We are all same and are equal to each other no matter what our race, culture, religion or language is. We must understand that we are human beings and we must tolerate each other in order to live with peace and harmony. Tolerance is the one which separates human beings from animals. There is no tolerance in animals, but we are different and we can tolerate each other.

As we all face the complex and global challenges of our times, Peace Worldwide will continue to work for the mutual understanding among people and countries. Tolerate each other, not only for yourselves but for your coming generations.

Hector Aleem

Chairman

Peace Worldwide

Christians in the Middle East: Egypt

The Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity and home to some of the world's most ancient Christian denominations. But Christian communities across the region are declining in numbers because of a combination of low birth rates, emigration and, in some places, persecution and violence. Here are some Facts about Egypt in which Christian persecution is a common practice.

Most Christians in Egypt are Copts - Christians descended from the ancient Egyptians.

Continue reading the main story

• Total pop: 84.5m
• Christians: 8.9m (est)
• 10.5% of total pop
• Main Church: Coptic Orthodox
• Issues: Anti-Christian violence; political instability
• Sources: World Christian Database; UN

Their Church split from the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches in 451AD because of a theological dispute over the nature of Christ, but is now, on most issues, doctrinally similar to the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Coptic language - a derivative of the ancient Egyptian language, written mainly in the Greek alphabet - is still used for small parts of services.

Christian-Muslim relations have deteriorated in recent years, with outbreaks of violence by radical Islamists against Christians and their places of worship.

Egyptian Christians have accused the post-Mubarak governing military council of being too lenient on the perpetrators of the attacks.

Copts also complain of discrimination, including a law requiring presidential permission for churches to be built.

A plethora of other Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant and Armenian Churches are present in smaller numbers in Egypt.