ISU Blog#6

Caste System

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This article talks about the new welfare commission that Kerala government has launched for the rich and powerful communities in India. The community will only serve people who belong to economically forward classes and this would be a necessary condition to gain benefit from the government scheme. The welfare commission has been set up as a result of protests by stronger communities since the lower communities enjoy privileges such as minimum reservation in educational institutes, pensions for widows and scholarships for students. The welfare commission is a result of positive discrimination seen in different areas of Kerala and students along with widows can apply for ‘Forward Commission’ if they can prove that they belong to socially powerful or forward communities. I have chosen this article since it relates to the social issue of Caste System in my book “Karma” by Cathy Ostlere through showing the caste differences between Sandeep’s mother Parvati and his father Barindra and how it affects their relationship along with family decisions. Sandeep’s mother Parvati was born as a Kshatriya and married to his father Barindra’s lower Vaishya’s caste which led to downward slide in their social standing. Their caste system and beliefs clashed with each other when Barindra wanted to bring Maya to their family the same way as they brought Sandeep but this time Parvati refused to do so. Parvati blamed Maya’s parents for giving her such a name since her name consisted both the elements of Hinduism and Sikhism which at that time were ready to slaughter and thirsty for each other’s blood during that time. This shows that the Caste System in India created such situations that no one imagined before and played an aggressive role in the riots of 1989.

Caste System of India ( Song/Video)

This song video shows the reality behind the Caste System of India and how the lower cast people and untouchables are treated by the upper cast people in the society.

ISU Blog#5

Religion Stereotyping

*Click Here for Article Link*

This article talks about how a group of Muslim artists entered into hip-hop music and are going against the stereotype of Muslim women being not allowed to participate in any male dominant category. The group’s founder Alia Sharrief told that the objective of her group was to convey the message that Muslim women belong in hip hop even though it is traditionally a male dominant category frowned upon conservative corners of Muslim community. Through their hip hop they want to break the old stereotype of the society that Muslim women are not supposed to participate in any such activity that exposes them to the world and is a bad omen towards their religion. Even though Alia Sharrief’s group writes hip-hop music they make it a point to address current issues and relate to race and gender along with their rhymes often focused on speaking up for humanity and having dignity. I have chosen this article since it relates to the social issue of Religion Stereotyping in my book “Karma” by Cathy Ostlere through showing people’s beliefs and teachings for each other’s religion prominently Hinduism and Sikhism. During Amar and Leela’s marriage Leela’s family called Sikhs as arrogant and lacking in imagination while Amar’s family called Hindus as un-evolved Sikhs and too romantic in their religious philosophy. Since this was a common stereotype during that period therefore every Hindu and Sikh carried the same image for each other in their heads and beliefs. Amar’s father tried to prevent him from marrying Leela (Hindu) by telling him that any Sikh attached to Leela cannot escape the cycle of life, death and rebirth and will be bound to the Wheel of Existences. Also Maya was always taught that Sikhs were the protectors of Hindus and brought up believing that only Sikhs were the most courageous of all Indians. The society during that period made such Religion Stereotypes so that they could make people believe what they wanted.

My name is Islam (Slam Poetry Video)

This slam poetry talks about the misconceptions and stereotypes people have for  Muslims and explains what Islam as a religion truly means and how it preaches peace and prosperity rather than violence.

ISU Blog#4

Religious Suffering

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2015/March/Yemeni-Christians-Suffering-Is-Our-Reality/

This article talks about how Christians in Yemen are suffering for their faith and freedom of religion as the government does not provide them their religious freedom and because most of these Christians have a Muslim background the Islamic Sharia Law makes it illegal for Muslims to convert their religion to Christianity. Yemen is the 14th  on the World Watch Open Doors ranking of the most difficult places for the Christians and the continuous struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia makes it difficult for Christians to be allowed the freedom for their religious faiths. I have selected this article since my book “Karma” by Cathy Ostlere also shows the social issue of religious suffering through the clash between the two most dominant religions of India (Sikhism and Hinduism). When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was shot dead by the Sikhs the Hindus were angered because of her assassination so they began to march through the streets in groups and killing anyone who wore a turban or had long beards. They were the burning the Sikhs alive on the streets and set their homes on fire. The result was that there was blood everywhere on the streets of New Delhi and many Sikhs had to abandon their homes and businesses to flee the city the same night. Maya and Amar were staying at a hotel when Amar cut his long hairs and shave his beard so that he could disguise himself as a Hindu and this was a very drastic step he took to protect Maya as he had already promised to her mother Leela before she died. Even when the mobs entered the hotel Maya cut her hairs so that she would look like a boy and no one would notice her. Maya and Amar both went against the rules of the Sikhism to cut their hairs and converting themselves to Hinduism temporarily so that they could protect each other and move to a safe place without anyone noticing them.

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus(Slam Poetry)

This slam poetry talks about how religion is the main source of conflict and suffering whereas Jesus is the symbol of love, forgiveness and peace. It contrasts Jesus ideology of one God against all other religions and how he wanted the people to live together instead of being categorized by their religion. This slam poetry talks about the power of Grace and how Jesus was about God searching a man instead of a religion where a man searches for god.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Summary

The movie is set in Nazi Germany during WW2 where a nine year old boy named Bruno was living with his family in Berlin and had to move to a new place since his father was a commandant officer in German army so they had to shift in a residence that was close to the Jewish concentration camps. Bruno was unhappy since he had to leave his friends and was restricted to go in the backyard or certain places. Bruno was an adventure loving kid denied all the restrictions and goes on to explore his backyard where he met up with a child sitting next to the other side of the fence wearing striped pajamas and torn clothes. The boy’s name was Shmuel and he was also a Jew serving alongside other prisoners inside the concentration camp. Bruno and Shmuel quickly became friends and shared the same birthdays. Bruno used to bring food for Shmuel everyday hiding away from the others inside the house. Meanwhile Bruno’s mother and father had an argument over the issue of the concentration camps and they decided to move back to the city where they could peacefully live their lives. Bruno came to know that Shmuel was a Jew and he wanted to help him find his father before he left with his family towards the city. Shmuel brought Bruno some pajamas so that they could blend into the atmosphere and both sneaked into the concentration camp. On that fateful day Bruno and Shmuel were dragged along other Jewish prisoners by the German soldiers to the gas chambers where they met their ultimate death hand in hand.

Reflect

The movie was dedicated towards those Jews who lost their lives during the Holocaust and are still suffering from racism and discrimination around the world. Bruno always wanted to know why Jews were treated so harshly by Germany even though his father and hired teacher advocated the Nazi propaganda which he was never able to understand. The Nazi propaganda was used to literally brainwash the people’s minds. Another issue was that Bruno was a mere child and at that small age he could not understand why some people hated each other and similarly he just could not hate Shmuel or the caretaker of his residence despite both of them being Jews. I think that the meaning of this story was that we should treat everyone equally and never judge a person by what they believe. The two boys had such strong friendship that no propaganda or race differences could stand among their friendship even though it was heartbreaking to see them die in the end.

Relate

The movie relates to the Holocaust after the end of WW2 under the power of Nazi Germany. It shows how the Jews were tortured and discriminated in the concentration camps and how the life was miserable for the Jews during that period. Despite of the race and religion differences Bruno and Shmuel’s friendship was so stronger that they never cared what the society thought about them and their friendship broke the shackles of the society. It showed the point of view from an innocent child’s eyes and that a child never discriminates or considers others as enemies but as a friend. The author wanted to show the viewers the horror of the Nazi death camp through an innocent child’s eyes so that we could stop discrimination other Jewish people in the world and learn from the past’s mistakes.

ISU Blog#3

Social Issue- Poverty

Poverty is about not having enough money to meet the basic needs including food, clothing and shelter. This article talks about Africa being rich in natural resources and still suffering from poverty. It explains how two third of the people in the oil rich Nigeria are suffering from extreme poverty despite Republic of Congo being rich in gold, copper, diamond and titanium but the reality is that 9 out of 10 people are living in poverty. It further explains that the cause of the poverty is the multinational corporations that are looting Africa and China that has been making deals with the resource kingpins and making a colonial type system in which poor is becoming more poor. I chose this article since it resembles and highlights the social issue of poverty in my book "Karma" and shows how the governments were responsible for the misery of the poor in both cases. It explains that when Amar and Maya arrived in India and pass through the streets they saw thousands of people living on the streets with little or no food and some children of Maya's age were even selling tea and biscuits on the streets to make living for themselves. At that time the conditions in India were miserable as the atmosphere was filled with revenge and tension so the government was never able to provide any relief to the people since the Blue star operation( innocent Sikhs killed by military inside Golden temple) had just turned about to be the biggest mistake in the history of  the Indian government and then Sikhs were trying to assassinate the prime minister Indira Gandhi for her actions in the holy site of Golden temple. Lastly when Amar and Maya were passing through a street they saw a women with a skinny baby who was malnourished and when Maya asked Amar to help them he told her that it was their Karma that they had to face such hardships and their was nothing they could do to help them.

Slam Poem- "Am I Poor?"

This slam poem explains the poverty in the global world and how people do not acknowledge this issue and take everything for granted without thinking of the people who do not even have  electricity and basic needs in their homes. It talks about how we think of not having a smartphone to be poor whereas many people in the world do not have good drinking water in their homes. It shows the misconception we have for a poor person in the society.

ISU BLOG ENTRY-2

Social Issue- Violence

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/06/13/isis-beheadings-and-the-success-of-horrifying-violence/

This article talks about the terror that ISIS has caused in Iraq and Syria and the brutal ways in which it has killed the prisoners, policemen and anyone who stood against them by beheading and killing them in cold blood. It emphasizes that ISIS has used Islam as a means to justify these killings and even attract Muslim people from around the world to join them. It relates to the social issue of Violence in my book as during 1998 India was also a battleground for the two of its most powerful religions( Sikhism and Hinduism) and there were the same conditions during that time. The Sikhs were angry because the prime minister launched an attack on their holy site and they wanted a homeland of their own called Khalistan similar to ISIS that has always wanted Iraq to be under their own control. Second most important thing was that Sikhs terrorists started to murder those who did not agree to their wishes by burning them on the streets, beating them to death and raping the women. Similarly ISIS has also been murdering people who do not agree to their demands and has been spreading its fear among the people of Iraq by showing the live footage of the beheadings and mass killing of people in front of the whole world. Lastly, during the riots innocent Sikhs and Hindus were killed and thousand of people had to flee the city to save their lives much likely the way people of Iraq had to flee from the cities and abandon their houses to live in the refugee camps without any proper food and medicines. It also tells us the story where a man tries to escape from ISIS men trying to kill him and when he calls for help no one comes for his help as everyone was feared of them. Similar when Amar and Maya where thinking to escape from the mobs of men looking for Sikhs no one was ready to help them because the conditions during that event had created fear in the hearts of the people.

"A Fighter's Hope" by- Gurman Mann

Bodies of dead lie on the ground 

as many people flee the town.

There is violence everywhere 

as people live in their homes with fear.

Mobs of men have taken control 

there is nowhere to hide or go.

Those who try to go against them
give their farewell to their family and friends.

These fighters must win this fight 

even at the cost of their own life.

God bless those who fight against these conditions

for the ray of hope it ignites in the hearts of the people.

For their are times to come when violence reaches a new height

but it is the peace that would make our future bright.

Slam Poetry- Religion

My Book "Karma" mostly deals with the social issue of Religion. It explains how people during that period did not consider all religions to be equal and showed dis-concern and hatred against the people of other religions. It helps explore us how religions and beliefs caused war and pain among people and that people learn to forgive each other and finally live in peace. This slam poetry focuses on the different ways in which people worship god and how people differentiate between religion.

"I see thousands of them everyday,from young kids to adults believing and chanting his name. Shrines, temples and Mosques are places where people worship gods. But from my view there is only one god, Christians, Jews and Muslims are just some of his forms. For their is our creator who looks at us from above the skies and controls our lives. People still differentiate between religion and beliefs and cause sentiments to hurt for no reason. And still we say we are equal and diverse as in every 3rd world country 2 out of 3 people are judged based upon their skin color and clothes. I do not want to be a part of a society where religion and color of skin determines a person's character and personality and where people use religion as a means to fight wars. We say we cannot see god but the almighty always exists inside deep in our hearts as our inner voice and we fools search for his existence in temples, statues and paintings.People say believing in a religion can make our stars shine but it is the  karma that decides the purpose and influences one's own decisions in his/her life. I now see why people call religion an important part of their lives. It certainly is a creation that every individual must give respect and use it as a means of peace to maintain equality in the society."

ISU Blog Entry#1

 

        Religion Slam Poetry - Ethan Metzgar       

Rest In Me (Song by Todd Vaters)

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/religions-vital-place-society

I have chosen this article since it shows the importance of religion and believes among the society and tells the readers that religion could be used to shape the thinking of the society and by not involving government or politics. It also tells us that religion teaches us to be responsible and respect the life and freedom that is being given to us by the God and that religious people tend to be generous and civic minded. It addresses the social issues such as Religion, Beliefs, Peace, Freedom, Society and Equality.This article shows how different religions have different beliefs and sentiments and to respect and make peace rather than blaming others. As did Amar and Leela respected each others religions and still remained devoted to their religions even after their marriage. It also says that religious freedom helps the society to flourish and reduces violent crimes. Unlike Leela and Amar their families did not consider the Sikhs and the Hindus to be equal and where the society considered these kinds of  acts as a clear betrayal and going against the wish of the God. The article also talks about giving the right to religious people to be heard in the public sphere and their voices not to be silenced. When Amar and Leela married each other their families broke all links with them because they did not want the society to blame them for their children's acts and on the other hand Leela and Amar knew that their love could never be understood and was seen as an act of betrayal by the society during that period. Therefore in order to prevent themselves from the harsh treatment of the society they immigrated to Winnipeg to start a new life among the Western culture.(Christians, Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims)

"The Sniper" Short Story Summary

Summary

On a dark June night the Republicans and Free staters were waging Civil war. The Sniper had a face of student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of fanatic.The Sniper was fighting for the Republicans. As soon as the Sniper lit his cigarette a bullet immediately hit the parapet and he knelled down. He saw the flash of bullet coming from the opposite side of the street but could not see anything which helped his enemy undercover. On the same street the Sniper saw an enemy armored car and a women who was giving the Sniper's location to his enemies. The first time the Sniper killed the enemy soldier and second time he killed the women. The enemy sniper shot at him and the Sniper got injured. He used his willpower to bear the pain. The Sniper made a plan to take out the enemy sniper. He pushed the cap and rifle onto the street and the enemy sniper thought that he killed his enemy. The Republican Sniper then lifted his revolver from the parapet and shot the enemy sniper. When he saw his enemy's body on the ground the lust of battle died within him. He felt remorse and cursed the war. As the bullet went pass the sniper head he got frightened and came back to his senses. The sniper looked for his company commander to report but he was curious to know the enemy sniper whom he had killed. He admired him by calling him a good shooter and risked his own life to see the enemy sniper's face. The sniper threw himself toward the corpse to escape the hail of bullets and as he turned his dead body he saw his own brother's face.

About the Author

In the story "The Sniper" the author tries to explain the negative effects of War and Conflict by giving the message that war leads to negative impact on society and on a soldier's life.  The author depicts this message by showing war between Republicans and Staters and how the same soldiers that used to be on the same side were now against each other in the battlefield. Through the character of the Sniper the author depicts remorse, hardships and sacrifices that a soldier has to make while fighting on the battlefield. The author also tries to show us the dramatic Irony of war where people kill other people, sometimes even their loved ones as did the Sniper killed his own brother. In conclusion the author wants to tells that war leads to loss of life, causes negative impacts on society and most importantly affects those soldiers that are fighting in the war.

Child Soldiers

Connections- Ishmael Beah and the 14 year old killer both used firearms and guns to show violence. Ishmael became a child soldier because the army forced them to join war against the rebels and kill them. The 14 year old killer got the skills and the will to kill through the effect of video games and media violence. The assault rate in Sierra Leon during 1990's had been far greater than any of the other countries as mass killings of innocent people were taking place in this war torn country. Studies have found that most of the soldiers are trained to kill as Ismael Beah was trained by army commanders to kill rebels. The military used brutalization to make soldiers embrace violence and discipline and accept it as an essential survival skill. Ishmael Beah was being trained by the military to kill the rebels or they will kill him. They were being exposed to violence for long periods of time as they had completely lost themselves and accepted the war as a part of their life.When kids nowadays see pictures of human death and suffering they make it pleasure and entertainment. Same way Ismael Beah and other war children were so used to violence and drugs that when they killed rebels it became celebration and enjoyment for them. The author tells us  to protect children from toxic, addictive substance, and violent imagery. In the case of Ishmael Beah and other children they were being given drugs by the army which numb their senses and suppress their emotion so that they could not differentiate  what is right or wrong.

Challenges- Why did NGO and child organisations did not act against the use of drugs in fighting the war? Why didn't the other nations invest in  NGO and child organisations when they were trying to help these children? How could the army use such brutal methods and force children to fight rebels? Why was the treatment being done in a war torn country and why were these children not deported to safe place where they could be away from violence?

Concepts-  Key concepts were that war has negative effects on children and certainly on those that are being forced to join the war. Many of these children were  being given drugs and manipulated by the army commanders to kill others. They are mentally disturbed and become subject to violence. These children had very little future and no education unless they were willing to act. War leads to killings of innocent civilians and loss of life. Children lose their parents and siblings and often have to grow as an orphan. It is very hard for those children exposed to war to become a normal human being and many times it leaves a big impact on their lives. Many child organisations are trying to support these war children but it also requires other nations to contribute and invest in NGOs and child organisations so that they can reach out to as many war children as possible.

Changes-  The biggest change happened when Ismael Beah and other war children were being brought to rehabilitation camps. In these camps the children were taught to behave like a normal human being. It takes a lot of hard work since at first most of these war children were mean to the workers, they have had a really hard time to keep these children away from drugs and any addiction. 

It was also very hard for these children since their bodies had  been so conditioned that it craved for 

drugs. It took Ismael Beah 8 months to to change himself. For him the turning point was when a nurse who used to look after him understood his misery and knew what he felt. Her perseverance and understanding nature helped him to change himself and return to a normal life.

A New Level of Refugee Suffering

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/28/opinion/angelina-jolie-on-the-syrians-and-iraqis-who-cant-go-home.html?_r=0

This article talks about conditions of refugees in Iraq and how their suffering was being witnessed by Angelina Jolie who was there to support those people living as Refugees. Most of the people she witnessed were suffering to get proper food and shelter since half of the Syrian population was already living in the Refugee camps leading to shortage of supplies. Many of the people had lost their loved ones and others were missing or being abducted by ISIS. Some children had both their father and mother killed in the war and had no one to support or look after themselves. Most children were traumatized through their loss and there was poverty all around. The article also focused that the humanitarian aid that was being provided by UN and other nations seemed to be much less than what was required. Many of the children had to leave their education and resources seemed to be inadequate. These people had  no future of going back home and starting a new life. Angelina Jolie focused on defending refugee camps and asking the community to help these people.

My opinion on this article would be that no matter who starts the war, innocents and civilians are always the ones that are dragged and hurt. People do not realize that war brings destruction to mankind and loss of life. It always disrupts the peace and leads towards no solution. As with the war in Syria no one is sure that whether people would be able to go home or would their lives ever be the same after this war. Sometimes war is the only solution when things do not work out with peace. But war also means that nations should offer helping hands to these refugees, after all they are humans too. Why should these innocent people suffer when they haven't done anything? We need to understand the importance of human life and most importantly religion. It is not accurate to say that RELIGION is the cause of war. It is a very easy way of starting war between two communities. Therefore it is up to us to decide whether we want peace through talk or through killing of innocents civilians.

War and Conflict

http://www.warchildholland.org/(Website Link)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zO_2FvGKEsI(Video Link)

War leads to loss of life, destruction of land and thousands are left without any shelter or food. People have to leave their belongings and travel to another country as a refugee. The war also affects the soldiers by causing mental disturbances and psychological disease because of spending long periods of time in war. They have to stay away from their families and there is no insurance whether all of them would return home back safely. War also causes misery and suffering. It affects education of children since most of the schools are destroyed and this affects their future. People have to start their life from a new start and country's economy gets hurt. In many ways war can be stopped through peace talks in order to prevent the loss of life and prosperity.  The above video shows the ways in which war affects the people of the country and how sometimes it changes their lives.