Chechnya: The Silent Genocide!!!

by Najmuddin Tue Jan 29, 2008 14:59

Here is the poster and details for the spain talk

'The Real Renaissance: Islamic history of Spain'

Was there antisemitism in an Islamic state?
Was the whole world or only Europe in the 'Dark ages'?
Did Europeans escape the dark ages or was there Muslim help involved?
How did we advance to the digital and medical age?

23rd February 2008 10 am,Venue Astra Hall, Students center, University College Dublin

BE THERE

THE REAL RENAISSANCE: ISLMAIC HISTORY OF SPAIN

by Mark C Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:13

Here's a couple of links to some sites dealing with the Chechen issue that might interest some readers. The best work to have come out of the area seems to be that of Anna Politkovskaya.

Anna Politkovskaya:

Chechnya: Articles by Anna Politkovskaya
http://www.tjetjenien.dk/baggrund/politkovskaya.html

Anna Politkovskaya, Russia's Secret Heroes of the Chechen War ...
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/674320.html

Poison in the air
http://www.guardian.co.uk/chechnya/Story/0,,1720522,00.html

Putin, Chechnya, and Politkovskaya
http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-institutions...3.jsp

Good Luck with the Talk.

by gurgle Wed Jan 30, 2008 22:51

The Al Hambra (in the illustration with a comment just above) is a currently listed by the UN as a world heritage site. Anyone who has seen it can not but marvel at its beauty. It ranks amongst one of the most oustanding feats of architectural beauty on the planet. It is impossible to consider the history of Islamic art without reference to the decoration of the Al Hambra. But, it is in no way representative of a "renaisance". When it was built there was no concept of "Spain". When it was built by the muslim king of Granada the peninsula was administered as it had been since its first formal administration by the Romans in multiple regions which themselves were ethnically and geographically cohesive & distinctive. Not till generations after it its ruling dynasty had fallen was the Iberian peninsula to settle into to its present form of two sovreign states, those of Portugal and Spain. At the height of the culture it still remains as testament to, what we call Spain now was divided into the kingdoms of Aragon, Murcia, Valencia, Navarra, Castille to name but the most familiar. Thus I think it obvious it was not "Spanish".

Renaisance means a rebirth - the term was first used to describe the desemination of classical (greek & latin) culture, writing, art and the mathematical systems preserved in both languages in western Europe which began in Italy after the city state of Venice conquered Byzantium or Constantinople (now Istanbul) from the Ottoman empire & took its booty as trophies. In one respect that knowledge - scientific, military and mathematical was purely of eastern muslim or semitic origin. In other respects the shift from non-representative semitic (jewish or muslim) religious or devotional art or decoration to Hellenic or Roman anthropromorphic representative visual languages had already occured in the west at least 900 years before. The supposed "dark age" European had already internalised a Roman or Byzantium notion of a bearded God and saviour with face just about the time St Paul got the castor & pollux ferry to his court case in Rome. Thus ditching one of the main principles of semitic (hebrew or proto-muslim) art behind.

The court of the Al Hambra played host to some of the most brilliant mathematic and scientific minds of the late medieval period in European time or the Nasrid dynasty of Islamic history. Their thought represented an uninterrupted development with that of Aristotle, Democrotus, Euclid & others. It had never died - thus there could be no "renaissance".

gurgle.
blaa blaa.
get yerselves on a ryanair & visit the place. Not even the Catholic Kings who in the late 15th century would fuse Aragon, Catalonia & Castille to make "Spain" could bring themselves to add a bearded halo wearing bloke or human representation to its beauty. They were overawed. It is a lasting pity and irony as well as injustice that their imperialist soldiers could not treat the civilisations of South America with similar respect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Hambra

by Najmuddin Thu Jan 31, 2008 10:37

You should come to the talk and then decide for yourself what we learn in junior cert history is actually fact.

I aint gonna spoil it and nor is the internet a good place to discuss things but come to the talk, its free of charge.

by gurgle Thu Jan 31, 2008 10:41

But I'm closer to the Al Hambra than UCD.
Light a little candle in the window for me & all the diasporia who after years of missing out on the asian style celtic tiger are crossing their little fingers the US led Irish economy goes pop.
;-)

by kerry rose Tue Feb 12, 2008 14:45

I pray that somethig can be done by those who are morally brave to stem this genocide of the cheychnans or it will be too late like when we all cried buckets of tears and outrage after Bosnia and Rwanda. To those who care -lobby your local MEP or in whatever other way to bring to the attention of those who can influence change.

Russia does not want to give Checnya its independence because of the same old story -it wants ownership of checnyas natural resources. Anyone who stands up to Russia has and is being crushed, Anna Polisnsky a russian reporter was assassignated for highlighting the tortures and abuses of men women and children that goes on there daily. Find out for yourself the nightmare and hell those people are living in God help them.

by Najmuddin Sat Feb 23, 2008 23:22

1 of The best human rights historical and informative talks ever mashallah.

For those that missed it well tough luck.