Peace and Collaborative Development Network
Building Bridges, Networks and Expertise Across Sectors
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RAHEEM MUTIU
- 33, Male
- Nigeria
- Peace Drummers Networks-
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Institute for Conflict A…
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Global Youth Connection
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RAHEEM MUTIU's Discussions
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Good work, keep it up Craig. This network has really tried to bridge the gap between ignorance and knowledge, information and lack of it. It tried to link the experts with the amateur in the field but hardly connect them in the real sense of it. My…
Profile Information
- What motivated you (or your organization) to become involved in peace and conflict resolution?
- participation in peace and conflict resolution is not optional for those who intend to live in peace.It is mandatory for all that want to make their immediate and remote environment peaceful.I'm particularly disgruntled by the rising scale of human bestiality in the modern world, the rage and killings of which spares nobody, so i became motivated and intrested in any means of putting an end to this scourge.Since the need to heal the world is a collective responsibility, so conflicts resolution should also be our natural responsibility.
- Please feel free to provide a short bio about yourself or the work of your organization (no more than 3 paragraphs)
- I'm Raheem Mutiu , a Nigerian from Saki -West Area of Oyo State.I hold a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Masters of Arts in Peace and conflicts Studies.I have participated extensively in peace studies capacity building workshops, and certificate training. I'm so much interested in peace and conflicts discussion because it is discussion that brings understanding and thus peace.
- Please list the countries and/or regions in which you (or your organization) have direct and significant expertise
- Nigeria, Ivory coast, Ghana and liberia
- What is your current country of residence (or location of your organization)?
- Nigeria
- What is your current job (and organization) and/or where and what field are you studying?
- Peace Drummers Networks-
- How many years professional experience do you have ?
- 3-5
- What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)
- http://usip.org
- What is one of your favorite websites in the field? (please provide one answer per box)
- http://uno.org
- Which are your primary sectoral areas of expertise (or the primary sectoral areas of your organization) ?
- Alternative Dispute Resolution, Conflict Resolution, Development, Peacebuilding
- Which are your primary skills areas(or the primary skill areas of your organization)?
- Research, Training, Intervention
- What are some of your current areas of research (if any)?
- ETHNIC MILITANCY AND THE AMBIVALENCE OF INSURGENCY MOVEMENTS IN NIGERIA
Comment Wall (7 comments)
- At 4:45pm on January 4, 2010,
Craig Zelizer said…
- Thanks for the feedback. I do think you can get a response from many people on the network, but obviously participation is voluntary and also many people are exceptionally busy, but keep trying.
- At 2:38am on January 18, 2009,
LALIT said… - Hi Raheem,
I wish you all success in the year 2009 .
lalit
- At 9:06am on January 3, 2009,
Sie.Kathieravealu said… - An alternative Dispute resolution for building peace and development.
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT
Selected sentences and paragraphs are compiled and submitted for your kind consideration. I subscribe to the meanings contained therein as a person with a passion for sustainable peace, prosperity, serenity and a pleasant living for everyone irrespective of any inappropriate distinction.
Suggestions regarding a concept for separation of powers horizontally, election of representatives to administer same and other connected matters leading towards the above goal would be made available on receipt of your comments please.
-- Sie.Kathieravealu
* * * *
My aim is to agitate and disturb people. I am not selling bread, I am selling yeast - Unamuno
It has to be ensured that people are treated equitably regardless of their gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origins, age, disability, socio-economic background, religious or political beliefs and affiliations, marital status, family responsibilities, sexual orientation or other inappropriate distinction;
"Observe good faith and justice towards all nations; cultivate peace and harmony with all...and passionate attachments for others should be excluded; and that, in place of them, just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated. The nation which indulges towards another a habitual hatred or a habitual fondness is in some degree a slave...a passionate attachment of one nation for another produces a variety of evils."
- George Washington's Farewell Address - 1796
Isn’t it time we open our eyes and look around the country, region and beyond. Certainly you will realize we do not live in the Middle Age.
We proudly claim of our thousands of years of great civilization, but where do we stand today? This paradise of an island has been turned into one of the worst killing fields of Asia. How did this happen? Daily reports of crimes such as rape, murder, hacking and chopping, corruption and the moral degradation demoralize almost everyone from the time when we read the newspapers in the morning. Many years ago Hector Abeywardena said “we have become a nation of savages”.
Isn’t it time to rethink our policies of the past six decades, seek means to bring communities together and move ahead to ensure a better future at least for future generations. This is what average Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and all others are dreaming of. This is what all the countries in the region are doing. Our giant neighbor India and tiny neighbor Maldives Islands were far behind us around the time of independence. Today where are they and where are we?
Isn’t it time, that we resurrect the belief that diversity of race, religion, culture and language are God’s blessing in this beautiful island home of ours?
The issue is about space to accommodate diversity, how to contain the impulse toward hegemony-economic, military, linguistic, religious, cultural and otherwise. Any ecologist will tell you how dangerous and fragile a monoculture is. A hegemonic world is like having a government without a healthy opposition. It becomes a kind of dictatorship. It's like putting a plastic bag over the world to prevent it from breathing. Eventually, it will be torn open.
It is important for governments and politicians to understand that manipulating these huge, raging human feelings for their own narrow purposes, may yield instant results, but, eventually and inexorably will have disastrous consequences. Igniting and exploiting religious sentiments for reasons of political expediency is the most dangerous legacy that governments or politicians can bequeath to any people-including their own. People who live in societies ravaged by religious or communal bigotry know that every religious text-from the Bible to the Bhagavad Gita-can be mined and misinterpreted to justify anything, from nuclear war to genocide to corporate globalization.
But is war the best way to track them down? Will burning the haystack find you the needle? Or will it escalate the anger and make the world a living hell for all of us!
There is no easy way out of the spiraling morass of terror and brutality that confronts the world today. It is time now for the human race to hold still, to delve into its wells of collective wisdom, both ancient and modem. What happened on September 11 changed the world forever. Freedom, progress, wealth, technology, war-these words have taken on new meaning. Governments have to acknowledge this transformation, and approach their new tasks with a modicum of honesty and humility.
People rarely win wars, governments rarely lose them. People get killed. Governments molt and regroup, hydra-headed. They first use flags to shrink-wrap peoples' minds and smother real thought, and then as ceremonial shrouds to cover the mangled remains of the willing dead
Nothing can excuse or justify an act of terrorism, whether it is committed by religious fundamentalists, private militia, people's resistance movements- or whether it's dressed up as a war of retribution by a recognized government.
In an ideal world, we would share our resources with one another and we would see a high level of cooperation among all the nations of the world. Reality paints a very different picture, though. Sometimes the hatred among nations is so great that they want to destroy one another, and at other times, the hunger for power is so strong that leaders will stop at nothing to increase it. Only if the desire, for territorial domination and control power, control of resources and desire for profit in the case of arms makers, can be eliminated is there a chance that one day we will see world peace. Realistically speaking, though, it is difficult to envision.
War is often for reasons of resources, territorial control and power. If humans did not have such a strong desire to demonstrate their power, control others and dominate them, it is possible that the desire to wage war would go away. But until that happens, it is likely that war will continue to be as common as it is today.
Also often forgotten are the financial benefits of war. As inhumane as it may seem, arms manufacturers increase their business when there is war and thus create a greater demand for arms.
For those who would end a war, there is much to be learned here. First and foremost, cease-fire should never be mistaken for peace. When cease-fire breaks out (or when the troops come home), the work for peace had just begun. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, if peace is to be made, it will not be made by the combatants. If you're truly anti-war, plan on participating in the process— because no amount of pressure will cause a combatant party to do the work of making peace. They've got a vested interest in continuing the conflict.
If peace is to be made, it's up to committed individuals willing to make the commitment to see it through. I truly regret that I let our opportunity pass.
The Doctrine of Separation of Powers is now ascribed to the Enlightenment political philosopher Baron De Montesquieu. Simply stated, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches of government must be independent from one another, so that they can check and balance one another to prevent and remedy any abuse of power by any branch.
This idea evolved out of Europe a few hundred years ago, following a historical revolt in many countries against the tyranny of the dictatorship by an absolute monarchy. Since then, the Doctrine has been zealously guarded and entrenched in Western liberal democracies.
That this principle has worked so well does verify Lord Acton’s famous and often misquoted words: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely.” It does confirm a truth about human nature: no fallible and feeble human individual should be entrusted with too much power, and hence, the need for checks and balances. With the Doctrine, it is possible to replace the Rule of Man with the Rule of law.
Article 4 of the People’s Republic of China states: All nationalities in the People's Republic of China are equal. The state protects the lawful rights and interests of the minority nationalities and upholds and develops the relationship of equality, unity and mutual assistance among all of China's nationalities. Discrimination against and oppression of any nationality are prohibited; any acts that undermine the unity of the nationalities or instigate their secession are prohibited. The state helps the areas inhabited by minority nationalities speed up their economic and cultural development in accordance with the peculiarities and needs of the different minority nationalities. Regional autonomy is practiced in areas where people of minority nationalities live in compact communities; in these areas organs of self- government are established for the exercise of the right of autonomy. All the national autonomous areas are inalienable parts of the People's Republic of China. The people of all nationalities have the freedom to use and develop their own spoken and written languages, and to preserve or reform their own ways and customs.
The declaration of Human Rights was a pivotal statement in which the world community recognized the "inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family as the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world". True to its nobility of spirit, it declares "the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom from fear and want as the highest aspiration of the common people".
The declaration that "everyone has the right to liberty and security of person" and that no one shall be subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment has a sad resonance today.
I do not deny the fact that there exists a serious lack of self-awareness between the Sinhalese and Tamils today, which is why a bigoted national minority is in conflict with the bias and hauteur of the national majority on this beautiful island. But this was not there in February 1948 when Sinhalese and Tamils considered themselves Ceylonese.
After two decades of protracted ethnic conflict which eventually led to a civil war, the country stands “torn apart” with an undefined and insecure future. Sri Lanka is multi-cultural, multi racial, multi ethnic and multi religious country. This adds to the beauty of our motherland and we have to live together as one peaceful nation for this true beauty to be manifest.
The reason for the resilience of Racism is mostly because most people don't have a working definition of the term. While the dictionary may define it as the notion that one's own ethnic stock is superior," the functional definition digs deeper into the social and economic roots of the "notion" of racial superiority. Racism is the ability for one's race to impose its will on another race. And to quote writer Neely Fuller, "the only form of functional Racism that exists among the people of the known universe is White Supremacy." Therefore, as a group, black people cannot be racist nor do we have any real ower to dictate the terms of this country's race relations. In reality, the only black person in this country that has that power is Barack Obama, himself.
Nakhonratchasima, Thailand — Thailand's highest Buddhist organization, the Supreme Sangha, is one of the three jewels described in Buddhism. The three – the Lord Buddha himself, the Dharma doctrine, and the Sangha clergy – are the three pillars that practicing Buddhists found their faith upon.
That is, they used to.
Today, as Buddha warned over 2,000 years ago, "enemies" of Buddhism are creeping in from the inside.
Loss of direction is hardly a new issue to those of any faith around the world, and Buddhism is no different. Many adherents of basic Buddhism branch off, in practice and principle, to either found their own sect or to follow an already established one that does not adhere to original Buddhist teachings.
The use of amulets is such an outgrowth, as is the worshipping of Buddhist images. Buddha did not advocate either of these, nor did he likely suspect that millions would later worship his image, but betray his teachings.
Thus one of the greatest battles to be fought by those waging Peace against those waging war is not merely the battle to convince people that War is not the solution... but that to end war the battle to need conflicts must also begin in the minds of men. I do hope that the next time Peacemakers meet and talk about waging peace…this would also be considered in their strategies.
"Beware of the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry, [who] infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How will I know? For this I have done. And I am Julius Caesar
What are required as a political alternative to the LTTE are not merely elevating Tamils to public office but also empowering them through decision-making autonomy and ensuring their accountability to the electors.
With regard to a political proposal, the distancing from and outright rejection of the ‘majority report’ of the panel of experts that recommended extensive devolution and constitutional reform that would include a second chamber of parliament, indicates with little doubt that any devolution offered would be minimalist. This was further reinforced with the APRC’s much watered down proposals to the President in January that recommended that the ‘relevant provisions’ of the 13th Amendment be introduced. If this offers the slightest indication, any political ‘solution’ offered by the government would in effect, be ‘13th Amendment minus,’ or otherwise stated, pre-1987!
If a sustainable society is to be reached, it will not be political leaders who show us the way. More likely, small groups of us will emerge who have found the way, and spread that message to others. When a critical mass of the electorate has already adopted a more developed sense of society, only then will our leaders follow.
In my opinion it is the system of governance that allowed "corruption" to flourish unabated. This "corruption" took cover under war and grew well to prolong the war.
Separate the powers of parliament and empower different groups of people's representatives with different well defined and distinct powers that do not overlap so that no single group has the full power to rule the country. All the groups together will make the whole. The country is not divided but the powers of parliament are divided/separated
Different groups to be elected for administration, fiscal management, planning, implementing, policy and law making, auditing and for any other function that deem necessary.
As a closing thought, I’d like to share a famous quote by President Lincoln, in the hopes that the attitude he expressed will prevail in Sri Lanka:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish, a just and a lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations.”
— President Abraham Lincoln
We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; that, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; and, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it.
- July 4, 1776. The Declaration of Independence
"Never doubt that a few, thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Let your friends know too. Let us be the prophets of peace and happiness! For the present and for the future! For us and our children!
Will our children live with
dignity on earth?
Will we leave them enough resources for them to live with dignity? Will they have to war with one another for scarce resources? Will we leave them a planet with a livable climate?
And together we will start the search for a better world!
Let's Start Dreaming Together!
For A Bright Future!!
And Act Now!!!
- At 10:03am on December 9, 2008,
GIUSEPPE MARIVO said… - Wonderful, RAHEEM MUTIU, my brother friend, I am happy to have found you!!! Together for a NEW HUMANITY!!!!
Giuseppe, yout brother friend, partner in the REALIZATION...
- At 8:22am on December 1, 2008,
Demola Akinyoade said… - Let's keep in touch.
- At 8:06am on December 1, 2008,
Demola Akinyoade said…
- Raheem, I just must meet you! I'm 2002/2003 Set of PCS at UI. How wonderful to meet you on this network. I'm on my doctoral research: Peace and Conflict Impact Assessment of the Human Development Programmes of the NDDC. I envy your profile. 'I have participated extensively in peace studies capacity building workshops, and certificate training'.
I'm currently working on a programme that promotes the culture of peace in Nigeria. I'l keep you posted. Be my friend?
- At 8:56am on November 29, 2008,
Mrs. Tatiana A Kostanian said… - Hello! I am going on age 66 in March. Each day for me is a gift. You see, I'm on life support, dialysis, no match for a kidney.Really don't know what the next moment will bring, but I have been giving with my life's work since the age of 14, offering support, assistance for youth, women, children, men as a non-profit for victims of violence, trauma, cross-disabilities, life support since 1962. I not only know very well about these issues but have gone through these issues as well spiritually, physically, mentally, psychologically, from extremes of abuse, extremes of torture, starvation, buried alive, as well as a family with issues of genocide. It is all the reason for the two remaining projects of my life I am holding this May 24, 2009 8am an invitation for women, children, men, elderly to join together as citizens, youth of the globe in our 'Peace Walk For Freedom, Rights, Justice, 'inclusion and access'. We know in the world today there are many being disabled, short and long-term, as well incarcerated, for the most innocent of issues,given life sentences, etc. As lives on life support, disabled, or with compounded disabilities, we cannot be seen as silent or that we can't offer our voices against any/all of these above issues. It is why we are calling all lives to walk with us, show your support directly with or with out a disability, etc. Walk for a loved one unable to leave home, bed, or because of being oppressed,disabled, murdered, incarcerated as they are throughout the globe. This year we have chosen to remember Tibet. 'Walk For Tibet' See Facebook for our entrance for our Peace Walk or write, mhonainternational@gmail.com. We would love to have you, or yours walk for a loved one from anywhere on the globe. Don't allow a disability or being on life support stop you from being recognized or speaking out. Join with us in May, Please! God Bless You! Please share our message every where. Tatiana
MHONA INTERNATIONAL
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Events
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UPEACE Extended Deadline Application
February 17, 2010 at 6pm to March 15, 2010 at 12pm – UPEACE Campus, Costa Rica
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trainingcourse Peacebuilding and Local Governance
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Bologna, Italy Symposium on Conflict Prevention, Resolution, and Reconciliation
June 19, 2010 to July 17, 2010 – Johns Hopkins SAIS Bologna Center
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Training for Urban Planning Practitioners: Managing Conflicts and Urban Development in Multiethnic Communities
June 20, 2010 at 6pm to June 26, 2010 at 7pm – European Youth Center
Latest Activity
Feel free to join MEPEACE - or/and to exchange constructive views on peace perspectives in Middle East here.
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http://www.mepeace.org/notes/about
JOIN MEPEACE:
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The Fetzer Institute just published this document that may be of interest to all of Conflict Transformation practitioners.Community Resilience: A Cross-Cultural Study: Revitalizing Community Within and Across Boundaries
In December, 2008, the Compa…
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