AUSTRALIAN
Initiatives of Change through moral and spiritual transformation DECEMBER 2005 No. 217 Salam Shalom Peace A report from Joyce Fraser, Barbara Lawler, Trish Harrison and Jane Mills on Women’s Peace Circles just concluded in Sydney:
uilding on an idea from Creators of A group of 6-12 women meet for an The Bardwell Park/Greenacre Peace Circle Peace , a women’s network agreed number of sessions. We work B · Listening to what others have through a series of topics and exercises originating in Africa, and under the experienced and suffered changes our about peacemaking, and share something umbrella of Initiatives of Change, a thinking. Maybe we can change of our own personal stories in an number of Women’s Peace Circles have things. taken place in Australia – first in atmosphere of trust and respect. · I can’t be a prisoner of my past. I In Sydney in September, we started Adelaide, then in Melbourne, and last choose to forgive. year and this year in Sydney. with an introductory occasion in a · You can’t make peace between right community centre. This drew sixteen The objective is to create a space for and wrong. You need to educate women, and out of it grew two peace women of different cultural backgrounds yourself on the issues. and faiths, so that we can explore together circles, one on a Friday evening, the other · Islam is not terrorist. I worry about our own peace creating ability, to enable on a Saturday morning. The material my children’s generation. us to generate peace in our homes and the allows for eight sessions, but due to the · I’ve held anger and disappointment wider community. The guiding principles lateness in the year, both groups opted for inside me for many years. I am are: a series of four sessions. Both groups confronting this and starting the also asked for an extra session, so that · Every person has a part to play and healing process. something to contribute they could view the video For the Love · If you have suffered, you can help of Tomorrow about the French · Every person can start the process of others and stand beside them. transformation in their own life peacemaker Irene Laure . · Offering hospitality is a way of Above is a picture of the Bardwell · Every person has a story to tell and a building peace. need to be heard Park/Greenacre Peace Circle. · Every person can be a compassionate Participants came from Lebanon, Kenya, Stories about these peace circles have listener to the Truth within, to the Iraq, Rwanda, Burundi and Australia been sent to a number of local papers and truths of others, to the needs of the (including Torres Straits). Comments there is great interest to create more in the wider community. from those taking part include: coming year. Clean election campaign gets under way
Malaita and Isobel during by-elections. in Solomon Islands Based on the successful model used in David Mills from Sydney has been in the Solomon Islands supporting the local Taiwan, Kenya and in other places, where IofC team (named Winds of Change) as they prepare for a Clean Election corruption has been destroying the Campaign. He writes from Honiara: democratic processes, a CEC uses simple awareness techniques asking all citizens he first two-day workshop for conference in Brisbane in July, and also a to make a pledge not to offer or accept T recruiting and training volunteers for ‘training the trainers’ course based on bribes before or after the election, and to the Clean Election Campaign (CEC) in IofC's Life Matters course in Tabalia, use their vote wisely. Solomon Islands is in progress. There is outside Honiara, three months ago. In the Winds of Change information an atmosphere of expectation and brochure they say, “RAMSI (Regional Simple awareness enthusiasm, as the possibility of helping Assistance Mission in Solomon Islands) to make a difference through this Their aim is to have teams of six to eight has been successful in helping restore campaign grows. people traveling to most of the provinces law, and bringing a peaceful environment Such workshops will run for the next to present the message of the CEC in the in the country. But this really only two weeks in the conference room at the main centres ahead of the national establishes the foundation for us, as (we) Winds of Change office in Honiara. It is elections in March 2006. These teams are begin the process of rebuilding our being run by the young core-group of scheduled to begin moving out across the nation. We hope the programs we Winds of Change team, some of whom country in mid-January. Already pilot organise may encourage real change in attended the Initiatives of Change campaigns have been run in the islands of the day to day living of everyone of us.” Gandhi's message in today's world Professor Rajmohan Gandhi, an Indian writer, former Senator and grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, visited Britain with his wife Usha for two weeks, November 12-27, at the invitation of Initiatives of Change. As a Hindu, he has sought to heal divisions between Hindus and Muslims through his study of Muslim leaders. He is currently a visiting professor at the University of Illinois, USA. His powerful message of dialogue and bridge-building across the world's divides met a deep response from audiences across Britain and drew extensive press coverage. The following extracts are from his speech in Liverpool Hope University entitled “The relevance of the Gandhian ethic in today's world.”
andhi’s life contained several Hindus was the same as the God of the G paradoxes. For a start, was he a saint Muslims and of the Christians, and also (or one trying to be a saint) or a that morality and humanity were more politician?... We see from accounts of his important than ancestry. Winning over Rajmohan Gandhi - photo by Dale Wain life that from childhood his conscience many Hindus to such a view, Gandhi speaks to him: he should not, it says, helped liberate Hinduism from the Indian Islam, I recall the faces and indeed the copy in the exam despite the teacher’s earth. Though many Hindus thought of lives of Muslims I have known and know, prodding; he should confess his stealing him as a Mahatma (great soul), a section I recall images of Muslims kneeling in to his father. If he heeds such a of Hindus saw Gandhi as a violator of prayer, or raising their arms in conscience, as he does, is he trying to scriptural injunctions prescribing the supplication to God, or carrying their become a saint? practice of untouchability, and as one dead or wounded on cold earthquake-hit Yet after a few years the Inner Voice who weakened Hindus in their equation slopes, and ask myself if I could truly also asks a 23-year-old Gandhi, now in with Muslims. Gandhi’s answer was that believe that the Islam so practised was South Africa, not to return home from verses from scripture cited by his particularly and peculiarly flawed. Well, humiliation but to stay and fight; years opponents “cannot be above reason and I cannot so believe. When I hear such an later it asks him to organize a nationwide morality”. argument I also at times recall Winston defiance over the salt tax; and later still to Churchill speaking in June 1941 when ask the British to Quit India. Since he did The difference today Hitler attacked the Soviet Union. Having not confine his life to saying, “Love God Let me start by noting a critical if obvious spent years warning about the dangers of and follow Him,” but asked people to difference between the period of the Cold Russian Communism, Churchill now had fight for their rights, we should perhaps War and our times: During the Cold to summon support for an alliance with say that the politician in him was stronger War, when Communism ruled large the Russians. “I see the 10,000 villages than the saint. He indeed took spiritual sections of our world, many in the of Russia,” he said, “where the means of vows, but often in order to be politically democracies thought that while the rulers existence was wrung so hardly from the effective. His vows of chastity and of Communist states were tyrannical and soil, but where there are still primordial poverty freed him not from the world, but evil, their people were innocent victims, human joys, where maidens laugh and for action in the world ... good people like those living in the children play.” The Gandhi who was clear that the democracies. Today, by contrast, in our Well, Muslim maidens laugh too, and Indian constitution had to be secular era of an apparent clash of civilizations, Muslim children also play, and all freely spoke of himself as a loyal Hindu; many in the democracies see the Muslims, Sunni or Shia, are grateful for his political discourse was rich in populations of Muslim lands as flawed, primordial human joys. They hate religious vocabulary without which, he even while good relations are maintained, terrorism as much as anybody else in the knew, India’s deeply religious masses, in many cases, with their rulers, who are world, and perhaps even more, for more whether Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, or viewed as people with whom business Muslims have been killed in terrorist acts Christian, could not be reached. The can be done. Such thinking has its than non-Muslims. In Rwanda in 1994, critical difference between Gandhi and counterpart in much of the Islamic world, some massacres actually took place in the other Hindu political figures was that which has seen persistent negative churches. Did that make the Rwanda while Gandhi used his Hinduness to build propaganda about Christians and the killings a Christian crime? When, in the bridges with Muslims, the others sought crusades, Jews and Zionism, and 1970s, Buddhist Cambodia was the venue differentiation and at times conflict. Americans and Europeans. The result is for the killing fields, did the killing The contrast with Savarkar, the people-to-people distrust, and the reflect an innate Buddhist flaw? When, a ideologue of the Hindu right, is possibility of people-to-people enmity. couple of years ago, almost all members particularly striking. Savarkar claimed This is very different from the times of of the royal family of the Hindu kingdom that only those who saw India as both the Cold War, when there was great of Nepal were shot dead, and, later, a their homeland and their holy land could people-to-people empathy and warmth. large number of peasants and security be reliable Indians, a criterion that made men were killed in shootings, was some India’s Muslims, Jews, and Christians Islam the flaw? Hindu teaching to blame? disloyal by definition. Gandhi, on the When, as often happens, I hear the Ø other hand, insisted that the God of the argument about the flawed nature of continued on page 3 Ø continued from page 2 Today many in different parts of the Reaching the villages of India world accept that while all others are Initiatives of Change, India, ran a training program on the theme “Being the innocent unless proved guilty, a Muslim change you want to see in the world” for a leaders of a government agency is guilty unless he or she demonstrates MAVIM which works for economic empowerment of women in rural areas across innocence. Governments, immigration the State of Maharashtra. IofC worker Priya Gujar writes: officers, agents at check-in counters, landlords, newspaper reporters, taxi- he twin aims of the program were: · I will never use public money for drivers, and employers now make at least T (a) for participants to understand and personal use and will never bribe a mental note, if they do not offer a accept this way of change themselves; anyone. visible or audible expression, when they and (b) to jointly develop a 2-day training · I will create an atmosphere of trust find that the person they are dealing with program based on IofC principles to be amongst my colleagues ... and try to is a Muslim. delivered to and by their village level create employment based on sahyoginis (women co-workers) to village agriculture at the village level. Today’s task women in all the 34 districts of · I will never take or give a bribe. Towards the end of his life Gandhi had to Maharashtra. · I will spread word against gender address the Hindu-Muslim divide. As The participants shared some of the discrimination. tensions rose shortly before Indian challenges and difficulties they faced – · I will get self-help groups in my independence he was asked whether it inequalities in subsidies, political district to get loans by the end of was right to kill a mad dog - the interference, uncooperative banks and March 2006 and would discourage implication being that Muslims were like lack of awareness at the grass roots level. corruption in the process… mad dogs and deserved to be destroyed. After input on relationships and · I will try to get the female literacy rate Gandhi replied, “When I was about ten, a learning about listening in silence to the up from 20% to at least 50%. brother of mine had gone mad. In a fit of inner voice, some began to share about · I will encourage anti-corruption madness he would rush out and strike areas they needed to change. One of the campaigns. everyone. But what could I do? Could I participants recognised that he was rude · I will save money and not waste it on beat him? Or could my mother and father beat him? A doctor was called in and he was asked to treat my brother in every possible manner except by beating him. He was my blood brother. But now I make no such distinctions. Now all of you, [Hindus and Muslims], are my blood brothers. If all of you lose your sanity and I happen to have an army at my disposal, do you think I should have you shot?” Asking himself, “who are my people”, Gandhi had concluded years earlier, despite the background in which he was raised, that Muslims were as much his people as Hindus. Many are perhaps aware of the inscription at Hiroshima that says, “We will not let this happen again.” Who the “we” is, what the “this” is, is wisely left Rural India - photo by John Freebury for the visitor to decide. “We will not let to his wife and never respected her. unnecessary luxuries, and help in this happen again.” Another said that she would apologize to decreasing malnutrition. Like several others, I have for years her husband for not treating him well and Drawing on what they themselves had longed for a memorial in India and clear-up misunderstandings. A decision gained the participants then designed a 10 Pakistan where every name of the victims to improve relations with father and hour program module to introduce these of 1947 is recorded, where their death is brother was made by another participant. ideas to the field workers in the villages. mourned and their life remembered, a Other decisions included: They seem to have become a team memorial before which every visitor, · I will not misuse office electricity, with us in the work of bringing change Indian, Pakistani or another, a Hindu, paper and money and will try to save through a change in individuals. As a Muslim, Sikh or anyone else, would want all these and will see others do so too. group they have decided to come with to say inwardly, “We will not let this · I will use these ideas with the youth as their spouses and children for the next happen again.” we spread the crucial knowledge of IofC Family Conference in May 2006. I feel this is the sort of thing that building toilets at the village level. The MAVIM program gave us an Gandhi says to us today. I think he asks · I will be honest myself and with my opportunity to model how IofC can be us to play our part in bridging the divide family too; and say ‘no’ to corruption taken to other government agencies. This between the Muslim world and the West, and addictions. could be a new beginning where IofC the global counterpart in the 21st · I will never again booze or encourage might touch the lives of the people in all Century of India’s 1947 tensions. others towards this as well. the villages of Maharashtra. Michael Thwaites - man Astronomy of poetry and faith Newsbriefs wishes all its readers a happy Christmas. This seasonal poem Astronomy is part nder the headline “Poet versed in war and counterespionage”, of Michael Thwaites’ volume Unfinished Journey . U Melbourne's The Age honoured Michael Thwaites who died in November. Obituaries also appeared in The Australian, the Canberra “ The love that moves the sun and all the stars” - Times and Britain's Times, Guardian , Independent and Daily Telegraph When Dante wrote there was no telescope: newspapers. In The Age , John Farquharson wrote about “Thwaites' Beneath his feet, the damned and their despairs, Christian faith, strengthened through his lifelong involvement with Moral Above, the spheres, a Paradise, and hope. Re-Armament”, which infused his verse. A supernova seen from Siding Spring Most of the papers focussed on Thwaites’ role in debriefing Vladimir Petrov, a senior KGB defector. However, writes Michael's son Peter Ten thousand million light-years from our Earth - Thwaites, “at the funeral the two themes were poetry and faith which Where will it meet with angels on the wing were the deepest things in my father's life. He did not just ‘write poetry’ Shepherds and Bethlehem, the stable birth? but knew a huge amount of other people's poetry (Shakespeare, Milton, Or was a fable fathered by desire? Donne, Tennyson etc) and often quoted passages of it from memory to fit some situation.” What pledge of peace, goodwill, or mercy mild Bishop George Browning, (of Canberra and Goulburn) in his funeral In myriad galaxies of ice and fire? address said: “I will always think of Michael as the quintessential man of Yet star-led sages, searching, found a child faith and the ideal model of a Christian man ... Michael's faith is my kind Born to unlock a universe’s power of faith. A faith that never closed you down through prescription, but Streaming from scaffolds, bursting prison bars, opened you up through metaphor; never bogged you down with dogma, but released you through symbol.” And children, kneeling, find amid the straw Michael Thwaites’ collected poems Unfinished Journey is available The love that moves the sun and all the stars. from Grosvenor Books (address below), price $25 postage included.
“ Destiny”, the title of the final section, them; to help each person discover their Book talk provides the reader with an appreciation own distinctive contribution and to and respect for Porter’s crusade for better provide an opportunity for participants to Do something about it standards in the media. Porter goes into live, work and study with people from by Bill Porter detail about how he set up an organisation different cultures and backgrounds within to fight for this and the many and varied the Australian community and from resented as a “media man’s story”, “ideas” people whom he met and who overseas. For more information, Bill Porter’s autobiography is made P helped along the way. His essay “The e-mail [email protected] or call up of three parts. It tells us his rise from Battleline of Civilisation” in the appendix (03) 9822 1218. freelance writer to executive of a Dutch is brilliant and I highly recommend publishing multinational, his journey of reading this. Andrew “roo” O’Loughlin Action for Life 3 love with his late wife Sonja and finally, his campaign to bring about better Price $25, postage included from o, not the title of the latest Arnold standards within the media. Grosvenor Books, 226 Kooyong Rd, N Schwarzenegger blockbuster, but Porter’s eye for detail in the first part Toorak, VIC 3142. Tel. 03 9822 1218 the third nine-month program of training Having finished his stint as assistant editor for his and outreach for young people of all ages makes an attractive read. His university’s paper Tharunka and his double degree in observations and analysis of events are Science/Arts, Mr O’Loughlin is now looking for has started at Asia Plateau, the Initiatives employment. If you can help him in this quest, please of Change centre in Maharashtra, India. entertaining and include a few anecdotes email him at [email protected] or call 0423 742 904. from the industry that are very interesting First weeks were spent looking at some of to the budding reporter. the basics ideas of IofC such as taking The second part tells the ups and In Brief time in silence to reflect on our lives, and downs of Porter’s married life. His wife looking at the qualities of love, survived a concentration camp and a Life Matters unselfishness, purity and honesty. One of death sentence, to emerge with her brutal he next Life Matters course will run the participants, Alex Birnberg from honesty still intact (which contributed to T from Friday 3 February to Sunday Australia, wrote: “Before coming on AfL a few embarrassing moments for Porter). 12 February at Armagh, the IofC centre I have struggled for meaning and Porter’s willingness to be honest about in Melbourne. Life Matters is a nine-day direction ... By beginning to trust myself even very shameful moments in his course for young adults to shape a path and to use these moral standards as a married life makes this love story and purpose for living. Its aims are to guide to my actions, I have been able to engaging and he has some good advice develop skills and character strengths for free myself from the fears and insecurities for those in a long-term relationship. those who want to bring change around that held me.”
All contributions of items, news, comments are welcome. Next deadline: Wednesday, 26 Jan. 2006, to The Editor, NEWSBRIEFS , 226 Kooyong Road, Toorak, VIC 3142. Initiatives of Change Fax: (03) 9822 6871 E-mail: [email protected] MORAL RE-ARMAMENT ABN 22 004 350 789 New subscriptions and address changes: NEWSBRIEFS, 226 Kooyong Road, Toorak, VIC 3142 www.au.iofc.org