Crossing Borders issue 30

A bi-monthly regional magazine volume 6 No.30 October/November 2006

EuroMediterranean Interaction Open day, Media, Cartoons and CB Experience in Denmark

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Who Are We Learning to live together on equal terms

CB Advisory Board Prof. Munther Dajani (chairperson), Mr. Herbert Pundik, Ms. Else Hammerich, Ms. Lotte Lund, Mr. Hanna Siniora, Mr. Jakob Erle, Mr. Mossi Raz, Mr. Greg Newbold, Prof. Najeeb Nabwani and Prof. Eric Markusen.

Executive Board Ms. Anja Gustavsen (Chairperson), Ms. Rosa Dich (vice Chairperson), Mr. Martin Selsoe Soerensen, Ms. Britha Mikkelsen, Mr. Jorn Faurschou, Ms. Louise Breum Brekke, Ms. Anne Gyrithe Bonne, Ms. Christine Binzel, Ms. Mette Juel Madsen and Mr.Andreas Bredsdorff.

Executive Secretariat Mr. Garba Diallo, Director Mr. Peter Fitzboger, Cheif of Financial Officer Ms. Nina Maria Klok, Assistant Director.

Contact US Headquarters, Crossing Borders C/O International People’s College, Denmark Tel:0045-49213371 Fax:0045-49212128 e-mail:cb@crossingborder.org

CB executive board and regional coordinators

What is Crossing Borders Crossing Borders is a non profit, non govermental organization that provides youth and educators from the Middle East and Europe with dialogue space and media, communication and conflict management skills tranings. CB is hosted by The International People’s College in Elsinore, Denmark. CB mission is to facilitate meaningful dialouge among youth and educators across conflict divides. The aim of CB is to increase the possibilities for world peace with special focus on the Middle East.

ISSN: 1563-28365 www.crossingborder.org

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This Magazine has been produced with grants from the

Anna lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for the Dialouge between cultures and the

Hermond Lannung Foundation,Denmark 2

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Regional Coordination Palestinian Coordinator Ms. Suheir Hashimeh Tel: 00972-2-2404413 Fax: 00972-2-2404513 Ramallah e-mail: suheirjrs@yahoo.com/ suheir@crossingborder.org Jordanian Coordinator Mr. Khaled Shorman, Masar Tel: 00962-6-5858748,5815740 Fax: 00962-6-5815740 e-mail: kshorman@nets.com.jo

contents Editorial+CB news Cartoons The Israeli Lebanese war Media Culture CB youth Profiles Open day+Denmark experience

Crossing Borders partner organizations Givat Haviva- Israel Peace and Democracy Forum - Palestine Masar Centre - Jordan Dialouge Lab - Germany The Finnish institute in the Middle East - Finland

Israeli Coordinator Ms. Dorit Maor Telephone: 00972544901415 E-mail: maor.dorit@gmail.com Arabs in Israel Coordinator Ms. Angham Sakar Telephone: 00972506897689 E-mail: angham@crossingborder.org German Coordinator Ms. karen Lange Telephone: +49 1736 155656 E-mail: karen@dialogue-lab.org Editor in Chief for this edition: Ms. Angham Sakar Language Editing: Mr. Greg Newbold Photos: Mr. Garba Diallo and Mr. Jacob Crawfurd.

Layout & Press Production Orientation Ltd. Tel: 00972-2-5818183 Fax: 00972-2-5818203 CB 30 October/November 2006 E-mail: office@orientation.co.il

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EDITORIAL By: Sophie Appel and David Kreuer While Crossing Borders is steadily developing its activities, it is always ready to find new borders to cross. Therefore, young people from Denmark and Germany participated in the Capacity Building Training Course in Elsinore for the second time alongside Israelis, Palestinians, and Jordanians.

As Europeans, we were excited to learn about other participants’ feelings and attitudes towards the Middle East conflict - face to face and looking into each other’s eyes. We gained new insights, made new friends and also tried to share our perspectives with the group.

CB News Welcome to Dorit As Israeli CB coordinator Olga Paz has taken leave from CB to go to the US for a while, we welcome Dorit Maor from the CB Teachers’ group as new functioning coordinator.

Enjoy your stay abroad, Olga!

Razan wins journalism award CB veteran member Razan Nasser from Amman, Jordan, won the Euromed Heritage Journalistic Award for an article she wrote in JO magazine about abandoned villages and urban migration in Jordan called “Losing Samad.” You can read the article and about the award on this website: http:// www.euromedheritage.net/ award/index_en.htm

To find our role, though, was not always easy.

Should we try to mediate between the different sides? Should we tell our opinions and suggest solutions? Or should we just listen to what people had to say?

We didn’t find final answers to these important questions, important not just to us but to the greater Euro-Mediterranean partnership. Hence this issue is one of the main topics in this edition of the Crossing Borders Magazine.

For the first time, the nationalities of the authors are not mentioned. This is to appreciate the authors for who they are instead of what they are and to expand the idea of crossing borders further and further.

Updates on issues and activities around the CB world

Funding for regional activities The Anna Lind Foundation for dialogue between cultures has granted CB funds for establishing and developing youth club activities. The first event is planned to be a meeting for youth in October in the Jerusalem club, which the Willy Brandt Centre has kindly offered to host in their locales.

Cirius has granted funds for yet another Capacity Building Seminar, which will take place at IPC, Denmark, in March 2007. Please check our website for upcoming information about application.

Honorable Mention for CB CB got a honorable mention for the 2006 Euro Mediterranean Award for Dialogue by the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures and the Fondazione Mediterraneo.

CB Teachers’ meeting A group of CB teachers met in Istanbul, Turkey, September 14th-17th. They worked on themes of media in education, critical media utilization and synergy between media and education, and develop a Newsreaders Passport.

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The Danish Cartoons

THE DANISH CARTOONS IMPLICATION By: Ahmad Arabiat In September, 2005, the Danish newspaper “Jyllands-Posten” published over twelve caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad which were considered offensive to Muslims all over the world.

The newspaper said it printed cartoons as a test whether Muslim fundamentalists had begun affecting freedom of expression in Denmark.

As the newspaper explained, this publication was a contribution to debate regarding the criticism of Islam and self-censorship.

As the controversy grew, examples of the cartoons were reprinted in newspapers in more than fifty other countries, which led to both peaceful and violent protests as well as deadly rioting, particularly in the Muslim world.

The controversy had also an effect on the Danish economy, through a decrease in total exports to the Arab Muslim world.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the controversy as Denmark’s worst international crisis since World War Two. Supporters of the cartoons say that they illustrate an important issue in an age of Islamic extremist terrorism and their publication is a legitimate exercise of the right to free speech. They also note that similar cartoons about other religions are frequently printed, arguing that the followers of Islam were not targeted in a discriminatory way.

Muslims and critics of the cartoons see that freedom of expression and its extension, freedom of the press, are human rights for all individuals in all societies.

However, is it appropriate to exploit civil liberties laws to attack and insult other religions? Respect of all religions and their value systems seems to me to be an essential right which should be guaranteed for all people.

Imam Ali says, “Be kind to people because if they

Freedom By: Konstantine Furman Episodes like the killing of the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, the assault on a Danish citizen reading from the Koran at the University of Copenhagen and a heated discussion of a children’s picture-book about the life of the Prophet Muhammed, have altered our understanding of the freedom of expression.

Konstantin Furman explores the issue.

The Cartoons crisis in Denmark altered our understanding of the liberty to express ourselves, if you ask Masters student at Roskilde Univeristy, Mads Rangvid. “Some now use freedom of speech as a legitimate excuse to say whatever they want. It has been justified as an indisputable right by the USA’s campaign for democracy in the Middle East.”

Though accepting a lot of criticism, the supporters of the drawings found their saving argument in the images on television of Muslims calling on the Danish prime minister to ignore the democratic values of Danish society by punishing the responsible people at Jyllandsposten.

Mads Rangvid says, “They (Jyllandsposten) had

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are not your brothers and sisters in religion, they surely are your brothers and sisters in creation.” In a world moving toward hatred and division where ideas like peace, tolerance and friendship among nations seem quite fragile, it is perhaps a good time to reflect on Iman Ali’s simple, but powerful idea for building tolerance and respect among peoples.

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The Danish Cartoons

The Cartoons By: Marwan AL-Husseini As one reads Middle East Media Analyst Tom Gross’s article called “Drawing a line under hypocrisy”, one word comes to mind - stereotype.

this world’s population are hypocrites. This has to be of the most inclusive stereotypes ever made, and like all stereotypes, it is one of the most ridiculous statements ever made.

Gross’s article accuses Muslims of being hypocritical and anti-Semitic in their reactions to the caricatures presenting Islam’s prophet as a terrorist, among other things. The article stereotypes 1.6 billion Muslims as hypocrites. According to Gross 21% of

A small percentage of Muslims took to the streets to protest the caricatures and an even smaller percentage protested violently. As far as most Muslims were concerned, these violent protesters did not represent Islam or Muslims. A lot of people might fall victim to stereotypes like Gross’s. Muslims do not support burning the flags of countries that published the cartoons and absolutely do not support killing Westerners because of this caricature.

m the right to publish their drawings, but it can definitely be discussed whether it is smart to publish drawings which are insulting to a Danish minority, which is already hard pressed.”

Surveys made during and after the prophet-crises showed an increase in the popularity of the Dansk Folkeparti (the Danish People’s Party), which criticized the Muslim demonstrations that were happening all over the world. “If you wish that your lives - and the lives of your fellow citizens - shall be dictated by Islamic law, then you are more than welcome to move to where these laws already are in power.” wrote Pia Kjærsgaard, chief of the party in her blog on the party’s official website.

The conflict also gave the Muslim minority in Denmark a voice in the form of the organisation Democratic Muslims.

“The Democratic Muslims gave the moderate Muslims a chance to defend the freedom of expression. It gave them a voice in the Danish debate, and that is something they have been without for a long time.” concludes Mads Rangvid.

Muslims understand that freedom of speech is granted to newspapers but they still find the cartoons to be extremely disrespectful. The question is why, especially at this time, were these cartoons published and republished all over Europe? A simple answer is because of the media attention they and the violent protests received - a case of the media feeding off its own news.

A more complicated explanation involves the feelings of all Muslims. Simply having the right to freedom of speech does not make it smart or particularly intelligent to use that right to insult a highly-respected religious prophet. These cartoons only served to make Muslims angry at a time when both cultures should be trying to come closer together.

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The Israeli Lebanese War

Series of Qana By: Bakria Mawaasi On the 18th of April 1996, Qana, a small village in southern Lebanon, was attacked by the Israeli forces in an attempt to crush Hezbollah. During the attacks, Israeli artillery was targeted to a UNIFIL compound in the same place where 800 Lebanese civilian refugees stayed to escape the fighting. This caused death to 106 civilians and injured 118 of them including four soldiers of the UNIFIL. “We did not know that several hundred people were concentrated in that camp. It came to us as a bitter surprise,” responded then Israeli Prime Minister, Shimon Peres. He accused Hezbollah of using civilians as cover for military activities.

10 years later, it happened again.

The Israeli Air Force attacked Qana and killed more than 50 civilians including 37 children who were sheltering in a three-story building.

The Israeli government response on the second occasion wasn’t all that different. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed his regret over the loss of innocent lives, and apologized for the pain that was caused to Lebanese people. He blamed Hezbollah for using villagers as “human shields” again.

The people of Qana, may be “human shields” for Hezbollah or they may be “innocent targets” of Israel’s aggression. Whatever the label, they are victims.

This summer game!

By: Hannan Ismail

Israel and Lebanon were the two parties to brake out this summer entertainment. Both have played a hard game with heavy weapons.

Rockets were fallen on the northern Israeli cities like: Naharia, Keryat Shmonah, Haifa and Kame’al , wich is very near my home town.

I was out with my dad when a rocket fell down close to us, my heart was beating very fast, but I tried to avoid showing it to not make my dad worry. Another rocket followed the first one in Der- Al Asad my town, I looked pale, and for an hour I didn’t speak. A lot of

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gunnery actions and reactions sounds substitute the sounds of life in the Galil.

The Israeli Lebanese game went for more than one month. My family and I were home imprisoned the whole game long, watching news, and hoping the situation would end soon. We even started to get used to this life where rockets pass above us and the news are talking about more people being killed both in Lebanon and Israel, life became totally intolerable. No one wish to live this life for a moment.

I hope we don’t have to go through this again since these games are too much to be played.

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Media

? c i t s a ? l c i P t s w e N r u Is Yo By: Ofir Mitrani Most news in the world today is reported by big news agencies headquartered in Western countries. AFP from France, UPI and AP from the US and Reuters from the UK are the main global media news agencies. They have a big influence on the information stream throughout the world and especially between the West and the Middle East.

As private companies, these global agencies are motivated by profit gains. These corporations want to sell their product - news.

According to media researcher John Fenbi , writing in 1986, these companies put financial interests in first place. Fenbi says only a few agents are scattered in the far distant places and many of those are not aware of the local customs and culture they are suppose to report on. This may have changed in the Middle East since the time when he was writing.

The flow of information goes from the poor countries back to the West to be edited. It is checked and edited by Western eyes. These eyes, like all people’s eyes, are

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ethnocentric and subjective so they may interpret the information to give it a totally different meaning. Too often it is negative and stereotypic.

People all over the Middle East and the West are attracted by strong emotional pictures which are subjectively picked.

For example, Western readers will always hear about the Defensive Wall before they hear about a Palestinian-Israeli youth football match.

Arab countries these days at least have Al Jazeera to make some sort of balance with the West’s agency dominance.

It challenges the West’s news monopoly and offers a different set of eyes to counter the often unflattering picture the West’s new agencies paint when reporting on a country.

Israel is not so well supplied with such an independent media agency.

These days, big agencies like Reuters can be caught by their own employees. In the recent Lebanon conflict, one photographer working for Reuters manipulated some pictures to make them look more graphic and destructive.

When Israel brought this to Reuter’s attention, they sacked the guy. But the damage was done because the photos were already published.

What this means for readers everywhere, but particularly in the West, is that we need to be skeptical about what we read and see. It might be fake. It might be plastic. It might not be news.

No More Chains By: Serene Najdi Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak and express one’s opinion openly. One category of this is the freedom of the press.

My friend, Abeer, 23, from Bethlehem has just finished studying journalism in Bierzeit University. She talked to me about the press in our country.

She said that if we wanted to categorize the freedom of speech and press in Arab countries, we should place Lebanon as the most democratic country and then comes Palestine. She added that there is no Palestinian law stating that there should be censorship in the Palestinian press.

However, she said that journalists censor what they write for various religious and social reasons. In addition, the media organizations that the journalists work for might also censor what they write. Journalists should be careful about their articles. If they publish an extreme opinion they will be taken as representatives of their organization and thus their organization could be closed.

She then added that Israel prevents journalists from moving, to restrict their access to story sources. Another example she cited, was the destruction of the headquarters of the Palestinian news, both TV, and Radio by Israeli force when the Intifada started.

As Frederico Mayer, Former Director General of UNESCO, said, “Without freedom of the press there is no justice.”

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Media

The “Demokratiske Muslimer” A moderate message in Denmark By: Angela Verweyen, Annira Busch, Maya Nakagawa, Heba Shmali Poul Wathne, 66, is a member of the “Demokratiske Muslimer” (Democratic Muslims), an organization founded in Denmark in April 2006 in the wake of the Mohammed cartoon controversy.

When the cartoons were published, Danish imams mobilized Muslims to protest against them. There was broad media coverage for these imams. Most of them were born in small villages in the Middle East where they were raised in a conservative environment. Although coming to Denmark decades ago, they still interpret and preach Islam in a very traditional and strict way.

According to Poul, “Islam in Denmark is more than what the imams say.” Based on this belief, a group of Danish Muslims decided to provide the Danish public with a new, more moderate image of Islam. They voiced their opinions in the media and founded the NGO “Demokratiske Muslimer”, which is politically independent.

They support democracy, human rights, gender equality and secularism. In light of the Danish cartoons, the organization especially emphasizes freedom of speech.

Muslims who want to join the organization have to sign a commitment to support these principles and to respect Danish law.

One of the organization’s main aims is finding jobs for immigrants.

Poul was asked about the Denmark Supreme Court’s ruling supporting the right of a supermarket to fire a Muslim woman for wearing an Islamic headscarf at work. He commented, “One of the aims of the organization is equal rights for women and men. And as an organization we will keep fighting to prevent such discrimination over freedom of religion.”

At the same time, there are people in Denmark who strongly oppose the “Demokratiske Muslimer”. As Danish media and Internet websites state, several members have received death threats from Danish extremist Muslims. Its founder, Naser Khader, is currently under police protection.

A Danish newspaper’s stand on the Middle East

coverage to balance in a way that one day we have strong By: Ashira Ramadan and Konstantine Furman very have we day er of the Israeli point of view, and anoth East affairs In order to understand the coverage of Middle late this in view of point strong coverage of the Lebanese mation’. by the Danish press, we visited the newspaper ‘Infor conflict.”

Furman It is considered a left wing daily paper. Konstantin neutral, Palle: “We have tried to give it (Information) a more n East foreig and Ashira Ramadan interviewed the Middle power in you’re if that more objective approach to stress Aagaard affairs and terrorism-integration journalist Charlotte t, you rightis a or leftist a you can never rest. Whether you’re aper. and Palle Weis, the editor in chief of the newsp ents.” will always be tested on your argum East from What differentiates your coverage of the Middle conflict?

How do the Danish media portray the Middle East other Danish newspapers? broad very a have to ark Palle: “There is a tendency in Denm ple, in the Charlotte: “Our general attitude is that, for exam ct. confli the in do might acceptance of what Israel can do and solution.

Israel Palestinian conflict we support the two state And aust.

Holoc the of se Maybe too broad a tendency becau of Arab And we support that Israel ends its occupation the media since it’s a western country this influences not but territory. We are very much in favor of democracy ding Israel defen in far coverage of Israel. We can go very forced democracy.” this recent in now But s. before we start criticizing its action the Middle How do you maintain balanced reporting of h media Danis The sm. conflict there has been more critici East conflict? on in going is what of e are trying to give an objective pictur all parties Charlotte: “In general what we do is try to hear on.” the war between Israel and Leban day we try but in actual life it’s not possible to do that. Every

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Media

Between politics and community By: David Kreuer, Zena Cubain, Amjed Shoughry Helsingør Dagblad was founded in 1867; today it has about 150 employees. 20 of them work as journalists, the rest mainly in the printing press which also prints other papers and magazines.

We met John Bech, who has been editing the Helsingør Dagblad for 33 years. Mr. Bech took us on a tour and introduced us to the journalists. They were all seated behind their desks in a big round room with the smell of coffee spreading in the air.

“Journalists shouldn’t write many opinions. They should be able to meet people in the community on neutral ground.” This was the first thing Mr. Bech told us about the writing style of the journalists.

“Helsingør Dagblad is mostly read by people from 50-70 years, which are the best group of paper readers. Young people don’t have time for it,” he said. we asked him about the main purpose of his newspaper and if he saw it as the paper’s mission to educate people.

“We are not supposed to educate anybody. But I would like to”, Mr. Bech said. “We should give information and make it possible for people to think for themselves.”

We also asked how the Middle East conflict was reflected in the local press. As we had noticed many Muslims in the streets of Helsingør, we asked Kirsten Moth, one of the Dagblad’s journalists, about the local immigrant communities.

She told us that the city’s main road, Kongevejen, is often referred to as the “Suez Canal” because it separates the predominantly Turkish neighborhoods on the right from the Palestinian ones on the left. “They never meet, there is no interaction whatsoever,” Ms. Moth said.

“While Turks tend to be well integrated into the Danish society”, she continued, “Palestinians, especially women, are often very isolated.” After she wrote an article about some of their issues, Ms. Moth was even physically attacked by angry Palestinians.

Still, she continues to believe in her responsibility as a journalist to raise awareness about these communities. As editor Bech said at the end of our visit, “Not everything is about politics. It’s about how people live, about our neighbors. That’s what makes democracy!”

Your media and their media Urban newspaper in Denmark By: Joseph Hodali, Ofir Mitrani Around the world every country has its own opinion about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. The Danish media holds a variety of opinions and uses a range of methods and sources to analyze the conflict and cover events in the ME. As with many other newspapers in Denmark and Europe, Urban gets its information from news agencies, such as the French agency AFP. The information that flows through the big news agencies from the Middle East to Europe relies on journalists that live in the areas they cover.

“There are many Danish reporters who live in the Middle

East. Some time ago the reporters weren’t close enough to the action. But nowadays, the coverage is very detailed, indeed there is too much information,” said Henrik Bay the Editor of Urban.

The difference between the Danish and the Middle East media does not only concern information sources. Urban Newspaper in Denmark is distributed free of charge. This gives the opportunity for young people and poor people to be involved in politics and actual news as it develops their educational knowledge. Making this happen in the ME could contribute to the development of youth and the dialogue in the area.

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Culture

CULTURE By: Amjad Shoughry I was six years old when my grandmother told me about Palestinian culture. “The Palestinian culture is ancient, a mix of unique values and traditions which are part of the Arab culture, These traditions and values inherited from old ancestors, and are carried from one generation to another”.

“It is reflected in the Palestinian heritage, folktales, music, dance, proverbs, and customs”, she said.

I felt very proud of my culture and nation. “The first and foremost attribute of the Palestinian culture is the special bond people have with their land, this bond lasted despite the changes and the transformation of the society”.

“The land is the symbol of continuity and identity, and therefore it must be protected at any cost”, my father said.

“Hospitality is another mostly admired asset of the

Palestinian culture”, he continued.

“Palestinians are well known for their generosity and warm welcome for guests and strangers”.

“The Palestinian society has strong emphasis on family ties, friendship, and respect for elderly and others. Neighbours for example have special recognition, and are welcomed as members of the family”. “Dignity, honour and self respect are key virtues of a Palestinian.”

“Palestinian academics, musicians, writers, poets, and artists are internationally acclaimed”.

“Unfortunately, people know very little about Palestinian culture. The image, influenced by the political situation, is either negative or a legendary heroic one. Yet away from politics, Palestinian culture and heritage reflects the kind nature and the solid values of the Palestinian nation”, my uncle explained.

A framework for

mutual understanding between cultures is needed By: Sophie Appl How can you foster mutual understanding between cultures? In the field of intercultural communication, there is the “contact hypothesis”. It says that pure contact between cultures does not lead automatically to mutual understanding. Instead, stereotypes can be reinforced and people can leave with a worse opinion of the other than before. To foster mutual understanding between cultures, there must be a certain framework. If you take the example of an international youth exchange, there must be someone to lead it. It’s also good if the exchange is institutionalised and if famous persons support it. People then have to do something together which is very important. They have to have a common aim. The contact should take some time and should not be superficial. This chance has to be created by the leader. It`s also an advantage if youth have the same background as that minimizes conflict. The original attitudes and stereotypes towards the others play also an important role for the success of the exchange. Friendship can transcend stereotypes and lead to a better valuation of the other cultural group.

At my university, I take part in a student initiative for intercultural competence. We

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do training for international students to help them to integrate in Germany and training for German students to prepare them for abroad. There, we let them do exercises together, let them exchange experiences and explain to them the basics of intercultural communication. They learn that the biggest part of culture is unconcious, that stereotypes have several functions, and a lot more. We put a focus on the mutual exchange of experiences. After the training we usually go for a drink. The informal parts are often the most effective parts as there friendships are built. Thus I think that personal friendships are the key to foster mutual understanding between cultures.

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Culture

EARLY CHURCHES IN JORDAN By: Ahmad Arabiyat According to the Jordanian Tourism Ministry, some of the world’s earliest known churches have been recently discovered in Jordan.

These include a 4th century church at Umm Qays, a possible 2nd or 3rd Century AD “prayer hall” at Bethany beyond the Jordan River, and the remains of a mud brick building at Aqaba that may be the world’s oldest known purposebuilt church. The Aqaba building dates from the late 3rd or early 4th century AD. Another powerful manifestation of the faith and art of the first Christian centuries may be seen today in Madaba City and the surrounding region in central Jordan. Between the 4th and 7th centuries AD, the prosperous ecclesiastical centre of Madaba produced one of the world’s finest collections of Byzantine mosaic art, many fine examples of which are well preserved today.

Several church floor mosaics may be seen in their original locations, while others have been preserved and moved for protection and display in the Madaba Archaeological Museum and the Madaba Archaeological Park.

The unbroken legacy of the birth and development of faith in Jordan, including key episodes in the history of Christianity, continues today in the witness of Jordanian Christians who form a vital part of the country’s population.

Many Christian churches and communities in Jordan trace their heritage directly to the days of Jesus and John the Baptist. They often pray in churches first built in the Byzantine era on the same sites where Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Elijah, Jesus, John, Mary and other leading biblical figures lived or passed through.

According to the Tourism Ministry, Jordanian Christians include Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical denominations, and make up about five percent of Jordan’s population.

Humanity in Practice By: Omar A. Hadidi They have no concern about ethnic background. They profess no political attitude. Their goal is simply to help people.They are a group of nuns in a religious order founded in 1973 by Mother Teresa to help people form all over the world overcome life obstacles, such as being rejected by their families. Their help is especially focused on elderly people, and war-wounded civilians.

When I visited a branch of this religious order in Amman, I was amazed to discover the huge amount of work those nuns do, helping old handicapped people who are incapable of serving themselves or managing the simplest daily activities. All their work is done for free without any kind of government support.They survive on donations to provide the essential materials needed for the daily life of employees and their residents at their institution.

There are 42 handicapped residents, 27 women and 15 men coming from Iraq, Jordan, and Palestine.

Watching those nuns washing the old people’s clothes by hand showed me a great example of helping with heart and soul in a modest way.

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Laugh on your own

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Self Humor about my country Jordan By: Ghassan Khoury People in our society are well known for their frowning, sad, serious looks (long faces), and their unhappy attitude.

This may have arisen for many different reasons.

The tough desert-like climate and the political situations that this area had gone through since the last century may have affected the people living in Jordan in many ways.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that there isn’t a brighter, more humorous side to the way people sometimes act.

For instance when a couple gets married, they and their families go through the streets of Amman in their cars, flashing lights and using the horns while the roads are already heavily jammed, and you can see someone with a video camera hanging from the window trying to tape all the events.

This just makes the traffic worse and leads some people to wonder if there is not another way of expressing their happiness without making all that mess.

Another humorous thing is that when you get invited to an important social event, they usually serve the national dish which is called mensef.

And mensef isn’t mensef unless it’s eaten with one bare hand. The good news is that usually neither a dish nor a spoon is available. And the bad news is that if you don’t know how to use your hand you will starve!

On self-humor

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By: David Kreuer Having self-humor is, for me, a sign of sophistication and maturity. A person who is able to laugh or to create jokes about themselves will usually be able to entertain their audience .

Self-humorous people show that they are able to gain a certain critical distance from their emotions and can reflect upon their own behavior.

This is equally true for groups of people. Making fun of one’s own society can, furthermore, be a means of expressing political opposition or cultural criticism while still including oneself in this analysis.

I think that societies with a high level of self-humor are often active, people have a strong will to change things and an optimistic approach to life.

This is the case, for instance, with the people of Cologne, my native town, who are well-known for just those qualities.

When the local soccer team performs really badly (which it often does), its supporters turn a popular song usually employed by opponent fans against themselves, chanting “we are only a carnival club”.

Such communities turn failures into a source of laughter and deal with them in a creative manner.

Any way I am convinced that people who like to laugh about themselves lead merrier lives than those who don’t.

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CB Father The Founding Director of the Crossing Borders talks about himself and his philosophy

Interview with Garba Diallo

By: Maya Nakagawa, Annira Busch Where are you from?

I am from all over, I started out in Mauritania 29 years ago. I’ve lived in Qatar, Egypt, Norway and Denmark and many others in between. I’ve been to so many countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Where do you think is your home?

I don’t feel attached to one piece of land. I feel attached everywhere, I belong to this earth. Home is where I feel home. I don’t homesick, miss specific places or situations.

Context is more important. What is important for me is the company and what I do.

Maybe I belong to some Nomadic people that are moving most of the time.

Is it difficult to live in Denmark as an African?

No, I think it is easier to live here because I don’t worry about the weather like many Danes. I even go out when there is snow.

What is good about living in Denmark for you?

I feel freer here. Of course there are limitations as a foreigner, but at the same time there are openings and you are able to enjoy the opportunities. If you move like I do, you can see things from the distance. I can reflect more on Africa. Also the longer I live in Denmark I like Africa better and become more African. Then when I go to Africa I become very critical about it and I come to love Europe. You know the best place is where you are not.

Where does your wisdom come from?

Actually I did not go to school until I was 15 years old. But I learned a lot from life. I could smell everything even the rain before it started. I had a lot of animals and was running after the cows and took care of them everyday. I learned about nutrition and healthy life. My parents taught me everything I needed then even though they don’t read and write. You know, to be seen as somebody important and useful for the community is very essential in Africa. You are somebody because of somebody and you are somebody in the light of the community.

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Can You Tell Where I’m Crossing Borders capacity building training 2006 profiles Collected By: Ashira Ramadan

The answers -Name and Country- are in page 30 1

I am 23 years old and I study psychology and intercultural communication. My aim is to deeply understand the human being and its interactions. Why do some people live in peace, and some others in war? I like dancing, poetry and literature - authors such as Erich Fromm and Haruki Murakami. I love to travel the world and to meet people with different backgrounds.

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I’m 24 years old. I don’t really believe in any religion, I don’t have any flag or hymn that represents me. I don’t really have home - wherever I’m going to sleep is my home. I am fighting for human rights and for social equality but I don’t really believe in politic.

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I am 20 years old studying Computer Information System.

I’m with Crossing Borders for two years now, since I like the idea of bringing youth from Palestine, Israel, Jordan and Germany together. I like sports especially extreme sports, basketball, football and swimming. My interest in journalism started with Crossing Borders. CB gave me great opportunities that I would not have got any where else.

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I am 23 years old I studied law and today working as a lawyer.

I write articels and literature at a local newspaper and like to read a lot .I fight for human rights. I like Al –Oud music a lot especially for the Iraqi Naser Shamma. I dream of being a judge or a member of the parliament or a famous woman who can make a change.

I am 19 years old I love to draw and I want to be an animator.

For now I work as a graphic designer. I am also an actress I work in a theatre for kids for 13 years now!

I am 26 years old, happily married for the last 10 month.

I live in a big city and have a dog named Tola which I love.

I’m an anthropologist who’s writing now my final thesis. I also work at a market research company as a researcher.

My hopes for the future are to study my PhD in the US and to raise my children in my home-land. And I hope that until that time there will be peace and quite in the whole region.

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’m From?! files 7

I’m 19 years old I study Information Technology. My hobbies are playing sports especially basketball and listening to music, I also enjoy travelling all over the world and communicating with other people. I hope one day I will become a good journalist and hope to live in peace for the rest of my life and let my children live in peace too.

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I am a 24-year-old student of Political Science. I am interested in foreign languages and cultures and I love travelling more than anything else! In the rest of my free time, I am into sports (especially climbing, jogging and Yoga), movies and reading. For the future, I hope to find a job in a cultural institute abroad where I can expose my culture to the local people.

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I am 21 years old, I study industrial engineering and I look forward to having my PhD degree, I’ll start my own work institution, a regional industrial company ,that’s because I like travelling around the world. I’m into most sports, especially ping pong and football. I have been a member of crossing borders for 3 years now.

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I am 22 years old, I am studying industrial engineering and will graduate next year. I like all kinds of sports especially football I am interested in computer programmes. My dream is that all humans in the world would live in peace and happiness.

I am 23 years old I love meeting people from all over the world and for that I speak Russian, English and one other language. I have travelled to about 25 courtiers. I am studying psychology, sociology and development studies at university.

I’m 18 years old looking forward to start my academic studies in Communication and International Relations. I like drawing and painting. I’ve joined Crossing Borders 3 years ago with hope to make the Middle East a better place to live in. It has been a memorable marvellous experience that will follow me in every step in my life. Thank you CB for all the love and peace.

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Can you tell...

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I am 24 years old I’ve been a student of Middle Eastern Studies and Computer Science for four years. I enjoy sports, music, and travelling. I hope as naïve as it might sound to contribute to a more peaceful future & a better world

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I’m almost 17 years old and I’m a senior at high school. I want to learn to play on the violin as soon as I enter college. I hope I’ll do something important in my life so that people would always remember me.

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I am 25 years old. Started my M.A. in life sciences a year ago specializing in Developmental Biology. I have a boyfriend for the last seven months. I travel a lot around the world and love every minute of it.

I am a 21 year old student in university I study nutrition and I am graduating next semester.

Its my first time with Crossing Borders and hopefully not my last, for it was a very fruitful experience.

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I am a 20 year old student starting my third year in medicine this fall. I enjoy playing and listening to music.

I have been playing the piano for 12 years.

I like to entertain people and make them laugh all the time that’s why after spending 10 days with 30 students from all over the world I made friends with all of them and even more.

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I am 22 years old graduated with BA in Radio-TV and film studies I work as a program coordinator and a journalist. I enjoy travelling around the world and going on adventures and experiencing new things from learning to say hi to learning how to hitchhike and squat in the streets. I love my freedom very much and will keep fighting for it every day of my life.

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I am 22 years old and I study European Studies, a mixture of politics, law, media science and languages. I like travelling; encountering all sorts of different people from various cultural backgrounds .I think dialogue is the best method for understanding. Other things that I enjoy are being with my family and friends, music, theatre and reading. Being an idealist, I hope I will be able to contribute to a better world in the future.

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I am 33 years old, I study Middle Eastern relations. I love to swim, read books mainly sci-fi and fashion magazines, I enjoy listening to music, but most of my free time I spend taking care of my lovely daughter Molise.

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I’m a philosophy-interested, literature-loving, law-studying 20 years old David Bowie fan.

I hope to use my future education to work for Amnesty International, Ethics Counsel or the EU. I guess there is no guarantees, but it sure would be swell!

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I am 25 years old I work as an educator and believe in education. I dream a lot of the good life and I want to see the world.

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I’m 23 years old finishing my first degree in biology science.

I have my own radio show called “la Clinica de la soleil”.

I wish proceeding studying medicine, having my family as always together happy and comfort, and seeing the world blossoming, no wars no fatal diseases. I had the most funniest10 days with Crossing Borders meeting wonderful people from all over the world.

I gained lots of experience through this period in all aspects mainly making true friends among the participants.

I’m 22 years old studying Middle Eastern Studies and History. I became familiar with the Middle East and its people through several journeys. Last year I took part in Crossing Borders Capacity Building Training, this year I was a coordinator. In contrast to the current situation of escalating violence and short-sighted policy in the Middle East, I consider “Crossing Borders” to be a rare and exceptional coming -together programme for youth who usually don’t have the chance to meet.

I am a 17 years old I graduated this year from high school, majoring in physics and chemistry. I am a veteran of Crossing Borders, and attending this seminar was a memorable experience for me. The seminar provided me with useful skills which will later help me in my professional and academic life.

My future dream is to attend the medical school and become a surgeon.

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Open Day

Middle East Forum The key messages By: Lena Najdi Mossi Raz - Business director for joint Israeli-Palestinian peace radio: “If you follow the national media you will get a one sided picture of what’s happening. We all think about ourselves and we never understand the other side.”

Samaan Khoury - The General Director of Peace and Democracy Forum: “Peace is having two sides agree together. Unilateral decisions never lead to peace.”

Olaf Gerlach Hansen - Director of the Danish Center for Culture and Development Co-operation organizing the ‘Images of the Middle East’ festival: “There should be international development cooperation and better understanding for the role of culture. When Europeans talk about the Middle East, they think people still live in the 17th century.”

Rania Makhlouf - An Arab Israeli CB member: “Palestinians living in Israel face social, educational and economical difficulties. Haifa El-Fata is a new movement established inside Israel to increase the level of awareness for all Arabs, and help them face the obstacles they might go through.”

Ashira Ramadan- A Palestinian CB member: “Each side has been through lots of pain. To achieve peace and trust between the two sides, you have to let go of all feelings of hatred.”

Itamar Harel - An Israeli CB member: “A common future and peace is stable only when people have something to lose.”

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Survey

Survey in Elsinor

s n a i n i t s e l a Israelis and P ference? f i d e h t s ’ t a h W The CB team in Elsinore for the August Capacity-Building Course went out to discover what the local people thought about Israelis and Palestinians. They talked to young people and to older ones. They returned with answers that show a wide range of views are held by people in Scandinavia. Here is what the people said.

Put together: Mr. Greg Newbold Question: What is the difference between an Israeli citizen and a Palestinian?

• “I never heard about the two of them.” - Martin, 16, Sweden • “There is a border with two governments with two countries and Jerusalem in the middle.

They have different religions.” - Martin, 26, Helsingør • “They are the same humans.” - Gove, 45, Malaysia • “I am with Israel because my neighbors and friends are Jews.” - Dag, 48, Holland living in Helsingør • “What stands out as the biggest difference to me is the religion. There are fanatics on both sides.

For us here in Denmark, we don’t really understand what is happening in the Middle East. So it is difficult for me to answer your question. I was in England during the Second World War. So I have experienced war. It is terrible and can never be a solution. I cannot really think of similarities between Israeli and Palestinians. For me there are many differences, regarding the application of Human Rights for example.” - Joyce, 81, Helsingør, nationality: EnglishDanish • “This is an interesting question. In the very essence I think there is no difference, just that they are raised up in different cultures. There will always be differences this way.

I have an Israeli and a Palestinian family. My mother’s sister, who is an Israeli, is married to a Palestinian. It is hard to relate to an identity that has been formed by so many circumstances. As I only know young Israeli people, I can just report about what I have experienced and learned by them. In Israel, something has been shaken up. For my Israeli cousins and their friends, the situation has become

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inconsolable. There is not much hope for peace left.” Daniel, 26, Copenhagen • “A whole world (of difference).” - Jens, 51, Helsingør • “I don’t like Israel because they like America and America is like the police of the world.” - Chris, 27, Ghana

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Survey • “Palestinians are more crazy than Israelis. There are Lebanese people working for me and they are just waiting for something to make trouble. I can only talk about those I’ve met.” - Per, 48, Helsingør • “The difference is that the Palestinians have had their country taken away. But it wasn’t the Israelis that took it. It was the whole world that gave it to them.” - Lina, 42, from Helsingør • “I don’t know what is the difference. But I know they took our country and killed our families. First they chased us out of Palestine, then from Lebanon, and now even here in Denmark. The Danish government is making us look like terrorists - because if one Muslim is a terrorist all of us are. The Palestinians are just trying to get their country back.” - Mohamed, 25, Helsingør (his father is from Haifa, fled to Lebanon and then to Denmark when Mohamed was 6 years old).

• “Israelis live in their country but Palestinians don’t.” Morlin, 18, Sweden • “Palestine has one enemy while Israel has too many.” Frank, 47, Denmark • “It’s difficult to say who’s right and who’s wrong because we don’t live there. We only read what’s written in the news papers so we can’t judge. But it’s nice to have peace for a while.” Vibeke, 66 & Grethe,69 Denmark • “They have different religions, the Israelis are Jews while the Palestinians are Muslims, and we know that they hate each other.” Pernille,15 & Sacha, 16, Denmark

• “They are human beings, they both want peace and good life for their children. I’m critical about Israel because it’s difficult to understand how Israel could do such a thing to the Palestinians after they’ve witnessed the 2nd world war. I can’t understand why they took the land from the Palestinians.” Mette, 41, Denmark • “They’re fighting about the country. They both think it’s their holy land. One of the people lived their first and then they started fighting because the other people came.”

Louise, 18 & Johanna, 19, Sweden • “It is hard to comment, I do not want to say anything.”

Mohmet, 40, Turkey, has lived in Helsingør for 35 years.

• “The same, they are two different people living in two different countries.” Carine, 31, Vedbæk • “To tell you the truth I’m not such a big fan of Israel, I think they are the first to blame for what is happening.

They shouldn’t have done what they did in the middle 60s.

• “The Israelis deserve a country but they made too many mistakes on their way. Of course the Hezbollah and the Palestinians are not so innocent, they are also doing horrible things but Israel has more power.

• “Both sides are part of this war that is going on there for many years and I don’t see myself living in any of these countries” Ida, 40, Denmark • “I can’t pick. I never liked the situation over there. I have heard about the war between them since I was a little boy and it’s like the Tom and Jerry cartoon.

• “This war is bullshit. I think that Hezbollah started and Israel continued the stupidity. Nobody really knows what this war is all about. There is no real reason for fighting.

• “USA is also connected to this situation. Instead of making peace they are making more trouble.

• “Here in Denmark we don’t see the full picture of what is really going on but as far as I can see both sides are losing this war.” Stratus, 25, Sweden • “There used to be a land named Palestine in a big land called the great Syria, and after the 2nd world war Jews invaded Palestine for some reasons I don’t remember it exactly, but I think it was called the Balfour promise, and after this time there were many wars between Palestinian and Israeli’s.” Claus,49, Helsingør.

• “Palestinians are muslims while Israelis are jews, jews came there after the 2nd world war, and Palestinians and Israelis are fighting for the land.” Mette, 36, Helsingør.

• “I have been to east Jerusalem, and the situation was confusing and I couldn’t understand it clearly, I saw people being humiliated at the check points by armed Israeli soldiers, I cannot accept the idea of having such a huge army against innocent people, but I am confused too because I hear a lot about bombings Israeli civilians in their cities, I couldn’t imagine my self living with my family in that land.” Henrik ,54, Helsingør.

• “I am not involved in politics.” Ben, 29, Denmark.

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General

“Haifa Al-Fatah” By: Rania Makhlouf “It is impossible to think about growing up in a globalize world without considering the role of youth culture” as Mardi Keyes declared in his lecture given at the 2000 L‘abri Conference.

“Haifa Al-Fatah” is a social group aiming to create an alternative lifestyle to Arabs in Haifa by providing a framework of social educational and cultural activities.

Ala, an effective member of “Haifa AlFatah”, says: “We are trying to create new opportunities for local population to aid and enrich it self, through educational inspirational cultural social activities “ Hanen a 22 years old student, interrupted Ala explaining ”Our goal is to create a platform in which both the local youth and adults can express their talents, energies and initiative nature ,since the municipality neglects our needs and there is a serious lack of any fragments that can gather Arabs in Haifa and develop their capacities .”

A 22 years old Orwa added “The name -Haifa Al-Fatah- is freely translated to Haifa the girl and represents the youthful spirit innocence and beauty of Haifa. The name also

emphasizes our commitment to upholding and promoting women equality.”

“Haifa Al-Fatah” has been erected by academic students from Haifa in April 2006 and held many activities in a short term.

May 31st -Haifa Al-Fatah- formally plugged to the Arab society by folk concert that was schemed by 30 students, the program combined between oriental, eastern and western music, ID’s cards were spread, 450 people attended the concert .

Series of many activities were conducted by “Haifa Al-Fatah” group such as full day volunteering for a poor quarter. “El Bet El Hefawi” - the house from Haifa- is one of “Haifa AlFatah” new projects. “El Bet El Hifawi” is an attempt in reviving an old Arab house in Wadi el Saleeb, area of the churches, as well as vivify it by using it as “Haifa Al-Fatah” youth center .

Dunia a 21 years old says: “We all have diversity of opinions and we all have colorful perspective to all what is happening in our society, we have the resolution energy and the right plans to establish such a new kind of domains in the society of Haifa. We call upon all the youth to investigate their capacities for developing our Arab sector, please visit our site: www.haifaalfatah.org

Linked Histories - Israel and Denmark By: Omer Hakim For many years, thousands of volunteers came to Kibbutzim from all over the world. They worked on the Kibbutz, traveled all over Israel, and experienced the common life of the community. Some of them even found love and married Kibbutz members. The volunteering project revealed a whole new positive aspect of the Israeli being, which usually appears in a negative way, mostly in the international media. A number of celebrities were volunteers in Kibbutzim, including Jerry Seinfeld, Sigourney Weaver, Ali G, Simon La-Bon (“Duran Duran”), and Debra Winger.

Denmark is one of the main countries which took part in volunteering project. In an article that was published in “Ha’aretz” a couple of years ago, it said that about 40 Danish parliament members have been volunteers in Kibbutzim in Israel in the past, - a fact that has probably increased Danish support in Israel. The volunteering project is an important part in the good relationship between Israel and Denmark.

But this relationship reaches back further into the past.

In September 1943 the Nazis decided on the “final solution” for the Danish Jews. This plan was secretly told to the head of the Danish Social Democratic party, and he passed the message to the Danish underground and the head of the Jewish community, and the Jews were rescued

by Danish people.

The Danish underground managed secretly to transfer the

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Jews to the eastern coast of the country, and in a few days, thousands of Jews were smuggled on fishing boats to neutral Sweden. About 7,200 Danish Jews (90% of the Danish Jewish population in those days) were safely smuggled to Sweden. For this heroic rescue operation the whole Danish people received the Righteous Gentile award.

Although it seems that Israel and Denmark are two totally different countries: cold climate as opposed to hot climate, peace and quiet as opposed to constant security tension, the similarities are more than one would think. Both countries are relatively small (if we ignore Greenland which is part of the Danish territory), and the size of the population is similar.

Personally, I see in the Danish social-economic model a role model that can be adopted in the Israeli economy.

The Danish market balances a governmental welfare system and high quality of life with minimum governmental intervention. The labor unions in Denmark (which represents 75% of the Danish labor force) have a daily influence on the everyday lives of the workers. The Danish business tradition includes a wide range of cooperation with the unions in managing the businesses, and in most cases, they have representatives on the boards of directors.

I hope that a day will come when Israel will be more similar to Denmark and the Scandinavian peace will be a part of the Israeli reality.

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General

A flat to rent - A fable By: Bakria Mawasi Due to what the Middle East has been struggling with recently, I could clearly notice how numbness is ruling people there and everywhere, therefore, I came with a story to share. Though it was written for kids, it is a valuable gift for you adults. So here it goes: Once upon a time, in a beautiful valley, there stood a tower of five floors. In that tower lived a fat Hen, a roving Cuckoo, a black Cat, a happy Squirrel and Mr. Mouse.

In the first floor, there lived the Hen, who spent all day in bed. In the second floor, there lived the Cuckoo, wandering in the neighborhood while her children were out all the time. In the third one, there stayed the neat black Cat. The Squirrel lived in the forth floor, peeling nuts all day. And in the fifth floor, there lived Mr. Mouse who left the building out of the blue. All the neighbors posted a sign and wrote: “A flat to rent.”

The first interested visitor was the Ant, who went directly to the fifth floor, read the sign, opened the door and looked attentively at the place. The neighbors curiously asked about her opinion, hopefully that she might be their new neighbor.

Unexpectedly, the Ant’s answer was negative, with

an explanation that she, the dynamic ant, would not live with a lazy Hen; and left.

The next to come was the Rabbit, whose answer was negative too, claiming that she is a mother of ten and cannot live with a roving Cuckoo. Then came Mr. Pig with an excuse that it is not appropriate for a white pig to live with a black cat; and got expelled! The following visitor was the Nightingale who expressed his displeasure and said that he would never roil his calm life by living with an annoying Squirrel who spends his day peeling nuts.

Finally, the Pigeon came. She stood up there and checked the place. The neighbors desperately asked how she found it. She said: “The rooms are ok but tiny, the kitchen is tight and the entrance is dark.

However, I will not mess the opportunity to live with lovely neighbors like you.”

Through all times, pigeons have been a symbol of peace. So dear readers go to them and learn how to feel, how to love and appreciate everyone and everything, everywhere and no matter when, whether it was a Muslim or a Jew, a Christian or a Buddhist; Arab or African, American or Asian; Shiite or Sunni, Catholic or Protestant. Learn to love in a hope that our world becomes a better place one day.

The story of the mule By: Annira Busch In June I spent a week in Palestine with a group of students participating in a simulation of the UN Security Council, a so called “MUN” (Model United Nations). The conference was held in Ramallah in cooperation with students from the Birzeit University.

While there, I picked up this story that Ameer, one of the Palestinians told us. It was about the Israeli occupation and the wall.

When the Israeli wall was built, many Palestinian farmers lost their land. If they didn’t lose it, it was difficult to work it, as it was hard to reach. The gate in the wall (which was still a fence at this time) only opened two times a day: First in the morning at 7 am and then in the evening at 7 pm.

The farmers had to be at the gate on time or the Israeli soldiers would not let them pass through.

There were two farmers who had a field of olive trees. It was harvest time. The farmers passed through the gate at 7 am and worked all day. They put the olives in big baskets that were then placed on the back of a mule. After having worked for a long time, they suddenly realized that they

were late and that it was almost 7 pm. They had to reach the gate to pass through or sleep in the field. They had picked a lot of olive so the baskets were very heavy. The mule could only walk slowly. So the two farmers decided to leave the mule behind. They knew that the mule would find its way to the gate (although mules are known to be stupid). The farmers were sure that the Israeli soldiers would let the mule through the gate, as mules cannot be terrorists.

They reached the gate in time and waited for the mule.

When the mule came to the gate, the soldiers would not let him go to the other side. All night long, the mule walked along the fence. The farmers could see him from the other side. At one time, the mule sat down exhaustedly.

When the farmers came to the mule the next day, they found him dead. They said that the mule died from depression.

Ameer finished the story saying that the fence/wall does not only affect humans.

Animals are also deprived of their freedom.

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Personal Stories

Sliding Barbie By: Ashira Ramadan As a young girl I never liked dolls. I preferred climbing trees, treasure hunts, hide and seek and sliding down a hill on a skateboard and landing on my stomach. It was a lot easier skateboarding on my stomach and more exciting.

The falls were always different.

I remember being carried on huge trucks with the rest of the kids from the neighborhood singing Palestinian national songs on Independence Day. I am glad my mother gave me the chance to fully experience my childhood and to make my choices independently and freely but I bet she regrets it now since I have made a lot of bad decisions and formed my own opinions which are different from my society.

I bet my mom wishes she forced me to wear dresses and play with Barbie dolls which she used to buy me and I used redecorate by cutting there hair and pulling them apart. I think it would have been easier for my mom to raise me according to the society’s beliefs and traditions because we would have argued less and it would have been easier for me to fit into my society today. I always feel a sense of not belonging as if I landed from another planet.

I do admit my old bright pink Mohawk hairstyle did not really help me fit into the perfect idea of a Palestinian girl. My clothes

and ideas could not be called main stream Palestinian.

Walking one day in Ramallah, my friend and I found a new Barbie called Fula. Her hair was covered and she wore a black covered dress. We just stood there laughing at it until we decided to buy it. Another thing caught our attention at a café in the center of Ramallah on Al- Manara square where a lot of martyrs fell down in demonstrations against Israel and the US. It was a green café called Stars and Bucks with the same colours and logo of the American Starbucks. We decided to go in and explore. Of course my friend and I were the only ones with our kind of hairstyle. We were talking loudly. I was wearing a skirt that I pulled down as far I could so that it looked decent. We sat down with staring eyes around us. We talked about our childhood dolls, our Barbies, our opinions, and we thought about how our children will turn out to be if they grow up with walls, war, a covered Barbie doll, Stars and Bucks, and staring eyes.

It would be a bigger fight for them to survive free from society’s stereotypes, traditions, and beliefs but it would be all worth it for the chance to slide down a hill feeling the breeze and the sensation of total freedom and control which lasts until you land scratching your entire body.

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Personal Stories

Crossing borders through exchange programs By: Angela Verweyen Little more than a year ago, I didn’t know about a girl in Cairo called Dalia.

If someone had told me that by now I would consider her my sister, I would probably have laughed. Now she is one of the most important people in my life.

I went on an exchange program to Egypt in 2005 which included a stay with an Egyptian family. I was sure I would cope with the new situation somehow, but didn’t expect to find a second family and a new sister.

I first met Dalia when she picked me up from the airport.

It was as if we had known each other for ages.

We seem to have nothing in common when you look at our backgrounds, our beliefs, our dreams. Yet we could spend 24 hours a day together without ever getting bored or fighting with each other. We always knew what was on the other’s mind without asking. We started having the same ideas in the same moment. We could burst out laughing about things no one else understood.

Several times people approached us in the street. They thought we were real sisters and asked why one of us was veiled and the other wasn’t. We were always surprised, but people insisted that we looked so similar to each other that we had to be sisters.

I wonder how many other people in the world might discover that they are brothers, sisters or friends if they just took the time to look at people instead of images provided by stereotypes.

If you want to find out more about this kind of exchange program, have a look at www.afs.org.

A Week to Remember By: Lena Najdi As the days of our lives go by, we go through many experiences, learn new things, and meet new people that we may see only once but leave a great impression in our hearts.

One of my new experiences started on july the third.. A six-day camp for Palestinian youth was held by the Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC) in Jerusalem. Almost forty participated in the camp in order to live and feel the Palestinian dilemma.

Although politics was the major issue during the camp, we weren’t deprived of joy and fun. We went to Navee

Shalom where we spent most of the day swimming and playing soccer. We visited a green valley in the Jerusalem Mountains called The Aqua Bella (Beautiful Water) National Park (En-Hemed). We learned about the history and geography of Golan, where we spent a whole day accompanied by a tourist guide. But the amazing thing was when we headed to Tiberia, we got on a ship and partied, celebrating the end of a successful camp.

This week has been special for all of us. We met new people that left great impressions in us, affected our lives and became our friends.

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Science

Citrus By: Shiran Zehavi Many studies indicate that the citrus fruits are among the healthiest fruits found in nature. The main reason is that citrus fruits are very rich in vitamins A, E, C, and nutritional fibers, which are extremely important for balanced nutrition.

Lately there have been more studies which show that eating fresh fruit every day is good not only for proper nutrition and general good health, but also because fruit helps to significantly decrease the risk of illnesses like heart attacks and cancer.

Citrus fruits are well known as a good source of vitamin C, but they also contain a long and impressive list of other vital nutritious ingredients. Minerals for example.

Citrus fruits contain high levels of potassium, a vital mineral for the muscule function, and for the blood pressure’s adjustment.

If you are one of those people who peels off all the white parts, be aware you’re missing out. The cell’s crust, and especially the white parts, are rich with nutritious fibers that help keep healthy levels of sugar and cholesterol, and by that contribute to the reduction of heart and blood vessels diseases.

As mentioned, the main advantage of the citrus fruits is their high level of vitamin C, which is found in citruses

Earthquake By: Nadja al-sayad There are many different natural disasters in the world but among the most common are earthquakes. They happen all the time and even though they can look amazing on the TV news, they can still be very dangerous to humans.

An earthquake is created by the sudden release of stored energy in the rocks deep under the earth. Its force is pushed

out in seismic waves. On the earth’s surface, earthquakes may show themselves by a shaking or displacement of the ground and sometimes tsunamis, which may lead to loss of life and destruction of property.

Earthquakes occur every day around the world. Most are very small and don’t do any damage. Large earthquakes are usually accompanied by other smaller ones that can occur either before or after the main shock. These are called foreshocks and aftershocks.

Big earthquakes taking place under the sea can shift a large amount of water in just a few seconds. Such large vertical displacements can cause tsunamis like the one that killed about 300,000 people in the Indian Ocean region in December 2005.

There are many effects of earthquakes. Depending in its size, you might see: - Broken windows.

- Collapsed buildings with people trapped and dying.

- Landslides - Disease - fires and tsunamis - lack of basic necessities like food, water and shelter.

Earthquakes are powerful and they do not respect borders, nationalities or religious differences. They are a beautiful force of nature but also deadly.

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more than on any other fruit groups. It has an important role in the development of bones, skin, blood vessels and tendons. Vitamin C considered the most notable anti-oxidant. In the air and in our food there are molecules call free radicals. These molecules oxidize the body’s cells, and damage them and so cause different illnesses.

Citrus fruits are also high in folic acid and phytochemicals. Folic acid is essential for creating cells and protecting the fetus from neural damage.

Phytochemicals are vitamins of a vegetable source. They are important for the body’s defense against free radicals and are also efficient in holding back the growth of carcinogenic cells. In addition they have fight infections and help to prevent blood clots.

If you are not yet impressed by citrus fruits, remember too that they don’t contain fat, sodium or cholesterol.

And the average caloric value of the citrus is relatively low. In short, citruses of all kinds are one of the healthiest fruits found in nature. Citrus are strongly recommended to be eaten every day in any form: peeled, cut or squeezed, to ensure good health.

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Creative

The philosophy of never being alone and existing forever By: Sophie Appl Once a friend told me that she was so afraid of being dead So I told her Everytime a person touches you in your soul you give him or her a piece of your own heart and the person gets a piece of yourself

So when you die it‘s not you anymore it‘s just fragments of other peoples‘hearts and you go on living in all those people you loved So be aware of these facts and see that there are spheres where time and place do not matter at all.

Hahaha!

What a flat joke...

By: Qamar Daher A man is never completely ready for war It’s one of the few things that comes without knocking the door It’s not a matter of army and weapon Only a matter of lives & deaths, I reckon Men, women & children too Young or elderly, it doesn’t ask who?!

Mankind! The human is surely one of a kind Merciless and self-centered Determined and hardhearted Ruthless nevertheless kindhearted Daring nonetheless frightened Winter hasn’t arrived yet So it’s not mud What’s that covering the lands?!

Flesh, bones & blood!!

Bang! One man down Bang! Was buried in the ground Ouch! She was shot Ouch! The corpse is left to rot

The strong rules, The weak weeps, One screams out of fear & the other...

Cause he has lost a dear No matter how rich or poor War doesn’t distinguish!

In the end, both sides will have to relinquish It’s not a game There’s no win or lose War knows no name No one gets to choose The leaders will eventually realize They have lost Both will cry & howl When grasping the cost They say patience is the key Time will come, be hopeful!!

The skies will clear from the smoke They say wait and see We’ll live in peace, be joyful!!

Hahaha! What a flat joke...

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Comix

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General

A Visit to the Museum By: Dorit Maor My recent visit to the Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem was an illuminating, challenging and exciting experience. As an educator I am always looking for new ways to reach people and to send messages through different mediums. The innovative multi-media approach of the Museum on the Seam to themes of conflict, coexistence, plurality, equality, justice, anti-violence, the “other� and more through the medium of art took me on a personal journey through my own preconceptions and challenged me to think differently about those around me and the society in which I live.

I think it is very important that as many young people as possible in this region and beyond, visit the Museum and experience this message of peace through visual images and concepts. Educators that deal with conflict and particularly those living in regions of conflict need to visit this Museum and explore the educational tool of art as a means of communication.

The Director of Crossing Borders visited the Museum during our annual conference in Jerusalem and was

very impressed with this unique institution. The Museum on the Seam seeks to take its visitors on a journey of discovery that does not impose solutions but challenges all of us to confront ourselves. The message of the Museum speaks directly to the goals and vision of Crossing Borders and communicates in the universal language of art.

Crossing Borders would like to thank the museum for contributiong with a smaller version of its exhibition to the CB course 2006 in Denmark and for the ongoing cooperation

r e t t e L u o Y k n A Tha

you again s to thank u w o ll a . It was ase 7th 2006 ansen, Ple 1 H t e s h u lt g a u nt role nA nM Maor e importa r office o r and Stee u th te o By: Dorit g y e te ia W in c e s pre East . gu e-Louis We do ap e Middle d meetin . n th u a o in Dear Mari y e m le m ti p o o fr ny us your ort the pe n, Germa we heard for giving er to supp ne , Jorda tion that a ti rd s o rm le a in fo P th g in g l, e yin sin eir ing ent is pla ts from Isra ontinue u enlighten n m c e rn d to e tu v d s o e g g y it rossing ers oura anish t are univ es with C more enc e rs d that the D m u n o u a c o r y e d g n a in the tron g people seminars tter future ur office s h e o g b y u The youn a ft ro r le th fo y pe ark. The ed mostly fs and ho and Denm they gain ong belie e tr g s d ir le e w th o by kn articipate skills to p time and motivated in ry a e g v d n re a a younger lves hey te themse d beliefs to Borders. T a n c a u d ls e il sk to one of rts es, ast. aking effo experienc and still n m ir k Middle E e s re th ta a r y e le s sf a p ng peo isn’t an e y also tran These you uation it ciety. The it s so t r Borders. e n e tt s e b re ga e carrying the p f Crossing o In . rt s o ie in buildin p it p e gained th for the n u v s u a h g m e in m n o o o g c s n eir nd Jews a partment s to the o kids in th at the De at Arabs a up, thank g u th o e in y g iv d y g b le d w them are g to ackno represente etter rt warmin uthorities a a e h h form a b s is a n to a w D It rs e to a th c f ership o and edu and partn ith youth h Africa. w rt o rk N o d w n a dle East. ast e to in the Mid Middle E l continu le il p w o e p rs e g n Bord ding amo Crossing understan d n a re e atmosph

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General

Anna Lindh Foundation an intergovernmental Board of Governors The Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation representing 35 Ministries of Foreign Affairs. for Dialogue between Cultures was established The Foundation is based in Alexandria, Egypt by the Euro-Med Conference of Ministers of and jointly hosted by Bibliotheca Alexandrina Foreign Affairs on November 30th, and the Swedish Institute.

2004. As a major common institution, The foundation aims to promote and the foundation supports the social encourage greater cooperation and and human dimension of the Euro exchange between schools and Mediterranean Partnership. This educational actors in the European Partnership was established in 1995 Union (EU) countries and those in in Barcelona by the Member States the Mediterranean Partner Countries of the EU and twelve Southern and (MPC).

Dr. Traugott Schoefthler, Eastern Mediterranean Countries.

This summer, Crossing Borders ALF Director Upon the proposal of the Egyptian received an honourable mention as government, the Foundation was named after part of the first Euro-Med Award for Dialogue the late former Swedish Foreign Minister Anna between Cultures, in recognition of its work Lindh in recognition of her role in promoting for intercultural dialogue. equality between North and South.

The Anna Lindh Foundation is an The Anna Lindh Foundation also provides international civil society organization with funding CB activities.

By: Suzanne Shraideh

Answers of profiles 1. Sophie Appl from Germany 2. Ofir mitrani from Israel 3. Joseph Hodali, from Palestine 4. Heba Shmali, Arab in Israel 5. Shiran Zehavi from Israel 6. Yeela Lahav-Raz from Israel 7. Serene Najdi from Palestine 8. Angela Verweyen from Germany 9. Omar AlHadidi from Jordan 10. Ahmad Al -Arabiat from Jordan 11. Maya Nakagawa from Japan

12. Bakria Mawasi, Arab in Israel 13. David Kreuer from Germany 14. Lena Najdi from Palestine 15. Zena Cubain from Jordan 16. Ghassan khoury from Jordan 17. Annira Busch from Germany 18. Itamar Harel from Israel 19. Ashira Ramadan from Palestine 20. Julie Peitersen from Denmark 21. Konstantin G. Furman from Ukrainian USSR 22. Omer Hakim from Israel 23. Rania Makhlouf, Arab in Israel 24. Johannes Frische from Germany 25. Amjad shoughry, Arab in Israel

Would you like to support the dialogue between Arab youth and Israeli youth ?

Subscribe and you get 6 editions of CB magazine Annual Subscription Rates (6 editions per year)

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Individuals living in the Middle East: 30 Euro (40 USD) Individuals living outside of the region: 60 Euro (75USD) Institutions in the Middle East: 60 Euro (75 USD) Institutions outside of the region: 100 Euro (125 USD)

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Recipe

The Art of cooking And this time ... “Kubi” an Arabic traditional food These “Kubi” balls are made with a lot of patience. You knead the Burgul (kind of spike) into a ball (after you put the Burgul in warm water to make it softer) then you hole this ball with your finger to put the filling, witch is a mixture of meat, onion, salt, olive oil and spices all cooked slowly.

You can eat it fried or just cooked. And it tastes very good. You should try it.

Thanks to Ms. Alia Sakar for the recipe and the picture.

Letters to the editor

Young American Jews meet face to face with Palestinian youth

By Ruthie Eisenberg Through a program with Palestinian youth during our Write On for Israel trip, I was exposed for the first time to regular people my age on the other side of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Meeting with Palestinian teenagers from East Jerusalem through the Crossing Boarders organization allowed us to observe realities that are not always apparent in media and books about the conflict.

The Palestinian teens were open to meeting a group of their American Jewish peers dubbed “advocates for Israel” and were happy to talk about the conflict, as well as more mundane aspects of their lives. Although they could not be said to represent all Palestinians, my impressions of them came to personify myriads of people with their perspective that I may never have a chance to meet. The casual conversations that the Write On fellows had with this group were more eye-opening than much of the formal education I’ve received on the related issues.

Despite my effort to erase all prejudice and preconceptions, I was slightly surprised when the first real, live Palestinians I’d ever met did not resemble the image of poor, devout Muslims starving somewhere in a refugee camp that I’d absorbed from the media. They were, in fact, normal teenagers with cell phones, college aspirations, hair straighteners, and cute clothes.

The historical facts that the Palestinian people have consistently missed opportunities to establish their own state, and that many of their leaders are utterly opposed to the very existence of the state of Israel, didn’t figure in to the emotional calculus of sitting and listening to my peer say that she herself will accept Israel’s existence if her people also get the state that they rightfully deserve, as no other state will welcome them as citizens any time soon. Before meeting this Palestinian group, it would have been easier to simply spew the cold facts when needed, but now after hearing their voices and seeing their faces, advocating against their opinions will have another dimension. For more information visit: JUF News (www.juf.org) CB 30 October/November 2006

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Under the patronage of

The International People’s College in Elsinore, Denmark

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