"Peace is the respect for the rights of others." -- Benito Juarez (1806-1872)
Peace. I find it troubling that this word has become cliché in much of the world. For the millions of individuals who are living through war and genocide at this very moment, peace is a real concept -- albeit one that is too distant.
I believe that peace fundamentally stems from education. Educated people are more likely to have been exposed to diversity, to new ideas and to different ways of thinking. Consequently, they are more likely to be open-minded, accepting of difference and, having invested in their futures, are less likely to turn to violence, crime and terrorism. The goal, therefore, should be to educate as many people as possible, particularly in regions of protracted conflict, such as in the Middle East. Additionally, education provides tools to achieve economic stability, and when individuals are given these tools, they turn to help others, creating a ripple effect. First, it's a better community, then a better town, region, country and, finally, world.
This belief is at the crux of University of the People (UoPeople), which I founded in 2009. The University both provides marginalized individuals with access to higher education, while also employing people in economically challenged regions for administrative needs. Most recently, UoPeople decided to bring its IT development to Ramallah, Palestine via a partnership with ASAL Technologies. Palestine is a region that has been through an enormous amount in the last century, and it is the acknowledgment of the economic situation in Palestine that contributed in large part to the reason UoPeople chose to partner with ASAL Technologies for its technology needs -- providing needed jobs in a region hard pressed for them. UoPeople is also currently considering opening an entire back office in Palestine as well to provide additional jobs. In doing so, UoPeople is not only educating individuals in Palestine, but also employing them -- hopefully adding some stability to a region ridden with conflict and uncertainty.
Education and employment, particularly in a global organization like UoPeople, expose people to diversity, new ideas and different ways of thinking. The impact on tolerance cannot be overstated. While conflict boils over in many regions of the world, these so-called 'enemies' share a virtual classroom at UoPeople -- Israelis and Palestinians, Shiite and Sunni Muslims. They are learning academics -- and tolerance -- together.
I firmly believe we can make a significant difference in the lives of individuals through education and economic opportunity -- and every corporation and nonprofit should make these considerations when outsourcing human resources. Of particular note is the consideration that every individual has an effect on his or her surroundings and community. It is by changing the situation in regions of conflict, such as Palestine, via jobs and education, that eventually -- individual by individual, region by region -- we can turn the world into a better place for future generations.
Follow Shai Reshef on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ShaiReshef
Ziad J. Asali, M.D.: Decisions in the Interregnum in Palestine and Israel
Unfortunately, during the last 6 decades of ''Israeli Occupation'' there has been a systematic
destruction of higher learning In the Gaza, and disputed territories.Keeping them ''DUMB DOWN'',
and you'll get more of a cheap labor force for the future generations to work and serve the
Israeli government and It's citizens. Just like we support Mexico and It's corrupt governments
for years, that do little or nothing to build up an educated middle class so as to keep their citizens
''DUMB DOWN'', as they have become Mexico's greatest export to the United States,
''ILLEGAL MEXICAN ALIENS'' !!! It's a ''WIN WIN'' for the U.S. for a cheap regional labor force and
Mexico has little to offer anyone even with a college degree that Is not connected with the
corrupt political forces that have ruled Mexico for 100 years. There are a group of very wealthy
Mexicans who live just below the Presidential Palace, know as, ''LOS PINOS'' , the pines, as you
drive up this heavily protected butt lined with pine trees. Somewhere between 13 to 26 families
control all of Mexico. These are prime examples of corrupt governments in the world who use their citizens and non-citizens they control for their own selfish political reasons only to amass larger and larger fortunes for them and their tight circle of friends.
NICK ''X''.
This is absolutely true, great author for this article and his didactic methods, thanks for trying to help Palestinians living under brutal Israeli occupation.
"Perhaps the most important responsibility for me during my time as an EA (Ecumenical Accompanier) in the Hebron placement, has been my role in accompanying the pupils of the Cordoba* school to and from the school. I had identified with this role even before coming to Hebron because I've always had the opinion that no matter what a country's present difficulties might be, conscious efforts should be made to ensure that those who represent the next generation do not suffer from the hangover left by their predecessors. The idea is hard to achieve as history has proven and too often it is the children who've paid the price for the bad decisions and unjust actions that have changed countries' social discourses throughout the modern era. It is an area that does require more attention because the societal impacts of events such as military occupations, wars, apartheids or ethnic cleansings, become sewed into the social fabric and are not merely parts of history but become entrenched in the country's future because of their negative effects on the children of that society. The Cordoba school is an example of the efforts that should be made to ensure the positive future of the children."
http://www.eappi.org/index.php?id=5149&tx_ttnews%5Bpointer%5D=9&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=13134&tx_ttnews%5BbackPid%5D=4837&cHash=bcfe5af727f48cf0d441541789901ac6
From my reading of your posts over many months, I suggest that you do not qualify.
Thus, whilst you harp "peace", it is really window-dressing because your actions in the practice of warping reality are fundamentally provocative (on a good day) and incendiary the rest of the time.
For the Palestinian school girls in the city of Cordoba School in Hebron in the West Bank, it is impossible to remain unaffected by the Israeli occupation. The school is surrounded by military checkpoints, barbed wire and fanatical Israeli settlers. The path to school has become a path of degradation. Leila and her classmates are exposed daily to the indifference of the Israeli soldiers and laughter and stones from settlers. But in spite of constant harassment and racist slogans, Leila retains a belief and hope in peace and justice. She refuses to let bitterness and hatred to control her life: “We can all live together. Muslim, Jew or Christian, there is no reason to hate each other,” she says in Terje Carlsson’s documentary Welcome to Hebron."
http://warincontext.org/2010/01/16/welcome-to-hebron/