1-May-14: Demanding action for the hundreds of abducted young Nigerian women, victims of Islamist terrorists

From a Nigerian news site today [Image Source]

As an expression of our respect for the work of two Paris-based organizations, Mouvement Pour la Paix et Contre le Terrorisme (Movement for Peace and Against Terrorism) and l’Alliance Internationale Contre le Terrorisme (International Association Against Terrorism), we think it's important to generate the widest public awareness of the English-language version of a public statement they issued a few days ago.

(There's updated background here [Washington Post, April 30, 2014] on the plight of the 234 abducted victims.)

Mass Kidnapping of Female Nigerian Students by Boko Haram Islamists | Demand their immediate and unconditional release!

[STATEMENT] The Islamist terror group Boko Haram has been harming the people of Nigeria for a decade. Its activities have grown even more murderous. Since the start of 2014, Boko Haram's terrorists have carried out 40 attacks, causing more than 1,500 casualties. In just two weeks, hundreds of innocent Nigerians were slaughtered in multiple Boko Haram terror attacks. During the the evening of Monday April 14, 2014, armed men perpetrated the mass kidnapping of female students about to take their exams. The unfortunate girls were abducted and taken away on trucks. A handful managed to escape, but most of them are still kept hostages and in great danger.

They must all be able to study and take their exams! They must all be freed! They must all be saved! The plight of these innocent students and their families demand our vigorously expressed support.

The targeting of schools and the attempted prohibition of education for girls form a major part of the Boko Haram strategy to forcibly create an Islamic state in Nigeria. Like the Taliban, the Boko Haram seek to prevent and forbid education in all its modern forms.

The government of France officially condemned the kidnapping of the young Nigerian women as it condemned the murderous terror attack perpetrated on the same day at the Nyana bus station near Abuja.

• The European Union, the United Nations, UNICEF and UNESCO must live up to their responsibility to protect these innocents, and to stand up for their right to be educated without fear.
• We call on the relevant authorities to immediately add Boko Haram to the list of outlawed terrorist organizations.
• The Boko Haram leadership is guilty of crimes against humanity and must be promptly arrested and tried.
• In Nigeria, as in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the United Nations, UNICEF and UNESCO must protect all students who risk their lives by attending schools as well as their teachers.

We, civil society organizations and citizens, commit ourselves to solidarity with those anonymous Malalas, to whom education is forbidden, and to all those who want to resist terrorism.

A long list of signatories to the original statement appears here. You can sign an online-petition here.

More information: Huguette Chomski Magnis, Paris: Phone +33-6-66-26-42-23 mpctasso@aol.com [Original French version is here.]

For background, here are some of our previous blog posts about the Boko Haram Islamists:

5-Nov-11: Tentacles again in west Africa, and the toll is shooting upwards

22-Sep-13: A quiet weekend

9-Oct-13: A very bad month, says New Yorker mag, with worse probably ahead.

10-Sep-13: Save the date: "Resisting terrorism" conference in Paris

Conference venue

Resisting terrorism: What Camus taught us

Date/Time: October 23, 2013 | 9.45 am to 6 pm

Conference organizer: Mouvement Pour la Paix et Contre le Terrorisme | Member of International Alliance Against Terrorism

Venue: Mairie du 3° arrondissement, 2, rue Eugène Spuller 75003 Paris

"Whatever cause one defends, it will be dishonored by resorting to the blind massacre of an innocent crowd..." - Albert Camus

PROGRAM 
[More details about the one-day conference are on the MPCT website here]

I Terrorism and resistance: With Camus, to know how to reject confusion 

• Gérard Rabinovitch, philosopher and researcher at CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research)
• Jean Monneret, historian, author of “Camus and Terrorism”

II Behind Islamist terrorism… Islamism

• Claire Brière Blanchet, writer and journalist
• Michael Prazan, author, producer of “A History of  Terrorism” and “The Brotherhood: An Inquiry into the Muslim Brotherhood”

III Picking up the gauntlet of terrorism today

• Saving children from terrorism
  Fazal Ur Rehman Afridi, Pakistani journalist, president of the Institute for Research and Strategic Studies, Khyber
• The jihad that is conquering AfricaFodé Sylla, former president - SOS Racism, patron of Collective Against Terrorism
• Tolerating terrorist organizations: The case of Hezbollah
  Mariam Abdo, Lebanese feminist

IV Victims of terrorism and civil society: Together in resisting terrorism

• Nicole Guiraud, Victim of the terrorist bombing of the Algiers Milk Bar Café
• Cherifa Kheddar, President - Djazairouna, The Association of Families and Victims of Islamist Terrorism, Algeria
• Guillaume Denoix de Saint Marc, General Director of the French Association of Victims of Terror
• Arnold Roth, Chairman, Malki Foundation (a partner organization in the International Alliance Against Terrorism) - participating via video link from Israel
• May Chidiac, Lebanese television presenter and victim of Hezbollah terrorism - participating via video link

With the participation of the Collective Against Terrorism

• Annie Sugier, President - The League of Women’s International Rights
• Josiane Sberro, Representative of Primo Info
• Sobhy Gress, General Secretary - Coptic Solidarity

With our thanks to associated artists

• Diagne Chanel: Etudier fait grandir (Learning makes for growing up)
• Nicole Guiraud: Survivre (Surviving)

17-Jan-12: Switzerland again: International parliamentary group says it erred in inviting Hamas

Inter-Parliamentary Union Secretariat in Geneva

There's a follow-up to our report ["15-Jan-12: Hamas, intolerance and Switzerland"] that a Hamas delegation has spent the last few days in Switzerland on an official visit, and will be received at the University of Geneva tomorrow.

Anders Johnsson, the secretary-general of the Swiss-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, is quoted in the Jerusalem Post this evening telling the speaker of the Knesset, Reuven Rivlin, that he plans to stand by a commitment he made to Rivlin to ban the terrorist organization:

He said he is sorry that the Palestinian delegation to the IPU took advantage of the [human rights] committee, but that the IPU itself had no contact with Hamas. In addition, Johnsson said that the committee rejected many of the Palestinians’ declarations in the meeting. The IPU secretary-general also said he would raise the issue with the Human Rights Committee’s management.

The JPost article is not the clearest of news reports, and there might still be misunderstandings here about what happened, and what's going to happen. We'll soon know.

Meanwhile the International Alliance Against Terrorism, a non-partisan group based in Paris that speaks in the name of terror victims from several countries (Algeria, Argentina, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, Israel, Northern Ireland, the United States) issued a press release this evening that expresses dismay at the official Hamas visit to Switzerland. It focuses in particular on the University of Geneva's decision to allow the participation by Hamas spokesman Mushir Al Masri in a campus event due to take place tomorrow (Wednesday).

The IAAT statement says the Swiss readiness to receive Hamas

"...destroys the hope of a peaceful solution in the Middle East. We also fear it will only encourage the spreading of terrorism in a troubled world. Organizations so far fighting peacefully for their demands may well change their minds when they see that terror is rewarded and entitled to Swiss hospitality. Hoping all democratic organizations to join into this protest, we urge the Swiss Federal Government and Parliament to take into account the human rights of Hamas victims and their families who deserve justice and consideration, like all terror victims. We solemnly urge Geneva University to declare the representative of Hamas persona non grata at the meeting it is hosting."

For our part, we expressed our anger in a note to representatives of the Swiss Jewish community yesterday:

"When we permit the practitioners of terror to be received with respect as if the only differences between us are our political or religious or ideological opinions, then the terrorists have won. Terrorism - and Hamas is one of its purest practitioners - takes its exponents outside the framework of normal, civilized relations with the rest of the world. The terrorists knowingly and willfully place themselves outside. They have knowingly and willfully abandoned discussion and persuasion. Their tools are death and misery. We show respect for our democratic principles by shunning them, by totally rejecting what they wish for our societies.
I hope the authorities in your beautiful land will understand from your words how serious is the mistake they have made in allowing the official representatives of Hamas to walk on your nation's soil. The loss of innocent lives, like the life of my daughter Malki, is indeed a tragedy which deeply touched my family... In choosing to speak out against the terrorists in general, and against Hamas in particular, my wife and I made the decision that our loss must not be merely a private one but symbolic of something larger and less personal. The awful sight of men from Hamas walking freely and without interference in the center of democratic Europe, as if they were decent and civilized human beings, is a reminder that we have not yet succeeded in conveying this vitally important message."

As we have said on numerous occasions, so far the terrorists are winning.

7-Jun-11: International terror victims group asks EC to intervene against PA's promotion of terror

The statement below by the International Alliance Against Terrorism was delivered to the President of the European Commission today.

The International Alliance Against Terrorism | Alliance Internationale Contre le Terrorisme

c/o MPCT, Maison du Citoyen et de la Vie Associative

16, rue du Révérend Père Aubry, 94120 Fontenay-sous-Bois France

alliance.against.terrorism@gmail.com

Tél: +33-6-6626-4223

Fontenay, 6th June 2011

Mr José Manuel Barroso
President of the European Commission
1049 Brussels, Belgium

Sir,

As European members (French, Italian, German, British and Spanish) of the International Alliance Against Terrorism network, we have been alerted by our Israeli partner about the payment of a monthly salary to terrorists, jailed in Israel, by the Palestinian Authority. A law is said to have been passed last April to that effect.

It is clearly not a humanitarian gesture but a promotion of terrorism, since Palestinians detained for car  stealing are excluded from this benefit.

Terrorism, the targeted murder of civilians, is thus treated as a honorable profession deserving fair wages.

We naturally wish all prisoners to be judged in fair trials and, if condemned, to get humane detention conditions. But we are shocked by this measure which revolts the families of the victims of these terrorists.

We are worried too, as this kind of incitement may bring about fresh outbreak of terror.

The Palestinian Authority has unfortunately sent many messages pointing to terror incitement.

A ceremony broadcast by Palestinian television on May 20 distinguished the families of  terrorists sentenced to life imprisonment for terror attacks targeting civilians. Among them was the family of Khaled Asakra, condemned  for murdering a French tourist in a Bethlehem restaurant in April 1991.

The European Union contributes over 150 million euros to funding the Palestinian Authority.

We do not want this money, which should help the Palestinian people, to be misappropriated and used to pay wages to terrorists.

Terrorism is one of the scourges of our time.

During May, according to our data, terror acts killed 614 civilians throughout the world and injured 1351.

Whatever his nationality and the cause he champions,  a terrorist may be called a criminal against humanity for  targeting civilians.

Sir, the  condemnation of terrorism is meaningless if it tolerates its justification.

What steps are you going to take to prevent our euros to help pay wages to terrorists?

Looking forward to a strong gesture from you, we pray you receive, Sir, our respectful regards.

Huguette Chomski Magnis, Spokesperson for the International Alliance Against Terrorism
Michael Gallagher, for the Omagh Support and Self Help Group, Northern Ireland
Dr Richard Rossin, President of Mouvement Pour  la Paix et Contre le Terrorisme, France
Reiner Schleicher, for NzT, Nein zum Terrorismus, Germany

15-May-11: Speaking out against judicial double-talk

Merkel; Uthmann; Bin Laden

The permanent termination of Osama Bin Laden's career as a terrorist produced some disturbing responses but none quite as astonishing as that of a German judge, Heinz Uthmann.

Der Spiegel quoting Friday's edition of the Hamburger Morgenpost daily newspaper says he filed a criminal complaint against the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, in the past few days. The background is in this extract from a Christian Science Monitor report:

"“I am pleased that we managed to kill bin Laden.” That was German Chancellor Angela Merkel's response to a reporter's question about her reaction to Osama bin Laden's death. It wasn't a unique sentiment. Leaders around the world said the same thing. But criticism over Mrs. Merkel's comments in Germany is almost overshadowing news of the raid that killed Mr. bin Laden."

The Hamburger judge with too much time on his hands has come to the conclusion that the chancellor's statement was illegal, quoting section 140 of the German Criminal Code which forbids "rewarding and approving" of crimes. Spiegel says the judge accuses Merkel of having endorsed a homicide, a violation that in principle is punishable by up to three years' imprisonment or a fine.

We mention the background so that we can give a little well-deserved publicity to a statement released tonight by the International Alliance Against Terrorism (Alliance Internationale Contre le Terrorisme):

We are all Angela Merkel!
The German chancellor reacted in a similar manner to President Barak Obama and other Western leaders: she expressed her satisfaction at the news of the death of Bin Laden. Her reaction was human and motivated by a sense of solidarity with the victims.
The reactions by sections of the media, by politicians and by individuals condemning the Chancellor's reaction are strange and bigoted. Hypocritical claims have been put forward, without a shred of evidence behind them, alleging that Bin Laden was the victim of an execution. And now, astonishingly, a Hamburg judge, Heinz Uthmann,  has filed a criminal complaint against Chancellor Angela Merkel, accusing her of abetting a crime!
We address this judge and say to him: Rather than the death of Bin Laden, what outrages us is the impunity of terrorist organizations who target civilians and have killed European citizens by means of terror bomb attacks, "suicide" bombings, kidnapping and murder. Your duty as a judge is to bring the terror organizations and their leaders to account !"

The spokesperson for the International Alliance Against Terrorism is Huguette Chomski Magnis (email: alliance.against.terrorism@gmail.com), phone +33.6.66.26.42.23. A German group called NzT Nein zum Terrorismus ("No to Terrorism") has created a Facebook page to galvanize opposition to Judge Uthmann's attack on Mrs Merkel.

UPDATE 15-May-11: There's an online petition at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/weareallangelamerkel/
We hope you will consider showing your repugnance at the actions of the judge by signing it.

7-Dec-09: From the International Alliance Against Terrorism

Media release | December 6th 2009

International Alliance Against Terrorism calls for greater support of terror’s victims: Impunity for terrorists must not be the rule of our world!

The International Alliance Against Terrorism supports all terror victims, all hostages and their families and aims at raising awareness to terrorism as a major violation of human rights.

The international community should have two guidelines to deal with terrorism:

• All hostages must be freed, in the name of universal human rights, because all hostages are innocent.
• All terrorists judged and condemned should remain in prison, in the name of international justice, whatever their identity and the cause they claim to serve, provided  they have been given fair trials and humane detention conditions.
  

Informed by Arnold Roth, President of Keren Malki, the Israeli partner of our International Alliance, of the possible liberation of Ahlam Tamimi, among many other Palestinian prisoners to be exchanged for the liberation of Guilad Shalit, Franco-Israeli hostage, kept incommunicado by the Hamas, we wish to express to the Roth family and all terror victims affected by the case, our full solidarity with their fight for justice and truth.

Ahlam Tamimi was the organizer and active accomplice of the mass murder committed on 9 August 2001 at the Sbarro Pizzeria in Jerusalem, a terror attack in which Mr and Mrs Roth’s daughter, Malki, was one of 15 victims, among 8 children and infants.

Judged and condemned to life imprisonment, Ms Tamimi has purged only 5 years of her sentence.
Interviewed and filmed in her Israeli prison, she stated she felt no regret.

To the journalist, Barbara Victor, she declared: “I did not regret the death of all those children. They should have returned to Poland, Russia or the United States, from which countries their parents came.”

Our Alliance does not judge the negotiations entered into by governments attempting to free their kidnapped citizens.

We have no mandate and no wish  to take part in the various conflicts that beset our planet.

We are appalled, not on account of the possible liberation of murderers to save the life of a hostage but because of the world silence: the unfairness, the moral iniquity of such an “exchange” is not only tolerated but denied.

We are appalled to see the line between innocence and guilt blurred.

We warn against the deadly danger of perverted values, of a world in which moral condemnation fails to focus on individual responsibility and moral support fails to be bestowed on civilian victims targeted by terrorist actions.

We warn against the incentive effect of triumphant impunity granted to those who perpetrated terror attacks and kidnapping may have in our global world to spread the terrorist scourge.

We call on our fellow citizens in our different countries, on civil society, on all terror victims organizations and all NGOs, on national and international authorities to voice their indignation and defend the human rights of terror victims and their families.

***

The organizations and network members of the International Alliance Against Terrorism are: Mouvement Pour la Paix et Contre le Terrorisme (France); Omagh Support and Self Help Group (Northern Ireland); AIVITER Associazione Italiana Vittime del Terrorismo (Italy); Djazairouna (Algeria); AVT Asociacion Victimas del Terrorismo (Spain); Malki Foundation (Israel); Philip Spencer, Représentative of Euston Manifesto (Great-Britain) Centro des estudes legales sobre el terrorismo y sus victimas (Argentine)

Representatives of IAAT are available for media comments and interviews. Contact: Huguette Chomski Magnis +33-6-6626-4223. Or by email at alliance.against.terrorism@googlemail.com