Heir to the throne of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, has made a video statement in response to recent persecutions of Christians and other faith members in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, calling it an “indescribable tragedy” that Christian and other communities face persecution in the Middle East and elsewhere, and offering several suggestions that might help.
“The horrendous and heartbreaking events in Iraq and Syria have brought the subject of religious freedom and persecution to the forefront of the world’s news,” said Prince Charles. “We have learned with mounting despair of the expulsion of Christians, Muslims and Yasidis from land that their ancestors have occupied for centuries.”
The prince made the statements in a video message at the launch of Aid to the Church in Need, a report on religious freedom in the world organized by an international charity group based in the UK, Pontifical Foundation of the Catholic Church.
“Sadly, incidents of violence in Iraq and Syria are not isolated,” said the prince. “They are found throughout some–though not all–of the Middle East, in some African countries, and in many countries across Asia.”
The comprehensive Aid to the Church in Need report found that in recent months, religious freedom had deteriorated in 55 of the world’s 196 countries, and 81 countries had “high” or “medium” levels of religious persecution.
Christians remain the most persecuted minority, the report found. Most nations that commit religious freedom violations are Muslim countries, although Asian authoritarian regimes also engaged significantly in persecuting religions, particularly China, Burma, North Korea, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
“It is an indescribable tragedy that Christianity is now under such threat in the Middle East, an area where Christians have lived for 2,000 years and across which Islam spread in 700 AD, with people of different faiths living together peaceably for centuries,” said Prince Charles.
The prince offered “several tangible courses of actions” that he believed might be helpful.
Religious leaders could accept responsibility for their faith members and ensure that the members respected people who belong to other faiths, the prince suggested. “We have yet to see the full potential of different faith communities working together,” Charles said, while citing “inter-religious peace groups” that had been achieved in some locations.
Also, governments could uphold the rights of their citizens to practice their faiths. Charles cited Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the right to change one’s faith. In some nations outside of the West, “an absence of freedom to determine one’s own faith is woven into the laws and customs of the nation,” Charles pointed out.
Finally, the prince suggested that we should not lose hope. he referred to Mariam Ibrahim, the pregnant woman who was recently imprisoned in South Sudan and facing a death sentence for converting to Christianity. She was later released in the midst of worldwide media attention.
“It seems to me that our future as a free society–both here in Britain and throughout the world–depends on recognising the crucial role played by people of faith,” said Charles.
“And, of course, religious faith is all the more convincing to those outside the faith when it is expressed with humility and compassion, giving space to others, whatever their beliefs.”
The prince left his audience with the words of St Paul.
“Suffering produces endurance, Endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us,” quoted Prince Charles.
Religious persecution in the world is worsening, mostly in Muslim countries linked to extremist Islam, but also under authoritarian regimes in Asia, according to a comprehensive report by Aid to the Church in Need, an international charity group based in the UK.
“Where there has been a change concerning religious freedom, that change has almost always been for the worse,” found the authors of the report. “In the 196 countries analysed, change for the better is noted in only six countries. Deteriorating conditions are recorded in 55 countries (or 28 percent).”
In those six countries of improvement, four were still countries with “high” or “medium” persecution–Iran, United Arab Emirates, Cuba and Qatar.
Of the 20 countries found by the report to have the worst religious persecution, 14 were Muslim countries linked to extremist Islam–Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Egypt, Libya, Maldives, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Read more: Prince Charles of the United Kingdom Appeals to Muslims About Persecution of Christians in the Middle East
“Throughout parts of the Middle and Far East, the phenomenon of the mono-confessional state is emerging,” the report stated. “Where once various Christian and Muslim groups managed to live together for centuries, there is now a growing tendency for the dominant religious group to insist, often through the imposition of Shari‘a law or devices such as a ‘blasphemy law’, on universal conformity of religious practice.”
The other countries that most persecuted religious faithful were China, Burma, North Korea, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Eritrea.
The report provided several illustrative examples of the types of serious persecution taking place around the world.
In Nigeria, schoolgirls–mostly Christian–were kidnapped by a militant group and forced to convert to Islam.
In Belgium, a radical Islamist shot dead four people at a Jewish museum.
In Tibet, Chinese police beat to death a Tibetan Buddhist monk while holding the monk in prison on charges of “maintaining contacts with foreign countries”–communication with the outside world is illegal for Tibetans under Chinese rule. When his body was returned, his family coud say nothing of the incident or they would be killed.
In Pakistan, 22 Shia pilgrims were killed and 20 wounded in a bomb attack while travelling on their bus.
In Bahrain, Christian practice is allowed for the most part only on the grounds of foreign embassies and private homes, and, although Muslim men are permitted to marry Christian women, Christian men cannot marry Muslim women.
In Sudan, pregnant Christian woman Meriam Ibrahim narrowly escaped a death penalty for “apostasy” after converting to Christianity.
In Burma, state authorities proposed limiting births for Muslims–who already do not have rights to full citizenship–to restrict “rapid population growth” and “contain sectarian violence.”
In Iran, dozens of state security agents surrounded a Tehran mosque and prevented worshippers from entering.
In North Korea, South Korean missionary Kim Jung-Wook was sentenced to hard labor for allegedly spying and trying set up underground churches. He was later forced to act in a performance at a North Korean press conference in which he appealed for mercy, apologized, and admitted that he had received assistance from South Korea’s intelligence agency.
Persecution has significantly worsened in recent months and years. During the period under review, persecution increased, particularly in Muslim countries, where the most serious violations took place.
Religious freedom was also found to be on the decline in the West. Among the problems are discrimination against Jews, including low-level violence, prompting emigration of European Jews to Israel.
The report noted that Western European countries were becoming more like the multi-faith Middle East, which was creating tensions, political and social. The report also noted that a lack of “religious literacy” in Western politics and international media was hampering productive dialog and policy making.
Worldwide, Christians remain the most persecuted religion, the report found. This was due to the wide geographic distribution of Christians, in addition to their high numbers. Muslims, too, were facing serious persecution at the hands of other Muslims and under authoritarian governments in Asia.
The report was based on factors informing the likelihood of religiously inspired violence and/or intolerance in each nation.
The authors of the report suggested that greater responsibility should be accepted by religious leaders. The authors also provided individual country reports.
“We conclude that, to reverse the disturbing trends identified in this Report (sic), responsibility for combatting violence and persecution rests, first and foremost, within religious communities themselves,” stated the authors of the report. “The necessity for all religious leaders to loudly proclaim their opposition to religiously inspired violence, and to re-affirm their support for religious tolerance, is becoming ever more urgent.”
A statement by the spokesman for al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) released Sunday has called for all Muslims to unite against the US, citing the US-led coalition against ISIS in Syria and Iraq and calling it “an attack on the entire Community of Muslims.” The Maghreb and Arabian branches of al Qaeda have also been vocal in their support for jihadi unity against the US-led coalition.
“The attack on Iraq and Syria is not against a particular group or organization,” the AQIS message reads, “Instead, it’s an attack on the entire Ummah [worlwide community of Muslims] aiming to terminate every Islamic and Jihadi movement which aims to stand against the tyranny and believes in the establishment of Shari’ah,” Tweeted the spokesman for AQIS, Usama Mahood, Sunday.
“The objective of this attack is the defense of Israel, protection of the global rule of tyranny and the subjugation of the Muslims,” continued the Tweet.
“Once again we call upon the Muslims worldwide to stand in support of the Mujahidīn against the American coalition and join this fard-al-ayn (absolute obligation of) Jihad to gain freedom, to protect their Deen, to guard their holy places and to establish the supremacy of Shari’ah.”
Although Mahmood does not explicitly name the Islamic State (ISIS) in his Tweet, the message is considered to be clearly aimed at ISIS.
ISIS was the first offshoot of al Qaeda. ISIS was disowned by al Qaeda last February, and has been fighting against the Al Nusrah Front–the main branch of al Qaeda in Syria–since the falling out.
“Also our message to the Mujahidīn of Iraq and Syria is that the elimination of American aggression is concealed in the brotherhood and union of all the Jihadi groups and organizations, reversion towards Allah (swt) and in fighting against this infidel coalition in firm ranks,” Mahmood tweeted.
AQIS is the newest branch of al Qaeda. It formation was announced in September, and AQIS is already credited with a bold attack on Pakistani warships that took place the same month.
Analysists suspect that al Qaeda is attempting to establish unity among jihadists worldwide, and is focusing on the US-led coalition attacking ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The Maghreb branch and the Arabian branch of al Queda are also trying to unite jihadists against the US-led coalition.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has asked all government and media to use his family name only–not his tribal name. The president will no longer be referred to as “Ahmadzai,”a name the president used to appeal to voters in the Pashtun south and southeast during the presidential campaign earlier this year.
Ghani signed a letter last week to the administration of the Presidential Palace, telling all government departments to drop “Ahmadzai” from official documentation.
“The chairman of the Office of Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Rahimi has sent a formal letter to all the ministries and state institutions to call the President of Afghanistan Mohammad Ashraf Ghani,” said Fayeq Wahidi, deputy presidential spokesman of the national unity government.
“Ahmadzai” refers to the Pashtun tribe from which Ghani comes. The Ahmadzai are one of the biggest tribes in Afghanistan, and are based largely in the south and southeast of the nation. Ghani himself, however, hails from Logar Province south of Kabul.
It is custom in Afghanistan for tribal names to be added to a name to denote affiliation to a tribe of region. Ghani used the name while campaigning for the presidency this year in an appeal to Pashtun voters in the south.
Ghani had run against Abdullah Abdullah, who drew support from Tajiks in the north and east of the country. Abdullah is currently the chief executive of the national unity government of which Ghani is president.
The two politicians formed the national unity government after each contended that he had won the election, and following pressure from the US and UN to reach an agreement.
This is not the first time the removal of tribal names has been a presidential concern in Afghanistan. Former President Mohammad Daoud Khan initiated a campaign to remove tribal names as a top-down effort in the 1970s.
Major charges brought against a man accused of plotting to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin have been dismissed by a Ukrainian court. The man, Adam Osmayev, had been charged as a terrorist for trying kill the Russian president, but is no longer considered to be a participant in a terrorist organization or to have prepared for the assassination of a statesman.
“The charges were dropped following numerous petitions I had filed requesting the court reopen the investigation into the case because Osmayev the allegations had not been proved that he participated in a terrorist organization or plotted to assassinate a government official,” stated Olga Chertok, Osmayev’s lawyer.
Osmayev still stands accused of several crimes, including entering Ukraine with forged documents, illegal manufacture of explosives and unintentional damage to property.
In 2012, a member of the group to which Osmayev belonged confessed the groups intentions to Ukrainian security officers after a bomb accidentally detonated in the apartment inhabited by the men. One of the three suspects in the crime, Chechen-born Ruslan Madayev was killed in the explosion.
Kazakh-born Ilya Pyanzin then confessed that he and his accomplices were preparing a bomb to assassinate Vladimir Putin–then prime minister of Russia. Reportedly, the men planned to detonate the bomb as Putin’s motorcade drove through Moscow.
In 2013, Pyanzin was found guilty in a Moscow court after extradition from Ukraine. He was sentenced to 10 years prison.
Chechen-born Osmayev was tried in Ukrainian court after he filed a human rights complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), protesting extradition. Last August, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General revoked an earlier decision to extradite Osmayev. When the ECHR asked Ukraine for its justification for handing over Osmayev to Russia, Ukraine did not maintain its position, according to Chertok.
The charges against Osmayev that were dropped included charges under Article 258 and 258-3 (the creation and participation in a terrorist organization and preparation for the assassination of a statesman) of the Ukrainian Criminal Code. Osmayev still faces up to five years prison for the lesser charges for which he remains accused.
New Orleans’ biggest gun buyback was held last weekend, and it was a party. Art curator and artist Kirsha Kaechele and others brought together the community–as well as artists, musicians and performers–to create a gun buyback block party event where hundreds of guns were bought back from anonymous community members by reverends singing gospel in an all velvet room to the sounds of a solo cellist.
Kaechele, who has been close to the New Orleans community for years, told us about how the event, hosted in the Creole-roots “back of town” 8th Ward–an area where gun death statistics are on par with those during wars–went down in New Orleans style, with Mardi Gras Indians, Caramel Curves, custom cars, the best local rappers, and a beautifully choreographed opening ceremony.
Kaechele also told us about how she came to the idea of holding a gun buyback in this way, about a friend whose life was cut short by gun violence and the influence of the Australian response to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre–a decision to buy back the entire country’s stockpile of guns–and how she decided to use private money to circumvent 2nd amendment issues, bridge the gap between libertarianism and the nanny state, make selling a gun more palatable for those in possession, and let the market promote peace.
Where did you get the idea to buy back guns?
“I lived in New Orleans’ 8th Ward for many years and witnessed what felt like endless deaths of boys who hadn’t had a chance in life. Just as I was moving to Australia my good friend Rayshon was shot–he was 19 and an aspiring musician. I couldn’t believe it happened to him as he had no connection to gangs or the neighborhood’s cycles of honor killings.
“Then, living in Australia I saw no gun violence. After a major Tasmanian massacre in the 1990s the government decided to buy back the country’s entire stockpile of guns. Being American, and having some slight libertarian leanings, I found the nanny state approach distasteful, but at the same time, had to acknowledge it worked. So I found myself with one foot on each side of a great divide.
“On the one hand I believe in personal liberty and feel that gun ownership should be a choice. But on the other I see that America’s approach is not working, and the class system combined with our gun policy is allowing too many innocent boys to die just because they are born in the wrong neighborhood.
“Then I had a breakthrough: What if we use individual liberty and the free market to create gun control? By offering private money we circumvent 2nd amendment issues and let the market promote peace.”
“The key, it seemed to me, was to place the buyback in the center of a high violence area where it is accessible (to both those who choose to sell guns as well as those who steal them–theft is rampant in the neighborhood). It was also essential to have the trust of the neighborhood, which I felt well poised for as I’d lived in the 8th Ward for 10 years and have close ties to the community.
“To further the incentive for trading guns in I partnered with celebrity rappers to create a recording studio (Gun Metal Records) where the neighborhood can lay tracks with their heroes. If anyone can inspire a young man to turn his gun in it is a rapper. That’s who they look up to. The rappers promoted the buyback through radio ads, billboards and fliers they distributed in nightclubs.”
How did you come to decide the best forum would be a “buy back party?”
“Block parties are something New Orleanians do to mark every event. It’s an integral part of the culture. I also felt that tying the buyback to a party would make the idea of selling your gun more palatable. When you have all the best rappers and dancers and your favorite radio DJ out telling you to join the buyback it has greater appeal. It also rallies the neighborhood around the idea that the killing has got to end. I don’t expect gun violence to disappear, but a few young boys may be inspired to look down upon killing as a way of life.”
Is the buy back project a result of coming into contact with the environment you moved into in St Roch? Is this an example of life/work leads to a new environment leads to a new kind of art?
“Absolutely! Living in the 8th Ward was one hundred percent my inspiration for this project, and in particular, losing Rayshon whom I thought would be my friend for life. Art is a reflection of our experience; in some practices it is our experience. Becoming part of the neighborhood ecology inspired me to use the biennial to shine light into the problem of youth mortality in the 8th Ward–and as I’ll later discuss, the problem of personal disenfranchisement in privileged white culture ;) I am not particularly political, in fact I have always hated political art. I’ve specifically noted in Life is Art writings how much I hate it, but what can I say? You become what you hate.
“That being the case: I don’t think it is acceptable that we allow neighborhoods in America to languish like we do in St Roch. The gun death statistics there are the same as they are in war. And it is certainly not all about access to guns. We’ve really let our fellow Americans slip through the cracks in a way that more socially minded 1st world countries would never do.
“That said, the community has an incredible resilience and bright vitality. The 8th Ward can teach us a lot about how to live as a connected, mutually supportive culture. It is completely different from the modern American way where we have very little interaction with our neighbors. In this way, coming to the 8th Ward and witnessing the close ties in the community is incredible. Simply witnessing this was a highlight of the Biennial.”
How did the buy back party go? Could you describe it from the perspective of an art viewer?
“The block party was touching and awe-inspiring. There was a very warm, amplified energy with all the neighbors out for a common cause. I think the art viewers were a little blown away by the power of the culture. You had Mardi Gras Indians, Caramel Curves, a custom car show, performing horse riders, the best local rappers, dance troupes–all the highlights of New Orleans’ culture. New Orleans Airlift, a group of local artists and curators, did a beautiful job choreographing the opening ceremony. I think out of town visitors were overwhelmed. Many approached with tears in their eyes saying they had never seen anything like it. I’m glad we got to share a little of what New Orleans has to offer with the high art world. It also felt satisfying and a little subversive to highlight what is already here, as opposed to the usual biennial approach of bringing famous international artists into an environment. (That said we also showed several international artists through performance, our billboards advertising the buyback, and The Embassy interior. They were all really touched by the collaboration with local artists.)”
The buyback
“The buyback itself was magical. There was a line around the block of very nervous, agitated people. But as soon as they entered the room they grew hushed. It was very quiet and dark with lights only on the piles of guns and a sculpture (by Louise Riley). In the back of the all-velvet room a solo cellist played softly and beautifully. There was a sense of ceremony and reverence around the whole experience. Those trading in their guns became part of the piece; some sellers lingered, mesmerized by it all. We received 500 guns. I personally took in several assault weapons which was disturbing but also moving.
“People wanted to share the stories of their guns. Many wives and girlfriends came on behalf of their partners, or to get rid of a gun that belonged to their dead partner. By 4 p.m. the reverends accepting the guns were exhausted–I hired one of their gospel singers to perform just to keep them going (they all joined in singing and clapping) and we closed at 5–still with half the cash (!) ready for round 2.”
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Kirsha Kaechele
Kirsha Keachele is an art curator and artist, and is the founder of Life is Art Foundation/KKProjects, an art space composed of six abandoned houses in the St Roch neighborhood, and The Embassy, a living installation in the 8th Ward of New Orleans.
The Embassy is a collaboration of artists, rappers and reverends for the purpose of inspiring the hearts and minds of New Orleans youth, to celebrate the vitality and creativity of the community and broach the tragedy of youth mortality through gun violence.
The Embassy’s gun buyback project is the biggest buyback in New Orleans history. The Embassy provides $100,000 solely for puchasing guns from sellers who remain anonymous. The guns are later destroyed by the Police Department, witnessed by the New Orleans and Jefferson Parish Gun Buyback Committee (GNOJPGBC).
Have you ever wondered about fake art and the authenticators who can tell the difference between real and fake?
In this article, world-renowned art authenticator Dr Kilian Anheuser of Geneva’s Fine Arts Expert Institute (FAEI) explains about the problem of art fakes in the $60bn yearly art market, what types of paintings are more often forged or faked, the fate of paintings that cannot be authenticated, the ongoing duel between art faker and art authenticator, and the means and methods by which authenticators discover whether a painting is real or not.
Some of this information may surprise you–the questions are not as simple as they might at first seem.
Fakes are certainly a major problem for the art market today, but the real issues cannot be reduced to a simple question like “Is it a fake or not?”
Most paintings have undergone considerable changes during successive cleaning and conservation campaigns which are perfectly normal even for late 19th/early 20th century “modern” art, now already more than a hundred years old.
Any earlier paintings, such as the old masters with extremely high market values, you will never ever find in their original state. Some of these, discovered in very poor condition, would effectively be re-painted by a skilled conservator on their original support, with just traces of the original paint layer remaining.
Should this be called a fake or an example of outstanding restoration?
Anyway, we feel a potential buyer ought to know what exactly he will get for his money.
With the old masters there is also the issue of historic copies–often of high quality and by skilled period artists–or multiple workshop copies. Pre-modern workshops were enterprises with apprentices and employees, not studios where an inspired artist worked on his own. Art historians know about these issues, many investors in art do not.
Dr Anheuser at work
There are of course outright fakes.
We get to see many of them, and we are certainly more aware of the situation than many others. Money always attracts shady characters, and as you say there is plenty of money in the art market. It is difficult to set a starting point. Ten years ago or twenty, whatever, but the trend is clear and will continue for as long as there is money to be made. At present, only a small minority of collectors, art dealers and investors protect themselves through a proper scientific expertise before a purchase. All too often in the past, and often enough still at present, a painting on which doubts have been cast will simply be sold on to someone unaware or willing to take a gamble. Otherwise, if the authenticity of a work of art is never questioned because for all parties concerned it is convenient not to know, the painting will retain its market value, be it fake or genuine. Such are the economics of the art market.
Money is the incentive for most art forgeries.
Other motivations such as personal revenge are relatively rare. This means that for a forger or an unscrupulous restorer the ratio between effort and prospective gain must remain interesting. Old masters with their sophisticated painting techniques and historic materials difficult to obtain are relatively rarely outright fakes. In this sector you’d rather find concealed restorations to “improve” the looks of a painting, or to get a prestigious attribution accepted.
Modern art is more likely to be faked outright.
Yes, forgers do know about scientific techniques and historic working practices. Never underestimate your opponents. Most (exept for those who simply cannot be bothered as someone is always likely to buy their painting eyes shut because they cannot resist a tempting bargain) do try to avoid beginner’s mistakes as far as pigments are concerned, and they would also focus for example on lesser known artists who still sell for good money but where a potential buyer is less likely to demand a sound scientific expertise than for a premium painting.
A serious scientific authentification laboratory does not simply carry out isolated tests.
What we and also our colleagues in museum laboratories and elsewhere do is to look for inconsistencies between materials, techniques and known workshop practices. Even if physico-chemical analysis brings up no anachronistic elements as such, meaning that in principle all the materials and techniques were available and in use at the time in question, the painting techniques and materals may still not match what is known about a painter’s working habits, known from historic sources or other technological studies. To make the most of the analytical results, these cannot therefore be interpreted in isolation but must always be discussed in their historic and art historical context.
Herein lies the difference between a typical university scientist competent in the use of his analytical methods who may come up with a correct analytical result but will be unable to tell you more, and a specialized paintings authentication laboratory who will know the crucial questions to be asked, and who will be able to interpret the results to work out the answers.
These laboratories bring together different competences such as conservation scientists, technical art historians and conservators, each of whom is able to contribute complementing observations from their own specialty background. At FAEI, for example, we are a scientific team of two chemists-cum-art historians, each with some 20 years experience in the scientific analysis of works of art, an imaging specialist and a qualified paintings conservator. Similar competences can be found in museum laboratories (most countries have at least one major museum equipped with a scientific laboratory, in the UK for paintings this would be for example the National Gallery in London, in the US there are several such as the Chicago Institute of Art, the National Gallery in Washington DC, or the Getty Conservation Institute in L.A.). However, these would not normally take on work for private clients, which is where laboratories like ours come in, providing services to collectors, art dealers, investors, and also to public institutions.
