Current Conflicts
All you hear plastered on news channels, see on social media and talk about in daily discussion is about the conflicts and wars that are occurring in our world. Although many people are thousands of miles away from the war zones it stills lingers in your mind... "What is happening" or "Why do innocent people have to die" and "Sadly there is nothing I can about it".
As an organisation, we have made an executive decision to currently focus on areas which need the most assistance; through intense research and comprehension we have decided that Iraq and Syria is where we shall address all our projects now, but in the near future look forward extending our projects.
As an organisation, we have made an executive decision to currently focus on areas which need the most assistance; through intense research and comprehension we have decided that Iraq and Syria is where we shall address all our projects now, but in the near future look forward extending our projects.
The Truth
Below was a video created to explain and outline the facts of children in warzone. It was established to provide people a greater understanding in their struggles on a daily, weekly, monthly and even yearly scale.
History
To understand what is currently undergoing in the world, it is essential to understand the history of countries such as Iraq and Syria, which currently are undergoing crucial wars. Although we live in in a time of rapid change and a time of progress.
The goal of history is to tell a story about the past and allowing us to shape the present; learning from our mistakes and making more diplomatic and cost-effective decisions in the future.
The goal of history is to tell a story about the past and allowing us to shape the present; learning from our mistakes and making more diplomatic and cost-effective decisions in the future.
Iraq
Iraq is a beautiful country, being home to the oldest civilizations in the world and having a cultural history of over 10,000 years. The first recorded war in modern day Iraq (Sumer) was fought in a city of Basra in 2700 B.C. Fast forwarding to the twentieth century, The Republic of Iraq was established in 1958, controlled by Saddam Hussein from 1979 to 2003, when a US-led invasion demolished the dictatorship. The war was declared formally over in December 2011, with the U.S. troops leaving the country. In December 2013, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) began a broad campaign in northern and western Iraq. By January 2014, they had captured Fallujah and Ramadi causing global criticism.
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Syria
Between 274 – 271 BC saw Syria’s first war between rulers Ptolemy II and Antioch-us I. In the late twentieth century, 1970, the Ba'ath Party ruled autocratically. Following the leader's dead, Hafez al-Assad, his son, Bashar al-Assad became the succeeder. On the 16th January 2011 (during the Arab Spring) his government faced the ongoing Syrian civil war where citizens demanded the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad, the overthrow of his government, and an end to nearly five decades of Ba'ath Party Rule. In August 2014, ISIS fighters move towards the Turkey-Syria border using armored cars looted from Iraqi military bases and seize the Al-Twarah airbase, the last remaining stronghold of Bashar al-Assad's government in Ar-Raqqah Governorate.
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Perspectives
As a non-profitable organisation, we have an independent mind not controlled by any government, groups or individuals. Yet we believe it is important to represent one another perspectives equally with no bias. Perspectives enable people to take the time to understand the other person’s views and concepts, respecting whatever is important to the other party. *Only a few perspectives have been shown out of a sign of respect.
Children
No children enjoy war. No children want war. A current interview with an escaped victim described her ordeal but although this story is just about one girl, the United Nations has stated that they each independently paint a similar picture of how the militants scattered the children around the broad swath of territory controlled by ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The girls are sold to the group's foreign fighters or other supporters for "marriage" and the boys are forced to join their movement. Through reading and listening to the interviews we are able to understand the determination people are willing to undergo in order to have freedom.
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In Sinjar, the 15-year-old girl and two of her sisters were kidnapped and shifted from one place to another. She said they were kept in the Badosh Prison until U.S. airstrikes began around the town and the militants took her to ISIS' biggest stronghold, Mosul, in northern Iraq. From the city of Mosul, she was taken to, the Syrian city of Raqqa. "They took girls to Syria to sell them," she said, "I was sold in Syria. I stayed about five days with my two sisters, then one of my sisters was sold and taken (back) to Mosul, and I remained in Syria." In Raqqa she was first married off to a Palestinian man. She claims she shot him, saying the Palestinian's Iraqi housekeeper helped her by giving her a gun. She fled but because she had nowhere to run she returned to ISIS' house where she was first held. She was sold again, this time to a Saudi militant, who told her "I'm going to change your name to Abeer, so your mother doesn't recognize you,'" she said. "'You'll become Muslim, then I will marry you.' But I refused to become a Muslim and that's why I fled."She said she saw the fighters at time taking a powdered drug. So she poured it into tea she served to the Saudi and the other men, causing them to fall asleep. Then she fled the house and found a man who would drive her to Turkey to meet her brother.
Through this interview, we are able to identify that girls are seen as objects and material possession yet each girl knows and has the passion to fight for there rights; no matter the cost. Women are strong and can truly achieve whatever they require. The perspective shows us that women and girls are definitely not in favour of war and the illegal acts that occur around it.
Merwan Mohammed Hussein talked with CNN and stated that “When ISIS first grabbed me I was terrified. They hit me with cables… Others were more severely beaten, some electrocuted, even hung from the ceiling. We were afraid of them. When are they going to kill us? Today? Tomorrow?” He then went on to say “We found out the truth, that they don’t just slaughter someone without evidence without finding out if they are infidel or not.” and asked by the reporter what Merwan thought of his ISIS captors and their beliefs he stated "They are right.”
The scariest and saddest part of the interview with Merwan was that children are young and very easily influenced by the environment and people surrounding them. It is never really easy stating what a true child's perspective of war is, due to the fact of that they are so young and naive... it may take years for them to understand and gain their own perspective.
Parents
The main responsibility of a parent is to look after their children; with majority of parents sincerely caring and providing love. Parents in any country (e.g. Iraq, Syria, Australia, United States of America, Russia, South Africa, Argentina etc.) will always try to provide the best for their children and their safety. Below are some comments made by parents about the war and the involvement of ISIS.
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“What’s important to us now is that the children continue receiving knowledge correctly, even if they lose a whole academic year and an official certification,” Mosul resident who identified himself only by his nickname of Abu Hassan for fear of reprisals. Abu Mohammed said that he and his wife were home schooling their children to ensure they "continue receiving knowledge correctly." That father said the militants will brainwash the children and "contaminate their thoughts."
Going against militant orders, parents are keeping their children home for the betterment of their futures. Although they have mixed feelings of fear, resistance and uncertainty, they try their best to provide a safe environment for their children in a difficult situation.
Last Friday, Daniel was killed. All the precautions we had taken failed. Daniel, 4.5 yrs old, was killed in our House, while playing with Yoval in a tent built indoors and not outside, because it's dangerous. He was killed from a mortar shell that was shot by terrorists from Gaza, he died in our hands. Daniel died in front of his little sister and his best friend Yoval, 3.5 years old; he died in front of Uri, only four months old and right before our eyes, his mother and father.
We failed. We couldn't protect our beautiful and talented baby. Daniel was killed from a mortar shell that was fired by Hamas members from an elementary school for boys in Gaza City. It wasn't a stray shell. It wasn't accidental death. From that school terrorists fired deliberately at the kibbutz to murder civilians — children, women, old people. This time, they also achieved their goal. Daniel was killed almost immediately. Daniel's father, Doron, covered him with a blanket while crying bitterly and we escaped from home with two small children, leaving our precious son behind, in order to protect them from bombings that continued to explode around the house. Yoval, Daniel's sister, saw the terrifying sight and understood that something terrible happened. It is unbearable to watch that little child staring at the wall, in overwhelming silence with teardrops from her eyes.
This letter was written to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, offering perspective about his establishing an international committee to investigate war crimes. It was constructed by Gila and Doron Tragerman who were parents of 4 ½-year-old Daniel, who was killed by a mortar attack on their kibbutz. This enables us all to see that although parents may try their best, they are not always successful against the powerfulness of war and its destructions.
Religious Perspective
A project called "Not in my name" was created by British Muslims taking a stand against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) by launching a social media campaign to deliver an important message: Hate and violence do not represent their religion.The campaign is part of an online effort to curb the damaging representation of their religion by ISIS. Many say that extremists are “hiding behind a false Islam" and is not a true representation of Islam.
Through the perspective we are all called to realise that just because some extremist are taking part in destructive causing that does not represent the religion. Therefore extremists are defined as a person who holds extreme political or religious views, especially one who advocates illegal, violent, or other extreme action.
“Our ultimate goal is to raise the level of awareness in a way that helps to inoculate the Muslim community against cries and appeals from elsewhere calling Muslims to violent extremism,” said Imam Al-Hajj Talib ‘Abdur-Rashid, president of the Islamic Leadership Council.
Muslim imams and scholars based in the UK and US have condemned the “oppressive and tyrannical self-styled Caliphate”, and denounce the rise of extremist groups, particularly Daesh or ISIS, also known as the Islamic State.