Daily Archives: April 15, 2021

The student-organized symposium, Loving Our Planet Like We Should Love Each Other: Disability in the time of climate crisis took place on March 9. The symposium, which offered live captioning and American Sign Language-English interpreting for panelists and attendees, was organized and hosted by the students of the Linguistics 102 course, shedding light on the resources and passions that can be mobilized amongst the University of Michigans student body. Though the focus was on the climate crisis, the conversation was particularly special in that it was mindful of the intersectional effects of racism, classism and ableism, and the panelists were well-equipped to speak on each matter.

The event opened with a land acknowledgement, noting that the broadcast took place from unceded Anishinaabe territories of Osawa, Bodwadmi (Potawatomi) and Meskwahki-asa-hina (Fox) peoples. Additionally, the event was in memoriam of the many disabled people, Black and Indigenous community members and people of color who have died preventable deaths in the disaster that has been the COVID-19 pandemic and in honor of the students class member Steven Halland.

The symposium featured four panelists: Rafi Darrow, Izzy Laderman, Teddy Dorsette III and Sarah Young Bear-Brown.

Rafi explained that their experience with chronic migraines while living in a fire-prone area, amid climate chaos and bad air quality, has limited their access to the outside world, and has forced them to be strategic about when and how to go outside and engage. Rafi has set an intention to nurture solidarity between the chronically ill, neurodivergent, mobility-disabled and sensory-disabled communities through the Bay Area Disabled Dance Collective, of which they are a founding member. As well, they facilitate informative dialogue about disability justice and dance through the Sins Invalid Podcast, Into the Crip Universe.

Izzy, who described her personality as one of fairy lights and potted plants, spoke to her relationship with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. She attested to the fact that many disabled or ill people deal with more than just one disability, and her experience with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is accompanied by over 10 additional diagnoses. Izzy has embraced this indubitable pain to mobilize a community and is now the founder and director of Disability Awareness Around the Climate Crisis at only 17 years old. Through this platform, she informs the public on the intersections of disability and the climate crisis, as well as sex education.

Teddy immediately acknowledged his being Black and deaf are two inseparable identities in his life, as they are inseparable for all disabled people of color who have been limited by society and political authority. Like Izzy and Rafi, Teddy has dedicated his work to uplifting people who have been provided similar limitations as he. He is a social justice advocate, an entrepreneur and a filmmaker. As co-founder of Teddyboy Entertainment and Def Lens Media, he helps provide resources for others to nurture their creative skills and realize their dreams. For hard of hearing and deaf youth, he established Reel Def Entertainment, which is a non-profit that helps the youth pursue their creative arts interests. He is also the communications manager and an organizer at Detroit Disability Power.

Sarah is a member of the Fox Tribe of the Meskwahki nation in Iowa. Sarah is a social justice advocate, a political figure and a businesswoman. She has been an activist for the Indigenous Deaf community since 2014 and advocated for the No Dakota Access Pipeline organization at Standing Rock alongside 20,000 other advocates. Sarah has taken her platform into the political realm as the Vice-Chair for the Native American Caucus for the Iowa Democratic Party, and she is the founder of Gathering of Deafatives, an organization for the Indigenous deaf community. And, as a businesswoman, she creates and sells beadwork through her small business SAYBB Creations Beadwork.

Each panelist is active in their respective communities, fostering awareness and creating resources for the issues enforced unto them and their environments. Community activism has long been an essential part of safety and survival amid lower-income and disabled populations. This is largely because political and authoritative figures have failed to address disparities across all aspects of life and have often been the root of the matter. Though the plights presented to the disabled community vary, climate chaos is a frequent inhibition for those with disabilities when it comes to having access to day-to-day pleasures or when it comes down to survival.

It has become apparent that the climate crisis serves both as a genesis for disability and as a worsening factor of pre-existing conditions. Rafi spoke to their friends experiences with tick-borne Lyme disease, which they note has been on the rise across the country and is a result of climate change. Ticks would normally be killed off in lower temperatures; however, because of global warming, ticks now thrive in certain areas they didnt used to inhabit. Rafi further explained that this is not new information, but that disabled people are publicly responding to what is happening around us all. Similarly, though Izzys condition is genetic and was not caused by the climate crisis, she has many peers whose conditions do lead back to the climate. She reiterated the necessity of recognizing the intersections of environmental racism, ableism and classism, noting that the people most oppressed by such systems often reside in close proximity to toxic pipelines, plants and other damaging infrastructures and meanwhile have less access to medical care. To reiterate this, Izzy described her friend, who lived near a trash-burning plant and had highly active asthma. When this woman moved to a middle-class white neighborhood, her asthma went away. People facing ableist conditions deal with more dire impacts of the climate crisis because of their proximity to the infrastructures causing the climate crisis, and because disabled people are two times more likely to be in poverty, this cyclic proximity to environmental danger is inarguably biased against their livelihood.

When these environmental threats are compounded with racism and ableism, there is often a lack of information distributed to those living amid the consequences of such systems. Teddy addressed the Flint water crisis as an example. He reflected on his time as the president of Detroit Black Deaf Advocates during which the advocates sought access to clean water and other scarcely provided resources noting that the deaf and disabled communities in Flint had less access to information and were more drastically impacted. Teddy said that people did not even know where or how to access safe supplies. In this case, deafness and Black-ness are simultaneously weaponized against individuals, limiting access to survival necessities. Sarah added that Indigenous people were struggling similarly amid the Flint water crisis and that this is not new; Indigenous communities across the country, such as in the Navajo Nation, have been suffering from water scarcity for years. Within the reservation, Sarah said there are 100,000 people living in extreme poverty without access to clean water, which further perpetuates disabilities. People have to walk far distances to get water bottles, and there are no cars, so as illnesses increase, the lack of accessibility to medical attention factors into an exacerbating death toll.

Rafi affirmed that in their hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., communities are gravely affected by poor air and water quality and that this is an apparent trend amongst majority Black, Indigenous or otherwise systemically oppressed communities, including lower-income populations. They went on to reference multiple environmental determinants that have caused harm to their community such as old factories causing asthma and other respiratory illnesses. Teddy notes that the impact of this air pollution has caused particular harm to Black women when considered alongside the neglect of Black maternal, physical and mental well-being.

Those disproportionately subject to the effects of the climate crisis, such as deaf and disabled communities, as well as racially and economically oppressed communities, are afforded fewer job opportunities, often of lesser pay, which limits their mobility to relocate to cleaner, more resource-filled neighborhoods. This being said, higher-paying jobs should not be the only way to save oneself from the climate crisis. A political, cultural and societal shift is required to stop neglecting lower-income communities and aspire to a cleaner environment for the planet and ourselves.

Teddy best summarized this when he said, Were already trapped in this rigid system, and thats compounded by what is called our disability. Rafi puts this simply, making it clear that innately, disability justice cannot exist without racial justice.

One of the larger issues to be addressed is the communication barriers that exist and limit the knowledge disabled communities, particularly disabled Black and Indigenous communities and people of color, receive about their own conditions and environments. Panelists acknowledged this drastic lack of accessible communication provided to those with relevant disabilities, which has consequently threatened survival for many. Specifically, Sarah condemned the United States government for the lack of interpreters present at the height of reporting on the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarah recalled having to push Iowa state officials to provide interpreters during broadcasts and said she has to find her own interpreters when advocating or being publicly active, which is an expensive request.

When there is no interpreter I am 100% locked out of information, Sarah said. I am lost, I have no idea what is happening, I dont know where to go, I dont know where to get help, I dont have the information I need to survive.

Unfortunately, according to Sarah, officials handling the COVID-19 pandemic were inconsistent with providing interpreters, noting sometimes they would be present, and then after a couple of press conferences, they would seemingly disappear again, flowing in and out with societal pressure. As a result, Sarah and many others were unable to understand the pandemics implications in full detail. She said she relied on her tribe for communication and information access regarding COVID-19, as she has relied on them so many times in the past when authorities have failed to consider inclusive accessibility.

The poor communication between officials and the deaf community manifested to the point where it became a matter of life-or-death for some disabled individuals. Teddy reflected on a deaf woman from Cincinnati, Ohio, that had contracted COVID-19, but communication barriers kept the medical staff from diagnosing her with it, and she later passed away from this preventable event. A similar incident happened in Detroit, Mich., with 71-year-old Joyce Davis. Davis went to Henry Ford Hospital for breathing complications in March 2020, but according to a family friend, the hospital did not realize she had COVID-19 until six days later. Davis, who was also deaf, expressed her frustration over not having access to an interpreter during her hospital stay. With communication resources such as interpreters, these and many other deaths could have been easily preventable.

Amid all of these barriers and limitations, communities have been politically disregarded but communally embraced, which has reinforced the importance of community engagement and aid, because it is continuously the most reliable system of care. Panelists expressed the significance of community and the responsibilities able-bodied people can assume in their communities. Sarah stated that her tribe has been far more helpful than government officials, and this tribal and community support is prevalent at a national level. When Texas experienced their lowest temperatures of the year, a local group took to the streets, passing out water, formula, clothing and other basic necessities. By contrast, when her tribe requested COVID-19 tests from government authorities, Sarah said the government sent back body bags instead, perpetuating a communal distrust for those who are supposed to enforce safety around us. As a result, Sarah said her tribe sought out COVID-19 vaccines without the help of the government.

Izzy also emphasized the importance of help from the community, telling attendees of a time when her community came together to help a neighbor of hers. A neighbors car was stuck in unplowed snow and unable to reach the hospital for liver dialysis. Other community members were able to dig the car out of the snow so he could travel to the hospital and receive treatment.

Izzy concluded that the government is unreliable because implemented policies continuously oppress or neglect disabled people. This oppression is intersectionality systemic, enforcing limitations based on race, gender and socioeconomic means as well.

Acknowledging this, Izzy shared the four steps to ensuring change is implemented in your community. She noted this symposium has accomplished the first two steps, and that as individuals, it is our duty to continuously execute steps three and four:

Along with promoting aid within your community, Teddy brought awareness to the significance of having representation in positions of power. He expressed a desire to see more elected officials that are Black, deaf, blind or hard of hearing. Teddy believes that in order to create viable solutions to issues the disabled community faces, society needs to stop controlling the narrative for disabled people, respect the platform that disabled people are deserving of and recognize the holistic societal benefit that comes from inclusive and accessible conversations. In order to reduce misconceptions or assumptions, the panelists encouraged able-bodied people to reach out to the disabled community and ask what people may need. However, able-bodied people should be mindful and consult the internet before reaching out to the disabled community.

The event ended with the panelists reflecting on their journey with self-love. Rafi stated that joy is dance. They have found joy in accepting their body, the way it moves and the things it needs. Izzy tells attendees that it is okay to be body neutral, meaning that one does not always have to love the body they are in it is okay to just accept it. Sarah encouraged people to be mindful of the way they treat earth, declaring that self-love and love of the earth are one in the same.

We need to be the voice for the earth, we need to be (her) messenger, we need to be (her) caretaker, Sarah said. he gives us life and she gives us water and she gives us everything.

As a society, we often exclude ourselves from movements that address issues that do not affect us, but we have to understand that we must all fight for one another, against our oppressions, or none of these oppressive systems will be alleviated.

As Teddy put it, There are so many barriers, but there are also so many opportunities. If you cant find a way through that barrier, choose a different opportunity. Thats what Ive learned.

Some ways you can help create a healthier environment include:

Able-bodied individuals are responsible for amplifying opportunities and space for disabled people. This includes the actions listed above which can help reduce an individuals carbon footprint, leading to a healthier environment and limiting the environmental effects those with disabilities experience. As a society, we must uplift the voices of communities that need help, and more importantly, create resources and accessible spaces for these voices to be heard. We also must cease the narrative that disabled communities are voiceless, and rather embrace that as a society, we have to listen with greater intention and educate ourselves. Teddy closed the conversation, saying community always finds a way. When it comes to improving our care for the planet and our peers, we must start by recognizing our responsibility to find a way.

Managing MiC Editor Gabrijela Skoko can be reached at gskoko@umich.edu. MiC Columnist Anchal Malh can be reached at anchalm@umich.edu.

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Disability in the time of climate crisis - The Michigan Daily

LAHORE: PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah has said the NAB has transformed into an avenger from an investigative body.

Talking to media after the bail of PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif here Wednesday, Rana Sanaullah said Prime Minister Imran Khan and PMs Adviser on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar were controlling the NAB.

He said so far NAB has failed to prove corruption of a single rupee against Shahbaz. He said when oppression and injustice grow out of control then they disappear. He said we got justice though it was delayed so even then, we were thankful to the courts. If there is no judiciary, then there is chaos in the society, he added.

Rana Sanaullah announced that time has come to end victimisation. He said Shahbaz has completed development projects worth over Rs3150 billion and the NAB has failed to prove him guilty of corruption in even a single project in Punjab.

He said witch-hunting of opposition that has been going on for the last three years should now end. Flour and sugar thieves have made the lives of people miserable; he said, adding it has become inevitable to get rid of the incompetent gang.

The government has also stolen the morals and political traditions of the nation, he claimed, adding Shahbaz served Punjab in good faith but he was imprisoned at this age while suffering from cancer.

Today the narrative of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif has been fulfilled, now it is time to end victimisation, he said and alleged Imran Khan and Shehzad Akbar have become blind in political revenge. He said the PML-N will again serve the people of this country and province. To a question about the PDM, he said it was not an electoral alliance; they were fighting against the government and expect that the PPP and the ANP will continue their struggle against the government at their own level.

After Eidul Fitr there will be a full-fledged movement against the government, he announced, adding when we used to say that we were being victimised, no one believed but today Jahangir Tareen himself was saying that he was being victimised.

He said Imran Khan was taking action against Jahangir Tareen, who did every wrong thing to make him prime minister.

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Imran, Shahzad controlling NAB: Sana - The News International

Music runs in Marjan Greenblatts blood. The Iranian Jewish human rights advocate plays the piano and her mother is a lifelong violinist; her paternal grandfather played the tar, an Iranian long-necked instrument that resembles a guitar. At various points in Irans history, all non-liturgical music was forbidden to Muslims, while exceptions were made for the countrys Jews, Christians and Zoroastrians.

The Jewish community has been preserving the musical traditions [in Iran], because it was permitted for the Jews, even though it was banned for the Muslims, Greenblatt, 49, told Jewish Insider in a Zoom interview this week.

Greenblatts love of music was cultivated in Iran, but it stayed with her after she fled the country to France in the mid-1980s and later came to the U.S. Now, with the nonprofits Crowdsourcing Human Rights and Democracy Council, she is spearheading a project called Homanity, a compilation of original music by Iranian artists, most of whom are living abroad as political refugees. The compilation album, which is meant to highlight the continued censorship of music and culture in the Islamic Republic, will be released on May 7, with two singles coming out later this week. The title comes from the mythical phoenix Homa, which promotes freedom and protects those who fight for freedom from oppression, according to its website.

The music represents a range of styles: hip-hop, pop, rock, traditional Persian music, even heavy metal. Incredibly talented Iranian artists are adopting these Western styles of music, and theyre also putting in something that is inherently very, very Persian that is the power of Iranian poetry, which really dates back thousands of years in Iranian culture, said Greenblatt.

Many of the songs included in the compilation are distinctly political, following in the footsteps of past efforts linking music and activism like the Human Rights Campaigns 2002 Being Out Rocks. Behrouz Ghaemi, a British-Iranian guitarist and singer, will have a song out this Friday about the upcoming Iranian elections scheduled for June. The song is about the insignificance of the Iranian elections and the inconsequential nature of what they deem as a theatrical exercise, without any tangible change, Greenblatt explained. Yes, it will have a powerful statement, but it will also echo the sentiment that we are hearing from many people inside Iran, that they really do not know the purpose of this years elections, because all the choices have already been made.

The ones who have accepted our invitation, Greenblatt said, are those who have calculated the risk, and they understand that it is still important to spread the message about the persecution of artists inside Iran.

The other single being released this week comes from Justina, an Iranian rapper who sings about women and womens rights. Her new song is about love, which in Iran is not expressed publicly, especially not by women, Greenblatt told JI.

The dissident artists participating in Homanity are not the only musicians using music to spread a political message: Music has been used as an instrument of state propaganda since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The biggest practitioner of using music for political messages is the Islamic government itself, Greenblatt noted. They are commissioning Iranian artists [and] Iranian writers to write music that elevates their values, elevates their practices, elevates their political agenda, in order to influence the subliminal thinking of the Iranian people.

All but one of the musicians whose music will appear in the Homanity compilation have fled Iran and now live in countries including the U.S., the U.K., Sweden and Austria. But artists living abroad still face risks as do their family members who remain in Iran from participating in the project. The ones who have accepted our invitation, Greenblatt said, are those who have calculated the risk, and they understand that it is still important to spread the message about the persecution of artists inside Iran.

Greenblatt has a personal understanding of the risk to Iranians who dare to express themselves freely or read literature not approved by the religious government. When she was 14, she brought a poem to school that expressed hostility toward Irans government. It had profanity directed at leaders of the Islamic Republic. It was one of the most dangerous things that a 14-year-old could be caught with in the very highly charged Islamic atmosphere of my public school, Greenblatt recalled. She kept the poem hidden in the pages of a textbook, but she dropped it on the floor, where it was picked up by a dean.

It was not unheard of for teenagers 14-, 15-, 16-year-old girls to be put in jail, either because of bad hijabs or because of activism or because of stupid mistakes, like carrying an anti-government poem in their backpack, said Greenblatt. The dean told Greenblatt she would likely be kicked out of school, but she didnt stick around to find out: Her family smuggled her out of the country, alone, to live with her grandparents in France.

She was a child when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power seven years earlier, bringing with him strict religious requirements for everyone in the country. I had to start wearing the hijab, even from a young age. I had to line up every morning and chant lots of slogans that did not necessarily represent what I believed, or I didnt even understand what they meant, like, death to America, death to Israel, she said. For girls and women, there was extra pressure. We could not wear any makeup. We couldnt even have nail polish.

Music, movies and art were censored, but Greenblatt saw the beginnings of an underground resistance form. Now, the musicians have found a community for themselves, she said. In an underground world, they are creating music. Theyre having underground concerts, they are releasing albums, but none of this is on the surface. It remains a very clandestine, secret, almost dangerous operation to create [and] express themselves.

Im hearing from people who have attended those concerts or organize those concerts that at least half the time, they would be raided and they would be arrested, and they would face terrible, terrible consequences, Greenblatt said, but you cannot kill creative expression.

Iranians access censored music in a variety of ways: bypassing Internet filters, using VPNs (virtual private networks) to pretend to be accessing the Internet from abroad, passing around flash drives of music among trusted friends. If a taxi driver trusts a passenger, he might play unapproved music.

All of this comes at great personal risk. Most Iranian musicians use pseudonyms, or stage names, to try to stay anonymous. People who pass music around or attend concerts can face legal consequences.

Im hearing from people who have attended those concerts or organize those concerts that at least half the time, they would be raided and they would be arrested, and they would face terrible, terrible consequences, Greenblatt said, but you cannot kill creative expression.

Stories about Iran that appear in Western media often focus on the countrys government and military. Iran has always been a big part of American policy and the American news cycle, Greenblatt pointed out, but a lot of it is being told from the perspective of people who are not from Iran. A lot of those policies are being decided by pundits in Washington who do not have the personal perspective of what Iran is really like.

Iranians attempt to share their stories abroad when they can bypass the countrys Internet filters. One place where Iranians have been able to gather? Clubhouse, the app that hosts audio-only conversations that anyone can join, and that are not recorded. Iranians are finding ways to bypass some of the filters that were so quickly imposed on Clubhouse, Greenblatt noted. Some rooms are open 24 hours in a row, and theyre having these very intense, very passionate, heartbreaking conversations about their lives.

The hope is that Homanity will shed some light that might enlighten both the policymakers [and] also my American peers, whose opinion about Iran is mainly shaped by one-sided media stories, Greenblatt said.

What gets lost in the coverage of Iranian current events, she argued, is that many Iranians do not feel represented by the countrys government. The Iranian people have beliefs, have desires, have traditions that are not necessarily honored by their government.

Excerpt from:

With 'Homanity,' dissident Iranian artists are making their voices heard - Jewish Insider

While die Fight for die The formation of a government in Lebanon between President Michel Aoun on the one hand and President-elect Saad Hariri on the other hand continues to be the most intense, international pressure, especially European pressure, has increased die ruling class.

The escalation of the French accent specifically towards Lebanese officials reflects the extent of international dissatisfaction with the actions of those in power in Lebanon and the game of conditions and counterconditions they practice in forming the government, die has stalled for more than seven months as a result of the dispute between Aoun and Hariri over his form (technopolitical or independent specialists) and die Number of ministers in it.

Perhaps Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke to the French National Assembly a few days ago die violent French position against die Lebanese political forces expressed and stated that his country would take specific measures against those die preferring their personal interests to the interests of the country and die coming days will be fateful, and if these are not met, they are die Parties reasonable decisions and we will do our duty.

Is France, classified as a sponsor of Lebanon and with historical ties to it, inclined to use the stick of sanctions against political officials?

To answer this question, sources from the French capital, Al-Arabiya, said.netthat there is French anger over die Actions of the Lebanese political forces there, die seem unaware of the magnitude of the current crisis and its implications at all levels. This anger will not however in Penalties on die Knock down way. The American government, but action at the European level, supported by the United States and the Arabs, and the Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, who visited Paris before his visit in Visited Beirut, Lebanese officials informed die met with them that European anger is no joke on them.

However, the sources ruled out that Paris die Would use US-style sanctioning weapons to put pressure on Lebanese politicians. This procedure is very complicated and its application requires a special mechanism that contains evidence and documents, as was the case with the freezing of illegal assets in France for some African leaders and former Syrian Vice President Rifaat al-Assad. These measures were under pressure from NGOs in Paris and required years of investigation and the gathering of irrefutable evidence.

From here gave die Sources on: Paris is working behind the scenes to take action against Lebanese officials at the European Union level rather than the national level, such as a travel ban and entry visa ban (Schengen) politicians, their relatives and everyone who die have a relationship with them, as well as the freezing of the assets of Lebanese officials in France and in European Union countries.

She added: Le Drians statement last March before the meeting of the European Unions foreign ministers that Lebanon is collapsing and die Union must act to save him, proof that Paris prefers die Solving the Lebanon crisis from a European collective. Perspective whose effects are stronger and contribute to their initiative. The rescue, die President Marcon after his two visits in Beirut launched after the port explosion on August 4th.

They also affirmed die Sources that French President Emmanuel Macron will not visit Lebanon until a government is formed, die complies with the specifications of the French initiative, die he from the French embassy in Beirut launched, and die Formation of an important government of specialized ministers. He had his planned visit in Beirut postponed late last year because it was infected with the coronavirus without setting a new date for it.

The French escalation coincides with a letter from more than 100 people from Lebanese civil society in signed by the French newspaper Le Monde and die Calls for instructions to be issued to implement the legal mechanism for freezing assets of questionable origin, die Lebanese in France belong to political and economic leaders.

In this regard, said Nicolas Sarkis, an economist who die Message had prepared to Al-Arabiya.net: We sent the letter to the Elysee and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last Tuesday to die Accountability for die Corrupt and those die do this to ask. stolen die Lebanese Omar reaped whether they are individuals or official and banking institutions.

He also announced that they are currently attorneys in Assign Paris to file lawsuits against politicians accused of corruption and wasting public money, as well as two large banks, die had the largest share in financial technology, die die Central bank recently implemented and contributed significantly die Waste of Lebanese deposits and the collapse of the Lebanese pound against the dollar.

Sarkis pointed out that die French with their European colleagues in Stand in contact to dieTo coordinate measures, die taken against Lebanese officials, die Macron accused of collective treason some time ago.

It is noteworthy that Lebanon has suffered a severe economic collapse since 2019, aggravated with the catastrophic explosion of the port of Beirut last August, which killed at least 200 people, injured more than 6,500 others and public and private Persons were massively damaged property.

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French anger at Lebanese politicians and a message of oppression with 100 signatures - asumetech

The reports perspective.

The commissioners for this report consisted of 11 members and was chaired by Tony Sewell, a British educational consultant. In the Foreword written by Sewell the stance of the report on the existence of institutional racism within the UK is immediately apparent.

When addressing the deeply felt trauma and distrust in Black and ethnic communities there is repeated language that suggests the responsibility to resolve these issues, lies on those who are oppressed, not on the wider powers and institutions that created and maintain that oppression.

In this foreword, when analysing causes of the oppression, discrimination and prejudice in the UK, Sewell suggests 'The evidence shows that geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion have more significant impact on life chances than the existence of racism.'

Therefore, this report fails, from the outset to acknowledge that these factors all sit on their own intersections with race and as a result, when discussing Black and ethnic minority peoples they will always have an interaction with race and racism, be that on an interpersonal level or an institutional one. Sewell does follow this point up with an acknowledgment that 'we take the reality of racism seriously and we do not deny that it is a real force in the UK.'

On page 199, the report makes the claim that the evidence gathered suggests, 'there is no overwhelming evidence of racism in the treatment and diagnosis of mental health conditions' but admits that there is a need for more research to 'understand the impact of issues such as mistrust of the health services among some groups.'

The report also makes mention of the Wessely Review, that found 'Black people were 8 times more likely to be subjected to community treatment orders than White people, and 4 times more likely to be detained.'

The report continues 'Such disparity is often taken as evidence of racism' but then refutes this claim by providing evidence that instances of diagnosed schizophrenia among ethnic groups, particularly Black, are significantly higher.

This however, fails to acknowledge the causes of these higher rates of schizophrenia in Black and ethnic minority communities, and how they are entrenched in experiences of racism from a young age and institutional racism within Mental Health services, therapeutic approaches and psychiatry at large.

On the over-representation of Black and Brown people within Mental Health services and specifically as this pertains to higher rates of diagnosed schizophrenia within these communities, Anthea Victoria Benjamin from the UK Council of Psychotherapy said, "Any changes to address this on-going over-representation within the mental health service and the criminal justice system needs to take into consideration the social, political, historical, and cultural context.

Benjamin also noted that this over-representation reflects the longstanding exposure of Black and Brown people to overt and covert racism, linking this directly to the increased likelihood of developing mental health conditions such as schizophrenia.

We also spoke to Dawn Estefan, Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and expert in trauma. Estefan is also a writer and last year was awarded the 'Thought Leader Baton Award' for her work with women and diversity in mental health.

On institutional racisms effects on mental health, Estefan noted a failure in the report to acknowledge decades of peer reviewed research, previous government reports and independent reviews which have proved that racial disparities in health, particularly in mental health are driven (in part) by social inequality which is structurally determined.

It is important to acknowledge the existence of institutional racism in order for us as a country, appropriately address how it effects Black and ethnic minority communities. This notion was very pertinent to Estefan.

An aspect of how racism can affect mental health services that this report did not address, is the misdiagnosing of Black and ethnic minority peoples. On this issue, Dwight Turner from the UK Council of Psychotherapy said the report fails as a result of its top down view of the requirements of the Black community and that the section on the diagnosis of schizophrenia within these communities fails to recognise the frequent misdiagnosis of black people as per reports by Mind and other organisations.

Misdiagnosing someone due misunderstanding cultural differences, is an important aspect of how institutional racism impacts the experiences of Black and ethnic minority peoples at every stage of accessing mental health services.

This gap in understanding, from westernised therapeutic theory and ideologies to simply misinterpreting different cultural norms is upheld by institutional racism. As Dawn Estefan puts in her piece Breaking Down Racism in Mental Health Care for our site, The assumption that one size fits all and that everyone has a similar experience is a failure to understand the existence of racial disparities.

Similarly, on how the report fails to address the shortcomings of mental health services in their treatment of Black and ethnic minority peoples, Dwight Turner said the report tries again to shoehorn cultural differences for black patients into a mental health system which was not designed for them, thereby ignoring the mental health needs of a disparate, and diverse population.

'The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities' report, briefly mentions the evidence found by the Synergi Collaborative Centre, and its findings on how there is a growing and convincing body of evidence that psychosis and depressionare more likely in those exposed to racism. Although the report mentions this evidence, it fails to recognise the part institutional racism plays in upholding the very racism it admits to the existence of.

As demonstrated by the professional experience and insight that Anthea Victoria Benjamin, Dawn Estefan and Dwight Turner did kindly lend to this article, there is a misrepresentation of racism in the UK present in the report. This misrepresentation negates how exposure to racism informs the mental health of Black and ethnic minority people and of how it affects their experiences of accessing mental health services.

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The Sewell Race Report and mental health - Mental Health Today

Tel Aviv has learned how to weaponise international law to confound those seeking a solution towards freeing Palestinians of Israeli occupation.

While Israel operates outside of international law, inconsistent and contradicting interpretations thereof are employed, and indeed necessary, for Israels backers to secure Tel Avivs colonial grip on Palestine and conceal structural human rights violations.

According to what narrative is currently suitable, the Israeli regime presents Palestine either as a non-state or as a foreign country.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) officially opened an investigation into war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories. The Israeli government condemned the ICC and chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, accusing them of antisemitism.

Israel is not a signatory to the ICC and thusly claims it has no obligations. This week, Israel reiterated that it completely rejects any assertion made by the court. However, the controversy surrounding these latest events highlights the importance of approaching the situation in Palestine through international law.

A history of oppression

While the ICCs probe is a significant step forward regarding justice and accountability in Palestine, it only focuses on a marginal portion of Israeli atrocities. The probe takes into consideration the situation since 2014, when Israel launched another large-scale war on Gaza.

Palestinians have been victimised since the emergence of the racist settler-colonial project of Zionism. Israels ongoing human rights violations have been well-documented since the colony was officially founded in 1948 through a campaign of terror and ethnic cleansing, also known as the Nakba.

Israels maltreatment of international law is obvious. The Fourth Geneva Convention prohibits an occupying power from transferring its own population to occupied territory. It forbids forcible deportation of people from occupied territories. Population transfer and expulsion are, however, at the core of the Israeli settlement industry.

Daily life in Palestine is characterised by a plethora of colonial Israeli policies, including home demolitions, evictions, killings, extensive use of force, detention, and torture.

Numerous scholars as well as rights organisations have suggested that Israels actions amount to genocide.

Israels contradictory rhetoric

Israel has managed to avoid obligations under international law not only due to its role as a Western power, but also by insisting on a contradicting rhetoric.

While Israel controls all of Palestine and keeps the West Bank and Gaza under military occupation effectively preventing Palestinian statehood Israel simultaneously treats the Occupied Territories as a foreign country.

Israeli politicians openly consider all of Palestine to be Israel, justifying this through biblical references and colonial endeavours. The West Bank is referred to as Judea and Samaria. Israeli maps do not show Palestine. In fact, as Israel was created on top of, rather than alongside Palestine, any visibility of Palestinian national consciousness may jeopardise the colonial project.

The inconsistent approach becomes apparent, for example, through Israels blockade of Gaza or when Israel refuses to vaccinate Palestinians.

According to Article 56 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel, as the occupying power, islegally required to protect Palestinians. It is obliged to use preventive means to combat thespread of epidemics. Israel ignores this. Any actual aid given to Palestinians is presented as a benevolent gesture. In fact, Israels handling of the pandemic was internationally commended.

The practice of holding people under military subjugation while denying them basic human rights is called apartheid - a crime legally sanctioned under international law.

Diplomatic discourse

Israels colonial nature is absent from the dominant discourse that presents the situation in Palestine as a diplomatic conflict.

Israels major allies, which have a considerable interest in upholding this narrative, have voiced harsh criticism against the ICC.

Germanys Foreign Minister Heiko Maas claimed that the court has no jurisdiction because of the absence of the element of Palestinian statehood required by international law. Maas alleged Germany would support the establishment of a future Palestinian state as part of a two state solution negotiated by Israelis and Palestinians.

Maas illogical rhetoric is not new. Keeping Palestine/Israel within a lawless zone, Maas furthers the exclusion of Palestinians from access to rights while shielding Israel from accountability. When asked, where Palestinians should seek an investigation, German governmental representatives failed to voice a answer. Through its unconditional ideological support for Israel, Germany is highly complicit in the suffering of Palestinians and has helped sabotage any prospects of a Palestinian state.

Similar rhetoric was echoed by the US administration, who also had no answer when asked where Palestinians should turn to seek justice. The US Department of State's primary interest is its strong commitment to Israel and its security, and opposing actions that seek to target Israel unfairly.

In many ways, Israel depends on and serves as a proxy of the United States, which is committed to upholding Israels superior role in the region.

While Israels Western allies are shielding Tel Aviv from accountability, they justify their support for Israel through a rhetorical framework of diplomacy. But the two-state solution was never a viable concept, nor are there any negotiations. Rather, the two-state fallacy has served the United States, Germany, and others as an easy distraction from the actual problem. There can, of course, never be peace nor prosperity as long as Israel exists in its current form.

Israels colonial expansionism necessitates constant oppression and exclusion of Palestinians. An implementation of human rights would mean the end of Israel as we know it today.

The colonial component of the ICC

Yet, the ICC itself follows the approach of two sides. In its statement, it equates both Palestinian and Israeli victims. One cannot discuss justice in Palestine without addressing the core issue. The Zionist project was intended as a European colony in Western Asia. The settler-colonial nature of Israel is evident in the continuity of the Nakba.

The ICCs central concern is, however, directed toward the victims of crimes, both Palestinian and Israeli, arising from the long cycle of violence and insecurity that has caused deep suffering and despair on all sides.

The cycle of violence is a common Orientalist trope that implies parity where there is none. One side is the indigenous population. The other side is a nuclear-armed, first-World settler movement. Israeli actions and Palestinian reactions have different causes.

Under international law, Palestinians have a legal right to resist. The legitimacy of peoples struggles for liberation from colonial and foreign domination and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle'' is enshrined in UN resolution 37/43. Yet, the Palestinian struggle is still more often than not dismissed as terrorism.

The ICC itself has been criticised for having a colonial bias and a tendency to focus its prosecutions on Africans. The system of international law has its flaws as well. While the ICCs approach itself may not consider the colonial component of the situation in Palestine, it has, however, the potential to raise attention toward rights violations and war crimes.

A focus on international law may be of importance to make visible Israels fragile dependence on its Western backers as well as Tel Avivs manifold responsibilities for Palestinian suffering.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT World.

We welcome all pitches and submissions to TRT World Opinion please send them via email, to opinion.editorial@trtworld.com

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For Israel, disregard of international law is a strategy of occupation - TRT World

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On March 30th, the French senate voted to stop women under the age of 18 from publicly wearing any sort of religious clothing that is only worn by women. The bill favors the prohibition in the public space of any conspicuous religious sign by minors and of any dress or clothing which would signify an interiorization of women over men. While the exact wording doesnt explicitly state it, this is a direct attack on Muslim women.

During adolescence, young Muslim women may choose to begin wearing a hijab to cover their hair. This newest ban targeting Muslim women as a part of the Sepratist Bill. While the French government claims the bill exists to promote secularism a separation of state and religion it feels less like a way to promote individualism and more like forced assimilation.

Its not just the hijab ban for young girls thats so infuriating. Mothers who wear hijabs wouldnt be able to chaperone field trips either. I dont know about how things are in France, but we know its hard to find parents to volunteer for field trips. So theyre going to exclude willing volunteers because they choose to wear a hijab. It is beyond comprehension to me. If a mother wants to, and can be an active participant in her childs education, why would you use her religious choice to bar her from doing so? Thats not fair at all.

Additionally, burkinis would be banned at public swimming pools. That is just as confusing to me. A woman wears a burka to keep modest. Why would the government want to force her to expose parts of her body she chooses not to expose? What gives them the fucking right?

This hijab ban is the just the latest attack on the freedom of Muslim women in France. In 2010, President Nicholas Sakozy placed a ban on all face coverings, which include the burqa and niqab. While things like hoods are also banned, you cant say this doesnt disproportionately target Muslim women. A UN committee stated that the niqab ban is a violation of human rights in a 2018 ruling. [R]ather than protecting fully veiled women, [the ban] could have the opposite effect of confining them to their homes, impeding their access to public services and marginalizing them, the committee concluded.

With this hijab for young girls, the French government thinks theyre doing a good thing. They believe theyre saving hijabi girls from being forced into doing something they dont want to. And thats incredibly admirable, but for many young girls, wearing a hijab is a choice. Its admirable that theyre trying to fight for young womens rights, but this isnt the way to go about it. Its incredibly short sighted to say the least.

Honestly, the whole idea goes beyond this weird obsession with French nationalism. It actually feels very white savior-y, and thats something thats important to acknowledge. The French government is basically saying that they know whats best, and young hijabi girls need to be told what is safe for them to do. The government is just trying to save them from themselves. And how in the world can that be wrong?

Well, thats the thing the white, French government telling young girls of color who wear a hijab they cant wear them is not the flex they think it is. Mainly because it doesnt feel like French nationalism as much as forced assimilation. That would be bad enough, but to do it under the guise of protecting young girls feels really fucking slimy. You cant in one breath say that youre promoting a separating of state and religion and then have the state tell you that you cant practice all the parts of your religion. Its either one or the other you cant have it both ways and expect people to be okay with it.

There is a real infantilization of Muslim women. We live in a society where women wearing the hijab are prevented from working, from doing sports, from singing on a TV show, and from accompanying children on a school outing, French-Tunisian fashion contributor Taqwa Bint Ali told Vogue Arabia. All these polemics and laws that have a desire to liberate women push these women to stay home. It is very ironic when the clichs perceive us as women who do not leave the house and do not work because of male authority when in reality, it is the government that wants to erase us from society.

I dont know how people cant see that this will do active harm. A hijab ban will not save anyone it will make young Muslim women retreat further into the depths of society. By telling them they dont have freedom to practice their religion in the manner they see fit, the French government is telling them they dont matter. And that they will never be a real part of French society.

Could you imagine living in a country that openly and continuously denies you any kind of rights? Why would you want to contribute to the culture of your oppressors? The ban is only ensuring that Muslim women give up their religion to be French, whatever that means. Practicing their religion brings them a sense of comfort, community and belonging. Does being French do that? Not likely, considering they have no problem oppressing people.

If you need additional proof that the hijab ban is nothing more than religious oppression, look no further. The National Assembly recently passed a bill changing the age of sexual consent. With this change, the age of consent will now be 15, which is ridiculously young. But what the French government is saying is that a 15 year-old girl is perfectly capable of consenting to sex, but not to making the religious choice of wearing a hijab. Make it make sense. Well you cant, because it doesnt.

How can you say that they have the cognitive ability to make a choice about sex at a young age, but somehow religion is just too much for them to comprehend? It is the most ass backward thing Ive heard this week.

Most young Muslim women arent in need of being saved from their religion. Theyre well aware and perfectly capable of making their own choices about how to practice. If France wants all of their citizens to denounce parts of themselves for the sake of French solidarity, they need to rethink their strategy. Because instituting a hijab ban for young girls isnt going to make them feel anymore French. Its only going to isolate them because of their religious choices.

No one should have to choose between two different parts of who they are. Because theyre being told that one is better than the other, and while it may seem that there isnt a right choice, there is. France needs to realize that theyre not saving young Muslim women from the oppression of Islam. Theyre actually introducing them to the fear of their home country.

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A New Hijab Ban The Islamophobia Is Off The Charts In France - Scary Mommy