Rashied Omar is a Muslim scholar at the University of Notre Dame who makes it his mission in life to harness religion as a force for building peace. He shakes his head in deep distress that Danish cartoons have led to violent protests in the name of Islam.

This has really set us back,said Omar, who coordinates the Program in Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding at Notre Dames Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace 91视频.

Omar is a former imam of a South African mosque, and he teaches a course in Islamic ethics. He understands why most Muslims view a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb coming out of his headgear as offensive and reprehensible.

It is yet another illustration of Islamophobia and hate speech against Muslims that in their view appears to be pervasive in western media depictions of Islam," he said.

But those who vent their dismay with destruction are wrong, Omar believes. He has joined Islamic scholars and institutions all over the world- including the Grand Muftis of Syria,Egyptand the Turkish Ministry of Religious Affairs- who have unequivocally condemned the violence that has accompanied some of the Muslim protests over the cartoons.

The death of four Afghan protestors, the killing of a Catholic priest inTurkey, the torching of Danish embassies inSyriaandLebanon, the issuing of death threats against journalists should be condemned as abomination and contrary to the letter and spirit of Islam,he said.

He called upon the world community to use the tragic sequence of events as an impetus for candid dialogue about freedom of speech, cultural xenophobia, and the root causes of violence and terror.

There is a dire need for the followers of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as well as all other traditions, to retrieve our common humanity and to end the horrific dehumanization that is taking place on global scale,he said.

Omar holds a doctorate from theUniversityofCape Town, and a masters degree in peace studies from Notre Dame.

TopicID: 15704

In advance of United Nations Day on Oct. 24 (Monday), a University of Notre Dame political scientist says theUnited Statesshould focus on improving the UN, not undermining it, because the organization does things for Americans that they cant do, or cant do as well.

Robert Johansen is a senior fellow at Notre Dames Joan B. Kroc Institute of International Peace 91视频. He has spent decades studying global governance, and is convinced that the UN is the most effective way to resolve some of theUnited Statesmost pressing problems.

Like all political institutions, the UN needs to be watched carefully to prevent corruption and to make it more effective,Johansen said.Yet, despite its flaws, the UN enables us to do much more than we could do without it.

He gives three examples.

First, the UN gets other countries to share the burdens of fighting disease, building schools, and enforcing international laws against terrorism, war, and gross violations of human rights,Johansen said.Burden sharing expands by 20 fold what theUnited Statescould do alone.

UN peacekeeping is highly cost effective, he noted.The cost of just 10 days of theU.S.military campaign inIraqwould have paid for all UN peace operations for an entire year. And more than two-thirds of UN peacekeeping costs are paid by other countries.

Second, the UN establishes legitimacy for policies that protectU.S.security,Johansen said. Many policies would be doomed to failure in theMiddle East,Africa, andAsiaif they were seen as an effort by theUnited Statesto impose its will, rather than as the product of a UN process.

Third, Johansen said,some global law-making is necessary for a peaceful world.Security Council decisions to enforce peace are legally binding on every country in the world, while actions demanded by theUnited Statesalone are binding on no one.

To stop the spread of nuclear weapons will require establishing worldwide limits on those weapons and worldwide inspection to ensure that obligations are kept,Johansen said.This would need to be done by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is part of the UN system.

* Contact: * _Professor Robert Johansen is available for further comment at 574-631-6871 or johansen.2@nd.edu _ . The preceding comments are for use in whole or part.

TopicID: 14083

A panel of experts will explore the reality and potential of the United Nations at4:15 p.m.Tuesday (Sept. 13) in the auditorium of the University of Notre DamesHesburghCenterfor International 91视频 (onNotre Dame Avenue).

TitledWhy do we need the UN?,the discussion will take place on the eve of the internationals bodys 2005 World Summit and will focus on development, human rights, security and UN reform. It is sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91视频 and is free and open to the public.

The panelists will be: David Cortright, Kroc Institute research fellow and president of the Fourth Freedom Forum in Goshen, Ind.; Robert Johansen, Kroc senior fellow and professor of political science; Paul Mishler, assistant professor of labor studies at Indiana University South Bend; Ana Garcia Rodicio, Kroc visiting fellow and researcher in the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees; and Jackie Smith, a Kroc peace studies faculty member and associate professor of sociology.

The World Summit, billed as the largest-ever gathering of world leaders, will be held Wednesday to Friday (Sept. 14 to 16) inNew York. It marks the UNs 60 ^th anniversary. Information is available at . For more information on the Kroc Institute, see

TopicID: 13205

Five University of Notre Dame faculty members participated in the Second International Conference on Catholic Peacebuilding, held inDavaoCity,Mindanao,Philippines.

Conducted from July 11 to 15, the conference brought together 75 Catholic peace-builders from 21 countries who hoped to draw insights from the churchs experience of building peace inMindanao.

The selection ofMindanaofor this conference is a tribute to the efforts of the Catholic, Muslim and indigenous communities to find peaceful solutions to the violence that has caused so much suffering,said Archbishop Fernando Capalla, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Davao.We are deeply grateful for the continued support from so many who share our joys and concerns about peace.

The conference was sponsored by the Catholic Peacebuilding Network (CPN), which is composed of practitioners, academics, clergy and laity. It has been spearheaded by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and Notre Dames Kroc Institute for International Peace 91视频.AmongMindanaoconference participants were Kroc Institute faculty members Scott Appleby, Gerard Powers, Martha Merritt, Daniel Philpott, and John PaulLederach. Also present were three Notre Dame peace studies graduate students who are serving as interns with CRS inSoutheast Asia.

鈥淭he conference confirmed the value of connecting Catholic peace-builders from different countries, as well as the value of connecting peace-builders with scholars from the Kroc Institute and others specializing in religion and peace,鈥� said Powers, who chairs the CPN steering committee.

Through its meetings, research, Web site and listserv, the CPN aims to deepen bonds of solidarity among Catholic peace-builders, share and analyze best practices, expand the peace-building capacity of the Church in areas of conflict, and encourage the further development of a theology of a just peace.

Other organizations actively involved in CRN are Maryknoll, the Office of International Justice and Peace of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Center for International Social Development at the Catholic University of America, the SantEgidio Community in the United States, and Pax Christi International.

I am terribly impressed with the maturity of the dialogue process and the spirit of collaboration we found inMindanao,said Bishop John Cummins, liaison to the Federation of Asian BishopsConferences for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.After returning from two days of visits to local communities, he noted,I am convinced that the impressive peace-building work of the Catholic community hereprovides a firm foundation for addressing the remaining obstacles to peace inMindanao.

Adele Sowinska of Catholic Relief Services Sudan added,The experience of Mindanao will greatly assist us in designing programs which more effectively address the challenges we face in the post-conflict period inSudan.

The program for theMindanaoconference and the list of participants is available on the Catholic Peacebuilding Network Web site: .

_ Contact: Gerard Powers, Kroc Institute, 574-631-3765 or gpowers1@nd.edu _

TopicID: 12262

Three women who are living the reality of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will share their experiences and hopes for a just peace in a presentation Tuesday (April 12) at the University of Notre Dame.

Nina Mayorek, Aitemad Muhanna and Diana Kattan will speak at4:15 p.m.in theHesburghCenterauditorium. The event is free and open to the public.

The three women are traveling throughout theUnited Statesmaking a presentation titledJerusalem Women Speak: Three Women, Three Faiths, One Shared Vision.The tour has been sponsored by Partners for Peace since 1998, and the visit to Notre Dame is co-sponsored by the Kroc Institute for International Peace 91视频.

Kattan, a Christian Palestinian who lives inEast Jerusalem, is director of the Martin Luther Community Development Centre. Mayorek, a Jewish Israeli, is a biochemist in the Department of Human Nutrition and Metabolism at theHebrewUniversity. She lives inWest Jerusalemand is a member of the Israeli womens human rights organization Checkpoint Watch. Muhanna, a Muslim Palestinian and doctoral candidate, is the first tour participant from the Gaza Strip. She has more than 10 years of experience in gender and participatory approaches to development issues.

_ Contact: Julie Titone, Kroc Institute, 574-631-8819 or jtitone@nd.edu _

TopicID: 10482