Brawl in Kabul; Blog #3

A deadly gun battle broke out in Kabul September 9, 2012 between rival ethnic groups during a traffic jam. It was between the Tajiks and Hazaras more specifically who have a history of rivalry dating back to the civil war in Kabul. The fight broke out during a holiday celebration that honors the life of Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Tajik commander who was assassinated by Al Qaeda bombers. Hazaras have tension against Massoud because of a violent brawl his forces afflicted on them in the early 1990s.

                Eyewitnesses said that the gun fight broke out when pack of Panjshiri cars hit a bicyclist in a Hazara neighborhood. Massoud’s people marched through the neighborhood with poster revering him and the Hazaras took that as an offensive act.  Believe it or not, racial violence is uncommon in Kabul seeing as the Hazaras and Tajiks both face the same enemy—the Taliban.  The Taliban is mostly made up of Pashtuns.

                Witnesses also said that police were called to the scene and opened fire on the fighting crowd. The number of those killed hasn’t been determined yet. When Afghan officials are asked about the incident they either ignore the call from new sources or downplay the extremity of the violence.  One thing also the witnesses noted that the Afghan police and the rebels. People began to burn police outposts and six victims were taken into the hospital for gunshot wounds.

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444554704577641833333191196.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Blog 3

My article this week takes me to Malaysia where there is a question of human rights. Migrant Care responded to five Indonesians who were shot by the Malaysian police, who claimed that the five men had criminal records in another country, and that they were illegal workers. Their deaths resulted from a shootout between them and the police force, who claimed that these allegations were true. However the director of Migrant Care, Anis Hidayah, commented saying, “Whatever documents they had—or didn’t have—the incident which caused their death, was a human rights violation. International standards clearly stipulate that the police are not allowed to shoot anyone dead, not even a criminal,” Anis also claimed that even if the workers were illegal that it didn’t justify the fact that they were killed.

            More was released about the shootout saying that the police were chasing the men in their vehicle until they were stopped near a cliff. When the men exited the vehicle they opened fire on the police men. After the police men had finished their fire on the men, they then searched the men and the car. The following day the bodies were inspected by the embassy at the Raja Permaisuri Bainoon hospital in Ipoh, Perak. Some people who either saw the pictures online or the bodies claimed that they look horrific. Some people even claimed that their organs look they have been harvested. Not only are the members of the men’s families affected by the shooting, but also members of the Malaysia society.

            Presented with this information you can’t help but wonder, “Were these men really illegal and a threat, or were the police just targeting them so some other reason, such as race?” According to Migrant Care, even if the men were guilty of being illegal workers they didn’t deserve to be shot and killed. However, there was no evidence that these men were illegal. So given the two ideas, and other influences, it’s hard to choose a side.

Murder Mystery Stuns France and Britain

Three British tourists were found dead in rural France. A 50 year old Iraq refugee, his wife, and his wife’s mother were the found victims. Though not an international predominant crime, it got media large media attention. In the extent that governmental officials, senior diplomats, and the leaders got involved. So far the investigation concludes that it may have been an assassination, because there was also a biker found dead in the same location, with similar wounds. The reason behind such media coverage is the nature of the killing. The thought is that it was a family feud over money. A neighbor stated that the male victim was expressionless the week prior to his slaughter. There is also another theory that it may have been a political connection. The Iraq refugee is survived by his two daughters, One seven, the other four. It took eight hours to find the second daughter who was found underneath her dead mother.

 

I think that the motive behind this atrocious killing spree was for the economic benefit of the assassin. Although I never understood how someone could be so heartless to kill anyone with two very little girls, some people will go to extreme routes for money.

Blog 3 Making Mandarin Mandatory — in U.S. Kindergartens

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This article is written by Mark McDonald. “Bibb County sits smack-dab in the center of Georgia, and 150 years ago it was at the very center of the Confederacy. Its foundries supplied weapons and ammunition to the rebel army, and no county supplied a larger percentage of its men to the cause.” (McDonald, “Mandarin”). Basically, Georgia is typical southern Republican state that does not want a lot of change because Southerners like things the way they are. “Times are still tough in Bibb County. Some 20 percent of the residents live below the poverty line, and its public schools are among the lowest performing in the state. About half the kids don’t graduate from high school. But the county has just embarked on a bold plan to have all its children fully bilingual — in English and Mandarin — by the time they graduate from high school. In recent weeks, children from pre-kindergarten through third grade began mandatory Mandarin classes, part of a curriculum that in three years will include middle school and high school students.” (McDonald, “Mandarin”). Why students are now taking Mandarin Chinese is because by the time 2050 rolls around, jobs will be requiring it because “They will live in a world where China and India will have 50 percent of the world GDP. They will live in a world where, if they cannot function successfully in the Asian culture, they will pay a heavy price.” (McDonald, “Mandarin”).

           

            I know this article is local, instead of global, but I chose this because I do believe that China will one day be the GDP of the entire world. I think it’s a great idea to start hiring teachers from China and teach children, teens, and young adults on how to speak Mandarin Chinese. It would be very useful if you wanted to major in international business, and besides just that, when you are getting manicures and pedicures done at the local salon, you can understand what the Asian women are saying. This article relates to education because schools are now going to start offering it next to Spanish, French, Latin, and German. It would be a lot more useful than French and German personally, but that is just my opinion. I think that this is a great idea, but I do not know if parents are really going to go for it, but it is always a good idea to at least try.

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/making-mandarin-mandatory-in-u-s-kindergartens/