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Most in the Amanpour audience disagreed with Obasanjo’s statements that blamed the “ethnic, economic and social factors” for the crisis in Jos, Nigeria. The majority suggested that the crisis of Jos was the result of the dire consequences of Obasanjo’s “unfortunate” decisions that resulted from his eight-year term in office. Viewers felt that Obasanjo’s actions while in office exemplified the “insensitive and unaccountable power” that permeated his “failure” to address Jos’ interests. A few viewers favored Obasanjo’s ideology.
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Below, you will see some opinions from viewers like yourself. We would love to hear what you think.
Email Comments
Hello Christine! the Bible records that God wanted them to look for the Son of Hamas and perhaps search all around for Him and find Him,though He is not far away from us and Jesus said that He is the way ,the Truth and the life...I'm glad that Yousuf have found and choosen that way! The strong conviction that he showed, could be seen in the lives of the early believers too.They were persecuted and even put to death.His fearlessness of being abandon by his loved ones and for the possible persecution could come only from a ressurected and living Christ.Besides who would want to see his loved ones remain in the wrong way and perish,and not show them the right way when he already knows that way? Every barrier has a breakthrough and is prone to
Controversy
T. Haokip
Islamic scholar who condemned terrorism: 'I am not afraid'
By Tom Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) –The Islamic scholar who issued a powerful fatwa, or religious ruling, against terrorism and suicide bombers said Thursday that he was not afraid of reprisals from his enemies and did not fear for his life.
"I am not afraid of any human being on the surface of Earth," Sheikh Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri told CNN's Christiane Amanpour.
"I am working ... to bridge up the Muslim world and the Western world, to remove the hatreds, to remove all misunderstandings."
"So this is a good cause. I am not afraid of anybody. It depends upon whatever my Lord wants. If I have to live, I will live. Otherwise, I am not afraid."
Ul-Qadri was speaking to CNN just over a week after he issued a 600-page fatwa in London denouncing terrorists as "the biggest enemies of Islam."
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we bring you an interview with former Eurythmics and solo artist Annie Lennox, who is now fighting the AIDS epidemic in Africa and trying to protect women and girls from HIV. She’s been at the United Nations to help launch a five-year plan to address these urgent issues. She’s one of our guests in today’s broadcast. There’s plenty of news to tell you about today as well. Here are some perspectives.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
PAKISTAN – Why are insurgents stepping up their bomb attacks in Pakistan?
– Twin suicide bombings in Lahore today killed at least 39 people and wounded around 100
– Suicide bombers targeted military convoys, but most of casualties were civilians
– It was the fourth major attack in Pakistan this week, indicating insurgents are stepping up violence after a period of relative calm
QUESTION: Are the bomb attacks a sign that the Taliban in Pakistan has regrouped after recent setbacks?
And now your feedback
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Many Amanpour viewers drew parallels between the earthquake in Haiti and the reported violence in Jos. Some believed the “problem” was “broader than religion” and endemic to the country as a whole and most placed the blame on Nigeria’s leaders, and referred in specific to former President, Olusegun Obasanjo. Several viewers described his eight years in term as “corruption at its best!” Hopelessness and desperation described most commentary about the renewed “crisis” in Jos.
What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://www.amanpour.com for more information.
Programming Comments
How long will religious crises continue unabated in nigeria while lies are being pedlled to cover up the truth? i am amazed by the claim that the root cause is "indigene-settler" dispute. i stand to disagree with that analysis. if we review most religious crises in northern nigeria, we see a particular ethnic group who are predominantly muslim wanting to impose themselves on others. there are many so-called settlers in jos (igbo, yoruba, etc, who have been in jos earlier than the hausas), but they have never rose up in arms against anybody. many of our homes & churches were burnt in the various crises in kano, bauchi, maiduguri, kaduna, etc. they refuse to give us land to rebuild the churches, cos it is "unislamic"...when it is convenient, they become indigenes, when it is not, they are settlers. *they call israelis settlers & palestinians "indigenes*". this is double standard. the late elkanemi of maiduguri while addressing a group of muslim/Christian leaders said on national television in hausa (nta news 9.00pm) on the 29th nov 2008, that the problem of jos had persisted since the era of the sardauna, cos the hausas want to take over the city. If these extremist tendencies are not checked nigeria may become another afghanistan and when it starts it will be difficult to curtail. let's stop deceiving ourselves (within and outside nigeria), that the crisis is due to indigene-settlership dispute, but rather a calculated attempt by a few elements to perpetuate their heinous schemes and they are inviting global jihadists to assist them!
Sam Nuhu
jos – Plateau state
Fatwa for Peace
Today we speak with Dr. Tahir ul-Qadri who has issued a 600-page fatwa against terrorism. Can it stop suicide bombings and encourage moderate Muslims to take a stand against terrorism? We want to launch a conversation how much influence you think a Fatwa has on different societies. So please read the English summary here and tell us what you think in our comment section below:
[scribd id=28220562 key=key-2981yg5zttgztgd2f6ec mode=list]
What we've covered. What we haven't...
We have a world map in our office and we put in a pin for the location of every story we cover. Check out our maps and tell us what stories and places you’d like to see covered on our program:
Nigerian violence fed by ethnic, economic issues, ex-president says
By Toms Evans; Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) - Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo insisted Wednesday that this week's explosion of violence that claimed at least 200 lives is not driven by religious tensions between Christians and Muslims - but by ethnic, social, and economic problems.
In Sunday's violence near the central city of Jos, Christian villagers said a mob armed with guns, knives and machetes killed and burned at will, leaving a trail of death and destruction. The attack came in the same area that 150 Muslims were killed in January.
In an interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, Obasanjo said, "If you have one group or a community that has land that's been encroached upon by another community or even by itinerant cattle farmers, then the people who lay claim to the land will fight back."
"If there are job opportunities in an area, and persons believe they are indigenous to that area, and (are) not getting enough out of the jobs that are available, they will fight those who are getting the jobs," Obasanjo said.
Obasanjo said he's convinced the conflict in the oil-rich nation does not have religious roots, because Nigerian religious leaders have come together and deliberated on the problems in Jos, which lies on a faith-based fault-line between Muslim-dominated northern Nigeria and the mainly Christian south.
Tom's Take
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On AMANPOUR. today, we looked at this week’s ethnic violence in Nigeria, which has only served to highlight the issues facing the country at a time when it is suffering on many other fronts as well - from problems such as corruption and unemployment. Today, protests took place in the capital, Abuja. The demonstrations are set against the ongoing power vacuum after the return to Nigeria of the ailing President Umaru Yar ‘Adua, after medical treatment in Saudi Arabia.
Tom Evans
Sr. Writer, AMANPOUR.
(CNN) – Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo today declared that this week’s explosion of violence near the central city of Jos that claimed at least 200 lives is not driven by religious tensions between Christians and Muslims - but by ethnic, social, and economic problems.
In an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Obasanjo said, “If you have one group or a community that has land that’s been encroached upon by another community or even by itinerant cattle farmers, then the people who lay claim to the land will fight back.”
“If there are job opportunities in an area, and persons believe they are indigenous to that area, and not getting enough out of the jobs that are available, they will fight those who are getting the jobs.”
And now your feedback
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The majority of the Amanpour viewers complimented and appreciated the video titled “Swimming in Stuff” by environmentalist activist/consumerist critic, Annie Leonard. The video was thought by most to contain all the necessary elements that detailed human consumption, waste and recycling. Praise for the facts narrated, the “powerful” information shared and the video’s creativity were extended. Lastly, many viewers felt this was a great “presentation choice” by Amanpour and her team.
What are your thoughts? Please share your thoughts with us! In addition, if you missed the show go to http://www.amanpour.com for more information.
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Email Comments
Christian – excellent choice of subject.
ref story of stuff
1. two-thirds to 99% of what almost all humans do is in efficicient, unproductive, useless rubbish
2. almost all humans are idiots and idiots can only relate to stupidity. The idiots only understand capital allocation to useless consumption of wealth rather than capital allocation to creation of wealth
3. The creation to consumption ratio of any entity determines its level on the evolutionary scale. The more evolved an entity the higher its creation to consumption ratio (i.e it creates more & consumes less)
Dg
'The Story of Stuff' ...and Plastic
Watch the complete edition on 'The Story of Stuff' on our podcast.
Watch the complete edition on 'The Story of Stuff' on our podcast.
(CNN) - Every bit of fully synthetic plastic that's ever been produced over the past 100 years is somewhere on our planet, a leading environmentalist, David de Rothschild, said Tuesday.
De Rothschild, who's about to set sail on a boat made of recycled plastic to highlight pollution in the Pacific Ocean, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour there has been a huge aggregation of small molecular-sized pieces of plastic in our atmosphere, in our oceans, or on our land since plastic was first produced in 1909.
"We're seeing them aggregating ... and getting into the food chain, which is then transferring toxins back into us through the food we eat," de Rothschild said.
"We have this sort of voracious appetite for throwaway, single-use plastics, what I call Dumb Planet 1.0 plastics - the plastic bag, the Styrofoam cup."
De Rothschild said he will set sail on his boat, called the Plastiki, some time in the next 10 days, depending on the weather and other factors.
His catamaran-style boat is made principally of 12,500 reclaimed plastic water bottles, which are designed to keep his vessel afloat, while the main frame is constructed from polyethylene terephthalate - a recyclable plastic material used in food and beverage containers and other products.
// His aim during a 100-day voyage that will take him from San Francisco, California, to Sydney, Australia, is to find the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" between California and Japan - a massive sea of plastic trash that environmentalists say could soon be larger than the continental United States.
"What I think people need to realize is that there are five (patches), not just one", he added. "We are seeing a convergence zone in our oceans - the North Pacific, South Pacific, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and the west coast of Australia."
He said he has two goals. The first is to raise public awareness of the huge amounts of plastic that are polluting the planet. The second is to get people to "reduce, reuse, recycle, and rethink" those everyday items that people now throw away as garbage.
Former Greenpeace activist Annie Leonard, author of the book "The Story of Stuff," and host of an online video, said 99 percent of all the materials that flow through the production process becomes trash within six months.
Leonard said she loves "her stuff" as much as anyone. But she wants people to be more aware of where it comes from so everyone can be a little more conscious of all the materials that flow through our lives.
She also said there are great opportunities to help remedy the pollution situation - in the field of green chemistry, for example.
"Chemists are replacing toxic chemicals with brand-new molecules that are actually designed from the very molecular level to be compatible with ecological systems," she said, "So that we can have glues and dyes and pigments that don't poison the workers or the communities."
Meanwhile, Economics Professor Russ Roberts of George Mason University just outside Washington, told Amanpour that "although it's pleasurable to have toys and have goodies and have a big house, they come at a price."
But he said people should not confuse the desire to get out of poverty and get a better standard of living with being a gross materialist.
"It's a matter of moderation and balance," Roberts said.
He added that he wants a less powerful government, because he thinks government now oversteps its bounds and often protects businesses at the expense of consumers.
"A business that's left in a competitive world, without the government's help, the way it thrives is by making better, safer, and healthier products that use less waste, because that keeps the price down," Roberts said.
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