ROME: The young German captain of a migrant-rescue ship stranded off Italy dismissed threats of arrest and personal criticism from the country’s far right interior minister on Friday, saying her main priority was the safety of 40 rescued Africans.
After two weeks at sea, the dreadlocked 31-year-old, Carola Rackete has become a symbol of defiance for challenging the authority of minister Matteo Salvini, known as “Il Capitano” at home for closing ports to non-government rescue ships.
Speaking to reporters from her ship, the Sea Watch, via a Skype connection, Rackete said she was forced to enter Italian waters due to the worsening condition of the migrants plucked by her crew from international seas off Libya on June 12.
“The need which we have on board is psychological...The necessity to go into port is to prevent any harm or any self-harm which people might be contemplating,” she said.
Rackete, a conservationist who has served on cruise ships and on a Greenpeace vessel in the past, has drawn strong support from Italy’s pro-immigration opposition parties and also felt the sting of Salvini’s ever-busy Twitter account.
She says she now devotes her time to rescuing migrants as a reaction to her privileged upbringing.
“My life was easy...I am white, German, born in a rich country and with the right passport,” she said in comments provided by Germany’s Sea Watch, a charity that has been running rescue operations in the Mediterranean since 2014.
“When I realized it, I felt a moral obligation to help those who did not have the same opportunities as me.”
In a stream of tweets, the latest on Friday, Salvini has called her a pirate and outlaw, and drawn attention to her motivation for captaining a rescue vessel.
“The lady has said ‘I have to volunteer because I was born white, rich and German’. But not everybody who is white, rich and German have to come and break Italy’s balls. Help the kids in Germany!“
On Friday, Salvini also compared her with an earlier rescue volunteer from another charity, a man who sported a red mohawk and was reported to have called the minister a “fascist.”
Salvini says he will only allow Rackete to dock when other EU states agree to immediately take the migrants once ashore, and even then Italian authorities would seize the ship and prosecute its captain for assisting people-smugglers.
However, a European Commission official was quoted by Italian news agency AGI on Friday as saying the allocation of migrants among EU nations needed to be worked out and that in the meantime the ship must be allowed to dock.
After waiting in international waters for an invitation from Italy or another EU state to accept the Sea Watch, Rackete decided this week to sail for the southern Italian island of Lampedusa but was blocked by Italian government vessels.
On board the ship, sitting off Lampedusa, Rackete responded sharply when asked to comment on Salvini’s criticisms.
“To be honest I haven’t read the comments, I really don’t have time. I have 40 people to take care of ... Mister Salvini might just get in line.”
Rackete is already under investigation for breaking Italy’s beefed up laws against non-government rescue ships. A prosecutor in southern Italy added that it was a formality once the Sea Watch had entered Italian waters.
Sea Watch spokesman Ruben Neugebauer said the group hoped Rackete would be allowed to dock later on Friday or Saturday and that it was a disgrace for Europe that it was taking so long.
“We are really proud of our captain that doesn’t hesitate to even take personal consequences for doing exactly the right thing, for following the law of the sea and for bringing these people to safety,” Neugebauer told Reuters TV in Berlin.
Sea Watch asked the European Court of Human Rights to force Italian authorities to allow the ship to dock, but the request was rejected. Instead, the court ruled that Italy should provide all necessary assistance to those aboard.
In a tweet on Friday, Rackete said she was ready to face the consequences of Italian law. Once informed that she was under investigation, she tweeted: “I will deal with everything with the support of lawyers and Sea Watch, now I just want people to be put ashore.”
German captain becomes anti-populist heroine in Italy migrant standoff
German captain becomes anti-populist heroine in Italy migrant standoff
- After two weeks at sea, the dreadlocked 31-year-old, Carola Rackete has become a symbol of defiance for challenging the authority of minister Matteo Salvini
- Rackete, a conservationist who has served on cruise ships and on a Greenpeace vessel in the past, has drawn strong support from Italy’s pro-immigration opposition parties
Fasting left me in awe of discipline required to observe Ramadan
- Writer describes being left in a ‘post-hunger state’
LONDON: Ramadan holds multiple points of significance for the Muslim world. Perhaps most famous for its month-long fast, it is also believed to have been when the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to Muhammad.
Neither Muslim, nor someone who had before — at least knowingly — fasted, the request from Arab News to do one and write about it left me with several questions.
Why? What would there be to write about besides feeling hungry and thirsty? And would I buckle and gorge on the Sainsbury’s grocery delivery I had lined up for the proposed day?
It turned out that having successfully gone from dawn to dusk without breaking the fast, I did indeed have some self-control when it came to eating.
Perhaps more importantly, it provided an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of why friends I know do it, and what it offers to the Muslim community, not to mention leaving me in awe of the physical and mental will required to fast for the full month.
Waking up a little after 3:30 a.m., I followed the instructions provided by my colleague Zaynab: “Eggs, banana, porridge.” I gave the dates a miss, mainly through forgetfulness.
At this point I should state that the absence of food or water for one 14.5-hour stretch did not leave me overly nervous. In fact, given it was to be a single day, I would say to write anything on it was, if anything, quite bizarre considering the famines gripping swathes of the world.
Speaking to a friend and Arab News colleague Tarek, I did, however, question how faithful people were when it came to missing out on any drink during daylight hours.
“No, not one drop, sir,” he said before agreeing that given a propensity for human social engagement to inform some form of consumption, this period of abstinence obviously affected social relations.
He added: “But there are other effects, including dizziness, fatigue, lethargy, lack of focus, and cravings — one day is fine but it is doing it consistently that makes it tough.”
Tarek’s reflections came about five hours into my own fast, and having followed Zaynab’s recommendations, I can confirm that I was not feeling any pangs of hunger at this stage, but by about midday I was finding my attention drawn more toward water.
I spoke to other observant Muslim friends, and one thing that came across was that while there was a general uniformity toward the observation of the fast, it was not monolithic.
For instance, one friend said that they did without food for the whole period, but abstaining from water was somewhat dependent on the time of year that Ramadan fell: if in the summer, they would do without all drinks but water.
Another friend, Nabila, said she was stricter than most of her friends and family, additionally doing without music as part of her observation of the holy month.
She added: “The way I see it is that it is one month. For the rest of the year we can do what we want, but through that one month of observation I gain a lot and I become more focused on some of the ills of society; that in turn helps me readjust my engagement with the world.”
Nabila’s focus on those undergoing forced fasts, with this year’s Ramadan coinciding with the largest assault on Gaza in a generation, was shared by others I spoke to or heard.
Speaking to the BBC, Dr. Amjad Eleiwa, the deputy director of the emergency department at Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, said that Palestinians in Gaza had “already been fasting for months,” with others noting the “dark shadow” Israel’s war had cast over what Nabila said should be a joyous time.
She added: “It’s not easy, though. I have little or no energy and I struggle with work. You won’t see me out. It is not easy and anyone who says it is, well, they’ve probably not committed.”
Equally, however, Nabila noted that the breaking of the fast each day brought its own reward, describing the anticipation immediately before eating as a feeling “of excitement, that ends in a sense of euphoria … I can’t really describe it.”
As my own, solitary day of fasting came to an end, I found myself feeling, as it was suggested I might, almost in a post-hunger state. How did I break my fast? A yogurt.
London mayoral candidate condemned for ‘dismissing’ Islamophobia
- Susan Hall describes anti-Muslim tweet as ‘hurty words’ in interview
- Comments ‘demonstrate hierarchy of racism at play,’ says Muslim Council of Britain
LONDON: The Conservative mayoral candidate for London has faced condemnation after claiming that Islamophobic tweets are just “hurty words,” The Times reported on Friday.
Susan Hall, 69, has faced mounting criticism over a series of social media blunders on X, including supporting a tweet that referred to London’s Muslim mayor, Sadiq Khan, as “our nipple-height mayor of Londonistan.”
Hall responded to the tweet by Katie Hopkins, a controversial media commentator, with the words “thank you Katie.”
The mayoral candidate, a former Conservative leader of the London Assembly, was asked in an interview whether Muslims may find her response to the tweet jarring.
She said: “Jarring is the fact that poor people are having to pay £12.50 a day that they literally cannot afford. That is real. And that isn’t just hurty words.”
Hall was referring to London’s Ulez charge, an environmental tax on vehicle emissions implemented by Khan.
In response to her comments, the Muslim Council of Britain said: “Just as we would not consider antisemitic comments as ‘hurty words,’ nor should we Islamophobia.
“Susan Hall’s comments only demonstrate the hierarchy of racism at play. With a 300 percent rise in Islamophobic hate crimes, our elected representatives have a duty to ensure they are not part of the problem.
“As someone seeking to be the mayor of our capital, and the votes of the many Muslim Londoners who help make this city great, Susan Hall would do well to recognise rather than dismiss Islamophobia.”
Hall’s mayoral campaign suffered a new blow this week after she deleted an online advert that attacked Khan based on footage filmed in New York City instead of London.
Late last year, she also claimed to have been pickpocketed on the London Underground, despite her wallet later being handed in to authorities without any missing items.
In response to the condemnation, a spokesman for Hall said: “Unlike Sadiq Khan, Susan is listening to Londoners and as mayor she will put more police on the beat, ensure women feel safe, scrap the Ulez expansion and build more affordable family homes.”
North Korea rules out any meetings with Japan
- North Korea has said it had no interest in a summit with Japan and would reject any talks
- KCNA: Pyongyang has no intention to help with the issue of Japanese abductees
SEOUL: North Korea has no interest in dialogue with Japan, state media KCNA reported on Friday, citing foreign minister Choe Son Hui.
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said he wants to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “without any preconditions” and is personally overseeing efforts to realize the first such leaders’ summit in 20 years in an attempt to defuse decades of tensions.
But North Korea has said it had no interest in a summit with Japan and would reject any talks, signalling no thaw in relations between the two countries.
Choe also said Pyongyang has no intention to help with the issue of Japanese abductees, according to KCNA, adding North Korea will “respond sharply” to Japan’s interference with its sovereignty.
“I cannot understand why he persistently adheres to the issue that cannot be settled,” Choe was quoted as saying by KCNA, referring to Kishida.
North Korea admitted in 2002 to kidnapping 13 Japanese citizens decades earlier. Five abductees and their families later returned to Japan, saying the others had died.
However, Tokyo believes 17 Japanese were abducted, and continues to investigate the fate of those who did not return, according to Japanese media.
North Korea’s ambassador to China, Ri Ryong Nam, also said there would be no meeting at any level with Japan, a separate KCNA report said.
Ri made the remark in a statement, adding that an official at the Japanese embassy in Beijing proposed a contact via email to a councillor of the North Korean embassy.
“I make the stance clear once again that no meeting at any level will take place between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and Japan’s side,” Ri was quoted as saying in the KCNA report.
Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim, has said she would welcome talks only if Japan was ready to make a new start without “being obsessed by the past.”
Relations have been strained over disputes including the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea in the early 2000s, Japan’s occupation of the Korean peninsula in 1910-1945 and its use of forced labor and sexual slavery.
Japan and North Korea also have clashed over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs, with the North conducting a number of test launches in recent months, prompting fresh sanctions from Seoul and Washington.
New US Census will have category ‘MENA’ for some citizens of Middle East, North Africa heritage
- Most Arab Americans still have to write in nationality
- Activists want ‘Arab’ category but this is ‘step forward’
CHICAGO: The US Census announced Thursday that upcoming forms will include the category “MENA,” meaning Middle Eastern or North African, but most Arab Americans will still be required to write in their nationalities.
Arab-American activists have been fighting for the inclusion of an “Arab” category on census forms for more than 50 years, and accepted a compromise to be included in the broader term “MENA.”
The MENA category identifies only four Arab nationalities — Lebanese, Syrian, Iraqi and Egyptian.
This announcement comes in the wake of Arab-American voters protesting what they believe has been President Joe Biden’s betrayal in ignoring their concerns over Israel’s war on Gaza.
In addition to the four Arab nationalities being identified with specific “Check Boxes,” the MENA category will also include check boxes for “Israeli” and “Iranian.”
All other Arab Americans, including citizens from Palestine and Jordan, who are among the largest of the Arab-American communities, will still be required to write in their nationalities on a blank line underneath.
Many Arab Americans believe the exclusion of the word “Arab” is a slight, and meant to satisfy the pro-Israel community.
‘I am very disappointed that they are not including all of the Arab countries. There are many Arab nationalities that are growing significantly including the Yemeni community which is among the fastest growing,” said Anna Mustafa, who began formally lobbying in 1980 for the inclusion of the Arab category in the US Census. Mustafa worked officially with the census as a partnership specialist in the 1990s and the 2000s.
“We were working on it in the political boundaries through the 1990s and 2000s but it got blocked and some group put a hold on everything. If Israel is being included, the Palestinian and Jordanian community should be included in that census form too,” she told Arab News.
Mustafa conceded that it is a “step forward.” But added: “It’s not what we wanted. But it is better than what we have.”
Mustafa said the community should not stop their advocacy for “full inclusion” of all 22 Arab nationalities.
Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry, who has been advocating for the inclusion of the MENA category, praised the change as a “major accomplishment” and credited the Biden administration.
“For the first time, Arab Americans will be made visible — not just on the decennial census, but in all federal data that collects race and ethnicity and that is historic,” Berry said.“However, it is unfortunate that instead of celebrating what should have been this momentous victory for improved data collection and our community, we are concerned about the erasure of a key segment of our community and the very real possibility of continued undercounts.”
Abed Ayoub, the national executive director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said: “This is a long-awaited day. We have a lot of work ahead of us, particularly as the federal government begins to apply this revision. From programming designed to uplift our businesses to addressing health disparities and beyond. This is a good first step, however we are aware that more work needs to be done to ensure there is full and accurate representation of the Arab-American community.”
Inclusion in the census has a major impact on ethnic and national communities and helps them qualify for federal funding to support their needs. In addition, it gives them special status to prevent politicians from dividing their vote, especially in congressional districts.
In 2021 the Biden administration worked with Democrats to redraw several congressional districts. They targeted the former 3rd Congressional District in Illinois which was identified as having the largest concentration of Palestinian-American voters of any congressional district. The district was divided into five different congressional districts, diluting the ability of Palestinian-American voters to elect one of their own to Congress.
In the 1980s, Hispanics were included in the census and the state was forced to create a congressional district that would increase the chances of the election of one of its members. In the 1990s that district elected Luis Gutierrez, and has had a Hispanic member of Congress ever since. The district is now represented by US Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia.
The census is taken every 10 years. Previously, Arab Americans were included in the “White” category and were only given the opportunity to write in their national identity. As a result, the Arab community did not qualify for federal grants or for political voting continuity in the redrawing of congressional districts, Mustafa noted.
Census officials acknowledge that the MENA category is “a minimum reporting category, separate and distinct from the White category.”
The census is managed by the Office of Management and Budget, which is a part of the US government. The full report on the revision is available for viewing here.
Marathon singing, vigils and pre-dawn processions as Filipinos celebrate Holy Week
- Bulk of religious traditions begin on Holy Thursday, commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus
- Many traditions are a blend of folk customs and Spanish colonial influences
MANILA: As Christians around the world celebrate Holy Week, Filipinos are observing their unique traditions, which will culminate on Sunday with Easter — the joyous commemoration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
In the largest Christian-majority nation in Asia, where over 85 million people identify as Catholic, folk traditions have blended with more than 300 years of Spanish colonial influences, leading to unique expressions and observances of faith.
One of the most enduring yet extreme examples is senakulo, a street drama that depicts Jesus’ passion and death, where men flagellate and, in some cases, nail themselves to the cross as an act of penance.
But not all Filipino Catholics adhere to these practices, instead engaging in other traditions.
They began the observance of Holy Week with Palm Sunday last week, when churchgoers brought palm branches to be blessed by priests.
The palm branch symbolizes victory, peace and eternal life and once they receive blessing, Filipinos put them up at home either as decor or by windows or doorways to ward off bad spirits.
They represent the branches that according to the Gospel crowds laid down as Jesus entered Jerusalem a few days before his crucifixion.
“The Holy Week allows me to impart the importance of this occasion to my children, now that they’re a little bit older,” said Edgie Ruiz for whom the annual holiday is an opportunity to reconnect with loved ones.
“This is also the time when our relatives who live far away come to spend time with us, which is something I always look forward to.”
The bulk of religious traditions begin on Holy Thursday, the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus. It is observed with a custom during which the priest washes the feet of 12 people — imitating the humility of Jesus, who washed the feet of his apostles on the night before his crucifixion.
Ruiz was one of those chosen to take part in the ritual at his local parish in Hermosa, Bataan province.
“My grandfather used to participate in this tradition as one of the chosen ‘apostles,’” he said. “The priest chooses common, everyday people to take part.”
Another tradition on Holy Thursday is the Visita Iglesia — visiting at least seven different churches to pray.
Gerald Gloton, who resides in Pampanga province 83 km north of Manila, has been practicing the Visita Iglesia tradition since childhood.
“The Visita Iglesia is very important for me because it unites our family. We visit various churches that depict the importance of faith, heritage, and culture,” he said.
Pampanga is known for its strong Catholic traditions, including several historical churches dating back to the Spanish colonial period — another aspect that Gloton looks forward to in this annual ritual.
“Aside from the spiritual reflection and family bonding, I also look forward to the intricate details and architecture of our churches which are regarded as structural treasures,” he said.
Another centuries-old tradition that continues to be practiced is the pabasa — a marathon reading of the passion of Christ, sung by volunteers, usually women, in their parishes. In urban places like Manila, the pabasa can run for more than a day, but in rural areas and places with intact traditions like Pampanga, it can go on for nearly a week.
While some Filipino communities have adopted Western practices such as hunting Easter eggs on Sunday morning, one of the most anticipated rituals is the salubong, or welcoming, a pre-dawn Easter ritual in which a solemn procession of the images of the mourning Virgin Mary and a risen Christ meet from opposite ends in front of a church.
A chorus of children, sometimes singing from hanging platforms to give the illusion of flying in mid-air, sing to herald the occasion. A child is assigned to lift the black veil off Virgin Mary, signifying the end of her mourning.
For Crystal Arcega from Batangas, south of Manila, the ritual’s atmosphere is the most joyous of all.
“It’s when the baby angels throw confetti and wave their wands, and the choir sings. That’s when the Easter Mass starts, and the church lights are turned on,” she said.
“It’s a beautiful moment and worth waking up early for.”
After Easter Mass, Filipino families will gather over celebratory meals and delicacies.
The rice cakes sold in front of churches, such as the suman and tamales — delicacies wrapped in banana leaves — are a must-have after the mass.
At home, they are followed by fried chicken, braised meat dishes in a tangy-sweet sauce, and kare-kare — a rich oxtail peanut stew.
The most sacred period in the liturgical year in Christianity, which is filled with mourning, prayers and fasting to culminate in togetherness and feast, is for many a time that strengthens their faith.
For Arcega, it is a “way to remind us how much sacrifice Jesus has made, and how despite being in the form of man, is able to show us God’s unconditional love,” she said.
“It really becomes the time for me to reflect and be thankful.”