iblog

Stav: The Control Arms Campaign, a campaign to stop the proliferation of small arms, supported by Oxfam and Amnesty International and myself for that matter is about to produce the required results. After three years and more than a million signatures it reached its target, lobbying the UN General Assembly to legislate for an International Arms Trade Treaty. In October the UN General Assembly will vote for a resolution to start work towards an Arms Trade Treaty . It has also succeeded in securing strong backing by the Foreign Office. Last Thursday 13th September, Foreign Office Ministers received foreign diplomats in an attempt to persuade them to support the resolution in New York in October. The thorny issue in the text of the resolution seems to be the inclusion of the term ‘human rights’. Although Non Governmental Organisations and the Foreign Office are in favour of using the term, there is strong opposition by states that have a poor record on the subject. The Foreign Office, which co-authored the report, hopes to reach consensus so that the resolution can pass unanimously. If you would like to support this campaign, you can add your signature to the control arms petition. It’s definitely a worthwhile cause.

Stav: The London Fashion Week opened on monday in the capital. Although I haven’t been invited, I am pleased that London is now becoming as important as Milan, New York and Paris when it comes to showcasing new trends in fashion and clothing. What I found pleasantly surprising this year though, was the debate to debate to ban extremely thin models so that the Fashion industry cannot be blamed for rising levels of anorexia and bulimia, especially among teenage girls. Milan and Madrid took the first step forbidding extremely thin models to participate in their respective fashion weeks. Should London should have followed their example?

Stav: Pope Benedict XVI got into serious trouble last week with followers of Islam. He delivered a speech about the historical and philosophical differences between Christianity and Islam, focusing on the correlation between violence and faith at Regensburg University in his homeland Germany. The Bavarian born Pontiff, upset Muslims when he quoted the remarks of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologos, who claimed in Constantinople (present day Istanbul and capital of the former Christian Byzantine Empire) "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." The particular quote caused offence to the Muslim world, which rejects any criticism of the prophet. There was widespread condemnation in Friday prayers in mosques in Beirut, Karachi, Cairo and Turkey, where the Pope is expected to visit. Maybe next time the head of the Catholic Church decides to comment on Islam, he should also mention the Catholic Church’s own past including acts such as the Spanish Inquisition and the crimes committed in the name of Christianity by the Conquistadores in Latin America.