GENOCIDE – Prevention, Sovereignty & Human Nature

“I was sleeping when the attack on
Disa started. I was taken away by the attackers, they were all in uniforms. They
took dozens of other girls and made us walk for three hours. During the day we
were beaten and they were telling us: ‘You, the black women, we will exterminate
you, you have no god.’ At night we were raped several times. The Arabs guarded
us with arms and we were not given food for three days.”[1]
A female refugee from Disa [Masalit village, West Darfur], interviewed by


Amnesty International
delegates.

“When we tried to escape they shot more children. They raped women; I saw many
cases of Janjawid raping women and girls. They are happy when they rape. They
sing when they rape and they tell that we are just slaves and that they can do
with us how they wish.”[1] A 37-year-old woman from Mukjar

---

The deadly assaults on villages in the Darfur region of western

Sudan have
been described as the “world’s greatest humanitarian crisis.”[1] The
heartless rape, slashing, shooting and torture of black Sudanese in Darfur
defies comprehension. In village after village, Arab militia groups (Janjawid)
murder the men, torture and rape the women, kill or abduct children and
youth, burn the homes and steal the cattle.

Amnesty International (AI) and other fact-finding organization have
uncovered —

“a pattern of systematic and unlawful attacks on civilians… by a
government-sponsored militia mostly referred to as ‘Janjawid’ (armed men
on horses) or ‘Arab militia’ and by the government army, including
through bombardments of civilian villages by the Sudanese Air Force.”[1]

According to AI, these “attacks have led to the displacement of at least
1.2 million persons. At least one million people have become internally
displaced persons (IDPs) and been forced to move to the vicinity of towns or
big villages in Darfur, and more than 170,000 have taken refuge across the
border into Chad. Others, of which the exact number is unknown, are in
hiding in mountains, valleys or areas held by armed political groups.”[1]

There is little doubt that the Sudanese government is responsible for the
ongoing onslaughts:

“In addition to the military and logistical support and the impunity
that it provides to the Janjawid, the Sudanese government has used a
policy of repression to deal with the problems of Darfur. It has engaged
in arbitrary arrests, incommunicado detentions, ‘disappearances’ and
torture in order to punish human rights activists, lawyers, leaders and
members of communities in Darfur. The Sudanese government has also used
unfair and summary trials, using confessions sometimes extracted under
torture without the right to defence, and applied cruel, inhuman and
degrading punishments, such as amputations, floggings and the death
penalty.”
[1]

Women have been forced into sex slavery. The Janjawid are known to break
the legs of rape victims to prevent them from escaping. A 30-year-old woman
who found refuge in the camp of Konoungou, gave this sad account to AI:

“The attack took place at 8am on 29 February 2004 when soldiers
arrived by car, camels and horses. The Janjawid were inside the houses
and the soldiers outside. Some 15 women and girls who had not fled
quickly enough were raped in different huts in the village. The Janjawid
broke the limbs (arms or legs) of some women and girls to prevent them
from escaping. The Janjawid remained in the village for six or seven
days. After the rapes, the Janjawid looted the houses.”

[1]

The Crisis in Darfur – Secretary Colin L. Powell’s remarks
before the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, Washington, DC, September 9, 2004:

“The violence in Darfur has complex roots in traditional
conflicts between Arab nomadic herders and African farmers. The
violence intensified during 2003 when two groups — the Sudan
Liberation Movement and the Justice and Equality Movement —
declared open rebellion against the Government of Sudan because they
feared being on the outside of the power and wealth-sharing
agreements in the north-south negotiations. Khartoum reacted
aggressively, intensifying support for Arab militias, the so-called
jinjaweid. The Government of Sudan supported the jinjaweid, directly
and indirectly, as they carried out a scorched-earth policy towards
the rebels and the African civilian population.

“Mr. Chairman, the United States exerted strong leadership to
focus international attention on this unfolding tragedy. We first
took the issue of Sudan to the United Nations (UN) Security Council
last fall. President Bush was the first head of state to condemn
publicly the Government of Sudan and to urge the international
community to intensify efforts to end the violence. In April of
this year, the United States brokered a ceasefire between the
Government of Sudan and the rebels, and then took the lead to get
the African Union (AU) to monitor that ceasefire.

“As some of you are aware, I traveled to the Sudan in midsummer
and made a point of visiting Darfur. It was about the same time that
Congressman Wolf and Senator Brownback were there, as well as
Secretary General Kofi Annan. … all of us saw the suffering that
the people of Darfur are having to endure. And Senator Corzine was
just in Darfur and can vouch for the fact that atrocities are still
occurring. All of us met with people who had been driven from their
homes — indeed many having seen their homes and all their worldly
possessions destroyed or confiscated before their eyes — by the
terrible violence that is occurring in Darfur. …

“The Sudanese have met some of our benchmarks such as engaging in
political talks with the rebels and supporting the deployment of
observers and troops from the AU to monitor the ceasefire between
Khartoum and the rebels. Some improvements in humanitarian access
have also occurred though the government continues to throw
obstacles in the way of the fullest provision of assistance.

“The AU [African Union] Ceasefire Commission has also been set up
and is working to monitor more effectively what is actually
happening in Darfur. … The AU’s mission will help to restore
sufficient security so that these dislocated, starving, hounded
people can at least avail themselves of the humanitarian assistance
that is available. But what is really needed is enough security so
that they can go home. And what is really needed is for the
jinjaweid militias to cease and desist their murderous raids against
these people — and for the Government in Khartoum to stop being
complicit in such raids. Khartoum has made no meaningful progress in
substantially improving the overall security environment by
disarming the jinjaweid militias or arresting its leaders. …

“U.S. Government provision of aid to the Darfur crisis in Sudan
and Chad totaled $211.3 million as of September 2, 2004. This
includes $112.9 million in food assistance, $50.2 million in
non-food assistance, and $36.4 million for refugees in Chad, $5
million for refugee programs in Darfur, and $6.8 million for the
African Union mission. …

“But the Government of Sudan bears the greatest responsibility to
face up to this catastrophe, rein in those who are committing these
atrocities, and save the lives of its own citizens. At the same
time, however, the rebels have not fully respected the ceasefire. We
are disturbed at reports of rebel kidnappings of relief workers. We
have emphasized to the rebels that they must allow unrestricted
access of humanitarian relief workers and supplies and cooperate
fully, including with the AU monitoring mission.”
 

“On
Monday, Hassan was tending two young girls, a daughter and a cousin,
curled up in pain from gunshot wounds, and mourning two female cousins
— all victims of an armed raid that the African village family
blames on the pro-government Arab Janjaweed militia on Sept. 22….

“Sudan,
under threat of U.N. sanctions over Darfur’s crisis, insists it
is now doing all it can to calm the situation and says it is ready
to welcome home the region’s 1.4 million uprooted non-Arab African
villagers. ….But the few who do trickle back are finding a countryside
in violent flux _ with steady raids blamed on both Arab Janjaweed
militia…. ‘There’s no security here — if we could go back to
Chad, we would,’ said the 35-year-old Hassan, who, with her extended
family, had taken the Sudanese officials at their word and returned
to her home region in July….

Romans 1:22-32

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide:

Article I: The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.

Article II: In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:

(a) Killing members of the group;

(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;

(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part;

(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;

(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Article III: The following acts shall be punishable:

(a) Genocide;

(b) Conspiracy to commit genocide;

(c) Direct and public incitement to commit genocide;

(d) Attempt to commit genocide;

(e) Complicity in genocide.

Article IV: Persons committing genocide or any of the other acts enumerated in article III shall be punished, whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials or private individuals.

Cambodian Genocide Program:
“The Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979, in which approximately 1.7 million people
lost their lives (21% of the country’s population), was one of the worst human
tragedies of the last century. As in the Ottoman Empire during the Armenian
genocide, the Soviet Union under Stalin, Nazi Germany during the Holocaust,
and more recently in East Timor, Guatemala, Yugoslavia, and Rwanda, the Khmer
Rouge regime headed by Pol Pot combined extremist ideology with ethnic animosity
and a diabolical disregard for human life to produce repression, misery, and
murder on a massive scale. …

      “In
1997 the Cambodian Government requested United Nations assistance in achieving
legal accountability for the crimes committed during the Khmer Rouge period.
The next year the UN Secretary-General commissioned a legal advisory body,
the Group of Experts on Cambodia, which called in 1999 for establishment
of an international tribunal to judge the genocide and other Khmer Rouge
crimes. After several years of negotiations with Cambodia on the nature of such
a court, the UN withdrew from the process in February 2002, but then
renewed its involvement by a resolution of the UN Third Committee in November
2002.”

“A
CULTURE of PREVENTION“

Facing the Humanitarian Challenge: Towards a Culture of
Prevention by Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, September 1999:

“As must now be evident, the common thread running through almost all
conflict prevention policies is the need to pursue what we in the United
Nations refer to as good governance. In practice, good governance
involves promoting the rule of law, tolerance of minority and opposition
groups, … Above all, good governance means respect for human rights.”

Our Creative Diversity: Report on the World Commission on Culture
and Development, UNESCO Publishing, 1995.

“I have for some time been
concerned with the ‘culture of peace.’ There is now considerable
evidence that neglect of human development has been one of the
principal causes of wars and
internal armed conflicts…. The concept of state sovereignty
which still prevails today has increasingly come under scrutiny. …

   
“An ounce of prevention is better than a ton of punishment. …

   
“Imagination, innovation, vision and creativity are required… It means
an open mind, and open heart and a readiness to seek fresh definitions,
reconcile old
opposites, and help draw new mental maps.”

“There should be a commitment to building ‘a culture of peace.’ … ‘a
process by which positive attitudes to peace, democracy and tolerance
are forged through education and knowledge about different cultures.’ It
is a process that is built on the proactive stance of peace
building:….

    
“Universalism is the fundamental principle of a global ethics.”

    
“The late twentieth-century present politicized, fundamentalist
tendencies in all religions. … The challenge today, as in the past
is to… distinguish between the beliefs and activities of the
peaceful majority… and a minority of extremists….”
[pages 67-68

“To promote pluralistic societies and resolve existing
conflicts requires the recognition of the variety of structures that
acquire legitimacy for different aspects of social life.”
[page 72]

It is imperative
that a greater understanding of the psychological, cultural, political, and
societal roots of human cruelty, mass violence, and genocide be developed.
We need to continue to examine the factors which enable individuals collectively
and individually to perpetrate evil/genocide and the impact of apathetic bystanders
as fuel for human violence. While an exact predictive model for mass violence/human
cruelty is beyond the scope of human capability, we have an obligation to develop
a model that highlights the warning signs and predisposing factors for human
violence and genocide. With such information, we can develop policies,
strategies,
and programs designed to counteract these atrocities.”

Prevention:
“…develop universalistic
institutions that transcend ethnic or racial divisions, that actively promote
tolerance and understanding, and that promote classifications that
transcend
the divisions.  …search for common ground.”
 See
“Twisting
Truth Through Classroom Consensus”
and

Brainwashing
in America

2. SYMBOLIZATION: 
“We give names or other symbols to the classifications. We name people “Jews”
or “Gypsies”, or distinguish them by colors or dress; and apply them to members
of groups. Classification and symbolization are universally human and do
not necessarily result in genocide unless they lead to the next stage, dehumanization.
When combined with hatred, symbols may be forced upon unwilling members
of pariah groups: the yellow star for Jews under Nazi rule.”

Prevention: “…hate symbols can be legally forbidden
(swastikas)
as can hate speech. Group marking like gang clothing or tribal scarring
can be outlawed…. The problem is that legal limitations will fail if
unsupported by popular cultural enforcement. Though Hutu and Tutsi were
forbidden words in Burundi until the 1980’s, code-words replaced them.
If
widely supported, however, denial of symbolization can be powerful, as it was
in Bulgaria, when many non-Jews chose to wear the yellow star, depriving
it of its significance as a Nazi symbol for Jews.”

French school bans girls over
scarves

: “Muslim headwear said to violate religious neutrality….
French law imposes strict religious neutrality in public institutions, but
the conservative government of Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin is split
on whether to ban them the headscarves.”

     
Once again, the socialist
vision of “equality” and conformity eclipses personal  freedom. Perhaps
French “neutrality” forbids all religious expression unless they agree with
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights — which bans everything not permitted
by the UN. See the first part of 

Trading U.S. Rights for UN Rules
and the next link: 

Muslim girl suspended for head scarf

: “An 11-year-old Oklahoma girl has been suspended from a public school
because officials said her Muslim head scarf violates dress code
policies.”
(CNN.com, 10/11/03)

Hate-crimes law
worries pastors: “Canada recently added sexual orientation as a protected category
in its genocide and hate-crimes legislation, which carries a
penalty of up to five years in prison. Opponents fear the Bible
will be regarded as ‘hate literature’ under the criminal code
in certain instances, as evidenced by the case of a Saskatchewan
man fined by a provincial human-rights tribunal for taking out
a newspaper ad with Scripture references to verses about homosexuality.”

3. DEHUMANIZATION:
“One group denies the humanity of the other group. Members of it are equated
with animals, vermin, insects or diseases. Dehumanization overcomes the normal
human revulsion against murder.  …hate propaganda in print and on hate radios is used to vilify
the victim group.”

Prevention:
“…incitement to genocide
should not be confused with protected speech. Genocidal societies lack constitutional
protection for countervailing speech, and should be treated differently than
in democracies. Hate radio stations should be shut down, and hate propaganda
banned. Hate crimes and atrocities should be promptly punished.”

Example:


Sweden’s Hate Speech
Law: “The prosecution of a Christian pastor for the
crime of preaching a biblical sermon sets a new low for the
culture of political correctness. …. The logic of this
prosecution is driven by the ardent determination of homosexual
activists to make all criticism of homosexuality illegal. The
logic of many hate crimes statutes plays right into this
ideological strategy. By silencing all opposition, advocates for
the normalization of homosexuality have the public square
entirely to themselves, with defenders of biblical sexuality and
the traditional family left without a voice and risking
prosecution for any language or argument deemed offensive by the
guardians of political correctness…

   
“…the prosecutor in this case, Kjell Yngvesson, justified the
arrest and prosecution of Pastor Green on these grounds: ‘One
may have whatever religion one wishes, but this is an attack on
all fronts against homosexuals. Collecting Bible citations on
this topic as he does makes this hate speech.’…

   
“The recent expansion of hate crimes laws in Canada, intended to
outlaw all criticism of homosexuality, is convincing proof that
these trends are not limited to Europe. …Earlier this year,
the U.S. Senate passed a hate crimes provision attached to a
defense appropriation bill. …Where this leads, of course, is
to the eradication of all criticism of homosexuality itself….
We are now witnesses to the criminalizing of Christianity.”
See

Ban truth – Reap Tyranny

 

Hate crimes’ bill: Prescription for tyranny
(U.S):
“

Seeking federal dollars, police and prosecutors will
define more and more cases as ‘hate crimes.’… In a media- and dollar-driven situation, your grandmother’s mugging will not receive as much attention as the
‘hate crime’ committed against a homosexual….

    “But the real danger of ‘hate crime’ laws is that they
criminalize thoughts and beliefs. The law should concern itself only with
actions. Prosecutors must prove intent, but examining underlying beliefs goes
far beyond that…. The federal ‘hate crimes’ bill lays the groundwork for
persecution of Christians in this country. Homosexual activists have redefined
any opposition to homosexuality as ‘hate speech.’…

     “In Tulsa, for instance, s

omeone wrote the words ‘kill’ and
‘death’ on the walls of a Catholic elementary school. According to civil-rights attorney Leah Farish, the perpetrator also wrote
‘messages referring to devils and to sex with Christian girls. Pentagrams and the number 666 appeared as well.
But the police said, ‘It is not a hate crime per se. In order for it to be a hate crime, it has to be an act of malicious intention.'”

…This isn’t a slippery slope; it’s a luge ride toward totalitarianism.”

4. ORGANIZATION:
“Genocide is always organized, usually by the state, though sometimes informally….”

Prevention:
“…membership in these militias should be outlawed. Their
leaders should be denied visas for foreign travel.”

5. POLARIZATION:
“Extremists drive the groups apart. Hate groups broadcast polarizing propaganda.
Laws may forbid intermarriage or social interaction…..

6. PREPARATION:
“Victims are identified and separated out because of their ethnic or religious
identity. Death lists are drawn up. Members of victim groups are forced to wear
identifying symbols. They are often segregated into ghettoes, forced into concentration
camps, or confined to a famine-struck region and starved.”

7. EXTERMINATION:
“Extermination begins, and quickly becomes the mass killing legally called
‘genocide.’
It is ‘extermination’ to the killers because they do not believe their victims
to be fully human. When it is sponsored by the state, the armed forces often
work with militias to do the killing.”.

8. DENIAL:
“The perpetrators of genocide dig up the mass graves, burn the bodies,
try to cover up the evidence and intimidate the witnesses. They deny
that they committed any crimes, and often blame what happened on the
victims. They block investigations of the crimes, and continue to govern
until driven from power by force, when they flee into exile.”

Prevention:
“…punishment by an international tribunal or
national courts. There the evidence can be heard, and the perpetrators
punished.”

(New York Times – Registration required):
“The United States said the killing in Darfur was indeed genocide, the Europeans
weren’t so sure, and the Arab League said definitely not, and hairs were split
and legalisms were parsed, and the debate over how many corpses you can fit
on the head of a pin proceeded in stentorian tones while the mass extermination
of human beings continued at a pace that may or may not rise to the level of
genocide. For people are still starving and perishing in Darfur. …

   
“The resolution passed, and
it was a good day for alliance-nurturing and burden-sharing — for the burden
of doing nothing was shared equally by all. And we are by now used to the pattern.
Every time there is an ongoing atrocity, we watch the world community go through
the same series of stages: (1) shock and concern (2) gathering resolve (3) fruitless
negotiation (4) pathetic inaction (5) shame and humiliation (6) steadfast vows
to never let this happen again.

    
“The ‘never-again’
always comes….”

The heart is deceitful
above all things, and desperately wicked; 
who can know it?”
Jeremiah 17:5-10