Introduction: The Leader World team was stunned by the earthquake off the coast of Japan and tsunami that washed over northern Japan and carried out to the North American West Coast. It is one of the worst natural disasters in modern times. Its effects are still being felt; the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant was heavily damaged. Emergency workers are still at the plant in an attempt to prevent a meltdown.
The 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan on March 11 is, according to Japan’s Prime Minister, Naoto Kan the “toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan” since World War II. In times of disaster and dire humanitarian need, the world often reacts with open pockets. The emergence of text message giving after the Haiti earthquake offered people a readily available medium for giving and raised over $30 million.
This time around there are even more web-based and social media options for giving. Groupon gives UK users the option to donate £2 in addition to their daily deals, iTunes offers users a similar option to donate, Facebook leverages their activism pages to link users with organizations like the Red Cross and HelpAttack, a US company, has given people the option of pledging money for each tweet or Facebook post they make, similar to raising pledges for a charity run.
For more information about ways to give to the recovery efforts in Japan click here.
Reports: Mexican Police Chief Fired, May Have Fled To U.S.
Written by Erick Colman
The Associated Press reports that Marisol Valles Garcia, 20, has been fired by the city of Praxedis G. Guerrero, Mexico, as the city's police chief.
Garcia made international news in October 2010 for taking the position when no one else literally would. Readers ofThe Leader World chose her as the first recipient of The Leader World Award in January.
Reports had surfaced over the weekend that Garcia had received death threats and had fled to the United States seeking asylum. According to Associated Press, the city granted her permission to travel there for personal reasons and fired her for not returning to work today (March 7).
Professor: Arab World Revolutions Are Not About Islam
Written by The Leader World
Sumaiya Hamdani, Ph.D. is a professor specializing in Islamic history and gender studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, United States.
Professor Hamdani's column, published today in Jadaliyya, argues that the movement for government changes sweeping across Arab world countries, such as Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan, is not about Islam, the predominant religion in these countries.
"I was in Egypt at the time, and reeling as everyone seemed to be from the bombing of the Coptic church in Alexandria, attention soon became fixed on Tunisia," Professor Hamdani writes in Jadaliyya, "and a moment of national unity in reaction to the tragic event in Alexandria, soon developed into a movement of national unity that dared to conceive of and act toward an alternative to their own regime."
Update: The staff of The Leader World is closely following events throughout the Arab world. Thousands of protesters have rallied for change in their respective governments.
-Egypt President Hosni Mubarak announced he will step down in September.
-In Jordan, King Abdullah II has dismissed the government and appointed Marouf Al Bakhit as prime minister. Al Bakhit is now in charge of forming a new government.
-The Tunisian people were the first, peacefully protesting for a new president to replace Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They got their wish when Fouad Mebazaa became interim president on January 15.
The following article was originally published January 26.
The current events in the Arab world, particularly in Tunisia, Egypt and now Jordan, are somehow changing the entire view of the region. Corruption, failed economies, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, fraudulent elections are just a few of the many problems Arabs face. They have for a very long time abided by the rules, accepted their dictators and traded silence for their survival.
Today, things are turning quiet differently. In a world of Twitter, Facebook and Wikileaks, people no longer need to rely on biased and governmentally-funded press agencies to know that a young graduate Arab has burned himself out of despair.
The naturally-rich countries have long marginalized their people, prioritised foreigners, looked out for the West and made their rulers rich. The results are populations in many Arab countries at two extremes: the rich and powerful and the poor and uneducated.
It is needless to say that most Arabs are struggling to make a living. Many would rather migrate to another country than be lead by selfish and opportunist rulers. Many Westerners think Arabs are living in backwards times. Not every Arab drives a Lamborghini or spends their nights at belly-dancing parties.
And the latter does not hesitate to protest against their home countries’ governments in the USA, Canada, the UK – their hosting countries. The crowds around the world have admirably manned very peaceful protests which mean more than ever that the Arabs are not for chaos but today united for a better future and more important a fair and just one.
People may get killed, people may suffer but the idea is there. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, said it well: “You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea.” The idea and unity are all what the Arabs have today. Hope is what will keep going for a better tomorrow.”
Editor's note: the map used with this article has not been altered from its original source. It is a common representation of countries and territories comprising the Arab world, in which Arabic has historically been a primary language. As such, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are not shown. While there are Arabic speakers in these countries, the primary languages are different.
Update: Arab World Protesters Are Now Two-For-Two
Written by Safaa Nhairy
Update: The staff of The Leader World is closely following events throughout the Arab world. Thousands of protesters have rallied for change in their respective governments.
-Egypt President Hosni Mubarak announced he will step down in September.
-In Jordan, King Abdullah II has dismissed the government and appointed Marouf Al Bakhit as prime minister. Al Bakhit is now in charge of forming a new government.
-The Tunisian people were the first, peacefully protesting for a new president to replace Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. They got their wish when Fouad Mebazaa became interim president on January 15.
The following article was originally published January 26.
The current events in the Arab world, particularly in Tunisia, Egypt and now Jordan, are somehow changing the entire view of the region. Corruption, failed economies, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, fraudulent elections are just a few of the many problems Arabs face. They have for a very long time abided by the rules, accepted their dictators and traded silence for their survival.
Today, things are turning quiet differently. In a world of Twitter, Facebook and Wikileaks, people no longer need to rely on biased and governmentally-funded press agencies to know that a young graduate Arab has burned himself out of despair.
The naturally-rich countries have long marginalized their people, prioritised foreigners, looked out for the West and made their rulers rich. The results are populations in many Arab countries at two extremes: the rich and powerful and the poor and uneducated.
It is needless to say that most Arabs are struggling to make a living. Many would rather migrate to another country than be lead by selfish and opportunist rulers. Many Westerners think Arabs are living in backwards times. Not every Arab drives a Lamborghini or spends their nights at belly-dancing parties.
And the latter does not hesitate to protest against their home countries’ governments in the USA, Canada, the UK – their hosting countries. The crowds around the world have admirably manned very peaceful protests which mean more than ever that the Arabs are not for chaos but today united for a better future and more important a fair and just one.
People may get killed, people may suffer but the idea is there. Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, said it well: “You can imprison a man, but not an idea. You can exile a man, but not an idea. You can kill a man, but not an idea.” The idea and unity are all what the Arabs have today. Hope is what will keep going for a better tomorrow.”
Editor's note: the map used with this article has not been altered from its original source. It is a common representation of countries and territories comprising the Arab world, in which Arabic has historically been a primary language. As such, Israel, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are not shown. While there are Arabic speakers in these countries, the primary languages are different.
The Associated Press reports that Marisol Valles Garcia, 20, has been fired by the city of Praxedis G. Guerrero, Mexico, as the city's police chief.
Sumaiya Hamdani, Ph.D. is a professor specializing in Islamic history and gender studies at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, United States.