Sonya by QMC

By Sonya Sunder

Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights How people with different religious and cultural values co-exist

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Sonya Sunder Differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights How people with different religious and cultural values co-‐exist

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

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Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

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My Report Have you ever wondered how you would feel if you where criticized because you are of a different religion or have different cultural values? I can now tell you that after researching this it is quite sad to note that this is a huge problem in the World today. And a lot of the current issues the World faces are due to this. My group has been inquiring into how differing beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge human rights. I have been looking at how people with different religious and cultural values co-exist and have focused on two topics: 1. How has differing beliefs and values of a country's citizens resulted in conflict and impacted on human rights. 2. Do organisations / schools need to include / recognise people’s religious beliefs / cultures in order for people to co-exist? For example wearing religious clothing, allowing time for prayer.

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

How has differing beliefs and values of a country's citizens resulted in conflict and impacted on human rights? My case study for this topic is on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how it impacts Children on both sides. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The Israeli Palestinian conflict is one of the oldest in the World and for me to write about it, I had to first research in to the history of it. The Middle Eastern region known as Palestine was the ancient home of the Jewish people. It became part of the Muslim world in the 6th century. From 1923 to 1948, the British ruled the region. During this time, a large number of Jewish immigrants from various European countries settled there. British officals supported this movement called Zionism, which called for a Jewish state to be formed in Palestine. These immigrants came into conflict with the native Palestinian Arabs, since both groups wanted to make Palestine their own country. When Britain agreed to give up its rule in Palestine, the United Nations (UN) tried to divide the region between the Jewish people and the Arabs. The plan gave each group the same amount of land. However, the Jews were to be given land that was already owned by Arab Palestinians, as well as many of the important cities in Palestine. Because of this and religious conflicts that go back for centuries, minutes after the State of Israel was formed on 14 May 1948, Arab Palestinians and neighbouring Arab countries declared war on Israel. After bitter fighting, the war ended in 1949 with the Israelis defeating the Arab Palestinians and their allies. Arab forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Iraq, Syria 7

8 Page and Lebanon occupied the areas in southern and eastern Palestine that had not been given to the Jews by the UN. The forces of Transjordan also captured the small Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. However, Israel ended up with more land than the UN agreement had originally given them. Between February and July 1949 Israel signed agreements with each Arab state establishing the borders between the countries. No peace treaty was signed between the two sides, however. The hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who had left their homes during the fighting were not allowed to return. Many Palestinians ended up in refugee camps in neighbouring Arab countries, where they remain today. Muslims, who were forced to move away and become refugees when Israel was formed. Next to Israel is the West Bank, a very unstable place that has many historical sites that hold cultural and religious significance for Jews, Muslims and Christians. Over time there has been much violent conflict between Israeli and Palestine who both laid claim to this land. Since 2007 the Palestinian Authority has officially governed the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority would like to establish their own State recongaised by the United Nations. The West Bank is land locked and occupied by the Israeli military and mostly under their control. To prevent violence, the Israeli military limits where Palestinians can live within the West Bank. The movements of the Palestinians people are controlled by barriers and check points. The Israeli Jewish people have also established settlements in the West Bank. The Gaza Strip is also a highly disputed area adjacent to Israel. Hamas, an extremist’s Islamic organisation operating in the Gaza and West Bank, has refused to recognize the state of Israel but says it will support a Palestinian state. Peace between and Hamas appear very unlikely. Jerusalem is an ancient city and regarded as holy by three religions. The city has served as the centre of Jewish life for thousands of years. For Christians, it is holy because of its connections with Jesus. For Muslims, Jerusalem is the site of one of their most sacred shrines. Since 1980 the country of Israel has claimed Jerusalem as its capital. The Arab groups of the region, as well as other countries, have protested that claim. The issue remains unresolved. http://school.ebonline.co.nz/levels/primary/article/440764-‐ http://school.ebonline.co.nz/levels/primary/article/441312 http://school.ebonline.co.nz/levels/primary/article/439673

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

I also reasearched on how this conflict impacts children on both sides. Children of Palestine The conflict between Israel and Palestine is on going. Many children in both countries have been affected. Left with little food and water, no home to live in and no medical facilities, Palestinian children, with little fault of their own, have also been killed by mistakes made by Israeli soldiers. In the Gaza Strip where Israel declared war against Hamas, a number of Israeli fights and raids have resulted in the deaths of many children. The attacks often target public places that have turned into refuge for civilians, such as schools and hospitals. Tens of thousands of children are injured and some are left disabled for life. The Israeli army also claims that Hamas use Children as human shields in this conflict. “Flashbacks, nightmares, agoraphobia: even children are not spared from the repercussions of war,” UNICEF lamented after conducting a study about children living in the Gaza Strip. They are traumatized, with 88% of them afflicted by fear!

Child victims of occupation The Palestinian occupation by Israel impacts children’s everyday lives. Palestinian authorities are greatly dependent on international aid, financial resources are limited and public services are not up to standard. The wall – or fence in some places – zigzags through the West Bank, greatly affecting accessibility to education, water, health care and economic development for the country (see subsequent sections).

10 Page Reports from non-governmental organizations show that Israel has used force to suppress pro-Palestinian demonstrations, using tear gas and shooting into the crowd without hesitation, even where there are children. The Israel army has defined a stone as a dangerous projectile in the same category as a real bullet. So if a child throws a stone at an Israeli soldier, the latter can respond in force and the child can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. Poverty Israeli restrictions on the free movement of people and goods are major obstacles for the Palestinian economy. About one in three people are unemployed and live below the poverty line. In Gaza – the poorest area – only one in two have work. The effects of poverty on children’s lives are numerous: their schooling often remains incomplete because they leave school at a very early age, usually to work and provide for the needs of their families. Early marriages of young girls and adolescent crime are both consequences of poverty. Right to education In Palestine, approximately 70% of children go to primary school. Access to education is difficult for children who live in refugee camps and villages that do not have a school. Children have to travel far to get to School, and often have to go through a checkpoint. This situation contributes to school dropouts and child labor. The number of classes offered is insufficient, which leads to overcrowding, teaching is of the poorest quality and the schools lack resources and materials. Many schools are damaged or destroyed resulting in Children not being able to go to School.

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

Right to health care and clean water In Palestine, the infant mortality rate is seven times higher than that of Israel 30% of Palestinian children die before the age of five. The most likely reason is the lack of basic healthcare, food and water. Access to health care sevices can prove extremely problematic in Palestine due to the presence of the wall and checkpoints. There have been cases where families find themselves blocked by the Israeli army when they wanted to go to a hospital for treatment of their sick children. Sometimes, if medical treatment is delayed, the outcome can be fatal. During the conflict, many hospitals or clinics were also destroyed, depriving children of their right to health. With water resources being very limited hygiene is also an issue. There is very little drinkable water and often children get sick drinking water not meant for human consumption. This leads to severe sicknesses in children. http://www.humanium.org/en/palestine/

Children of Israel The situation of Israel’s children’s rights remains problematic. If some progress had been observed since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Committee on the Rights of the child estimates that “there is a lot left to do”, mostly regarding migrant children and those of minority groups in Israeli society. Poverty

12 Page Around a fourth of the Israeli population suffers from poverty. One out of three children would live in bad conditions and suffer from malnutrition; and the numbers are rising. The most affected are children from ethnic minority groups such as the Bedouins. Right to health Normally, the right to health care is guaranteed for Israeli children, and the quality of the healthcare system is good. However, children from vulnerable or minority groups don’t benefit from an equal access to these services. A high death rate of Bedouin children from not recognized by Israel villages has been deplored. In Negev, many children have no access to enough drinking water! Right to Education In Israel, school attendance is required until 11 years old and is free for all children between 5 and 16 years old! Hebrew and Arabic are the two official languages in Israel but Jewish children and Arab children study into different education systems. Unfortunately the Government invests more money in the Jewish education system, and as a consequence Arab children receive less education resulting in them dropping out of School early. The education system also results in continued mistrust of the two, beginning at an early age. http://www.humanium.org/en/israel/

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

Do organisations / schools need to include / recognise people’s religious beliefs / cultures in order for people to co-exist? For example wearing religious clothing, allowing time for prayer. For this topic, I interviewed two schools in Wellington (Holy Cross and Queen Margaret College) and two organisations in Queenstown (NZSki Snowsports School and Millbrook Resort). I also researched this topic further and discovered some pertinent information on this. I have included three news articles which I felt were relavent. Holy Cross School In Holy Cross I interviewed The pricipal-Celeste Hastings and The year 6 class. Holy Cross School is a Catholic school that celebrates diversity according to their sign outside the school. Holy Cross listens to parents ideas to make the school a better place. As a Catholic school Holy Cross has mass every Monday and prayer every morning, before lunch and before they leave school in the afternoon. As they have a mass at school it is not required that students go to church regularly (and most in room 1 year 6 don't). In the class that I interviewed only 1 practiced a religion other than Christianity and he was Hindu. According to the principal not all teachers are Catholic and nonCatholic teachers can put a small amount of their religion in morning prayers. During R.E. they only teach about Catholicism but if there is a special day for a different religion then the school teaches that religion that day. At Holy Cross their religion is flowed through every subject. In the old playground that got pulled down there are things called pou and there is a faith pou that shows the faith of Holy Cross. Even if you practice a religion other than Christianity, at Holy Cross you still go to mass weekly and participate in prayer. At Holy Cross they have a school prayer that is pretty simple it's the sign of the cross in Maori. (they say it in Maori to remember the culture of NZ

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When we went to the Holy Cross School we asked the year 6 class some questions, we surveyed them. But before we surveyed them we wanted to ask the same question to our class here are the results. A, I go to my church/temple/mosque regularly B, I go to my church/temple/mosque sometimes like on celebrations C, I don't go to a church/temple/mosque but I celebrate at home and am still religious D, I am not religious

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

A I go to my church/temple/mosque regularly

B I go to my church/temple/mosque sometimes like on celebrations

C I don't go to a church/temple/mosque but I celebrate at home and am still religious

D I am not religious

Queen Margaret College In QMC I interviewed Mr Edgecombe QMC is a Presbyterian school that encourages accepting differences. Does QMC accommodate other religions? At the QMC Junior School we allow non christian children to miss out on the Christian teachings during R.E. But in the Middle School it is compulsory. It is part of QMC's learning system and it is to be studied irregardless of ones own religious beliefs. QMC does teach other religions during the year sometimes too. The Middle School/ Senior School R.E. teacher Mr Edgecombe says "if there were lots of people needing the same requirements then QMC would make an exception. The people who practice other religions are happy learning about Christianity". At QMC there are no children who wear items of religious clothing eg. head scarves for Muslims. They know coming to QMC that it is a Christian school. Children are allowed to wear small items of religious clothing eg. necklaces and small bracelets tucked under their uniform. Once again if there were many people wanting to wear large items of religious clothing then the school might create a different version of the uniform for them. During R.E. at the beginning of year 7 a small amount of time is spent teaching other religions eg. Sikhism, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Hinduism is not taught because it's far too complicated for someone who isn't Hindu to teach. Teaching these religions is not to accommodate children with different religions,but it is so that everybody gets a good understanding of everybody.

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Millbrook Resort In Millbrook Resort I interviewed Adele Robbinson-membership manager. For Millbrook it is very important for them to recognise their employees religion and cultural values. According to them this encourages a harmonious and equitable society, causing no disrespect, misunderstand/misinterpret to anyone. They are highly proactive is this regards. Millbrook have hired employees from many nationalities including Asian (Chinese, Indian, South Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese), American, South American (Brazilian and Argentinean), Canadian, Eastern and Westen European as well as Australian and New Zealanders. Their employees remain with them for many years. We require our employees who are non native English speaking to learn English as a second language and from their other colleagues. Milbrook does allow their employees to wear cultural clothing items. At least one staff member wears a turban and many that wear chains and cultural markings. Millbrook is sensitive to their guests, and so do not have any front line staff who wear facial tattoos or head dress generally as that might cause offence to their guests. There has never been any issues with two religions and cultural identity at the workplace in Milbrook. But if there were any issues, Milbrook will work procatively to resolve this

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge Millbrook does aim to embrace all cultures and welcome equal opportunities

NZSki Snowsports School I interviewed Cesar N. Piotto- the head of Snowsports School. One of the most important things is to reconise everyone for their individuality, so wheather it is religious belifs or political views or whatever may be the case you employ them as individual to do a job to preform their job to the best of there ability so if we do not reconise them as individuals we will not get their full protential. NZski is one of the most multi-cultural organisations in Queenstown. The employees at nzski come from many dffferent countries, and often it is the first time they are working in New Zealand. NZski offers these employees a lot of support and allows them to practice their beliefs wherever and whenever possible. NZski tries to give them as much information a head of time so they know what to expect. So if you where coming from Sweden verses South Africa verses Japan they are all very cultural different countries. NZski supports a very open culture one that is tolerant, one that is focus more on what we can do for the guest experience and at the same time helping each other out. It is our culture in New Zealand to help one another, and we encourage them to do the same. Nzski has not experienced any difficulties with their diverse employees. They do have a standard dress code, but they allow some flexibility so long as it is safe.

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Argentina

Australia

Canada

Czech Republic

Finland

France

Germany

India

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

Korea (South)

Latvia

Netherlands

New Zealand

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Poland

South Africa

Sweden

Switzerland

United Kingdom United States of America

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The three news articles I summarised as follows.

Schools Cultural clothing (stuff.co.nz) Wearing a different school uniform from that of her friends has never made Somali-born Hawo Ali feel out of place. A 17-year-old girl at Naenae College is one of the Muslim girls in Wellington whose religious costumes are being increasingly catered for the school “I have never felt out of place wearing it, and I came here when I was so little so I’m total kiwi.” She said Women's headscarves - known as hijabs - and floor-length skirts have been allowed at some schools for more than five years, but now uniform shops are selling items in the school style and colour. One uniform shop in Lower Hutt is allowing hijabs with school emblems for those students choosing to wear them. When Hawo first started school in year 9, she was told to try on a short skirt but her mum preferred her to wear a longer skirt, so the women at the shop made one just for her. "Nobody has ever made me feel left out and I've never felt any different at school because of my uniform."

20 Page “I don't really think about being any different." One of her friends Emma Cropp (head girl at Naenae college) said that the school's motto was to be accepting of others and inclusive. "I don't think I ever really noticed Hawo wore something different. It doesn't come up," she said.

The Wellingtonian Interview: Paul Morris (stuff.co.nz) Victoria University religious studies programme director Paul Morris was recently interviewed by the Wellingtonian on his religious and personal beliefs. I have summarized his viewpoints here. According to him, religion is about a significant life lived with others. It is having answers to questions of what values govern life. Religion plays a central role in the lives of the majority of people and understanding religion is to understand a vital dimension of our humanity. But he stresses that he tries to teach his students what people believe, but not what they should believe. New Zealand is increasingly religiously diverse. The percentage of Christians declined to about half the population in the 2006 census. Largely due to immigration we now have small but significant Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim communities. One of the most striking developments is that nearly a third of us now declare we have "no religion". The percentage of No Religion (NR) is higher in New Zealand than in many other countries. In the UK the figure is about 16 per cent and it's roughly 20 per cent in Australia. The growth of NR here is due to different reasons. We have no state church so in just two generations Sunday school, regular church, and religious baptisms, weddings, and funerals have moved from normal to minority activities. The NR for the 2011 census, does not mean they don't believe in God but that they don't attend a particular church. 20

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge

Census points to non-religious NZ (stuff.co.nz) According to recent census data (2013) for New Zealand, Kiwis are increasingly opting for a life without religion. Four out 10 Kiwis now declare themselves non-religious. For the first time since 1901, Christians are not the majority anymore. When older church goers die there are far less younger people attending church so it might lead to NZ stopping the Christian public holidays, such as Christmas, and the place of the church in our schools. According to the Anglican Bishop of Wellington, Justin Duckworth, more was needed to be done to connect with young people, but the church was up against a new generation that was individualist and not interested in long-term commitment to any institution. "People often say they are incredibly spiritual but they are wary of organised religion," he said. But according to Archbishop John Dew, Christianity was still a big part of New Zealand life. "Religion continues to be part of our make-up and identity as a nation." Christianity may be decreasing, but other religions, often linked with a rise in migrants, are growing - Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam have all grown hugely. There are now 89,000 Hindus in New Zealand, a rise of 16,000 since 2006. During the same period the New Zealand Indian population grew by about 50,000. These migrant religious communities are active and growing and now represent a significant facet of New Zealand life.

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Conclusion To conclude, I believe every country has a religion. But it is sad to think New Zealand is losing its religion. The trend in New Zealand is for a society that does not associate its self with any one particular religion. Once upon a time New Zealand would have been considered a Christian nation, but now we find ourselves a nation where the majority of Kiwis are no longer Christian. At the same time there are other religions that are growing in New Zealand such as Islam and Hinduism. This means that as a nation we are supporting diversity in religion and culture. This is confirmed is our educational institution and increasingly in our workplace. Both the schools and organisations that we interviewed supported this diversity and as a matter of fact embrace it. Now I am aware of more issues in the world. Human rights continue to be challenged in other parts of the world and this very sad for all of us to see. The ones that are most affected are the women and the children. It is very unfortunate that children born today have to face this unnecessary hardship. With the right education, communication and commitment, we should be able to resolve differences for the better of everyone.

Sonya Sunder: Differing Beliefs and attitudes can lead to conflict and challenge Bibliography http://school.ebonline.co.nz/levels/primary/article/440764 http://school.ebonline.co.nz/levels/primary/article/441312 http://school.ebonline.co.nz/levels/primary/article/439673 http://www.humanium.org/en/palestine/ http://www.humanium.org/en/israel/> http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Peace/jerutime.html http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/israeli-palestinian-conflict-throughchildrens-eyes.shtml https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4r1EmEni2Rw http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/hutt-valley/9659808/Schoolscultural-clothing http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/local-papers/thewellingtonian/3940908/The-Wellingtonian-Interview-Paul-Morris http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/9501270/Census-points-to-non-religious-NZ Interview with Nzski Interview with Millbrook Interview with QMC Interview with Holy Cross School Interview with Rebecca's Mum