Reactionary Religions and Rights

28 10 2008

“If a person wants to believe in the Bible let him say so, but why should he discard his own religion? This proselytization will mean no peace in the world … My position is that all the great religions are fundamentally equal. We must have innate respect for other religions as we have for our own. Mind you, not mutual tolerance, but equal respect”.

Mahatma Gandhi

Since August, radical Hindu nationalist mobs have rioted and attacked Christians in a number of Indian states, claiming Christians have been forcing conversion upon lower caste Hindus. Christians allege that  Hindu activists in the area have tried to intimidate Christians to reconvert to Hinduism. Thirty people have already died in the violence, and thousands more have fled their homes. It has been described as the most serious violence against the Christian community in India in the last 50 years.

This is only one case of Religious Oppression, a wide-reaching problem that also raises the question of the balance between state sovereignty and human rights. Join us on Wednesday 29 October at 7PM in CAS 326 as we represent countries in SOCHUM (the UN Third Committee on Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues), deciding whose rights take precedence in the international system: the rights of states, or those of its citizens, and how states and the international community will respond to the increase in religious repression and violence in the world.

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Resolution Session

22 10 2008

We’ve covered debating… now it’s time for the next step! After deciding what the committee thinks about an issue, countries will team up, typically in their regional blocs, to write a working paper, and then a draft resolution. Join us this Wednesday 22 October in CAS 326 at 7PM as we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of resolutions by looking at a past resolution on the Long-Term Effects of Atomic Radiation.

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False Democracies in the Middle East

14 10 2008

“The true victory is the victory for democracy and pluralism.”

Hosni Mubarak,
Egyptian President

Middle Eastern states claim to be “liberal” democracies; that is, that they are democracies based in Enlightenment ideals and have a separation of Church and state. However, a handful of nations (notably Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, and Egypt) stand out as questionable liberal democracies.

Come participate in our discussion about this topic this Wednesday, October 15! At 7PM in CAS 326, we will simulate SPECPOL (a General Assembly committee) as we address the problem of false democracies in the Middle East.

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Post-BarMUN: Fall Travel Conferences

8 10 2008

Congratulations to all those who were on the BarMUN staff! Each of you did a fabulous job and it was your contribution that made the conference an overwhelming success. We know that you are catching up on schoolwork, sleep, and life in general. You deserve a break and so there will be NO MEETING this Wednesday. Please join us next week (October 15), when we will resume debate with vigor!

We also hope that you will consider applying for one of our travel conferences this semester. We will take 12 delegates to SCSY, Yale’s conference, from October 30th to November 2nd. Two weeks later, we will bring 16 delegates to Philadelphia for UPenn’s conference, UPMUNC, from November 13th to November 16th.

The applications for both conferences are due Sunday, October 12th, by 5:00pm EDT. You can apply with our online form by clicking on the conference names: SCSY, UPMUNC. Please look at the dates for these conferences and consult with your professors to be sure you will be able to attend before applying. Also, keep in mind that you can apply for both conferences, but will most likely only be selected to attend one conference.

If you have any questions about travel conferences or are interested in applying to be on staff for BosMUN, our high school conference in February, please email the Model UN account.

Once again, congratulations to everyone!