ICPTR

The interplay of perceptions, immigration, and travel propensity is a research note based on the research commissioned by Stenden University as part of its educational vision that resides in contributing to a better world. It was thus conceived as a strategy to strengthening existing ties between the Netherlands and Morocco through tourism…
a-research-note
(more about the book visit http://www.cabi.org/bk_BookDisplay.asp?PID=2096)

July 28, 2009 – San Diego, California – Celestialink LLC announced today that its media division, TravelTalkMEDIA Group, will be consulting with International peace and tourism expert, Dr. Omar Moufakkir while developing the First Ladies of the World TV series. …http://www.traveltalkmedia.com/PR_moufakkir_jul09.html

Terrorism can’t be defeated by arms. Arms may eliminate one head, but two heads will grow, even stronger, simply because of the perception of injustice, solidarity or revenge. There is so much anger. There is war in Iraq -Iraq is a Muslim country; there is war in Afganistan -Afghanistan is a Muslim country; There is war in the Holy Land -Palestinians are predominantly Muslim; There is terrorism in Somalia -Somalia is a Muslim country;  There is… And the list can go on; and today, two hotels have been bombed in Indonesia -Indonesia is a Muslim country. And Muslim countrties remain outside the world’s political, social, religious and cultural scenes. Their absence is not justified. their silence is rather immoral. Why are there no troops from Arab or Islamic countries in Afganistan? What are the concerns of authorities of Muslim countries? What is the contribution of the Muslims to the re-building of their brothers’ countries and humanity? What have they done in Bosnia, Yemen? Sudan,Pakistan or China? More lives -Muslims and Non-Muslim- are being killed. Why British or American young men and women are being killed, in the land of duty? What duty? Why do their families have to suffer from afar? I hope the Muslims love their children too, for if so they should love the other children too. It is time to react. It is time to act. It is time to show that they care, too.

Surely, war, arms and violence did not help at all, and will never do. Then, authorities of muslim countries have a moral authority and a more positve role to play in peace-building, now more than ever, not through arms but through cultural, intellectual and religious outreach. It is time to change the rules of peace-keeping-and building from the use of arms to the use of Islamic teachings. Muslim countries should have the audacity to dare to take a leading role in peace keeping and peace building in other Islamic troubled countries. They can promote the audacity of hope through the good teaching of Islam, for Islam is a religion of hope, modernity and moderation, brotherhood, science, and above all it is a religion of SALAM/PEACE. Is this too hard for some Muslims to understand? Then, it is to you to bring them back to the true teaching of the Quran and the Prophet, because this is the duty of true believers.

YES, terrorism can be defeated not by destroying bridges but by building them. The bridges of peace in a terrorism environment can be built not by violence but by reason. True believers can reason. Those who can’t can be converted to reason if they are to become true believers, if that is their claimed salvation. There are conditions for war, but terrorists’ conditions are nowhere to be found in the rules of God. War results in collateral damage. Peace results in collateral good. Those who kill do no good. Those who kill in the name of God and those who kill in the name of saving men are far from the truth.

The truth is THOU SHALL NOT KILL. In this case, if Muslim countries do not want to engage in war, it is time to leave their cocoon and engage in peace peacefully, and prove to the world community that there is more than terrorism and oil in the Arab and Islamic world. My be, it is the chance to peacefully and pragmatically claim back the place of the Arabs and Muslims in the civilisation of human kind. If Islamic authorities are incapable of doing it, then it is time for the millions of Muslims of the world to openly and actively engage in promoting peace, denouncing terrorism, and above all teaching about and for peace. True Muslims celebrate life not death, and humanity not one kind of humans. And to those who take the Quran to justify their doings, we say let’s read it together again, and again we shall find that the Muslims are Ummat al Wassat -community of middle-way.

And it is thus that We appointed you to be the community of the middle way, so that you might be witnesses before all mankind and the Messenger might be witness before you. <…contd…> (Holy Qurán 2:143).

Please make a note of the Heritage Week in Birzeit. We look forward to your visit. By Raed Saadeh, event organiser. Click to see program daily-programs

The relationships between tourism and peace can be studied from several perspectives. The contributions of tourism to peace can also be studied from several perspectives. We are very pleased to inform you that the book “Tourism, Progress and Peace” to be published by CABI International end 2009-beg 210, is shaping up successfully. It’s purpose is to advance our knowledge about the topic. The call for proposals has resulted in over 50 abstracts. Of these 16 chapters have been selected. The book is of relevance to: researchers and academics in that it offers ideas for future research related to tourism and peace; practitioners in that it’s empirical nature brings pragmatic relevance and support for projects, programs and other initiatives related to promoting a culture of peace through tourism by NGOs or government organisations; leisure, hospitality and tourism students and teachers in that it can be used in the classroom. For more information about the book, contact us by e-mail at: omar.moufakkir@stenden.com , skype at: omar.moufakkir, or by phone: (00)(31)58 2441301.

 There is no such thing as peace through tourism per se. Undoubtedly, tourism can be a vehicle for peace, but education for peace starts at home. Our peacelessness is the result of inequality in the world. This inequality is a result of ignorance, greed and failed policies. Thinking about peacelessness is what takes us further away from the animal kingdon. Accepting this peacelessness is what brings us closer to animals. Surely, there is the animal in the human, but which of these is closer to humanity remains to be  explained.

Sometimes, it is difficult to talk about the relationship between tourism and peace. This is mainly due to the limited definition of peace as the absence of arms. If the definition of peace includes conflict, it become easier to realise the connection between tourism and peace. To understand this connection, it is insightful to go back to 1948 and the Declaration of Human Rights. Then, it is possible to see where humanity has made progress and where it has failed. Tourism does not make miracles, tourism can be used as a tool to enhance and promote human rights -political, social, environmantal and cultural- in so many ways.

Click to view our presenation “Tourism and Peace: Myths, Realities and Progress” at the World Heritage Conference in Austria, June 3-5, 2009. austria_conference

I am very pleased to announce the development of an important network, the European Network of Places of Peace. The first meeting of the Network took place on May 23-25, 2009, in Portugal in the historical town of Estremoz,  supported by the Minicipality of Estremoz. This meeting has a great significance for the municipality, and was organised to coincide with the commemoration of the anniversary of the historical peace treaty signed in this Municipality in 1763. The purpose of this Network is to celebrate peace by commemorating peace treatises, and those who participated in making them happen. The Network will connect participating places through cultural and heritage tourism initiatives, projects and opportunities.

Estremoz, beautiful sights and medieval heritage sites.

Mr. Eduardo Basso, President of the ENPP.

 The seven permanent members of the ENPP (Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, Saxony -Germany, Spain) .

The Meyor of the municipality, Minister of culture, and other policymakers were present.

Permanent members with Portugal Minister of culture during the commemoration ceremony.

A staged historical perspective of the signature of the Evora Monte’s peace treaty.

The symbol of the community’s peace treaty.

If you are around you may want to visit the International Women’s Day for Peace and Disarmament conference. Pioneering women peace makers and musicians are participating in the Voices of Peace from the Balkans and the Caucasus to sing and support world peace. This interesting event is taking place on May 24, 2009 in Utrech, the Netherlands.

For more click: women-for-peace

It is true that certain forms of tourism and types of tourists make the critics of tourism and peace even more pessimistic about the positive relationship between tourism and peace. However, it is, nevertheless, worth noting that peace through tourism debate has become commonplace in the tourism discourse. And yes, not only in political arenas but also in academia. Internationally, tourism conferences and seminars are increasingly recognising the importance of the tourism and peace phenomenon. More and more conferences are including tourism and peace in their selection of themes. The International Center for Peace through Tourism Research has been invited to participate in the Annual Heritage Tourism conference organised by L&R Sozialforschung/L&R Social Research in Austria on June 3-5, 2009. You are cordially invited to participate with us in this important conference. For more information contact Mr. Behrouz Sayahpour

L&R Sozialforschung/ L&R Social Research

To see the conference program, click on the following links:

heritage-tourism-conference; heritage-tourism2