Circassian heritage on display at dance performance

By Hana Namrouqa

AMMAN - The rich symbolism of Circassian folkways took center stage this week at the Highlanders Circassian dance show.

At Wednesday night's performance at the International Academy-Amman theater, 95 young dancers performed 10 traditional dances that depicted the history of the Circassian people and told stories drawn from their literature and myths.

Inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Khalid Karaki, deputizing for Her Majesty Queen Rania, the dance concert opened with Qafa, a fast-paced dance set against a quick, lively tune that celebrates life and liberty.

Next, a group of girls dressed in pink costumes danced gracefully on their tip-toes in Thapa Qash, a dance symbolizing the warrior women who mastered the arts of fighting and horsemanship.

In Abzakh Widg, men and women danced in circles around a man wearing a long white coat made of fur, called a Tshaquah, and holding a decorated wooden object with his right hand, called a Dah Paah, which is usually carried by the eldest man in a Circassian dance gathering. The dance is one of the oldest Circassian dances and symbolizes love and joy.

Another dance, Bjadough Yislamay, imitated the movements of birds as girls floated like swans and men surrounded them like eagles.

In the Circassian tradition, a good dancer is a good fighter. The Oshehamafa dance displayed this linkage as a group of young men combined athletic dance moves with martial arts to the energetic rhythms of the baraban (a Circassian drum).

The dance show, named after the Highlanders dance troupe, an affiliate of the International Circassian Cultural Academy (ICCA), also featured dances from Turkey's Circassian community, including the Shapsigh Thaparish: a dance of the Shapsugh tribe that mimics the rhythm of heartbeats, while young men move their legs in imitation of horses.

In the merry Hakolash dance, which belongs to the Bjadough and Abzakh tribes, men and women danced to fast-paced music and the sound of the bkhashatsh, a wooden instrument that produces soft sounds when shaken.

The performance concluded with the Highlanders dance, known to Circassians in Jordan as "Shashan".

The concert, which had a second showing Thursday evening and concludes with a final performance Friday, is the ICCA's first annual show. It aims at celebrating Circassian culture and heritage and reinforcing the integration and harmony of Circassians within the Jordanian community, according to Dalal Kabarday, the academy's public relations coordinator.

Launched in August, the new academy seeks to preserve Circassian heritage with plans to organize courses in music, traditional embroidery and handicrafts, among other skills.

Headquartered in the Jandaweel neighborhood in west Amman, the ICCA, is a not-for-profit society registered with the Ministry of Culture.

The Circassians, an indigenous people of the northwest Caucasus region, are a non-Arab, Islamic people originally from the Caucasus region of western Asia. Southward Russian expansion during the 19th century forced between 1.5 and two million Circassians to emigrate south to the Ottoman Empire following the 19th century Russian-Circassian war, according to web sources.

The first wave of Circassian immigrants, who were mainly of Shapsugh extraction, arrived in Jordan in 1878 and took refuge in Amman. They were followed by the Kabardians, the Abzakh and Bzhedugh.

Unofficial figures place the Circassian population in Jordan at between 80,000 and 100,000.

Today, only a minority live in their divided ancestral homeland, mainly in three republics of the Russian Federation: Kabardino Balkaria, Karachay-Cherkessia and Adygheya.

29 October 2010

Source: The Jordan Times.
Link: http://jordantimes.com/?news=31373.

Turkish military's needs will be met by domestic production

Turkish PM Erdogan said that half of Turkish military's needs would be met by domestic production by the end of the year.

Saturday, 30 October 2010

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Turkey's defense industry had made a great progress in recent years and that half of Turkish military's needs would be met by domestic production by the end of the year.

In his televised address to nation, Erdogan said that Turkish defense industry could meet only 25 percent of needs of Turkish Armed Forces in 2002. However, he said, it broke through a level at 46 percent in 2009.

"Our goal is to make it 50 percent by the end of this year," Erdogan said.

In 2002, sales of national defense industry was $ 1 billion. It rose to $2.5 billion in 2009.

"I hope we will see $3 billion this year. Also, exports of our defense industry companies climbed to $832 million from $240 million. Our target for 2011 is $1 billion," he said.

Erdogan added that Turkey had designed its first national infantry rifle.

"We will start serial production of that rifle in 2011. Turkish troops will carry weapons produced by our own means. We have also started production of our own tanks with all integrated systems. Prototypes of this tank, which we named 'Altay', are being built now. Moreover, prototype production of 'Anka', our unmanned aerial vehicle, has started. Test flights of 'Atak', our first national helicopter, will be made this year as well. Turkish engineers are also working on a project to build our first intelligence satellite 'Gokturk'. We plan to launch it in 2012," Erdogan said.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=65737.

Turkish army chiefs boycott ceremony over Islamic headscarf

ANKARA — Turkish army chiefs boycotted an official ceremony at the presidential palace because the president's wife wore an Islamic headscarf, the press reported Saturday.

The army's top brass were conspicuous by their absence late Friday at a banquet thrown by President Abdullah Gul to commemorate the creation of the modern, secular Turkey in 1923.

The military organized a separate reception at the same time to give the generals an excuse not to accept the president's invitation, the reports said.

The secularist main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) also declined Gul's invitation.

Turkey's First Lady has worn the hijab, which covers the head and neck, since adolescence.

The boycott was criticized by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose wife also wears the headscarf.

The army's generals, who see themselves as custodians of the Turkish republic, regard the headscarf as a threat to the state's secular traditions and are against any relaxation of the ban on wearing them in schools and government buildings.

Hayrunnisa Gul and Emine Erdogan, as well as a number of other wives of leaders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), all wear headscarves tied tightly over bonnets which completely conceal their neck and hair.

Erdogan, who has led the Islamist-rooted conservative government since 2002 reproached the generals, saying "the armed forces should have been present" at the presidential palace.

In the past, generals have attended the banquet to celebrate the founding of the Turkish republic but this year the president extended the invitation to wives, meaning that women wearing the veil would be present.

Gul, a former AKP cadre, has been pressing for a lifting of the ban on veils since he took office.

The ban on headscarves on university campuses was recently eased by the Higher Education Board (YOK), which used to be a bastion of secularism but is now headed by an Erdogan supporter.

Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved.

Turkey's Erdogan signals another airport for Istanbul

Erdogan said that Turkey was ranked the 4th in Europe in passenger transportation, while it was at the 22nd place in global ranking.

Saturday, 30 October 2010

The Turkish prime minister said on Saturday that Turkish Airlines (THY) was an international brand and Turkey's pride.

Speaking at the delivery ceremony of Turkey's national air carrier's newest aircrafts at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said THY's fleet expanded to 149 with the 5 aircrafts that joined the airline company today.

Noting that THY had the youngest fleet in Europe at the moment, Erdogan said the company would have more than 200 aircrafts by the year 2014.

Erdogan said many airports had been constructed in numerous Turkish cities lately, adding the number of domestic passengers in the country had grown by 372 percent as the number of international passengers had increased by 77 percent in the last 8 years.

Pointing the improvement in Turkish aviation sector, Erdogan said a total of 6 companies including the national flag carrier THY competed with each other currently, noting that presence of private firms brought a certain richness to the sector.

Prime Minister Erdogan also said that another airport could be opened in Istanbul soon.

"Do not be surprised if you see the third airport in Istanbul in near future. Two airports cannot meet the demands at the moment. We do not want any delays in flights," he said.

Erdogan also noted that Turkey was ranked the 4th in Europe in passenger transportation, while it was at the 22nd place in global ranking.

"THY, without making any concessions in its quality and safety principles, has become the 6th most profitable company in the world. The company, which has turned into an international brand, has become the pride of this country," the prime minister said.

Turkish Airlines’ First Boeing 777-300ER Arrived in Turkey

Turkish Airlines’ First Boeing 777-300ER, which has been ordered to Boeing Company delivered by the Turkish Airlines.

Boeing 777–300 ER is lighter plane than its closest rival and helping for disposal. It also includes General Electric GE90-11BL Jet Engine.

Wits its 365 seats it also presents also 20% less operating cost than its rivals. 777-300ER also reduces carbon dioxide oscillation nearly 22% and it has 14.685 ranges.

It also has been accepting as most successfully double engine and two aisles plane. Turkish Airlines ordered nearly 12 Boeing 777-300 ER also nearly 61 company which operating around the world also ordered nearly 1100 of them.

Source: World Bulletin.
Link: http://www.worldbulletin.net/news_detail.php?id=65770.

Egypt's Bedouins celebrate diversity in annual festival

Sat, 30 Oct 2010

Marsa Alam, Egypt - Around 350 Bedouins from 21 tribes from across Egypt took part in the third Characters of Egypt festival to discuss their culture lives as nomads, organizers said Saturday.

"The main objective of the festival is to provide an opportunity for representatives of the different tribes which were living across the Egyptian desert for many years to meet and celebrate diversity," Walid Ramadan, one of the organizers, told the German Press Agency dpa, shortly before the festival came to an end.

The two-day event, which took place in Marsa Alam, some 175 kilometers south of the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, also attracted Egyptians and tourists.

The festival allowed them to find out more about tribal law and customs, ecosystems and ecotourism and native plant medicines.

Each tribe also showed off its own local dances, poetry, food and sports.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/news/351145,celebrate-diversity-annual-festival.html.

Road to Hope Convoy Stalled at Egyptian Border

Oct-30-2010
Salem-News.com

“Now we find ourselves in our third day at the Libyan / Egyptian border and we remain hopeful that the land route will be opened to us in the coming days” -Ken O’Keefe

(TOBRUK) - The Road to Hope humanitarian aid convoy continues its role in the international community’s collective mission to break the illegal siege of Gaza and deliver desperately needed aid to the people of Palestine in Gaza.

The convoy comprises 30 vehicles and 101 humanitarian aid workers. Among them are 8 survivors of the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla, 7 of them were aboard the Mavi Marmara, including Ken O’Keefe who was involved in disarming two Israeli commandos.

The convoy has traveled four and a half thousand miles and is currently located at the Libyan / Egyptian border. As it stands the convoy finds itself at a standstill, with direct communication with the outside world being limited, and access to the internet very difficult.

It has always been a central aspect of the Road to Hope convoy that it acts in a non-political, non-confrontational manner. To work with and cooperate with every government in every country through which it traveled.

Thus far this approach has rewarded it with exceptional receptions in every nation. All of the North African governments have been extremely accommodating and the people of each nation even more so.

We must give special praise to the Libyan government for its constant support; when the convoy have had challenges, including breakdowns of vehicles, the authorities here have provided the means to repair those vehicles and continue our mission.

Ken O’Keefe: “Now we find ourselves in our third day at the Libyan / Egyptian border and we remain hopeful that the land route will be opened to us in the coming days”. The convoy departed from London with the understanding that the land crossing through Egypt had not been closed to it.

Convoy leader, Kieran Turner: “One reason for our optimism that we will travel the land route is the fact that the Al Quds convoy, a Libyan convoy also delivering aid to Gaza, is set to travel the land route in the coming days. For several weeks we have hoped to join our convoys and travel together.” However, the convoy is awaiting permission from the Egyptian authorities to pass through Egypt in this way.

Mr. Turner understands that there is a possibility the Egyptian government will deny the convoy the land route, in which case they will have only two acceptable options —

1) To press on via the land border without permission, at which time our only chance of success will be by way of significant international pressure and a reversal of a policy which tacitly supports the illegal siege of Gaza.

2) If the land route is denied the only remaining option is to deliver our aid by sea. This option inherently requires significant increases in the cost of our mission, and importantly, to all subsequent aid missions. The end result of this policy is a reduction in the already limited resources that can be brought to bear for the people of Palestine.

The convoy leadership urge the Egyptian authorities to allow us safe passage to Gaza by land in the coming days, allow the convoy to join the Al Quds convoy, and ultimately increase the “easing” of the blockade which continues to collectively punish the people of Gaza.

Mr. Ken O’Keefe calls on all the supporters of Palestine “to support Road to Hope and the Al Quds convoys by spreading awareness of our missions and encouraging Egyptian cooperation”.

Source: Salem-News.com.
Link: http://www.salem-news.com/articles/october302010/convoy-stalled.php.

Turkey lifts YouTube ban after more than 2 years

Sat Oct 30

ISTANBUL – Turkey said Saturday that it was lifting a ban on YouTube more than two years after it blocked access to the site because of videos deemed insulting to the country's founder.

Transport Minister Binali Yildirim, who is in charge of Internet issues, said the government has been in touch with Google, which owns YouTube. There was no longer any reason to ban the video-sharing site, he said, as the offending videos had been removed.

"In the end, common sense prevailed. The reasons for the YouTube ban do not exist anymore," Yildirim said.

"The ban has been removed," Yildirim said on NTV television. "But we didn't get here easily, we have been through a lot in the process. I hope that they have also learned from this experience and the same thing will not happen again. YouTube will hopefully carry out its organization in Turkey within the limits of law in the future."

Turkey's telecommunications authority banned access to YouTube in May 2008 after users complained that some videos insulted Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who founded the country in 1923. It is a crime in Turkey to insult Ataturk. The country has implemented reforms as part of a bid to join the European Union, but still faces questions about its record on free expression.

The country began blocking access to websites in 2007, after parliament adopted a law against cyber crime in an effort to curb child porn, prevent the dissemination of terrorist propaganda and stamp out illegal gambling.

More than 6,000 sites have been banned in Turkey according to Engelli Web, a site that monitors blocked pages.