News

Laura Ben-Asher (600 Words)

Religious Terrorism in Nigeria

Footage extracted from the video released May 6th.


¨I abducted your girls. I will sell them in the market, by Allah. There is a market for selling humans… I will sell women.” In a video released May 6th, a man claiming to be Abubakar Shekou, the leader of the Nigerian Islamic Jihadist group Boko Haram, claimed responsibility for the April 14 abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok Government Girls Secondary School, boasting and laughing throughout the clip.

There has been no official news about the fate of the schoolgirls.  Nigerian and world media fears the worst, as recent rumors have suggested that Boko Haram members have been auctioning the girls as child brides in the neighboring countries of Cameroon and Chad.  The rumors have alleged that the child bride auctions start at a price of $12.

         On the night of April 14, while the students were herded into the Boko Haram’s trucks by Boko Haram members  masquerading as Nigerian soldiers, approximately  50 of the girls were able to escape.  An estimated  230 girls were abducted and are still missing.

        

The name ‘Boko Haram’ directly translates as  “Western education is a sin.”  It is not surprising having chosen that title that the group has targeted civilians in churches and schools.  Boko Haram was founded ten years ago.  In the decade since then, their brutal attacks have killed an estimated 10,000 civilians and left another 100,000 Nigerians homeless.  Their brutal reign of terror has expanded from purely Christian targets to include Muslim targets, including mosques.  These atrocities have all been committed in the name of Islam.  Boko Haram’s extremist interpretation of its religious text, the Qur’an is cited to justify their belief that they must enforce the law, including punishing those who violate it by any means necessary. They interpret shari’a law as not only tolerating but encouraging young girls to get married starting before puberty.  This belief has been transformed into a justification for selling child brides.  The group’s primary goal remains stopping the influence of westernization, particularly Western education, which explains their attack on a government school with mostly Christian students.   The education of girls is controversial throughout the Muslim world, but it is particularly reviled in extremist groups which prize child brides.  

Twelve of Nigeria’s 36 states already impose Shari’a law, including Borno State.  The abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls occurred in Borno State, where the bulk of Boko Haram’s massacres have taken place.  Boko Haram’s initial goal was to impose shari’a law in every state, including the predominantly Christian areas of Southern Nigeria. Shari’a law allows the stoning of women for “offenses” ranging from being a victim of rape to extramarital pregnancy, the Boko Haram still believe the enforcement of these laws is not sufficient.  They have used the alleged moderate enforcement as justification to attack Muslims (presumably those who are not as extremist in their viewpoint) in addition to their initial Christian targets.

This brazen attack by Boko Haram may further undermine, or even topple, the Nigerian government, which appears unable or unwilling to intervene effectively.  The Nigerian government was reduced to asking President Obama for his assistance.  Obviously a government that cannot police itself, and punish terrorists who are killing thousands of its citizens, will not survive long.  The challenge to Nigeria is to take steps to disband or substantially weaken the Boko Haram, and allow its females to be educated and not forfeit their future by becoming child brides, or otherwise be subject to harsh laws that essentially punish them for being born female.  It is daunting, but the western world must face the increasing violence of Muslim jihadist groups once and for all.     

Panera Plans To Remove Artificial Ingredients by 2016

Cameron MacIntosh    (500 words)         

Whether it is a warm flatbread sandwich, exotic soup, or a classic Panini, Panera Bread truly has something on the menu for everyone who darkens the door at one of their nationwide locations. Starting in 1981 by Louis Kane and Ron Shaich, the original restaurant known as Au Bon Pain Co. has exploded. In the two decades leading into the 2000’s, it has gone from a vision in the heads of two restaurateurs to one of the nation’s leading culinary powerhouses, with 1,800 locations in both the US and Ontario, Canada.

However, the company’s motto of “clean and simple” ingredients was recently redefined. For years, the company’s seemingly pure and hearty meals, a healthy alternative to other chains around the country, had been using a slew of artificial ingredients. These spanned the gamut from colors and sweeteners to preservatives to keep the food in storage for longer periods. Out of a growing negative view of these products, the Panera Company has recently announced that all artificial ingredients will be banned from menus by the year 2016.

Although rising to the very top over the course of many years and staying there as well., recent times for Panera certainly haven’t been optimistic. Panera has been facing slowing sales due to a variety of factors, such as changing the confusing methods of ordering the food itself and changing baking times in the restaurants resulting in a more natural and “homey” feel overall.

According to Panera, the company wants people to feel better about what they are eating from their establishment. Labeling foods as “all-natural” and organic is a marketing advantage to say the least, and by removing these ingredients Panera is moving one big step closer to their goal. It boils down to a very simple equation: the better and healthier the food, the happier and less guilty they feel about consuming it, and more will return in the future.

After the release of the movie Food Inc. in 2008, the globe was shocked after the documentary “lifted the veil” on what really occurs behind the major restaurant chains, growers, and harvesters that have been and are still dominating a vast majority of our food industry. Instead of being discouraged and upset about the honesty the film portrayed about their businesses, companies took is as both a sign of public opinion as well as a chance for growth. Subway, whose “Eat Fresh” slogan was disproved after discovering azodicarbonamide in their breads, decided to remove the ingredient, which is also used to manufacture yoga mats.

The removal of artificial ingredients is certainly a move in the right direction, however the company is still using Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s) in their products. A few major chains have removed them all together, although such a drastic change is not an option for Panera. There are simply too many ingredients involved to change the menu completely and make the claim.

Currently, Panera is close to half way done with their goal of removing artificial ingredients. Certain tasks are proving difficult, like removing all artificial colors from its bakery icings and using a smoked ham that doesn’t include preservatives. Shaich recently stated, “We decided it was time to put all this into a clear and concise policy.” Panera’s drive for change in the company is definitely respectable, however only time will tell if the change will prove beneficial for the company.    

Noah Kambili

423/400 words

Flights Delayed, Numerous Dead at Pakistan Airport

Pakistani security forces patrol after Jinnah International Airport's second attack of the week

On June 10^th, Pakistan’s Jinnah International Airport in Karachi suffered its second attack within the space of two days, when armed militants stormed a complex in the airport and engaged security in a shootout. The complex serves as a training academy for the airport’s security forces. Neither the gunmen nor airport security sustained casualties in the shootout. Ghulam Abbas Memon, a spokesman for the Airport Security Force, stated about two to three gunmen tried to enter the training academy complex from two different entrances, in a June 10, 2014 USA Today article. The article continues: “’Our men retaliated and repulsed,’ the gunmen, Memon said, adding that security forces chased the men to a drainage ditch near the academy where another firefight ensued but the gunmen managed to escape. ‘Now a search operation is under way,’ he said.” A senior official with the Airport Security Force, Colonel Tahir Ali, said two gunmen fired toward a hostel for female employees on the academy grounds and fled toward the nearby slums that surround the airport. "We cannot take any risks and allow terrorists to get into our facility," he said, speaking on Pakistani television. He said no one was hurt in the incident. "Whenever there is such an incident, we will react forcefully."

This armed attack comes only days after a much larger offensive on the airport, when ten armed men opened fire inside a VIP and cargo terminal on Sunday. During the attack, 36 people were killed including the ten gunmen, who were identified as members of the Pakistani Taliban. At least 11 of the other deaths included personnel of the Airport Security Force.

Tuesday’s attack is believed to be a response to Pakistan’s military retaliation to Sunday’s assault. In a June 11, 2014 CNN article, authors Holly Yan and Sophia Saifi write, “Hours before the renewed violence in Karachi, the Pakistani military launched a deadly assault targeting nine militant hideouts Tuesday. At least 15 militants were killed in the airstrikes on Khyber Agency, in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, the Pakistani military said. A military spokesman said he could not confirm whether the airstrikes were directly related or in response to the airport violence this week.”

All of this violence is believed to have been caused by the Taliban’s resentment of Pakistan’s government. "Their primary target is the Pakistani state and its military”, said Raza Rumi of the Jinnah Institute, a Pakistani think tank. "It resents the fact that (Pakistan) has an alliance with the West, and it wants Sharia to be imposed in Pakistan."