The battle for the cross

Ever since the battle of Milvian bridge in which Constantine fought under the banner of the cross to become Emperor, the cross never ceased to be a political symbol.
As i had predicted the decision of the European Human Right Court has galvanized a traditionalist conservative right both in Italy and in Malta. People in the street are already blaming this decision against "Europe"-(even if the European Union has nothing to do with this decision) We are entering very dangerous and unchartered waters.
With defenders like Berlusconi who has no qualms on sending immigrants back to Libya, the cross is once again a tool in the hand of aspiring emperors.
Even the arguments leveled against the court's decision by our Archbishop are gross. For nobody has censored the cross. The Court only found the exhibition of one particular religious symbol in public building discriminatory. The decision would have been the same if any other religious symbol was exposed in a public building. Neither is the court forcing any country to remove crosses. It is merely offering compensation to those who presented a case of discrimination.
At the same time I don't want to play ball with the conservatives who would like to pit secularists against religious symbols.
I trust that in this case governments will respect the rule of law and abide to the court's final decision. That is why we all take pride in the fact that in 1986 Malta accepted the jurisdiction of this court after long years of protests by the Nationalist opposition against human right violations.
This court offered us safeguards against a repetition of gross human rights abuses. All talk of disregarding the authority of this court is a threat to these safeguards.
That said, Maltese progressive should not be diverted in to a battle against the crucifix. This is exactly what the Maltese right wants.
The real battle is that against censorship and against the imposition of dominant lifestyles through the ban on divorce and other laws limiting people's choices.
I have no contention with religion or the church. I have deep respect for the cross which for me stands out as a symbol of liberation and compassion and an iconic representation of the cruelty of the death penalty.
My contention is against a confessional state. The ban on Realta has shown the willingness of the state to use the repressive state apparatus to clamp down on freedom of expression.
In Italy they still have the cross in class rooms (thanks to a law introduced by the Mussolini who was so Christian that he bombed Ethiopia with poison gas and allied his country with Hitler) BUT they there they have divorce, reproductive rights and the Catholic religion is no longer the state religion.
If we can have all that while still having a cross in the class room ...i might be willing to pay the price.

The power of the cross

I can understand the logic behind the decision of the European Court to ban the crucifix from class rooms. Legalistically speaking the exhibition of one set of religious symbols in schools discriminates against non believers and other religions.
But looking at this issue from a deeper sociological level, attacking symbols intimitally tied with deeply rooted identities only serves to strengthen neo conservative and racist movements.
We should not forget that we all need symbols. But symbols take time to develop. Perhaps one day society will create new symbols representing the ethical values of truly inclusive civilisation. But when Russian or French revolutionaries tried to invent new symbols or cults of reason they failed miserably. Ultimately the cross managed to outlive them.
It is surprising that the crucifix as a symbol has been retained in a country where Catholicism is no longer the state religion and where both abortion and divorce are legal. Is this simply a hang up of the past or a demonstration of the power of the cross? I think it is a mix of both.
The cross itself also represents many of the universal values embodied in our civilisation. But like all symbols its meaning is subject to negotiations.
For me at least at face value it stands out as one of the most iconic depiction of the cruelty of the death penalty and human rights violations.
On a deeper level it represents universal values like compassion and sacrifice for others as well as defiance against power.
Surely it was also a symbol used to rape, pillage, torture and victimise heretics, witches, indegenous populations and whoever deviated from the norm.
And some today are using the cross simply to exclude others and affirm a white european christian identity.
Symbols tend to have a life of their own.
Ironically to keep the cross in class rooms the Italian government will have to prove that the crucifix is a cultural and not a religious symbol. Would that not amount to the secularisation of the cross?
The danger is that in so doing it will the cross even less inclusive as symbol. For by taking the cross away from its religious context,it will be easier to manipulate it.

The new medievalism

Universities are meant to be at the forefront of intellectual and literary freedom. Even in repressive states universities are expected to be the last bastion of resistance against censorship.News that the University of Malta has banned newspaper Ir-Realta presumably because of an article which breached the laws of Malta is proof that something is rotten at Tal-Qroqq.Unfortunately student politics has been hijacked by corporate sponsorships and the administration is blinded by a technocratic and utilitarian ideology (disguised as devotion for information technology) which ultimately serves capitalism rather than the pursuit of knowledge and critical thinking.The new careerist class which dominates the KSU and the University's administration seems bent on cleansing the university from uncomfortable ideas. The KSU decision to evict Graffitti and the rector's decision to ban ir-realta are a symptom of the Smart City syndrome.Dubai is a feudal despotic monarchy which co-exists with a consumerist religion promoted by a state run incestuous form of capitalism which even permits slavery.Dubai is corporate but not democratic. So is the University of Malta.For by banning a piece of literature the University of Malta risks opening a precedent. If Alex Vella Gera's writing is in breach of the law...what about equally "obscene" literary works of Charles Bukowski? What about Garcia Marquez's Memoria de mis putas tristes, a love story that follows the romance of a 90-year old man and a pubescent concubine? In the meantime Malta's top talk show-once regarded by myself as some experiment in popular democracy- spent two weeks discussing inconsequential survey driven devils and witchdoctors... As my good fried says we are still living in 1493.

Single mums and the anti condom brigade

Theology students are still raging against the condom 15 years after my friend Julian Manduca proposed a condom machine on campus. This time they were irked by a Vodafone publicity stunt. I would presume that Vodafone’s marketing plan predicted the theology students’ reaction as a way to attract more publicity.
Stunts apart, Malta remains one of the few countries in the world where the government shies away from promoting condoms and contraception as an integral part of its sexual health policies.
Rather then turning single mums in to a scape goat, the government should embark on an educational campaign to encourage the use of condoms among sexually active young people. Abstinence simply does not work.
Neither do probes to bring unknown fathers to face their responsibilities especially if these are also young careless people.
And is not making the morning after pill available a better solution than condemning young people to responsibilities they are not ready to face?
And by the way if we accept a 24 hour period between conception and the beginning of human life to make IVF possible, what is the fuss about a pill which acts within the same time frame?

are we human?

"E' stata una motovedetta a fornirci il carburante e a intimarci di proseguire per Lampedusa. Ci hanno dato anche cinque salvagente; uno di loro ha acceso il motore, perché non avevamo la forza per farlo, e ci ha indicato la rotta. Poi si sono allontanati senza aiutarci, malgrado le nostre condizioni".

If the claims made by an Eritrean survivor of the latest tragedy regarding the alleged failure of the Maltese army to rescue the 5 survivors are verified, heads should roll in Malta.

The AFM claims that the five migrants were in apparent good health and clean shaven and that they refused to board the AFM patrol boat, not wanting to be rescued but to continue in a north westerly direction.

But UNHCR spokesman Laura Boldrini described the surviving migrants as extremely thin, too weak to walk and having severely bloodshot eyes.

Lawrence Gonzi has a moral obligation to order a public inquiry to determine the truth. Otherwise we are really living in a pariah state which turns its back on a tragedy is assuming the dimensions of a holocaust.

Dear joseph...

Dear Joseph,

I read your interview in the Sunday Times and i can only conclude that i can't see a place for me in your so-called movement of moderates and progressives.
I reiterate the view expressed in a previous blog that the political class across the political spectrum has contributed to the climate of intolerance towards illegal immigrants.
By turning immigration in to a political football game you have also assumed a great responsibility.
When racism becomes normalized and legitimized by that sort of vague populism which leaves so many things unsaid, the probability of ugly incidents increases. This happened in Italy. It is also happening here.
Once again you speak against exploitation of immigrants at Marsa saying that "the fact that immigrants are being exploited every morning at Marsa while undermining taxpayers is unacceptable."
Yes it is unacceptable but would you favour their integration in the legal labour market to stop this exploitation? Or are you hinting that these people should live on charity or should not be here in the first place?
I would also like to hear you denounce tax evasion-which is really undermining us salaried working class and middle class tax payers. Tax evasion costs the country far more than immigration but i have never heard you say anything on this theme.
You hark on the illegality of immigration. But did you insist on legality when some of your candidates have spent beyond what is allowed by law?
You say; "wherever the mainstream parties remained silent on the immigration, they paved the way to extremist parties, which wouldn't do our country any good."
I agree. Nobody is saying that you should remain silent. What I would have expected is that you provide leadership on this issue by putting things in perspective. Are you aware that the majority of your supporters (just like the rest of the Maltese) do not even know that most migrants who have arrived in the past 5 years have left Malta?
Have you ever made an effort to explain these facts? How many times have you visited open centers to show your supporters that immigrants are human beings like them?
And let us not forget that the far right has grown in Europe not just because of a mishandling of immigratation (because of a lack of proper integration policies) but also by adopting "centre right economic policies" (this does ring a bell) they failed to address their every day problems.
Of course it is easier to pander to xenophobia than to promise to increase the minimum wage for those who do not have enough money to survive by the end of the month.
And is this immigration scapegoating an attempt to appease the working class vote simply because you have nothing much to offer them except empty promises to keep health free, because you grew up adoring Tony Blair?
You say that the "20-point plan was responsible enough". Is it responsible to say that if Malta is full up we should not abide with international conventions which oblige us to rescue people on the high seas?
You still say that "the veto is part of the solution," something which makes a mockery of your "moderate" credentials. For the least thing the Maltese economy and Maltese workers need is uncertainty about our place in Europe.
I wish you luck in your declared bid to win back those who voted for Norman Lowell.
For every vote seems to count except the vote of those who like me never voted PN in their life, stood up against all sorts of pressures to combat Nationalist arrogance and who have dedicated at least a part of their life to progressive causes.

yours truly,
james debono

Who killed Suleiman?

Without getting in to the details of the case, I think the murder of Suleiman deserves a political reflection.
All those who stoked the racist fires (and not just Norman Lowell) should feel just a bit responsible for creating a climate in which the life of an immigrant was lost.
This case was a blatant example of how some lives are seen to be more equal than others.
I would like to thank Moviment Graffitti for once again acting as the soul of the nation by organising next Saturday's protest.
I will be there. I hope hundreds of moderate, christian and civic minded citizens will also join.