Ghana ranked 7th

The Ghanaian national football team, the 'Black Stars' have been ranked 7th by FIFA following their performance in the 2010 World Cup Finals in Africa. 7th place just behind Brazil and Argentina, is a move upwards of 6 places for the Ghanaians since their 13th place ranking after the 2006 World Cup Finals.

Congratulations to everyone involved with the team. You are great Ambassadors for Ghana, and you all deserve your new found fame and increased prestige.

Keep Hope Alive

I managed to find six addresses and sent a copy of my letter to:

info@iran-embassy.org.uk
consulate@iran-embassy.org.uk
npillay@ohchr.org
urgent-action@ohchr.org
Iran_team@amnesty.org
saneif@hrw.org

You could also write a letter and send it to these and to any other relevant addresses that you can find. Remember, the only thing that makes change happen is people. Five minutes of your time could add 40 years to the life of Ms Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani. Unlike my error, mention your country of origin. It is after all a shrinking World and peoples from across our World would benefit from better communication and improved understanding. I forgot to mention that I am from Wales. It was an oppressed Country that was conquered. But I could bet on the fact that in some distant past our people were guilty of some act that would be regarded as barbaric by others. It is simply that we have evolved beyond our past, as Africa and others evolve beyond theirs. Let us remember to ‘Keep Hope Alive’ and hope that the Republic of Iran will commute the sentence and allow Ms Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani to rejoin her family.

Ms Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani

I need to deflect from my usual course of writing about Africa, and instead ask you to spare some thoughts for Ms Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani who is under sentence of death by stoning in the Republic of Iran. I repeat below a letter that I have written this morning. I now intend to spend the next few hours in this astonishing heatwave indoors searching for an address to send the letter. If you know who to send the letter to, then please copy and paste and forward to the address that you have in your possession.

I hold a Social and Economic Masters Degree and run an African and Social Science Blog at http://rbabennett.blogspot.com and would say that all in all compared to what many others do or hold; this no big shakes. But the one thing that could come across to those that read my Blog, and those that meet me in the street; is that I care about people.

I am interested in how Civilisations evolve along their development and time helix, and look to Norbert Elias as my academic hero. I see the significant events of history that present a darker side to human nature, as mere deflections that do not impede the natural improvements that occur through evolution. I am not bright enough to be regarded as an academic, but I have a good value set and believe in equality for all. I stand against oppression, but recognise that freedom of speech is not always in the States best interest. Somewhere out there, there is a label that could be assigned to someone like me.

I am none judgemental and do not challenge the right of someone to do something. I believe that we all make choices, and these choices shape our future and our position in the World. Choices made by a leader, can place a nation on the World stage for the right reasons. I do warm to nations that engage in Statecraft and International Politics for the greater good of everyone and not just those that live, work, and play within their society.

The Islamic Republic of Iran has often found itself on the World Stage for the wrong reasons. The rhetoric or the manoeuvring has sometimes been mistimed, and yet, on more than one occasion the Republic has displayed its other side, and by doing so has won World opinion. The case of Ms Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani (The Times, 7 July 2010) is an example whereby Iranian politicians can win through with ease. I urge you not to execute Ms Ashtiani, but instead set her free with the five years of imprisonment and the 99 lashes as fair warning to others who breach the rules that govern your society and in doing so take the next natural step on your developmental helix of the civilising process and cease death by stoning.

I ask you as an average citizen, who has no political alliances, and has nothing to gain from asking you, and has nothing to gain by you accepting the request. I do not challenge your right, I simply plead to your instincts. At some point from now into the future, the Islamic Republic of Iran will stop death by stoning and will stop executing people. Given that in the development helix that outcome is certain, then why not put the mechanism in place now, and thereby take the Moral High Ground in World affairs?

Roger Bennett