Tensions hardly rising but local and global drivers mean the tit-for-tat status quo will endure for the foreseeable future
By Andrew Salmon
Asia-Pacific Research, December 23, 2022
Asia Times 22 December 2022
Region: East Asia
Theme: Defence
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While real-life carnage unfolds across Ukraine, the phony war continues predictably on, around and above the Korean peninsula.
The actions of recent days may hearten jingoes and depress peaceniks on both sides.
On December 14, the US announced that a Space Force command unit had stood up inside US forces based in South Korea. In Ukraine, the space domain has proven crucial, providing satellite data for Kiev's network-centric precision munitions.
On the same day, North Korea tested a solid-fuel engine for its missiles and on December 16 test-fired two medium-range ballistic missiles. On December 18, it offered apparent proof – images of South Korean cities – of its nascent reconnaissance satellite capability.
On December 20, the US deployed B-52 strategic bombers and F-22 stealth fighters to the skies just south of the peninsula to drill with South Korean F-35 and F-15 fighters.
For headline writers in multiple media, these developments represent "rising tensions." For cynics, they are signs that the peninsula's status quo drags on. For South Koreans, they are business as usual.
And don't expect any major change in the new year: There is more of the same to come.
Roll on 2023
On December 20, South Korean Defense Minister Lee Jong-sup said South Korea and the US will conduct 20 training exercises in 2023, including amphibious assault drills. The decision was taken to "expand the scale and types of combined field drills…in light of advancing North Korean nuclear and missile threats," Lee said.
Seoul announced today that it is mulling major joint artillery drills in 2023 to mark 70 years of the bilateral alliance, which was signed as the smoke from the Korean War cleared in 1953. The last time such drills were held was in 2017.
Between 2018 and 2021, multiple training drills were put on hold under Seoul's progressive Moon Jae-in administration. This happened, firstly, to enable diplomacy with North Korea, and, latterly, due to Covid-19 risks.
But under the conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration, which took office in May, drills have restarted with a vengeance. While joint drills are essential to ensure military interoperabilities and overall credibility, they are a red rag to North Korea.
Pyongyang considers drills to be war preparations. The country has borrowed heavily from Soviet-Russian doctrine, and in February this year, Moscow did, indeed, use winter exercises to pre-deploy units for its Ukraine invasion.
Meanwhile, there are continued expectations among Pyongyangologists that North Korea will soon conduct what would be its seventh nuclear test – albeit, this alarm bell has been ringing constantly, and so far incorrectly, since the beginning of 2022.
At a time when differences between the authoritarian bloc and liberal democracies appear to be solidifying on the global chessboard, the peninsula's status quo looks to be further cemented. Yet this dire outlook is not reflected in fear in South Korea.
All quiet on the Korean front
While generals, politicians and editors fret over "tensions," nobody is digging bunkers behind South Korean apartment complexes, nor are shocks decimating South Korean capital markets.
"This is the unique nature of Korean society: We live right next to North Korea," said Chun In-bum, a retired South Korean general. "It is like living next to a volcano, but if you don't have the option to move, you just continue and hope for the best."
"For the US, it is like a fire across the river – but that is different from your house burning," Chun continued. "For South Koreans, it is such a nightmare that ignorance is bliss so we act as if nothing is wrong."
Another Seoul resident agrees.
"There is proximity and geography and force deployed close together, with historical animosity – we live in the shadow of that," said Dan Pinkston, an American international relations professor at Troy University.
But he added that he does not fear his home being hit by a missile: "It's not so much tension, its clickbait," he said.
In fact, one of North Korea's recent developments might actually lessen tensions.
"If you look even at US analysts' writings, they paradoxically say that North Korean spy satellites might make the situation more stable," said Andrei Lankov, a Russian specialist in North Korea who teaches in Seoul's Kookmin University.
"North Korea is afraid of attack as they don't get reliable intelligence in real-time so rely on agents who are unreliable," Lankov explained. "If they have real reliable information, they are less likely to worry over sudden attacks so the chance of confrontation goes down."
Still, Lankov admits that Pyongyang's apparent advances in solid fuel engines increase risk.
Liquid fuel missiles need to be fueled up before being launched, providing defenders with both a warning and a window of opportunity to pre-empt them. Solid fuels lessen the vulnerability of a missile that requires time to take on propellant at or near its launch site before being fired.
Cold War 2.0
Outside the peninsula, virtually all indications are that the gap between the authoritarian bloc and the liberal democracies is widening to a chasm.
Moscow's assault upon Ukraine has unified the Global North, with prosperous democracies as far distant from the action as Australia, Japan and South Korea joining North America and Western Europe in funneling aid and arms to Kiev.
Iran is providing direct military aid to Russia, indications are increasing that North Korea is supplying munitions and missiles, and China is providing diplomatic backing, if not more.
Meanwhile, the US, constantly fretting over a potential Chinese attack on Taiwan, is upping its semiconductor embargo on Beijing. As part of that chip war, Washington is rail-roading its allies into a struggle that could end up costing their chip companies scores of billions of dollars.
And Japan, after two years of discussion since abandoning its Aegis Ashore missile defense system in 2020, last week formally announced plans to create a missile-based counterstrike force to balance potential Chinese, North Korean and Russian threats.
Given these various signs of global bifurcation, up-arming and technological weaponization, there seems little likelihood that the Korean Peninsula – which was from 1950-53 the site of a civil war that spiraled into a murderous Cold War hot war – will break free of the wider trend.
That is true even though Pyongyang might like to widen its economic dependence beyond Beijing.
"The North Koreans would be far more comfortable outside the Chinese sphere of influence," Lankov said. "But none of their opposite numbers is willing to make concessions strong and attractive enough for them to engage in negotiations."
Amid this big-picture backdrop, the Korean peninsula remains a pivot point of compressed big-power confrontation. And stakeholders have selfish interests: The Kim regime seeks to entrench its survival while arms manufacturers benefit from the threat that the up-arming regime represents.
All this argues for a continuance of rising-falling tensions as North Korea hones its weapons and military systems, and for continued deterrence efforts as South Korea and the US shore up their alliance.
"The Korean peninsula is a microcosm but what are the choices? Appease, acquiesce, sign a peace treaty and give them what they want – or prepare for the worst?" Pinkston said of the conundrum facing strategists. "If liberal democracies did nothing and just took it on the chin, that would be unusual."
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Featured image: Seoul lies within artillery range of North Korea – but remains largely indifferent to the threat. Photo: Andrew Salmon / Asia Times
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Rodney McAllister Memorial
/ / Uncategorized
Unkempt Memorial to Receive Care from Women's Voices Members
Ann Ruger, Holly Goldfarb and Crista Carr Shatz spent an afternoon at Ivory Perry Park to beautify the Rodney McAllister memorial.
Tucked away in a corner of Ivory Perry Park, on Belt Avenue, just a few blocks north of Delmar Blvd., is a memorial to a little boy whose horrifying death shocked all St. Louisans when he was killed on March 5, 2001.
Ten-year-old Rodney McAllister was playing alone in the park when he was attacked by a pack of stray dogs. His homework assignment was in his pocket.
His teacher and the principal at Clark Accelerated Academy, where Rodney was in the fourth grade, arranged for the memorial. It features a tree, a bronze plaque, some ground cover, and a concrete surround where Rodney's classmates left their handprints.
Clark Academy is now closed and the teachers and former students have moved on. But Washington University professor Bob Hansman has not forgotten the memorial. It was the last stop on the "Grief, Love and Fury" tour that he conducted for our members last October.
Several Women's Voices members on that tour were dismayed at the condition of the memorial, which is best described as "unkempt." Under the leadership of Jenny Birgé, they contacted the St. Louis City Department of Parks and Recreation and received approval to clean up, improve and maintain the memorial.
On a cold November morning, Birgé, Holly Goldfarb, Ann Ruger and Crista Carr Shatz met at the memorial to rake leaves and clean the plaque, then determine what needed to be done in the spring. They have agreed to tend to the memorial and the border immediately surrounding it.
To honor Rodney's memory, there will be a short program at the memorial on Thursday, March 5, 2020, the 19th anniversary of his death. Please look for specific details in the February Loud & Clear and on our website. We hope you will attend in remembrance of this tragedy with hopes it will never be repeated.
While this activity may not easily fit into everyone's definition of "social justice," it does demonstrate compassion, caring and the determination to remember that Rodney McAllister's life mattered.
Volunteers will be welcomed to join the effort in early spring.
Join Us / Renew


Enrollment, Absences, Lack of Engagement Top Challenges During COVID
New Online Telescope for Educators Brings Space Exploration to the Classroom
Online Ed
Educators behind World's Largest MOOC Launch New Course
By Dian Schaffhauser
The individuals behind the most popular MOOC are coming out with a new massive, open, online course. Barbara Oakley, a professor of engineering at Oakland University, and Terrence Sejnowski, a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, launched "Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects," a perennial favorite, on Coursera through the University of California San Diego. According to the Online Course Report, 1,192,697 people have attended this four-week course since its launch in 2014.
The same two individuals are behind the creation of a new Coursera course, "Mindshift: Break Through Obstacles to Learning and Discover Your Hidden Potential," which began this week. This four-week course requires about two hours of study per week for four weeks. It will be delivered through McMaster University, where Oakley is a scholar of global digital learning.
Coursera is making a big push to have people pay $49 to attend the program to earn a certificate; however, learners can gain access to all course materials for free by choosing to "audit" the course.
The subject of mindshift, which focuses on learning in order to boost career prospects, is explored by Oakley in her new book, Mindshift, which comes out April 18, 2017. According to the MOOC syllabus, topics cover change, "happy learning," learning and careers and adopting a "learning lifestyle."
Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.


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The Quran and the Sword
James M. Arlandson, Ph.D.
This article should be contrasted with the previous one about the Gospels and the sword, in our comparative study of the two religions.
In Mecca, Islam was nonviolent, and maybe tolerant, up to a degree. Muhammad did, after all, preach against polytheism (belief in many gods), which all monotheists (belief in one God) have a right to do. But in terms of forcing them to convert to his new religion, he told the Meccan pagans they could have their religion, while he could have his (Quran 109:6).
And in the very earliest stages of his new life in Medina, Islam issued a decree of religious freedom: "There is no compulsion in religion." (Quran 2:256).
However, he decided that he needed to have access to the Kabah shrine, though he did not know when at that early stage. Rather than letting the black stone go and build his new religion in Medina, by his way of thinking the Meccans were unjust for driving him out. So he attempted to weaken them by sending out raids against their trading caravans. Eventually the skirmishes peaked into large-scale battles. He increased his fortune and resources by these armed conflicts.
Thus gradually he elevated raids to a jihad. As things evolved, he won these battles, so he needed to define the rules of jihad. These rules seem to have been developed as victories piled up. They favor him.
We can examine jihad in three sections: its goal, its rules, and its spoils.
For a more thorough and longer study of the goal, rules, and spoils of jihad and qital, see the article Jihad and Qital in the Quran, Traditions and Classical Law.
The Goal of Jihad
A complicated practice like jihad can have multiple goals or purposes, but this one can be said to best summarize them. Muhammad intends to make Islam prevail over every religion. Quran 9:33 says:
33 It is He who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to show that it is above all [other] religions, however much the idolaters may hate this[1] (Quran 9:33).
This verse is repeated two more times, word for word, in Quran 61:9 and 48:28, and this repetition shows theologically and religiously how important it is that Islam must prevail. As noted, while in Mecca Muhammad had said, "You have your religion and I have mine" (Quran 109:6). Now, however, Islam must prevail over all religions. Muhammad and his community may use preaching and persuasion, but as we shall see below, the Medinan verses in the Quran permit them to fight and kill Jews, Christians, and pagans. The sword made all the difference.
Waging jihad and qital to make Islam prevail is a perfect description of a holy war.
Muhammad's later followers, specifically the four so-called rightly guided caliphs, will use these three identical verses to justify attacking remote territories, like Persia (Iran) and Cyprus.[2] As for the monetary motive for jihad, this will be covered in the spoils of jihad, below.
The Rules of Jihad
The Quran provides guidance for Muhammad and his Muslim community in the rules of jihad, establishing what is permitted or prohibited as Islamic armies go out to war. In any warfare, people and resources (e.g. money or productive property) are important, so they are the main reason for selecting these rules. They are placed in chronological order, whenever this could be obtained, and sometimes in thematic order, not necessarily for priority.
1. Women captives are sometimes forced to marry their Muslim masters.
The next verse in its context finds Muhammad establishing rules for his community within two to five years after his hijrah or emigration in A.D. 622. He lays down laws for marriage. What happens to slave women who are captured during the raids that the Muslims went out on? Quran 4:24 says:
24 Also (prohibited are) women already married except those whom your right hands possess[3] . . . . (Quran 4:24)
The clause "your right hands possess" means those who are in one's control (cf. "handmaid"), whether captured in war or bought at a slave sale, regardless of the immediate historical context when this verse was revealed.[4] The clause will be applied throughout Islam's wars under the four caliphs.
Worse still, women captives were sometimes forced to have sex with their Muslim captors, without the benefit of marriage.[5] But that's a topic for the series on shariah (see Part 5, Slavery, in that separate series).
2. Conquered women and children may be enslaved.
In AD 627 Muhammad and his followers and allies withstood a large army of Meccans and their allies, without a pitched battle. He had dug trenches in spots around Medina to diminish the advantage that the Meccans had with their cavalry. After about a month the Meccans withdrew because of a fair that was about to begin, and it brought in money for the Meccans.
But Muhammad was not finished. He besieged a large tribe of Jews in Medina, called the Qurayza tribe, in their fortress. After some negotiations and a trial that went against them, the men were beheaded and their bodies and heads dragged and tossed into the trenches, whereas the women and children were sold into slavery. These three verses, especially v. 26, in Quran 33 deal with this verdict:
25 Allah turned back the unbelievers [Meccans and their allies] in a state of rage, having not won any good, and Allah spared the believers battle [q-t-l]. Allah is, indeed, Strong and Mighty. 26 And He brought those of the People of the Book [Qurayza] who supported them from their fortresses and cast terror into their hearts, some of them you slew [q-t-l] and some you took captive. 27 And he bequeathed to you their lands, their homes and their possessions, together with land you have never trodden. Allah has power over everything.[6] (Quran 33:25-27)
Allah permits the enslavement of Qurayza women and children, and Muhammad sold them. Allah permits Muhammad to take the Jewish clan's property on the basis of conquest and his possession of all things. Selling humans produced a lot of wealth.
See Part Five, Slavery, in a separate series on shariah.
3. A captured enemy may be killed, ransomed by money or an exchange, imprisoned, or released freely.
It is one of the great ironies of the Quran that Chapter 47 can be titled either "Muhammad" or "War" (Qital). It was written in the first year of his new life in Medina, when he had decided to wage war on the Meccans. Verse 4 says:
So, when you meet (in fight – Jihad in Allah's cause) those who disbelieve, smite (their) necks till when you have killed or wounded many of them [th-kh-n], then bind a bond firmly (on them, i.e. take them as captives). Thereafter (is the time) either for generosity (i.e. free them without ransom), or ransom (according to what benefits Islam), until war lays down its burden[7] . . . . (Quran 47:4)
Imprisonment may be just, if the captured enemy can return to fight against the conquerors at a later time. But selling prisoners of war back to their clan was an Arab custom. Money could be made. It should be noted that the Quran offers release "by grace" or freely.[8]
The root th-kh-n in brackets means "subdue thoroughly, have a regular fighting, cause much slaughter, have a triumphant war . . . to do something great, make much slaughter, overcome, battle strenuously."[9]
4. Property may be confiscated.
A conquering army at this time was permitted by custom and sheer power to take the wealth of the conquered. Recall that the historical context of Chapter 8 of the Quran concerns Muhammad's and his militia's surprise victory over the much-larger Meccan force at Badr in 624, in which over 300 Muslims won a surprise victory over about 1,000 Meccans. The Meccans had received word of this raid and sent their army up north to protect their caravan that was heading south back to Mecca.
Quran 8:7 says that the jihadists wanted the unarmed group (the caravan loaded with supplies), but Allah gave them that one, plus the Meccan army.
7 Remember how God promised you [believers] that one of the two enemy groups would fall to you: you wanted the unarmed group to be yours, but it was God's will to establish the truth according to His Word and to finish off the disbelievers.[10] (Quran 8:7)
Muhammad and his militia were able to take the property the caravan had gotten in Syria. Now he was wealthy, especially compared to his poverty before he won this battle. And recall that Quran 33:25-27 say the Muslim community was permitted to confiscate the property of the Qurayza Jews in 627.
Finally, it will be seen in Part Eight that the four caliphs indeed confiscated wealth, since Muhammad set the institutional genetic code for them, but they often allowed the conquered people to work the land because then the wealth flowed back to Medina, the early Islamic capital.
5. Fruit trees and homes may be destroyed.
In 625, Muhammad was strong enough to exile the Nadir tribe of Jews, besieging them in their strongholds for fifteen days until he started destroying their date palms.[11] Their livelihood undergoing destruction, they departed to the city of Khaybar, seventy miles to the north, where they had estates. This takeover helped relieve the ongoing poverty of many Muslims at that time, who took over their date orchards. This passage in the Quran says:
5 Whatever you [believers] may have done to [their] palm trees – cutting them down or leaving them standing on their roots – was done by God's leave, so that He might disgrace those who defied Him.[12] (Quran 59:5)
It is not clear in later Islamic history whether all of the caliphs actually destroyed fruit trees, and if so how many. They probably did not do this very often since that destruction would lose money for Medina and Islam.[13] The trees that bore fruit, like dates, needed to be cultivated to profit from conquests.
In the same chapter of the Quran and during the same conflict, Muhammad destroys the homes of the Jewish tribe of Nadir who lived in Medina.
2 ... God came upon [the Jews of the Nadir tribe] from where they least expected and put panic into their hearts: they brought ruin to their own homes by their own hands, and the hands of the believers [Muslims].[14]... (Quran 59:2)
It is not known in precise terms how many homes the Muslim armies under the four caliphs destroyed, but surely some were torn down, just from the nature of warfare. But Medina wanted the money from taxes, so surely the armies could not be too destructive.
6. The conquered pagans are at first allowed to convert or go free, but later they are forced to convert or be killed.
As noted, Muhammad fought the Battle of Badr, against the Meccans. Their caravan was traveling south from Syria back to Mecca, and Muhammad intended to capture it. In Quran 8:70, Muhammad proposes these options to his captives.
70 Prophet, tell those you have taken captive, "If God knows of any good in your hearts, He will give you something better [Islam] than what has been taken from you [the caravan], and He will forgive you"... (Quran 8:70)[15]
So Muhammad tells the Meccans that they should realize that Allah had a divine plan: expose them to Islam. This is better than all the material riches they can trade in. A Muslim militia just defeated the Meccans and stood behind this message of conversion, so it is not clear how free they were to decide such weighty matters of conscience.
Quran 2:256 says: "There is no compulsion in religion." This verse reflects the historical reality that he had just left persecution in Mecca. And even in Medina when this early verse was uttered, he needed to preach tolerance because he had not yet achieved military strength.
However, when Chapter 9 of the Quran was written about eight years later, Muhammad was very powerful militarily. Now pagans did not have the option to live under Islam, pay a tax, and keep their religion, as the People of the Book did. Quran 9:5 says:
5 . . . Then fight and slay [q-t-l] the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war); but if they repent and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them.[16] (Quran 9:5)
If pagans accept Islam, they could live. If not, death.[17] Recall that Muhammad had said, back in Mecca, long ago, that the Meccan pagans could have their religion, while he could have his (Quran 109:6). Acceptance and tolerance had prevailed. Now, however, things have changed. He is militarily powerful. So he could hunt them down and kill them.
It will be seen in Part Eight that the earliest generations of Muslims, after Muhammad's death, implemented this policy towards pagans, as the jihadists conquered the Arab peninsula and then many places north, west, and east. However, sometimes the caliphs let polytheists outside of the Arab peninsula live because Islamic leaders needed their tax money, like the jizyah.
This tax money in this verse is called the zakat, and it is the required charity tax, which is the third of the Five Pillars of Islam.[18]
Then Muhammad continues in his denunciations and requirements imposed on pagan Arabs, especially those around Mecca.
11 If they repent, keep up the prayer, and pay the prescribed alms [zakat], then they are your brothers in faith: We make the messages clear for people who understand . . . 14 Fight [q-t-l] them: God will punish them at your hands, He will disgrace them, He will help you to conquer them, He will heal the believers' feelings. (Quran 9:11, 14)
In v. 11, these rituals are the signs of Islam, and pagans who follow them are essentially Muslims. However, if they do not keep their oaths and mock Muhammad's religion (vv. 12-13), then v. 14 says to fight them, using the three-letter root q-t-l.[19] The last clause in that verse says God will heal the believers' feelings, which corresponds to Muhammad's hatred for the pagans (Quran 5:2).
7. Three options are imposed on Jews and Christians.
Quran 9:29 lays out some conditions for the People of the Book (Jews and Christians):
29 Fight [q-t-l] against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad), (4) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.[20]
The options are as follows: Jews and Christians may (1) Fight and die; (2) convert; (3) keep their religion, but pay a tax, called the jizyah while living under Islam.[21] In this verse, Muhammad lifts his sight far beyond the Kabah in Mecca, but to other religions and resources. The first four caliphs were mainly consistent with this policy, though another tax may be imposed.
The Spoils of Jihad
Arab custom demanded that the raiders and warriors get a share of the spoils of raids and wars. The Meccan Muslims who originally immigrated to Medina worked with their hands in the craft trade, while Medina was more agricultural. So they were impoverished. Something had to be done. Getting the spoils of Meccan caravans would do nicely.
Chapter 8, celebrating their first major victory at Badr, is titled "the Spoils." Muhammad says in v. 41:
"Know that one-fifth of your battle gains belongs to God and the Messenger [Muhammad]"[22] . . . . (Quran 8:41)
That is, Muhammad gets twenty percent for himself and for the needy in his community, as he distributes the newly acquired wealth. The implication is that the jihadists were to get eighty percent. This distribution was a strong motive or inducement to keep alive the Arab custom of raiding and warring. In fact, spoils may have been the main goal of early Islam.
The first four caliphs mostly maintained this policy of one-fifth going back to Medina or the generals or governors, while four-fifths went to the soldiers. Sometimes, however, the leaders put variations on this policy, depending on how generous they were at the moment.
But the conquests mentioned in Quran 9:6, 9:11-16 and 9:29, above, and the subsequent taxes that flowed into Medina were also strong inducements to keep on fighting and conquering.
For a longer and more thorough study of the goal, rules, and spoils of jihad and qital, see my article Jihad and Qital in the Quran, Traditions, and Classical Law.
In Mecca, early in Muhammad's preaching career, he preached nonviolence (Quran 109:6 and 2:256). He was not strong militarily, and perhaps he really believed in tolerance. But in Medina he began his raids because he wanted to return to the pagan Kabah shrine in Mecca; it was unjust that the Meccans forced him out of his hometown.
After Muhammad transitioned from the path of peace to warfare, he had to establish the goal, rules, and results (or spoils) of jihad. He seems to have come up with them in an ad hoc manner. As he went out on a skirmish or battle and won, he sized up the situation, and decided on what to do, like how to divide the spoils of war. At these times he got revelations. They worked out in Islam's favor.
From here on, Muhammad's life and his Quran are consistent. He waged war, and the later Medinan verses in the Quran reflect this practice. Jihad and qital appear much more frequently in the Medinan chapters than in the Meccan ones. He set the institutional genetic code.
And now there is no ambiguity for his community after he died in A.D. 632. They may also wage war. Quran 9:33, 61:9, and 48:28 – all identical – say that Islam will prevail over all other religions, and these verses permitted Muhammad to wage war for at least one religious reason. Indeed, for many centuries later, the Muslim community, wherever it was strong, has implemented jihad.
Religion and the state were embodied in his one person, Muhammad, especially in his control of the military and taxes. Often he said that to obey Allah is to obey his messenger – Muhammad himself (Quran 8:1, 13, 20, 24, 46; 9:54, 62-63, 71, 84, 91; 47:33; 48:10, 17). All four chapters (8, 9, 47, and 48) were given in Medina and in the context of war and power politics.[23]
We can only speculate as to what might have been, if he had given up the pagan shrine, not devotionally kissed the black stone housed there, and begun his own sacred site in Medina and allowed the Meccans to have their religion, while he has his (Quran 109:6). He could have risen above his own culture; then surely the raids and wars would have never started in the first place, and surely peace would have won out, then and now.[24]
However, the tolerance of original Islam in Mecca all those years before his flight to Medina in 622 and the tolerance of Islam during his first year in his new city were now left behind.
In late A.D. 630, when Quran 9:11, 14 were revealed, Muhammad's war on the pagans was going strong until they convert and pay the zakat tax. If not, they die. And Quran 9:29 gives jihadists permission to war against Christians and Jews, until they convert, die in battle, or pay a jizyah or poll (submission) tax.
So, if Christians and Jews fought and died, Islam could take over their resources. If they submitted and kept their religion, Islam could get their taxes. Either way, wealth flowed back to Medina and to the jihadists.
Why would Muhammad get a revelation that would dry up this money flow, for the benefit of peace and tolerance? He didn't.
[First published: 1 May 2012]
[Last updated: 3 August 2012]
Articles in the Series:
2. The Mission of Jesus and the Sword
3. The Mission of Muhammad and the Sword
4. The Gospels and the Sword
5. The Quran and the Sword
6. Two Kinds of Swords
7. The Early Church and the Sword
8. The Early Muslim Community and the Sword
9. The Sword and the Jews
10. Martyrdom and the Sword
11. Q & A on the Sword
[1] Abdel Haleem, The Quran, rev. ed. (New York: Oxford, 2010). The word in brackets is the translator's. The three-letter Arabic root z-h-r can mean "to become distinct . . . ascend, be manifest, mount, get the better of, distinguish, be obvious, conspicuous . . . get the upper hand over." (Omar, Dictionary, 353-54). It can also mean "triumph" or "victorious" or "prevail," in this case over all religions. The last three words come from various translations of the verse. Cf. 9:8 "get the upper hand over you"; 61:14 "who came out on top"). If readers would like to see various translation of the Quran, they may go to the website quranbrowser.com and type in the references.
[2] The four caliphs were Abu Bakr (r. 632-634), Umar (r. 634-644), Uthman (r. 644-656), and Ali (r. 656-661). "Caliph" means "successor," "deputy," or "representative." For the relevant use of the word "caliph" (kh-l-f) in the Quran, see, e.g., 2:30; 6:156; 7:69, 74, 142, 169; 10:14, 73; 19:59; 27:62; 35:39; and 38:26.
[3] Abdullah Yusuf Ali, the Meaning of the Holy Quran, 11th ed., (Belleville, Maryland: Amana, 2004). The parenthetical note is his. He says in a comment on the verse that the clause "whom your right hands possess" means "captives in a Jihad" (note 537). Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, a respected Muslim commentator, agrees and says about the verse that is it lawful for Muslims to marry women prisoners of war even when their husbands are still alive (The Meaning of the Quran, 4th ed., vol. 1, trans. Ch. Muhammad Akbar, ed. A. A. Kamal, [Lahore, Pakistan: Islamic Publications, 2003] 319, note 44). His translation and commentary are available online at englishtafsir.com.
[4] Khumus is one-fifth of the spoils of war, which goes to the commander or back to Medina. This hadith says:
The prophet sent Ali [soon to be the fourth caliph] to Khalid [a general] to bring the Khumus (of the booty) and . . . Ali had taken a bath (after a sexual act with a slave-girl from the Khumus). "Do you hate Ali for this? ...Don't hate him, for he deserves more than that from Khumus" (Bukhari, Military Expeditions, 5.4350, in Sahih Bukari, 9 vols. trans. Muhammad Muhsin Khan (Riyadh: Darussalam, 1997), hereafter cited as Bukhari; the parenthetical comments are the translator's; bracketed comments are added).
The hadith are searchable online at the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement, under the aegis of the University of Southern California.
[5] Bukhari, Marriage, 007.062.137; cf. idem Military Expeditions, 005.059.459 and 637, and Manumission 003.046.718. Muslim, Jihad and Expeditions, 19.4345.
[6] Yusuf Ali's translation. The words in brackets are added and not those of the translator.
[7] Al-Hilali and Khan, The Noble Qur'an, (Riyadh: Darussalam), 2002; all insertions are theirs. Yusuf Ali goes says that this chapter was revealed early in Medina, and the fledgling Muslim community was "under threat of extinction by invasion from Makkah" (i.e. Mecca). However, the Muslim community conducted small but growing raids against Meccan caravans within a year of arriving in Medina, so the threat is exaggerated.
[8] Hadith collector and editor Abu Dawud (d. 870) in Sunan Abu Dawud, trans. Ahmed Hasan (Lahore, Pakistan: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1984, 2004), hereafter cited as Abu Dawud, says that a captured enemy combatant may be killed (Jihad, 2.2680); he may be tied with chains as a slave (ibid. 2.2671-2674); he is allowed to be beaten in order to extract information (ibid. 2 2675); he may be released freely (ibid. 2.2682-2683), or he may be ransomed; that is, he may purchase his freedom (ibid. 2.2684-2688).
[9] Omar, Dictionary, 80-81. It is used only twice in the Quran, here in 47:4 and 8:67.
[10] The word in brackets is added by Abdel Haleem.
[11] These hadiths refer to this historical event surrounding the Nadir tribe and approve of it: Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, Sahih Muslim, 4 vols., trans. and ed. Abdul Hamid Siddiqi (Lahore, Pakistan: Sh. Muhammad Ashraf, 1992), Jihad and Military Expeditions, 3.4324-4326, hereafter cited as Muslim; Abu Dawud Jihad, 2.2609.
[12] Abdel Haleem's bracketed notes.
[13] Yusuf Ali in his translation notes to Quran 2:190 says that Islam may wage war, but under well-defined limits. "In any case, strict limits must not be transgressed: women, children, old and infirm men should not be molested, nor trees and crops cut down" . . . (note 204). However, rules 1-6 in this article, based squarely on the Quran, contradict Yusuf Ali's claims. His commentary is helpful much more often than not, but he frequently "soft sells" the harsh aspects of Islam, so his footnoted commentary to his translation must be used with caution, and so does his translation. Balance it out with Al-Hilali and Khan's translation.
[14] Ibid. The bracketed notes have been added.
[16] Yusuf Ali's translation, and the parenthetical note is his. The note in the brackets was added. He goes on to say that verse 6 says that some pagans among them may seek asylum and Muslims should grant it (note 1253)
[17] In one tradition, women and children should not be killed (Bukhari, Jihad, 4.3014, 3105; Muslim, Jihad and Military Expeditions, 3.4319-4320; Abu Dawud, Jihad, 2. 2662). But this makes economic sense, because the victors could sell them into slavery or enjoy more sexual license with them. However, in another tradition, the women and children of polytheists are permitted to be killed during nighttime raids when visibility is low. A soldier asked Muhammad "about the polytheist whose settlement were attacked at night when some of their offspring and women were smitten [killed]. The Prophet . . . said: They are of them" (Abu Dawud, ibid. 2.2666; Bukhari, ibid. 4.3012; Muslim, ibid. 3.4321-4323). That is, they are all the same – they are polytheist, so they do not matter.
[18] The Five Pillars are as follows: (1) Profession of faith; (2) regular prayer five times a day; (3) zakat or required charity tax; (4) fasting during Ramadan; (5) pilgrimage or hajj.
[19] Bukhari says that Muhammad was ordered by Allah to call people to accept Islam (Jihad, 4.2946; cf. nos. 25 and 1399). If they convert, then their lives and property will be kept safe from him. These hadith from Bukhari make the same offer: ibid. 4.2937, 2940, 3010, 3058.
[20] Al-Hilali and Khan's translation; the parenthetical notes are theirs; the note in the bracket has been added. Karen Armstrong, former nun and essayist-historian on religion, who favors Islam, writes the following about Jews and Christians submitting to Islam. "The Dhimmi system [policies governing Christians and Jews] was not perfect. Later Islamic law evolved some rather humiliating legislation: dhimmis were not allowed to build without permission; their places of worship must not tower over the mosque; they had to bow when the presented the jizyah tax were forbidden to ride on horseback, and had to wear distinctive clothing, although these rules were not rigidly enforced" (Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths, [NY: Ballantine, 1997], 231).
[21] Hadith editor Muslim says that Muhammad would exhort his jihadists to make three offers when their army surrounds a town or settlement: (1) the surrounded enemy may convert; (2) they may refuse to accept Islam and pay the jizyah or poll tax, which allows non-Muslims to live under the "protection" of Islam; or (3) they must be fought if they refuse the first two (Jihad and Military Expeditions, 3.4294; see Abu Dawud, Jihad, 2.2606).
[22] Abdel Haleem's translation. The note in brackets is added by me.
[23] A religious leader or founder of a new movement can command obedience (Jn. 14:15), but Muhammad backed his call to obedience with the sword and combined political power with religion.
[24] Muslim apologists believe that the Meccans were bothering Muhammad all the way up in Medina 250 miles to the north. However, they were glad to get rid of him and went on conducting their trade. And if he was still afraid for his life, he could have formed a bodyguard until the heat cooled down. But he instead chose to send out or lead raids against their caravans. It is no wonder that the conflict never stopped during his lifetime.


Tag: Gai Behar
Ballet BC dancers Scott Fowler and Parker Finley in rehearsal for the company's final program of the season, which features all Jewish community choreographers. (photo by Michael Slobodian)
Ballet BC concludes its season May 9-11 with Program 3, featuring all Jewish community choreographers: Israel's Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar, Vancouver's Serge Bennathan and Israel's Ohad Naharin.
Program 3 begins with the North American première of Eyal and Behar's Bedroom Folk and concludes with the return of Naharin's Minus 16, a crowd-pleaser that Ballet BC presented in 2017. The middle piece, by Bennathan, is a world première, commissioned by Ballet BC.
"Emily Molnar invited me to create a work for the company," Bennathan told the Independent in a phone interview. "That's it. All the rest is for me to create what I want for them."
Given that leeway by Molnar, Ballet BC's artistic director, Bennathan said he wanted to create a work for all the dancers.
"I'm so in love with the company that I felt it will be wonderful to have them all, mostly for the kind of work I do," he said.
"When I create work, whatever it is, for my company or another company, I always say I like to have the group of people that are strong individuals that make sense together," he explained. "That is exactly what the company is right now. If you take Ballet BC now – individually, they are quite fantastic, each of their personalities, they're fine, but they make so much sense together. That's the beauty of it."
Bennathan was born in France and came to Canada more than 30 years ago. Artistic director of Toronto's Dancemakers from 1990 to 2006, he then came to Vancouver, where he founded Les Productions Figlio.
"My work, I would say, is quite physical, but my point of departure is to work from the energy. Not the energy being exuberant or something like that, but the energy that makes you move. So, you have to be present in the moment with your body and move from inside…. You have to find it in yourself to move."
Bennathan has created many full-length works, both for his own companies and others, and he has a long history with Ballet BC.
"My first-ever commission was the first time I came to Vancouver. Reid Anderson was the artistic director," he said. "I had just arrived in Canada. I was a young immigrant and I was doing work here in Vancouver and they saw my work and they invited me to create. The first-ever piece was a duet. And then, throughout the years, the invitations kept coming, so I created."
Set to an original score by Montreal-based composer Bertrand Chénier, Bennathan shared a little about next month's première, as well as his creative process.
"It's [about] how do you find the form of resilience. How do you sustain that [thing] that keeps your head above water? That's what it is," he said of the work.
"Before I create the piece with dancers, I spend time [on my own] – I paint, I sew and I write and I explore these ideas that come to me through painting; not to paint movement … but to try to extract what it means in a poetic way. So, when I 'write,' in the studio with the dancers, what happens is, when I choreograph, I don't think about the piece. I let my body talk because I believe that the mounds and mounds and mounds that I read – like, for this one, I read a lot of poetry, I painted, I wrote poetry – when I'm in the studio with them, I just let my body talk when I choreograph. And then they grab it. But this is only the beginning. After that, there is another period. I don't want them to do exactly what I did. The movement can transform itself – what needs to stay true is the essence of why we did this movement at the beginning."
For Bennathan, dance is more than an art form.
"I left my family quite early, I was 14 years old. Let's say, my life was taking a direction that, deep inside me, I knew it was not the direction I wanted to take. I want to say [that] to people because, sometimes we see a lot of youth and we say, 'Oh, you should get out of this, or you should do this …' but the fact is, sometimes, mostly when you are young, you are taken into a spiral and you cannot get out. And, if you do not have the opportunity, or create yourself the opportunity, to lead you to someone that can tell you a word or a phrase that will change you or offer something you can open the door to, you are in a terrible situation, you cannot get out. I was able to have this in my life and … at 14, I said, 'OK, I'm going to leave this, I'm going to Paris, I'm going to study dance, and that's what I want to become, a dancer. This saved me, literally. I needed to do this to get out of a situation I didn't want for me."
Bennathan described dancers as "courageous, at all levels; not courageous just to apply themselves physically – because it's there, they have the courage to abandon themselves into this art form – but, at the same time, to live as a dance artist. And, even more in our days, you have to be courageous, you have to have resilience."
He said he can't just invite talented dancers from other parts of the country to come work with him here because Vancouver has become so expensive. "Young artists or young families cannot come live here anymore. That's the thing. And you have to be courageous to say, 'OK, I'm going to come.'… These days, you don't just say, 'Oh, I'm going to live in Vancouver.'"
Bennathan believes in the power of dance, and art in general, to improve the world.
"A lot of people say 'art can save the world,' but why can you say that? It's because we need the inspiration, we need poetry in our lives. Sometimes, poetry, these days, is dismissed. We so forget the importance of the inspiration of poetry in our day-to-day lives. There is a reason, not only in North America, but everywhere in the world right now … why cynicism is the most important thing…. It's because we left all this – whether it's writing poetry, written poetry or dance or music – we stop these art forms at the door instead of inviting them into our lives." If we did invite them in, he said, "we would talk differently and we would start to see things differently."
Program 3 is at Queen Elizabeth Theatre May 9-11, 8 p.m., and Ballet BC will celebrate 10 years with Emily Molnar as artistic director with a reception after the closing performance on May 11. For tickets to the performances, visit balletbc.com. Tickets for the reception are available via eventbrite.ca.
Format ImagePosted on April 19, 2019 April 17, 2019 Author Cynthia RamsayCategories Performing ArtsTags Ballet BC, dance, Emily Molnar, Gai Behar, lifestyle, Ohad Naharin, Serge Bennathan, Sharon Eyal


MELD Advertising Unveils New Brand, Website
NEW YORK, Aug. 30, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — MELD Advertising, a leading full-service marketing agency, has announced the launch of its new branding, complete with a new logo and a refresh of its website.
"We have grown so quickly and we've been working so hard for our clients' brands that we realized we'd been neglecting our own," said Derek Wood, MELD's Founder and Executive Creative Director. "We're excited to unveil our new branding because it better reflects who we are as an agency and the value we bring to the table."
The updated website has been introduced at meldadvertising.com and reflects the new brand identity, showcases MELD's work for its clients, details the agency's capabilities, and more. The new logo, which can be seen throughout the new website, has a more colorful design that conveys a warmer, more confident tone.
As part of the brand refresh, MELD also has an updated value proposition: Inspiring trust by ensuring your success.
"To me, the new value proposition was one of the most important aspects of the refresh," said Wood. "One of the biggest things that sets us apart from other agencies is the relationships we have with our clients. I don't think it's a coincidence that most of our new business comes from client referrals. It means we've earned their trust and proves that MELD succeeds when we help our clients succeed. And the new value proposition conveys that."
About MELD
MELD was built on a solid foundation – focusing on humanity, transparency, and strong ethics. From there, talent from every type of advertising agency was brought in. As everyone is given a voice, clients get the best of everyone. MELD is composed of seasoned professionals from every discipline, offering proven expertise in creative and content; strategy, technology and analytics; engagement and influence; and media.
To see the new MELD brand, visit meldadvertising.com.
MELD Advertising
Monika Nagarsheth
SOURCE MELD Advertising


NextHome Owner Heidi Powell Recognized as a Powerful Woman in Franchising
By NextHome Corporate — April 23, 2021
NextHome Corporate
Pleasanton, CA — April 23, 2021 — As part of Franchise Business Review's annual Top Franchises for Women research, FBR surveyed over 8,000 female franchise owners to get their perspective on owning a franchise business in 2021. Earlier this year, NextHome was named a Top Franchise for Women in Franchise Business Review's 2021 report.
The past year has been difficult for many business owners yet women franchise owners have demonstrated their resilience and commitment to their local communities.
While franchising has historically been a male-dominated industry, women business owners have made significant strides in the past decade. Today, women are opening one out of every three new franchise businesses and female franchise ownership has increased significantly.
Franchise Business Review shared a series of 27 inspiring stories from female franchise owners who are experiencing success as business owners – breaking through the barriers and challenges unique to being a woman in the business world. One of those stories featured Heidi Powell, Owner of NextHome Dynamic located in Freeport, Pennsylvania. Read on to learn more about Heidi, and click here to read the full article.
As a real estate agent, Heidi Powell wanted to support her community in finding their next homes.
"It's not about the houses, the land, the numbers – it's about the human factor," she says. "We're dealing with the human factor: The view over the kitchen table as you watch the kids play in the yard. The memories that will be made around the dining room table."
Heidi initially started her career with a different franchise, but quickly found that her morals clashed with the numbers-driven goals of corporate. When her agreement ended, her research led her to NextHome and in July 2018 she became the 300th business with the franchise.
"Anyone who's thinking of franchising, the research is so very important," says Heidi. "To meet and speak with other franchisees."
The NextHome franchise community has supported and uplifted Heidi while allowing her to follow her own initiatives. Early on in the pandemic and realizing how many in her community were struggling, Heidi partnered with a group of volunteers to provide and deliver free lunches to those in need.
"Any time you can do something for your local community, it's not about business," Heidi says. "It's so important to support the community that takes care of us every other time of the year."
We're thrilled to see Heidi's dedication to her community and being a proud example of being a woman in business recognized by Franchise Business Review. Her passion for putting humans over houses couldn't be more of an encompassing representation of a NextHomie.


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No shrinking violets in the art
The women at the im Kinsky aren't shrinking violets! Whatever different art periods they may come from, they're confidently looking out into the world. Please find a selection of fascinating ladies, painted by strong artists, below.
Sensitivity and mastery
Faistauer's wife Ida has melancholically rested her chin on her left arm, dreaming and withdrawn, she is shown in a slight profile view from the right. They were married in 1913, and unto her early death in 1919 the artist painted her sixty times. The portrait is a very sensitive characterization of the model and shows at the same time the masterful use of color in his early portraits.
The artist is also renowned for his frescoes. In 1926, with the help of some assistants, he completed the Foyer of the Salzburger Festspielhaus, which became his international breakthrough.
sold for: 45.000 €
"The Jew's daughter" is a poem from a collection by Achim von Arnim and Clemens Brentano regrouping old German Lieder. It speaks of a beautiful Jewish girl, who does not want to get baptized, event though some men tell her to. She drowns herself in the sea to escape. Kokoschka illustrated throughout his whole life poems and works of literature. Often, these would be published in Herwarth Walden's magazine "Der Sturm". This drawing is the title sheet for Walden's music piece "The Jew's daughter".
The work is separated in two styles. The wide and thick brushstrokes used for the man and the background are typical for drawings and oil paintings at the beginning of the 20-ies. The female figure seems fine, almost translucent thanks to small brushstrokes and many spare spaces. On the one side fragile and fleeting, on the other strong and decisive – this distinguishes these two figures. This work is a fascinating translation of the poem into art. Kokoschka displays his virtuoso drawsmanship and aplomb in the depiction of emotions.
Beauty and power
Especially in his early work, Putz centered on the image of the beautiful woman, in different variations. His wife, the landscape painter Frieda Blell, often posed as his model. The third Reich though deemed his art as "entartet" (degenerated) and put a work ban on him. After having been interrogated by the Gestapo a few times, Putz escaped to South Tyrol. There, he mainly painted castles and landscapes. He died in 1949 in his birth city of Meran.
The figurine of Judith with the head of Holofernes has probably been shaped according to the example of Conrad Meist from 1525/1528 which is kept in the Bavarian National Museum. Judith saved the inhabitants of her hometown by killing the enemy commander Holofernes in his sleep. Contrary to the story, Meist and also our artist depicted Judith in the nude. However, this is not about an erotic representation, the bodily beauty of the woman is to be seen as a voucher for her moral integrity.
Fashion and naked skin
A very different side of his artistry is shown by Alfons Walde in this drawing. He presented in 1921 a first collection of nude representations, but his erotic depictions did not find the recognition he was hoping for. He therefore kept them away from the public and worked on them aside from his popular, "official" art. Only very seldom they made their way to collectors. Waldes' female models are nude or only sparingly clothed with fashionable, sexy accessories like shoes or fishnet stockings. Especially due to their intimate character, these erotic subjects count among the most interesting creations of Walde's Oeuvre. Without doubt, they enrich the work of the "snow painter" by a very special artistic and peculiar side. It is here that the painter could realize his private obsessions, all the time winking at the viewer. The theme of the female nude is one that was always on the artist's mind, however, it was only relatively late that the painter indulged in it.
Zach is especially known for his painted small statues in the style of the art deco. He liked depicting tall, athletic, dominant women, including all their female attributes. Here, the wind is lifting the lady's dress, we can see her high heeled booties and slender legs. Another interesting detail is that of the umbrella handle: it represents a monkey's face.


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Myanmar is a wealth of different cultures. If you are looking to experience the cultural side of it, we promise to make you happy. There are 135 distinct ethnic groups in Myanmar with their own culture and traditions. It is reflected in everything they do: cuisine, dressing, faith, occupation and much more. We welcome you to enjoy the diversity of Myanmar's traditions.
Myanmar Betel or Kun Ya is made up of betel nut, slaked lime and catechu which are then wrapped up in a betel leaf., but the recipe inside the betel leaf changes from shop to shop and some shops input tobacco, chilli and jam. Its taste is a little bitter and has to be savoured while chewing slowly. There are many little betel shops located all over the country. You must try Kun Ya or Betel when you are in the country.
Myanmar cigar or cheroot is a roll made with the dried leaf of carbia myx (Thanet Phat) or corn. Insides the leaf is a mixture of dried wood and tobacco. The old people in Myanmar rolled their own cigars to suit their individual taste. Cigars come in different sizes and the smallest one is a little bigger than cigarettes. There are many cigar factories in Myanmar especially in the tropical zone.
Novitiation Ceremony
The ceremony is mostly held before July and August, and during the summer vacation between March and May. To become a novice, three stages must be passed - shaving hair, wearing a robe and believing in Buddha. Buddhist parents in Myanmar believes that they will not suffer in hell if their sons become a novice for at least once in their lifetime.
Pathein Umbrella
The beautiful and colourful Pathein umbrella represents the Myanmarese feminine beauty. The canopies of the umbrella are made with cotton, silk and beautiful artistic floral painting on them. The shaft and ribs are made of bamboo which can be obtained from Rakhine Yoma Mountain Range near Pathein.
Pottery has been the earliest craft in the history of human civilisation. For 2,000 years, the Myanmarese have used pottery to store and cook food. Pots can be produced cheaply and are useful in many ways even though they are fragile. Nowadays, the main pottery workshops in Myanmar are located in riverside towns.
Tea Shops
You will find tea shops in every street corner in Myanmar. Tea is a common drink for the locals and you must taste it when you are in the country. The traditional tea is a potent combination of strong black tea leaves mixed with evaporated and condensed milk and is delicious.
THANAKA
Thanaka is a yellowish-white cosmetic paste made from ground bark. You will find the locals, especially women and girls use it extensively on their face and arms. The reference of Thanaka can be found in a poem written by King Razadarit during the 14th century. The wood from different trees can be used to create Thanaka. The trees must be perennials and at least 35 years old to produce good Thanaka.
Longyi is the native dress of the Myanmar People. Ideal for Myanmar's humid climate, this versatile long wrap-around cloth is traditionally worn by both genders with distinct features separating the two. The Longyi worn by men is called a Paso while those worn by women are called a Htamein. A Paso usually comes in stripes or checks and can even be worn inside out while a Htamein comes in countless floral and coloured designs.
WELL-KNOWN ARTS & CRAFTS
PANCHI
PUNPU
PANYUN
PANBE
PANPOOT
PANYAN
PANTAUT
PANTAMAUT
PANTAIN
PANTE
Panchi refers to the art of painting that illustrates live animals and inanimate objects using different colours. Artists paint the figures of human beings, animals, objects, drawings, scenery designs, cartoons and caricatures human scene. These paintings originated from Bagan and hold a lot of influence of Buddhism. If you want to explore paintings in particular, you should visit Bagan where you will find ancient traditional paintings and masterpiece of A.D 11th Century. Wall painting sculptures in Bagan are the best representations of Panchi. Paintings of Konbaung Period are lively, beautiful and colourful, especially the wall paintings in Mahamyatmuni Pagoda at Mandalay which are sculptures of Yadanarpon Period.
Punpu is the art of creating sculptures, figures and floral motifs from wood. Myanmar's craftsmen are highly skilled in carving materials ranging from bone, jade, stone and especially wood. They can make the figure of human beings, animals and floral motifs from any material. They are especially skilled in crafting Buddha images or figurines using wood. If you want to explore the Punpu art of Yadanarpon Period in Myanmar, you must visit the Shwe In Bin Monastery in Mandalay, Bargayar Monastery in Innwa. A wooden sculpture from the Bagan period is the oldest pagoda Shwezigon portal in Nyaung-U.
Panyun means an art that produces materials in bamboo, wood and thick blackpaint (thit-se). Lacquer ware, known as Yun in Myanmar refers to a process that uses natural organic ingredients to decorate anything from a chest of drawers to a mug. What sets it apart is the immense time and skills required to finish a single piece. Each item is first crafted using bamboo or wood. Then a detailed process of application is followed by a resting period often in an underground cellar for up to ten days. On a detailed framework of process, finely cut strips of bamboo, mixtures of thit-see resin with clay and ash are carefully built-up and finally polished with the ash of fossil wood. The designs are then etched or painted by hand. The most traditional Burmese lacquer ware is of a unique terracotta colour with scenes from the Jataka Stories, the Buddha's former existence. Bagan is the home of this craft. Lacquer-ware craftsmen commonly produce alms bowls (bowls for monks), food bowl, tea bowl, bowl for pickled tea, drinking cups, traditional betel box (especially held at the Myanmar Houses to serve guests), cigar boxes, etc. As with most other artistic aspects of Myanmar PanYun industry, Lacquer ware forms an important part of social life.
A part of the artistic wonders of the world, Panbe is a kind of blacksmith who create various products using iron, heated in the oven. They make iron axles used in oxcarts, rubber, hammer, ax, various kinds of knives, swords, hoe, dig hoe and scissors. The metal industry of the country was started during the middle period of Bagan and Yadanarpon Periods. Head to Inlay region to catch the interesting site of Panbes in action. Don't forget to buy a memento for your trip!
The art of Panpoot is an art of making wooden utensils by using turners lather. The end products include the shaft of an umbrella, table legs, legs of the bed, guardrails and turnery posts for pavilions and railings. This traditional craft began at the Bagan period in the 8th century A.D, Ava and Yatanarpon period. The variety of products produced using this art is very interesting and includes food containers, boxes, bowls, tables and chairs, apart from what has been mentioned earlier. They look extremely attractive. The Panpoot art exhibits a heavy influence of the Mon culture.
Panyan means constructing a building using bricks, stone and concrete. The Masons, commonly known as Panyan men build houses, pagodas, bridges, and many more. Myanmar's traditional masonry work is well-known for the ancient pagodas and other religious buildings around the Bagan Area. The country's traditional masonry of Bagan period is the best developed among all the other historical periods. The craftsmanship exhibits remarkable strength, beauty, volume, detail and decorations. Myanmar's traditional masonry has derived from the Mon People's culture of Suvanna Bhumi Region. It is known that masonry in Myanmar was first started during the Pyu period of 1st century A.D.
Pantaut refers to the craft of making decorative designs embossed in stucco. The craftsmen carve figures of lions, dragons and floral patterns with stucco. Myanmar traditional stucco carving emerged before the Bagan period and it was widely practised during the Bagan, Amarapura and Yadanarpon period. According to historic records, stucco works were very famous during the Bagan period and had detailed decorations. After the Bagan period, stucco carvings of mid-Konbaung or Amarapura period exhibited finesse in authentic Burmese style. The curled leaves and buds look very beautiful. You can explore this culture at the Menu's brick monastery at Innwa. The great building itself is a work of art to command our admiration for the Pantaut Art.
This art refers to the art of stone carving. The craftsmen make many religious items, mainly Buddha images and stone slabs for inscription. Other figures such as elephants, deer, circular flat stone pestle, mortar and table are also made to order. Sculpture in stone is a significant feature of Myanmar fine arts and is considered to be an honour of the local people. There are sculpture workshops in Yangon, Mandalay and other towns, the most notable being near the Mahamyatmuni Pagoda in Mandalay. Fine works of art in stone can be seen at plaques depicting the life of the Buddha at Ananda Temple, Bagan. The great Buddha image at Kyauktawkyi Pagoda at the foot of Mandalay Hill is another example of excellent Pantamaut.
Pantain is an enterprise of making items of gold or silver. Silversmiths of the country are famous in making drinking bowl, receptacle bowl, prize-cup, shield and belt. Goldsmiths are skilled in making various kinds of jewellery. Myanmar's traditional art and craft involve artistic creation of gold and silver wares. Creating silverware has been a part of Myanmar for the past 1,200 years. It is indeed something for the country to be proud of. According to the crystal palace chronicles during the reign of King Anawrahta, the relics of Buddha and the three repositories of Buddhist scriptures were brought to Bagan from Suvunna Boumi, the Mon capital. Along with them came Mon artisans and Mon arts and crafts, gold and silverware etc.
This is the art of producing materials of copper, bronze or brass. The artisans carve a range of products from these materials such as the triangular brass gong and brass bowls for the monks, weights in the shape of brainy ducks, trays, copper pots, cups, bowls, dishes, cymbals, bells and small brass gongs. Myanmar's traditional coppersmith's craft emerged before the Bagan period and it improved during Bagan and Ava period. Every pagoda in Myanmar has bells which were struck to tell the people about good deeds that are done. They are triangular bells, which twirl when struck and ring with a sweet rising and falling tone which gradually fades away. Moreover, there are gongs slung from carved ivory or wooden elephant trunks which are prized as dinner gongs. Different sizes and shapes of bells, all unmistakably Burmese in design are popular as souvenirs, and so are other castings such as weights and cowbells.
SILK & COTTON WEAVING INDUSTRY
Silk and cotton weaving is one of the main professions of the Amarapura and Bagan People. The cotton is mostly grown in Central Myanmar. First, they make the cotton thread from raw cotton by using a machine, which is operated by hand and weave on the international wooden loom. Over one hundred looms are used to create beautiful and intricate designs and patterns as silk wear is worn in special and ceremonial occasions. Being a famous and interesting cottage industry, this is something you should definitely experience.
LOTUS WEAVING AT INLE LAKE
One of the highlights from Inle Lake is the lotus weaving industry. Lotus weaving is the main profession for many people who live near Inle Lake. Many years ago, women from Inle began weaving textiles using fabrics obtained from lotus flowers. There are many villages where this art is practiced out of which Phaw Kone and Kyaing Khan Villages are most famous. You can visit these villages to understand how this art is done.
The whole process from the beginning to the end is really amazing. Most old women cut the lotus stem into small pieces and extract fibre by hand using a knife. Then these fibres are moistened and rolled together to obtain threads. To finally produce the long, fine threads used to weave lotus, the above process is repeated again and again. Workers need to be very patient because all the processes are equally important. This industry is very labour intensive and hence lotus weaving products are among the most expensive textile products in the world. They are ideal for gifting.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS & TRADITIONAL DANCE
OO ZI
DOBAT
PATMA
SIDAW
PAT WAIN
KYEY SE
SAUNG
PATAL
The pot-drum (Oo zi) is a single-headed drum on a long hollow stalk which is flared at the bottom. That single head has a membrane tightly stretched over a round frame. The pot drum is tuned by sticking a piece of tuning dough made of rice and ash to the head. The pot-drum is the chief instrument for the lively pot-drum dance and is played for group dancers as well. Though the pot-drum is single-headed, it can be played to produce a complete set of sounds.
The double-headed slung drum (Dobat) is the most popular musical instrument in the countryside. Dobat can be played on both sides. The left side of the drum is called the female side and the opposite side is the male side. The female side is tuned to the fundamental (taya) while the male side is tuned to the dominant (tayo). The female side requires more tuning dough. A Dobat is played briskly and joyously. The player uses both hands to strike the drum so that the left hand hits the female side, and the right hand strikes the male side. Fingers, palms, or the heels of palms, and sometimes elbows are used. It was mostly played by Myanmar farmers for inviting the harvest time or to call for rain. It can also be seen at pagoda festivals, charities and at labor contribution functions when the villagers come out to build a road or to reap the harvest.
The principal drum or Patma is a part of the Saing Wine (Myanmarese orchestra). It used to be hung on a horizontal beam placed on tripods, but now it is placed on a long piece of hard bamboo with nodes at short intervals. The beam assumes five components of a pyinsa-rupa, a mythical animal with a serpent's head, the antlers of a deer, the hooves of a horse, the wings of a birdlike creature (galon) and the tail of a carp (ngajin). When the Patma is played together with the large cymbals, it sounds most effective. The musician who plays the Patma in the ensemble is also responsible for the six small graduated upright drums and the medium horizontal sakhun.
The royal drum or Sidaw was played on royal occasions, auspicious gatherings, and for favourable portents in the villages. Historically, the Sidaw was played as a part of palace rituals and during royal ceremonies and occasions. It was played during the entrance and exit of the king and queen into the Audience Hall, or when the monarchs were attending grand dramas or marionette shows. The Sidaw was also played at ploughing ceremonies, city visits, and ceremonies marking the beginning and end of the sitting of the Hluttaw. Gift presentation ceremonies were also marked by use of the Sidaw, as was the beginning of the Thingyan Water Festival.
The centre of each Burmese ensemble, giving name to the idea of instruments hung up in a circle "hsain wain", is the pat wain drum circle. This instrument consists of 19 (traditionally), or 21(after 1920) tuned drums with heights ranging from 13 to 41 cm, hung from a circular wooden rack or stand with the player in the middle. One of the most fascinating aspects of South East Asian music is the idea of the melodic use of percussive instruments, such as the drum circles, gong ensembles and xylophones. The drums in the pat wain get tuned by filling in "pa sa", a paste of rice and ashes. The more pa sa is filled, the lower the drum will sound. The pat wain player is known as "hsain hsaya", which means he is the "master of hsain" and thus the main leader and director of the complete ensemble.
The Kyey se ("kyeezee") gong is also sometimes called the "Burmese bell". It is a flat, triangular solid brass gong which appears in many ensemble performances in different shapes and sizes. It can also be found in ceremonial use in temples, or even with monks when they walk down the streets in the morning to beg for alms. A wooden mallet is used to hit the gong on the left or right side of the triangle, so that it starts spinning with a high tempo and thus creates a vibrating sound. Depending on the size and the corner where it is hit, the pitch changes. It is famous for its long sustaining tone.
A "harp" is called a "saung" in Myanmar. There are basically two types – the Byat Saung and Saung Gauk (bent harp). The Saung is an arched horizontal harp where the resonator body is more horizontal compared to the Western harp, which has a vertical resonator. The harp is played by sitting on the floor with its body in the lap, and its arch on the left. The strings are plucked with the right hand fingers from the outside. The left hand is used to dampen the strings to promote clarity and produce staccato notes. The main parts of the harp are the body, the long curved neck, carved out of the root of a tree, and a string bar running down the centre of the top of the body. The top of the resonator body is covered with a tightly stretched deer hide, heavily lacquered in red with four small circular sound holes. The neck terminates in a highly decorated representation of the bo tree leaf. The harp body and stand are decorated with pieces of mica ("Mandalay pearls"), glass, gilt and red and black lacquer. The saung's strings are made of silk or nylon.
The Hne is a multiple reed oboe with a remarkable crooked form. It has seven nearly equidistant playing holes which are basic for the development of the main Burmese scales in both chamber and ensemble music. There are two common sizes of the hne, "ci" (big) and "kalei" (small) which are used for different purposes. The bigger one is for slow tempo and the smaller one is for festive occasions. Sometimes the bamboo flute "palwei" accompanies the "hne" during festivals as it also has equally set playing holes resounding in the same scale.
The flute (hne) is one of the traditional wind instruments in Myanmar. It has been used in Myanmar since ancient times and is created by using a metal horn, a wooden flute and a palm reed. The oboe is a double-reed woodwind instrument having a high pitch and penetrating tone. There are two kinds of Myanmar oboe namely big oboe and small oboe. Big oboe has more bass than the small. Big oboe has been used in Myanmar for many years and is said to have come into use as early as 211 AD. It is used to play melodies, particularly in Byawsi, Yegin, Nayi, Thapyay and Yadu music. The small oboe has been commonly used from 1290 and 1300 in the Myanmar era up to now.
PATAL – XYLOPHONE
The name Patala means a musical instrument with which you can play all ranges – from the crescendo to the bases. Patala instruments are usually the War Patala or Wood Xylophone and Pattalar, the Burmese bamboo xylophone. These are ancient musical instruments. Old versions of these instruments had a sound box underneath, with seven graduated keys. The xylophone is played with two sticks wrapped in cloth. The Bamboo Patala consists of 24 bamboo plates placed above a resonating box, starting with the lowest pitch on the players left side and the highest pitch on the player's right side. The plates get beaten by two mallets, actually tuned in a diatonic scale and ranging over three octaves.
TRADITIONAL DANCES AND FOLK DANCES OF MYANMAR
Dance has always been an intrinsic part of the culture of Myanmar. The movement of the human body and the discipline of form and posture often characterise local dance techniques. From inaugurating capital cities to the commencement of a battle, all royal functions began and ended with a dance. Today, dance is still an integral part of daily life, be it at weddings, pagoda festivals or Shinbyu (novice monk initiation ceremonies). It plays a vital part in celebrating each occasion. Pwe or dramatic dance performances set to music often add colour to local pagoda Festivals.
TRADITIONAL DANCE
Traditional dance in Myanmar is supple, graceful, elaborate, well-refined and floral. What makes it even more unique is that every dance movement draws inspiration from flowers. A flower is believed to resemble a dancer. The bloom is the head. The leaves are the hands and the stem the body. In the gust of a gentle breeze, the flower comes alive and dances to the accompaniment of nature. This purity of movement often forms the foundation of traditional dance in Myanmar.
FOLK DANCE
Based on the changing seasons and fertile lands, folk dance in Myanmar has always been an integral part of farming communities. As such, most folk dances reflect everyday life with songs and lyrics that flow with the movement of the dancer. A popular folk dance is U Shwe Yoe, a comic act that portrays the dancer dressed as a typical Myanmar gentleman with a long neatly trimmed moustache holding a Pathein Parasol, a scarf around his neck, a spotted turban or headgear, and a square patterned sarong around his waist. In the dance, he makes comic faces as he holds a lady's gestures that dramatize his search for a young attractive girl. Always a popular act, his antics are an eagerly anticipated item on every agenda.
CHINLONE
Chinlone, also known as cane ball, is the traditional, national sport of Myanmar and a combination of sports and dance. It is a completely non-competitive game, with typically six people playing together as one team, with no opposing teams. Although there is no competition, it is a highly demanding sport that requires skill and teamwork. The ball they use is usually made from hand-woven rattan (called Chinlone). It is played by individuals passing the ball between each other within a circle, without using their hands. One of the six players moves to the centre of the circle while all other players try to assist him or her by passing the ball that he strikes back to him in a single attempt. The important point of the game is to keep the ball in the air without hitting the ground as much as possible. While playing, a traditional orchestra plays motivational songs and the crowd cheers the players to give their best. An Annual Waso Chinlone Festival is held in a small stadium off the famous Maha Myat Muni Pagoda in Mandalay. This festival takes place for a month around the full moon of Waso.
TRADITIONAL TATTOO
Tattooed women are one of the main attraction of Myanmar. Each ethnic group has its own pattern which distinguishes them from one another. No one knows exactly how the custom originated, but one theory is that the tattoos began years ago as a form of identification when women were captured or kidnapped by neighbouring tribes. Another legend is that the tattoos were a way of intentionally disfiguring the woman's beauty so that they would not be taken to marriage by the Burmese King. Most of them got their tattoos when they were around 12 years old. The whole process can take up to 3 days. The tattoo needles are usually made from bamboo skewers or from thorns. The ink is a mixture of ox bile, soot, plants and lard. The Chin Women are famed for their tattooed faces. Although the tradition of tattooing faces is disappearing, it is still prominent in the southern part of the state, particularly in Mindat and Kanpetlet.
MYANMAR'S PUPPETS
A traditional artefact of the country and something that the locals are proud of are Marionettes – Myanmarese puppets. Spend a little time and you may find one that has been discarded from a show. Marionettes showcase character and often have their own story to tell. Beautifully handcrafted, these make wonderful mementoes of your adventures in Myanmar. Puppets or marionettes formed the 'Yoke-the Pew' or marionette theatre which entertained kings and royalty during the 18th century.
MARIONETTE DANCE
A standard troupe consists of 28 puppets comprising of a cast of animals, kings and queens, courtiers, princes, and clowns. Plots are usually taken from the 550 Jatakas, or from the Ramayana handling these marionettes. The puppeteers also provide the essential accompaniments of songs and narrative to make a complete performance. A rare art of form, marionette theatres still exist in small pockets across the country and is a treat you wouldn't want to miss.
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Home > Vol. 57 > pp. 55-84
ELECTROMAGNETIC SCATTERING BY A SET OF OBJECTS: AN INTEGRAL METHOD BASED ON SCATTERING OPERATOR
By D. Maystre
The paper presents the Scattering Operator Method, which is devoted to the problem of scattering from a set of N cylindrical ob jects. By contrast with the Scattering Matrix Method, which has been used by many groups in the last twenty years, it applies to any kind of cylinder shape, regardless of the relative location of the cylinders. The theory is based on a mathematical result: it is possible to define in the vicinity of the surface of each cylinder two complementary parts of the field: the total incident field and the field scattered by this cylinder. These two parts are the Calderon projectors of the values of the total fields on the surface of the cylinder. The validity of the method is checked on two examples. It is shown that the theory avoids some problems encountered in integral method like evaluations of singular or hypersingular integrals, or instabilities due to internal resonance of ob jects.
D. Maystre, "Electromagnetic Scattering by a Set of Objects: an Integral Method Based on Scattering Operator," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 57, 55-84, 2006.
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