News
MENAW: Transformations in the Middle East
December 26, 2007, 2:40AM MT
By Sharon St. Joan
Groups from twenty countries attend the MENAW Conference
Groups from twenty countries attend the MENAW Conference
By Sharon St. Joan, Best Friends Network
From December 13 through December 15, animal people from all over Egypt and North Africa gathered in Cairo to attend the MENAW 2007 Animal Welfare Conference.
The conference was hosted by the Egyptian Society of Animal Friends (ESAF) led by Ahmed El Sherbiny.
Of about 100 participants, over half were from Egypt, and the rest from over twenty countries, including thirteen Middle East/North African and nearby countries.
Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco and Palestine were represented, as well as Iran, Tunisia, and Turkey. Others were from Somalia, Sierra Leone, the Sudan, India, Bangladesh, Mauritania, and Kenya. Groups from the UK, the US, Austria, France, Australia, and Belgium were there too.
MENAW stands for Middle East Network for Animal Welfare--an organization recently established, which served as a launching point for the Conference.
Animals and Islam
The purpose of the conference was to focus on the unique challenges facing animal welfare groups working in Islamic societies. Bringing together people from across the Middle East, Asia and Africa, it was felt, would be a milestone towards strengthening all the efforts that individual groups are making on behalf of animals.
It could truly be said that the Conference was already a success even before it started, because bringing together so many Middle Eastern animal groups had never been done before, and the Conference laid the groundwork for future advances. Congratulations to the new MENAW organization, which has pioneered this progress in the Middle East!
Among the opening presentations was an exploration of some of the teachings of Islam that relate to animals:
"The Prophet saw a disfigured animal. He was sad, and said, 'I have forbidden humans to harm animals.'"
Another Islamic teaching is "God has given beauty to animals--horses, camels, and donkeys."
And, "Islam does not condone a violent end for animals."
Egypt was one of the first countries in the world to pass animal welfare legislation, in 1902.
However, everyone attending the Conference was very aware that there are a great many problems in the treatment of animals in Egypt and the rest of the Middle East. The participants are very aware because these are the people who are actively engaged and who are working hard to bring about change. The overall impression, one might say, was one of optimism and a feeling of encouragement at the gathering together of so many people who are so genuinely dedicated. They are doing great work and are already affecting the quality of life of many animals.
Awarding work well done
Among the first events was recognition to Robert Blumberg, who along with Ahmed El Sherbiny co-founded the MENAW organization, which created this Conference.
Dr. Chinny Krishna received a lifetime achievement award for the spectacular work done by Blue Cross of India, the first of the modern shelters in India, which began in 1964.
Josephat Ngonyo was recognized for his work in Kenya. He is an inspiration to many, especially throughout Africa and Asia, for his work leading young people to help wildlife by freeing animals from illegal traps.
A few highlights
Dr. Kristen Stilt, Professor of Law at Northwestern University Law School, and also an Arabic scholar, took us through a proposed animal welfare law, pointing out both the good points and changes that needed to be made to avoid unintended consequences--an interesting insight into how laws work.
Faith Maloney of Best Friends gave an overview of companion animals to a very responsive audience--showing slides from Best Friends, stressing the importance of spay/neuter and covering, as well, the many ways that humans are helped by animals--as therapy animals, as aids to the deaf and the blind, as police dogs and rescue dogs.
Dr. Mohammad Rashedul Alam of the Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Bangladesh, spoke about animals and agriculture in his country, giving an eye-opening look at the treatment of cattle, especially at the transport conditions of those that are shipped from India to be slaughtered in Bangladesh.
The donkeys of Darfur was the topic of Mohamed Majzoub Fidiel, who pointed out how essential donkeys are to the livelihood of the poorest people in Darfur. He told the story of how the UN Agency WHO had delivered food to the people of Darfur, but then did not allow people to give any of the food to their donkeys.
Quite apart from cruelty to animals, this lack of logic would mean that people whose donkeys are their livelihood would, without their donkeys, have to remain in the camps dependent on aid for survival. His group, the Sudan Donkey Sanctuary, stepped in, buying hay locally, then delivering it to feed the donkeys, so the donkeys were saved, local farmers were helped, and some of those owning the donkeys were enabled to leave the camps to resume their normal lives, along with their donkeys.
The Bulgarian Government sets aside a park for bears
Helmut Dungler and Dr. Amir Khalil described Vier Pfoten's work in Bulgaria rescuing dancing bears. One of the sloth bears was Violetta, who, by the time she was turned over to them had lost all her hair, presumably from malnutrition. Two years of patient persuasion had been required before her handler had been willing to sell her so that she could be taken to a sanctuary. 25 dancing bears in Bulgaria are still in need of rescue. Three bears have already been rescued.
The Bulgarian government has just created a beautiful national park, with forested mountains, as a bear sanctuary. When Violetta first arrived, she spent quite a while hiding in the container she'd been transported in. After ten months of getting used to the idea of freedom, she finally emerged and dug her own den--a moment of great triumph for her caregivers!
The many other speakers and presentations at the MENAW Conference were no less fascinating and intriguing. We were fortunate enough to have a chance to interview many of the speakers, and in the days to come, we'll introduce you to more of them.
Photo: Sharon St. Joan / An Egyptian man who goes every day to feed dogs by the pyramids at Sakkara
How you can help
To learn more, please go to the MENAW website:
http://www.menaw.net/ngo.htm
To show your support for animal groups working in the Middle East, please join the Egypt Community. Thank you!