Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Final Results


Final products and outcomes:
A course Book -
 a final product of the Comenius Project which contains methodological highlights, research work of the students involved and also the students' creative work in the project.
http://issuu.com/larascrucedevanturi/docs/between_religions_and_ethics_b.t

Website-
The site contains the research work of the students who were involved in the activities of the project, (articles, essays, ITC works - calendars), the methodological plans for the online lessons and the course book.
http://religionsandethics.wordpress.com/


Between Religions and Ethics - A Common Ground - on-line magazine.
http://onicescusilumea.blogspot.com/search/label/Bulgaria
http://issuu.com/larascrucedevanturi/docs/between_religions_and_ethics_-_octav_onicescu


Between Religions and Ethics - A Common Ground - Online Encyclopedia. The encyclopaedia contains academic and research references necessary for students to compare the moral values, culture and civilizations. The  articles, photos and movies helped them  to understand better the similarities  between their cultures.The blog is administered by the Spanish Comenius team.
 http://comeniussantaclara.wordpress.com/

One more blog administered by  the Spanish team.
http://iessantaclaracomenius.blogspot.com/

Facebook group- Between Religions and Ethics- a Common Ground.
http://www.facebook.com/groups/turkeycomenius/

"National Policy Regarding Ethnic Issues and Migration"- a conference.The conference tagged one of the most important subjects of the project, regarding discrimination and tolerance.

A  multicultural calendar,
It was made with the help of students and teachers from all schools.
We added the main page with the logo and the picture of all participants in the project, printed it and sent to all partners.
http://comeniuspartners.blogspot.com/2012/03/calendar-2012.html

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Subject8 Universal and particular national cultures (religion, art, morality)

Bulgaria's national cultural policy priorities include:
preserving the cultural memory and historical heritage;
creating conditions for development and enrichment of all spheres of culture as factors for sustainable development;
designing and adopting an effective mechanism of financing cultural institutions and finding alternative funding forms and sources
 improving the statutory framework in the sphere of culture; and preservation of cultural heritage and digitalisation of cultural content.
While leading into all-European cultural processes, Bulgaria's cultural policy must, at the same time, strengthen the place of Bulgarian culture in Europe by preserving its national identity and values. Cultural policy aims to support the creation, protection and dissemination of cultural values, as well as to create an environment which promotes and protects cultural diversity, freedom and creativity.
The present Culture Heritage Act (2009) introduced a new concept for cultural heritage and sets up a new national system for protection, management and sustainable use.
In the last years, access to monuments has been encouraged by the European Heritage Days (1999 - "Traditional Architecture", 2000 - "Cultural Routes", 2001 - "Children, Youth and Cultural Heritage", 2002 - "Different Ethnic Communities and Religions - Common Heritage", 2003 - "Cultural Landscapes", 2004 - "Cultural Tourism", 2005 - "South-Еast Europe - Shared Heritage" and 2006 - "Heritage in the Information Society"). The European Heritage Days arouse an increasing interest, involving an increasingly wider range of participants of all age groups. These Days successfully apply the model of partnership among central and local government authorities, state and non-governmental organisations, the public and private sectors, with the participation of the media (regrettably, quite insufficient yet). Traditionally, during the European Heritage Days museums are free, and the monuments which are undergoing conservation are open to the public.
National policy takes into account the need to raise young people's awareness of the cultural heritage. The curricula generally include information on the monuments of culture, in connection with the subjects of history of fine art, cultural studies, archaeology, journalism and mass communication. Beyond the educational system, different formats for raising awareness of the cultural heritage properties are used: participation in the Council of Europe projects "European heritage class" and "Europe, from one street to the other", in scientific and exploration expeditions to cultural heritage sites, conducting research on different themes related to heritage etc. In recent years, the national movement "Bulgarian Heritage" organises the initiative "Preserve the Bulgarian Heritage" with the participation of students and pupils from all over the country who work on national archaeological sites guided by archaeologists. 
In the course of the National Debate on Bulgarian Cultural Policy, held in 1998, the executive and NGOs stressed their common view of minority culture as an integral part of the national cultural heritage.
Despite its limited budget, the Ministry of Culture offers financial support to projects such as the Roma Cultural and Information Centre, the Roma Musical Theatre, festivals and projects of different cultural groups, etc. A Public Council on Cultural Diversity has been established at the Ministry as an expert consultative body. 
NGOs such as the Open Society Foundation, the Interethnic Initiative for Human Rights, SEGA, and the International Centre for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations, provide support for periodicals, media events and live performances of various cultural groups.
Bulgaria has state- and private-owned radio stations and television networks providing national coverage, as well as numerous private radio and television stations providing local news coverage. Cultural events and issues of international, national and local relevance are covered extensively in their programmes.
 In Bulgaria, social cohesion is a priority, in which cultural components have multiple inputs at central and local levels, through various actions and projects implemented by institutions, local authorities and NGOs.
The theatre is seen as a resource which can help disabled children to integrate into society, by giving them skills to overcome isolation, to improve their self-confidence and feelings of self-worth, as well as to provide them with a greater network of social contacts.
The main issues regarding employment in the cultural sector are low payments / salaries and a declining number of state-subsidised cultural institutions. This has prompted many gifted young people to emigrate in search of better working conditions abroad.
The Ministry of Culture is actively involved in one of the axes of development in the Information Society for All Programme - "building a civil society and democratic thinking through art and culture" Public libraries will thus complement the educational system by helping children and young people acquire basic knowledge and skills of searching for and analysing information. The rich multimedia resources available during after-school activities will help overcome children's unequal opportunities for access to new technologies.
In 2002, the National Culture Fund held a competition for funding music information sharing, as well as the creation and maintenance of an information database and Web page of Bulgarian music culture and authentic folklore. Since 2002, the National Music and Dance Center has been supporting a series of 6 educational concerts of the "Ensemble for electro-acoustic music - EEM", which presents electronic arrangements of classical works and contemporary electro-acoustic pattern pieces to young people. In the framework of the annual "New Bulgarian Music Festival", a concert with works of Bulgarian composers of electronic-music is included.

Munorities and Migration In Bulgaria

Minorities in Bulgaria
Ethnic groups in Bulgaria today are linguistically, culturally, and emotionally linked to other countries, as well as to communities 
Ethnic Bulgarians, on their part, have their own minorities outside the Bulgarian state  - in the Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Albania, Turkey, etc. Some of these ethnic Bulgarian minority groups are successors of Bulgarian emigrants, who had left the country, for political or economic reasons, in the time of the Ottoman rule (in the modern terminology, the predecessors of these ethnic Bulgarians would have been called refugees), for example, the Bulgarian Catholics in Romanian and Serbian Banat, the Bulgarians in Bessarabia (Moldova and the Ukraine), Tavria (the Ukraine), etc
We should mention here that some non-Bulgarian ethnic communities living in other states are connected with the Bulgarian cultural tradition and way of life - these are ethnic Turks from Bulgaria,  now living in Turkey, or Bulgaria's Jews, now living in Israel.
On the whole, it could be asserted that the Bulgarian people is more or less tolerant to its minorities. More than once have large groups  of people, driven out of other countries, been given asylum in Bulgaria - such were the Sefarade Jews in the 15th century, the Russian Kazaks of the Old Rite in the 17th century, and later  the Armenians fleeing from the outrages in Turkey, the White Guards fleeing from Russia, etc. 
During World War II, when the Jews were being killed in the Holocaust everywhere in Europe, the fourty-eight thousand Jews living in Bulgaria's pre-war territories, were not sent to the death camps, in spite of the anti-Jewish legislation effective in the country. Bulgaria refused to deport its citizens.
Some minorities suffered heavy economic blows in the context of the policy of eliminating private ownership followed by the authorities
Some of the minority groups had their organizations and periodicals, but the latter were not expected to promote the preservation of minority languages and cultures, but rather to work for their "internationalization", that is assimilation.
The period of the so-called  "revival process" (with two peaks - in 1972-1974, and 1984-1985), the forcible renaming of the Muslim population (Turks, Bulgarians, Tartars, Roma), was accompanied by acts of repression, some were killed or sentenced. In the long run, however, the process led in 1989 to a wave of refugees unseen in the Balkans since World War II and cynically termed "the big trip" because of the tourist passports issued to the ethnic Turks at that time. The ethnic Turks left Bulgaria in huge numbers.
 At the same time, following W.W. II until as late as the political changes in 1989-1990 the carelessness of the Bulgarian state with respect to the ethnic Bulgarian population in other countries was next to total. Subsequent to the political transformations, the government turned their attention to the minority issue and undertook a number of steps, though not very systematic and consistent. Under pressure by the Muslims, a regulatory base and an administrative mechanism were established  for the restoration of their names.
  Since the Bulgarian authorities make no obstructions any more, some of the Turkish emigrants have returned, but others have emigrated.
The Constitution, passed by the Grand National Assembly in 1991, says that no political parties based on ethnicity and religion shall be formed. Since no personal identification documents contain references to nationality, the only application of this article is that parties are not allowed to write down in their documents that they are ethnicity-based, they could not deny either admittance to a Bulgarian citizen on account of his/her ethnic or religious background.

http://www.omda.bg/engl/narod/minorities_engl.html
http://www.mlsp.government.bg/bg/docs/demography/Dem.%20Strategy_ENG.pdf
http://www.nsi.bg/Census/Census.htm

Equality before the law, equality before God – non-discrimination





                                                   Fundamental Principles
      
Adopted on: 12 July 1991
Article 6 [Human Dignity, Freedom, Equality] 
(2) All citizens shall be equal before the law. There shall be no privileges or restriction of rights on the grounds of race, nationality, ethnic self-identity, sex, origin, religion, education, opinion, political affiliation, personal or social status, or property status.
Article 11 [Political Parties] 
(4) There shall be no political parties on ethnic, racial, or religious lines, nor parties which seek the violent usurpation of state power.
Article 13 [Religion] 
(1) The practicing of any religion is free. 
(2) The religious institutions shall be separate from the state. 
(3) Eastern Orthodox Christianity is considered the traditional religion in the Republic of Bulgaria. 
(4) Religious institutions and communities and religious beliefs shall not be used to political ends.
Article 37 [Freedom of Religion and Belief] 
(1) The freedom of conscience, the freedom of thought, and the choice of religion and of religious or atheistic views are inviolable. The state shall assist the maintenance of tolerance and respect among the believers from different denominations, and among believers and non-believers. 
(2) The freedom of conscience and religion shall not be practiced to the detriment of national security, public order, public health and morals, or of the rights and freedoms of others.
Article 44 [Association] 
(2) No organization shall act to the detriment of the country's sovereignty and national integrity, or the unity of the nation, nor shall it incite racial, national, ethnic, or religious enmity or an encroachment on the rights and freedoms of citizens; no organization shall establish clandestine or paramilitary structures or shall seek to attain its aims through violence.
Article 58 [Observing Constitution] 
(2) Obligations established by the Constitution and the law shall not be defaulted upon on grounds of religious or other convictions.

http://www.vks.bg/english/vksen_p04_01.htm

 Gender Equality
The Bulgarian Constitution and the Labour Code both contain provisions prohibiting discrimination.
Discrimination on grounds on gender is also prohibited under the Promotion of Employment Act, the Civil Servants Act, the Social Assistance Act, Defence and Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria Act. Protection against Discrimination Act entered into force in 2004. Bulgaria ratified CEDAW in 2006. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is often described as an international bill of rights for women.The Employment Promotion Act (2002) forbids discriminatory requirements related to gender, age or nationality when posting job vacancies.
 In 2004, the activity rate for women was 45.4% and for men 56.1%. Women’s activity rate has been decreasing for the past years. Most occupations generally exercised by women - eg teachers, auxiliary medical staff, staff in hotels, catering and services, and auxiliary staff - are widely perceived, based on social stereotypes, as 'female' work. This type of employment does not offer many opportunities from the point of view of pay range, career development and possibilities to participate in the decision-making process. The number of occupations where men are in the majority exceeds almost seven-fold the number of occupations dominated by women. These 'male' profession are also, as a rule, more prestigious.
The Bulgarian education system does not show discrimination of a certain gender. Enrollement data does not picture a gender gap. In 2001, 61.7% of the university graduates were women. However, the cut backs of the goverment on public spending, especially concearning education, affect the female population more than male, since mostly women are employed as teachers in this country.
http://www.tft.gender.is/bg/page/bu_gender_equality
http://www.planetbmagazine.com/page/unesco.html 

Minorities

Data from the National Statistical Institute from the population and housing census of 2011 show that the Roma ethnos remains the third largest ethnic group in Bulgaria. 4.9% of the Bulgarian citizens identified themselves as belonging to the Roma ethnos. The census shows a persistent tendency part of the people, identified by the general population as Roma or Gipsy to identify themselves as Bulgarians, Turks, Romanians, etc. which is possibly due to the fact that the persons participating in the census have the right to define their ethnic background themselves or to refrain from indicating it. Approximately half (55.4%) of the persons who identified themselves as belonging to the Roma ethnic group reside in the cities.
A serious problem facing the Roma is the increasing spatial isolation of their community. The concentration of Roma in isolated neighborhoods has increased during the last fifteen years both in the urban and rural areas. This concentration in separate neighbourhoods usually results in the social isolation of their residents, deterioration of their living conditions, problems with the construction and maintenance of the infrastructure and cleanliness, transport problems and difficulties in service provision. One of the most serious consequences is the deterioration of the opportunities for the young generations to be prepared for
involvement in the formal economy, hence the increasing difficulties they encounter in seeking and finding jobs.The Roma people are in a disadvantaged position at the labour market as a result of the structural changes that have taken places in Bulgaria. They are less competitive in terms of qualification, education, social image of their labour status, and social capital.
There are big social inequalities in the group of economically inactive persons. In the relatively smallest group of economically inactive persons – the one of ethnic Bulgarians – the pensioners constitute 68.1%, the students – 14.7%, housewives –9.8% and 7.3% of this group were defined as “Others”.
Among the Roma population economically inactive are three fifths of the persons above 15 years - 61.2%.
The educational level of the three groups – Bulgarians, Turks and Roma - is being raised, but this change is notably weakest with the Roma community.
Social integration is a prerequisite for the successful and sustainable development of the Bulgarian society.
The policies of integration of Roma and of disadvantaged persons from other
ethnic groups are an inseparable part of the national policies aimed at raising the well-being of the Bulgarian people.

Religious rules in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Religious Rules in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

  Article I
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.
Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. 
Article 18 
"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion: This right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."
Religions and other beliefs bring hope and consolation to billions of people, and hold great potential for peace and reconciliation. They have also, however, been the source of tension and conflict. This complexity, and the difficulty of defining “religion” and “belief,” are illustrated by the still developing history of the protection of freedom of religion or belief in the context of international human rights.
The struggle for religious liberty has been ongoing for centuries, and has led to innumerable, tragic conflicts. The twentieth century has seen the codification of common values related to freedom of religion and belief, though the struggle has not abated. The United Nations recognized the importance of freedom of religion or belief in the1948Universal Declaration of Human Rights.The basic principles of dignity, liberty, equality, and brotherhood, proclaimed in the first two articles are the foundation blocks for four columns of rights: rights pertaining to individuals as such; rights of individuals in relation to each other and to various groups; spiritual, public and political rights; and, finally, economic, social and cultural rights. It is a declaration of basic principles of human rights and freedoms.
Despite the religious bases for universal moral community in each of the traditions, the language of human rights in the Universal Declaration is not the language of the Hebrew Bible, the Christian scriptures or the Muslim Qur'an. It is not the language that any of the three holy books uses to speak of the universal moral community of all persons.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a summary statement that reflects the deepest aspirations of the peoples of the world. It is not the creed of a new world religion, but it is an affirmation of faith that has gained the support of many within the various religious traditions of the world.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the cornerstone for efforts all over the world by religious as well as secular leaders to build a system of law so that the moral imperatives of human rights will be promoted, respected and enforced. It was created as much by religious as by secular leadership, it is understood within various religious traditions as reflecting the values of sacred texts and authoritative teachings, and it is defended and proclaimed by men and women of faith as the foundation for justice and peace in our time
.
Bulgaria has a population of 7.6 million. Eighty-five percent of the population identifies itself as Orthodox Christian. Orthodox Christianity, Hanafi Sunni Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism are generally understood as holding a historical place in the country's culture. Muslims comprise the largest minority, estimated at 13 percent. Groups that constitute less than 5 percent of the population include Catholics, Armenian Christians, Jews, evangelical Protestants, and others.

The constitution provides for freedom of religion, and other laws and policies contributed to the generally free practice of religion. The government  enforces these provisions, and citizens have the right to sue the government for violations of religious freedom.

The 2002 Denominations Act allows private religious exercise if members of the religious community are the only persons present, and public religious exercise if the exercise is also open to persons not belonging to the respective religious community.
The government observes the following religious holidays as national holidays: Orthodox Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter. In addition, the government respects the holidays of non-Orthodox religious groups, such as Muslim, Catholic, Jewish, evangelicals, and Baha'i, and grants their members nonworking days.
The constitution prohibits the formation of political parties along religious lines
.
The law allows the publication of religious media and the distribution of religious literature.
Some municipal ordinances require local permits for literature distribution in public places.
Public schools offer an optional religious education course that covers Christianity and Islam. The course examines the historical, philosophical, and cultural aspects of religion and introduces students to the moral values of different religious groups. All officially registered religious groups can request that their religious beliefs be included in the course's curriculum.
Restrictions on Religious Freedom
Some "nontraditional" groups
complain that they face discrimination and prejudice from local authorities in certain localities, despite obtaining a national registration with the Sofia City Court.
Some municipal regulations restricted certain forms of proselytizing and prohibited the distribution of religious literature by groups that were not locally registered. Jehovah's Witnesses voiced concerns over an increasing number of instances in which police officers or municipal guards stopped and fined missionaries for engaging persons in religious conversations. Both Jehovah's Witnesses and the Muslim community continued to report problems with obtaining construction permits for new prayer houses and mosques.
Abuses of Religious Freedom
In January 2009 the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that the government had violated the religious rights of the Alternative Synod members and advised the parties to negotiate a mutually agreeable compensation for damages.
There were reports of societal abuses or discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief, or practice.
Relations between religious groups generally remained civil and tolerant; however, discrimination, harassment, and public intolerance of some religious groups remained an intermittent problem. There were reports of societal discrimination against "nontraditional" religious groups as well as negative and derogatory media stories about such groups. Jehovah's Witnesses report stories with negative information about their activities and beliefs. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints voiced concerns over the media's reluctance to cover their charity work and positive contributions to the society
. The Jewish community reported  anti-Semitic incidents. In one incident, a memorial to Russian soldiers was painted with swastikas both on the eve of May 9, 2010, and on the 65th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust.
The Muslim community report
ed  cases of mosque desecration. Jehovah's Witnesses complained of  intolerance from the nationalistic Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization (VMRO) political party .
Bulgarian team: Kristiyan Velichkov Simeonov, Miroslav Tanchev Mirchev, Hristian Georgiev Pancharevski


Monday, June 4, 2012

Project meeting in Bucharest, 30 May-03 June,2012


Eight students and two teachers from the Bulgarian partner school participated in the project meeting in Bucharest from 30 May till 03 June2012. The other participants were from the partner- schools in Poland, Turkey, Spain and Romania.The main topic of the meeting was migration and cultural comparison. It was the last meeting on the project "Between religions and ethics- a common ground".