Lotomau Fiafia (72), a community elder, stands with his grandson John at the point where he remembers the shoreline used to be when he was a boy. Salia Bay, Kioa Island, Fiji.
#Fiji#HumanRights advocacy coalition has condemned Fiji’s “profoundly troubling” stance as being one of only two countries supporting continued illegal occupation by #Israel of the #Palestinian territories.
Fiji NGO Coalition on Human Rights #NGOCHR said the occupation had been widely recognised by the international community - including #UnitedNations — as a “violation of international law” and an impediment to peace and self-determination of the Palestinian people”.
"An undersea plateau in the Pacific Ocean that is bigger than Idaho first started forming with volcanic eruptions during the Cretaceous period (145 to 66 million years ago), and it is still growing today."
In a region historically linked more closely with Israel than Palestine, some activists in the Pacific Islands have been speaking up against the status quo, staging rallies and voicing solidarity on social media.
In a shocking incident at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) on Tuesday, a caregiver faced religious discrimination when a head nurse instructed her to remove her hijab upon reporting to work at the new surgical ward.
Residing in Komave settlement in Nabua, Rasida Janif was completing her two-month internship as a caregiver, having successfully completed her caregiving courses at the Fiji National University (FNU).
Ms J anif claimed the head nurse explicitly directed her to take off her hijab, asserting that the hospital was “not a religious facility”.
The statement left Ms Janif with mixed emotions, describing the incident as racially motivated and emotionally distressing.
“This is the first time I’ve had to endure such a horrifying experience,” Ms Janif said, expressing her dismay at the sudden discriminatory treatment.
“I’ve worked in many places, and everyone accepted my attire as it is.”
Ms Janif highlighted she had initially been advised to wear a shorter hijab during her first weeks of attachment, which she willingly complied with.
However, the abrupt demand to remove her hijab later in her internship conflicted with her religious beliefs, leaving her feeling targeted.
The Islamic headscarf, she emphasised, is not merely a piece of clothing but “a big part of her identity,” and relinquishing it would compromise her deeply held religious convictions.
Feeling disheartened, she still expressed her dedication to caregiving, citing it as her sole job opportunity.
In response to the issue, the Fiji Muslim League headquarters in Suva received a complaint from Ms Janif and intends to file a formal complaint with the Ministry of Health.
Colonial War Memorial Hospital Medical Superintendent, Dr Luke Nasedra, clarified that wearing a hijab “is allowed” and not prohibited within the hospital.
The Minister for Health and Medical Services, Dr Ratu Atonio Lalabalavu, said he had not received a formal complaint and could not comment any further.
The Fiji Women Crisis Centre coordinator, Shamima Ali, condemned the incident as a violation of human rights in a democratic country like Fiji.
She said such actions go against religious beliefs, deeming it “unacceptable” and a blatant human rights violation that demands immediate attention.
The Fiji Human Rights and AntiDiscrimination Commission will await an official complaint from the victim.
OUM was started in 2002, and I was there at the start. The whole world attacked the medical school in Samoa, and many professional colleagues including local, pacific, USA, NZ, and Australian colleagues called us “stupid”, “dump”, “are you out of your mind”, etc, because we were at the cutting edge of teaching medicine on line coupled with face-to-face clinical teaching, utilizing the various internet software and hardware to do innovative teaching of medicine, because we had to. I was personally attacked by colleagues overseas for getting involved in OUM. OUM was innovative as it cops all the nasty comments from 2002 until about 2010. The main criticism was, “How can you teach anatomy without a “cadaver”? Everyone around the world especially in the USA, New Zealand, and Australia gave us the name “computer doctors”. We managed to find great software to teach gross clinical anatomy that was much better than the textbooks or the cadaver. Now – look at where the whole world of medical education is at. OUM from small Samoa was pioneering all these methodologies.
It has been unbelievable that OUM in Samoa started a new trend of medical education in the world, delivering medical education at a distance to educate doctors all around the globe to a top quality, while utilizing their local doctors to teach their clinical students in their facilities, so to build their medical capacity. We managed to bring the best expertise from around the world to teach all the local (Samoa) and overseas students in basic science, then utilize their clinical health structures and doctors to train their future doctors utilizing OUM’s curriculum and method of study.
This is how innovative it was, and now everyone around the world is following it. After 21 years of delivering this method of medical education, the whole world has followed what started in small Samoa. We were the leader in this modern innovative idea.
The Government of Samoa had risked its reputation by setting up OUM in 2002 and had been very visionary with this, leading the way for modern and virtual medical education. The challenge now is to continue to push the envelope politically to spread this innovative model of medical education to educate more New Zealand Pacific Island doctors, Maori doctors, and Indigenous and First Nation doctors in New Zealand and Australia.
OUM model is an answer to the shortage of doctors all around the world, and every country is short of medical doctors. New Zealand is talking about setting up a 3rd medical school besides Otago and Auckland, and OUM could be this 3rd medical school, as OUM has been running these medical training modules for 21 years. OUM has many graduates working in the USA, Australia and Samoa. We have had 2 graduates from American Samoa. The proof of the quality of the OUM teaching is in the quality of the doctors who graduated through the program. Many are working in our hospitals in Samoa in all disciplines.
Conheça os top 15 hotéis flutuantes do mundo Entre os destinos estão Tailândia, Polinésia, Camboja, Fiji, Malásia, Ilhas Maurício e Vietnã (curitibaeparanaemfotosantigas.blogspot.com) Portuguese
Conheça os top 15 hotéis flutuantes do mundo Entre os destinos estão Tailândia, Polinésia, Camboja, Fiji, Malásia, Ilhas Maurício e Vietnã
The Pacific is generally closer linked to Israel than Palestine — but these activists are speaking up - ABC Pacific (www.abc.net.au)
In a region historically linked more closely with Israel than Palestine, some activists in the Pacific Islands have been speaking up against the status quo, staging rallies and voicing solidarity on social media.
Hijab Drama At CWM Hospital (fijisun.com.fj)
"This is the first time I've had to endure such a horrifying experience," Ms Janif said, expressing her dismay at the sudden discriminatory treatment.
Medical training in Samoa - Part 1 (www.samoaobserver.ws)
By Professor Asiata Dr. Satupaitea Viali...