Author Archives: BLYM

Friend in Residence / Warden at Quaker House Brussels

The Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA). would like to maintain a lively, open
Quaker presence in Brussels. To that end, QCEA are looking for an experienced Quaker or Quaker couple to live in Quaker House Brussels (QHB) and provide a Quaker presence in the House as well as to work with the office manager to organise and administer lettings of the House.
Quaker House Brussels is the home of QCEA. It is an Art Nouveau house which includes QCEA offices, meeting rooms, two flats and a guest room. The house is used daily by QCEA and two smaller civil society organisations. It is also rented weekly by the local Quaker Meeting, the Unitarian Universalist Group and regularly by other non-profit associations. QCEA would like to increase these lettings to other like-minded organisations.
Traditionally the QCEA director has lived in the house and served as Warden/Friend in
Residence. The new director has his own accommodation and therefore will not live in
the house. The Resident Friend will live in the flat traditionally occupied by the director.
QCEA has a part time office manager who will work with the Resident Friend in this
work.
The role of the Resident Friend(s) will be as follows:
1. Maintaining a Quaker Presence in Quaker House Brussels:
a. The Resident Friend(s) will live in QHB
b. Be a Quaker presence for all those using the House
c. Help to make Quaker House a hub of organisations sensitive to Quaker
values
2. Working with the office manager to administer lettings in QHB:
a. With QCEA office manager, prepare a description of the facilities available
for lettings in the form of an advertisement
b. Investigate appropriate media where the adverts could be placed to attract
our target audience and make a comparison between them to determine
the most effective. Investigate rates elsewhere in Brussels for equivalent
facilities and agree hiring rates with office manager
c. Place the advertisements with the agreed providers and inform all QCEA’s
networking partners of what is available at QH
d. The Resident Friend and the office manager will operate a booking system
for the room lettings and receive all responses at a dedicated e-mail
address at lettings@qcea.org and responses for use of the premises
e. The Resident Friend will be expected to work closely with the Director to
ensure that QCEA’s usage of the house is integrated with other events
happening in the house

Quaker House, Brussels

Quaker House, Brussel

3. Managing QHB:
a. General hospitality when needed. (Much of this is often done by the office
manager.) Examples might include:
i. Opening doors for guests especially in the evening or during
weekends and sometimes also for Meeting for Worship on Sunday
ii. Ensuring that the lights, heat and coffee are on, making sure that
the internet connection is working, and that the rooms are set up as
needed
iii. Open to groups letting rooms during the day when the office
manager is not available
iv. Closing the house when there is an event in the evening,
which means cutting the heating, the lights, checking windows,
doors, clearing up, etc.
v. Occasionally opening to contractors or maintenance companies
when the office manager is not there

b. Alerting the office manager when there are small problems with machines,
plumbing, etc.
c. Considered as Belgian Art Nouveau patrimony, QHB is open to the public
for tours once a year. When there are public visits of the house, the
Resident Friend will work with the office manager to answer questions
about Quakers as well as to ensure that the house is open and visitors are
welcomed
d. Hours of work will vary from week to week but in general should average
out to about 8-10
4. Details of the position:
a. The duration of the appointment will be for 1 year renewable
b. Expenses linked to this work will be met
c. Accommodation will be provided in QHB. This will be in a furnished two
bedroom flat with a small office in the house at a steeply discounted rent.
The rent will reflect the voluntary work done by this Friend / these Friends.
d. Applicants must have the right to live and work in EU and speak both
English and either French or Dutch.

To apply send a letter of interest, including relevant experience to office@qcea.org . For
more information use the same address. Deadline for applying is 29 May. Interviews will
be on 2 June and preferred candidates will be invited to visit QHB in person on 20 June.

Monthly Cause Q2 2025 ‘WE ARE NOT NUMBERS’

Version française Nederlandse verse

BLYM Monthly Cause starting 1/4/2025

The Finance Group and our Treasurer have agreed that from 1st April 2025 the new BLYM monthly cause should be: ‘We are not Numbers’,  WANN.  WANN is engaged both in the long haul and in the immediate crisis in Palestine and particularly in Gaza. It seeks to give young Palestinians a role and voice beyond the statistics of death and destruction.

Quakers have long been committed to seeking peace and justice in Israel and Palestine, outraged as we are by acts against international law and human rights by anyone. Our colleagues in the American Friends Service Committee are particularly active in the region, and Britain Yearly Meeting regularly speaks out on the topic.

The money will be used by the NGO ‘WE ARE NOT NUMBERS’ to support returning destitute displaced Gazan refugees to help them begin to rebuild their lives.

Background to WANN

‘WE ARE NOT NUMBERS’

Will support Gazan writers and their families to survive in the deprivation and destruction wreaked by Israeli military violence, US-provided bombs, and European Union silence.

When the world discusses Palestinians living under occupation and in refugee camps, the
focus often centres on politics and statistics—casualties, displacement numbers, and aid dependency. However, these figures fail to convey the daily struggles, triumphs, tears, laughter, and aspirations that define the human experience. Those stories that are broadcast or printed in the Western media are usually shared through the lenses of Western journalists.

We Are Not Numbers (WANN) was created by established and aspiring Palestinian writers
worldwide to help fill this void. As a youth-led Palestinian non-profit organization, WANN’s aim is to share, promote and celebrate the authentic stories of Palestinians, providing a direct platform where their voices can be heard beyond the statistics. As the name WANN emphasises, Palestinians are humans who deserved to be freed from being just statistics.
Some of their writings have been collected in a book to be published in the UK by Penguin.

Decades-long displacement and humiliation must not pass in silence. Over two hundred
journalists have been killed, and no foreign journalists are permitted to enter Gaza. The
recent winning of several Oscars for the film ‘ No Other Land’ shows how critical it is for Palestinians to be given voice to show the world the evil that continues with hardly a word of reprobation from the countries of Europe and from the EU. As during the holocaust, ‘we didn’t know’ must not be allowed to be a shield for our consciences.

Our Friend, Karen King, has volunteered with WANN and last year worked with a Palestinian
and an Israeli-born British Jew to organise a WANN exhibition in London: https://p21.gallery/node/275). There is widespread hunger in Gaza because the Israeli government, from early March 2025, again sealed the border of Gaza allowing no food, electricity or humanitarian aid to enter. This humanitarian crisis has forced WANN to temporarily suspend broader activities in favour of helping writers and their families to survive repeated displacement and destruction and hopefully to rebuild their lives. WANN is able to reach through thanks to trusted human contacts and electronic links.

Website

In the WANN website, www.wearenotnumbers.org , emerging writers from Palestine tell their stories and advocate for their human rights. Another useful related link is
https://www.amostrust.org/blog/promoting-the-voices-of-young-writers-in-gaza/.

The Amos Trust channels funds to We Are Not Numbers, and will facilitate the reliable transfer of your support to the organisation.

Do use BLYM worship group meeting collection boxes, the Bank Details for making a donation are on our Donation page.– Monthly Cause: -WANN.

Version française

BLYM Cause mensuelle à partir du 1/4/2025

Le groupe des finances et notre trésorier ont convenu qu’à partir du 1er avril 2025, la nouvelle cause mensuelle de BLYM serait : Nous ne sommes pas des numéros”, WANN. WANN est engagé à la fois dans le long terme et dans la crise immédiate en Palestine et particulièrement à Gaza. Il cherche à donner aux jeunes Palestiniens un rôle et une voix au-delà des statistiques de mort et de destruction.

Les quakers sont depuis longtemps engagés dans la recherche de la paix et de la justice en Israël et en Palestine, indignés que nous sommes par les actes contraires au droit international et aux droits de l’homme commis par qui que ce soit. Nos collègues de l’American Friends Service Committee sont particulièrement actifs dans la région et l’assemblée annuelle de Grande-Bretagne s’exprime régulièrement sur le sujet.

L’argent sera utilisé par l’ONG « WE ARE NOT NUMBERS » pour soutenir les réfugiés gazaouis déplacés et sans ressources qui rentrent chez eux, afin de les aider à commencer à reconstruire leur vie.

Contexte de WANN

“WE ARE NOT NUMBERS”

Aidera les écrivains de Gaza et leurs familles à survivre dans le dénuement et la destruction provoqués par la violence militaire israélienne, les bombes fournies par les États-Unis et le silence de l’Union européenne.

Lorsque le monde discute des Palestiniens vivant sous l’occupation et dans des camps de réfugiés, l’accent est souvent mis sur la politique et les statistiques – les victimes, le nombre de déplacements et la dépendance à l’égard de l’aide. Cependant, ces chiffres ne rendent pas compte des luttes quotidiennes, des triomphes, des larmes, des rires et des aspirations qui définissent l’expérience humaine. Les histoires diffusées ou imprimées dans les médias occidentaux sont généralement partagées à travers l’objectif de journalistes occidentaux.

We Are Not Numbers (WANN) a été créé par des écrivains palestiniens établis et en herbe du monde entier pour combler ce vide. En tant qu’organisation palestinienne à but non lucratif dirigée par des jeunes, WANN a pour objectif de partager, de promouvoir et de célébrer les histoires authentiques des Palestiniens, en fournissant une plateforme directe où leurs voix peuvent être entendues au-delà des statistiques. Comme le souligne le nom de WANN, les Palestiniens sont des êtres humains qui méritent d’être libérés de leur condition de simples statistiques.
Certains de leurs écrits ont été rassemblés dans un livre qui sera publié au Royaume-Uni par Penguin.

Le déplacement et l’humiliation qui durent depuis des décennies ne doivent pas être passés sous silence. Plus de deux cents journalistes ont été tués et aucun journaliste étranger n’est autorisé à entrer dans la bande de Gaza. L’obtention récente de plusieurs Oscars pour le film « No Other Land » montre à quel point il est essentiel que les Palestiniens puissent s’exprimer pour montrer au monde le mal qui se poursuit sans que les pays d’Europe et l’UE ne prononcent le moindre mot de réprobation. Comme pendant l’holocauste, il ne faut pas que le « nous ne savions pas » serve de bouclier à nos consciences.

Notre amie Karen King s’est portée volontaire auprès de WANN et a travaillé l’année dernière avec un Palestinien et un Juif britannique né en Israël pour organiser une exposition de WANN à Londres (https://p21.gallery/node/275). LLa faim est généralisée à Gaza car le gouvernement israélien, depuis le début du mois de mars 2025, empêchant ainsi l’entrée de nourriture, d’électricité et d’aide humanitaire. Cette crise humanitaire a contraint WANN à suspendre temporairement ses activités plus larges afin d’aider les écrivains et leurs familles à survivre aux déplacements et aux destructions répétés et, avec un peu de chance, à reconstruire leur vie. WANN est en mesure d’atteindre ces personnes grâce à des contacts humains de confiance et à des liens électroniques.

Site web

Sur le site web de WANN, www.wearenotnumbers.org , des écrivains émergents de Palestine racontent leur histoire et défendent leurs droits. Un autre lien utile est https://www.amostrust.org/blog/promoting-the-voices-of-young-writers-in-gaza/.

Le Amos Trust achemine des fonds vers We Are Not Numbers et facilitera le transfert fiable de votre soutien à l’organisation.

Utilisez les boîtes de collecte des réunions du groupe de culte BLYM, les coordonnées bancaires pour faire un don se trouvent sur notre page Donation : -WANN.

Nederlandse versie

BLYM Monthly Cause starting 1/4/2025

De Finance Group en onze penningmeester zijn overeengekomen dat vanaf 1 april 2025 het nieuwe BLYM maandelijkse doel wordt: ‘Wij zijn geen Getallen’, WANN. WANN is betrokken bij zowel de lange termijn als de directe crisis in Palestina en in het bijzonder in Gaza. Het probeert jonge Palestijnen een rol en een stem te geven die verder gaan dan de statistieken van dood en vernietiging.
Quakers zetten zich al lange tijd in voor vrede en gerechtigheid in Israël en Palestina, verontwaardigd als we zijn over daden tegen het internationaal recht en de mensenrechten door wie dan ook. Onze collega’s van het American Friends Service Committee zijn bijzonder actief in de regio en de Britse Yearly Meeting spreekt zich regelmatig uit over dit onderwerp.

Het geld zal worden gebruikt door de NGO ‘WE ARE NOT NUMBERS’ om behoeftige ontheemde Gazaanse vluchtelingen te helpen bij de wederopbouw van hun leven.

 

Achtergrond bij WANN
‘WE ARE NOT NUMBERS’

Wil Gazaanse schrijvers en hun families steunen om te overleven in de ontbering en vernietiging die wordt veroorzaakt door Israëlisch militair geweld, door de VS geleverde bommen en door het stilzwijgen van de Europese Unie.

Wanneer de wereld praat over Palestijnen die onder bezetting en in vluchtelingenkampen leven, ligt de nadruk op vaak op politiek en statistiek – slachtoffers, aantallen ontheemden en afhankelijkheid van hulp. Deze cijfers geven echter niet de dagelijkse strijd, triomfen, tranen, lach en aspiraties weer die de menselijke ervaring definiëren. De verhalen die worden uitgezonden of afgedrukt in de westerse media worden meestal gedeeld door de bril van westerse journalisten.

We Are Not Numbers (WANN) is opgericht door gevestigde en aspirant Palestijnse schrijvers
wereldwijd om deze leemte op te vullen. Als een door jongeren geleide Palestijnse non-profitorganisatie is het doel van WANN het delen, promoten en vieren van de authentieke verhalen van Palestijnen, door een direct platform te bieden waar hun stemmen gehoord kunnen worden buiten de statistieken om. Zoals de naam WANN benadrukt, zijn Palestijnen mensen die het verdienen om bevrijd te worden van het feit dat ze slechts statistieken zijn.
Sommige van hun geschriften zijn verzameld in een boek dat in het Verenigd Koninkrijk zal worden gepubliceerd door Penguin.

Decennialange ontheemding en vernedering mogen niet in stilte voorbijgaan. Meer dan tweehonderd journalisten zijn vermoord en buitenlandse journalisten mogen Gaza niet in. Het feit dat onlangs verschillende Oscars heeft gewonnen voor de film ‘No Other Land’ laat zien hoe belangrijk het is dat de Palestijnen een stem krijgen om de wereld het kwaad te laten zien dat doorgaat zonder dat de Europese landen en de EU een woord van afkeuring laten horen. Net als tijdens de holocaust mag ‘we wisten het niet’ geen schild zijn voor ons geweten.

Onze vriendin Karen King is vrijwilligster bij WANN en werkte vorig jaar samen met een Palestijnse en een in Israël geboren Britse Jood om een WANN-tentoonstelling in Londen te organiseren: https://p21.gallery/node/275). Er is wijdverspreide honger in Gaza omdat de Israëlische regering, vanaf begin maart 2025, opnieuw de grens van Gaza hebben afgesloten, zodat er geen voedsel, elektriciteit of humanitaire hulp binnen kan komen. Deze humanitaire crisis heeft WANN gedwongen om bredere activiteiten tijdelijk op te schorten ten gunste van het helpen van schrijvers en hun families om de herhaalde ontheemding en vernietiging te overleven en hopelijk hun leven weer op te bouwen. WANN is in staat om mensen te bereiken dankzij vertrouwde menselijke contacten en elektronische verbindingen.

Website

Op de website van WANN, www.wearenotnumbers.org , vertellen opkomende schrijvers uit Palestina hun verhaal en komen ze op voor hun mensenrechten. Een andere nuttige gerelateerde link is
https://www.amostrust.org/blog/promoting-the-voices-of-young-writers-in-gaza/.
De Amos Trust kanaliseert fondsen naar We Are Not Numbers en zal de betrouwbare overdracht van jouw steun naar de organisatie vergemakkelijken.

Gebruik de collectebussen van de BLYM aanbiddingsgroepbijeenkomsten, de bankgegevens voor het doen van een donatie staan op onze donatiepagina.- Maandelijks doel: -WANN.

 

BLYM Statement on Police Raids in Westminster Meeting House

Version française Nederlandse verse

In our shared worship on Sunday 30th March, Quakers in Belgium & Luxembourg reflected on aggressive police raids in Westminster Quaker Meeting House, London, to detain a group of young people planning peaceful direct action to respond to the escalating climate emergency and the horrific loss of life in Gaza.

We uphold Britain Yearly Meeting in their responses to these events. We support the right to dissent and protest, knowing the events in Westminster are not simply an isolated case but reflect increased restrictions on protest across Europe as a whole, including the UK. We commit to work across Quaker communities at local, national and international levels, to act with love in service of peace, social and ecological justice.

Yet whilst it is shocking to learn of detentions within a Quaker Meeting House, we should also be clear that our meeting houses are not in themselves sacred or holy places. All that matters is how they are used. We are grateful Westminster Quaker Meeting House is used for organising peace and ecological justice activism. We encourage all Quakers to similarly let our lives, and our buildings, speak truth to power.

 

Version française

Lors du Culte du dimanche 30 mars, les Quakers de Belgique et du Luxembourg ont réfléchi à
la descente de police agressive au cœur de la Westminster Quaker Meeting House, à Londres.
Irruption des forces policières dont le but était d’arrêter un groupe de jeunes gens qui
planifiaient une action directe et pacifique en réponse à l’urgence climatique et à l’horreur face
au nombre de morts à Gaza.

Nous apportons notre soutien l’Assemblée annuelle de Grande-Bretagne dans ses réponses à
ces événements. Nous soutenons le droit à la dissidence et à la protestation, sachant que ce
qui s’est passé à Westminster n’est pas un cas isolé mais témoigne des restrictions accrues
sur la protestation dans toute l’Europe, y compris au Royaume-Uni. Nous nous engageons à
travailler avec les communautés quakers aux niveaux local, national et international, pour agir
avec amour au service de la paix et de la justice sociale et écologique.

S’il est choquant d’apprendre que des détentions ont eu lieu dans une Maison de Culte Quaker,nous devrions également être clairs sur le fait que nos Maisons de Culte ne sont pas en elles-mêmes des lieux sacrés ou saints. Ce qui importe est la manière dont elles sont utilisées. Noussommes remplis de gratitude à l’encontre du Westminster Quaker Meeting House qui rend son espace disponible pour l’organisation d’actions en faveur de la paix et de la justice écologique.Que tous les quakers puissent de même mettre leur vie, et leur espace, s’exprimer en véritéface aux puissants.

Nederlandse versie

Tijdens hun samenkomst op zondag 30 maart hebben Quakers in België & Luxemburg gereflecteerd over de agressieve invallen van de politie in Westminster Quaker Meeting House, Londen. Die invallen hadden het doel om een groep jongeren aan te houden die vreedzame directe actie planden in respons op de groeiende klimaatcrisis en het afschuwelijke verlies van mensenlevens in Gaza.

Wij steunen Britain Yearly Meeting in hun reacties op deze gebeurtenissen. We verdedigen het recht op vrije meningsuiting en protest, vanuit het volle besef dat wat voorviel in Westminster geen geïsoleerd geval is, maar een weerspiegeling van de toenemende inperkingen van protest in heel Europa, met inbegrip van het Verenigd Koninkrijk. We verbinden ons ertoe om in Quaker gemeenschappen op lokaal, nationaal en internationaal niveau steeds met liefde te handelen ten dienste van vrede, sociale en ecologische rechtvaardigheid.

Ook al is het schokkend te vernemen dat er aanhoudingen kunnen plaatsvinden in een Quaker Meeting House, is het toch belangrijk om te beseffen dat onze ontmoetingshuizen op zich geen heilige plaatsen zijn. Uiteindelijk gaat het er enkel om voor welke doeleinden deze plaatsen gebruikt worden. We zijn dankbaar dat Westminster Quaker Meeting House gebruikt wordt voor het organiseren van acties in het kader van vrede en klimaatrechtvaardigheid. We willen alle Quakers aanmoedigen om onze levens, en onze gebouwen, op een gelijkaardige manier te laten getuigen van waarheid ten overstaan van macht.

 

Monthly Cause – Quarter One 2025 – Espace Diwan

Dear Friends,

We are pleased to announce the current BLYM Monthly Cause

Espace Diwan

Our current monthly cause is Espace Diwan an ASBL running a house in

Woluwé-St-Lambert, which offers temporary accommodation for asylum seekers. It is supported by volunteers and by contributions from both Woluwé-St-Lambert residents and by us.  More information about Espace Diwan can

be found at their website.

Diwan

 

 

—————————————————————–

Donations to Belgium and Luxemburg Yearly Meeting may be made to:
Account Name: Quakers BLMM
IBAN: BE76 9794 2781 7895     BIC: ARSP BE22

Donations to a Monthly Cause should be made to the same account, specifying in the bank transfer comments section that the donation is for the “Monthly Cause”. 

Friends are invited to recommend a Monthly Cause for donations. There need to be at least two friends who recommend each Monthly Cause. Send your recommendations for a Monthly Cause to the BLYM Fundraiser via our Contact Page.

Make a donation to BLYM Quakers

Please do not hesitate to contact the treasurer if you have any questions.

Caroll Ewen:
Email: quakers.lux@gmail.com

Thank you for your generous support this year.

BLYM Residential Yearly Meeting Update 2021

Dear Friends,

The BLYM Residential Yearly Meeting has been postponed until 2022.

Our theme is:

Community, Compassion and Unity

There will be two guest speakers:


Jennifer KavanaghJennifer Kavanagh has been a Quaker for twenty-five years. She lives in London and attends Westminster meeting. Since leaving her publishing career of some thirty years, she has run a community centre in London’s East End, worked with street homeless people and refugees, set up microcredit programmes in London and several African countries, and worked as a research associate for the Prison Reform Trust. She spent many years facilitating conflict resolution workshops for Alternatives to Violence (AVP), both in prison and in the community.

Jennifer is an associate tutor for Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. She gives talks and runs workshops and retreats on aspects of the Spirit-led life. She is the author of two novels, ten books of non-fiction, and two games.

Balancing an active life with a pull towards contemplation is a continuing and fruitful challenge. 

She will present the first session:

 “Existence is an intricately interconnected web of relationships. We share the breath of life and thus we are connected.” (Satish Kumar)

This first session will take the form of a talk: a personal and spiritual overview of the topic of community, compassion and unity. About our uniqueness and diversity, and our interconnectedness, both in our human communities and with the rest of the created world. And how Unity is ultimately found in the Divine, our diversity both embraced by that oneness and an expression of it.

Followed by a time for Q&A 

Edwina PeartEdwina Peart is the diversity and inclusion coordinator for BYM. She has been in post since 2018 and has organised two national gatherings and held many workshops and provided learning opportunities with local and area meetings, committees and staff groups. She has wide and varied experience of equality and justice work in both local and international contexts and has a background in research, education and health. She favours an intersectional approach that prioritises lived experience whilst recognising the constraints of structures and institutions that regulate and mediate modern life.

This is how Edwina describes her individual session:

This session will be interactive and practical. I want to look at what community, compassion and unity (and their absence) looks and feels like in faith groups and the wider society. To do this I will draw on contemporary examples that resonate locally and globally. My current thinking is around refugees, nationality and ethnicity, and covid. Participants will likely be asked to participate in group work, possibly pairs. There will be specific questions/activities probing what Quakers with a faith-based approach can contribute and where they may need help.

They will present two joint sessions:

We will explore in pairs, groups and plenary the themes of community and belonging. What is community? Is it growing or stagnant? Outward-facing and inclusive, or inward-facing and excluding? Where do we belong? Why do we belong? What role does choice, default or intention play? What is the role of others?

Unity: how we can accept our diversity as human beings and embrace our interconnectedness. How we can find the unity of the Divine and express it in our lives.

Games, texts, solo activities, visuals and meditation may be used, Leading into Meeting for Worship.

The weekend will also be an opportunity to meet up with Friends we have not seen for a long time and join in some fun activities.

Anne Stone, Phil Gaskell, Jeannette Delgado-Holdsworth & John Williams

May Cause – The Conscientious Objection Association Turkey

Active sponsor: Carla. Two BLYM members in support: Jude and Richard

Conscientious Objection in Turkey

Turkey is the only member country in the Council of Europe that has not recognised the right of conscientious objection to military service. The state uses many different sanctions to force conscientious objectors to do military service. These sanctions lead to objectors facing arrest warrants, a life-long cycle of prosecutions and imprisonment even a “civil death” which excludes them from social, cultural and economic life.

Conscientious Objectors are still criminalised as draft evaders and a continuous arrest warrant is issued. They often get detained in any ID controls by police/gendarmes due to this arrest warrant. After the first detainment, objectors are given an administrative fine. Every arrest entails a new Article 63 Military Criminal Code procedure, which can result in a sentence from 2 months to 3 years or a fine (which is actually more common). They are forced to live an underground life in order to avoid getting detained/arrested.

The European Court of Human Rights calls the situation conscientious objectors find themselves in “civil death” . (Ulke v. Turkey, application no. 39437/98).

Effect of law on Conscientious Objectors

Turkish Law prevents Conscientious Objectors working in either the public or private sector, as it is a crime to employ a draft evader. Secondly, objectors are forced to be unemployed or work illegally and uninsured. Finally, objectors do not have the right to go to the polls or to be elected in neither local nor general elections.

Deprivations while avoiding new detention

As every arrest entails another criminal case and possibly a prison sentence, objectors have to avoid social, economic, legal, cultural activities like:

  •        Applying for a passport
  •       Going to the police/gendarme even when a victim of a crime or accident
  •       Driving anywhere
  •       Walking in a main avenue/square or any central place
  •       Using public transport stations such as train/bus/metro/ferry
  •       Going to an airport
  •       Visiting a courthouse or prison, even if they are a lawyer
  •        Going to polls for voting

People who have religious or conscientious objections against mandatory military service, are facing life-long repeating prison sentences and deprivation of their civil rights.

Conscripts refusing to join the army, but haven’t declared their conscientious objection are also criminalised and subjected to civil death.

Conscientious Objection Association Turkey (VR-DER)

The Conscientious Objection Association Turkey (VR-DER) is an affiliate of War Resisters International (WRI) in London https://wri-irg.org/en. It is also a member of the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO-EBOC) https://ebco-beoc.org/ in Brussels. EBCO’s second Vice President is a representative from Turkey. EBCO members in Belgium are the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA), Mouvement Chrétien Pour La Paix, Mouvement International de la Réconciliation/Internationale des Résistant–e-s á la Guerre, and Service Civil International. Both QCEA and Quakers United Nations Office (QUNO) Geneva hold status as Observateurs permanents / permanent observers.  

See also: https://vicdaniret.org/the-first-issue-of-the-conscientious-objection-bulletin-translated-and-published/

“We, as the Conscientious Objection Association Turkey (VR-DER), aim to document the current situation on the right to conscientious objection in Turkey with the Conscientious Objection Bulletin. The bulletin will be published periodically during the year. The first issue of the bulletin was translated to English and it is now online. We hope that we will increase public awareness of the right to conscientious objection with the help of bulletins which will include applications to our Association, new declarations of conscientious objection and up-to-date information on the court cases of conscientious objectors.”

BLYM Social Evening 30 April

BLYM held another social evening on Friday 30th April 2021. The main part of the evening was Part 2 of the Belgium Quiz, this time including some tough questions on Luxembourg. Thanks go to Richard Condon’s work as Quizmaster and Janice Thompson for the Roadtrip song section and all who contributed to the evening.

The participants also contributed their favourite Roadtrip songs which are available on the Spotify and YouTube playlists below.

We welcome ideas for the next Zoom Social Evening and can’t wait to hold a face to face social event when the easing of COVID restrictions allows.

Leave suggestions on the Contact Us page.


BLYM Monthly Cause April – Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)

MSF – (Doctors Without Borders) Operations Centre Belgium (OCB) https://www.msf-azg.be/fr

For more than three years, MSF OCB has been working with several NGOs such as the Red Cross, Médecins du Monde, Plateforme Citoyenne, and SOS Jeunes in the Humanitarian Hub Brussels (HUB). The goal being to meet the basic needs of those who are excluded from the Belgian welfare system: primarily migrants in transit, but also undocumented people and asylum seekers who do not have real access to the services they need.

As a result of Covid-19, MSF OCB expanded its interventions in Belgium by first setting up an Operations Support Team for Belgium and then a Belgium Mission with a new Head of Mission. In addition to its service with partners in the HUB, the Belgium Mission is addressing medical and psychological needs both for residents and staff in Belgium’s over 1000 nursing/retirement/rest homes, expanding Covid-19 support in homeless shelters, and assisting in the country-wide vaccination effort.

Globalement, en 2021, MSF continue de s’investir activement dans les épidémies (Covid-19, Ebola, malaria), de venir en aide aux victimes de guerres, de conflits, de violences sexuelles, fournir des soins médicaux aux femmes (naissances, contraceptions), aux enfants (vaccinations et soins de base), aux patients atteints du HIV et de tuberculose. MSF continuera également d’apporter une aide médicale aux victimes de tortures et aux migrants.

Conseils de notre BLYM trésorier :

Les personnes qui paient des taxes en Belgique peuvent aussi obtenir une réduction des taxes à concurrence de 40% de leurs dons à MSF Belgium. Donc s’ils versent par exemple 100 EUR, ils récupèrent 40 EUR en déduction fiscale. Le don doit être de 40 EUR minimum sur l’année.

D’un autre côté, s’ils versent à BLYM, le montant est doublé / matché. 

C’est bon à signaler aux Amis. (L’année passé, exceptionnellement la déduction était de 60% mais je ne sais pas si le gouvernement belge a prolongé cette mesure sur 2021).

People who pay taxes in Belgium can also get a tax reduction up to 40% of their donations to MSF Belgium. So if they pay for example 100 EUR, they get 40 EUR back as a tax deduction. The donation must be at least 40 EUR over the year.

On the other hand, if they pay to BLYM the amount is doubled / matched as Dan Flynn is actively working in Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Belgium.

Make a donation to BLYM Quakers

Activités pour les Quakers francophones

Les Quakers francophones se retrouvent souvent soit dans des groupes où la langue majoritairement utilisée est l’anglais, soit isolé(e)s. Ils/elles sont aussi géographiquement éparpillé(e)s sur plusieurs pays (et donc assemblées annuelles) — la France, la Suisse, le Canada, la Belgique, le Luxembourg, le Congo, etc.

Depuis l’arrivée de la pandémie, une poignée de Quakers francophones a fait l’expérience de rencontres en ligne (groupes de discussion, présentations historiques, cultes de partage) destinées aux Quakers dont la langue maternelle est le français. Pour le moment, ce sont essentiellement les membres des groupes Quakers de Toulouse et de Genève qui organisent ces activités. Cependant, pour que ces événements fleurissent, il faut informer et attirer des Quakers francophones d’autres régions. 

Dans un premier temps, je me suis proposée pour évaluer l’intérêt pour des activités virtuelles en français parmi les Quakers en Belgique et Luxembourg. Si cela vous intéresse, pourriez-vous m’envoyer un mail en indiquant si vous aimeriez:
1) Être informé(e) des activités en ligne pour les Quakers francophones
2) Éventuellement organiser des activités en ligne en français pour les Quakers francophones

Pour information:
Les Quakers de Genève vont organisersur Zoom le mercredi, 17 mars 2021 entre Quaker House, Geneva18h30 et 20h, un culte de recueillement de 30 minutes suivi d’une discussion d’une heure en français et en anglais du “lexique Quaker” (les termes et les méthodes Quakers). Ouvert à tout le monde. Détails à suivre.

Les Quakers de Toulouse vont organiser, également sur Zoom, une discussion uniquement en français le dimanche, 4 avril 2021 de 9h30 à 10h20 sur “comment vivez-vous la spiritualité avec les autres”. Malheureusement, ceci est est limité à 12 personnes, de préférences des francophones qui ont découvert le Quakerisme récemment. Si cela vous intéresse, veuillez contacter Les Quakers de Toulouse pour réserver votre place et obtenir les codes d’accès.

Amitiés,
Janice

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BLYM Quakers Social Evening: Belgian Quiz Night

We held a Quiz Night titled  “BLYM Belgian pub quiz (without the pub)” on Friday 5th March 2021. Richard hosted, asked the questions and then explained the answers, in English, Dutch and French. We thank Richard for making the night welcoming in three different languages and for bringing the proceedings to life. The quiz explored our knowledge of Belgium posing questions about cuisine, some culture, art and a little politics and history. We discovered some of the more entertaining aspects of this little country. Many of us enjoyed the evening after being locked down for so long.

Jan’s knowledge of his home country seems to be excellent and he was duly declared the winner. He is the one setting the pace for the next quiz.

Quiz nights are an opportunity to meet up socially, albeit on Zoom. It is hoped that we can run more social evenings, which will for the time being will be hosted on Zoom. We long to be able to meet up in person in the not too distant future.

We hope to hold another quiz night in the next few weeks. If you have any entertaining questions (preferably not too difficult) about Belgium that you’d be happy to donate to the social cause, then please forward them to any of the BLYM Oversight Group, namely Jeanette, Janice or John

Suggestions for other types of social evenings that we can arrange using Zoom will also be very welcome. Please contact one of the Oversight Group with your thoughts and ideas or leave a comment below.