Below is the report that was issued by the initiative to carry the voices of Yemeni youth to participants of the international summit on Yemen that was held in London, UK, on January 27.The report is titled “Combating Terrorism in Yemen — A Youth Perspective”. You can download an English or Arabic version of the report by clicking the appropriate image.

Midman International supported the initiative through consultations on campaigning, social media, and PR activities. A Facebook group was established and (within 10 days) became the largest Yemen-related group on the popular social networking site. Press releases were issued in English and Arabic, and were published on 7 news websites and three print newspapers.

An organized youth campaign beat the Yemeni government and was first to receive an official and comprehensive statement (in video!) from the British Secretary of State, Ivan Lewis, regarding Britain’s intent from the summit on Yemen called for by UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkOk-gX7LrM

With increased attention on Yemen (following the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt of a US plane over Detroit), organizers of the initiative believe that discussions about combating terrorism in Yemen are missing a key partner. Since 70% of Yemen’s population are under the age of 25, there is a good argument that involving youth representatives is more than just good politics.

“When was the last time you heard of a 50-year old suicide bomber?” said Rafat Al-Akhali, the Canadian-based founder of the initiative. “Any serious discussions about tackling terrorism should always involve youth representatives from the problem regions.”

90 per cent of the September 11 hijackers were under the age of 30. The shoe bomber was 28 when apprehended, and the Christmas bomber is 23. The data overwhelmingly points to youth being the key target demographic for terrorist/jihad recruiters.

The report was delivered to The Yemen Forum at Chatham House, a center for international studies in London, the US Embassy in Yemen, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, as well as a number of local and international NGO’s and journalists/researchers interested in Yemen. The report was also sent to officials in the Yemeni government who showed their interest and support for this initiative.

An interview about the initiative was published by the Yemen Times and can be viewed here.

I started a Facebook group as a social experiment to discover the effectiveness of social networks in providing real-life results to an ongoing investigation. Within 12 hours of the launch of the Facebook group, the group was featured in Norway’s largest daily: Aftenposten (See article here). Four days later, ABC News asked for an interview (page 3 of ABC’s headline news story on the Magnussen incident here). Today, the group is featured on ABC NEWS, London’s Daily Mail, and Norway’s Aftenposten and VG NETT.

The Facebook group relates to a recent murder in London that has destroyed one young life and brought two high profile families into a tragic spotlight. The sensationalizing of the story by the media, coupled with the potential political and diplomatic fallout between Yemen and the UK, is causing a lot of noise that is not helpful in discovering what happened on that fateful morning of Friday March 14.

Martine Vik Magnussen’s body was found early Sunday partly covered by rubble in the basement of a block of flats in Great Portland Street, just north of London’s main shopping area, Oxford Street, and about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometres) from Maddox.

Maddox is the exclusive celebrity club where she had been partying the night before and seen leaving between 2 and 3 AM on Friday with a friend of hers and boarding a taxi.

This friend is Farouk Abdulhak, son of Yemeni billionaire Shaher Abdulhak. He left the UK on Saturday before the body was discovered in the basement of his apartment complex and is now asked to speak with the police to provide any information about Martine’s final hours.

You can read more about the story and see more pictures here, here, and here.

My interest in the case came after I read the news from London. When I searched Facebook for a support group and discovered that no one had created one, I decided that this will be an ideal way to lend some help. Since the victim is a student and many of the people involved are university-aged students, Facebook is an ideal medium to reach a large number of people in that category in a very short period of time. I am surprised that law enforcement agencies don’t frequently utilize this medium for applicable investigations.

I am also a Yemenite by origin. Farouk’s involvement (whether guilty or not) has implicated my home country in a very unpleasant situation. I hope that everyone can understand that the people of Yemen are as adamant about discovering the truth and bringing justice to Martine’s family as anyone else in the UK or Norway.

The full text of the ABC News interview is available in the discussion board of the Facebook group page here. Anyone with information on the murder should contact the Scotland Yard incident room in London UK on 020 8358 0300 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

My earliest recollection of the London Underground comes from childhood visits to the fog capital of the world. I distinctly remember following my parents in a labyrinth of narrow underground pathways as they rushed to catch the next tube on the Piccadilly line.“All we have to do is follow the blue line” I heard my father say to himself reassuringly as he attempted to decipher the seemingly complicated London Underground system. Meanwhile, my eyes were darting everywhere in search of another blue object of comfort: a Cadbury vending machine.

A common fixture, Cadbury machines were as much a part of the underground as trains and people. As sure as old Big Ben, you will always find at least one at each terminal. These machines had a near Pavlovian effect on me. I always found solace within the blue folds of a dairy milk chocolate bar of Cadbury.

I wonder if the London subway bombers stopped for a Cadbury before embarking on their fatal mission.

The atrocious bombings of July 7 and subsequent ripple effects are far too complex to explain in terms of sugar, nuts, milk, and cocoa. However, can we not look beyond the wrapper and view Cadbury as a symbol? Bush and Blair have been touting that terrorism around the world targets “our way of life”. For Americans, this way of life has been symbolized by fast food and 8-cylinder gas-guzzling SUVs. Similarly, I propose that Cadbury carries the same symbolism for the Brits.

It’s all a matter of perspective, really. To those who believe in equality, freedom, and democracy, Cadbury machines in the underground are a symbol of equality to all. The machines dispense their chocolaty goodness to those who seek it regardless of race, color, age, social or economic standing. For those with a bone to pick, the machine can be perceived to symbolize corporate dominance exerting its undue presence in an oppressive capitalist world.

Sadly, the explosions sent pieces of chocolate in everyone’s face. You see, bombs, much like Cadbury machines, do not discriminate either. Having been educated in the UK, the bombers understood the true meaning of being politically correct. The bombs tore into men and women alike, Muslims and non-Muslims, whites, blacks, yellows, and in-betweens. Thank you for including us all in your hit list Muhammad, Shehzad, Hasib, and Germaine!

Despite the tragedies, I have faith in Cadbury. I am sure a council of Cadbury elders is congregating as we speak in a secret Cadbury underground lair hidden deep within the mountains of the Swiss Alps (I believe the lair is in Switzerland because they have a lot of cows there, which is good for chocolate. Gateway Computer’s underground lair is there too.). These elders are doing their best to reconcile the damages and are devising plans to erect newer, bigger, better, bomb-resisting Cadbury machines to replace the old machines in the underground.

The new machines will be loaded with the latest anti-terrorism technology, and updated regularly via wireless connection with profiles of suspected terrorists. When a suspect comes within a pre-defined radius, the machines will be configured to shoot high-precision pennies from their coin slots in an attempt to immobilize the suspect while an internal blue-tooth communicator dials the police. We should all send thank you cards to Switzerland.

The aftermath of the bombings carries much pain. Religious hate crimes increased by 600% while the Muslim community is trying, in vain, to disappear in shadows of shame. These alleged “Muslim freedom fighters” have embarrassed us all.

However, I will not let my memories be marred by bloody images. The underground remains to be a place of fond memories, and delicious Cadbury bars.