Branching Out In New Directions: Strengthening Our Roots!

1. Branching Out In New Directions: Strengthening Our Roots! International Political and Religious Leaders in ASL Adan Penilla, II PH.D, NIC, NAD IV, CI/CT, SC:L aslworldmatters.com 2014 CRID Conference April 12, 2014

2. Anwar Sadat • Anwar Sadat (1918-1981) President of Egypt. • King Farouk was deposed; Sadat was part of the coup. • He was president after Gamal Abdel Nasser. • Due to peace with Israel, the three stars on the Syrian flag which represents Syria, Egypt and Iraq now only displays two stars---Syria and Iraq. • Sadat was assassinated by a Jihad cell in the military while he was watching a military parade.

3. Apartheid • Apartheid (1948-1994) • The term means “Apartness.” This was a system that legalized racial segregation. However, the concept goes back to colonial times but was legalized in the 1940s. • It institutionalized the concept of minority rule. • The National party invented Apartheid as a means of controlling the S. African economy and social system.

4. Ayatollah • There are many Ayatollahs. However, this position is only in the Shi'a religious school of Islam. • These leaders are knowledgeable in Sharia. This body of law is interpreted by an Ayatollah for the guidance of everyday hardships and struggles in the lives of people.

5. Ivan Vasilyevich IV Ivan the Terrible • Aug 25, 1530- March 18, 1584. • He transformed Russia from a medieval state to an Empire. • An empire is a kingdom that comprises of several ethnicities and languages. • He was the first Tsar to be crowned Tsar of all the Russias. • He was known for a mental illness; with his diminished mental state, he was known for his rage and outbursts. • In spite of his cruel treatment of people, he was popular among Russians for his diplomacy.

6. Benito Mussolini • Benito Mussolini (1883- 1945) is nicknamed Il Duce (The Leader), which means The Duke . Other people have used the title. • He is the founder of fascism in Italy and the dictator of Italy during WWII. • He was part of the Axis Powers/Axis Alliance: Italy, Japan, and Germany. • “Axis” is believed to mean that the other nations would revolve around these fascist nations.

7. Buddha • Siddhartha Gautama was a spiritual leader in India. He founded Buddhism. He is called theEnlightened One or the Awakened One ( this is what Buddha means). • There are three sects of Buddhism: • Theravada Buddhism (Southern Buddhism). • Mahayana Buddhism (Eastern Buddhism) – Zen Buddhism. • Tibetan Buddhism (Northern Buddhism).

8. Confucius • Confucius means Master Kong. • His philosophy was communally based • His teaching had Biblical principles as well. He did emphasize virtue and ethics; however, he also spoke of social relationships , familial relationships and sincerity.

9. Czar/Tsar • The last Monarch of Russia. The Dynasty of Romanov lasted 300 years. • The sign for Czar is very similar to the Russian sign for God. He believed in the Order by Divine Right of Kings and, therefore, what he said was as if God was making the statement. • When the bodies of the Romanov family were found, Mitochondrial DNA was extracted from the Czar. DNA was taken from Prince Philip of England as he is a direct descendant to the Romanovs.

10. Ernesto "Che" Rafael Guevara de la Serna • Che (1928-1967) was from Argentina; he was a revolutionary but prior to this, he earned a degree in medicine. • He helped Castro come to power in Cuba. Although he was supposed to be a medic in the revolutionary army, he was promoted to second in command by Castro. Che had no military experience but was quite the fighter. • He then went to Bolivia to assist in the guerilla movement there. He was captured and executed.

11. Ganges River • The Ganges is the most scared Hindu river in India. It is used for spiritual and ritual cleansing. • Many East Indians refer to the river as Ganga Ma—Mother Ganges. • The Ganges gives life as the water is used for bathing, agriculture, drinking, ceremonial cleansing and industry. • It is believed to be the reincarnation of the goddess Ganga.

12. Gypsy • Gypsies (an exonym) are mostly located in central and Eastern Europe. • The Romany people are not to be confused with Romanian—this nation was named after Rome, not so the Romany; to make a distinction, the gypsies spell it Rromane. • There was speculation that gypsies came from Egypt. This is not true as language acts as a blue print to what we have encountered and what has influenced us. Their language has neither Arabic nor Coptic dialects or words.

13. Hinduism • Hinduism is the chief religion in India. • It is the third largest religion in the world, Christianity and Islam are larger. However, Hinduism is considered the oldest religion in the world. • Hindu is the religion while Hindi is the language. • The AUM/OM symbol represents Brahman of the Vedas. • Brahman is incomprehensible and the symbol helps us to realize the unknowable. • Brahman helps to represent the aspects of God that we can know and not know.

14. Ho Chi Minh • Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) lived in the United States in the early part of the 20th century, New York and Boston. • He was the leader of North Vietnam from 1954-1969. • He attended Communist University in Moscow. • Ho Chi Minh was not his real name. He used many aliases. The name, Ho Chi Minh was the name of a beggar who had no relatives. • It was his position to liberate Vietnam from the control of the Chinese, the Japanese, the French and the United States—he was successful.

15. Japanese Emperor • In the Shinto religion, the Emperor is the highest authority. Therefore, he is the head of the Church. • Since 1947, the Emperor is no longer referred to as the “head of state” but the “symbol of the state.” The Emperor was required by the American military to renounce his ties to religion and any form of god-like stature—he had no position of divinity after WWII.

16. Islam • Islam is a religion of revelation. It is based on the teachings of one man. • The Mongols—descendants of Genghis Khan, invaded the Middle East; they killed many Arabs and Persians. They “scorched the earth” as the Mongols left few to survive and even less to survive on. However, by allowing religious tolerance in his Empire, the Mongols were converted to Islam. • Muslims traveled on the silk trade routes in caravans. By doing this, they spread Islam.

17. Karl Marx • Karl Marx (1818-1883) was German not Russian. He theorized Marxism to mean the causes for change in society is based on the needs of a society—the workers/ proletariat. • The workers are responsible for moving from a capitalist state to a socialist one; from social reform, communism will be the end road. This is based on his Materialist Dialectical Theory. • The dialectical change must begin with the workers and economic collectivism for the advancement of the state. “Workers of the world unite.” Therefore, the change begins economically.

18. Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung • Kim Il Sung (1912-1994) was a Stalinist dictator in North Korea—he was appointed by Stalin to his leadership in North Korea. • His nation is known as the “Hermit Kingdom.” He is known as the “Great Leader.” • His nation is the last satellite nation of the Soviet Union. He died of a heart attack. • Kim Jong Il (1941/42-2011) –the son, is known by the North Korean people as “Dear Leader.” He and his father’s heroic tales are broadcasted and have managed to create a cult-like following in their country.

19. Muhammad Hosni Sayyid Mubarak • b.1928 Hosni Mubarak was Egyptian Vice President under Sadat. • He was one of Egypt's longest ruling presidents. • Under his leadership, Egypt sent troops to fight against Saddam Hussein with the Allied Coalition. This brought in more Arab countries to fight against Saddam Hussein and also helped Kuwait during Iraq’s invasion of the nation.

20. Manuel Noriega • b. 1934. He was the Panamanian dictator from 1983-1989. • He was an ally of the United States as his nation holds a strategic waterway—the Panama Canal. • His corruption as a military dictator forced the United States to invade Panama and detain him to stand trial in the United States on eight charges of money laundering , racketeering, and drug trafficking. • In 2007 he completed his prison term in the US and was flown to France to serve seven more years in prison. He was wanted in Panama as well.

21. Mao Tse Tung/Dong • Mao Tse Tung (1893-1976) was the leader of the Chinese Communist Party. • Known as Chairman Mao, he fought against the Nationalist led by Chiang Kai Shek. • He made many changes in China. However, to make the changes, he engaged in violent acts against landlords to reform control of the land. Such violent acts to overthrow power is called Maoism. • The Cultural Revolution in 1966 was created to keep the nation in a state of constant revolution.

22. Mohandas Gandhi • Mohandas Gandhi, (1869-1940), was also named Mahatma Gandhi. However Mahatma is a title not a name. This is Sanskrit for Great Soul; it is equivalent to the title of saint. • His birthday is a national holiday and an international day of recognition for non violence. • He was instrumental in India's independence from Britain. However, a patrician came out of independence when Hindus moved to India and Muslims moved to Pakistan in 1949—this was a bloody transition.

23. Nelson Mandela • Nelson Mandela, July 18, 1918- Dec 5, 2013, was the first person in his family to get a formal education. • In 1952, he graduated with a law degree from the University in London. He opened a law firm in South Africa; it was the first law firm to provide legal services to black people. • Fighting against Apartheid, he spend 27 years in prison (1962-1990) • He was the first black president in South Africa (1994-1999) through democratic elections.

24. Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi • Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (1919-1980), was the last Shah of Iran. He was also the second Shah of Iran. • He came to power after WWII when the Soviets and British invaded Iran; his father abdicated. • The purpose of the invasion was to secure the oil fields for the Soviet defense against the Axis powers. • Due to his modernization policies, he lost the support of the Muslim clergy. • He was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

25. Shinto • Shinto is indigenous to Japan. • The word Shinto, means the Way of the Gods. The term has its origins with Shin Tao, the way of Kami (deities). There is a connection to Taoism of China. • The religion is not set with any type of orthodoxy. It is a based upon reverence for nature and ancestors. • It is a common practice in Shinto to explain how Japan came into existence. Such mythology is a common practice in the ancient world.

26. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin • Vladimir Lenin, (1870-1924), used Marxist Theory to explain the condition of the Soviet agrarian political and economic position. • Lenin reversed Marxism; he believed that it’s through a political change not economic change, that would lead to a communist state by way of socialism. • Marx and Lenin were both revolutionaries; however, they believed differently about how to arrive at communism.

27. Hugo Chavez • Hugo Chavez, (July 28, 1954- March 5, 2013), was the president of Venezuela and had been since 1999; he was a political leftist which had caused an imbalance of power in South America. • Chavez described his political policy as anti-imperialist. • There is a Pink Tide in Central and South America. The Pink Tide is an euphemism for turning to the left (ideologically). The term is an exonym.

28. Pyotr Alexeyevich Peter the Great • Peter the Great, June 9,1672-Feb. 8, 1725. • He is known for the creating the “Window to the West.” • He transformed St. Petersburg into a flourishing society by imitating the grandeur for Europe. • He made it his goal to bring Russia into the Age of Enlightenment.

29. François Duvalier (Papa Doc)Jean-Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc) • Francois Duvalier, (1907 –1971), was the president of Haiti from 1957-1971. Due to his reputation for fighting diseases, he gained the name Papa Doc. He won the presidential election on a Black Nationalist platform. • Jean-Claude Duvalier, Baby Doc ( July 3, 1951) was the president of Haiti from 1971 until his overthrow in 1986. He tortured and killed many Haitians.