Saturday, March 31, 2012

American Muslims Could Become the Future Role Models for a New, 21st Century Islam

Jaweed Kaleem
___________________________________________________________________________________



At first, the devout Muslims who gathered in a Washington, D.C., conference center seemed like they could have come from any mosque. There were women in headscarves and bearded men who quoted the Quran.

But something was different. While mingling over hors d'oeuvres, they discussed how to change Islam's future. A woman spoke about fighting terrorism; she had married outside the Islamic faith, which is forbidden for a Muslim woman. A Pakistani man mentioned his plans to meet friends for drinks, despite the faith's ban on alcohol.

In a corner of the room, an imam in a long gray tunic counseled a young Muslim with a vexing spiritual conflict: being gay and Muslim. The imam, also gay and in a relationship, could easily sympathize with the youth's difficulties.

On this brisk Monday night in late October, members of Muslims for Progressive Values, a nascent American reformist organization, had gathered from around the country to celebrate a milestone: In four years, the group had grown from a few friends to a thousand members and spawned a string of small mosques and spiritual groups that stretched from Atlanta to Los Angeles.

Today, as America's Muslim leaders debate controversial topics like political radicalism inside mosques and states' attempts to ban Shariah law, this growing network of alternative mosques and Islamic groups is quietly forging a new spiritual movement.

They're taking bold steps, reinterpreting Islamic norms and re-examining taboos. While far from accepted by mainstream clerics, these worshippers feel that the future of the religion lies not solely with tradition but with them. Women are leading congregations in prayer, gay imams are performing Islamic marriages, and men and women are praying side by side.

Continued.....

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Sunday, March 25, 2012

California Muslim Woman Beaten to Death in Hate Crime, Died on March 24, 2012

Yes Fatima, the low-life monster who bashed in your Mother's head with repeated blows from a tire iron (because she's a Muslim, or dresses differently), isn't worthy of being called an animal. I'm not going to be a hypocrite and say that I do not HATE the terrorist who did this to us.  ~Madison Reed






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Friday, March 23, 2012

A New Device that Makes Wheelchairs Obsolete

Tek RMD, provides the opportunity of movement for people with paraplegia by enabling them to independently stand up in a completely upright position with correct posture, facilitating their movement and comfortable completion of their daily tasks indoors, such as in the home, office and shopping mall. Tek RMD is not an alternative to wheelchairs, it is a totally new concept, a new platform.



For further information contact: http://tekrmd.com/

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Thursday, March 22, 2012

A Call for West Virginia to Recognize the Common Humanity of Every Citizen

I am Asking West Virginia's Congressional Leadership to Join U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy's Drive to Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act!  ~Madison Reed


Dear Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito, Congressmen David McKinley and Nick J. Rahall II, Senators Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin III:

Will you join Senator Patrick Leahy's drive to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and help bi-national couples like me - a native West Virginian and resident, and my European partner Dzmitry - so that gay Americans can enjoy the same bundle of rights, benefits and privileges that the "fundamental civil right" of marriage [Loving vs. Virginia 388 U.S. 1 (1967)] conveys to two committed people who love each other?

Here's an excerpt from Senator Leahy's recent statement posted to his blog and submitted to the Congressional Record:
"I have experienced profound change in my own views. I voted for the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996. And today I will not hesitate to acknowledge that my views have changed for the better. My own transformation came in part from the state of Vermont’s drive toward greater equality for Vermonters. The Vermont Supreme Court’s opinion in the landmark case of Baker v. State first gave rise to legislatively-enacted civil unions in Vermont.

In Baker v. State, then-Chief Justice Jeffery Amestoy wrote that the court’s decision was grounded in Vermont’s constitution and was “a recognition of our common humanity.”

We all evolve and change over time. If any of you or your previous West Virginia colleagues in Congress voted for the enactment of the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996 as Senator Leahy did, haven't you each changed as he has changed, and now understand that it's time to repeal this hateful law that destroys the lives of gay Americans like me?

I'd like to feel like America is my home that welcomes me, and wants me to be happy with my own family.  But I've never had that opportunity as a West Virginian, or as an American Citizen, because the Defense of Marriage Act adds to the discrimination against me, causing me almost unbearable personal and financial hardship, and adds to that a denial of the positive social recognition and celebration of my deeply committed love to Dzmitry, that only a legal marriage can give me.

~Madison Reed


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Monday, March 19, 2012

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Says it's "Very Fine" for Gay Couples to Marry

From Think Progress

Carter’s latest book, “NIV Lessons from Life Bible” reflects his continued commitment to teaching Sunday School in a Baptist church. When he challenged Gerald Ford in 1976, Carter was considered the more religious candidate and won much of the Deep South. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Carter reiterated his Biblical support for marriage equality:

"Homosexuality was well known in the ancient world, well before Christ was born and Jesus never said a word about homosexuality. In all of his teachings about multiple things -– he never said that gay people should be condemned. I personally think it is very fine for gay people to be married in civil ceremonies.

"I draw the line, maybe arbitrarily, in requiring by law that churches must marry people. I’m a Baptist, and I believe that each congregation is autonomous and can govern its own affairs. So if a local Baptist church wants to accept gay members on an equal basis, which my church does by the way, then that is fine. If a church decides not to, then government laws shouldn’t require them to."

Original Source:  President Jimmy Carter Authors New Bible Book, Answers Hard Biblical Questions

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President Barack Obama's Naw-Ruz Message to the Iranians and Baha'is of the World

This is President Obama's 2012 Naw-Ruz message to the Iranian People and to the Baha'is of the world who celebrate Naw-Ruz.


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Saturday, March 10, 2012

"Homosexuality vs the Law of Attraction: Thought Provoking Views on Unseen Facts of Homosexuality"

 
by Madison Reed

Nilesh B. Gore, who claims to be a psychological counselor specializing in human relationships, and a medical graphologist, has a deep-seated fixation about controlling homosexual thoughts worldwide - and it seems to starting within himself, although on his Facebook page he says he's married to a woman.

Using the Law of Attraction as his backdrop, in his video "Homosexuality vs the Law of Attraction: Thought Provoking Views on Unseen Facts of Homosexuality," Gore recommends that the world deal with the rampant spread of the "energy" and "thoughts" of homosexuality, pedophilia and necrophilia in the world, because he says gays are propagating and multiplying the thoughts, which are in turn spreading like wildfire all over the planet.  It's the gay thoughts, not the sexual attraction, according to Gore, that's the greatest challenge to stopping the spread of homosexuality.



"Thoughts are energies.  Our challenge is to deal with energies.  Our challenge is to deal with the thoughts.  Homos, _______ (pedophiles?) and necrophiles are not just bearing the energies; not just bearing the thoughts.  They are transmitting and multiplying the thoughts.  That is our biggest challenge."  ~Nilesh B. Gore

On Gore's Facebook page, he says of his work and education:
"Trainer, psychological counselor and Founder president of Wellness foundation - registered to govt of India. Founder of the Success and wellness institute is... affiliated to wellness foundation. I work as a motivational coach, trainer, psychological counselor and as graphotherapist for absolute wellness. My major programs are personality development & wellness, soft skills training, voice and accent training, graphology and leadership. please join my page for ultimate Motivation and improvement."

It sounds to me that Nilesh Gore could be experimenting with the lives of South Indian Marathi gays and lesbians using medical graphology and his so-called expertise in human relationships, to "help" innocent youth eliminate their thoughts of homosexuality to "cure" them of their "homo" disease and contribute to stopping the spread of it worldwide.  If so, he's doing a lot of damage.

How to contact Nilesh B. Gore:

Nilesh B. Gore
The Success and Wellness Institute
4646 - 1st Floor, Opp. Navshakti Arcade
Jamner road, Bhusawal, PIN 425201
MS, India
Tel: +(91) 9922851678
            nbgbsl@rediffmail.com



Related:


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Sunday, March 4, 2012

Seven Years and Three Countries Later, Rob & Julian Are Forced Apart Because of DOMA



Florida, May 2005

I was 20 years old, working as a food server in South Florida, when I met the man who became my boyfriend, my best friend, my life partner, and finally my lawfully wedded spouse.

It was March 8, 2005. As members of a local LGBT support group arrived to be seated, it was my turn for a new table. While I was helping to set it up, I met this really nice guy, Julian. While the group ate, we spoke and got to know each other a bit.

A week later, he returned and worked up the courage to ask me to go on a date. We went out, and the rest became a whirlwind of laughter, kindness, and love. Within six months, we moved in with each other. After a year, we held a ceremony in Fort Lauderdale and vowed before our friends and family that we would love each other and promise to better each other for the rest of our lives. My family embraced Julian as another son and brother. We’ve now been together for almost seven years, through the best and worst of times. Looking back, not a day goes by when Julian doesn’t make my life richer or more fulfilling in countless ways.

There is, however, one major complication in this otherwise seamless romantic narrative: When we met, Julian was on a student visa in the United States. Born in Spain, he had been living continuously in the country since he was 11 years old, completing middle school, high school, and now, college in the US. He was always a bit fearful that his days could be numbered, but we believed love, logic, and common sense would triumph. We were naïve.

In 2008, we moved from Fort Lauderdale to Philadelphia, my home. We had always had a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit and, with jobs dissipating and the financial market looking bleak, we knew we wanted our own business. Julian transferred schools and we opened our own theatre company.
We worked tirelessly to get it all together for our opening night that August. Everything was set in motion, money had been paid out, the press had responded positively… things were on track.

At that moment the other shoe dropped. In mid-July, Julian received a letter from Homeland Security, ordering him to leave the US. We were confused and scared. Due to the onslaught of the recession, his father was no longer in a position to be able to pay his expensive tuition and as a result, he had fallen out of status on his student visa. We knew the souring economy was affecting him but did not know to what level. We quickly found that there is very little leniency with foreign students. You pay to stay, or you’re out.

At that point, we had no idea what to do. In those next few weeks, we realized that if we wanted to stay together, it would mean leaving our home, our friend, our family and our business and moving abroad. It looked like the best option would be in Spain, where Julian was a citizen. Luckily, Spain allowed gay couples to marry, and embraced us. By contrast, everything in the US quickly fell apart. Over those weeks, we were forced to rehome our pets, leave behind the majority of our possessions, give up a company which had yet to open, and finally, leave our home. Surely there had to be someone to call, someone to help. We learned the hard way: there’s no help available with the “Defense of Marriage Act” or DOMA intact. I had been born and raised with the belief that in the US, I was no different than any other person under the law. The truth was different. My own government treats me differently from other American citizens, solely because I’m gay. I could not access the family-based immigration system to sponsor Julian for a green card only because we are both men.

I was lost for a very long time, and it didn’t help that most of my friends and colleagues had no idea that this discrimination could happen to us. People suggested we move to Massachusetts. I explained that it was a federal issue and that being married gave us no protection or immigration rights as long as the federal government refused to recognize our marriage due to DOMA. We remained together. In a world that’s already very difficult to connect in, we had found each other. Law or no law, we were determined that this wouldn’t be the end of us.

We moved and lived in Spain for almost three years. Having been hit hard by the global recession, Spain’s unemployment rate ranks the worst in the EU, at 22%. For those under 26, the unemployment rate soars to near 48%. It’s not an exaggeration to say that work is nearly impossible to find there. We managed to scrape by on friends, family, and odd jobs. While we loved Spain, the economic crisis proved too hard to bear.


Spain, 2010

In December 2010, we made the decision to move to London. We gathered money and I applied for an EU family member visa. I sent photos of us through the years, our wedding DVD, and various documents that intertwined our lives. I was denied, on the basis of Julian having no job in England, and because the British authorities did not believe we had been together as a couple for a sufficient period of time, despite a five-year history together. Time was now running out. We had enough money to move and keep us afloat in London until we both found jobs, but not enough to keep living in Madrid. We knew that the only way Julian could establish work was by living there. I would appeal my decision in England and give them more photos and whatever I could muster to prove our union. I was now pleading with a second government for the simple request of living with the man I love. It was maddening, but we knew we had no choice but to continue trying. All the while, I never forgot that this was happening only because we had been forced out of the United States by DOMA.

As we arrived in the UK in late March, I was stopped and questioned by the British border patrol. I tried to explain our situation, but they wouldn’t allow me to enter the country. Despite all of the proof we had, they did not believe Julian and I were together as a couple. At that point, I was detained for over 15 hours, treated like a criminal, and flown back to Madrid, where I was met with armed guards. The Spanish guards listened, looked at the evidence, and apologized, refusing to believe this could happen in the modern world.

With Spain no longer an option due to its financial chaos, we made the choice for Julian to remain in the UK and begin a life there. I returned to the US, where I immediately began working, trying to figure out what our next move was. Six years after we met, we had endured a whirlwind of globetrotting to find a place where we could build a home together. It was hard to describe to our friends and family that after all that effort, we ended up separated by an ocean. Our bond, however, was never stronger. Julian and I knew we would spend the rest of our lives together. No law can diminish one iota the deep and enduring love we feel for each other.

And as happens for so many other couples, we progressed to the next stage in our relationship, deciding to marry. We were married in New York City on August 30, 2011, with Julian “visiting” the United States so we could share this life milestone with our friends and family, before he promptly left and disappeared again. Julian returned to England after we married. As it stands, we have no idea where the future will take us. We miss our lives together. We now see each other only when work and financials permit, with Julian visiting the US whenever we’re able. Before this past summer’s reunion and marriage, we had not seen each other since April 2010. How can anyone claiming to “defend” marriages want this result?

I write this so that people may know the hardships suffered due to DOMA. By contrast, my father married a woman from Costa Rica in 2009. She is now a permanent resident in the United States, working towards citizenship. Julian and I have demonstrated our love and our commitment for each other through many difficult challenges over the past six years that most couples will never be forced to endure, and yet we are treated as legal strangers and kept thousands of miles apart because of one law.

This administration has the power to immediately end this crisis of families torn apart. The White House website includes the following statement, confirming that the President agrees that what Julian and I are forced to endure should not be happening:

“President Obama believes that …. Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a painful choice between staying with their partner or staying in their country.”

These words are encouraging, and certainly to have the President’s statement on this issue is historic and encouraging. But words without deeds leave us nowhere. We need action now. The Obama administration could end our separation by allowing Julian to return to the United States under existing “humanitarian parole” provisions until DOMA has been struck down by the Supreme Court or repealed by Congress.

Thousands of binational couples are exiled or separated right now because of DOMA, and the President knows that this is the cruel result of an unconstitutional law. If he really believes that, he should end our suffering now with a short-term solution that will allow us to be together. Every member of my immediate family feels the pain of his absence and they all know it has been forced on us because of DOMA.

We will continue to be a part of this fight for full equality, and ask you to join us by supporting this effort by urging your elected officials and the administration to apply existing “humanitarian parole” provisions as a temporarily solution that would end the separation of lesbian and gay binational couples.

Source:  The DOMA Project

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Saturday, March 3, 2012

12/21/2012: Terence McKenna Discusses the Approaching Singularity

Ethnopharmacologist Terence McKenna and biophysicist Gregory Stock discuss the rapidly approaching transition and rebirth of human civilization, from our current paradigm to a new, multi-dimensional, infinite existence.


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Major E.T. Disclosure News: Physicist Reveals Ancient Artifacts that Prove Extraterrestrial Presence on Earth

Archeologist Klaus Dona and Physicist Nassim Haramein reveals ancient artifacts showing non-human Grey alien looking forms, UFOs, wormholes and stargates in action.



In this video Nassim Haramein goes into detail to a German audience, explaining the meaning of the designs on various artifacts depicted in the video above.  Haramein states that the Sun is very likely used by advanced civilizations as a portal to through which to travel throughout our galaxy and the universe.  And this is confirmed by unmistakable drawings on ancient artifacts that Dona and Haramein show to the audience.  The video is in both German and English.




Mayan Secrets to Be Revealed by Mexican Government in '2012' Doc
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/17/idUS269735214920110817

NASA Photos of Giant UFOs Around the Sun
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgSjEhMqdsI

Klaus Dona : The Hidden History of the Human Race (March 2010)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmMwo1Xzgus

STARGATE - EVENTS OF THE PAST PRESENT AND/OUR FUTURE??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6_5oCoUVVs

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Thursday, March 1, 2012

NBC's Dan Rather Reports on Belarus: The Story of Exiled Belarusian Journalist Natallia Radzina

Recently NBC News's Dan Rather interviewed Natallia Radzina, editor-in-chief of the democratic, pro-opposition Belarusian newspaper, Charter97.org.   After being arrested following the December 2010 rigged presidential elections, Natallia eventually escaped Belarus to Russia, and then sought refuge in Lithuania, where she was given asylum.



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