It may be hard for us to imagine now, but Mr. Graham was almost denied entrance to England in 1954.  In a news report received onboard the SS United States (Mr. Graham and the Team were traveling to England to hold a Crusade in London, which at the time was billed as the world’s largest city), it read:

“A Labour member of Parliament announced today that he would challenge in Commons the admission of Billy Graham to England on the grounds that the American Evangelist was interfering in British politics under the guise of religion.”

Mr. Graham writes in his autobiography, JUST AS I AM, “The message seemed simple enough on the surface, but at the same time it was mystifying and sent us to our knees.  Was one of the most important Crusades we had ever undertaken up to this time about to collapse because we would not even be permitted to get off the ship?

We were confident we had done as much as we could, humanly speaking, to prepare for the Crusade, but we also knew that Satan would not allow a mission like this to go forth unopposed.  Was the door now closing in our faces just as we were on the threshold?”

Mr. Graham goes on to explain that a draft text for a brochure urging prayer for London was written by someone unfamiliar with Britain and used the term socialism.  At the time, the term Socialist was almost synonymous with the term Labour Party.  A British proofer immediately noticed the possible misunderstanding and changed the word to “secularism,” but not before a few hundred had already been printed.   One of those older brochures then got into the hands of a British journalist.

Mr. Graham and the team were allowed into the country, but everyone questioned if anyone would actually show for the Crusade.  When the first attendance reports first came in, it looked bad…most of the seats were empty with only a few hours to go before the start of the Crusade.

On the way to the Crusade, Mr. Graham and Mrs. Graham rode to the arena and noticed that the usual traffic that greeted them before a Crusade was not there.  They were sure that this meant that not many people were going to show for the meeting.  However, when they got out of the car, one of the team members ran up to them and explained that the arena was overflowing with people.  The publicity from the news stories had created great interest for the British people. 

What had seemed like a trial in Mr. Graham’s life, God was able to use for His glory.  Mr. Graham writes, “I preached on the topic of ‘Does God Matter?’ Nearly 200 came forward at the Invitation, and they seemed to represent every stratum of society.  The unemotional British, as the newspapers called them, had tears streaming down their cheeks as they came to Christ.”

Our question for you today, how is God at work in your life through the trials you are facing.  We pray that you will continually re-dedicate your life to Him who works His plan through our lives.  God bless you today.

وَمَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِهِ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا ۖ مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

And he whom Allah guides, he is led aright; but he whom He sends astray, for such you will find no Auliya’ (helpers and protectors), besides Him, and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.

[Al Isra : 97]

A rare and most comprehensive documentary on Abdul Rasheed Ghazi and massacre in Lal [Red] Masjid including all relevant events.

Part 1 of 7

Part 2 of 7

Part 3 of 7

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وَمَن يَهْدِ اللَّهُ فَهُوَ الْمُهْتَدِ ۖ وَمَن يُضْلِلْ فَلَن تَجِدَ لَهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءَ مِن دُونِهِ ۖ وَنَحْشُرُهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلَىٰ وُجُوهِهِمْ عُمْيًا وَبُكْمًا وَصُمًّا ۖ مَّأْوَاهُمْ جَهَنَّمُ ۖ كُلَّمَا خَبَتْ زِدْنَاهُمْ سَعِيرًا

And he whom Allah guides, he is led aright; but he whom He sends astray, for such you will find no Auliya’ (helpers and protectors), besides Him, and We shall gather them together on the Day of Resurrection on their faces, blind, dumb and deaf; their abode will be Hell; whenever it abates, We shall increase for them the fierceness of the Fire.

[Al Isra : 97]

A rare and most comprehensive documentary on Abdul Rasheed Ghazi and massacre in Lal [Red] Masjid including all relevant events.

Part 1 of 7

Part 2 of 7

Part 3 of 7

Part 4 of 7

Part 5 of 7

Part 6 of 7

Part 7 of 7

I’m on a crusade this week…….

I’m sorry to say that I’m not solving world hunger, or promoting world peace, or fixing our healthcare issues or our unemployment problem.

This week I’m crusading against a far worse enemy —  An enemy that threatens our children and our intelligence and well,  my ears (and your ears too!)

This week I’m creating a public service campaign to address the massacre of the English language.  Or, as my hubby has been calling it, my “one woman war against bad word usage”.

I can’t help but cringe as I watch (or better yet.. listen) to people use words that are truly not words in every day conversation.  I often cringe when I think about how many of these ignorant people are gainfully employed, as I sit here endlessly job searching.  Many of whom do not have a basic understanding of communication or language rules.

I will admit, that I blame the media for a huge portion of this problem.  If newscasters misuse or mispronounce words, it somehow becomes acceptable to reiterate these words in other places.  And, as you may know, since English is a living & breathing language, words are constantly added and/or modified to adjust with our developing culture.  And therein lies the problem. People misuse a word, and our language evolves in a way that adds this incorrect usage of the word to some sort of urban use dictionary.  Then… tragedy of all tragedies is the day when other people use this dictionary addition to back-up their misuse of the word and……. all of a sudden there’s verbal anarchy.

So today, good people of the internet, for better or worse, I’m going to share with you some of the words that I find to be the MOST offensive as I feel they truly butcher an otherwise wonderful language (and, bear in mind, I’m referring to the American English language.. as I know there are variations with British English)

I don’t claim to be a wordsmith or a linguist but I do think I can hold my own in a conversation and I DO have a general grasp on words that are either blatantly incorrect or that have undergone a massive evolution into something so different from what was originally intended (in my opinion)

So.. .let’s begin.

STUPIDER – Quite simply stated… this is not a word.  And, if you use the word stupider, there are few people who are more stupid than you.

IRREGARDLESS – Ever hear of a double negative?  The prefix ir- (i-r) is a negative prefix, so if you add the prefix ir to a word that’s already negative like regardless, you’re making a double-negative word that literally means “without without regard.”.   Makes sense?  I bet not, you’ll still probably use this word regardless of my explanation.

FUNNER – Another simple and basic word that’s ruined!  Something cannot be funner… it can be more fun, it can be the most fun you’ve ever had but it cannot be funner.

FREER – Much like above.  The standard usage would be that you are more free. Conversely, Abe Lincoln might be known as a freer of slaves (one that frees, especially a liberator or emancipator)

HARASSMENT – When did the American pronunciation jump the Altantic to British English?  I can remember many years ago hearing a change in accent by a newscaster and then all of a sudden it went from Har-ASS-ment to HAR-ass-ment?

COMPARABLE – Much like above…. when did this pronunciation go from COM-par-able to com-PAR-a-ble?

ORIENTATED – Oh boy, this one crawls right under my skin.  The correct word is oriented…. Please, please, please leave out that extra syllable!

I have heard these mistakes everywhere.  Not just in every-day conversations but on the news, in written books, on commercials.  I just find it incredibly sad that, as a society, we’ve learned to lower our standards.  So go forth, my dear blog readers, and correct your friends, post on facebook, send out a Tweet…. Join me on my crusade today… to make the world a better place (at least the English speaking part of it!)

You’ll notice I didn’t even begin to dive into the your & you’re issues or the their, they’re, their challenges (or the many others)… because I believe these can be honest mistakes.  Whereas, with some of my other examples, people will literally argue that the words they are using are indeed correct!

And… I’m sure I’ve missed a ton of examples… feel free to share your biggest pet peeve below!

Sultan Saladin, Pahlawan Islam di Perang Salib

Dia dikenal sebagai raja, panglima perang yang jago strategi, pemimpin umat, dan sekaligus sosok yang santun dan penuh toleransi. Banyak manuskrip yang mencatat “Saladin Sang Raja Mesir” (Saladin, King of Egypt) sebagai simbol kekuasaan Eropa. Namanya tidak bisa dilepaskan dari Sejarah Perang Salib yang membawa kejayaan Islam, namun tanpa menindas kaum Kristiani.

Sultan Saladin lahir dengan nama Salahidun Yusuf Ibn Ayyub di Tikrit, dekat Sungai Tigris dari sebuah keluarga Kurdi. Ia dikirim ke Damaskus, Suriah, untuk menimba ilmu. Selama sepuluh tahun ia berguru pada Nur ad-Din (Nureddin). Setelah berguru ilmu militer pada pamannya, seorang negarawan Seljuk dan pimpinan pasukan Shirkuh, ia dikirim ke Mesir untuk menghadang perlawanan Kalifah Fatimiyah tahun 1160. Ia sukses dengan misinya yang membuat pamannya duduk sebagai wakil di Mesir pada tahun yang sama. Saladin memperbaiki perekonomian Mesir, mengorganisasi ulang kekuatan militernya, dan mengikuti anjuran ayahnya untuk tidak memasuki area konflik dengan Nur ad Din. Sepeninggal Nur ad Din, barulah ia mulai serius memerangi kelompok Muslim sempalan dan pembrontak Kristen. Dia bergelar Sultan di Mesir dan menjadi pendiri Dinasti Ayyubi serta mengembalikan ajaran Sunni ke Mesir.

Terlibat dalam Perang Salib
Dalam dua kesempatan, tahun 1171 dan 1173, Saladin diinvasi Kerajaan Kristen Jerusalem. Nur ad Din saat ini berniat membalas serangan. Namun Saladin berpendapat bahwa mereka harus kuat terlebih dulu. Sepeninggal Nur ad Din, Saladin menjadi penguasa Damaskus. Ia menikahi janda Nur ad Din dan menaklukkan dua kota penting Aleppo dan Mosul yang dulu selalu gagal ditaklukkan Nuraddin. Namun ia menjadi penguasa yang bersahaja. Sedapatnya, ia selalu menghindari pertumpahan darah, apalagi darah warga sipil. Saat menaklukkan Aleppo, 22 Mei 1176, nyawanya nyaris melayang karena usaha pembunuhan. Ia melakukan konsolidasi di Suriah sambil sebisa mungkin menjaga agar jangan sampai tumpah perang dengan pasukan salib sebesar apapun provokasi dari pasukan salib. Misalnya, ia masih belum bereaksi saat Raynald of Chatillon mengusik aktivitas perdagangan dan perjalanan ibadah haji di Laut Merah, wilayah yang menurut Saladin harus selalu menjadi wilayah bebas. Puncaknya adalah saat penyerangan terhadap rombongan karavan jamaah haji tahun 1185. Saladin meradang.

Juli 1187, Saladin menyerang Kerajaan Jerusalem dan terlibat dalam pertempuran Hattin. Ia berhasil mengeksekusi Raynald dan rajanya, Guy of Lusignan. Dia kembali ke Jerusalem 2 Oktober 1187, 88 tahun setelah kaum Salib berkuasa. Berbagai medan pertempuran dilaluinya, dengan satu pesan yang sama kepada pasukannya; minimalkan pertumpahan darah, jangan melukai wanita dan anak-anak. Perang Salib III menelan biaya yang tak sedikit dari kubu Kristen. Inggris mengucurkan dana bantuan yang dikenal dengan istilah ‘Saladin Tithe’ (Zakat melawan Saladin). Dalam satu pertempuran, ia berhadap-hadapan dengan King Richard I dari Inggris di medan perang Arsuf tahun 1191. Di luar perkiraan kedua pasukan, Saladin dan King Richard I saling berjabat tangan dan menghormat satu sama lain. Bahkan saat tahu pimpinan pasukan musuhnya itu sakit, Saladin menawarkan bantuan seorang dokter terbaik yang dimiliki Damaskus. Begitu juga saat tahu Richard kehilangan kuda tunggangannya, ia memberikan dua ekor sebagai gantinya. Di medan itu, keduanya sepakat berdamai. Bahkan adik Richard dinikahkan dengan saudara Saladin.

Tak lama setelah kepergian Richard, Saladin wafat pada tahun 1193 di Damaskus. Saat kotak penyimpanan harta Saladin dibuka, ahli warisnya tidak menemukan cukup uang untuk membiayai pemakamanannya: ia selalu mendermakan hartanya kepada kaum yang membutuhkan. Kini makamnya menjadi salah satu tempat tujuan wisata utama di Suriah. Nama Saladin harum di seantero dunia hingga kini. Bukan hanya kalangan Muslim, kalangan non-Muslim juga sangat menghormatinya. Satu yang dicatat dalam buku-buku sejarah: ketika pasukan Salib menyembelih semua Muslimin yang ditemui saat mereka menaklukkan Jerusalem, Saladin memberikan amnesti dan kebebasan bagi kaum Katolik Roma begitu ia menaklukkan Jerusalem.

Sultan Saladin
1138: Lahir di Tikrit, Irak, sebagai putra dari pimpinan kaum Kurdi, Ayub.
1152: Mulai pekerja sebagai pelayan pimpinan Suriah, Nureddin.
1164: Mulai menunjukkan pekiawaiannya dalam bidang strategi militer dan dalam perang melawan pasukan Salib di Palestina.
1169: Saladin menjadi orang kedua dalam kepemimpinan militer Suriah setelah pamannya, Shirkuh. Shirkuh menjadi wakil di Mesir namun meninggal 2 bulan kemudian. Ia menggantikannya. Namun karena kurang ada respons dan dukungan dari penguasa, ia kembali ke Kairo yang menjadi puas kekuatan Dinasti Ayyub.
1171: Saladin menekan penguasa Fatimi dan menjadi pemimpin Mesir dengan dukungan kekhalifahan Abbasiah. Namun tidak seperti Nureddin yang ingin sesegera menggempur pasukan Kristen, ia cenderung lebih menahan diri. Inilah yang membuat hubungan antar keduanya merenggang.
1174: Nureddin meninggal. Saladin menyususn kekuatan.
1175: The Syrian Assassin leader Rashideddin’ s men made two attempts on the life of Saladin, the leader of the Ayyubids. The second time, the Assassin came so close that wounds were infliceted upon Saladin.
1176: Saladin besieges the fortress of Masyaf, the stronghold of Rashideddin. After some weeks, Saladin suddenly withdraws, and leaves the Assassins in peace for the rest of his life. It is believed that he was exposed to a threat of having his entire family murdered.
1183: Penaklukan kota di utara Suriah, Aleppo.
1186: Penaklukan Mosul di utara Irak.
1187: Dengan kekuatan baru, menyerang Kerajaan Latin Jerusalem dengan pertempuran sengit selama 3 bulan.
1189: Perang Salib III meluas di Palestina setelah Jerusalem di bawah kontrol Saladin. (Lihat Film Versi Hollywood : Kingdom of Heaven)
1192: Menandatangani perjanjian dengan King Richard I dari Inggris yang membagi wilayah pesisir untuk Kaum Kristen dan Jerusalem untuk Kaum Muslim.
4 Maret 1193: Meninggal di Damaskus tidak lama setelah jatuh sakit.

( tri/en.wikipedia. org )

Assassino è colui che eccide alturui per danari (Assassin is someone that kills for money : Francesco da Buti)

 

Known to the world, but never been seen in reality. The word “Assassin” has been used for identifying a certain person that using extreme method of taking other people lives for a political purpose. Assassin come from the term Hashshasin, “takers of hashish”, more commonly called The Order of the Assassin. That indicate the existence of Assassin is Marco Polo’s — The Travel of Marco Polo – indicating a group of people living in Valley of Alamut.

The early record show that Assassin was a group of Nizāriyya faction of the Ismā’īlī Shia Muslims. At the beginning Assassin’s objective are to reestablished the first Shi’ite state in Egypt. Following the sudden illness of the eighth Fatimid Caliph and Isma’ili Imam, Ma’ad al-Mustansir Billah on 1094, the two fiction, Nizāriyya faction and Isma’ilis faction come quarrel about the succession of leadership. The Nizāriyya faction lost and their leader and Imam Abū Manṣūr Nizār al-Mustafa le-Dīnallāh killed. The Nizāriyya faction were driven out of Egypt and reestablished their group near present day Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon under their new leader Hasan-i Sabbah.

Hasan-i Sabbah was formely as “Dawah” – a preacher — for Fatimid Dynasty. During fall of Fatimid Dynasty he become a savior with his new teaching and doctrine. He was determined to built new utopia. His methods was establishing a stronghold of fortresses starting with fortress of Aluh Amut or Alamut (“Eagle’s Nest” in Persian or “Eagle’s Guidance” in Dailamites).

Like the name suggest, Hashshashin used killing method to put the fear for anyone opposed them. But not only that, Method like  intimidating used by Fedayeen — The highly skillful Hashshashin — a victim, usually high-placed, might one morning find a Hashshashin dagger lying on his pillow upon awakening. This was a plain hint to the targeted individual that he was not safe anywhere, that maybe even his inner group of servants had been infiltrated by the assassins, and that whatever course of action had brought him into conflict with the Hashshashins would have to be stopped if he wanted to live.

The target usually the Turks as a vengeance for killing Nazari. The method killing the target without any innocence causalities, but they usually killed their target in public to inflict fear. Hashshashin used a light weapons like Hidden Blade and Knife, They also use poison and bow or other weapons if necessary.

Hashshashin power come into downfall when they attacked by the Mongol warlord Hulagu Khan siege Alamut  on December 15, 1256. The Hashshashin recaptured and held Alamut for a few months in 1275 but their political power was lost. The Syrian branch of the Hashshashin was taken over by the Mamluk Sultan Baibars in 1273. The Mamluks continued to use the services of the remaining Hashshashins: Ibn Battuta recorded in the 14th century their fixed rate of pay per murder. In exchange, they were allowed to exist. Eventually, they resorted to the act of Taqq’iya (dissimulation), hiding their true identities until their Imams would awaken them.

They are survived by the Shia Imami Isma’ili Muslims in the contemporary world, who are currently led by the Aga Khan IV, their 49th Imam.

References:

Bradley, Michael. Secret Societies: 21 Organisasi Perusak Dunia. Jakarta: Rajut Publishing House. 2008

Lewis, Bernard. Assassin: Kaum Pembunuh dari Lembah Alamut. Yogyakarta: Haura Pustaka. 2009

Wikipedia. “Hashshashin.” Style Sheet. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hashshashin.html (18 November 2009, 17:50 WIB)

Today was just another day on the quad. Another day, another street-preacher. This is the second day in a row where the men with signs have come to the quad to tell us we are sinners and need to repent. People not from the Christian faith are upset with the message, Christians are upset with the method of presentation. Everyone has an opinion, no one takes the time to think about the message.

Paul is not a bad guy. A local to the Sacramento area, he goes in his own free time to local college campuses to stir the proverbial pot (of conversation that is). No one credits this guy as a logical, free-thinking, intelligent guy. Not even those who agree with what he is saying. But actually he is credible, reputable and not theologically incorrect (you can take it from me and my 5 minute conversation with him). He, unlike some street-preachers, is consistent in his speech, biblically founded, and takes the time to speak in love and truth to the people who are out on the quad. No one gets it. No one understands the logic in screaming about Jesus on the quad. I didn’t either: until today.

It struck me when a student, who was inevitably pissed that he was told he could not possibly be a good enough person to go to heaven, started screaming at Paul. Did he scream anything that made sense? Not really. He started to get more and more annoyed as he spoke, and a slew of slurs left his mouth. What struck me was not really that he claimed to know the bible inside out (it was pretty obvious that he had not really read much of it), but more that he started to say, “No one wants to hear your message!” That statement couldn’t be farther from the truth: everyone wanted to. People were gathering by the dozens, wondering what all the shouting and sign-waving was about. And that’s when it hit me; Paul knows that no one is going to get on their knees in the quad and repent in front of the Lord Jesus because of Paul’s one-day show on campus. That’s not his goal at all! Paul’s goal is to make people think critically. No one did. Everyone stuck to their opinion. Everyone stuck to their own comfortable bubble, and rejected someone else’s statements solely on the basis that it pissed them off. The real irony is that the support for every argument against Paul was tolerance (as opposed to his message of hate). If we were actually tolerant (not just indifferent), and didn’t hate Paul (which I think most people on the quad did), we would not just hear, but listen.

Listening, unlike hearing, requires putting down your own notions, processing the information you heard, and critically thinking about its meaning. The listener would walk away from Paul saying “wow, if he is right, I better investigate this Jesus stuff and find out if it’s true!” The hearer would walk away saying “I freaking hate those zealous nuts.” Ironically, we hail ourselves as these critical, logical thinkers who can decipher a message and make a well-thought out decision, but don’t do it when it is loud, bold and offensive. We can do this with a controversial essay. Maybe even with a controversial speaker who comes as a guest lecturer. But not with Paul, not with any God-topic.

My challenge to those who don’t believe is not to repent, but rather to think. What do you believe? Why do you believe that? Is it taken from someone else’s beliefs? Does it make sense? Read the gospel of John. What is Jesus saying? What did he teach? How does that fit in with what you believe?

My challenge to those who do believe is to repent, and to also think. Why are you mad at this guy? Repent of your hatred, your slander, your gossip. I am publicly repenting of mine. Will you think through how street-preaching causes people to TALK?! The whole quad was buzzing with people talking about God, the Bible, Jesus, heaven and hell! This is your opportunity to be a witness to the campus. Start a conversation with a friend.

All said. When I listened to Paul over the shouts, I heard the gospel. Jesus died and rose again for me. He thought about my anger, hate, lust, pride, and disobedience on the cross where he suffered the undeserved punishment. The veil has been lifted. I now see. I pray the veil is lifted from the city, the campus I love.

Mujahideen have been denying any involvement in bombing of civilian buildings, markets and bazaars but unfortunately, Pakistan’s secular media and pro-army highly paid experts are desperate to prove their loyalty to Kuffar of America.

Today, I feel like connecting with someone.

I know I just posted about ten minutes ago, but I don’t feel done yet.  It’d be nice to just be in the company of someone who understands, someone else trans, maybe someone old and wise who’s been through it all.  Like Kate Bornstein.

I just checked out the only book of hers that our local library carries, “Hello, Cruel World.”  I know it’s a suicide prevention guide, and my gender dysphoria hasn’t been nearly bad enough lately to make death an option, but I just wanted someone who understood me to talk to me.  She didn’t fall short of that at all.

Even my boyfriend, who is supposed to get it more than anyone else, and who really does, isn’t THERE- he isn’t from this place, and I can’t expect him to automatically understand, even when he tries.  I don’t know any trans people in real life and I have a few remote blogging buddies, but I don’t know a single flesh-and-blood person who can relate and talk to me about this, past me educating them about something they’re clearly clueless on.  When I want guidance, and our conversations mainly consist of “How is this any different from cosmetic surgery?  Why don’t you get liposuction while you’re at it?  You’re fine the way you are,” it gets a little wearying.  When you’re talking about the sobering suicide statistics of trans people, roughly one in three, and the only way the guy can respond is “Well, they must be weak/stupid, anything is better than death,” when you’re stating that one in 12 trans people world wide will be murdered violently and you’re standing up to possibly be counted in that slaughter, and they only way they can respond is to say that it must be easier to change the inside than the outside…

You just know you’re talking to people who have no idea.

It’s a little like being from a different country entirely.  It IS being from a different culture.  Imagine being born part of a race that is physically branded by the color of their skin or the rituals of their culture to be ridiculed, spat on, torn down, made fun of and be one of the last politically “safe” punching bags the bullies can use.  Welcome to our lives.  We are the New Roma.

And guess what?  It’s only getting worse.  In a world where the circle of those who are accepted under the umbrella of protection is expanding, where the fringe of people it’s still safe to beat up on is rapidly shrinking, and where those who love to hate can’t find their fix and are told to focus their hatred and ugliness only on those who REALLY deserve it, there are only the sickos, perverts and inexcusible freaks of nature left.  And sadly enough, in the current world view, transsexuals are still under those categories.

We’re the only people left trapped in a burning apartment that the firemen won’t dare enter for fear of getting burned themselves, and we’re running out of time- if we don’t save ourselves, nobody will.

And this brings me to another topic that really burns my gills.  One of the only ways we CAN save ourselves in the world view is to stop being sideshow events and porno subjects and Jerry Springer fodder and try to make our way up in the world as respectable, upstanding, contributing citizens of society.  And yet…

It is SO hard to give back to a culture that has taken so much from us.  When you go your whole life beaten by the system and expected to be nothing more than punchlines and punching bags, you DO tend to live on the fringe, the only place that will accept you, and it’s hard to really clean up, duck your head, give nod to the Man and go back to living a white bread, vanilla life.  How can you even do that when you’ve seen so much cruelty, how far the all-powerful System falls from grace where we really slip through the gaps, when you’ve seen the really ugly side of life?  And it’s a double sided push, too.

On one side, you’ve got Society, the people who expect you to be unable to hold down a decent job and life and expect you to be ugly, incompatible with propriety and generally wrong- and yet, paradoxically, expect you to be able to overcome all of that, and sneer when you can’t.  It’s a direct challenge.

On the other side, you’ve got the trans community, which, as it evolves with the times and defines itself, can be almost as bad of an enemy as anyone else, in spite of itself.  I feel much more tremendous pressure from THAT side of things to be successful, respectable, and morally upright, and never ever let any cisgendered people catch me doing anything that might cast a shadow on the rest of the community.  In that way, I carry the burden of every other trans person on my shoulders every time I step out my doors, every time I make a decision, every time the public eye is on me.  We all do.  We all, individually, carry the weight of every other trans person out there.

And let me tell you something.  I hate it.

I hate being under such scrutiny that, if I decide to do something a little naughty, suddenly my whole people is paying for it, not just me.  I’m sure that anyone of a scrutinized minority understands that feeling.

The truth is, I do feel a responsiblity to my community, more patriotism than I do for my country or even my blood family.  I want to change the world and make it a better place for those like me.  But suddenly I’m a part of this fraternity just for being born this way, and I realize that things are turning around again for me, only on a grander scale.

I’m not part of the trans movement primarily for the sake of making the world a better place, to make a political statement, or because I believe in something greater than myself.  I didn’t “join” this to be part of a club or to take the banner of something that I believed would make me morally purer.  I’m not here because of some crusade, and I don’t support it because I want to give myself to a cause.

I’ve become trans to become myself, and I feel that if I reform myself because the trans community expects I owe them something on the sole virtue of being trans, then I’ve defeated the purpose we’re all here for.  If I become something I’m not for one side or the other, then I haven’t made any progress at all- just switched sides.

So I apologize if anything I ever do or say seems retrogressive to the trans movement, or if I ever seem selfish.  But I believe that, to change the world, we must first change ourselves, and if I change myself into something that I don’t necessarily believe in, then what do I expect of the world?

…

I will always try to honor my community the best I can, because I do love them, and I do want to change the world beyond myself, and I would like to make an effort to keep from tarnishing an already almost ruined people.  But I will not be fake to do it.  I will not censor myself, and I will not go quietly into the cage that the establishment has cut out for me.

I am me, nothing else.

While Bloomberg is on his Anti Gun Crusade, many New Yorkers are DYING in the Process!! Bloomberg makes it impossible for LAW ABIDING Citizens to get a Concealed Carry Permit while the Bad Guys and Girls just go get their Weapons whenever they feel like it because They DON’T follow the Laws!!!!

It will take Decades for the Effects of Bloomberg’s Anti Gun Crusade to have any Effect, if they ever do. So why make it impossible for Law Abiding Citizens to Apply for a Permit?? Oh, I forget, you can Apply for a Concealed Carry Permit and Pay close to $500.00 which is Non Refundable. You just won’t ever be issued the Permit unless you Know Someone in The Licensing Bureau or you are a Friend or Family member of someone Higher Up the Chain of Command………..like Bloomberg, Kelly, etc., etc.

Why make the Citizens suffer the Consequences of your Anti Gun Crusades Bloomberg. The Consequences being Violent Crimes including Rapes, Armed Robberies, DEATH, etc. I will tell you why……it’s because you walk around with an Armed Details wherever you go. Your details carry Automatic Weapons in addition to other Weapons. This Protection extends to your Family and Girlfriend also. Who gives a Shit about us? NOT YOU. We are just Statistics due to the Prevalence of Guns in our Society, that you are trying to eliminate. Hey Bloomberg, You’re just like Obama. He waits to send troops into Afghanistan and Troops Die, and you don’t let NYC Citizens Arm themselves, and they Die.

You’re just another Putz with an Agenda. And making it impossible for NYC Citizens would not have any detrimental Effect on your Anti Gun Crusade. Continue the Crusade, But don’t deny NYC Citizens their right to Defend Themselves, Their Families and Loved Ones. You do with your Armed Details!!!

At CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) Friday night meeting, it had a bit of a different format than usual.  Instead of having someone come in to talk, we had an evening of worship and prayer.  We stuck to the ACTS format, which is Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication.

During the adoration part, we just praised God for how awesome He is.  We also focused on His unchanging qualities, such as His justice, love, power, mercy, jealousness, wisdom, and providence.

During confession we asked for forgiveness for what we’ve done wrong and how we don’t always focus on Him.

For thanksgiving, we thanked God for all He’s done for us, what He’s given us, the trials we’ve gone through, and for salvation.

In supplication, we asked God to bless the different branches of Campus Crusade.  We prayed for Impact, the division of CRU that focuses on the Black community, for Bridges, the division that focuses on international students, for the Greek community, and for the resident hall groups.

It was pretty nice, and I might still do something later tonight with the guys.  We’ll see!

The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie.

Source:
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.d1a7d73018336ea872c383a980ddb006.5a1

Please watch this video from the campaign in Dinajpur Bangladesh!

In just a months time I will be heading back to Bangladesh for yet another campaign in the north parts. This will be my fourth campaign among the unreached in Bangladesh. With me I will have a team. Two of them are students from our bibleschool. Im really looking forward to see what the Lord will do through them. Bangladesh shall be saved!!

Pray that the preparations goes well!

Yours in the Harvest!

Andreas Cucca

 Follow Andreas on:

Nidal Hassan

Nidal Hassan is a hero. He is a man of conscience who could not bear living the contradiction of being a Muslim and serving in an army that is fighting against his own people. This is a contradiction that many Muslims brush aside and just pretend that it doesn’t exist. Any decent Muslim cannot live, understanding properly his duties towards his Creator and his fellow Muslims, and yet serve as a US soldier. The US is leading the war against terrorism which in reality is a war against Islam. Its army is directly invading two Muslim countries and indirectly occupying the rest through its stooges.

Nidal opened fire on soldiers who were on their way to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. How can there be any dispute about the virtue of what he has done? In fact the only way a Muslim could Islamically justify serving as a soldier in the US army is if his intention is to follow the footsteps of men like Nidal.

The heroic act of brother Nidal also shows the dilemma of the Muslim American community. Increasingly they are being cornered into taking stances that would either make them betray Islam or betray their nation. Many amongst them are choosing the former. The Muslim organizations in America came out in a pitiful chorus condemning Nidal’s operation.

The fact that fighting against the US army is an Islamic duty today cannot be disputed. No scholar with a grain of Islamic knowledge can defy the clear cut proofs that Muslims today have the right -rather the duty- to fight against American tyranny. Nidal has killed soldiers who were about to be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in order to kill Muslims. The American Muslims who condemned his actions have committed treason against the Muslim Ummah and have fallen into hypocrisy.

Allah(swt) says: Give tidings to the hypocrites that there is for them a painful punishment –

Those who take disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Do they seek with them honor [through power]? But indeed, honor belongs to Allah entirely. (al-Nisa 138-139)

The inconsistency of being a Muslim today and living in America and the West in general reveals the wisdom behind the opinions that call for migration from the West. It is becoming more and more difficult to hold on to Islam in an environment that is becoming more hostile towards Muslims.

May Allah grant our brother Nidal patience, perseverance and steadfastness and we ask Allah to accept from him his great heroic act. Ameen

By Sheikh Anwar Al Awlaki haafidhahullah

Have You Seen Smallville: Season 4 Episode 1 – Crusade?

Episode Synopsis:

Three months later. Lois Lane, the neurotic, klutzy, and stuttering second cousin of Chloe Sullivan, arrives in Smallville trying to find the missing Clark Kent to help her to find Chloe’s murderer. After being struck by a mysterious ray, she loses control of her car, and finds Clark naked with amnesia in a cornfield. She brings him to Smallville Medical Center, where Martha is with Jonathan Kent, who has been in an irreversible coma. Martha brings Clark back to the farm, expecting him to retrieve his memory. However, Clark is completely dehumanized, having been taken over by his alter-ego Kal-El, whose mission is to find three Kryptonian crystals to assemble into one. Meanwhile in Paris, Lana Lang has an American boyfriend, a young man named Jason Teague, and is having good time with him, until things take a turn when she gets hit with a mysterious spiritual force containing the spirit of a long-dead witch. Elsewhere, Lex is struggling to recover from being poisoned as he travels to bring an ancient object retrieved from an excavation in Egypt which Clark/Kal-El is also after and uses his flying abilities to steal the crystal… in midair. Also, Lois visits the imprisoned Lionel to talk with him about Chloe, while Martha has a meeting with an associate of Virgil Swan’s, named Bridget Crosby, who gives her a new type of kryptonite to combat Clark/Kal-El.

So what do you think of this episode?

If you missed it, you can watch it here.

Here’s a quick quiz for you:

There were 5, 071 workplace fatalities in the U.S. last year. 517 of them were workplace homicides.

I am going to give you a list of Work Place Shooters and I’d like you to tell me what their Religion was:

 March 20, 2000: Fired employee Robert Harris, 28, fatally shoots five people at a Dallas, Texas area car wash.
HIS RELIGION..?

 December 30, 1999: Authorities say housekeeper Silvio Izquierdo-Leyva, 36, fatally shoots five co-workers at Tampa’s Radisson Bay Harbor hotel in Florida.
HIS RELIGION..?

 November 2, 1999: Copier repairman Byran Uyesugi, 40, fatally shoots seven people at the Xerox Corporation in Honolulu, Hawaii.
HIS RELIGION…?

 August 5, 1999: Truck driver Alan E. Miller, 35, fatally shoots two co-workers at Pelham, Alabama. office, then kills former co-worker.
HIS RELIGION…?

 July 29, 1999: Former day trader Mark Barton, 44, kills nine people at two Atlanta brokerage offices and later commits suicide.
HIS RELIGION…?

 March 6, 1998: Former Connecticut Lottery accountant Matthew Beck, 35, fatally shoots four lottery executives, then himself.
HIS RELIGION…?

 December. 18, 1997: Fired employee Arturo R. Torres, 43, kills four former co-workers at maintenance yard in Orange, California and is shot to death by police.
HIS RELIGION…?

 September 15, 1997: Fired assembly line worker Arthur H. Wise, 43, allegedly opens fire at Aiken, South Carolina parts plant, killing four.
HIS RELIGION…?

 April 24, 1996: Firefighter Kenneth Tornes kills four superiors at a Jackson, Mississippi firehouse.
HIS RELIGION…?

 April 3, 1995: Former employee James Simpson, 28, fatally shoots five people at refinery inspection station in Corpus Christi, Texas, then kills himself.
HIS RELIGION…?

 July 19, 1995: City electrician Willie Woods fatally shoots four supervisors at the C. Erwin Piper Technical Center in Los Angeles, California.
HIS RELIGION…?

 February 2001: William D. Baker, 66, killed four people and himself at a Navistar International engine plant in Chicago area suburb, Melrose Park.
HIS RELIGION…?

 July 2003: New York City councilman Othniel Askew, 81, opened fire at City hall in killing one person – a fellow councilman and political rival.
HIS RELIGION…?

 August 2003: Salvador Tapia, 36, opened fire at a Chicago, Illinois auto supply warehouse where he used to work, killing six of its nine employees, including two of the company’s principals.
HIS RELIGION…?

 September 2009: Researcher Annie Le’s body is found strangled, stuffed in the wall of a research center at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Her fellow Lab technician, Raymond Clark, 24, is arrested for her murder.
HIS RELIGION…?

 November, 2009: Jason Rodriguez, 40, a former employee of the engineering firm killed one person dead and injured five.
HIS RELIGION…?

We don’t know, do we! WE SHALL ASSUME THEY WERE ALL ATHEISTS!

November, 2009: Major Nidal Malik Hasan, an Army psychiatrist, opens fire at Fort Hood, Texas killing 13 and injuring about 30.
His RELIGION: Muslim.

We know that! It’s been repeated over and over and over. Why…?

Because he is a Muslim and that fits into our stereotype of Muslims as violent and terrorists? What else could make him snap except for his religion?

I’m not saying his religion is NOT a factor. I’m just saying until we know it’s a factor…we should leave it out.

We continuously try to distance ourselves from people in our stereotype who do unsocial things.

Nobody in the suburbs wants to be associated with the group of kids who spray Nazi symbols on a Synagogue…

I, as a black person, definitely do not want to be associated with gang bangers…

Yet we label ALL Muslims terrorists because a minority of Muslims subscribe to a terrorist ideology. Were Muslims behind the bombings in the UK/Northern Ireland conflict? Nope – just Protestants and Catholics fighting.

Is Pope Sylvester II a terrorist? At the end of the tenth century he “entreated the church universal to succor the church of Jerusalem, and to redeem a sepulcher which the prophet Isaiah had said should be a glorious one, and which the sons of the destroyer Satan were making inglorious.

The Turks were apparently pillaging the Holy Land…and this could not be allowed. So we got the Crusades, and of course these soldiers of religion went over to the Middle East and planted flowers…

The Muslims did not enslave thousands of blacks in the New World and try to Christianize the natives with whips and bondage! The people who were throwing shackled slaves overboard in the Atlantic to lighten their ships were NOT Muslims either!

Muslims did not rule South Africa under apartheid…

I believe all these atrocities were perpetrated by Christians…with a Bible in one hand!

Yet when these Bible loving souls open fire and kill people, we don’t say they are Baptists or Catholics, DO WE?

Fanatics occur in every religion…and Christianity has had and still has its fair share!

One British newspaper reports Hasan once gave a lecture to other doctors in which he said non-believers should be beheaded and have boiling oil poured down their throats. According to the paper Hasan also told colleagues at America’s top military hospital that non-Muslims were infidels condemned to hell who should be set on fire.

Thanks Britain. The Inca, the Maya, Native people in Australia, China and wherever you ventured during your “Conquests” think you were as bad, if not worse. I don’t think anyone will argue that you did not “terrorize” them…us. My Caribbean island was enslaved by you, too.

By the way, according to government figures, workplace killings are trending downwards. But apparently the current weak economy has boosted stress levels in many workplaces. Add to this the normal or abnormal levels of combat stress among the military, and we get incidents like the Fort Hood shooting.

It might be easier to blame Islam than taking a retrospective look at a military super-macho culture where admitting to stress is considered weak; a military that does not have enough avenues to deal with and recognize combat stress; an army that is overstretched/over-deployed…where commanders do not listen to soldiers who say they don’t want to return to combat situations, but will deploy you regardless.

(People try to kill themselves to get out of deployments or the military – but the military deploys them anyway. How many red, green, yellow, purple flags do you need?)

Easier to simply blame Islam (which may or may not be blameless)!

I suppose those soldiers who come home and kill their spouses/lovers were all Muslims, too?

I know nothing about ISLAM except what I too see/hear in the media. It is not a religion I want to follow. But it’s not the only one I don’t want to follow!

seorang pemain sepakbola Eropa terdampar di abad ke 13 setelah masuk ke lab ibunya dan memakai mesin waktu ibunya untuk memperbaiki kesalahan timnya. Di saat-saat terakhir permainan Dolf sebenarnya menguasai pertandingan timnya bisa saja menjadi juara. Dia hanya ingin kembali beberapa jam tapi ternyata dia salah memasukan waktu delapan abad. Di sana Dolf bertemu Jenne yang memimpin 8000 anak kecil dalam pasukan perang salib. Karena kepintarannya, ia dengan cepatnya menjadi pemimpin kelompok tersebut. Dia menggalang kekuatan untuk mencegah anak-anak dari pasukannya menjadi budak di abad ke 13

Another blow to Munafiqun of Pakistani Media and another leaked video [as predicted, it isn't aired on media to cover the massacre of Pakistani Muslims].

Pakistan’s highly paid munafiqun who basically portray as self-proclaimed defense analyst dry their throats on T.V. saying that “It is Indian and CIA agents Pakistani army is fighting in Swat and Wazirisitan” – which is nothing more than a blatant lie just like presence of WMDs in Iraq.

This leaked video shows recently captured Mujahideen from Waziristan in recent operation, whom these experts call CIA/RAW agents, are in fact Arab Muslims and belonging to Saudi Arabia. One Mujahid tells his name and names the part of Saudi Arabia it belongs, then second and then third.

It is another blow to the munafiqun of Pakistan who come on T.V. and lie to please their dollars paying masters. Alhamdulillah, time is exposing who is a real Munafiq and agent of Kuffar getting paid in dollars and who are true Mujahideen fighting in defense of Muslim land against invasion of Kuffar and their munafiq friends.

Pakistanis must compell their fathers, sons, cousins and friends working in army, at operational levels, that this is NOT Pakistan’s war to fight and there is NO enemy of Pakistan. All of this drama is for USA’s pleasure and earning of dollars by handful of people who have sold their souls to Kuffar together with fate of entire Pakistani nation.

May Allah save Ummah from such munafiqun and help those who are fighting against Kuffar and their agents.

Alison Smale | Information Clearing House

September 14, 2009 “New York Times” — GENEVA — Western powers now in Afghanistan run the risk of suffering the fate of the Soviet Union there if they cannot halt the growing insurgency and an Afghan perception that they are foreign invaders, according to Zbigniew Brzezinski, the former U.S. national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter.

In a speech opening a weekend gathering of military and foreign policy experts, Mr. Brzezinski, who was national security adviser when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in late 1979, endorsed a British and German call, backed by France, for a new international conference on the country. He also set the tone for a weekend of somber assessments of the situation.

“We are running the risk of replicating — obviously unintentionally — the fate of the Soviets,” Mr. Brzezinski said in his speech Friday night.

Read more…

Year 2008 – 09 marked deadliest year for allied forces led by USA which comprise of NATO, ISAF, Afghan National Army and Pakistan securing northern borders to prevent supply of arms to Mujahideen in Afghanistan. The psychological and physical damage inflicted by Lions of Islam to Kuffar and their apostate friends is briefly shown in video that follows below. Insha Allah, a glorious victory is just ahead.

Sheikh ibn Baaz in his Fatwa no. 1 of 274 said,

“The scholars of Islam are unanimously agreed that whoever supports the kaafirs against the Muslims and helps them in any way is a kaafir like them as Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):”

“O you who believe! Take not the Jews and the Christians as Awliyaa’ (friends, protectors, helpers), they are but Awliyaa’ of each other. And if any amongst you takes them (as Awliyaa’), then surely, he is one of them. Verily, Allaah guides not those people who are the Zaalimoon (polytheists and wrongdoers and unjust)”

[al-Maa'idah 5:51].

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah in Al Saarim al Maslool fatwa no. 3 of 735 writes:

Muhaarabah (waging war against Islam) is of two types: physical and verbal. Waging war verbally against Islam may be worse than waging war physically – as stated above – hence the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to kill those who waged war against Islam verbally, whilst letting off some of those who waged war against Islam physically. This ruling is to be applied more strictly after the death of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Mischief may be caused by physical action or by words, but the damage caused by words is many times greater than that caused by physical action; and the goodness achieved by words in reforming may be many times greater than that achieved by physical action. It is proven that waging war against Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) verbally is worse and the efforts on earth to undermine religion by verbal means is more effective.

وَمَكَرُوا وَمَكَرَ اللَّهُ ۖ وَاللَّهُ خَيْرُ الْمَاكِرِينَ

And (the unbelievers) plotted and planned, and Allah too planned, and the best of planners is Allah. [Aal-e-Imraan : 54 ]

American soldiers serving in Afghanistan are depressed and deeply disillusioned, according to the chaplains of two US battalions that have spent nine months on the front line in the war against the Taleban.

A dozen men have been confined to desk jobs because they can no longer handle missions outside the base. One long-serving officer who has lost three friends this tour said he sometimes returned to his room at night and cried, or played war games on his laptop. “It’s a release. It’s a method of coping.” He has nightmares and sleeps little, and it does not help that the base is frequently shaken by outgoing artillery fire. He was briefly overcome as he recalled how, when a lorry backfired during his most recent home leave, he grabbed his young son and dived between two parked cars.

Many feel that they are risking their lives — and that colleagues have died — for a futile mission and an Afghan population that does nothing to help them, the chaplains told The Times in their makeshift chapel on this fortress-like base in a dusty, brown valley southwest of Kabul.

“The many soldiers who come to see us have a sense of futility and anger about being here. They are really in a state of depression and despair and just want to get back to their families,” said Captain Jeff Masengale, of the 10th Mountain Division’s 2-87 Infantry Battalion.

The battalion’s 1,500 soldiers are nine months in to a year-long deployment that has proved extraordinarily tough. Their goal was to secure the mountainous Wardak province and then to win the people’s allegiance through development and good governance. They have, instead, found themselves locked in an increasingly vicious battle with the Taleban.

Read more

- Sahl bin Haneef narrated: The Messenger of Allah said: “Whoever asks Allah for martyrdom earnestly, Allah will elevate him to the level of martyrs even if he dies on his bed”. (Muslim – Abu Dawud – Tirmithi – al Nasa’i – Ibn Majah – al Hakim)

- Sa’ad bin Ibrahim narrates that during the battle of al Qadisiyah they passed by a man who had both his arms and both his legs cut off during battle, rolling in his blood and he was reciting: “And whosoever obeys Allah and the Messenger – those will be with the ones upon whom Allah has bestowed favor of the prophets, the steadfast affirmers of truth, the martyrs and the righteous. And excellent are those as companions”325. They said: “Who are you!” He said: “A man from al Ansar” (Ibn Abi Shaybah)

-Ishaaq bin Saad bin Abi Waqqaas narrated that his father told him that Abdullah bin Jahsh told him before the battle of Uhud: “Lets go and make dua (supplications)” So they went aside and Saad went first. He said: “O Allah if we meet our enemy tomorrow then let me face a tough fighter so I can fight him for your sake and he can fight me. Then let me defeat him and kill him” Abdullah then made his prayers: “O Allah let me face a tough fighter so I can fight him for your sake and he can fight me. Then let him kill me and after that cut my nose and ears. So when I meet You, You will ask me: “O Abdullah! Why were your nose and ears cut off?” I would reply: “They where cut off for Your sake and for Your Messenger” And then you would say: “Yes, you spoke the truth”. Ishaaq bin Saad said: My father said: “O my son, the prayer of Abdullah was better than mine. I found him the end of the day with his nose and ears tied in a string”

Al Hakim (authenticated by al Thahabi)

Thanks to Islamic Emirate | http://www.islamicemirate.com/

Republicans made gains in this election, some LGBT initiatives won and others lost.  With the current economic trends and some of the debates on what policies to implement and the lack of significant changes coming to fruition,  the gains by the opposing party are not surprising.

The Topsy Turvy voting on LGBT issues is a reflection of the powerful schism mostly fueled by the religious right that is determined to undermine the civil rights gains made by the LGBT community.  The fight is on and it is a real battle of ideas backed by the money of some of the richest religious bodies of the world.

The Obama administration and the Democrats need to take lessons from this election to turn the tide by implementing significant policies that really make the difference – even if it means isolating the loud minority of naysayers ( who will continue to be naysayers under whatever circumstance ). It has to be done.   Action has to show the Change that was promised.

The LGBT community and their friends need to unite more than ever against a theocratic driven influence that continues to try to determine the course of law in the country.  We are a democracy of pluralistic beliefs and ideas where all citizens are afforded the same rights.  This must be protected and the fight for LGBT rights is a a fight for all American citizens.

The anti-LGBT rights groups’ religious and pro-family propaganda are simply fronts for their own self appointed religious beliefs driven by this obsession of being divinely selected  to be the moral vanguard of society at all costs.  They are in  a modern crusade- not caring about the collateral damage to the lives of LGBT people as a result of their theocratic quest for political power to bring about their theocratic idea of paradise on earth.

What are the next steps? The next steps are to get involve in your community,  with your elected officials and be an activist for equal rights.  Reverse the trend of this election and set it on the right course again.