An “Aussie Hero” You Probably Never Heard Of.

Ned Kelly. Captain James Cook. The Anzacs. Banjo Patterson. All of these Iconic Australian names and titles i remember since i was a kid, they represented our country – Australia- for many different reasons and their names are etched into the framework of our nation and society. 

There is nothing more i love than reading about Australian Icons and Heroes and paying them that due respect. The Anzacs for example, every year are commemorated for fighting for this country, defending our land and their allies and putting a stop to potential invasions and wars presented by enemies of the time.

Give credit where it is due i would say, yet did you know there is an Australian icon and Australian hero that predates all of the names mentioned above? An Australian Aboriginal Icon and he has a name. That name is Pemulwuy.

Pemulwuy is thought to have been born in 1750, some 38 years before the first fleet planted the British Flag on Australian Soil in Botany Bay.  He was part of the Bidjigal  tribe who called that part of Sydney, Australia home.

January 26th 1788 was the day that changed Pemulwuys’ life and turned him from provider into protector.

The raising of the British flag on already occupied land is a very game changing part of our history. It’s literally the beginning of European Colonization and the soon to be degradation of Aboriginal populations. Pemulwuy was a protector and maintainer of his lands and traditions or what one would call a “Warrior” today.

These armed men that started occupying their lands, destroying their environments and building settlements were clearly deemed a threat to Aboriginal tribes in the area who saw a people who came with sophisticated weaponry, travelling vessels and a careless attitude in regards to their sightings of Aboriginals who had called this place home for at least 40,000 years.

The Smallpox disease is said to have started infiltrating into the Aboriginal population by 1789 due to the introduction of the Colonies population. Pemulwuy started his first campaign against the foreign invaders in 1790. Governor Phillips gamekeeper John McIntyre, who was notorious for his cruel treatment and outlook on the Aboriginals,  was speared by Pemulwuy and died of his wounds. This enraged the colony who went out looking for retaliation, only to find no aboriginals in their search.

As the Settlement grew and skirmishes started occurring around the region the tensions were growing between the Colony and Aboriginals. The Settlers started to prey on the vulnerable of the Aboriginals like Women and Children, holding them as ransom and kidnapping them to effectively “bring out” the Men who were thought to be the imminent threat to the settlements.

Pemulwuy protected areas of Sydney including the Georges and Hawkesbury river regions.

At Age 42 in 1792 Pemulwuy increased his defensive measures, which of course to the colony was an act of offence. He targeted settler camps and properties, conducting raids and the Colony by this point managed to get a good description of the warrior Pumulwuy who was described as an  “active enemy” with a blemish on his left eye.

In 1794 Pemulwuy had his skull cracked by John “Black” Ceasar a huge bushranger of West Indian Descent working alongside the convicts. At this point many were convinced that the Aboriginal Warrior was killed as cheers echoed through settler camps. Yet Pemulwuy survived his injuries without any hospital assistance. Pemulwuy then continued to protect numerous Sydney districts (now known as suburbs- ranging from Parramatta, Prospect, Toongabbie, Georges River and the Hawkesbury River).

As Pemulwy’s notoriety increased among the Colonizers they made many exhibitions to capture him and his tribesmen and for years they failed in their Endeavors. Pemulwuy knew this land like the back of his hand, he knew where to hide and he was accustomed not only to the climate but also the landscape.

In 1797 Pemulwuy and up to 100 Aboriginal Warriors stormed their way into the Parramatta settlements after another raid on Toongabbie and threatened to spear those who got in their way. The soldiers without hesitation opened fire and this time Pemulwuy was shot and injured again by bullets and lead that essentially not only should have killed him, but according to settlers should have killed “30 people”.

Pemulwuy survived so many attacks by the Colony that his own people saw him as an “invisible” force to their weapons.

Pemulwuy was for a brief moment captured but many were shocked by his quick ability to heal that some started genuinely believing he had some superpower against “lead”. He eventually escaped yet again and returned to his people and the all so familiar Australian bush that was being cleared for agriculture.

This time when he retreated back into the bush not only did his tribe think he was a Miracle Warrior even he was emboldened enough to believe he was “immune” to the colonizers weaponry.

Approaching twelve years of resistance to the occupation Pemulwuy fought for his land, culture and people. He was relentless in protecting what he and his tribes knew for thousands and thousands of years. He battled soldiers with their 18th and 19th century weapons with humble spears marked with local red wood.

By 1801 rewards were being offered to any who could capture and kill Pemulwuy. Gallons of rum and clothing were offered to those who could kill him and even for those who could provide information to the whereabouts of this mysterious Native.

In 1802 Pemulwuy was caught by surprise by British Sailor Henry Hacking. He was shot and killed. His head was cut off and preserved in spirits before being sent to Botanist Sir Joseph Banks for preservation and showcasing in Britain.

A letter by Governer King at the time admitted that “Although [Pemulwuy was] a terrible pest to the colony, he was a brave and independent character.“

From 1802 until 1810 Pemulwuys Son Tedbury continued the resistance until he too was shot and killed only 8 years after his Fathers Death. The Mystery of where Pemulwuys skull is today has yet to be answered.

Pemulwuy, an AUSTRALIAN HERO.

Pemulwuys effect not only to his Aboriginal Brethren yet also to the White Colonizers was huge during its time, so much so that even members of the intruding Colony joined in to fight with Pemulwuy and his resistance, these convicts were named “William Knight” and “Thomas Thrush”.

Just like our Anzacs, Pemulwuy defended his land and his people. He fought tooth and nail and he never backed down in resisting the force that was about to take stronghold in his nation. Respect must be granted to his strength, courage and will to defend himself, his clan, his land and his nation as a whole.

Pemulwuy, not only to me, but also to you – should be seen as an Australian Hero…because he was truly Australian and he was a Hero to the very land that we call home today.  If Pemulwuy were with us today and fought for what we now know to be “Australia” with such confidence and willpower as he did back then, we would label him appropriately and not allow him to be a forgotten part of our story.

Rest In Peace.
Salam

-Ramey

The Male Conundrum.

Hey there, yes you! Are you an Alpha or a Beta? Well how about you just say you’re a fucking Charlie and be yourself without caging yourself into a societal frame that is not designed to set you free but instead is designed to imprison you into a shadow of your true self.

Yes, there is a certain pressure with being both male and female in today’s World, yet being a Man myself i feel that i can kick my feet back and have a little say on this subject. I was a weird kid, without doubt, growing up as a young boy i didn’t really fit into any particular stereotype of what it is to be a young man. I experimented, just like all kids do.

Some days i pulled out the race cars and drove them around my fold out street map that i’d place on the floor and other days i’d open my Mothers cupboard and have a laugh as i tried to wobble in her high heels…and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, in fact i take back that “weird” kid jibe i just hit myself with.

Growing up from a boy to a teenager to a man is one rollercoaster.

As i hit adulthood i was at the receiving end of intense bullying, both physical and mental that lasted for 7 years- it was relentless and for a number of factors. Whether it was my weight, my nose, my heritage or simply that i apparently had a slappable head- all i know is that turning from a “Boy” to a “Man” was going to be a long and difficult journey, as it is with many others.

Either way, eventually my confidence boosted, i joined the gym and lost 22kg and my lovable personality came out to shine, for years it had been hidden in some dark grim closet that was so comfortably sad, it had developed cobwebs and mould.

In this transformation from Teenager to Man i knew the battle wasn’t over because not only was i facing the trials of my own personal demons- i now had to put myself on show. I was exposed to the World and had to try and find my “place”. Where did i fit in the paradigm of being a Man in today’s world.?

First of all, don’t compare yourself to others for it is not a helpful route. Comparing yourself to others isn’t a motivational call to self improvement, in fact it is simply a road that will lead to being a false carbon copy of another being. In today’s World a Man is categorized in two main ways, either as the “Alpha”– who is a dominant and strong leader that has drive and success or the “Beta” who is a submissive and weak follower that is at best a pushover.

The Mythological “Alpha”.

Society always throws “A Real Man” Memes at us but again, these memes are not inspirational, in fact they form part of the problem. There is no “real man” – indeed he is simply a mythological creature that belongs in fairy tale books. We are then confronted with confusing labels such as being referred to as “gentlemen” whilst we are also expected to be strong forces that are rough around the edges.

We are shunned for saying “Boys will be Boys” yet then also shunned if a boy acts like a girl. We see these grown Men nowadays who are so controlled by their label that they walk around with their thick necks, staunched shoulders and intimidating attitudes trying to play character. Almost like a Cos-play of a mythological figure, these Men are not in control of themselves, in fact they are daily on edge trying to be legitimate pretenders- society expects this of them, apparently so, and they fall for it hook, line and sinker.

Recently i was invited by a close friend to a “Mens Club” on Facebook and this page was truly disturbing. It was the epitome of what is wrong with society and how Men are falling trap to this system they can voluntarily pull out of but clearly are afraid to do so. In this group are thousands and thousands of Men from all around the World, who are venting to each other, disclosing personal issues, family dramas, relationship woes and true cries for help all in the midst of the security blanket of a “Male Ear” because they are afraid to express themselves in the real World, a World where Family, Friends, Women and Counselors exist.

All of these Men are afraid to express themselves to the Real World, so instead they create a club, a “safe haven” where they can use their God given right- their voices.
I didn’t find this empowering, that all of my Brothers around the World need secret clubs like this where they only want a fellow Man to hear their problems. It was blatantly obvious that these guys of all different races, ages and regions felt that if they were to speak out in the World how they are in this page, they’d be ostracized and suddenly downgraded to “Beta Males” for shedding tears and expressing true Human Emotions…It’s a train wreck. A calamity.

I scrub off alright for being a “Charlie” Male 😉

True success is in being comfortable in your own skin and not being afraid to be a Human Being. True success is not giving a damn what people think and its utilizing all of your natural faculties- your logic, reason and yes, your emotions! It is funny that the same people that once told me to “Man Up” when i expressed myself to them are the same Men that are found on these Facebook Pages where men are hiding under a metaphorical blanket. Is it more cowardly to outwardly express yourself and your vulnerabilities as a man to the Entire World or to lurk in hidden groups and express yourself solely to other Men in secret? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

Each day i am trying to “perfect” who i truly am and i have no shame in being a Man. A Man that is so raw and real that if i’m having a shit day, i will tell you, or if i feel like a shoulder to lean on i will go ahead and do it! Or if i need to shed some tears like i am watching “The Notebook” re-runs then i will rightfully do so, all without losing my claim as a Man because i don’t belong to a label, i am not a product for you to stick your labels on and i wish more Men could take that attitude on board and create their own empire, as opposed to ignorantly sitting in a shelf along with their fellow Man. It’s a comfortable place to be but it’s an exceptionally sad and boring place to be.

Salam.

-Ramey.E

 

 

Are we all truly “equal”?

 

“Stop it. How would you like it if somebody did that to you?” – these were one of my first lines of empathy that i remember yelling out to a fellow student in my Music class when i was 12 years old as he started torturing a Moth that happened to fall on his lap by slowly plucking its wings and laughing in ecstasy.

His response?

“Shut the fuck up before i punch your head in.”

At that moment i realized something…Something monumental. I am BETTER than this person. Yes that is right, i confidently could say that at that place and time i could attest to the fact that i was indeed superior to this fellow Human Being by my side who felt no empathy, remorse or regret over the torture of an animal, yes a mere insect but it did not matter to me.

You see i used to see the World in quite a naive light- i believed that no body was above me and that i was above nobody. That somehow we are all seeing each other at the exact same level, eye to eye. This disturbing stance of mine led me to overlook the heinous behaviours of my fellow humans both in childhood and adulthood.

Besides, how could any of us reach for betterment if we are all “equal?” If there is only one throne- 7 billion rears cannot be seated on it at the same time and that is the ultimate reality in life, its the hierarchy of truth, sometimes one person is entitled to that throne- and that one day as a twelve year old kid i can confidently say i earned it.

 

My views of the World have changed.

 

This might seem like a petty example but there are many more examples of how i was the “better man” in many situations that had occured to me. Like a few years later when a few “friends” of mine cornered a cat in the unit block hall and let it shriek, cower and scream in fear as they were throwing screwdrivers and other tools at it. The fact that i felt an intense sickness in my gut and a seething hatred to these supposed friends in that moment made me realize that i was the better man, too good for their company not only then but even now.

How about the other time a supposed “friend” from a popular group suddenly asked me to “burrow” him my PlayStation and in pure manipulation never spoke to me at high school after i gave it to him. When i finally confronted him months later about giving it back to me he physically threatened to beat me up. I shriveled up as he was a big and intimidating guy but i left with a lesson that day – to trust people less- and to realize despite this happening to me i would never do it to anybody else.

Then there was the work colleague with her wide smile and friendly demeanor who worked at a cafe i had been employed at for a year. I trained her vigorously and would drive her home every time we finished work at night . I thought i had formed a bond and friendship with Will – to only learn that she had been secretly telling my bosses the fabrication that she must “follow up” everything that i do and that i am not pulling my weight- eventually she got me fired and took my job. Even then i would never do that to somebody. I attest to the fact that i am superior in my morals and she was inferior in every way that she had to stoop to such a low to achieve a “success” in her life.

What about the bullies in my school that tormented me every single day for 7 years physically and mentally? Assaulting me in every manner possible, dropping my confidence and marks to all time low. Forcing me to avoid school for three months straight and making me lick a urinal in a dirty school toilet. Why? Because i was a kind natured guy? The truth of the matter is these bullies 25 years later are still the low life scum that they were when they were kids because they were and are inherently , psychologically, mentally and spiritually void beings.

Let me tell you something, success comes from a drive that thrives within you. You don’t use other people to step on to climb to the top, you use other people as motivation on how you can better yourself and all this can be done without putting others down. This false peak of success is short lived and far from satisfying and i am proud to say that everything i achieved in my life was with clean hands.

Never did i drop to such levels in order to get somewhere in life. Each and every single achievement of mine was done with my own drive, work and integrity. Lets be honest, there are shit people in this World. People who are not on your level, people who are sub- par and limited. Do not let these people define the model of which you decide to pave your life, they are mere distractions from the fact that you are wonderful, amazing, beautiful and successful whereas they are the bottom dwellers of our societal framework.

No. We are not equal. I am better and perhaps, so are you? 🙂

PEACE, SALAM.

The challenge of “being yourself”.

You see and hear it all the time, inspirational quotes and memes floating all over the internet inspiring you to “be yourself” yet what exactly does it mean to be yourself and do people really accept you for being you?

There is an internal and external struggle that occurs when one person truly attempts the endeavor to be themselves. The internal struggle comes from self acceptance and seeking your inner genuine thoughts. Do you have your thoughts and beliefs? Do you stand by them? These are important questions.

If you fear your own inner thoughts then we have a problem. Sure we do not have to broadcast everything about ourselves yet when it comes to persistence in character and being able to remain consistent in who you are and what you stand for- there should be no shame nor fear in holding on to what you believe in.

The inner fight is actually being who you are meant to be, not shaped by society or the expectations of others but that internal acknowledgement between your mind and body that speaks to you in a language you understand. When you are doing and saying things counter to your inner self then there is a war waging inside of you.

For example, i am a Muslim and there is a huge stigma that comes with that package nowadays. Often i will be “ashamed” to express that fact and i will attempt to keep my beliefs and thoughts hidden lest i be judged. So then i try to “fit in” with everybody else and that yet again is when the struggle becomes real- you cannot appease everybody else whilst abandoning your true self.

This fight can be said about any human being under any certain context, when they are trying to express themselves but suppress it in order to make others happy- its an unhealthy move that will not pave the way for any fruition.

Now this is only part of the hurdle, the inner struggle to “be yourself” is difficult enough, then comes to external element- how receptive would people be to you truly being yourself? Well the few moments i have been brave enough to tell people who i am and what i am about the searing judgement was at an intense level- the questioning, mockery, suspicion and skepticism was coming.

It was then that i realized- you don’t want me to “be myself” – you want me to be somebody else.! Acceptance is a difficult thing, nobody likes the feeling of being rejected or being the black sheep so often people will alter and adjust themselves to fit comfortably into society.

Why? What is the benefit for you besides living in a mirage? A mirage of false security where you live in a World that wants you to be just like them. ? A democracy where you either “fit in” or become ostracized.

It’s a baffling conundrum but its something i wish to fix on all levels. I am as genuine as i can be but i do things to please others and neglect myself. Many people are truly afraid to be who they REALLY are– no matter who you are out there- find that outlet that genuinely will accept you and take you in for your entire being.

It will be a hard journey where you can be at peace with yourself and everybody else around you but at the end of the day you can live your life as a pretender to make everybody else sleep well at night or you can live your life being true to yourself and allow yourself to sleep well at night. Which would you rather? One sounds much healthier. 🙂

Peace, Salam.

-R

 

 

 

Why The World Loathes Australian Tourists.

I saw it coming, i saw it coming from a mile away. I am talking about the latest numerous spats by exasperated and fed up local Croatians who have been inundated with tourists from around the World (Thanks, Game of Thrones).

Yet there are some particular tourists that are copping more criticism than others and yes the Green and Gold Aussies are unfortunately one of them. Sure, we have seen it all -the not so wonderful etiquette of tourists coming to our own shores here in Australia, yet i feel like our tourism load doesn’t match our reputation, our “laid back and relaxed” welcome we greet tourists with isn’t the same “laid back and relaxed” attitude we take with us when we travel abroad.

First of all, we like to party. It must be all of our nanny state lock-out laws that make us want to let our hair down and just go crazy at Moon Parties in Thailand or Yachts sailing over the Adriatic Sea in Croatia. I get it, from a Worldwide scale our nightlife sucks and it doesn’t hurt to live a little.

 

Drunk Australian man plunges into the Baroque Fountain in Rome. He is then fined.

 

Yet one thing that i think that gets the best of us is that even though we love a good time we are not so accommodating with the customs, laws, rules and regulations of other countries and once this complaint is recognized we can turn from cute cuddly Wombats to ferocious wild “drop bears”. (Relax, they’re not real).

The latest complaint comes from Croatia. I am half Croatian and i have been to Croatia at least six times in my life. All of my Croatian family still reside there and my last visit was in 2015. When i visited Croatia in the Early 90’s until the Early 00’s people would often say “Croatia, where is that?” or they’d seem perplexed and ask if its near “Russia”.

Yet today Croatia is on every Australians radar, it’s pristine beaches, wonderful food and lively people are all part of a very attractive package, i know because i have seen it. I remember in the Mid 1990’s visiting the ancient Fortress town of Dubrovnik, back then i saw next to no tourist buses and crowds were minimal. It was a relaxed, calm and absolutely gorgeous atmosphere where locals and tourists alike could still feel a sense of peace in their day.

You see Croatia was never meant to be the next Ibiza, this is not its authentic self. Despite its huge coast it only has a few “party” towns and even then they were relatively tame compared to many other Worldwide party destinations. Boy has that changed, fast forward approximately 20 years later and Croatia has become a place synonymous with drunken adventures and us Aussies being within the top 20 drinkers in the World, why would we say no?

 

Drunk and part naked Australian tourist sitting in a public bench in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

Yet it appears the Croatians are now fed up. Accusing Australian tourists of having sex in public, climbing balconies, running amok and starting fights. It was only last month that an Australian man was charged in Split, Croatia for leaving a man with life threatening injuries after a fight.  Australian tourists have also been accused of vandalizing property and smashing up their accommodation.

One Croatian local claims “Young Australians are blatantly performing sex acts on the streets without any shame, pissing in our swimming pools, climbing our balconies and bathing naked in the harbour.’

The problem is these aren’t isolated cases, Croatian paper reports are coming out that are singling out Australian tourists as being especially unpleasant guests. Hospitality workers and residents who deal with Australians would know and it appears our reputation is slowly being flushed down the drain.

This is not only a Croatian problem. I will never forget when i was in Bali, Indonesia – a board short wearing, oakley sunglass wearing Australian male tourist was looking around at one of those poor clothing shacks on the outskirts of Kuta, when he addressed the older lady working there asking how much it was for a particular dress she said “120,000 Rupiah” he scoffed and said “No, no, too much, make it less” then she responded “Can do 100,000 rupiah” he then replied “No! 20,000 Rupiah” which mind you is approximately two Australian dollars. When she looked at him with relative sadness he waved the note over her face and said very condescendingly “do you want it or not!?“

 

Anti Tourist Protests have taken place in Barcelona where locals say they feel “terrorized” by misbehaving tourists.

 

The problem was this man was sober and he was not young either and this is the sort of attitude that puts us all in the wrong books and we don’t deserve it. I know many fellow Australians that want to travel and absorb the country they are staying in. The good and the bad and everything in between they want to embrace as part of their experience.

Unlike another fellow Aussie tourist who complained that she could not openly drink in the United Arab Emirates nor have a “piss up” on the streets without getting arrested- she then went on to complain about the heat and the sufferance of Ramadan, despite not being obliged to partake in it.

I feel like we need to do some extensive research before visiting a place. Look at the local customs and learn them. When in Japan take off your shoes. When in remote areas of Fiji cover yourself with a Sarong. When in Dubai don’t make out in public. When in Croatia be considerate of the locals and keep the noise and rubbish down. When in Bali respect that the people there work hard with tiny wages and don’t need to be reminded how high and mighty your Aussie dollar is. When in the United States- TIP! (Even i despised this, but i conformed!).

If you are an Australian tourist and you are a well seasoned traveler with conduct, then that is wonderful. This post isn’t meant to drop your confidence or make you feel bad, it’s simply to raise awareness that our reputation is dwindling and i don’t want YOU to bear the brunt of the negative repercussions.

Let us put ourselves back in the Global scale as being tourists with dignity, respect and appreciation- let us have fun but also be mindful of the places we’re in and the people we are with. We need to reclaim our reputation and let the World know that indeed we ARE a cultured people, heck we live in one of the most Multicultural nations on this Earth, we should know better and sure as heck we do! So let’s make Australia proud! 🙂

Peace, Salam.

Nine stories to restore your faith after Manchester.

It’s a difficult road ahead for all of us here on Earth. The recent terror attack in Manchester is only one of many tragic events of violence, injustice and horror inflicted on innocent people here in this World and naturally such stories make us lose a bit of morale.

Stories that deal with the death of innocents, whether they be men, women or children constantly flash on our television screens and one thing we must understand is that we cannot become “comfortable” with terrorism, nor can we become desensitized to a violent World.

The Media does not help in this situation because as tragic as the story is we come to find that the media swamps us with the imagery, sounds and woes coming from such attacks and eventually we switch off and miss on many other true stories that are happening in response to such sad news.

You see since the horrors on Manchester there have been many uplifting, amazing and inspiring stories coming from Manchester itself! You very likely would have missed on most of these humble headlines but i present to you my selected top 10 stories to restore your faith in humanity post Manchester. Enjoy!

1.  £5 million raised for Manchester bombing victims in just three days

A fundraising appeal for the victims of the Manchester terrorist atrocity has raised more than £5 million in just three days.

2. The English Defence League have their rally and protest shut down by locals

Mancunians were quick to condemn a group of English Defence League protesters following the deadly explosion

Ariana Grande has offered to pay for the funerals of all the victims.

3. Singer Ariana Grande made the generous offer to pay for the funerals of all victims

Ariana Grande has reportedly offered to pay for the funerals of the 22 people who tragically lost their lives when a suspected terrorist attack took place after her concert in Manchester.

4. Homeless hero awarded free rent after saving children following Manchester attack

A homeless man who frantically pulled nails and glass from injured people’s eyes during the aftermath of the Manchester bombing has been awarded a place to live for his bravery.

The tragedy exposed beautiful friendships

5. An unexpected & deep friendship is revealed between a Muslim man and Jewish woman.

It was the photo that touched Britain, a Jewish woman and a Muslim man united in grief. The story of their 10-year friendship will restore your faith in humanity

6.  Manchester attack: The Blood bank is ‘full to the rafters’

Blood banks in the UK have received so many donations for victims of Monday’s Manchester attack they already have met their goals.

Taxi drivers offered free lifts during and after the tragedy.

7.  Generous locals offer concert goers lifts home, free taxis and rooms for the night

Generous Mancunians are offering people who were at the Ariana Grande gig either accommodation or a lift home in a taxi – while others are simply offering a cup of tea and a hug.

8. A simple Muslim social experiment in Manchester reveals a united community

A young Muslim man is going viral tonight with a moving video about how he trusted strangers – and asked them to trust him. The response is truly something wonderful.

9. Great Manchester Run: Thousands take part amid heightened security

Tens of thousands of runners pounded the streets during an emotional occasion for Manchester. The latest large-scale event to take place since Monday’s suicide bombing.

Despite tension- thousands showed up for the Manchester Marathon.

I hope these nine stories made you realize that beneath the ugly surface of terrorism there will always shine bright a common humanity that we all share. In the face of tragedy we come together and we never let hate win, if only the media used all of these actions as stories worthy of a lengthy spotlight.

Peace, Salam
-R

The Islamic “Wife Beating” Discussion.

As i was working out at the gym today the News Screens flashed at me from all main Australian Broadcasters. It revealed two Muslim women from the group called “Hizb Ut Tahrir” having a discussion about if and how it is justified for a man to physically hit his wife or not. In the video the two women talk about different interpretations of a certain verse in the Qur’an and they take out a Siwak (toothbrush) and tap each other with it to indicate this is the “beating” that is accepted, though not encouraged according to some Islamic opinions.

The video made all mainstream news and as i was working out i did indeed shake my head at this moment because it seems that Muslims are often the ones that shoot themselves in the foot by having such discussions and leaving the grounds of interpretation open far and wide.

Yet in a way, it’s actually good that this video was released and the Media published it because, let’s face it, we as Muslims and Islam as a faith already have a deplorable reputation and that bar could barely be raised any lower sadly, but at the same time it has opened up a discussion and dialogue about a huge problem, not necessarily in the Muslim community but in the Australian community at large, and that is domestic violence.

The video in question of two women in Australia discussing if wife beating is permissible in Islam.

Now theologically, without a shadow of a doubt, beating your wife, or in fact anyone for that matter is absolutely unacceptable and a widely condemned action from an Islamic standpoint and this is the important crux of the discussion because all we are seeing right now are superficial opinions and snippets of dialogues that scrape the surface of this troubling detail.

What we need to do, or i need to do for that matter, is get to the core of the matter and we must examine, if indeed this action of “wife beating” is an accepted practice of Islam- the religion- and if i can convince you that it is not, then we can clearly make a distinction on whether or not this person is acting in accordance of not only the laws of his religion but also the laws of the land that he lives in and in this case we’re talking about Australia.

Now let us start with the verse in Question, which is found in the Qur’an. Chapter 4, verse 34.  “Men  are the supporters  of  women   by  what Allah has  given  one  over  the  other  and what   they  spend  from  their  wealth.  So  righteous   women  are  obedient,  guarding  in absence what Allah would  have  them  guard.  But those from  whom you  fear  rebellion  –   advise  them;  forsake  them  in  bed;  and (finally) strike  them.  But   if  they  heed to you  ,  seek no  means  against  them.   Indeed, Allah is  ever  Exalted  and  Grand.“

The verse in question from its origins has been open to much interpretation, confusion and dissension upon Islamic scholars and believers alike, yet this verse as a standalone doesn’t carry with it enough information on whether this language is that of symbolism or one of absolute literal instruction. The Hadith literature that at times further clarifies some of the more ambiguous verses of the Qur’an can shed more light on certain topics and this topic of “wife beating” is widely covered.

Does the Qur’an and Islamic literature really indicate to beat your wives?

What we now need to do is observe if the founder of Islam, the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (pbuh) followed the above instructions literally, did he hit his wives? Did he endorse hitting women? If he is a role model on how a man should treat his wife and if he was the living, breathing and walking Qur’an – we must then assume that if the above verse was literal, that he would then indeed beat his wives.

Our first piece of evidence comes from one of Muhammads wives, her name was Aisha. This woman later came to be a massive collector of Hadiths (sayings of Muhammad) that have been preserved for the last 1300 years. In one Hadith that is actually rarely cited we see something that is very clear cut and absolute. She states in the Hadith Below:

Aisha reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, did not strike a servant or a woman, and he never struck anything with his hand.

Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 2328, 

Not only that, Muhammad himself convinced a woman not to marry a man because he had a reputation of beating women. She had three men make proposals to her and Muhammad helped her measure up who would be the most suitable. One man was poor, the other was a wife beater and the third was pious. It was stated:

Allah’s Messenger said: So far as Mu’awiya is concerned, he is a poor man without any property. So far as Abu Jahm is concerned, he is a beater of women, but take for marriage instead Usama b. Zaid. (The Pious man)

Source: Muslim, Book 009, Number 3526:

When a companion of Muhammad approached him and asked how he should treat his wife, Muhammad responded with a very simple and clear instruction.

I went to the Apostle of Allah and asked him: What do you say (command) about our wives? He replied: Give them food what you have for yourself, and clothe them by which you clothe yourself, and do not beat them, and do not revile them.

Source: Abu Dawud, Book 11, Number 2139:

Yet one of the greatest evidences that beating is clearly not allowed or mandated in Islam is a historical event that occurred with Muhammad and his wives. There was a situation that ensued where Muhammad was dissatisfied with his wives, they were charged with jealousy amongst each other and conspired against their husband in order to “get even” about certain woes they felt in regards to their relationship. Clearly, if Muhammad had the green light in his book to “beat” his wives for “disobedience” then this would have been the perfect opportunity for him to recite this verse and then get physical!

Yet this never happened. This particular event was called the “Incident of I’la”.

Thereupon, he vowed that he would keep away from his wives for a month in order to show them that the worldly life was unimportant for him, to teach them a lesson, to decrease the jealousy among them and to measure their love of and loyalty to him.

After this vow, he started to live in the arbor called Mashraba. This was a small humble room with a straw bed, a pillow stuffed with bark and his food items were barley and water. His companions were convinced he had divorced his wives and they wept at his poor form while indicating the high figures of Persia and Rome lived like Kings.

Yet this was his way of dealing with supposed “disobedient” wives. He had already advised them and spoken to them, he then separated himself from their beds for an entire month and he did not lay a single hand on them before, during or after this event.

Source: Bukhari, Volume 7, Book 63, Narration 212

In Australia 56 women a year are killed in domestic violence disputes.

So given the above information we can clearly see something is amiss. If the Prophet of Islam and the verbal communicator of the Qur’an never beat his wives, then how is it possible that this verse can be taken literally? This is why a Muslim man who intends on following their Prophet in his treatment to his wives should live by his ideals, which was NOT to beat them- ever! Muslim men that use this verse in their holy book to legitimize them beating their spouses are not only cowards, they have a clear and negligible misunderstanding of their own faith and their own Messenger.

Not only is this abhorrent and debasing action clearly unacceptable within the context of religion, it is clearly unacceptable within the society of which we live in. In Australia domestic violence is a major issue. According to the Domestic Violence Prevention Centre :

“On average at least one woman a week is killed by a partner or former partner in Australia. One in three Australian women has experienced physical violence since the age of 15.”

These statistics are alarming, it indicates that in Australia alone 56 women are KILLED in domestic violence incidents yearly and a staggering one in three women has experienced physical violence from the age of 15. That is approximately 4.5 million Australian women.! 

So let us not pretend this is a “Muslim issue” and let’s not make it a Muslim issue as the media seems to be stipulating that domestic violence is an ESPECIALLY Muslim problem, it most definitely is not and the majority of the domestic violence cases in Australia are not being conducted by men reading Quran 4:34.

In Australia it is illegal to beat your wife, period. It is a highly intolerable action that should be dealt with in accordance to the law, yes the Australian law. Protections are already in place for women that encounter domestic violence encounters and they should utilize them, whether they are Muslim or not.

Muslim women that are dealing with abusive husbands should remind them of the examples above, inform them that their treatment against you is not in accordance to the Messenger of Allah and make it clear that if they are believers and want to replicate Muhammads treatment of their wives to their own lives that they should not, and cannot beat you!

I hope you have read this article and gained a better understanding on how and why this problem exists not only Worldwide but also within the Muslim world. All of my sources are Authentic Islamic sources that are verified and accepted by all mainstream scholars of Islam. I ask my fellow Muslims to please discuss this situation while the heat is still on.

People are on TV boasting about wife beating and making excuses on how some elements of wife beating are okay and it clearly enables others to navigate their way through to domestic violence when all of my examples show, without a shadow of a doubt, in clear language that Muhammad never hit his wives.

Today is our day to speak out and highlight to the media, to the wider general Australian public AND to fellow Muslims that we do not accept wife beating in our theology, hence in our lives. We reject it and we are law abiding citizens that stand by the laws of our land and our religion.

Peace and blessings be upon you.

Ramey

Marriage. What you waiting for?

A candid and honest look on perhaps why i am still not married. 🙂

So, i sit here, a man in his early 30’s who is begging the question…”Why am i not married yet?“. You see, growing up i always used to have these comical benchmarks on when exactly i would be getting married. When i was 18 i said i’d be married by 25. When i turned 25 i said i’d be married by 27. When i turned 27 i said i will definitely be married by 30. Then i turned 30 and pushed up my age of marriage to 33 (which mind you is around the corner!).

Being raised in a household with strong ethnic ties and having a Eastern European and Middle Eastern background i very often saw my family members and friends getting hitched in their early 20’s and as i grew older it really dawned on me how that was a truly unattractive prospect for me.

I suppose in the meantime i have been enjoying my life so much that it has been difficult for me to stop for a moment and analyze exactly where i am standing on this marathon called life. I come to realize that i absolutely want to get married and i absolutely want children, i am definitely not one of those “I’m too selfish to have children” sorts.

In fact the attraction for me is the fact that i am the total opposite to that, i am selfless and i put others before me, yet i cannot actually wait to have that child in my arms, that person that i am more than happy to put before myself, i am sure most parents can resonate with that.

Have i not found the right woman yet? Well, clearly not – because i am not married. Yet at the same time i do think about the cliche “It’s not you, it’s me” theology that runs through my mind. I ask myself am i prepared for marriage? Financially, yes. Emotionally, Yes. Mentally? Probably not. 

I do think the scars of a rough upbringing of many many years of intense physical and mental bullying, low self esteem and zero confidence really cut deep into my system. Despite me dropping plenty of weight in my early 20’s and regaining some of that charm and confidence that i hadn’t seen since i was in primary school- i still feel that even today, despite my outwardly popular and confident appearance, that i still have the remnants of low self confidence, self esteem and a battered value.

This in essence then makes it very difficult for me in relationships because my dream woman could be and probably is literally standing under my nose but i likely wouldn’t even realize it- because if my inward vibes synchronized with my outside vibes i would instantly recognize these women and i would snatch up any given opportunity- but i don’t.

Even though i do not appreciate the societal pressures of people being cornered into marriage and children, i do think its not for everyone. Yet it definitely is for me, if there’s anything i am certain about its the fact that i am very self aware- i strongly believe that i’d make a wonderful husband and an absolute kick-ass father, so i do not want to waste my life without sharing these qualities and attributes that i know i have, especially with people of which i know would earn and appreciate it.

In saying all of this, please remember i am not having a dig at those who choose not to get married or have children. As i said, i do not think its for everybody and people need to come to terms with exactly how they feel about these two major responsibilities. For me, i am up for the challenge, in fact i don’t consider it a challenge, i see it as a step in my life and it’s a step i am happy and willing to take.

Yet in the meanwhile i still have a lot of work to do on myself. I feel that i am still constructing myself into this mansion that i want to be, and i cannot let anybody else move in, whether wife or child, until i am happy with my home, until i am happy with me. The fact is, we cannot pretend that we can provide happiness for others when we are not entirely happy ourselves.

I am definitely not sad or depressed – yet i am a bit of a perfectionist. I want the timing to be right, i want to be mentally prepared and charged for the moment. I don’t just want to “wing” a relationship, i don’t just want to test the waters for years before i decide to put a ring on it. If i am at complete peace and harmony with myself and you happen to walk on by then good heavens i’d say watch out, but who wouldn’t want to be swept under their feet? 😉

Peace, Salam
-Ramey

The Little Girls “Kicking Up A Storm!”

So only a week after the huge “controversy”  of a Hijab clad woman making it in one of the pages of a “Back to school” Target cataologue here in Australia, we find that another “stir” has been kicked by that ever so confronting Hijab again- this time in the form of an Australia Day ad that was originally showcased in Melbourne, Australia in a digital ad display.

The image is that of two young smiling girls, proudly clutching on to the Australian flag with their matching blue and white Hijab and clothing to fit the theme of our endearing colours. Yet these girls were not paid to put on a fake smile for the cameras in order to get paid by their talent agencies, these girls were ACTUAL attendees of last years Australia Day Celebrations here in Melbourne, Australia.

This Australia Day Ad has caused a major backlash leading to it being taken down.

When this ad first appeared it was part of a larger Australia Day ad campaign that included people of ALL walks of life and it was not an ad that promoted exclusion, it actually was part of an ad that had a much larger and broader scope of people representing this beautiful country. When right wing groups saw this particular ad they immediately made complaints, calling the ad “UnAustralian” and a “Misrepresentation” of all things Australian.

Not only that- the company that put up the advertisement called QMS – recieved threats, some of which were serious enough to cause them to actually take down this advertisement and this was a very short term win for the right wing xenophobes who celebrated the ad take-down and in the meanwhile attacked these two young girls with vile comments.

Yet only a week after the ad was taken down a Gofundme page was made in order to bring back these ads and bring them back with a vengeance.! Instead of one humble sign off a road in Melbourne we find that over $100,000 has been raised in order to get these ads put up in EVERY capital city in Australia.  That’ll show them!

Headscarf or no headscarf- this is irrelevant                                             in defining someone as Australian

 

People need to understand that even though you may disagree on children having a Hijab on – we see that parents that do put their children in headscarves are not committing a crime. Just like parents that take their prepubescent girls to model shows in makeup and scandalous clothing are not committing a crime. That is the point, if it were a crime your outcry would be heard, yet seeming that it is not then its a non argument at this point.

Now let us come back to the crux of this article, why on Earth would these two lovely girls be causing such a stir here in Australia? Is it a genuine concern in any way shape or form? Absolutely not and the evidence that we have points to one clear observation- this has nothing to do with addressing a genuine concern and everything to do with bigotry.

How can i take my point home? Well let me refer you to an interview with former tv presenter Prue Macsween who was on national television today and made the following statement about this ad campaign. “‘We are getting sick of bending over backwards to include Muslims.”

Commentator Prue Macsween basically told Muslims on National Television that nothing they do would make her “include” them and to stop trying too.

Wait what? So one minute Muslims are not assimilating, so they need to shape up or quite literally ship out. Yet when Muslims are ACTUALLY attending Australia day rallies with flags and big smiles you scream that you are sick of bending over backwards to include them? Wow Prue, imagine how the Muslims themselves must actually feel.

Here they are on January 26th, enjoying a barbeque, waving the flag and spending their day with their fellow Australians of all races and religions and even then you still kick up a stink and tell them to stop making you “bend over backwards” to include them.

Well shock horror Prue and Co…You don’t have to bend over backwards at all. All you need to do is look at the ad and see their lovely smiles and their clear pride for this country and say “Yes, these are Australians!”. The end. The proof that bigotry is playing a major role in the outcry to this ad is the mere fact that they are darned if they do and darned if they don’t.

Assimilation is the key word that the right wingers like to throw around in order to prove that Muslims cannot be trusted. Well out here, in the real Australia, we are a diverse nation with people from all walks of life and yes- 3% of them are Muslim. Big or small, relevant or irrelevant Muslims are a PART of the Australian framework and there is nothing wrong for ads to make show of this reality, love it or hate it – this is the Australia that we live in.

Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie is shocked that the Ad doesn’t feature bikini babes in front a flamin barbeque with shrimp, hot topless men and free flowing beer.

To have politicians make an outcry of this ad and bringing negative attention to two young innocent girls is shocking. The Senator of Tasmania Jacqui Lambie shared this picture and made the statement “What the??? Where’s the bbq, the bikini babe, the hot Aussie male, and the beer? What is going on??”

Yes Jacqui, because Australian stereotypes we see on tacky tourism postcards in souvenir shops are a “true reflection” of what a true Australian is. Many Aussies don’t eat meat Jacqui. The Bikini Babe has been seen in pretty much every Australian ad campaign i can think of – think “where the bloody hell are ya?” and why subjugate Australian males based on their “hotness” are us average buggers now not Aussie enough Jacqui? It’s not like you exactly fit the definition of a Bikini Babe yourself!

 

Jacqui Lambie is this close enough to the Australian ad you envision featuring true blue Aussies? 🙂

You see this is the clear issue, these people that make such statements are political figures in our country and their caricature of what an Australian is really proves what a satirical view they have of this country and its people, stuck far beyond the stage of Crocodile Dundee! Australia has changed dramatically in the course of 200 years and each time it has adapted to succeed and we need to take this step together as one nation.

When you see Muslims celebrating Australia day please do not label them as UnAustralian and make yourself the victim by claiming you are being forced to “include them”. How about when Muslims try and assimilate and include themselves you embrace that? Otherwise my only logical conclusion is that the problem is not the Muslims themselves but clearly you and if you’re part of the problem you never will be part of the solution.

PEACE. Salam.

-R

Why Merkel’s Germany Is A Utopian Nightmare.

Another deadly terror attack in Germany. At this stage it appears a 21 year old Tunisian “Immigrant” by the name of Anis Amri is responsible for the attack. It shouldn’t be surprising anymore as numerous attacks have been made in the country since its President Angela Merkel decided to let in hundreds of thousands of refugees in a completely “open door” type policy. This move alone, from a logistical standpoint is dangerous and irresponsible.

Merkel clearly wanted to be seen as the immigrants version of Mary Poppins and even though genuine refugees certainly did make their way into Germany and many have indeed tried to start a better life for themselves, we come to see that a sizable number of others came with no intent to settle in Germany- but to kill and be killed.

I personally admire Merkels wanting to help genuine refugees, scenes of what Aleppo once was and what it is today is a horrific reality that the World clearly needs to wake up to. These people didn’t ask for war, nor did they ask for their towns and cities to be obliterated or taken over by extremists, they are victims and they do deserve a safe chance, wherever it may be.

 

Good idea at the time: Merkel’s open door policy is backfiring.

Yet unlike other leaders who are optimistic but cautious about allowing immigrants into their Nations and desire identifiable immigrants to enter their countries on the basis of official documentation and proper accommodation– we have Merkel that allowed such a huge influx of refugees to enter from around the World in such a short span of time, which has led them to live in makeshift tents and streets. It’s an unsightly reality of a President that was not ready to carry the burdens she was about to impose on her people.

Look, i am a proud Muslim and i do fear about the sufferings of my Fellow Muslims in Iraq, Syria and many other nations that are embroiled in war. Besides the destabilization of the Middle East is not the fault of the Syrian or Iraqi people. The fault of the current climate in that region of the World is Western interference and illegal wars – which led to many cracks allowing extremists and other groups to take deadly strongholds.

Yet in saying that the numbers are speaking for themselves, at this point, i do not blame Germans to fear immigrants anymore. I have relatives in Germany and it pains me to say this- and i do not want people to be stereotyped or demonized based on where they are from or what religion they follow. Simply put, people have reason to now be concerned in Germany as Terror is becoming a bigger threat and this threat was theoretically introduced by an irresponsible policy that opened doors to all supposed immigrants, including nations of which are not in current desperate need of a mass exodus, including Anis Amris’ native Tunisia.

The current state of Syria (Aleppo, pictured) is not the fault of the Syrian People.

Now we have Merkel trying to reduce the social tension in her country- tension unseen since World War 2. This was completely avoidable because every country has a right to its National Security and every country has the right to put in place strong policies when it comes to immigration. People will try and take that step too far, including here in Australia by trying to claim that ALL Muslim immigration must be stopped, which is just as extreme a response as Merkels- except on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Is there a way to fix this mess that Merkel has caused? Probably not because hundreds of thousands of supposed immigrants are now on German soil and attacks are more likely especially since the scene on the streets are becoming more hostile. As right wing groups gain plenty of political and civilian ground across Europe it allows the extremists to come out and cite their bigotry as reason to stage such atrocious attacks on innocent people.

Merkel’s policies are giving way for right wing groups to grow and prosper across Europe.

In my opinion Germany needs to stop immigration for the time being, period. It needs to identify all of its immigrants and if these immigrants have no identification or identity trail and if they come from nations that are not in dire need of mass civilian exile then they should be kindly deported back. Germany has a right to keep its borders safe and it has a right to allow or reject anybody they deem as appropriate or inappropriate. It is such a shame that Merkels good intent in helping refugees by completely opening her door to them has backfired and unfortunately such a decision will lead to Merkel having the door slam back on her come the next election.

Peace, Salam.
-Ramey

Peter Dutton- I Am No “Mistake”.

Peter Dutton is Australias official Immigration Minister and has recently come under fire for some of his statements about immigration in this country. He recently spoke out in parliament being very critical about former Prime Minister Malcolm Frasers decision in the 1970s to allow an influx of Lebanese and Muslim refugees from “rural areas” into Australia because the newest generation of Lebanese Muslim youth appear to be terrorists or conspirators of terrorism.

Now before i am found guilty of quote mining and misrepresenting Mr. Dutton, let us see exactly what he says because right after his statistics of fear he does provide a little disclaimer – albeit in the wrong order- before he is jeered by the opposition party. Mr Dutton says:

“I thank the leader of the opposition leader for his question, if i said that i have….out of the last 33 people who have been charged with terrorist relations in this country- 22 of those people are from second or third generation Lebanese Muslim background. I’m not going to allow people who are hard working, who’ve done the right thing by this country, who have contributed, who have worked hard, who have educated their children- I’m not going to allow these people to be defined by those people who are doing the wrong thing and who have been charged with terrorist offences, or who are involved in crime otherwise.“

Were Peter Duttons comments necessary or beneficial?

Did Mr. Dutton state the truth statistically? Well yes he did, those numbers do appear to be accurate and of course we should all be concerned about the safety and security of our entire Australian community. Yet when we look at the maths behind these statistics we find a number that is so underwhelming and irrelevant that bringing this up in Parliament appears to have been nothing more than a political push to promote our dwindling past, current and future dealings with refugees and immigrants.

You see approximately 200,000 people fit within the mould of second and third generation Lebanese in Australia. Twenty Two is the number of those charged with terror related offences. Divide the numbers up and we find that 0.011% of the entire second and third generation Australian Lebanese community have been involved in terror offences.

That is right, our immigration leader is speaking out against a former prime minister for letting in these Muslim Lebanese populations in the 1970’s because it appears they produced 0.011% of the terror related population in this country today.

As a matter of fact Peter Dutton states “The reality is Malcolm Fraser did make mistakes in bringing some people in, in the 1970s, and we’re seeing that today. We need to be honest in having that discussion. There was a mistake made.“

You see this is where his statement hits home hard and heavy for me personally. Although i am only half Lebanese his comments do offend me and my family. Mr. Dutton is talking specifically about my fathers generation and my generation. He is addressing both my Father and I. A Lebanese, Muslim man from “rural Lebanon” who came to this country with his family in the 1970’s during Malcom Frasers leadership. Calling my fathers migration to Australia a “mistake” is essentially calling ME a mistake. His comments almost negate my existence, it is like Mr. Dutton is pointing his finger at me saying he wishes i weren’t here and that i was a mistake, along with my father. Not exactly the welcoming language you’d expect from an immigration minister.

My Father and I- 1985. Two direct recipients of Mr. Duttons criticisms. A 1970’s Lebanese Muslim Immigrant and a Second Generation Child.

Peter Duttons argument is basically this. We should have not allowed Muslim Lebanese people from “rural Lebanon” into Australia because a few generations later they would breed little potential terrorists. That would be like me saying we should not have allowed Anglo Saxons into this country because a few generations later they would wipe out almost the entire Aboriginal population of Tasmania. Or they would later be responsible for the most drink driving deaths on the road”.

Would it be fair if Mr. Dutton made his comment like this? “Out of the last 100 people who have been charged with drink driving in this country – 60 of those people are from second or third generation Anglo Saxon Australian background.”

This is where his little disclaimer fails him abundantly and even though members of his party have defended him saying he is being taken out of context, he clearly is not. His statement worked within this format. Firstly he speaks to the media and insults a former Prime Ministers handling of immigration calling his acceptance of Lebanese Muslims a “mistake”. Then in parliament he hits us with a  “statistic” which reveals a dismally small percentage of his case study. Then he says BUT we cannot allow this minority to represent the majority.

You cannot negate your clear fear mongering via the media and the parliament using extremely explicit language about a very distinct community relating to both race and religion to the Australian parliament and people within this hostile climate – and then in the end say “We cannot allow the minority to represent the majority” when very clearly your statements show you are allowing the minority to represent the majority.

The fact is highlighting these figures and statistics even though they are factual is absolutely unnecessary. Do you see anybody relating to figures in regards to any topics when the total number of their example is 0.011%? Imagine if parliament spoke about every issue highlighting such statistics? It’d be tossed up and trashed in any market of academia yet suddenly it’s okay for our Immigration Minister to push these statistics of fear?

 

I thought we were moving forward from this? Cronulla Riots. 2005.

Look the Lebanese community and the Muslim community are far from perfect, the bad apples exist just like in all communities. Yet My father, myself and the majority of my family who are of Lebanese Muslim background are contributing members of this society and i will never accept being labelled a mistake. My father came here with little English, low education from the cesspool of civil war and has established himself well here. I myself am another example of this generation that Mr. Dutton seems to look at with suspicion and tunnel vision.

I do believe what Mr. Dutton said was irresponsible and he can scream out “facts” all he likes but his position comes with a responsibility for the people. He needs to ensure that he is unifying and not dividing. His language, statements and comments about the Lebanese Muslim community in particular have been detrimental to our current social climate.

Eleven years ago we had people on a beach chanting “Fuck Off Lebs” after a race riot and we have worked so hard within the decade to bridge that gap and come together as first and foremost Australians. Yet forgive us for feeling a little uncomfortable with being labelled as “mistakes” by our own immigration minister. I think the only mistake is your own irresponsible rhetoric in parliament. 

Salam
R.E

USA Shocked At Trump Victory: But Why?

Yeah yeah…I know…I know…”But you’re not an American“, “It’s none of your business“, “It’s our country and we’ll cry if we want to!”. Such would be the words of those who voted for the new President Of The United States, Donald Trump. 

You’re right, i am not an American. Yet you’re probably not African American, Mexican, Gay or a Muslim. I think when it comes to the Worlds “Superpower” we all have a right to stick our nose in your business, especially since the United States has been sticking their nose in everybody elses business for the last 60 years.

With absolutely all due respect to my American friends and  family let me for a moment try and relay something to you. Let us pretend American Politics is a person. Lets call this person Sally. Even though Sally is an old girl she has had a rough history. For some reason a lot of people have come forward to complain about Sally, who often intimidates them. Sally keeps leaving traces of herself around the hallways and threatening notes inside other girls lockers. For some reason Sally always finds an “enemy” and once that enemy gets expelled, lo and behold she will complain about a new “bad girl” in school. Sally blackmails other girls and tells them if they don’t do as she says she will then sanction them and make all their friends hate them. Sally is aggressive and often gets heavy handed with the other girls and she often accuses them of things that carry no evidence. Sally will also go to other girls lockers and steal their most prized belongings and she will manipulate you by claiming she’s the innocent one.

Would it be logical for me to say that perhaps….just MAYBE…Sally is *THE* problem?

Breaking news: Trump Wins election. Americans Shocked.

Now let me take you away from that analogy and bring you back to reality. Donald Trump is The President Of The United States of America. My Facebook feed was full of shocked  responses from around the World and the Canadian immigration website crashed. What i don’t understand is why are you shocked?  How did the American people let it get to that? How did the American people let it boil down to Trump or Hillary?

Yes, i said it, i also do not like Hillary Clinton. I believe she is a sneaky war mongering liar. Why did the Americans reduce themselves to the “lesser of two evils“? Was this truly the only way? Why did you not rise and stand up when you realized the two evils you were facing are both dangerous custodians to your safety, security and economy?

Instead of doing things to change the system and shake the political vacuum you’ve all surrendered yourselves to- you go on and make jokes, funny parodies, lame memes and while you bicker in hysterics about the situation you are stuck in- this man ACTUALLY becomes the President of your country and now the tears are flowing…for some.

Hillary supporters cry, even though she is no revolutionary.

If that isn’t the saddest segway in modern history then i don’t know what is. In saying that, i believe in making most of all situations, including this one. Everybody deserves a chance, including my right testicle. Yet it’s a little more humble than Trump is.

In all seriousness who knows how it will play once he is in power? Perhaps he is an all talking kind of leader who won’t enact on his many dismal policies. Perhaps he will be a changed man and will mind blow the entire World with his wonderful policies that actually will make America great again. (Note: Don’t put bets on that).

In saying that i wish all of the people of the United States luck, because the sheer reality is that Donald Trump has been used as propaganda fodder by militants who use his policies as a means to recruit extremists…and you voted for him.

On that note i will love you and leave you. Believe me when i say that you, the American PEOPLE deserve better than both of these candidates. You deserve a leader that cares about you, your family, your values, your economy, your healthcare, your education, your human rights and your equality. The worst thing about this is that people may develop Stockholm Syndrome and actually start believing their President wants what is best for them. There is only one way to find out and time will tell.

So get this. Americans elected a leader that has already been used as a propaganda method to recruit extremists.

Bless You All.
Salam.

9 Other Times You Have Heard “Allahu Akbar”

Just a couple of days ago there was a terrible knife attack at a Hostel in Queensland, Australia . The victim was Mia Ayliffe-Chung,  a 21 year old British National who was stabbed by a 29 year old French Backpacker Smail Ayad.  The tragic murder sparked suspicion of extremism because the attacker yelled “Allahu’Akbar” (God is Great) whilst attacking the victim and whist being arrested.

This immediately caused a media stir with all major media outlets hastening to call this a “terror attack” on Australian soil because of the attackers use of “extremist language”.Yet the Police have already cleared this crime as a Murder based on jealousy and not at all terror related, regardless of what he shouted out.

French National Smail (inset) attacked and killed Mia in a small hostel community in Queensland while shouting “Allahu’Akbar”.

Despite the Police commissioner being very quick to clear this act from terrorism– claiming there is no evidence at all that this man was radicalized- we see that xenophobic politicians immediately used this case as a means to loudly call – yet again- for the banning of Muslim Immigration of Australia claiming that “terror” and “jihad” has hit our shores simply because a man is shouting “Allahu’Akbar“.

A lot of people don’t realize that the term “Allahu’Akbar” (“God is Great”) is widely used in the Muslim community for a huge array of reasons, yet there is a disturbing trend i am noticing about the statement. Both extremists and bigots are taking the statement from the general Muslim population and are turning it into a phrase that one should fear.

Just to remind you that hearing someone say “Allahu’Akbar” is not all doom and gloom- i will present to you 9 other examples where “Allahu’Akbar” has been used for something
besides violence, hatred and bloodshed.

1) “Allahu’Akbar” Used Whilst SAVING lives.

In this video footage in Aleppo, Syria- filmed in January 2014 we see a bunch of men unearthing a child from the rubble of a destroyed building. After doing all they can they chant “Allahu’Akbar” (God is Great) whilst holding the child after the rescue.

In fact there are multiple videos online showing the phrase being chanted whilst people are SAVING lives (as opposed to taking them.)

2) “Allahu’Akbar” during the call to PRAYER.

If you’ve traveled to any country in the Middle East you may have noticed mysterious and mesmerizing voices coming out of the minarets. This is called the Call To Prayer and the very first line is “Allahu’Akbar”. This call is to remind Muslims to stop what they are doing and go to prayer.

3) “Allahu’Akbar” used in Music (and Nasheeds).

Popular Muslim artists such as Sami Yusuf use the popular phrase in many of his songs including the popular hit “Asma Allah” which has almost 14 million views on Youtube. The term is an expression that is popular in many “Nasheeds” or songs that glorify.

4) “Allahu’Akbar” used to support Sportsmen/Women.

Marathon Runner Mo Farah did the United Kingdom proud during the Rio Olympics this year- yet during one of his practice Marathon Runs in London in 2014 spectators of his could be heard shouting “Allahu’Akbar” at him in support for him to win.

5) “Allahu’Akbar” used by a talkative Parrot.

Nothing to see here – simply a Parrot that shouts out “Allahu’Akbar” whilst raising his foot, simulating a Muslim rising during prayer.

6) “Allahu’Akbar” used in Awe of Nature.

Many times during extreme weather events, or witnessing natural marvels- including the one featured in this video-  you will hear Muslims shouting “Allahu’Akbar” to symbolize Gods strength and power.

7) “Allahu’Akbar” used to celebrate Success.

Sonny Bill Williams is a very popular footballer in Australia who converted to Islam a few years ago. During one of his wins he publicly declared on live television “last but not least, Allahu’Akbar!” whilst pointing to the sky.

8) “Allahu’Akbar” used during last moments in life 😦

Adam Air- an Indonesian Airline was plummeting to the sea at rapid speed in 2007 due to Mechanical failure and the Black Box in the Cockpit clearly records the flight crew praying in fear as they realize they are helpless against this crash- shouting “Allahu’Akbar” until their final second on Earth.

9) “Allahu’Akbar” used when one converts to Islam.

People from around the World Convert to Islam and after one states the Shahada (testimony of faith) they are met with a smothering of hugs and the famous “Takbir” which is proclaiming “Allahu’Akbar” (God is Great) out loud.

So there you have it, that was 9 other times you may have heard the term “Allah’u Akbar.” Please do not be like the media and ONLY associate the phrase with violence, bloodshed and evil behaviour. The bottom line is this statement is made by Muslims on a daily basis and we do not want extremists AND the media to Hijack this word and use it as a mouthpiece for evil.

Salam Alaykum, PEACE! 🙂

 

Is Banning Muslims The Solution?

It’s been a pretty loud and vocal week after the devastating Terror attack in Nice that killed many dozens of people (including 34 Muslims) and indeed it has been a somber time as such attacks seem to be amplified in volume, whether in Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, France or Germany- we could all attest to the fact that we are living in some dangerous times.

Politicians and public figures have recently been “Speaking out” against Terrorism yet with a much more distinct and specific flavour– echoing the already loud calls of the potential next President of the United States Donald Trump.  Here in Australia we have had politicians and celebrities have their say about their fears of terror, indicating to the public that their fear runs so deep that indeed the only logical solution to stopping terrorism is to Ban Muslims altogether. That is right, no more Muslim immigration and no more Mosques and while we’re at it let’s try to get rid of Halal as well.

Now i promise to approach this matter fairly and with non Biased glasses because as a Muslim, of course, naturally i am inclined to defend Islam and rise up against what i deem to be bigotry. Yet let’s face it, this fear has to come from somewhere and this fear has to be addressed, why are people so scared? What could be done to ease the tension and settle the minds of my fellow Australians. ?

TV presenter Sonia Kruger states that Muslim Immigration in Australia must stop.

First thing is first, i will address TV presenter Sonia Kruger who last week made a statement on public television supporting an outright ban on Muslim Immigration. What i will do is quote and address each of her concerns and i will tackle these concerns with factual information that is very easy to absorb and hopefully such facts could put her mind and your mind at ease!

Sonia Kruger starts off by stating: “There is a correlation between the number of people who are Muslim in a country and the number of Terrorist Attacks.”

This statement may sound convincing to some people, yet it is a blanket statement that is inaccurate. Obviously depending on the country, its political stability, civil environment and security we have different outcomes. Now nations like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, The United States, Afghanistan & Britain for example are all nations that have been involved in conflict and foreign intervention, which leads to a lack of settlement, instability and tensions within the population which obviously would lead to an increased potential of terrorism. The fact that many of these nations has a high Muslim population is coincidental and does not mean in essence that Muslims are more violent, yet it does mean that Muslims have been exposed to more Violence due to Domestic terrorism, Foreign invasions, bombings, drone strikes and political unrest.

So nations like the ones that i mention above would certainly strengthen Sonia Krugers point, yet there is a deep flaw within her argument. You will notice that other Muslim and Non Muslim nations that have NOT been exposed to political instability, civil strife and military foreign intervention have seen high levels of a Muslim population blended with high levels of Non Muslims and pretty much no terrorism has occurred.

Due to political unrest, civil warfare, foreign military involvement. Places like Iraq are NOT a fair example to indicate Muslims are violent.

For example The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a population of 1.1 Million Muslims, whilst it has a whopping 1.8 Million Non Muslim Expats who live and work in this Middle Eastern Hub. If Muslims wanted to attack and kill non Muslims this would be their playground, yet instead we see people living in coexistence and in relative harmony.

What about Oman, also in the Middle East? I have been to Oman with my Christian Mother and we never felt safer. It has a 86% Muslim population and a 14% Non Muslim Population, here they have the upper hand in numbers and easily could terrorize their Non Muslim minorities- yet it is not happening. Am i making sense yet?

Now what about Qatar? Yet again deep in the Middle East. We have a 74% Muslim population and a 26% non Muslim population and yet again we are seeing no Terrorist Attacks occur here against Non Muslims.

Finally what about Kazakhstan in Central Asia? The population is 70% Muslims with a 30% Non Muslim population. It has yet to see a single terrorist attack against its 1/3 Non Muslim civilians. I hope you get my drift now.

Me and My Christian Mother in Oman, Middle East 2012. A nation of 86% Muslims where we felt very safe at all times.

Now you are probably going to ask me what about Non Middle Eastern countries and Non Muslim countries that have a sizeable Muslim population? Aren’t they committing Jihad left, right and center just like they are in France or the USA? The answer is no, not necessarily. Let me give you a few examples.

We have Cyprus on the Mediterranean. A European nation with a 23% Muslim population. This means that almost 1 in 4 people in Cyprus are Muslim and yet there has been no Terror Attack there.

How about Singapore with its 15% Muslim population? This country is a melting pot just like many other civilized nations around the world with a very considerable Muslim population and yet people live together without the “fear” that Sonia Kruger is shivering about on National Television.

We also have Austria with a Muslim population of 7% and even though there are concerns in the nation for the potential of terror attacks, at this stage, thank Goodness we have not had an attack against the people of the nation by the significant Muslim population.

Let us talk about Fiji, the Pacific Island Nation. The terror level is low and constantly remains low in this tropical paradise even though it carries a 7% Muslim population within it. Do you wonder why?

A final example is Mongolia. 5% of the Population are Muslims and all it takes is one person to commit an act of terror and yet the nation has been terror free as far as i can see.

Places like Cyprus with a strong 23% Muslim population are highly void of terror attacks.

Do you notice how all of the above nations are stable and have had no play in foreign military intervention that has caused unrest and warfare? Now let me refer you back to Sonia Kruger and the example of a nation she uses as a benchmark to Muslim Immigration. Here she states:

“Look at Japan, it has a population of 174,000,000 (million) and 100,000 people who are Muslim and we never hear of terrorist attacks in Japan“

So all the examples i gave you above range of a Muslim Population between 5% – 86% and this range proves that the number of Muslims does not necessarily mean more terror.
Yet in order for Sonia to propagate her banning of Muslim immigration to Australia she states that Japan is a perfect example of “just enough” Muslim Immigration in order to keep a society safe.

Just calculate that for a moment.  100,000 people from 174 million is a total of 0.1%.
She thinks that 0.1% of an entire countries population being Muslim is the limit in order for it to be considered “Safe” for her and her family. Those are some quite dismal numbers yet its a sneaky attempt at trying to highlight that No Muslims equals a safer society.

The Muslim Population of Australia is approximately 3%, so that is clearly 2.9% too many for Sonia Kruger, yet seeming she can’t do anything about the Muslims already here, she hopes to halt Muslim immigration by stopping it at 3% because apparently 3% of the population are causing sleepless nights for this poor woman.

Sonia Kruger claims Japans 0.1% Muslim Population is just enough to consider “safe”.

One thing that i found to be very condescending and quite cliche in Sonia Krugers speech on television was that she used the “I have [Insert Minority] friends!“. Yes, Sonia claims she has many wonderful and beautiful Muslim friends before continuing on her quite hardline train of thought. You see that argument doesn’t stick because you’ll hear that many racists say “I have many black friends” and many homophobes would say “I have many gay friends” and obviously Islamophobes would use the famous “I have many Muslim friends”. Yet this doesn’t strengthen their argument, in fact it makes them look more ridiculous because she is using tolerant language before coming to an intolerant conclusion. NO MORE MUSLIMS!

In saying that- i understand peoples fears, people are scared and indeed we are all scared of terrorism. Regardless of ones race or religion we all could be victims of terror and indeed it could reach our shores. Yet banning Muslims is simply not the answer because open discrimination and xenophobic policies are the perfect recipe for radicalization. Just like extremist preachers subdue the minds of suicidal maniacs we find that such language puts a megaphone to the hate preachers mouths and lets them yell out to Muslims to avenge such hostilities. It is a bridge that could lead to Muslims already in a country to be brainwashed much easier in the thought that their country hates them. The scare campaign continues yet the fact of the matter is the Media and the Politicians sleep in the same bed, at the end of the day us PEOPLE only really have each other.

This mentality does NOT help terrorism.

The onus isn’t only on everyone else though, of course the Muslim community can and must do more to not disenfranchise their youth from their own mixed communities and they must steer away from preaching segregation and violence. Not only that i also agree with strong immigration policies with vivid screening and background checks, whereas for example i think the over generosity of the German Immigration Influx may be problematic.

The best way to stem terrorism is to befriend Muslims and make them feel part of the greater community. Go to a Mosque and engage, ask many questions and interact. Learn more about the religion itself and find out if killing innocent civilians and non combatants is truly a pillar of Islam. Attend Muslim festivities and festivals and look at how Muslims are interacting in this place we call home. They are riding on rides, eating fairy floss and laughing with their families while making delicious Sunday barbeques. For the most part Muslims are not to be feared yet what we must fear is a civil breakup between communities because it gives the vultures power from both ends of the spectrum.

It opens the gateway to right wing politicians who take pleasure in dividing a nation and trying to enforce Nazi style doctrine among the people and it opens another door to making the radicalized mouth pieces more confident in recruiting young minds who do not feel in place in a country that actively seeks to ban their future existence. I am a Muslim and i invite you to speak to me if you have any concerns about Islam or Muslims. I welcome you to have a chat to me and i will be honest. From my 1,060 Facebook friends i have ever had three (3) people speak to me about my faith, whereas at least a dozen others simply speak ABOUT my faith. Let the dialogue begin.

PEACE, Salam Alaykum

 

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-Ramey. E

 

He Probably DID Hate Them For Their Freedom- Orlando Shooting.

More information is unfolding about the tragic event that unfolded in Orlando, Florida two days ago. Omar Mateen a 29 year old American Born male of Afghan descent visited the Pulse Nightclub whilst heavily armed at about 2am to unleash a tirade of bullets, leaving a frightening trail of 50 people dead and 53 injured.

Many people jumped the gun at the news that Omar Mateen was a man of “Afghan” descent with a Taliban supporting father and apparently pledged allegiance to ISIS before committing his heinous act on the crowd.

Politicians took charge immediately with tweets, including Donald trump who appreciated the “congratulations” from his fans that he was right about Islam and immigration. Such information and conclusions are very preliminary, which is why its important to give such an event some time so the information could be clarified and verified. Even ISIS were quick to put their hands up and somewhat claim ownership for the crime, praising this Martyr- yet something tells me after the latest revelations- ISIS will quickly be retracting their words of support and encouragement.

Donald Trump was quick to take advantage of the atrocity to push his political message.

You see Omar Mateen was most likely gay, given the information that has been provided to officials by his ex wife, friends and strangers who communicated with him on Gay meetup application GRIND’R. A lot of people may get angry for me saying this but we must really pull into question, was this really a homophobic crime? Was Omar Mateen truly a Homophobe that hated or despised gays? Or is it more fair to say that Omar Mateen was actually gay and hated himself for the fact that due to his religious environment- he had no freedom to express it.

The fact that he asked his friend out in the past and that he frequented the gay bar shows that he actually had no problem with homosexuals and that perhaps he was very comfortable in that environment. Perhaps it was his “safe place” where he could be himself and fear no retribution of a strict family, culture or religion.

Yet this perhaps is where the problem lies, believe me when i say i am making no excuses for this criminal. At the same time i think its very important to get a true character evaluation of each individual that commits such acts, so perhaps we could avoid it from happening again. Omar Mateen was perhaps fighting his homosexuality for a long time, getting married, perhaps living a double life and feeling the pressure of needing to conform to his spiritual faith whilst his physical needs led him elsewhere.

New investigations and testimonies show Omar Mateen may have been gay.

Omar Mateen most likely could not satisfy both Worlds, he couldn’t be the devout Muslim and be drinking in clubs whilst flirting with men- perhaps in his mind his self hatred and frustration led to him despising the very thing he couldn’t become.

May i dare say that most terror attacks have nothing to do with the perpetrators hating us for our “freedom” yet in this rare case i could say with enough confidence that maybe Omar Mateen hated these people for their freedom.  He possibly hated the fact that these people WERE free to be who they wanted to be and who were free to proudly flaunt their sexuality.

The sad reality is that even though his father states this had “nothing to do with religion” and the fact that President Barrack Obama concluded there is not “enough evidence” to suggest he had strong ties to ISIS or any other terror group. We must face one harsh reality, if Omar had not been in this crossroad, between faith and expression he most likely would not have committed this crime. Knowing he couldn’t embrace both philosophies possibly enraged him to the core and justified-  in his own diseased mind– that such actions would relieve him of such pressures.

Pulse nightclub, Orlando, Florida. The scene of the horrific crime.

He didn’t vent with words but a deadly arsenal of weapons, a scathing attack on individuals that never did any harm to him, nor to anybody else. In essence Omar Mateen was a coward for he had no courage to step up and overcome his “hurdle”. I am sure many Muslims are in the same boat, yet the huge majority do not go shooting up gay clubs.

Essentially this attack was an attack on both himself and others. I personally believe at this point this was an attack of an identity. An identity that Omar Mateen could never be proud of. An identity that he wished to rob off other people because the difference between them and him- was freedom.

RIP to all victims.

Peace, Salam Alaykum.

What’s With Gender Segregation?

You know i like to think of myself as quite a modern gentleman. Sure i stick with some traditionalist views and i am a bit old fashioned in some aspect but i am more than open to new ideas and advancements in the World. Lately there has been many loud cries in regards to gender segregation, particularly of Muslims in the Western World.

Apparently events run by Muslims have been “investigated” to be segregating genders, males on one side of the room and females on the opposite side of the room. Sure this does sound like a very different format that we are all used to- seeming we are a nation that identifies with co-mingling in every sense of the word.

Scenes like the ones pictured above where Men and Women are “Segregated” In Muslim events has caused major uproar in the media about sexism.

 

This uproar though has caused massive media stir and juicy controversy. In order to prove that Islam is a religion that hates women, the fact that they must sit across from men in their religious meetings and mosques indeed proves this is a religion that discriminates against women- apparently.

Yet hold on one moment, you might be surprised to know Gender Segregation is already alive and well in our communities and nobody is kicking up a stink about it at all! In fact, even worse – we openly practice Gender discrimination– Let me give you a few classic examples here in the West that is happening right now.

 

Female only gyms are becoming more popular.

Womens Only Gyms:

Currently across the country there are women only gyms. Am i as a male to take offence at this? Why can’t a woman workout in the same room as me? Is it because i am a man? Am i being perceived as a pervert?  Are women frightened of me?

Womens Only Cycling Group:

There are groups right now in Australia where women can only cycle with other women. Women instructors and Women cyclists. 

Womens Only Clubs:

The Lyceum Club in Melbourne, Australia is a perfect example of a strictly female only club. One of the main reasons this club exists is to keep every day women away from the “gaze” of men. Only male guests that know female members can visit.

Womens Only Cosmetic Surgery Teams:

Feel like a quick nip and a tuck but don’t want a dirty man to touch you? Too easy because right now you can take advantage of an all female cosmetic surgery team here in Sydney, Australia.

*Yet when a Muslim lady once asked for a female only doctor, her request made NEWS HEADLINES! “Monash Hospital Agrees to female only doctor-after complaint”

Dinah, the Worlds Biggest Party. For Women Only. For Lesbians only. No Males. No Straights.

World’s Biggest Party- For Women Only!:

Dinah is the Worlds Biggest Lesbian Pool Party that attracts up to 20,000 women only in Los Angeles, USA. Gay males? Keep out! Girls only bucko!

Womens Only Aged Care Facility:

The Opal Austral House in Manly, Sydney, Australia is one of many examples of “Womens Only” aged care facilities. Here they can feel safe and secure from their fellow old men.

Womens Only “Hackathon” Events:

Sydney and Melbourne last year hosted their first Womens Only Hackathon events. Where only female coders got together to share their tech-savvy views.

Womens only train carriages exist Worldwide. Now proposed in Australia.

Womens Only Train Carriages:

Up to 10 countries already have “Women Only” carriages on their trains and a few of them are in developed countries too. This year Australia proposed a potential new “pink carriage” for female travelers only.

Now there is one very important difference between all of the examples above and the examples of Muslim Gender segregation in events. The Muslim events that are being scrutinized are INCLUSIVE of both sexes. Regardless of seating practicalities both men and women can attend.

Yet all of the examples that i highlight to you above (and there are many more). We find that it is gender EXCLUSIVE. So genders aren’t segregated but one entire gender is openly discriminated against. For example- as a male i could visit these Muslim events and functions. As a female you could visit these Muslim events and functions. Yet as a male i could NOT visit the above gyms. As a male i could NOT visit the above clubs. As a male i could NOT take part in the above events.

So when you scope out and take a look at these scenarios comparatively, we would clearly see that one of them is actually more discriminatory, because it openly doesn’t “segregate” the sexes but it actually isolates an entire sex. Yet there are no complaints about the above examples we find in our Western nations.

I believe that life is about choices. A woman, in a Muslim event should have the choice to sit with women or sit in an “open” environment- should she choose.  Yet with the examples i show above, do i- as a male have the choice to workout in that gym or join that party? Not at all! So essentially…Is Gender Segregation really such a big deal?

 

Muslims in general, like any other community can and do free-mingle. Yet they wish to maintain the option for gender segregation in Islamic functions and events.

The option of having a “female only” section is something i have no problem with. Should a woman (or man) choose to prefer to be segregated then that is their prerogative. Yet for society to openly ban this idea of segregation and hence therefor force women, or men for that matter to sit in a manner that makes them uncomfortable is not a beneficial environment to me.

If a woman today is given the freedom to workout in a Female only gym to feel more comfortable, then i do not see the hostility to giving a Muslim woman the freedom to sit with females only in a Muslim function. 

To me there is a clear double standard where our current Western Society proudly boasts about the examples i gave you above. Where sexes are not segregated but sexes are clearly discriminated against. Nobody raises their voices in concern, cries foul or writes lengthy news articles about this norm. Yet once a Muslim wants to exercise their choice to sit in a segregated environment then all hell breaks loose.

It’s just oddly peculiar.

Peace

-R

The Cancerous Mainstream Media.

So last night i decided to pay visit to my personal favourite spoof News website called News.com.au. Oh wait, that is actually meant to be a reputable Australian news source that is viewed by Millions of Australians and International guests on a daily basis, great.

First thing that caught my eye was the scary image of Jihadi John. The ISIS member from the United Kingdom that was infamous for his brutal beheadings. Yet what was even more frightening than staring at this terrorists eyes was the article headline that read “Chilling letter predicts WW3 (World War 3) with Islam.”

The summary of the article underneath the image and headline read “A scarily accurate letter that predicted World Wars 1 and 2 also claimed that a third global battle would be fought between the West and Islam“.

The article that plagued Australian News sites last night. “Chilling letter predicts WW3 with Islam“

 

First of all you cannot be at war with “Islam” for it is not a monolithic universal entity. The more frightening reality is that the only realistic thing you could be at war with, as subjects, are Muslims- not Islam.

Reading this article shocked me because it was used to evoke fear and this article is dangerous because it already empowers war mongers to become more thirsty for this “predicted war” and it reaffirms to many crazies out there that this “war” is inevitable and the famous US VS THEM mantra will rear its ugly head.

As a matter of fact this US VS THEM ideology is already in full swing– hence such a low brow article is basically fodder to these dangerous people. Yet the most terrible thing about this entire article was that- besides it being simply a tool to stir up more fear and division in a society that is already on the brink– is the fact that this supposedly “accurate letter” that predicts a “war with Islam” is nothing but a hoax and it has been recognized as a clear hoax for at least 5 years now.

Albert Pikes is the supposed late 19th century Author of the “3 predicted wars”.

Yet last night,  News.com.au along with other classy press toilet wipes like “The Daily Mail” decided to publish it anyways. That’s right, a known hoax has made it to the front page news as a “scarily accurate” prediction- coming to you very soon!!

This supposed letter was apparently written by Free Mason Albert Pike in the late 1800’s. Apparently this man managed to speak about groups and movements that existed many decades later like “Nazism”. His letter talks about the fall of Christendom, the final battle with Islam and the New World Order. Such dramatic visionary comes with this letter, yet the fact of the matter is there is no prime or formal source of this letter in its original form, it simply does not exist.

All of the quotes from this supposed letter are quotes of quotes of quotes that trail back to absolutely nothing. There is not a single clear cut source for this letter that we could trace back to today, yet our news outlets in the year 2016 believe this is an important news article that the world must know about.

What will always stand true though is that the Governments and the Media are definitely buddies in promoting societal dysfunction and warfare. Considering the current climate we live in now with the refugee crisis, right wing leaders, ISIS and our military involvement overseas the last thing we need are our “reliable” news sources telling us that World War 3 is coming and Islam is enemy #1.

 

Fear works. Donald Trump is rising in popularity.

Even worse is that this News Breaking article comes with no actual source, trace it back and all you will find is thin air. Something that is vacating the minds of our journalists today, all air- no brains. The sad fact is most people would be too lazy, careless or unmindful to further research such ludicrous statements spread by our news outlets. As a matter of fact such articles could only act as an “I told you so!” to many bigots in our society who already are suspicious and hateful towards their fellow Muslim countrymen and women.

There will be no war with “Islam” and there already is a war with Muslims. A war people like me are fighting every day by correcting our News Sources, who have absolutely no problem with quite literally peddling warfare and promoting the narrative of a “final battle” between Islam and the West.

So protect your men, women and children because apparently World War 3 is coming and Islam is coming for you too! Who told me so? The airheads at News.com.au- that’s who!!

Peace, SALAM (PS- just kidding- cant wait to kill you)

Benefits Of A Bromance

Sure sure, this “buzz word” has been out and about years and just while you were hoping it would have died down and fizzled by now, i have applied CPR to it and this zombie is back from the grave and  is here to stay. Yes the word is BROMANCE. 

According to dictionary.com – Bromance is: 
“a relationship or friendship between two men that is extremely close but does not involve sex.“

You are probably thinking this defines the huge majority of your friends but think again. This “extreme” closeness is super extreme. Like Al Qaeda on steroids. Just think Donald Trump and North Korea extreme. Now that you’ve narrowed down these mates to single digits it’s time to appreciate them and truly recognize that you are in a Bromantic relationship. The Phenomena is nothing new, even the Bible is PRO BRO! 

 

Bromance is not a new idea . King David & Jonathan were Super Bros in the Bible.

I have always been first to admit i love my bro’s and i am not ashamed to admit it. These Bro’s of mine are people that accept me for me, and i for them. We reserve judgement. Offer polite criticism and stellar advice. Our support is like the frame works of a building. When you smile, we smile- when you cry, we cry. Yes, the weight of being a bro does not come easy, it is a role with huge responsibility.

There is no time for them fake Press On Nail type mates. Your Bro is the real deal! Now before all my fellow Muslims shout “Haram” and assume this post is treading on “dangerous territory”- think about what our own Prophet did in the below situation.

A man was with the Prophet when another man passed by and he said: “O Messenger of Allaah, I love this man.” The Prophet said to him: “Have you told him?” He said: “No.” He said: “Tell him.” So he caught up with him and said: “I love you for the sake of Allah“. He said: “May the one for Whose sake you love me- also love you.” Narrated by Abu Dawood (no. 5125)

Woah, dude. SO MUCH LOVE. Am i right? Or am i right? You see i appreciate my Bro’s because they have been there through thick and thin. We can talk about anything and have no fear about preconceived notions or post conversational judgement. We are cool.! Now as much as i love my womenfolk i do feel a little bit more reserved to wear my heart on my sleeve, i tend to take it slowly and cautiously.

 

Below are 5 steps to become a BRO!

If you want to become someones Bro it’s actually not rocket science. Here are the tips.

Tip #1) Be generous.

A true Bro is willing to extend his hand generously to his friend.

Tip #2) Be supportive.

There is no better feeling than knowing your Bro has “got your back”

Tip #3) Be involved.

Get yourself involved in your Bros life. Play sports with them. Stay updated on their life events.

Tip #4) Be open.

Your Bro might be in a 9-1-1 dilemma and need you. Always let them know you’re a phone call or a door knock away.

Tip #5) Be real.

There is nothing to hide from your Bro. Whether good or bad you know you can say anything you want to each other.

So what are you waiting for? BE A BRO TODAY! Now when i say Bro i don’t mean i am Batman and you are Robin. No! That is not how a Bromance works! I am Batman and you are Batman and together we make Bratman! Just picture when you are looking in the mirror your Bro looking right back at you, giving you the Bro-fist of approval! If a girl were to find you both attractive you wouldn’t compete and leave your Bro in the dirt. You’d pretend you were Siamese twins and tell her it’s all or nothing!

“We’re actually Siamese twins. If you like one you’ll have to like us both! 😉 “

Do you get it now!!?

Peace, Ramey.

Exposing The Finebros (Youtube)

TheFinebros are a popular Youtube channel that have made a name for themselves thanks to their “reaction” type videos, including “kids react”, “elders react” and “teens react”. These men have witnessed a huge success in their channel and views, yet just like the typical tale of greed we see that their latest step in maintaining fame and money has come at a pricey cost!

TheFinebros made a pitch to the World claiming they have an innovating, new and exciting idea called “react world”. Where basically they are creating a special network where people from all around the world can make reaction videos and they’d support and sponsor them. Yet in the meanwhile what the Finebros did was they decided to start a Trademark pitch of which they trademarked and copyrighted certain words and lines on Youtube. These included the word “react” and “kids react” “elders react” “teens react” “parents react” and many many more.

So whilst they have been trying to sell “React World” to be some all inclusive club they have behind the scenes been trademarking words on Youtube which has led to other Youtubers getting their videos banned, copyright claimed and outright blocked worldwide simply for using words such as “react”. Youtube user 8bit Eric has recently come out exposing the Finebros for blocking his videos worldwide. TheFinebros not only took other peoples videos down but also “claimed” partial ownership of them meaning THEY got part of the earnings cut from that users original content.

The Finebros and their “React World” pitch

In short, they are trying to OWN and claim the “reaction” market on Youtube. This is crazy because thus far their plan has been working. Many Youtubers have complained of having their videos blocked and copyright struck when their videos are well within the Fair Use of Youtube guidelines.

Yet the scary thing is not that the Finebros are only trying to takeover the “react” sector on Youtube but also OUTSIDE of Youtube. A short time ago Ellen from the Ellen Degenerous show had a little segment on her show of Children reacting to older technology items. Her “format” on her show was pretty much unrecognizable from the Finebros format found on their channels.

Yet Ellen having this segment on her show infuriated them, so much so that they encouraged their fans both on Facebook and Twitter to go and barrage the Official Ellen page for daring to run a “react” segment on her show- without their permission.

This segment of Ellens’ show outrage TheFinebros who believed she needed their permission for having a “react” segment on her popular show.

This goes to show how far their thirst and greed has processed. So much so that these “Youtube Stars” are threatening high profile celebrities and have the confidence to suppose they have a monopoly on an idea that existed way before they even existed.

You probably think TheFinebros deserve some success, they worked hard to get where they are today and what is wrong with earning something for all the hard work you put in right? Wrong. You see in Early 2012 there was a Youtube channel called Stillcosmos. This channel was by no means “huge” or anywhere as near as popular as the Finebros became. Yet in saying that Stillcosmos had a list of videos titled “Seniors react“. Their format included a senior person, sitting in front of a laptop with the “Seniors react” logo in view and them reacting to a variation of things.

Finebros took to Facebook and Twitter to complain and encourage their fans to banter against Ellen.

At this stage the Finebros had still not entered the “Senior/Elder” market. So what the Finebros did was they adopted, or lets be honest- STOLE the “Seniors react” idea from Stillcosmos and they created their own “Elders React” segment on their own channel, pretty much copy and pasting the format that was first seen on the Stillcosmos channel.

So its bad enough that the Finebros stole this idea from someone else, yet it becomes worse. Way worse. Once the Finebros got a strong grip of the “Elders react” market and continued their expansionist vision they also began to wrestle their competition to the ground and exile them from Youtube.

One of their first victims was the very channel they took the idea from- Stillcosmos. TheFinebros flagged their videos, gave them copyright strikes and put their channel on the path of closure. Eventually Stillcosmos “Seniors React” disappeared into the Cosmos on Youtube and is no longer part of the community. In the meanwhile TheFinebros continued to claw, gnash and punch their way to the top.

 

Youtube user “Stillcosmo” created the “Seniors React” idea first. An idea that was taken from TheFineBros who then claimed “ownership” of it and flagged Stillcosmo off of Youtube.

All of this information has become available and the backlash from the Youtube community has been huge. TheFinebros have lost approximately 150,000 subsribers, damaged their reputation and have depreciated their earnings here on Youtube. The community has spoken in this mass protest and TheFinebros have done everything in their power to extinguish it with disingenuous damage control.

There is a huge lesson in this. Always remember where you came from. As i mention in my video Youtube is a community, not a heirachy based business proposition where you can just “buy” segments of it all for yourself. These two men have taken an idea, made it their own and then force others to go THROUGH them to create content they should initially have the right to create in the first place.!

Youtube User “8bitEric” is another victim of the Finebros bully tactics. His videos have been blocked and copyright claimed by the Finebros. Meaning THEY are getting a financial cut for HIS work.

Crazy place, crazy times- right!? Please watch, share and thumbs up my video!
Please subscribe to my Youtube channel Ramio1983

Peace, Salam.

Speak English or Shut Up?

مرحبا والسلام.  <— Does this scare you? I’d certainly hope not because i just greeted you and wished you peace, in Arabic. You see just over 48 hours ago all schools in a county of Virginia, the United States were shut down because a school received so many complaints from angry parents about a Geography Lesson aiming at explaining the complexity of Arabic Calligraphy. The school used the Islamic Shahada (Testimony of Faith) as an example of its complex structure.

The Shahada or testimony of faith in Islam states “There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger.” The fact is the school was dealing with language and religion and used quite a specific and important language slogan that details the complexity of the calligraphy, whilst also highlighting the religious importance behind it. Yet many parents and students felt they were being indoctrinated and somehow forced to submit to Islam by simply learning how to write beautiful calligraphy.

This homework on Arabic Caligraphy shut down all schools in a county of Virginia.

The angry backlash caused every school in the county to shut down due to security threats and fear of negative repercussions- all because this alien language and religion was used as a study topic in a school. Seems nonsensical but not in modern day America it isn’t. Especially with the likes of Donald Trump getting more TV air time than anybody of higher significance – we are seeing such fear and hostility is spreading into the communities.

Only weeks ago a woman was attacked in an Applebees restaurant in Minnesota, the US. 43 year old Jodie Burchard-Risch was so disgusted that a fellow diner in the restaurant – Ms. Asma Jama was speaking with her family in Swahili that she yelled “In America you speak English” then physically assaulted her by smashing a beer glass on her face.

Asma Jama (right) was attacked at an Applebees restaurant in Minnesota for speaking Swahili.

One must beg the question, what is it with this obsession that you “must” speak English and why does it disturb so many people that others speak another language in public? Why must you understand what others are saying when they are in fact not speaking to you? Are there any laws in the United States that claim it is illegal to publicly speak another language? All of these are pressing questions for the ones that have a burning ear when they hear something besides English.

Yet this isn’t only an American problem.

Yesterday here in Sydney, Australia we have the case of a woman on a train abusing another lady who was speaking Spanish to her mother on the phone. A middle aged “Australian” woman decided to hurl verbal abuse at the young Natalie Soto for daring to speak another language in public besides English.

“We speak English in this country. If you can’t speak it in public don’t speak it at all.” – Said the angry patriotic woman who had such an itch for Spanish that it somehow forced her to speak out in disgust. “Speak it in your own home, don’t speak it in public” – she continues.

This woman verbally assaulted a fellow passenger on a Sydney train for speaking Spanish. Telling her to “Go home”.

What is odd is that this woman, amongst all the others who hold no tolerance for Multi-Lingual speakers could even come up with a logical excuse on why the other party should stop. It is not against any Australian law. It is absolutely harmless. Most times another language sounds beautiful and exotic and really highlights what a vibrant multi-cultural society we live in.

You see Australians who have huge issues with others not speaking English do not have a leg to stand on. The major problem is that i can assure you none of these bigots could speak even one of our many Native Aboriginal languages that existed in abundance before their colonial ancestors stepped foot on this land. It would only be fair that if they say all “others” MUST speak English in Australia, that then indeed all English speakers MUST speak one native Aboriginal language.

Claiming that we “Only” speak English in this country is wrong. You see this country has a history that spreads further than our 230 year Colonial history. Rewind that tape to find that Australia, before any explorers settled the area already had multiple peoples and languages within it. Many of which became extinct and depleted once settlers and prisoners came in. Yet i have never seen or heard of a single Aboriginal person telling me i MUST speak Dharug (the Native language of Sydney). Yet what i do hear loud and clear are post colonial “Australians” yelling at anyone who does not speak English- a language that is actually FOREIGN to Australia itself.

Above: All languages spoken in Australia prior to English Settlement 230 years ago.

This all falls back with another example of the Media onslaught of the Grand Mufti of Australia Mr. Ibrahim Abu Mohammed who speaks very little English. People seem to focus more about the language than what words are actually being used. I’d rather someone tell me they Love me in French than they hate me in English. The bottom line is its not necessarily the language itself, it is how we use the language and what we say.

The Grand Mufti of Australia has openly denounced terrorism, loud and clear on multiple occasions in Arabic and with English translators. Yet there was no applause for condemning terrorism, instead there was dismay that he was not speaking English.

Grand Mufti of Australia (left) publicly denounces terrorism, yet gets yelled atfor not doing it in English.

I really think people are missing the point….

Peace, Salam 🙂
Ramio1983

Christmas, Ramadan or None?

“Ramey, you cannot be half Muslim and half Christian, you can only be one“…These words echoed by my Religion teacher Mrs. Young at my former High School in 1998 had to have been one of the most earth shattering, mind boggling and mentally challenging words i had ever heard at the tender age of 15.

You see, i had a very interesting upbringing. I was raised in a household that was interfaith. My Mother of Croatian ancestry is a Christian whilst my father of Lebanese ancestry is a Muslim. Their marriage in the late 1970’s caused shock-waves through both communities and families from both sides couldn’t understand it, due to the supposed “taboo” of it all.

Not only two very different cultures but also two different religions. “What about the children?“ would be the cry of concerned relatives from both ends of the spectrum, little did they knew this upbringing of mine was one of the most healthiest and happiest when it came to tolerance and understanding.

My brother hugging me under our Christmas tree. 1983.

So what was it like growing up in a household where i was both exposed to Christian and Muslim elements? Let me be honest. Pretty amazing! I truly looked forward to every Christmas and decking out that tree, helping my Mother decorate it and turning it on every night ensuring it faced a window so our neighbours could get tree envy!

I remember the excitement of sitting under the Christmas tree with all of those amazing colours shining on the floor and my obsession with the Christmas tree Angel we used to have sitting on top with her glittery halo and roughed up blonde hair. There was something so euphoric, beautiful and heartfelt about this time of the year and my house felt like a sanctuary.

Then came the period of Ramadan, the month long Muslim Holy month where Muslims are told to fast, read the Quran, pray and give to charity. Growing up i always remember being in complete awe as to how my father could refrain from food and water for long periods of the day. The unifying factor was dinner time, come sunset- we would all converge over a delicious feast that my mother would make up and my father would listen to the radio waiting for the Adhan (call to prayer) to start before we’d enjoy our usually eccentric over the top dinner.

Then came the “Eid” festivities where all the family from my Dads side would dress up in their best attire, head over to cafes and restaurants and enjoy time with family and friends. The vibe of the streets in our area during Ramadan was buzzing with excitement and energy, it truly was a beautiful time of the year that i grew further fond of .

My too cool for school parents 1970s’.

Yet then came that moment, when i was happily 50% Christian and 50% Muslim in my own eyes- where all of that fantasy came to a sudden crash. When my High School Religion teacher asked me what religion i was- i stared her right in the eyes with a big smile and said “I am half Christian and half Muslim” – assuming that was a perfectly acceptable answer. She glared at me and smiled telling me that indeed my “beliefs” are in pure conflict and that i cannot be both, i had to pick one. This was when my perception of religions and the religious changed, almost like a perversion entered my mind about the life that i was living and it was time to reflect. She had basically told me my religious expression was invalid.

During this time neither of my parents pushed their religions onto me, respectably. Even though both parents were observant to degrees in their religion, neither was completely compliant. Yet i always felt religiously free to think as i wanted to think and this was a blessing in disguise. After doing a brief study of the religions i decided that for the time being i was happy to simply be an Agnostic. A person that is unsure about the existence of God, yet someone who still holds appreciation and respect for what religion can do to people. During my Agnostic stage of my life (from 15 years of age until about 18) i did not express my beliefs to anybody. I felt no need to and even though i had a numb feeling for religion, there was a yearning inside me to find out more and continue to explore.

Then at about 18 years of age i decided to become a Unitarian. This religion was very interesting because it was very inclusive and it mirrored my thoughts exactly. The Christian branch of Unitarianism was even better because it saw Jesus as a role model but also rejected him as a God figure.

I felt proud of my decision to become a Unitarian and i would engage with other people on discussion boards about it. When i told my Mother i had identified myself as a Unitarian (Christian branch) she was ecstatic. She expressed that i was “chosen” and that God loved me.  (Suddenly?)

Me in front of Zagreb Cathedral 2015

When i expressed to my father that i identified with the Unitarian movement in my late teens, he was not impressed. He concluded that i was lost and needed some guidance. Hell was potentially on the horizon. Either way it was interesting to see that the more i expressed myself when it came to my faith and beliefs the more it would irritate and irk my parents- at different times, for different reasons. As i become more profound in my beliefs the perversions of religion and the religious reared its ugly head again.

Years down the path, especially after all the horrible terror attacks committed by supposed Muslims i had decided to study Islam. I truly needed to know and find out if indeed my father held the same beliefs as these lunatics. I knew instantly that there is no way, my Father, whom i love dearly would actively engage himself in a religion that encourages Murder and terrorism. So i hit the books again in my Early 20’s and i really studied the faith and the Qur’an. I remember each night before bed i would open a copy of my Dads Quran and read it for 30 minutes.

It was a mesmerizing read at times, i often remember nodding my head, in agreement, at what i read because the God concept the Qur’an expressed was exactly the God concept i believed in and when it started talking about the Prophets, especially Jesus (pbuh) it really chimed intensely for me. By the time i hit 23 years of age i decided to “Upgrade” my beliefs from a Unitarian to a Muslim and this again was something i had not immediately shared.

Me in front of the Blue Mosque, Istanbul, 2014.

This time the tables turned and when i expressed my love and faith for Islam to my father he  was jubilant and happy, confidently asserting he knew i’d make the decision. Whereas my Mother was highly irritated, she saw it as some sort of betrayal and her Son was indeed lost in a Philosophical limbo.

Then it all became crystal clear to me. Even though my parents played it cool, deep down inside both of them had yearned for me to bat for their “team”. The bottom line is my spiritual journey is my own and i came to it without an indoctrinated mind. When i expected people to be happy that i, as a grown man, was taking observation and fleeting decisions about the World around me, i noticed it only increased their agitation and there was little support.

I remember my Father one day looking downcast and saying to me “I wish i taught you Islam when you were a kid“. I looked at him puzzled and asked why? Look at me today, i came to Islam all on my own, with a fresh mind that queried and alternated between different beliefs to come to my own “truth” or conclusion. I thanked him for not shoving religion down my throat as a kid.

I explained to him that kids that are forced into religion turn into Adults that don’t actually KNOW about their religion but instead repeat religious duties like chores. I also noticed that kids that were religiously forced into things in later years turned out to “rebel”.  I told him the fact that you both left me alone to take my own spiritual adventure was a blessing and that he has nothing to be ashamed of.

When i have children i will NOT force feed them my religious beliefs. My reasoning behind it is that i will explain to my children my beliefs and why i believe what i do, yet i will encourage them to research and embark on their journey through the path of curiosity and honesty. 

I had high hopes and expectations that my family would be proud of my spiritual journey from a lack of belief, to a Unifying belief to finally a belief of Submitting my will to the Almighty. Yet the way my Parents saw it was that i was playing with fire, quite literally! They’d selectively be happy for me if my journey stopped at their station of beliefs, yet then be upset and harsh if my beliefs went on to explore other stations.

I will teach my kids to embark on their own spiritual journey and explain my own to them as well.

That is what i mean by the hypocrisy of religion and the religious. It is only about YOUR religion. Yet for me its about ALL religions and what you connect with the most. I want my children to find their way on their own, with their own senses, intuition and faith of which they naturally will develop. As opposed to me “corrupting” them at a young age and forcing them – out of their own will- to be a carbon copy of myself.

Today i can proudly say i am a Muslim, even if it annoys family, friends or strangers. Either side i am accused of being “brainwashed” into the religion or a “betrayer” for abandoning another. The bottom line is i have abandoned nobody or nothing. My upbringing under the Christmas lights and Crescent Moon of Ramadan really was the light of tolerance beaming down upon me and truly became the staple of my spiritual journey.

I wish my parents were more proud as to how they brought me up and held no regrets for their decisions in life. I believe because i truly believe, from the heart- as an Adult. Not a child that was forced to become an adult too soon and have their journey “cut short” because their ignorant parents don’t want them to face the reality of choice.

Peace, Salam Alaykum.
Ramey

Why Have I Been Avoiding Los Angeles?

I have had the travel bug for the last 5 years of my life and i have managed to see some amazing sights and sounds. From the glitz and neon lights of Hong Kong to the wonderful Croatian Coast. From the stunning mountains of Queenstown to the turquoise waters of Honolulu. I have never been shy in venturing to unexplored territory, whether with others or riding solo, i never give up on an opportunity to stay somewhere new.

You see this time last year i was planning a holiday to the Mainland United States. To be honest it has never been so high up on my list because when i travel, i want a culture shock. My mind tells me that the USA is like Australia but on steroids, sure its a preconceived notion based on little evidence but such are the wonders of a peculiar mind.

Last November i decided, it was finally time to pay visit to the United States of America. My first stop was to be Los Angeles. WAS is the keyword here seeming it never manifested and the reason is perfectly justified in my own mind, yet then again so is eating raw lemon with salt justified in my own mind. I had already planned the date of my travel to Los Angeles, i had intended on staying there a few days before beginning a road trip and this adventure was going to likely be a solo one.

What is it that makes me want to avoid Los Angeles?

I was literally only seconds away from booking my ticket before i decided to look at some accommodation i may stay at whilst i am there. Scrolling through the hotel booking pages i looked for discount tickets because when travelling Solo budget is usually the way to go. I found a hotel that had a wonderful 52% off per night. It was 3 stars and located in Los Angeles. Demographically i know nothing about Los Angeles, even Geographically i have no idea what is where and my mind does not comprehend the potential size of this city.

Yet i was happy to click away and take this steal of a deal. The Hotel was called “The Cecil” Hotel and it sounded classy enough and the select few high definition photos looks quite decent. Yet i consider myself a smart traveler, i knew how hotels work, they always make things look flashy and you likely will arrive disappointed. So i decided to check out a few cheeky reviews before clicking on that BOOK button.

This decision to check reviews of the Cecil hotel was the page turner in my fate to avoid Los Angeles. It was the step that made me turn back and run far far away from this city of mystery. What i was about to read shocked me. “The Cecil” hotel has a very rich history, so rich that recently the hotel has decided to change its name to “wash its hands clean” from its many unsavoury stories. The Hotel is now called “Stay On Main”, sure you can change the name but you could never…NEVER delete this history of this hotel.

I was about to book and stay in the Cecil Hotel, LA.

First of all is the location, this hotel pretty much smack bang faces a place called “Skid Row”. Now if you’ve ever played any of the recent Grand Theft Auto games and hung around the roughest hood, it’d give you a rough idea of where this hotel is located. Yet its odd location was the least of my worries after i kept reading article after article about this spooky hotel.

Serial Killers actively chose this hotel as their “home stay” in between their murder sprees due to its close proximity and easy access to easy drugs and easy targets such as prostitutes. Not to mention the Cecil in the 1980’s was an extremely affordable hotel, so much so that people often remained there long term.  Richard Ramirez, also known as the “Night Stalker” was a serial killer that called the Cecil home in the mid 1980’s. The Satanist burgled, raped and killed his way through the most troubled spots of Los Angeles and quietly made his way back to his lair, the “Cecil”. He got away with this sick cycle 13 times (Yes, he killed 13 people!).

Then came the case in 1991 of Austrian citizen Jack Unterweger who stayed in the hotel for 5 weeks and slaughtered three prostitutes in the Cecil hotel. He stayed there for $30 a night and was left undetected to continue his murdering spree. These horrific scenes had occurred in this Los Angeles Hotel after he had already been jailed and released in his native Austria for a similar string of murders.

Satanist Serial Killer Richard Ramirez used “The Cecil” as his killing playground.

The Hotel itself was also a hotbed for many suicides from the 1950’s onward. Yet the particular case that not only caught my eye but raised the hairs on the back of the neck was the 2013 death of Canadian student Elisa Lam at the Cecil hotel premises. In January 2013 the bright and bubbly Elisa decided to embark on a solo journey through the West Coast of the United States, much like what i had initially wanted to do once visiting the mainland.

Yet her journey was cut short, under very mysterious circumstances. It all begins with video footage of the Cecil Hotel elevators and the footage of a single young female of Asian appearance entering the elevator. The next couple minutes of footage is puzzling, baffling and downright frightening. Elisa appears to push the buttons in the elevator, to no avail. Then she hides behind sections of the elevator, trying to have a sneaky peer from the edges of it, to whatever awaits outside.

The lift refuses to move, let alone close. In frustration Elisa pushes all buttons, then decides to step out in some scattered movements. Her arms begin twisting and distorting as she appears to be communicating to someone- or something just outside the lift. Elisa finally disappears off camera, then suddenly the lift doors decide to close, without her in it. Moments later it was presumed she was dead. Her naked body was found weeks later at the rooftop water tank of the hotel. The only reason they found her body was the harrowing discovery by hotel guests who complained of “pungent black water” running through their taps.

Elisa Lam’s eerie final moments before her mystery death were captured on CCTV of the Cecil hotel.

Elisas mobile phone was missing and no other clues have come as to how she got in the water tank of the hotel. Yet police deemed the death “accidental”. A flavour that seems very bitter to many people who find the entire situation suspicious. She had no drugs or alcohol in her system. This story of Elisa Lam has become a “token” story in Los Angeles. Almost “fashionable” to talk about. Her story genuinely scared me because it is missing pieces of a puzzle that have been forced to “fit together” to fit the narrative that it was an accidental death, a narrative that makes no sense.

As captivating as her story is it has pushed me far away from Los Angeles because it is not only Elisas’ story that haunts me- the Cecil hotel being the portal of such bizarre activity and knowing i was only a click away from staying here really sealed the deal for me. I don’t truly believe Elisas case to be closed and its an incomplete circle. I do believe Elisas story needs to be revisited but most definitely not by me. The Cecil gave me a huge irrational fear of Los Angeles, i understand and acknowledge that it is an irrational fear yet reading up on the history of the hotel and the many characters that played a “lead role” in this place really made me realize i have no interest in making any appearances on its stage any time soon.

Peace, Salam.

FEMEN: Does Getting Naked Help Women’s Rights?

“Our Mission is Protest! Our Weapon are bare breasts!” – This is the Mission Statement of extreme Feminist group FEMEN who for the last few years have appeared in many Media Outlets flashing their breasts and scrawling bold statements across their mostly naked bodies to promote women’s rights.

Lets be honest, their official mission statement almost sounds like a parody. Yet these girls take themselves very seriously. They claim their “God” is a “Woman” yet also simultaneously state their FEMEN “Ideology” is Atheism. It almost appears that this group even today is unaware of what exactly they are and what exactly they stand for.

Let us first give you a brief history of this feminist group. The group was founded in the Ukraine in 2008. The group carries about 170 “active protesters” across Europe and boasts a “social support group” of approximately 25,000 people. Given these facts and figures, the numbers are quite underwhelming yet the bottom line is these controversial ladies are stirring societies pot, yet the question one must beg is- “Are their protests actually useful?“

A couple of days ago the FEMEN group attended a “Muslim conference” in France of which Men were up on stage talking about the rights of women in Islam. Moments before the men get up to speak the two women take over the stage with their bare breasts shouting “Nobody Makes me Submit!“. The Men giving the speech backed away and let the women take the stage- moments before being shoved and even kicked off the stage by one man. In typical FEMEN style the women are carried away as they leave desperate screams in the background, not leaving without a “fight”.

FEMEN protester crashes Muslim Conference in France.

Yet further evidence that these women are confused as to what their goal is lies in the message they were promoting that night. “Nobody Makes Me Submit!“. Who is asking her to submit? And to who exactly? Is she talking about Muslim men making them submit? Oddly enough they are not Muslim so nobody is asking them to supposedly submit and never is the word “submit” issued for Muslim women in regards to how they treat their husbands. Is she talking about Muslims making them submit to Allah? Very unlikely to happen, especially in France.

So the end result with this protest is that it makes them look like a couple of crazy women screaming about nonsense flashing their breasts to a bunch of unsuspecting Muslims- it doesn’t appear the point hit home this time. It almost appears to me that the FEMEN group tend to much favour controversy over tackling genuine issues and doing productive things to actually make a change to Women’s rights around the world.

They have protested against some good causes- misogyny, unfair pay, domestic violence, religious extremism and more. Yet simply because they tend to protest against some unjust causes it doesn’t mean their way about it is reasonable. Appearing in public and private events and functions, being loud and disruptive, being mostly naked and using profanities and vulgarity in front of Men, Women and Children are actions that speak louder than the cause. Their “message” is wiped away by their sheer loudness. They tend to scream “Look at me!” instead of “Look at my cause” and that is why i deem FEMEN to be a failure in the world of protests and activism.

FEMEN protester hacking off a cross in a park.

There is absolutely no evidence, in their 7 years of “service” that their means of protest has birthed any actual change to the causes they are supposedly fighting for. There is no evidence that their fight has yielded a reawakening of minds when it comes to the plights of Women’s rights and feminism. On the contrary many see FEMEN as a public nuisance- a bunch of self righteous women who simply bring attention to themselves, rather than their causes.

Oddly enough, if they were to protest (with their clothes on) in regards to Women’s rights, they’d find that their cause would shine brighter because people wouldn’t be too busy tackling them into police vans or taking screenshots of their breasts. There are many respectable, proud, strong and defiant Women’s rights groups that fight for women and do so in a dignified fashion. They make their cause their aim and their aim their cause. This is how awareness is given- not by the less you wear but by the more you say. When FEMEN make their statements shouting 5 word slogans and painting 5 words across their bodies they are doing more than simplifying many Women’s right issues around the world.

FEMEN protesters always quickly find themselves in this position.

They are making the plight of Women’s rights more difficult because their methodology puts a negative light on the understanding of true Feminism. They put a massive blot on the hard work many other Women have done in regards to combating issues facing women in today’s societies. Let me give you a wonderful example of a WOMAN who has done MUCH for womens’ rights in a humbling, respectful and defiant matter.

Angelina Jolie. 

Angelina Jolie. This woman does activism right.

Whilst Femen are out shouting at the Pope, burning crosses and painting each others breasts, we have this Celebrity who has done more than they ever could. Angelina Jolie has traveled to the World’s most impoverished nations, she has spoken to Women of all cultures and religions, she has spoken with pride at the United Nations fighting for the rights of the poor, women and refugees. She’s all class and FEMEN are all crass. The sooner we all realize this, the better.

Peace, Salam- Ramey

Why The Current Refugee Crisis Is Everybody’s Problem.

You may have seen the image floating around social media as of late. The harrowing and disturbing image of a three year old boy, laying face down on a Turkish Beach, lifeless and bloated after having drowned along with his Mother and Brother whilst their boat capsized, headed for Kos, Greece.

His name is Aylan Kurdi, i use present tense language because in my view a child never dies, he’s an Angel in my eyes. His parents left the War torn Syrian town of Kobane to flee for a better life. A risk that obviously had to be worth dying for. When we see the situation of the Syrian war we come to realize safety for many people is no longer a viable scenario- anything is safe but their homes.

Aylan, despite passing away, has become the still living, still breathing “face” of the current refugee crisis facing Europe at the moment. Many thousands are attempting to enter Southern or Eastern Europe so they can make a passage to nations that have welcomed them with open arms, like Germany. Many of these refugees are women and children and the constant barrage of blockages is sending them in a desperate array of madness. It is understandable, these people have traveled in treacherous seas with their lives packed in a couple of bags, carrying children on their shoulders. They must be restless from a lack of sleep and deprived of standard hygienic rights.

Illustration: Aylan Kurdi- The 3 year old refugee that drowned.

For these Syrian refugees the constant blockages they are facing by countries they are simply trying to pass through is a true test of patience. Sitting in the pouring rain with a lack of proper food and shelter whilst being blocked by barbed wire and intimidating police cannot be a sight they were expecting to find in such democratic and liberal lands. Some refugees cracked under the pressure and questioned authorities, tried to skip lines and attempted to force themselves into trains and borders. Sure enough, from our perspective it might seem like a bad idea to engage in such behaviour yet we must understand these people are on survival mode, they have been ever since they left their once glorious nation, which now lies in partial rubble. Constantly under threat by “Allied” warplanes or Barbaric terror groups.

As is the case in every situation that involves war, it is always the innocent that pay the price. Let me get political for a moment because this information is important. The Syrian situation isn’t only a Syrian issue. It isn’t only a Middle Eastern Issue. The Syrian conflict has had many different hands in play to the current dilemma. Hands that come mainly from The United States, Europe and the Middle East. The Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is about to make a decision on whether he will join the United States request to begin military strikes in Syria, so we will soon enough find out if Australian hands will join this list of War meddling.

The fact of the matter is that Syria has had a relatively stable history in the Middle East. Prior to the civil conflict that soon turned into an International one we find that Syria had a huge influx of tourists, culture and relative safety. Yet now it is a place that mirrors its once great neighbour Iraq. What we find is that one by one, many formerly great Middle Eastern Nations are toppling and crumbling due to predictable dictators, foreign invasions and civil unrest. It’s a recipe for disaster and just as it happened before, it is all happening again.

Hungary building its barb wired fence to block refugees access to pass.

So why is the current Syrian refugee Crisis everybody’s responsibility? It is a Humanitarian Issue. These people need our help and it is as simple as that. The Earth is a vast place. Borders and barriers are an excuse for us to be exclusive and to shut off and shun people in our attempts to “preserve” our culture. Yet isn’t our culture in humanity more important than our materialistic culture? Is it not our duty to wear the boots of perspective and try to understand it from the angle of the people fleeing? They didn’t start the war! They want out.!

Believe it or not some people are trying to dismantle the refugee status of these people, claiming that their protests and demands to get to “richer” European countries prove they are “Economic Immigrants”. This is a crude statement that fails to look at the reality. The reason all of these immigrants want to flee to “Rich” Germany and not “Rich” Iceland is the fact that Germany has ALREADY announced it is willing and ready to take in 800,000 refugees, without harsh camps, without months of waiting to only be rejected. They are aiming for stability, not money.

This explains why they are not fleeing to the Rich nation of Iceland – Who have offered to only take in 50! Refugees. 
This blasts the conspiracy theorists who are trying to undermine the struggle of these people. They are unhappy with being “blocked” by these other countries who are stopping them from going to a destination that will give them that safety and security every human being should have the chance of having.

Yet there is a huge pressure on Europe at the moment as they were not expecting this huge influx of refugees in such a short time span and no, this is not exclusively Europe’s responsibility. Yes, i am looking at you rich countries of the Gulf. Whilst the Modest Middle Eastern Nations like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon have welcomed Syrian refugees in huge proportions we find that the most well off countries in the Middle East like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE have all turned a blind eye on their fellow brothers and sisters. They have no formal resolution or proposition to help these refugees. What a shameful and shocking display of ignorance and a callous display of indifference to the suffering of their fellow humankind, who happen to share the same creed as them.

Arab Gulf States have done less than Europe. Offering NO assistance to Syrian refugees.

This is why i am being slightly more lenient with the current situation and Europes handling of it. We must understand- refugees must and should be welcomed, worldwide- yet it must be controlled immigration. These people need to be identified, they must be catered for and counted. There cannot simply be a “Free for all” system where people aimlessly run around settling to a place foreign to them. I believe every country should take responsibility for these refugees, yet get their act together and have a plan to support them and help them recover from their living hell they fled. This all needs to be controlled and documented migration, it is truly the only civilized way to do this.

We must look at this situation from all angles. Europe should help the refugees just like the Gulf states in the Middle East should. We all should have a plan for these people and a moral compass. Help them help themselves and find their feet again. These are Human beings, families like you and i. How can we deny them safety and asylum?

It disgusts me that even given the clear sadness of this situation with Aylan Kurdis’ photo being shown world wide we still have Neo Nazi scum burning down refugee shelters in Germany, we still have flag waving xenophobic bigots yelling “Fuck off, we’re full” and indeed we still have ignorant Morons vilifying these people calling them “Welfare cheats” before they even step foot on their lands. This is where we see the sickness in humanities heart and how we cannot see past race, religion or borders and look at the basic core of the issue. They are humans, so start treating them like they are!!

Humans, that’s all they are.

Peace, Salam, Ramey.

Interview With An Ex- Islamophobe

Ah yes, as i type this the word Islamophobe and Islamophobia has a red underline on it, indicating a “spellcheck” because it is a word still not formally accepted by dictionary definition. Yet just because the word is not recognized by the dictionary does not mean a strong anti Muslim sentiment does not exist. In fact both Anti-Antisemitism and Islamophobia are on a steady rise, yet only one of these statements of intolerance is formally accepted, despite both of them being as detrimental as the other in regards to its impact on a cohesive society.

The United States, Europe and Australia have all seen an increase in Islamophobic behaviour from the minor annoyances of constant protests by nationalistic groups or to the more serious Burning of Mosques all the way to the heinous assault and even Murder of innocent civilians who just tend to share a supposed name or look to the “enemy”. In September of 2012 i received a strange friend request on Facebook from a Man that looked suspect to me.

Yes, even i fell victim to generalizing others. This man looked like your typical Skinhead that would attend those Anti Muslim rallies on the streets, rambling on about Halal, Terror and Mooslims. In fact, he outright looked like a Neo-Nazi and i was thinking “What could this guy and myself possibly have in common”.?

some recent examples of  Islamophobic                                    events in Australia.

Ladies and Gentlemen, i would like you to meet Frank Castle, my dear friend from the United Kingdom, many thousands of kilometers away but a character you wish you could meet face to face, every day! Our online friendship is approaching its third year and this man has quiet the story to tell you.

You see Frank WAS everything i feared him to be, well for the most part. Yet believe it or not, people change and this man made a 180 degree turn on his life and his attitude towards people. In the process of our mateship i did not only learn more about him, i learned about myself and the damage that generalizing could have from destroying fruitful relationships because we are so fixated on stereotyping one another.

Frank was kind enough to be Interviewed by me about his Journey from a Muslim hater filled with seething anger and hostility to the “other” to a wonderfully funny, tolerant, welcoming and kind human being who now has a Facebook Friends list that resembles a FBI Watch List (JUST KIDDING!!) 🙂 Let us begin this interview and i hope this dialogue between us can open a few hearts and change a few minds on how we see the World around us, even more importantly how we see the people around us. Peace.!

My interview with Former Islamophobe, Frank Castle

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Ramey: First of all Frank, give us a brief introduction about yourself and your history.

Frank: Well,let’s say I wasn’t exactly the kind of kid that looked forward to going home. I felt most comfortable among fellow Skinheads, Rude Boys, Rastas and Punk-rockers. I was a troublesome, frustrated, youngster who picked all the fights he could. I disowned my whole biological lot and am happy about it, it’s not ‘sad’ at all. I feel much better since I got rid of them over a decade ago, my chosen family in North England and the United States, plus my taken-on children in Britain, America and Pakistan, make me feel  a lot more as a part of a family.

Ramey: Did you ever think- given your history- that you’d ever end up in a situation like this? Where you are being interviewed by a Muslim about how you’ve “changed your ways”?

Frank: Haha, absolutely not! I’m a stubborn git, changing my mind don’t come to me naturally, like my mate Danny said recently, I stick to my convictions like shit to a blanket.

Ramey: Now tell me, when did your seething hatred for Islam start? Then explain to me what periods escalated that already lingering hatred?

Frank: I didn’t really notice Muslims even existed prior to 9/11 (September 11th)- of course I knew they did, but it never mattered to me before the collapse of the twin towers. The day it happened was the day my hatred of Muslims flared up, later on revived by the 7/7 bombings (In London).

Ramey: During your period as an Islamophobe did you ever get yourself a copy of the Quran and read it, or pay a visit to a mosque to “learn more” about this supposedly evil ideology?

Frank: No, my explanation was “All I ever needed to know about Islam, I learned on 9/11.”

 

Frank once said “Everything i needed to know about Islam, i learned on 9/11”

Ramey: You describe yourself as a skinhead- during the days of your intense hate for Islam and Muslims did you openly support a Nazi like perspective of Muslims- just as the Jews were once seen?

Frank: No, not ever. Racism, fascism, Nazism, etc, were never my thing. I’ve always been a traditionalist Skinhead, my thing was always Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, patriotism, working class background and a tough guy attitude. Extremism of any kind was always something I rejected. My hostility towards Muslims escalated in verbal abuse, physical assault and spitting, otherwise I mouthed off about how the government should do something about ‘the Islamic threat to our nation’.

Ramey: Were you ever part of extreme Nationalist groups like the English Defense League? What was your opinion of such groups during your time as an Islamophobe?

Frank: No, I always looked at such groups with great distrust, as I knew they tend to attract racists and Nazis, and so far I’ve always been proven right. I’m genuinely a patriot, that’s nothing like being a nationalist, I love my country, I don’t reject others for having a different background, never have.

Ramey: What moment in your life did you see the tide change when it came to your views on Islam and Muslims? Was it a slow moving tide or a sudden rush that swept over you?

Frank: It was a mixture of both. The deciding moment that radically changed my attitude from one moment to the next was when a teenage Muslim girl, Shahzeen, countered my disgusting comments with kindness and understanding. Of course, it took me a while to stop sounding stupid, such things don’t change overnight. It takes the patience of a Muslim to put up with that for as long as it takes. Over the years, Shazzy and I grew very close and she became a daughter to me, my love for her is deep and genuine.

Ramey: What was the biggest challenge in seeing the “other” as basically “The same” as you?

Frank: . I may not be a fan of multiculturalism, but it occurred to me rather quickly that it’s not my call and the majority loves it. Also they’re not usually breaking any laws, so that’s where I’m an example for true tolerance, which some mistake for ‘intolerance’ because they get it confused with acceptance. Tolerance is putting up with things you don’t like because they’re not actually causing you any harm- but race never came into it, as a traditionalist Skinhead who rejects political extremists and calls them ‘boneheads’  as a way to reject the notion of accepting them as our own. I feel a deep connection to Jamaican culture, that kind of wouldn’t have been possible if I ever had racist views, hahaha!

Today Frank is a changed man and has ZERO tolerance for Bigotry.

Ramey: So today, what is your opinion on Muslims and how extensive is your “Muslim Network”?

Frank:  I got to know Muslims as the kindest, most generous, and infinitely forgiving and understanding people I’ve ever met, and these days I have a ridiculous amount of Muslim friends because I  feel much more comfortable around Muslims than most other people. I now actually find it easier to forge a friendship with a Muslim than anyone else, because it is easier for me to trust a Muslims after learning as much about Islam and Muslim values as I have after meeting my baby girl [Shahzeen]. I once called the Prophet Muhammad ‘the first terrorist’, now I know he was an honourable man, a great leader, and very committed to the teachings of Jesus Christ, which he passed on to his followers to the best of his ability.

Ramey: Do you agree with the term Islamophobia and do you believe it is a real movement?

Frank: Well, a lot of things, especially the hatred of Muslims and homosexuals, are being commonly referred to as ‘phobias’, but as  Morgan Freeman said, “they’re not scared, they’re being arseholes.” So that seems to be a new, or secondary, meaning of  the term ‘phobia’ now. Movement… I have a hard time to apply that term to a relatively small bunch of braindead f*ckwits who aren’t actually doing anything besides being nasty.Yet for some time now there have been enough of  them to at least in some places be a massive nuisance to everyone, and even a considerable threat in some instances to the residents of  some local Muslim communities and a number of people who simply disagree with them.

Ramey: Are you proud of your accomplishment in banishing your past generalizations and looking at the world from another angle?

Frank: One of the very few things I’m actually proud of, yes- it has made my life better and brought the best people I’ve ever known into my life. I can’t grasp why they so easily treat the bad things I’ve said and done to Muslims like they never happened and give me their unconditional love.

Ramey: Do you have any advice for Muslims that are battling through Islamophobia today?

Frank: Well, Muslims and Skinheads have something in common: being judged for the despicable actions of a few idiots who abuse a good name for bad purposes. Us Skins handle it like this: the youngsters take it to heart, want to be understood, keep explaining it to everyone and always end up being disappointed, because no-one wants to listen, everyone loves to hate us. Should sound familiar to a Muslim, I’d say. Well, us old farts have stopped giving a f*ck long ago and just let the losers talk, and we’re much more content that way. Maybe Muslims should try that some time. As for physical attacks, I’m afraid everyone will generally have to go about that the way they usually would, there is no universal recipe against that.

Today, we are Bro’s with different Mo’s 🙂

Ramey: What words of wisdom do you have to the people today that mirrored you 10 years ago?

Frank: Stop being arseholes, get a grip, and start listening to people, you just might love what you hear.

Ramey: Thank You Frank for your contribution! Love ya mate.

Frank: My pleasure, bro, love ya too!

 

Why Bigotry Thrives Under Our Current Government?

Let me say briefly, i never voted for Tony Abbott. Yet i also do not blame people that did. When the Australian Labor Government fell on its knees and made an embarrassment of itself from its rise of Julia Gillard and fall of Kevin Rudd, we all were keen on a new leadership. Someone we could trust and a government that was Solid with the interests of not only Australians in mind but society and the World as a whole.

An elected government could quickly change the demographic of the nation and i have noticed this with the current Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott. I have been alive for just over 30 years in this country and there are many things i notice about the climate of the population. Sometimes people will Mirror the sentiments of their leader, yet what is evident is the low lives of society that remained dormant for many years have suddenly risen with this new government and never have the bigots felt so confident to come out and offend our current social climate.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has made some questionable decisions.

Let me give you an example, years ago under many other Australian governments i had never heard of groups like “Reclaim Australia” or the “Australian Defense League”. These are borderline fascist Neo Nazi’s that hate all things immigrant. So far this year there have been “rallies” in many Major Australian cities conducted by these Nationalistic groups that were thankfully challenged by Other groups in public squares. Yet these protests turned violent and another one is planned this month in July 2015.

These “protests” were attended by people with Swastikas on their heads and clear affiliation with other groups that are high on the crazy scale. Even though these protests were violent and full of hate, we barely heard about them in the media. Yet when a bunch of Australian Muslims ran around spewing their disgust in a distasteful matter about Prophet Muhammad cartoons, we barely heard the end of it. The bottom line is the bigots feel protected by this government to come out of their dungeons and to cause civil unrest- like members of the Australian Defense League going to a Mosque and taunting people whilst they mind their own business after prayer services.

Groups like the Australian Defense League feel protected by this current government.

Why are people surprised by former Olympian Dawn Fraser telling misbehaving Tennis Players to “Go back to where their parents came from”? This was the language many people were afraid to speak of with other governments that held stronger stances against stereotypes and xenophobia. Yet under Tony Abbott, people are not only taking aim but firing away with their derogatory comments about their fellow inhabitants in this nation.

Why are people so surprised when we have the Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs on public television telling Australian born and bred citizens that were accused of terrorism but acquitted of those claims “I’d be happy to look you straight in the eye and say that I‘d be pleased to be part of the Government that would say that you were out of the country.I would sleep very soundly at night with that point of view.”

Our foreign Minister openly tells an Australian Citizen to get out of Australia on public television.

This was before Zaky Mallah said that oh so shocking quote about ISIS yet nobody blinked an eye when we had our Minister Of Foreign Affairs actively telling an Australian Citizen that was NOT charged with Terrorism that he would “Like him [permanently] out of the country“. Again such brazen comments made with a daring confidence highlights something to me, due to the current political climate we are in and seeing how our current Government views its minorities, immigrants and indigenous Australians, we find that never before have we seen such an influx of Nationalistic, Paranoid and Power Obsessed political figures and citizens come out from the dark.

This attitude of mine does not come out of thin air. I did not suddenly wake up and say I hate this government and what it stands for, yet it is a series of progressive decisions made by our government and its reaction from the Australian Public of which i see where the problem lies. Sometimes the people are a reflection of the government and sadly my Fellow Australians are Mirroring this Parliaments shortsightedness and i think we need to make changes- fast.!

Another nail in the coffin was the recent decision by the Australian Government to shut up Australian workers in foreign detention camps where “illegal” immigrants are currently being held, including children. The Tony Abbott government recently made a new rule claiming that all doctors, hospital workers, guards and other staff have no rights in reporting ill behaviours in these detention camps. That is right, if Human Rights abuses are being conducted (and there is evidence to suggest that they clearly are) the government has paralyzed the right of these Australian Citizens to report the cruelty with the lurking threat of 2 Years Jail for such a “crime”.

Our government no longer allows workers on our Detention Centres to report misconduct or abuse- instead they face jail.

Not only that, our current government has also allowed Meat Headed “Guards” in these detention centres that have a clear hatred for Immigrants and Xenophobic attitudes. Recent evidence has shown that many of these guards carry Anti Immigrant tattoos, hateful social media posts and open sentiments of intolerance including photos with the infamous political bigot Pauline Hanson. These guards that the Australian Government has entrusted to these vulnerable people LOATHE them. Yet the most horrific fact about this situation is that the guards potential abuse of these people cannot be reported. It is illegal to report them! Obviously there is something to hide. Such laws are being passed and Australia is letting it happen.

These issues will now even filter down to our schools and education system here in Australia. The impending threat of 0.02% of the Australian Muslim population (100 from 500,000 who went to join ISIS) has now  reared its ugly head into our schools. The Australian Government is trying to implement a new “Jihadi Watch” scheme in our schools where teachers and students are taught on how to “spot” a Jihadi among their midst. Apparently if a fellow student “Gets in trouble” or “Argues with people of different ideologies” or “drifts away from their friends” this constitutes suspicious behaviour that would leave that student singled out and watched by fellow students and teachers. That’s odd that they formulate general “Naughty” behaviour in school to Jihadi links, they might need to actually reconsider what a Jihadi actually is.

Our government proposed “Jihadi Watch” schemes in our schools where kids can be reported as potential terrorists by fellow students and teachers.

Just think about that for a moment, if one day Sarah at school decides to wear a Hijab and Abdul decides to grow his beard,  then their friends distance themselves from them and their teachers and fellow students ostracize them as potential terrorists- how on Earth would that be productive to our current social condition? How do you expect to counter terrorism by making almost anyone a suspect? It’s absolute nonsense. Will our schools then introduce “Domestic Violence Watch” schemes or “Drug addict schemes” or “Alcohol fueled violent schemes”? ALL of these examples pose a much bigger threat to Australians, yet there is no government initiative against them on a federal level.

The voice of the reasonable like us is suddenly being muffled by these flag waving bigots holding up scary signs with words like “Halal” and “Sharia” whilst they start protests, vandalize mosques, send death threats and degrade fellow citizens. Which is why Sydney and Melbourne are holding COUNTER Rallies against these groups of hate. The No To Racism, No To Facism and No To Islamophobia counter rally will be held at Martin Place, Sydney on July 19th.

Our Detention Centre “Guards” posing with Right Wing politician Pauline Hanson- in an Anti Islam rally.

Remember this is a COUNTER rally against hate. It was never a rally that was meant to exist. Yet it is about time we respond to this rush of ignorance in our beautiful country and we cannot allow them to take the Microphone and become the spokesmen and women of Australia. We cannot change the government right now, yet when that moment comes ladies and gentlemen we must make a change. Australia cannot afford such leadership, nor such a following.

Peace, Salam! 🙂

Ramio1983

Places You Must See Before You Die.!

I have traveled extensively over the last 5 years, mainly due to the fortune of working in the industry that takes us to said destinations. Sure when you scale out and look at the Entire Earth as a hole i have still only seen a little fragment of it, yet that is the excitement of travelling, it’s not only so much where you have been, it is also where you are going!

I have conducted a “Top 5” list of places i have been based on specific “Subjects”. Please note this list is strictly only highlighting places i have seen with my own two eyes and also note each photo on this article was taken by me during these travels between 2010-2015. If you ever get the chance to visit these places i can confidently say it will enrich your life. So let us begin, shall we?

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TOP 5 COASTAL SCENES:

Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia

5) Bicheno, Tasmania, Australia

The Island state of Tasmania will feature many times on my list and it is no surprise it has an abundant range of beautiful beaches. I visited Bicheno during a overcast day and even then it blew me away. The Sand was bright and white, the rocks were a deep shade of orange and even with that cloud cover the water shimmered in a Turqoise mix.

Waimanalo Beach, Hawaii, USA.

4) Oahu East Coast, Hawaii, United States

Hawaii is home to many wonderful scenes, yet one of the most memorable to me was the Eastern and Southern Coastline of the most popular Island of Oahu. The steep mountain backdrop complete with its lush scenery and the array of colours along this dramatic coast really left a lingering memory in my mind.

Muscat, Oman

3) Muscat, Oman.

Oman, a 45 minute flight from the glamour of Dubai is a nation that is riddled with amazing people, culture, history, deserts and who would have thought? Coast! The coast around the city of Muscat is decorated with many impressive Portuge Forts that loom over the waterways and the mountains resemble something from another planet, surely a unique experience!

Queenstown, New Zealand

2) Queenstown, New Zealand

The city of Queenstown boasts some of the Worlds most amazing waterways. Despite the unappealing element of the freezing cold and its empowering snow capped mountains the water scenery in New Zealand is absolutely captivating with Queenstown being no exception. The Greens, blues and yellows blend in one perfect harmony!

Wayalailai Island, Fiji

1) Wayalailai Island, Yasawa Islands, Fiji

Despite my Fiji trip being one of my oldest (taken in 2010) i have to say the Yasawa Islands are without a doubt one of the most wonderful sights your eyes will ever be blessed to see. It is like something out of a postcard. Coconut Palms litter the sands as hammocks sway in the breeze and the Isolation of the beaches and reefs draw you right in!

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TOP 5 MOUNTAIN SCENES:

Barren Falls, Queensland, Australia

5) Tropical Far North Queensland, Australia

Australia might not be world renown for its Mountains but it surely has some gems. Far up North in the Tropics of Queensland there are some lush rainforests found in the midst of some steep mountains and cliffs. One of the more impressive sections would be Barren Falls, which is especially neat in the wet season. The cliffs and many pools really give a dramatic take to the calm and pristine surrounds.

Wadi Shab, Oman

4) Wadi Shab, Oman

“Wadi” in Arabic means Valley and there are some stunning Valleys in Oman, usually carved by some remarkable pools and waterways. Wadi Shab has a perfect movie set backdrop, sheer drops from its bright red cliffs are met by the dusty green of their Palm Trees. Truly, this feels like a Jurassic experience!

The Peak, Hong Kong

3) The Peak, Hong Kong

This might be an odd choice for some yet taking the Cable Train up the steep hills overlooking Hong Kong is a satisfying experience, especially if the pollution is low. From the vantage point of the Peak you can see far out into many sights of Hong Kong and in all directions are other various mountains overpowering the skyscrapers in height!

The Remarkables, New Zealand

2) The “Remarkables”, New Zealand

The Remarkables are a Mountain Peak near Queenstown in New Zealand. These Mountains are so overpowering and really make you feel small. They sure do humble you up as they dominate the landscape around them. Especially beautiful when they are often snowcapped, this is hands down one of the best Mountainsides you could ask for!

Ben Lomond, Tasmania, Australia

1) Ben Lomond, Tasmania, Australia

What is that? An Australian mountain range takes the cake for best Mountain Scenery? Well yes, Ben Lomond to be precise! I will never forget chasing the signs to this Mountain Range during sunset, hugging the narrow road as it winds its way in elevation. Until you find yourself facing a landscape that looks nothing short of Mars. It was absolutely amazing and the fact that not a single soul was there made it extra special. The roads that winds its way up to the top is daunting and exhilarating at the same time!

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TOP 5 CULTURAL EXPERIENCES

Tanah Lot. Bali, Indonesia

5) Bali, Indonesia

Yes, it might not have the best reputation. This country well known for its corruption has both dark and beautiful sides to it. When venturing away from the party towns Bali in Indonesia has many wonderful sights and sounds to offer. Whether its Lambongan Island or Tanah Lot temple this place has a deep cultural significance and sticks to the mind.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

4) Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The city that is built in the desert is a place of great contrasts. One moment you could be shopping at one of the most prestigious shopping centres and the next riding a camel under the starry night. Although Dubai is obviously “Artificial” it is captivating in its own right. Constantly breaking its own records Dubai is a place to tick off the list, besides Fast and the Furious 7 may have added to the “culture” of this tourist Mecca.

Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

3) Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul is a city that is absolutely surrounded by amazing Heritage Listed sights dating back for many centuries. Upon arriving at Istanbul you are instantly overwhelmed by the Cultural mixture of East and West, mingling around one dense city that is full of cultural significance. The food is unique and also delicious. One cannot help but feel immersed in the culture whilst in Turkey.

Trsat, Rijeka, Croatia

2) Adriatic Sea, Croatia

I think one of the most charming, romantic and stunning coastlines in the world would have to be in Croatia. Not only due to the obviously gorgeous beaches but due to the rich history that is preserved in beautiful towns settling beneath mountainous backdrops. Croatia has thousands of islands to choose from and seafood to your hearts content! Who could say no!?

Kakadu National Park, Australia

1) Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia

Cultural heritage is more about buildings, sometimes it is about the land. Kakadu National Park in Australia is a huge place, roughly the size of Slovenia. This National Park is an important cultural landmark in of itself with many sacred and holy sites to the local Indigenous population. Hiring a Helicopter over this tranquil scenery was one of the greatest memories of my life. From waterfalls to rock-faces to Crocodile infested waterways this place had it all, the nature was outstanding!

Ladies and gentlemen this is just a little sneak peak of some of the amazing sights and sounds i have encountered over the last few years. The World is an amazing place so go out and see it! I hope i have inspired you to want to travel and enjoy this special place we call Earth that little bit more! 🙂

PEACE!

Offense VS Freedom Of Speech.

Australian Sports presenter/journalist Scott Mcintyre recently got sacked by his Television Network SBS for making some “offensive remarks” about ANZAC soldiers and general comments about World Wars 1 and 2. The Journalist took to his Twitter account to make a series of tweets that were Anti-War, Anti Anzac Day and Anti glorification- voicing an opinion that is controversially “different” to the general take on the Australian and New Zealand war Veterans and their roles not only in Gallipoli, Turkey but numerous other locations during International war campaigns.

The Australian Channel SBS is known for its “diverse” and “alternative” take on news and current affairs and it is a channel that prides itself from presenting –other than– mainstream views on a variety of topics. Some people saw his sacking as justified whilst others have pulled into question the supposed freedoms of “Freedom Of Speech”.

People that know me might notice that every year during ANZAC day (April 25th) all of my social media outlets are silent. As our Television stations, radio channels and workplaces inundate people with the remembrance of our fallen soldiers and the hard work put forward by Australian and New Zealand service men and women we see that our social media outlets are flooded with comments, memes, pictures and memoirs commemorating the day – except that i do not say a word.

Anzac Day- April 25th- Is an important day in Australias History.

There are a few reasons for this, first of all War is a complex thing. It is easy to put forward a romanticized narrative about Wars, especially when Nationalism comes into play, yet once we look past the facade of the ever so simplistic views of Anzac day and if we dig deep into the wars and our involvement within them we see that not only is war ugly, it actually holds to it two different sides and two different perspectives and once we take a moment to view the war from another perspective it must put into question exactly what we are glorifying and why.?

The same goes for Australia Day- many of us are so caught up in our modern day nationalistic pride that we forget, for some people- the Aboriginals- or the “other perspective” such a day is not a day of celebration, glory or honour but a day of regret, hostility and pain. That is why i also fail to make commentary about Australia Day because i actually think about the other side, i precisely question if i celebrate such an occasion, may i be hurting others? The exact same thing goes for ANZAC day, if i glorify such a day, may i be hurting those that saw the occasion as something else? Something like an invasion or aggressive attempt at war? It’s not my place to make such a compelling stand and statement.

This is where people need to understand, just as the case of Scott Mcintyre- failing to acknowledge such days the same ways as other people acknowledges them doesn’t mean i disrespect our history, neither does it mean i hate my beautiful country or all that we stand for. It doesn’t make us an enemy or disrespectful mongrels that spit on the graves of fallen soldiers. I am absolutely sure i have friends that have had relatives involved in such occasions and i refuse to belittle their efforts or bravery in the face of war, yet i respond to complex issues with a complex mind. I cannot “simplify” war and i cannot dumb down the details of such intense and scattered battles where many individuals stories and narratives contradict the “perfect” storyboard of events that is given to us.

Australia Day: A day of celebration for some and a day of dismay for others.

There is no Orthodoxy on how an Australian should view ANZAC day or Australia day yet the fact of the matter is people are cast as treacherous villains for having outside opinions of such events that are fed to us by our Politicians and the Media. I cannot help but think as we intensify in such remembrance year after year we are coming a step closer to not only glorifying a past war but unintentionally and subconsciously preparing to glorify our involvement in future wars– most of which are not sanctioned by us but our Allies overseas.

I do not believe Scott Mcintyre should have been fired for his opinions, even if they were poorly expressed. His Employer could have easily “distanced themselves” from his statements on his personal Twitter by distinctively stating his words are not an expression of their views or beliefs- but they should have stood by his right to say what he did without losing his livelihood. Our Nanny State antics are hitting the roof if even a person that works for Australias most “diverse” channel cannot voice his own controversial opinion without getting fired for it or being forced to apologize for offending others.

SBS Sports Journalist Scott Mcintyre fired for “offensive” comments about ANZAC day.

Besides, many of the Murdoch Run Newspapers across Australia run articles by “pop up journalists” all the time that are full of racist, homophobic, ignorant and offensive statements in the form of “blogs” and they all manage to keep their jobs, in fact their presence becomes more highlighted, just as the case with out of the Blue “journalists” Rita Panahi or Tim Blair who constantly makes offensive jibes at Muslims in the form of News Corporated “blog” articles. The truth of the matter is i don’t expect any better from such rubbish press, yet i did and still do expect better from SBS who pride themselves in supposed diversity to be able to handle a “diverse” opinion.

At the end of the day Freedom Of Speech is paramount in any civilized society. My lack of speech indicates that i am not confident enough to celebrate, glorify or amplify such days on our calender. I acknowledge the history of it, i acknowledge the Peoples bravery and spirit in the face of war- yet i cannot commemorate something i cannot relate to. There are far too many dissenting opinions and there is more than one perspective we must look through. I look at such days as lessons at most- perhaps such days could make us think more about the value of human life and the tragedy of war and perhaps such days could encourage us to not send more troops abroad so we can avoid the risk of allowing history to repeat itself- again.

Peace, Salam.

Ramey

In Islam We Are ALL Rotten Apples?

So after a long and tiring day at work i decided to visit my favourite love/hate site titled “News.com.au”- this site of course is one branch of the entire Australian (and international) News Corp community, where every day folks in suits believe they are being enlightened and kept “in the know” to the latest news and events.

As soon as the webpage loaded, BANG! There it was. 1940’s style Nazi type propaganda- and i am not kidding you. The fact that this article was FRONT PAGE on the website made my skin crawl and hairs rise. I mean i know the Murdoch papers hate on my “folk” (aka The Muslims) all the time- but this was a whole new can of worms.!

“Ex-Muslim calls for end of Islam“ The front page headline read. Whereas the exact same article was shared on The Herald Sun with the title “In Islam they are ALL Rotten Apples“. The article was written by supposed Ex Muslim Somali woman Ayaan Hirsi Ali. She is the famous author of a book titled “Infidel” and her upcoming one is “Heretic” i wonder what the third title will be…”Outcast” perhaps?

News limited ran this front page cover story “In Islam they are all rotten apples”

She is now a self confessed Atheist that has a huge problem with Islam, yet that is not my problem. Her language has diverted AWAY from the religion itself and now targets the PEOPLE– The practitioners and believers of the faith, such as myself and the other 1.7 billion Muslims around the world and yes, now it is getting personal.

Upon reading her front page article on this News Site i was absolutely sickened by the language within it. The fact that the Murdoch led News Agencies saw this as a FRONT PAGE story to pimp out the further sales of her book at the expense of all Muslims was beyond me and no i am not being overly dramatic, i seriously mean all Muslims. In her article Ayaan Hirsi Ali states:

“The assumption is that, in Islam, there are a few rotten apples, not the entire basket,” Ali tells The New York Post. “I’m saying it’s the entire basket.”

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an activist, author and opportunist!

Now let me be upfront, i am first to admit that there are Muslims that are “rotten” and do the wrong thing. There are in fact rotten apples in all trees/communities. Yet for her to make such a disgusting sweeping generalization about 1/4 of the Worlds Population is absolutely disgraceful and yes- it offends me beyond belief. Now is the time for me to defend myself from such pompous vulgarity against this so called “activist” and “writer”.

NO Ayaan, i am not “rotten” in any way, shape or form. I am an intelligent, distinguished, well mannered and all around beautiful individual who follows the faith of Islam. In fact the majority of Muslims that i and most others know would fit in and around the same category. Well, that was easy to debunk so let us move on to some more of the shocking things i found in this Nazi like campaign. Actually before i do that, Imagine if any News publication in this day and age put up headlines reading “In Judaism they are ALL rotten apples” and actively calling for an “End To Judaism”. It wouldn’t happen, nor would it be acceptable.

The News article goes on to state “Today, she is that rare thing: a public intellectual who, despite death threats and bigotry, calls for an end to Islam — not just as the faithful know it, but as we in the West think we know it.“

Ayaan has obsessively and continually made numerous “best selling” books about Islam and Muslims.

What do you mean an “End To Islam” News limited? How on Earth can you just “End” Islam.? That in and of itself is a ludicrous statement yet the most frightening thing about such writing is that people actually think such a thing is possible, which is when the “Ban Wagon” as i like to call it, comes out. A bunch of uneducated bigots flood the News Limited Facebook pages with suggestions about “Banning Importing Muslims” and “Banning Burqas” and “Banning Halal” and “Banning Mosques” and “Banning Qurans”. As i said, such language has not been so rich and loud since 1940’s Germany and the vocalization is sadly getting louder!

Ayaan then goes on to Clump Muslims into Three groups- like its not bad enough we’re already clumped into one (negative group). She dissects us into three. Basically we are either fundamentalist, enablers or plain stupid. Again, i do not give you the authority to label me Ayaan, i am who i am and i do not fit into the mold you try to force on to me. She claims “Moderate Muslims” do not exist and goes on to say:

““It’s totally useless. I think we’re in a time now where we demand answers from Muslims and say,
‘Whose side are you on?’ ”

Ayaans attitude promotes the “ban wagon” people who actively believe Islam could be stopped or cease.

Wow Ayaan, that is totally original. Trying to push Muslims into a corner and force them to either do as you say or then be thrown into a nasty label. As i said earlier- Muslims “speaking out” does not work. How do i know? Well the countless amounts of research i have done shows that Muslim leaders, scholars, imams, communities and individuals have been condemning extremist actions for a long time. Yet it doesn’t change opinions, why? Because people aren’t listening Ayaan!

Now who is this woman that is judging such a big bulk of the Worlds Population? First of all is she a source we can trust? No, not at all. Ayaan is a well known liar, this is not me simply being an ignorant fool that cannot take criticism of his faith. Anyone could research Ayaan Hirsi Ali and find out that she fraudulently filled out information when applying for her Visa from Somalia to the Netherlands.

Ayaan makes the predictable statement that Muslims need to “speak out” or face labels from society. Muslims speak out but it makes no difference, like this demonstration in Spain against Terror.

She not only lied about her name and age but she also already cried victim by claiming she was escaping from a “forced marriage”…A claim which is evidently false when news anchors visited her home village. Ayaan lied to immigration authorities by also claiming she was escaping a “war zone” when further research revealed she lived a comfortable and secure life in an Upper/Middle class suburb in Kenya. Ayaan was then about to get kicked out of the Netherlands for her fraudulent story and then made a move for the United States.

Early signs prove this woman was an opportunist and believe me, she still is. She takes full advantage of the fact that Westerners are intrigued by Islam and Muslims. They tend to buy books about so called “survivors” of Islam who come out bigger, better and bolder on the other side. Book covers of oppressed looking women with veils and dramatic titles tend to draw our attention. Little do we realize Islamophobia is a big money making business and if you intend on getting rich with the full backing of the corrupt media then this is the direction you’d want to go.

Ayaan is going in this direction full steam ahead and forgive my analogy here but Ayaan is the call girl whilst Rupert Murdoch is her pimp. Titles such as “In Islam they are all rotten apples” and “Ex Muslim wants to End Islam” is not about social cohesion and community harmony, it is about division and chaos. Such articles are all about increasing her book sales whilst also demonizing a massive amount of the Worlds Population and somehow the Media gets away with this rhetoric. Language that is identical to the language used in Nazi Germany to vilify the Jews- yet at least nowadays the Jews are protected with many strong Anti Semitism laws, yet where are ours? Why is no one coming to defend our humanity in the year 2015!?

The Murdoch Papers fearlessly publish Nazi Style Generalizing that hasn’t been seen since Nazi Germany.

The article continues “With Heretic, Ali is calling on those Muslims who reject jihad, acts of terror, and the subjugation of women and infidels to organise, to challenge, to speak out loudly and often against violence committed in the name of Allah — and she is calling on the West, to actively demand it.”

Wait a minute Ayaan. I thought we were ALL rotten apples and “Moderate Muslims” do not exist. Why are you even bothering us? We are a lost cause aren’t we? According to your own twisted calculation we cannot be saved. So please, stop trying to save us and change us. We cannot save ourselves and the “West” cannot change us. In essence everything you talk about makes absolutely no sense.

Just to clarify…I am Muslim and i am BEAUTIFUL- not rotten.

Everyone is well aware that the Muslim population and community is currently in peril due to many reasons, some unique and domestic whilst other reasons are deeply complex and are an international problem. Yet one thing we must learn is that Labels do not work, they obviously stick- yet they do not work. You are in no position to stick a label on my head and tell me what or who i am, yet alone do it to the other 1.7 billion Muslims on this planet. Parts of the Muslim world need “change”, yet If you want to support change, you support us, include us and make us feel wanted and active in this community called Earth. You cannot expect change or positivism when you label a population “rotten.”

I think the only thing that is rotten is your agenda Ayaan, it’s time for a fresh change.

Don’t buy this fraudsters book.

Peace, Salam.

-Ramey