This could be 'African decade': Goldman Sachs's O'Neill

Google – AFP, 9 April 2013

Jim O'Neill speaks at the Confederation of British Industry annual conference 

in London on November 21, 2011 (AFP/File, Adrian Dennis)

CAPE TOWN — Fast growing Africa could be a dominant force in the world's economic landscape for decades to come if the continent gets its act together, top Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill said Tuesday.

Africa was "one part of the world that has got a very high growth rate that is accelerating," said O'Neill, the firm's asset management chairman, pointing to a forecast of six percent growth this decade.

But to harness the boom, African leaders must improve technology, education and the rule of law, including reducing corruption, he said.

"If all of those things happen, this is going to be Africa's decade," he told an African Venture Capital Association conference.

Responsible for coming up with the BRIC acronym -- the Brazil, Russia, India and China grouping -- O'Neill has questioned South Africa's inclusion in the grouping among its bigger partners.

A role for South Africa was to act to allow the continent to "economically behave as one" through infrastructure and trade links, he said.

"Because if it can, then my goodness me, it is not only the next decade, it is going to be the next three or four."

On BRICS, he said the development bank was potentially the "first real sign" of joint action by the political leaders of the grouping.

"South Africa has a big role to play and probably quite a responsibility in being some kind of genuine gateway to helping the rest of Africa become more successful," he said.

"The scale of the changes that are going on means that sometime this decade, probably in the next two years, the BRICS countries collectively will become bigger than the US."

Related Articles:

Energy revolution promises to transform East Africa

Green energy revolution in the Gulf?

"The End of History"- Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Text-Version)

" .... Africa

Let me tell you where else it's happening that you are unaware - that which is the beginning of the unity of the African states. Soon the continent will have what they never had before, and when that continent is healed and there is no AIDS and no major disease, they're going to want what you have. They're going to want houses and schools and an economy that works without corruption. They will be done with small-minded leaders who kill their populations for power in what has been called for generations "The History of Africa." Soon it will be the end of history in Africa, and a new continent will emerge.

Be aware that the strength may not come from the expected areas, for new leadership is brewing. There is so much land there and the population is so ready there, it will be one of the strongest economies on the planet within two generations plus 20 years. And it's going to happen because of a unifying idea put together by a few. These are the potentials of the planet, and the end of history as you know it.

In approximately 70 years, there will be a black man who leads this African continent into affluence and peace. He won't be a president, but rather a planner and a revolutionary economic thinker. He, and a strong woman with him, will implement the plan continent-wide. They will unite. This is the potential and this is the plan. Africa will arise out the ashes of centuries of disease and despair and create a viable economic force with workers who can create good products for the day. You think China is economically strong? China must do what it does, hobbled by the secrecy and bias of the old ways of its own history. As large as it is, it will have to eventually compete with Africa, a land of free thinkers and fast change. China will have a major competitor, one that doesn't have any cultural barriers to the advancement of the free Human spirit.. ...."

Albinos struggle for love

RNW, Anne Mireille Nzouankeu, Yaoundé,  3 January 2013

(Photo: Anne Mireille Nzouankeu)

Because they are “whites” born of black parents, albinos face discrimination every day and struggle to find love.

Every Sunday, a dozen albinos get together to sing in a neighbourhood of Yaoundé, Cameroon’s capital. For them, singing is a form of therapy that helps them cope with the stigma they face. 

Nelly Kemezong

“I experience stigmatisation every single day of my life. When I take a taxi, at the market and in all public places, people give me strange looks. Some poke fun at me with phrases like: ‘the white girl with cat’s eyes’,” says Nelly Kemezong, a 24-year-old albino woman.

Curse

Emmanuel Koum, 29, explains that it's extremely difficult him to find a girlfriend: “I’ve met a few girls who told me that their families are against them dating an albino. In fact, in most families, the idea of anyone having an albino partner is hard to accept”, he says.

Emmanuel explains that “in some cultures, being albino is considered a bad omen or a curse. So people tend to believe that someone who gets married to or who even dates an albino will never be happy. The family will try to do everything they can to destroy the relationship.”

Not enterprising

What is most surprising is that albinos themselves practice discrimination against other albinos.

“I don’t want to marry an albino man. I’ve never loved one. Albino men are too soft, too passive and not enterprising enough”, Nelly explains.

“As an albino, I’ve had many problems both with my health and in my social life. If I marry another albino, our children will be albinos, and it will only add to these problems and perpetrate the albino race”, adds Sylvie Nana, another albino woman.

Albino rights office in Yaoundé

Emmanuel Koum who mentors many young albinos, says their lack of drive has psychological roots. “Some albinos anticipate the social stigmatisation and prefer not to fall in love to avoid disappointment”, he reveals.

No love life

Because of the stigma, very few young albinos manage to have a love life. Nelly has been in a relationship for the past few months. Her boyfriend is African and all is well. Emmanuel, on the other hand, is single like half of the young members of the singing group. 

His plea: “Albinism is not a curse. It’s only a biological anomaly. It doesn't affect a person’s emotions, abilities or intelligence. It only affects the colour of their skin. So let’s stop the stigmatisation and allow albinos to have a normal life like everyone else.”

Related Articles:

Angry, Snarly, Sad? YEAH! – 24 April 2012  (a message from Brenda Hoffman)

“… Even though parts of your physical being might shift a bit, the cellular structure shift we are discussing today will not become common knowledge for several years. The current human interior model required the study of thousands, if not millions, of humans. As is now true for those humans with achromatism (albino), the first Lightworkers will merely be noted as unusual.

Those of you at the forefront of the Lightworkers might be concerned that you will not receive adequate medical care because doctors will not understand the true you. Most doctors will not. But then, as your body shifts you will have less need of medical care. One of the important tools in your New Age kit is the regeneration of your physical body. Perhaps that concept seems like a fairy tale, yet you fully accept that starfish regenerate parts of themselves. …”

"THE NEXT 18 YEARS"–  Dec 2, 2012 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - New

(Subjects: You are looking  at a Quantum event, clearing a filter - Portal pineal , Higher self to step forward and communicate to You, Still remains in 3D but exposure to multi dimensions, Evolution of humanity, Intent, Mayan Calendar, Midpoint on 21-12-2012, 26.000 Years, Milky Way, Nostradamus, 1987, Beginning to a New Time, Channellers/Teachers, Center of Galaxy – Black hole, Bridge of Swords, Pleiadians, Children, Inventions – The discoveries (e.g. : Airplanes - Medicines – Radio .. ): These new Discoveries were given all over the planet when Human consciousness was ready for it. New Inventions are coming, the timing depends on how the middle East problems are solved, Biology reaction of quantum energy; new radio of the future, seeing quantum energy, when it is revealed all science books will have to be rewritten, This will be an AHA moment – be possible to communicate with the rest of Galaxy, NASA, Church/Religion will be effected the most by these discoveries, The quantum discovery will see the grid, life, gardens and will redefine life, DNA (3 billion pieces) evolving piece DNA are chancing, Gaia/Humanity are linked, new instruments will start to reveal the DNA variance, Evolution revealed: Autistic children have born with the removal of their 3D structure in the brain, Gaia/Spirit are testing these quantum beings  (Evolved DNA), Universe central clock = Rifs,  Globally there will be only 5 currencies, Wars on earth will be declared barbaric, Middle East, Global Unity, .. etc.) 

---------------------------------------------------

Matthew preparing us for the Golden Age – Jan 19, 2012 - Essay on 2012 by Matthew (Channeller: Suzy Ward)

“..  Animals in the wild will instinctively know not to overpopulate and those that are   carnivorous will turn to the plant kingdom for sustenance.  The albinos being born in several animal species have both spiritual and transitional significance.  You associate white with peace, and these rarities that are appearing are symbolic of the coming changes in animal nature that will end the predator-prey food chain and restore the peaceable relationship that once existed among all species, including humankind.  The instances of unlikely cross-species friendships and even nurturing of the young from one species by mothers of another are more indications of Earth’s return to her original paradise self.  Still, an extremely important factor in this is the inspiration in many souls to be advocates for the animal kingdom and alleviate their manmade plight. …”

Pink elephant is caught on camera

Rare white killer whale spotted off Russian coast

Whale watchers get world's closest encounter yet with Migaloo the albino humpback off the coast of Australia

Sunnis and Shiites remain historical rivals

Deutsche Welle, 23 August 2012

The civil war in Syria is becoming a proxy war between Sunnis and Shiites, symbolized by Saudi Arabia and Iran. Their differences originated in the early days of Islam.

If the Prophet Mohammed had arranged a successor before his death in 632, the Islamic landscape could have turned out differently.

But as things turned out, the Prophet's fledging Islamic community disintegrated just 30 years after his death. The majority of Muslims joined a group that later became known as the Sunnis. A second group consisted of followers of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Mohammed.

It is the "Shi' at Ali," the party of Ali from which the Shiites originated. Up to this day, the Shiites remain in the minority, accounting for between 10 to 15 percent of the more than 1.6 billion Muslims.

Early power games

A personnel controversy was sparked in 632 by the question of how to correctly select Prophet Mohammed's successor, according to Lutz Berger, an Islamic scholar at the University of Kiel. "At the beginning, we had a political conflict about personnel decisions and group interests," he said. "Then the political conflict turned religious." 

Protests followed the arrest of
a Shiite preacher in Saudi Arabia

The debate about the rightful successor of Prophet Mohammed initially focused on the four "rightly guided" caliphs, agreed on by a majority vote. In 660, the Omayyad dynasty came to power. For those selecting the caliphs, it was of paramount importance they be members of Mohammed's tribe, the Quraysh.

Followers of Ali, however, believed the Prophet's successor should come from Mohammed's family. They argued that God himself had appointed Ali as the successor, that Mohammed had this succession recorded in writing before his death and that the Sunni erased it from the Koran. To this day, the Koran forgery charge has not been clearly withdrawn.

According to Berger, Ali was ambitious and bothered by not being able to succeed as the Prophet's successor. Finally, in 656, he was appointed the fourth and last legitimate caliph. His reign lasted just five years - until he was assassinated.

In Damascus, the newly forming center of Islamic power, the Umayyads had the say, while Ali followers secured supremacy in the frontier province of what is now Iraq. In 680 Ali's youngest son, Hussein, was elected counter-caliph. That same year, he was murdered by the Umayyads and buried in Karbala. With that, the foundation was laid for the permanent division between the Sunni and Shiites as well as the martyrdom cult in Shia Islam.

Early hostility

"In some ways, the Shiites were history's losers," says Berger. Ali and his successors failed to prevail in the entire Islamic community, resulting in a rather negative worldview and presumably Shia's own worldview that is shaped by a concept of suffering and salvation.

Iranian Sunnis read the Koran

From a Shiite perspective, the religious leaders, the Imams, are chosen by God. At the end of time, a savoir will come to establish a divine kingdom of justice. Belief in the Imam is one of the main differences to the Sunnah, which is the passed down knowledge of Mohammed's words and deeds as guidance for Muslim life.

To Shiites, the Imam is a mediator between God and his follower because only the Imam alone knows the hidden meaning of the Koran and has the task of communicating it to the community. His teaching decisions are infallible; for the Shiites, his sayings have the same authority as the Koran.

For many Sunnis, that borders on heresy. "The Shiites are accused of deifying people and seeing in Ali, the Prophet's son-in-law and his successors as super-human figures, thus moving away from a basic principle of Islam; namely, that there is only one God and that people should not be worshiped.

Lasting consequences

If the Shiites see themselves more as losers by refusing to participate in the secular rule over the centuries, the "Sunnis, by comparison, are successful from the start," says Islamic scholar Berger. They were able to play down the conflicts of earlier times and viewed the Shiite domination claims as troublemaking. 

Iraqi Shiites rally at the ruins of
a Shrine in Samarra

Even if the Sunnis and Shiites define themselves through their mutual rejection – as Berger puts it – phases of peaceful coexistence have historically alternated with those of religious-motivated clashes. The current political conflicts in the Islamic world are often religiously charged and show the some of the traditional conflicts between Sunnah and Shia. There are many examples, such as the civil wars in Syria and Iraq or the long-simmering conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the only country where Shia is the state religion.

Worldwide, there are about 1.6 billion Muslims, of whom between 85 and 90 percent are estimated to be Sunnis. No exact numbers exist because many countries have no surveys of religious affiliation. Moreover, Shiites are not always willing to disclose their religious affiliation in a non-Shiite environment.

Countries from North Africa to the Sahara are mostly if not entirely Sunni. The same is true for Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Bangladesh. Syria and the Palestine regions, too, are largely Sunni.

Iran is the only country where Shia is the state religion. The majority of the population in Iraq and Bahrain is also Shiite. About one third of Lebanon's population is Shiite. Notable Shiite populations also exist in Afghanistan, Kuwait, Pakistan and Syria.

Related Articles:

Iran, Saudi Arabia fight proxy conflict in Syria

Unite Shiites and Sunnis in Indonesia

"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

(Subjects: Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)

" ..... If an Arab and a Jew can look at one another and see the Akashic lineage and see the one family, there is hope. If they can see that their differences no longer require that they kill one another, then there is a beginning of a change in history. And that's what is happening now. All of humanity, no matter what the spiritual belief, has been guilty of falling into the historic trap of separating instead of unifying. Now it's starting to change. There's a shift happening. ....."

"Perceptions of God" – June 6, 2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Quantum Teaching, The Fear of God, Near-death Experience, God Becomes Mythology, Worship, Mastery, Intelligent Design, Benevolent Creator, Global Unity.... etc.) (Text version)

“.. For centuries you haven't been able to think past that box of what God must be like. So you create a Human-like God with wars in heaven, angel strife, things that would explain the devil, fallen angels, pearly gates, lists of dos and don'ts, and many rules still based on cultures that are centuries old. You create golden streets and even sexual pleasures as rewards for men (of course) - all Human perspective, pasted upon God. I want to tell you that it's a lot different than that. I want to remind you that there are those who have seen it! Why don't you ask somebody who has had what you would call a near-death experience?

"Healing the Military Energies in our family Tree" – Jun 13, 2011 (Kryon channelled by David Brown)

“ … There’s much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East, we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what doesn’t belong to them....

... What Military Energy means if we use an analogy: it would be like putting grinding paste into the oil of your motor car. Once you release these energies you will begin to feel lighter as you disconnect from this reality, and, you will find it easier and easier to release any other negative emotions. Military Energies are the core of all your problems...."

Healing the Military Energies in our family tree – June 2011 (Kryon channelled by David Brown)

Spiritlibrary, June 13, 2011 

Greetings dear ones for I AM Kryon of magnetic service. 

Once again it’s wonderful to be with you this night. Once again there’s much love and much change in the air, and the change is going to come more and more quickly as you get towards the end of 2012. Those who have much power on this Earth will begin to lose that power and they will begin to lose control. For those of you that have done a lot of inner work, you will begin to see the benefits of the inner work; your lives will begin to change, even more quickly than ever before, and your dreams will begin to come true. There will come a flow of energy that will take you into a new world. You are being fully supported by the Universe through spirit world. The love that you’ve always dreamed of you will begin to access and many things that you didn’t believe you would ever achieve will begin to happen. At the same time what you thought was important no longer is important. You will begin to feel smoothness on the inside or your body, contentment, and it will cause you to feel love. Once you feel love in your heart and your own body this world becomes a beautiful place in which to be.

There’s much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East, we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what doesn’t belong to them.

Everything is written in the stars and the bad God doesn’t like this. The bad God wants to control everything on this planet. The energy of the bad God is beginning to dissolve and you are beginning to connect more and more to the loving God of the Universe. The material world is merely a distraction that has served its purpose. The material world will gently begin to dissolve and have less impact on our lives. A new world is coming dear ones; we’ve been telling you about this, through David, for 15 years now and this world is a world full of love. A world where you create your reality through love, and the more inner work that you’ve done, the easier everything will become. You are all being supported to release the negative energies that you carry. Some of you will find this easy, and some will find it difficult. For those of you that find it difficult, you are split into two groups. The one group will never ever hear these channellings; they have no interest in the new world and have no knowledge that the new world is coming, they are fast sleep and it is for the Universe to waken them, and slowly but surely they will wake up. It will be far too late for them to have any true influence on the destiny of Mother Earth; this group of people is called the New World Order. The other group is those of you that are working on yourselves. You are walking onwards into a New World and you are constantly wondering when this will all be over. You are all being connected to the Universe and to the support. The spirit guides are with you all the way. They are holding, supporting and loving you.

The spirit guides are at your feet. They are here to hold you in a loving space and they will become more and more available to you. They will almost become more physical as time goes by and you will be able to trust their guidance. They will hold you and they will point you in the right direction. Everything is exactly as is meant to be. The final times are coming, and in every ending there is always a new beginning. There will be a smooth flow of transition into this new beginning. Many spiritual gifts will be delivered to you and your purpose on this Earth will be revealed; you will have the courage to undertake your purpose and live a life of love. The New World is very different to the Old world.

In the new world you will be loved by conscious people; your leaders will love you, they won’t rule you. They will love you and lead you, they will hold and support you, and teach you the truth of who you really are. In the last 2,000 years you all have been on a journey into the game of who you really are. You’re all magical beings in this Universe who have lost your way; you’ve gone far away from the Great Spirit. Now you are coming closer and closer into enlightenment with the Great Spirit. Support is coming from everywhere; when you feel very worried just take time to look down and you’ll see that what you thought is a tight rope is in-fact just a line drawn on the floor. You are all being held in safety and security, and wrapped in love.

Close your eyes and go inside, and feel the love that is in the room. Feel your spirit guides that are at your feet, in awe and in honour of the journey that you have walked. One or two are joking now as they are a little jealous; what is happening to the Earth plane can be seen from the spirit world already. The New World and the new reality is almost upon you. This is a world of light and vibrations of energy. You’ve been deluded to think it’s something else. This is a school, the entire planet is a school. This lesson has been all about war, and this cycle comes to an end at the end of 2012. Behind every single problem on planet Earth is the energy of war; not only on a global basis but on a personal basis too. War takes you into a very low vibration; war is low consciousness, stealing, killing, and taking. Those who are good at war may think it works for them, but it works for no one. The Earth plane has fallen into a deep slumber, into deep, deep unconsciousness; as generation after generation have been affected by this.

Most of the indigenous people of the world no longer exists. Tens of millions of indigenous people that were connected to the Divine have been wiped from the face of the Earth; and that includes the Europeans, the indigenous Europeans. What commands the Earth plane today is the pure masculinity, symbolized by the obelisk, where there is no love; pure masculinity and no love. As you remember early on in the channelling we said: Once you feel loved, your world is perfect. Once love is flowing through your bodies, everything is in order. There is no love in war, there is no love in the Military. It’s just a low consciousness government. Government meaning control of the mind. This energy will also dissolve in the New World, and these men, this people, will have to find an honourable occupation. There is a place in the world for all those who have become conscious.

As you are with your eyes closed, just let the feelings come into your body; and once again, hand over any Military Energies that are in your bodies to Kryon. If you have Military energies inside your body you know how to relate to this; either on Earth, national or an individual basis. Here in Costa Rica there’s a beginning of a dissolving of the Military Energies, and this goes one person at a time. Your energy, the structure of your energy, will move from that of a the pentagon to that of a dodecahedron, as you release this Military Energy. It is like the story from Gulliver travels, where Gulliver is tied down by the little people; slowly but surely you cut through these small ropes, and as your consciousness flows, you begin to stand up in the world, proud and loving. So just observe your bodies and observe your feelings; many of you will fear releasing these energies for this has been your way of life. Allow these energies to release for there is another way, there is another way to live your life, there is a loving way to relate. Allow the fear of being without the military energies to also come into your body... let the feelings come and let the feelings go...

What Military Energy means if we use an analogy: it would be like putting grinding paste into the oil of your motor car. Once you release these energies you will begin to feel lighter as you disconnect from this reality, and, you will find it easier and easier to release any other negative emotions. Military Energies are the core of all your problems. Allow the feelings in your body to come and let them go... imagine beneath you the beautiful planet, Mother Earth, and inside of Mother Earth there is a pink heart... allow all your family constellation to move into this pink heart... your mother, your father, your grandparents and great-grandfathers... brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles... nephews and nieces... cousins... let them all go into this pink energy... be cleansed and purified, and allow these Military energies to release and dissolve... heal all the hurt that the Military has caused to your family... let the feelings into your body... let them come and let them go... as these energies begin to dissolve the New World will begin to come to you.

This is the cause of all negative energies on this Planet. These energies have nothing to do with the good God, they belong purely and simply to the bad God. There is no such thing as onward Christian soldiers. Christ was pure of heart; and when you come to the consciousness of Christ, you’ll know only love. You will be able to walk among those who don’t understand this with love and understanding, because you have been there, you have done it and, now you understand it. You know what works and you know what does not. The New World is coming dear ones, a world full of love, a world where you will know joy, world where you feel truly loved, feeling absolutely safe, and absolutely secure. Allow the New World to come... allow your energies to guide you higher and higher. Kryon is going to hold the Military energies and will make them null and void so your energies can grow higher and higher and so that you can feel the energies of 2012.

Allow your energies to go higher and higher... go so high that you begin to feel that you are walking with the Universe... allow yourselves to connect to the Universe. Even though the indigenous people are no longer with us on earth, today, their energies are here. All of you in the circle have had lives being indigenous... you all know the Universe from those life times. The indigenous peoples of the world understood Nature and they understood the Universe. Allow those lifetimes to present themselves inside your bodies and allow yourselves to open to this knowledge and wisdom. You all had this life time so you could understand what it is like. Experience life as European; understand how the European or a Western person thinks and feels, how they treated their family and their children, what kind of God they worship. Now begin that journey returning to the truth, returning to wholeness with the Universe... begin with your roots firmly entrenched into Mother Earth, your roots flowing deep into the heart of Mother Earth and your heart connected to the Universe.

Allow your energies to go higher and higher... become the person that you will be on the 21st of December 2012; let go of what you need to let go of in order to maintain the energy, in order to hold the energy. The New World is coming dear ones and you will hold the space for the new energies to come. Allow your hearts to open even wider than they already are... allow your heart to connect to the heart of Mother Earth and to the heart of the great Central sun... know that you are all beings of light, love and high vibration... allow your heart to open to the ancient people of the past that understood this Earth plane, that knew the Universe... let the feelings come and let them go... they knew how to create the love they wanted and they knew how to become whole and complete. Their leaders were in integrity with their people... allow a connection to be with us... this is what it will feel like of the 21st day of December of 2012... be with this energy, feel this energy. When you feel you are ready come back to your normal vibration.

Go well and God bless, for this is Kryon signing out. Thank you all.

The Audio for this channelling is available from:

http://www.kryon.org.za/audio/DavidBrown_Kryon_20110613_CostaRica.mp3

Related Articles:

Muslim states to discuss Somalia aid: OIC

"Update on Current Events" – Jul 23, 2011 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects: God, Gaia, Shift of Human Consciousness, 2012, Benevolent Design, Financial Institutes (Recession, System to Change ...), Water Cycle (Heat up, Mini Ice Ace, Oceans, Fish, Earthquakes ..), Nuclear Power Revealed, Geothermal Power, Hydro Power, Drinking Water from Seawater, No need for Oil as Much, Middle East in Peace, Persia/Iran Uprising, Muhammad, Israel, DNA, Two Dictators to fall soon, Africa, China, (Old) Souls, Species to go, Whales to Humans, Global Unity,..... etc.) - New !

Gay imam spreads message: "Homosexuality is not sinful"

RNW, 18 February 2011, by Klaas den Tek

(Photo: RNW)

South African Muhsin Hendricks is an Islamic cleric and a gay man.

He runs a foundation called The Inner Circle, which helps Muslims, who are struggling to accept their sexuality. He has come to the Netherlands to spread a simple message: “It’s okay to be Muslim and gay!”

It’s a message not everyone agrees with and the reason why Mr Hendricks is no longer officially a cleric.

Muhsin Hendricks looks a little tired. He is in the Netherlands at the invitation of the Amsterdam branch of gay rights organisation COC and he’s on a punishing schedule. There is enormous public interest in the “pink imam”, as he’s been dubbed.

Sin

But every trace of fatigue vanishes as Mushin Hendricks talks about his faith and his sexuality.

“Being Muslim and being gay are both strong identities. And I think that they are both innate identities for me. So somewhere along the line I had to reconcile the two.”

This was far from easy for Muhsin Hendricks. He was born into an orthodox Muslim family in South Africa. His grandfather was a cleric in one of Cape Town’s most prominent mosques. Mushin discovered at an early age that he was different. He played with dolls rather than cars. He was seen as being feminine and was teased as a result. All this was long before he even knew there was such a thing as homosexuality.

Mushin Hendricks took comfort in his faith, in spite of the fact that many Muslims believe it offers no place to homosexual feelings. Sexual love between two men or two women is prohibited. It is seen as one of the worst possible sins, punishable in some Islamic countries by death.

Sodom and Gomorrah

But Muhsin Hendricks decided to discover for himself what the Qur’an has to say about homosexuality. He pursued his Islamic studies in Pakistan. “It didn’t seem fair for a very merciful and compassionate God to condemn me for something that I didn’t choose.”

Muhsin Hendricks drew a striking conclusion from his studies: nowhere does the Qur’an state that homosexuality is forbidden. Not even in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah. Mushin refutes the interpretation that God destroyed the cities because men had sex with one another. He argues that the cities’ residents were punished for rape, not for consensual sex between men.

Divorce

The controversial cleric argues that there are even one or two Qur’an verses in which Allah acknowledges the existence of homosexuals. One example is in sura 24, verse 31. “It says that women have to put on extra clothing when they go out in public ... But not in front of those men who have no attraction for women. They must be the gay people,” he laughs.

Despite these discoveries, Mushin still did not feel able to acknowledge and openly express his own homosexual feelings. He married, and he and his wife had three children. Mushin’s wife was aware of his homosexuality but still tried to make the relationship work.

Mushin Hendricks’ knowledge of Islam and Arabic earned him respect in the mosques of Cape Town. But his feelings did not go away. After six years, his marriage ended in divorce and that was the moment when he officially came out of the closet.

Satanist

His mother fainted when she heard the news that her son Mushin was gay. But little by little she is beginning to understand. Some members of the family want nothing more to do with him.

Now Mushin Hendricks has met the love of his life. His partner follows another faith – Hinduism – and has not yet come out of the closet.

Mushin’s work at the mosque came to an abrupt end. His take on the relationship between homosexuality and Islam does not rhyme with the official doctrine. He has been branded a Satanist. Although he has never been physically threatened, he has to endure much abuse and criticism.

Empowerment

“Imams see me as a threat to their worldview and the way they see Islam. I don’t feel they should be threatened. It’s just another view that I would invite them to look at. My view allows queer Muslims to continue being Muslim but also to accept themselves for who they are.”

Muhsin Hendricks still sees himself as an Islamic cleric. With his foundation The Inner Circle he tries to help Muslims with their coming out. He gives empowerment workshops to make young people more self-aware. He will also give one here in the Netherlands: over sixty people have already signed up for it.

Visit the Inner Circle website or Facebook page

Related Articles:

Moroccan Gays Test Limits on Net

Magazine gives Moroccan homosexuals a voice

Uganda court bans media from outing gays

About the Challenges of Being a Gay Man – Oct 23, 2010 (Saint Germain channeled by Alexandra Mahlimay and Dan Bennack) - “You see, your Soul and Creator are not concerned with any perspective you have that contradicts the reality of your Divinity – whether this be your gender, your sexual preference, your nationality – or your race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, or anything else.”

Pepper-Gaia 2011 "Up Rising" (Egypt)

http://pepperlewis.com/

Related Articles:

“2011 and Beyond” - What you are seeing, and why - Jan 16, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

UFO - Dome of the rock - Temple mount - Jerusalem 28.01.2011

.

Related Article:

"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects:Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)

"If an Arab and a Jew can look at one another and see the Akashic lineage and see the one family, there is hope. If they can see that their differences no longer require that they kill one another, then there is a beginning of a change in history. And that's what is happening now. All of humanity, no matter what the spiritual belief, has been guilty of falling into the historic trap of separating instead of unifying. Now it's starting to change. There's a shift happening."

(Live Kryon Channelings was given 7 times within the United Nations building.)

“2011 and Beyond” - What you are seeing, and why - Jan 16, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - New

"2010 in Review" - Dec 11, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)

Tunisia to legalise banned polical parties

BBC News, 20 January 2011

Troops fired warning shots as protesters marched in central Tunis

Tunisia's new government says it will recognise all banned political groups, including Islamists, and grant an amnesty to all political prisoners.

The announcement comes after the new cabinet held its first meeting - nearly a week after President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was ousted amid mass protests.

The meeting had been postponed amid opposition calls not to give key posts to members of Mr Ben Ali's RCD party.

All eight RCD ministers in the cabinet had earlier quit the party.

Tunisia turmoil

• Will returnees re-ignite revolt?
• Dilemmas of transition
• Key players now
• Q&A: Tunisia crisis

The party had also dissolved its central committee.

On Thursday, troops fired warning shots at crowds who had massed near RCD headquarters in the capital, Tunis.

Reports said some protesters had tried to scale a wall at the building.

Judges also staged a demonstration in Tunis demanding the resignation of all judges who worked for the ousted president.

There were also reports of demonstrations in the towns of Gafsa and Kef.

'No going back'

"We are in complete agreement," Youth Minister Mohamed Aloulou said after Thursday's meeting of the cabinet - described by some of his colleagues as "historic".

"Together we can write a new
page in the history of our country”
Fouad Mebazaa / Tunisian interim leader

"We are not going back. We will recognise all the political movements."

The government said the amnesty would also cover the banned Islamist Ennahda movement.

The announcement comes a day after two a cabinet minister and a former member both said that that the government had already freed all political prisoners.

Political wrangling had delayed the inaugural meeting of the cabinet. Hours before it was due to start, a minister who had belonged to the RCD announced he was pulling out of the government.

"I am stepping down for the higher interests of the country in this delicate situation to try to bring the country out of crisis and ensure a democratic transition," the official Tap news agency quoted Zouheir M'Dhaffar, minister of state in the prime minister's office, as saying.

Four opposition ministers quit the cabinet the day after it was formed, demanding the exclusion of RCD ministers.

Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi and interim President Fouad Mebazaa - former speaker of the lower house of parliament - have also quit the RCD to try to distance themselves from Mr Ben Ali.

The interim government must arrange a date for
future elections

Mr Ben Ali and his family fled to Saudi Arabia last week after mass street protests over unemployment, poverty and corruption.

Despite his departure, protests have continued, with demonstrators and opposition leaders demanding that all members of the RCD party be excluded from any future administration.

Although the situation across Tunisia remains tense, authorities have shortened the hours of curfew.

A state of emergency is still in place and the army is still deployed in the capital Tunis. Schools and universities remain closed.

The interim government has pledged free and fair elections within six months but has given no dates.

Related Article:

"The End of History" – Nov 20, 2010 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) - (Subjects:Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Muhammad, Jesus, God, Jews, Arabs, EU, US, Israel, Iran, Russia, Africa, South America, Global Unity,..... etc.) (Text version)