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  • Pink Dot Draws 28,000

    Pink Dot Draws 28,000

    Organisers of Singapore’s Pink Dot gay rally said the event attracted record numbers of participants.

    Despite Singapore being divided on gay rights issues, some 28,000 participants turned up for Pink Dot, as the event celebrated its 7th year.

    The event saw a crowd, mainly young, and mostly dressed in pink converge on the Hong Lim Park, which was decorated with pink balloons.

    PinkDot

    At nightfall, the participants formed a huge pink dot.

    Last year’s event drew 26,000 participants, and security was deployed for the first time due to protests from religious groups.

    The event now attracts more than ten times the number of people who attended the first rally, which was held in 2009.

    Section 377A of the Singaporean Penal Code forbids male same-sex acts, although female same-sex sexual activity was legalised in 2007. Although the law is sporadically enforced, a constitutional challenge against it was dismissed by courts last year

     

    Source: www.pinknews.co.uk

  • Implosion Of The Young Lions

    Implosion Of The Young Lions

    There was none of the usual slamming of the inept coach that one would normally see in the aftermath of a disastrous football campaign. Neither was there much of the blame game among players which one would expect to see the morning after a debacle that saw Singapore’s SEA Games football hopes end in the group stage.

    Instead, in the aftermath of the team’s surprise exit and the shock resignation of national Under-23 coach Aide Iskandar on Thursday night, fingers point to an implosion from within the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), caused by infighting among coaching staff and a lack of clarity on key objectives.

    While player injuries and wrong tactics ultimately contributed to the team’s failure, it was problems from within, or as Aide hinted on Thursday, “a lot of challenges”, that precipitated the Young Lions’ demise.

    Players and backroom staff The Straits Times spoke to talked about how the constant changing of coaches created an unsettling atmosphere within the side.

    The bulk of the players had trained under fitness coach Aleksandar Bozenko in the build-up to the Games last year, only to face a new trainer late last year in Juergen Raab.

    The replacement was then replaced when former national player Kadir Yahaya was roped in to help get the team fighting fit just months before the Games.

    Said a senior player who declined to be named: “We found it puzzling that although a bronze medal (at the 2013 Games) was won with one trainer and we were working well with him, another was brought in.

    “Then, yet another came in.”

    Sources said that Aide had preferred Bozenko but was forced to work with Raab.

    The coaching merry-go-round continued right up to one month before the Games when goalkeeper coach John Burridge, who had worked with the goalkeepers in the build-up to the tournament, did not actually feature when the Games started.

    Insiders in the team said that the Englishman had asked to be excused to work with the senior squad for the World Cup qualifiers, forcing the SEA Games outfit to scramble for a last-minute replacement.

    Added a source close to the team: “It was strange that a coach could be allowed to leave so soon before a tournament. Perhaps what could have been made clear was which tournament was the main priority.”

    The blurred lines also meant players were not clear about what their key objectives were for the year – the SEA Games team or the LionsXII.

    Despite the FAS publicly announcing that the SEA Games had top priority, key attackers Sahil Suhaimi and Faris Ramli were released for LionsXII duty in the build-up to the Games, dealing a blow to Aide’s final preparations.

    Both Sahil and Faris scored in the Malaysian FA Cup win, but failed to show such form during the SEA Games.

    “The SEA Games team should have taken top priority as we believe the talent, if harnessed properly, was there to get the gold,” said a Young Lions official.

    “The FA Cup win was good for Singapore football but certain players came back to us with inflated egos, which made them harder to coach.”

    The lack of clarity also surfaced just before the tournament, when attacker Iqbal Hussain was dropped on the eve of the event for disciplinary reasons, only to be called up by national team coach Bernd Stange for the World Cup qualifiers.

    The move infuriated the Young Lions squad, who felt the German was undermining Aide and creating unnecessary drama at a crucial time. The reserve players on the SEA Games team were also unsettled, wondering if perhaps it would have been better for them to have been excluded from Aide’s team so they could also feature in the senior side.

    Said an insider: “The team lost the bench after that. Players weren’t convinced that being in the SEA Games squad was the best move for them.”

    The off-field problems, in turn, led to problems on it.

    Whether he was fickle or forced to do so because of injuries, Aide switched between route-one football and short but not always decisive passing – often in the same match.

    “We were playing long balls to a 1.7m striker (Sahil) – Aide always had a game plan but sometimes, it didn’t make sense,” said a player who declined to be named.

    Another added: “When we did have a big guy (1.87m-tall Irfan Fandi) up front, the crosses were not in sync with his runs.”

    Despite overseas trips to Turkey, Austria and Japan and their public avowal of overall unity, there were divisions within the squad. Since coming together two years ago, tensions have existed between the “veterans” with international caps and the younger players.

    “Some senior guys knew they were undroppable so they didn’t bother to train hard, eat well or follow the rules,” said one player.

    The team did not have luck with injuries either. Key midfielder Shahfiq Ghani, instrumental in the build-up to the Games as the team beat Laos 5-1 and Timor Leste 2-0, missed the whole tournament with injury. For Thursday’s must-win against Indonesia, Faris and striker Irfan were only half-fit.

    But as Aide continues to bear the brunt of criticism from a disappointed public dreaming of an elusive football gold, defender Amirul Adli best summed up the team’s feelings.

    He said: “Why blame the coach? He had his own issues to deal with behind the scenes.

    “The players just didn’t perform to their standards.”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Pink Dot Packs Hong Lim

    Pink Dot Packs Hong Lim

    Describing Pink Dot as having had a “record turnout” is starting to become old hat, as organisers say 28,000 people joined in on the annual gay rights rally this year, breaking the record of 26,000 in 2014.

    Hong Lim Park was once again packed with pink-clad supporters from Singapore and overseas, although only Singaporeans and Permanent Residents were able to form the lit-up human pink dot at the end of the night.

    Yet many challenges still remain for the LGBT community. With Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong still insisting that Singapore is “not ready” for same-sex marriage, LGBT activists are no closer to getting Section 377A of the Penal Code – which criminalises sex between men – repealed.Growing in size and scope every year, this year’s Pink Dot featured speeches from LGBT individuals and allies such as Vanessa Ho from Project X, Avin Tan from Action for AIDS and long-time gay rights activist Russell Heng. Performers in the well-received concert included singer-songwriter Inch Chua, rapper ShiGGa Shay and dance group Plus Point.

    The Media Development Authority (MDA), too, has remained steadfast in its treatment of media with LGBT themes. Taiwanese pop star Jolin Tsai’s song and music video We’re All Different, Yet The Same – which depicted the discrimination that LGBT people face in not being able have their families formally recognised – was recently banned from mainstream broadcast.

    Pink Dot’s spokesperson Paerin Choa revealed at the press conference that a 15-second promotional video made for screening in cinemas was yesterday refused a rating by the MDA. This means that the video, which contained footage of last year’s lit-up Pink Dot, cannot be screened in Singapore and is effectively banned.

    Organisers said MDA’s cited reason was that “it is not in the public interest to allow cinema halls to carry advertising on LGBT issues, whether they are advocating for the cause, or against the cause.”

    “After the setbacks that we had experienced over the last 12 months, giving up and losing hope would have been the easy thing to do. But we also know that Singapore’s LGBT community are a very resilient bunch, and in view of these challenges, we still have much to celebrate,” Choa said.

    As he stood in the hot, humid crowd, long-time LGBT ally Reverend Doctor Yap Kim Hao believed that the growing crowd indicated a “very promising future” for the LGBT community.

    “This shows a lot of public support,” he told The Online Citizen. “It shows a public awareness of the injustice faced by the community. And the LGBT people are also no longer hiding themselves, they are out and proud.”

    Olivia Chiong, whose blog on same-sex parenting was recently picked up by Buzzfeed, said she and her partner Irene has watched the numbers at Pink Dot grow. “It’s a nice time to catch up with friends, some of whom we only saw last year!” she said. “Pink Dot is like Chinese New Year for gay people!”

    That said, Chiong would prefer not to have need of an event like Pink Dot at all: “We need to do this now, but I hope we eventually grow [in acceptance of LGBT people] until we no longer need Pink Dot.

     

    Source: www.theonlinecitizen.com

  • Dear Muslim LGBTQ Brothers And Sisters…

    Dear Muslim LGBTQ Brothers And Sisters…

    Bismilaahirrahmaanirraheem…

    Assalamualaikum Wr. Wb.

    Dear My Muslim LGBTQ Brothers and Sisters…

    There’s something we need to confess to you. We, straight Muslims, do not hate you. In fact, we have never hated you. True, we may seem aggressive with our acts of eradicating LGBTQ from the society but it’s not because we hate you. You are our brothers and sisters and we love you for the sake of Allah SWT. We love you and we don’t want you to get punished for your act. We know we are no one to say that you’re going to Hellfire, but it’s already clear in the Qur’an when Allah SWT says:

    “Know they not that for those who oppose Allah and His apostle is the fire of Hell? Wherein they shall dwell. That is the supreme disgrace.” (al-Qur’an 9:63)

    We love you so much, my dear brothers and sisters. Hell is not the place that you wanna be. It’s that last place that you wanna be. We give you reminders because we understand how much pain one will have to suffer in Hellfire. Again Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:

    “… fear the Fire (Hell) whose fuel is men and stones, prepared for the disbelievers.” (al-Qur’an 2:24)

    We know you feel the guilt. Keep feeling guilty, my brothers and sisters. Keep telling yourself that Allah SWT hates your action, cz you yourself know that it’s a sin. Don’t let anyone tell you that LGBTQ is acceptable in Islam. Know that you are better than those people who seem pious. Those “pious” people who are trying to re-interpret the Qur’an by saying that LGBTQ is acceptable in Islam, remember that it is just a deception of the devil. Know that these people can go up to kafir.

    There’s a huge difference between a person who’s involved in LGBTQ but knows that it’s haram and a person who’s involved in LGBTQ  but says it’s okay in Islam. The former, insyaAllah may Allah grant him Hidayah, but for the latter, it’s already clear in the Qur’an that whomever disregards any part of Allah’s commandments, he is a disbeliever.

    “… And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed – then it is those who are the disbelievers.” (al-Qur’an 5:44)

    Interpretation by Ibn Abbas, recorded in Tafsir At-tabari: Whomever does not judge by the commands of Allah and he is against it, then he is a disbeliever. However, if he does not judge by the commands of Allah, yet acknowledges it, then he is a zalim fasik.

    However my dear brothers and sisters, you still need to keep improving yourself. You need to keep seeking the truth. Don’t stop putting in effort to search for Allah SWT’s pleasure.

    Haven’t you heard of Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him) community? His community was involved in homosexual acts. Wild sex was widespread. They didn’t want to listen to Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him) warnings and reminders. The situation was so bad, he prayed to Allah SWT to destroy his community. What happened to them after that? Allah SWT answered Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him) prayers by commanding an angel to “scoop” the land they’re staying high up in the air and turn the land upside down, and within seconds the whole community was destroyed.

    Haven’t you heard about the People of Pompeii? The community was similar to that of Prophet Lut’s (peace be upon him). They make a living from prostitution. Homosexuality was also widespread. It’s a city of sex. What happened to the community then? A nearby volcano erupted so violently, its lava destroyed the whole community yet Allah SWT preserved their body so perfectly so that we could learn from their mistakes. These are signs of Allah SWT’s anger.

    So my dear brothers and sisters, how can homosexuality ever be acceptable in Islam?

    Allah’s wisdom is so great that nothing can surpass it. We’re always talking about hijab. That’s why we even need to hijab when we’re in the same room with the same gender. Both men’s and women’s aurah when in front of the same gender are from the navel to the knees (knees included). We cannot be naked in front of anyone, except for your halal wife/husband. That’s the beauty of marriage. MasyaAllah. How much details Allah SWT has put into the rules and guidelines for us to live our daily lives and not even a single loophole in Islam.

    Allah SWT even forbids us from cross-dressing. A lady can’t dress like a guy and a guy can’t dress like a lady. Even if a guy wears the headscarf just for sake of fun, it is haram. SubhanAllah. How strict our Lord is when it comes to this.

    Again my homosexual brothers and sisters, we’re not against you. We will never humiliate you. Those who humiliate you are not one of us. We are here to give constant reminders to you. It may be hurtful going through the process of purification. No doubt, it will be very very hard to contain those urges and desires. But just think of your parents, if not for them, you’ll not see the world. You need both mother’s and father’s love and attention. You know both of them play very different roles. Can you imagine yourself being brought up by same sex parents? And knowing that you’re either adopted or your birth isn’t normal? Not knowing who’s your real parents or who your dad is? If you can’t imagine, then please spare the emotional torture from your future child(ren). Plus, you know how important breastfeeding is to newborn. How can you have the heart depriving a newborn of the best nutrition?

    Allah is great. He wants to protect us. Have we not read of the statistic that proportionally, more homosexuals are infected by HIV than heterosexuals? Can’t you see how much Allah SWT, the One who created you, loves you? He knows you more than you know yourself. He forbids homosexuality as He knows how much detrimental effects it will bring to you, to the community.

    It’s not too late, my dear brothers and sister. You may have a very dark past. You may feel that your sin is too big for Allah SWT to forgive. But know that the only sin that Allah SWT won’t forgive is syirk (associating partners to Allah SWT). Allah SWT says in the Qur’an:

    “Allah says: “O My servants who have transgressed against their souls, do not despair of Allah’s mercy, for Allah forgives all sins. It is He Who is the Forgiving, the Merciful.” (al-Quran 39:53)

    Remember that whenever you wanna repent and there’s something inside you saying that you’re not deserving of Allah’s forgiveness, that’s not your voice. That’s syaitan who’s whispering into your ears. You’re better than syaitan and iblis. Know that while you’re struggling to stop loving the same gender, there’s also a straight person who’s struggling not to be in a haram relationship.

    I know this post may not change you, but my only hope is that for you to keep seeking the truth. My only advise is that to not miss any prayers. I remembered at one point of time how far I was from Allah SWT, but I keep telling myself that I should never miss any prayers. How difficult it was to find the time or place to pray, I still struggled hard to stop making excuses for myself. At that moment, I didn’t know what actions will make Allah SWT happy, but I knew the things that Allah SWT hated. So I tried my best to refrain from doing things that brought pleasure to me, but hatred to Allah SWT.

    If you always club, drink, smoke, have promiscuous sex, or any sinful acts, avoid it one by one. No one is asking you to change drastically. For drastic change will bear drastic impact. If you can handle the drastic impact, then Alhamdulillah for you. If not, then do it one at a time. What’s most important is that you have the intention to change, only for the One. Keep making do’a to the Lord of the universe. Know that if He can control the entire universe, controlling your heart is just a small matter. Just ask for it. He doesn’t need you to survive, you need Him to survive.

    Life is just a challenge. Everyone has their own challenges. If you think your challenge is the biggest, know that there’s someone else in this world who’s struggling to live; no food, no place to sleep, no parents, don’t know if tomorrow a bullet gonna pierce through his/her head.

    You can be the happiest person. You don’t need a human’s love to make you feel complete. All you need is Allah SWT’s and Rasulullah SAW’s love. To have your halal spouse to love you, is a bonus. You choose your own happiness.

    “A happy person once said: “The beautiful day is the day on which we have control of our affairs and our affairs do not control us. It is the day on which we control our desires and we are not controlled by them like slaves.”” (extracted from the book ‘You Can Be The Happiest Women In The World’)

    Last not but not least, be friends with those who love Allah SWT. Be in the environment that gives you the positive vibe. Know that if someone loves Allah SWT, it doesn’t only come from the heart. If someone truly and sincerely loves Him, from the heart it will automatically show through from one’s appearance and actions. Be with those who truly and sincerely love Him.

    How contradictory and hurtful it may sound, but know that those who support your sinful acts are actually the one who don’t love you. Those who stop and acknowledge you are the ones who truly love you. Life is temporary and we don’t want you to live “happily” only for a short period of time. We want you to be happy forever, now and till the Hereafter. InsyaAllah.

    May Allah SWT guide us always and never make us go astray.

    WallahuAlam.

     

    Source: https://nurashikinsalim.wordpress.com

  • Yaacob Ibrahim’s Lack Of Action Against Pink Dot Sg Will Cost Him Politically

    Yaacob Ibrahim’s Lack Of Action Against Pink Dot Sg Will Cost Him Politically

    Assalamualaikum Dr Yaacob,

    I am writing to you, as the Muslim community in general feels very distressed that not only is an immoral activity about to take place contrary to the democratic wishes of the silent majority but also an illegal one too. Illegal in the sense that it infringes on Section 377A of the penal code against homosexual practices in our country (and that of neighboring Malaysia, Indonesia & Brunei)!

    What is particularly alarming is that Mediacorp Artistes under your watch are being appointed as their licentious ambassadors as well. Is this the best you can perform as the minister in charge of both communications and Muslim affairs? Never mind that you have failed for decades to fight for Malay/Muslim rights in this country but you have now failed to stop plain challenges to Islamic principles and its holy definition of what constitutes normal, healthy functioning families likewise?

    In a lot of areas are Muslims already being deprived, from loudspeakers in mosques to readily available Halal food in NTUC Foodfare/government institutions to total segregation of hawker food stalls and wet markets selling Muslim foods to prevent contamination from Haram stuffs and not forgetting, the Hijab issue at workplaces. Instead, we have witnessed more and more gay themed spas being opened across the island along with their fornicated pubs and HIV rates have shot up as a result. Is this not a clear enough indication to halt such abomination?

    Therefore, I cannot understand how you and your PAP leaders can allow this kind of lewd event to take place at Hong Lim Park when the law clearly stipulate prohibitions of matters on “Race, Language, Religious and illegality”? Since this present government is afraid to uphold the wishes of the conservative majority and maintain the status quo of a decent, virtuous “Asian society” like Mr Muhamad Faisal of the Worker’s Party did by participating in the “wear white event” then I think its for the long term good that we the people including your good self, prepare for shake ups starting from Moulmein Kallang where Mr Faisal’s party previously contested and obtained quite a good result.

    Muhd Irfan Abdul Halim
    A.S.S. Contributor

    Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

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