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Tag: Christians

  • Morocco: Jews, Christians, And Muslims Help The Poor In Ramadan

    Morocco: Jews, Christians, And Muslims Help The Poor In Ramadan

    In what sounds like a page ripped out of novel, several dozen Muslim activists, a group of Jewish teens and a rabbi joined forces on Sunday in a number of Moroccan cities to supply 1,500 underprivileged Muslim families with food staples for the daily meal that marks the end of each daily fast during Ramadan.

    The food packages were a three-way partnership organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, founded and directed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein; Chabad-Lubavitch of Morocco; and the Mimouna Association, an organization of Moroccan Muslim students who work to preserve and promote the unique heritage of Morocco’s ancient Jewish community.

    “We are privileged to help support Moroccans in need celebrate the holy month of Ramadan,” said Eckstein. “This inspiring joint initiative serves as a shining model of bridge-building between Christians, Jews and Muslims, and shows that the world’s faith communities can unite around shared values to make a difference for good.”

    Rabbi Levi Banon of Jeunesse ChabadMorocco led a group of teens from the local Chabad and volunteers from Mimouna to the poorest areas in the cities of Kenitra, Rabat and Sale to distribute the food.

    “This is a beautiful display of how people from different faiths can get together to do something positive,” said Laziza Dalil, a member of Mimouna. “We are now two weeks into Ramadan, and some of these families may not have the most basic supplies with which to break the fast.”

    Each box contains dates, tea, lentils, chickpeas and other food staples with which Muslims traditionally break their Ramadan fasts each evening.

    This year’s distribution follows the successful pilot program last year, in which 250 packages were delivered. According to Dalil, some of the recipients were taken aback to discover that the gift was brought to them by people outside of the Muslim faith, but “they really did not care. They were touched by the human gesture of caring, and the fact that people thought about them and their families.”

    “It was such a wonderful gesture that really brought out the best in people,” noted Banon. “It is touching to see that charity that has been done in other parts of the world though the IFCJ is now being felt in the Muslim world, especially beginning in Morocco, a country of tolerance and peace.”

    Note: The content in this page is produced by Chabad.org, and is copyrighted by the author and/or Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you do not revise any part of it, and you include this note, credit the author, and link to www.chabad.org. If you wish to republish this article in a periodical, book, or website, please email [email protected].

     

    Source: Muslimvillage.com

  • Malaysians, Indonesians, Threatens Boycott Over Honda’s LGBT Campaign In US

    Malaysians, Indonesians, Threatens Boycott Over Honda’s LGBT Campaign In US

    KUALA LUMPUR — Several Malaysians and Indonesians have expressed outrage over Honda’s support of a US lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) pride parade, saying they would boycott the Japanese carmaker.

    American Honda Motor Company, Inc, which is the North American subsidiary of Honda Motor Company, Ltd, posted on its Facebook page last Saturday (June 18) that it would be participating in the 2016 Columbus Pride Parade in Ohio and posted a photograph of its vehicles in various colours, following the signature rainbow colour of the LGBT movement.

    “At Honda, we value diversity and inclusion of everyone. Our support for the LGBT community is a reflection of our company’s commitment,” Honda wrote.

    Many Malaysians and Indonesians, however, found issue with the automobile company’s backing of the community and posted comments saying they would trade in their Honda vehicles and stop buying from Honda.

    “I am a potential buyer who had a keen interest in your new Honda Civic, but since Honda support lgbt, you just lost a customer. I will spread this post and made you lost EVEN MORE customer,” said Facebook user called Penulis Tanpa Nama, whose post received 474 “likes”.

    Another Malaysian Facebook user, Syarifah Husna, said she would now choose Mazda over Honda, warning Malaysians that “eventually it will come to here… And last thing u know they will fund lgbt here”.

    Malaysian Facebook user Bendahara Alam Warisan said he used to be a big supporter of Honda, but now he would trade off all his vehicles and cancel two orders of a CR-V and Civic.

    “I shall never buy honda again n i shall tell all my friend dont buy honda. The least we could do to stop lgbt,” he wrote.

    Indonesian Facebook user Didi Rachmadi said “since Honda support gay, lets move to Toyota for the next car”.

    Some Facebook users, however, supported Honda’s pro-LGBT stance.

    Shafiqah Othman Hamzah told Honda to keep “spreading the love and keep making bucks”.

    “Thank you for standing up against homophobia,” she wrote.

    Facebook user Mohd Faiz said: “Dear ‘muslim’ Honda users. Please donate me your Honda Jazz. I love that car the moment I’m using it”.

    Facebook user Zanthrax Will apologised on behalf of Malaysians who posted offensive comments, saying: “We all know that LGBT are humans to [sic]”.

    Malaysia and Indonesia are Muslim-majority countries. The local LGBT communities are often targeted by Islamic officials on grounds that homosexuality is forbidden in their religion.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Yasir Qadhi: LGBT Movement Hypocritical

    Yasir Qadhi: LGBT Movement Hypocritical

    We learn from the Quran that when the Prophet Lūt was preaching to his people, eventually his people threatened him: “Expel the people of Lūt from our town! They are a group that seek to purify us” [al-Naml; 56].

    Alas! History always repeats itself, and the way matters are heading now, I fear it is only a matter of time before mobs begin to gather, and legislation is passed, to ban people who believe in the standard morality of sexuality.

    This vicious onslaught after the Orlando massacre against people who wish to affirm what used to be the mainstream Abrahamic understanding of morality exemplifies the intolerance and bigotry of the very folks who would accuse others of intolerance and bigotry.

    Where is the freedom to believe and practice what I choose? We have agreed to abide by the conditions of American liberalism: to live and let live. We have agreed that anyone who preaches hatred and violence should be marginalized and stopped if possible.

    I agree that I have no right to force my positions and opinions on you.

    Will you, who used to champion for your personal freedoms and ask us to simply let you be, allow me that same privilege?

    ‪#‎Hypocrisy‬

     

    Source: Yasir Qadhi

  • MHA: Political, Controversial Social Issues Should Be Decided by Singaporeans Alone

    MHA: Political, Controversial Social Issues Should Be Decided by Singaporeans Alone

    The Government has always taken the position that foreigners and foreign entities should not interfere in our domestic matters (“Clarity needed on ‘interference by foreign entities’” by Ms Corinna Lim; yesterday).

    Political and controversial social questions should be decided by Singaporeans alone.

    The Speakers’ Corner was established to provide a space for Singaporeans to express themselves, without requiring a permit, on the condition that there is no participation of foreigners.

    In line with this condition, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is reviewing Speakers’ Corner rules to make clear that foreign entities should not fund, support or influence such events held at the Speakers’ Corner.

    We will adopt a practical approach.

    When this review is complete, the ministry will set out the parameters.

    The Government is committed to diversity and inclusiveness, and expects the same of businesses operating here with respect to their employees.

    However, advocating positions on Singapore laws and policies on socially divisive issues is an entirely different matter.

    That is a right that must be reserved for Singaporeans.

    The MHA statement of June 7 made it clear that this applies equally to those who advocate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) causes, as well as those who oppose LGBT causes.

    Lee May Lin (Ms)

    Director

    Information Planning and Strategy

    Community Partnership and Communications Group

    Ministry of Home Affairs

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com

  • Government Will Protect Everyone From Threat Of Violence

    Government Will Protect Everyone From Threat Of Violence

    The Government will protect its people against any threat of violence, regardless of their race, religion or sexual orientation, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

    “Violence against any group, in any form, is not acceptable. Here, the Government will act decisively if there is threat of violence against anyone or any group,” Mr Shanmugam said before the iftar (breaking of fast) at the Khadijah Mosque in Geylang yesterday.

    “The Government’s duty is to protect everyone – their race, their religion, their sexual orientation, that’s not relevant.”

    His comments came in the wake of a massacre at a gay nightclub in Florida on Sunday, when gunman Omar Mateen mowed down 49 people and injured another 53, in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history.

    Investigators are examining whether Omar was driven to violence as a deeply disturbed individual who was himself gay or because of extremist ideology. “But it looks like the gay community has been targeted. This is unacceptable,” Mr Shanmugam told reporters.

    The kind of threat posed by lone- wolf individuals who are inspired but not directed by known extremist groups is “a significant risk” for Singapore as well, he said, noting that the Government had arrested “people who have self-radicalised, had intended to go to the Istana open house and do violence” to the President and Prime Minister.

    In another case of home-grown terrorism, six Bangladeshis were charged last month with financing terrorism after they were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for planning attacks back home.

    Mr Shanmugam said education is key in inoculating the population against radicalisation but it is not foolproof. Communities also have to come together and families have to be on the lookout for suggestions or evidence of radicalisation, while security agencies stay on high alert.

    Under the ISA, the Government can move in and arrest an individual who has been identified before he can do harm, he said.

    But these measures do not guarantee that Singapore will not be attacked, as terrorists often blend into the community. “There are threats in a variety of forms. Thankfully, our population is a cross of many races, and we are not infected by extremism to any substantial degree,” said Mr Shanmugam.

    Yesterday, thousands of people in cities throughout the United States and Europe stood in solidarity to remember those who had died. In Singapore, some 700 people attended a candlelight vigil in Hong Lim Park.

    Mr Shanmugam stressed the importance of the national SG Secure initiative in organising and training residents to guard against attacks, and maintain social harmony in the aftermath.The Muslim community has an important role in combating radical ideology as well, he said.

    Said Dr Mohamed Ali, vice-chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group: “Religious and community leaders have a strong influence over the followers of their religion. They need to convey these messages to their communities, to reject extremism and ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria).”

     

    Source: www.straitstimes.com