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Tag: Raif Badawi

  • You Don’t Need A Fortune To Be Fortunate

    You Don’t Need A Fortune To Be Fortunate

    Hi everyone, meet Mdm Ah Heng, 95 year old box collector from Kreta Ayer. Despite being the OLDEST box collector we’ve ever met in SIngapore, she is also one of the most cheerful and positive. And amazingly at 95, she’s still very agile and strong. Maybe what keeps her going strong is her positive energy. Although some may claim that it is because she keeps herself fit by “exercising”, we beg to differ because other box collectors too, “exercise” however, many of them shouldn’t be walking at all along dangerous roads if they are limping in pain due to their aging limbs. So it has to be her positive energy that keeps her strong.

    She speaks Cantonese and a tiny bit of Malay and I could barely understand what she’s telling me, but she never stops trying and she seems to enjoy talking a lot. She will walk a few metres and turn back and continue talking then walk away again and turn back and continue talking.

    One of the things that i can understand, she said was “Saya susah tapi saya tak nak susahkan orang.” (translated: I’m poor but I do not want to trouble others.) She says that in the most positive manner that she sounds like she’s thankful to even be alive and do not have anything to complain. She’s not married and do not have children and surviving on her own. What an amazing woman. Many of the box collectors we met, who are in their 70s and 80s could barely walk properly. But this lady was ever so lively and cheerful. We talked and talked all along standing by the side of a small road for almost half hour. She was so full of energy and very appreciative of the vouchers and meal coupons that we just gave her. We promised to meet her every month to continue paying forward her following months’ meals at the nearby Mixed Vegetable Stall at the coffeeshop of No.85 Keong Saik Rd.

    If you speak CANTONESE and you LOVE TO CHAT, why not PM us and we will intro you to her. You’ll have a great time chatting with this lady!

    Very special thanks to Stephanie for helping out with the distribution and helping explain to the box collectors on how to redeem the coupons. And thank you for your help stamping next month’s coupons.

    And also a very special thanks to everyone who contributed to our Monthly Meal Funds for the box collectors.

    “No One Can Do Everything But Everyone Can Do Something”

    #FreeRaif #IamRaifBadawi

     

    Source: Happy People Helping People Foundation

  • Saudi Blogger Who Insulted Islam May Face Death Penalty

    Saudi Blogger Who Insulted Islam May Face Death Penalty

    Raif Badawi, the Saudi Arabian blogger who was sentenced to 1,000 lashes for insulting Islam, may now face the death penalty, his family says.

    In a statement published on Facebook, Badawi’s family says they’ve “received information from reliable sources” that Raif will be retried on charges of abandoning his religion by the same judge who has unsuccessfully tried to charge him with the crime twice before.

    “We have reasons to believe without any doubts that the same judge has again asked the Head of the Court of Apeal [sic] to charge Raif with ‘Apostasy’,” the statement reads.

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    Amnesty International, the international rights group that has been working to secure Badawi’s release, says the family’s claims could not be verified and that the controversial Saudi blogger shouldn’t be behind bars regardless.

    In May 2014, Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, banned for life from giving media appearances and flogged for insulting Islam and violating Saudi Arabia’s information technology laws with his “Free Saudi Liberals” blog. His writing promoted secular and liberal views and denounced religious extremism.

    The judge’s attempt to charge Badawi with apostasy previously failed because the criminal court in Jeddah didn’t have the jurisdiction to rule on cases that resulted in the death penalty. Yet in  September 2014, that changed as Supreme Judicial Council gave the court the ability to rule on capital punishment cases.

    In their statement, the family renewed their call to have Badawi pardoned and permitted to fly to Canada, where he can be reunited with his wife and children.

    Ensaf Haidar, Badawi’s wife, is appealing to Sigmar Gabriel, the German vice chancellor and economic minister, who will travel to Saudi Arabia next week,Deutsche-Welle reports. Haidar appeared on German TV channel ZDF on Sunday and directly asked the country’s government to help secure her husband’s release.

    “I would like Vice Chancellor Gabriel to make contact with those responsible in Saudi Arabia and to ask them for Raif’s release, and not just for his release but also for an exit visa allowing him to travel from Saudi Arabia to Canada,” Haidar said.

    Gabriel said the German government is working on Badawi’s release, but that details shouldn’t be discussed on national television. In recent weeks, human rights groups and Germany’s opposition parties have criticized the German government for cultivating business ties and exporting military goods to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt, which all have poor human rights records.

    Badawi received his first 50 lashes in a public flogging in January. He is supposed to receive 50 lashes every week until he has endured 1,000, buthealth complications from the first round  have prevented him from receiving any more, The Guardian reports.

    Source: www.newsweek.com