Gay Muslim Marriages:BBC News Item Reactions !

The BBC website carried a news item on Sunday February 20, 2011 about British gay Muslims joining the global foray for equality and licensing of gay marriages.This has resulted in mixed reactions considering the fact that gay marriages is considered particularly offensive under Islamic law.The BBC article carried the experiences of a British Gay couple "Sarah" and "Asra' who conducted  'a Nikah' ( a Muslim Matrimonial Contract) officiated by a fellow lesbian friend knowledgeable in Quran . The couple alleged that you

"don't really have to have an official Imam, but you need someone who is knowledgeable enough about the Qur'an to do it"

In response to the Article the blog "Eye on Gay Muslims"  carried an Article entitled "The Fallacy of Gay 'Islamic Marriages' " objecting to some of the issues  the article may seem to be promoting.The article states:

Their so-called “nikah” is in fact fundamentally different from an actual nikah performed for a man and woman.One of the essential conditions of a nikah is that the two people be marriageable to one another. A member of the same sex is not, in the Qur’anic paradigm, a marriageable partner. That is even if we don’t point out that homosexual relations are a sinful abomination.

This pair even state that they gave each other a “dowry”. In a nikah, the dowry (mahr, i.e. marriage gift) is strictly from the man to the woman. So how can they invent this ruling then claim it’s the same as a normal nikah?

The writer then proceeds to posit several rhetorical questions that i hereby reproduce including:

• One of the essential items of a marriage contract is the mahr (dowry) paid by the man to the woman. Who pays whom in one of your imagined ‘gay marriages’?
• A man may not marry his sister or mother. Can he marry his brother or father? Provide us some scriptural backing.
• A Muslim man may – if the law of the land permits – marry up to four women. Would you suggest the same for each man, resulting in a big complex web of men all married with each other?
• A man has the full obligation to provide for his wife and children, while the woman’s money is her own right to spend or keep as she wishes. What system will you devise into Islamic law for two men?
• In the eventuality of divorce, there is a difference between the procedure by the husband as compared to the wife. Which of the ‘gays’ gets the right to pronounce talaq?

I must say that i  was interested in this article for one, because i have not previously read of such an ambitious move within the Muslim religion.Two, the fact that this article and the people concerned are resident in Britain it posits the question ,could this development have been contributed to by the recent widespread  acceptance of homosexuality within  Christendom Churches in the Western World? Would such an article and perhaps the behaviour be tolerated in traditionally Muslim lands? Finally ,i am interested in the reactions of the general Muslim fraternity  and the intellectual discourses that may attach to the topic especially with regards to changes in religious ideologies.

Ohio Church "Touchdown "Jesus Idol Struck By Lightning

The Guardian online is running a story about a six-storey statue of Jesus Christ in Ohio that was struck by lightning and the subsequent fire thereof reduced  the image to a scarred iron shell on Monday Night. The Ohio 'Jesus Statute' story is doing the rounds on different social media outlets .The figure which coincidentally was nicknamed " Touchdown Jesus" (a term borrowed from American football referees gesture of a touchdown) ironically has been the victim of a touchdown lightning bolt.

(image of burning statue courtesy of Guardian Online website!)



The event is raising different viewpoints especially among those opposed to the use of images, figurines or idols as aids to worship.No pun intended and with respect to other peoples opinion and divergent views i find the event hilarious(Link) !

Heres a YouTube Video

  Show all

Muslims Protest the Detention of Sheikh Abdullah-Al-Faisal in Kenya

The streets of Nairobi namely; Moi Avenue and Kenyatta avenue were today afternoon a series of running battles between Muslims protesting for the release of controversial  Jamaican Muslim cleric Sheik  Abdullah-Al-Faisal and the Kenya Police.The Muslim protesters were stopped in their tracks from their intended protest march immediately after their noon prayers at the Jamia mosque by armed anti-riot and General Service Unit  personnel. According to the Nation Newspaper online, the skirmishes/riots led to the needless death of one youth.At one time members of the public joined the Police in fighting of the demonstrators indicating that the issue of the radical cleric is now taking a new direction. Without doubt the riots and the loss of life and property are a disgrace to the youths involved .

The Government of Kenya is keenly intent of deport Sheikh Abdul Faisal who has been declared personna non grata in most commonwealth Countries. The Jamaican Muslim cleric famed for hate speech and lectures is being held in communicado  pending his deportation. The Muslim activists are protesting due to the allegation that his Human Rights are being abused and that Due Process of law should be upheld in his deportation.

The protests are bringing to the fore highly serious and emotive issues especially with regards to religious  leaders role and culpability  in fomenting hatred.The comments at the Newspaper's article indicates that many Kenyans have a reservation towards the presence of the preacher and are not in support of the protests. In fact many Kenyans believe that the preacher may just be giving Islam bad press and a bad image in this era of international terrorism and religious segregation.  However that opinion is debatable.I for example have many Muslim colleagues whom i believe do not support any radical viewpoints .In fact in my experience they are quite peaceful and have many positive qualities.One person can really do so much harm.The intended peaceful protests with the background of Kenya's terrorism experience with Al- Qaeda operatives and Somalia's Al Shabaab's threats will just heighten polarization of the citizenry.

Keep On The Watch International Convention of Jehovahs Witnesses Nairobi Kenya

Thousands of Jehovah's Witnesses and interested persons from over 40 different Countries will be converging at the Moi International Sports Centre,Kasarani starting from Thursday 3rd December, 2009 to Sunday 6th December 2009 in a religious convention with the theme " Keep On The Watch International Convention" .The event is the last in a series of assemblies that have been held in several cities in different countries.Local Witnesses of Jehovah have taken upon a campaign of inviting the public to attend the four day event by issuing pamphlets on a door to door campaign.

The Conventions have received favorable media coverage in several countries due to the level of organization ,modicum and grooming of the participants as indicated in this youtube video of a convention held in Qualcomm Stadium,San Diego-USA .The events offer members of the public an opportunity to experience a first hand enriching experience of the  groups belief's  ,manner of worship and interaction .All are invited!


This you tube video indicates a media report of a convention held in San Diego held earlier in the year.Kenya will host a similar event on the fore said dates!

Nisan 14

Today at Sunset the day will correspond to the start of Nisan 14, the day in which our Lord Christ Jesus died! The Jewish day was observed from one sunset to the other! Unfortunately due to much confusion, misinformation, conflicting religious doctrine most "proffesed christians" hardly know anything about the significance of this day! Most infact just love the revelry and merry making associated with Easter( a holiday steeped in pagan tradition).

On this day Christ commenced a simple ceremony(Luke 22:19), that the early christians refered to as "the Lords Evening Meal"(I cor 11:20) which would commemorate the sacrifice meaning and import of his death on behalf of mankind! What Great Love Jehovah God had in setting up the ransom arrangement(He fulfilled the Biblical Drama of Abraham willingness to offer his only begotten son with Sarah... Isaac as a sacrifice a consequence of which Abraham was declared Gods friend).Interestingly many people also dont seem to consider that the anniversary of this occasion would keep on changing from day to day, jus like a marriage anniversary if you married n 13th October aTuesday in 2008 in 2009 you would observe your anniversary on 13th October whether it be a Thursday or Friday in this way the meaning of the occasion can be lost but what do you expect when we have a powerful spirit creature such as Satan as an opposer always readily willing to distrort what God says as he did in the garden of eden, no wonder we have so many religions called christian yet adhering to different creeds & traditions.

Rather than be steeped in another controversy its suffice to say that Nisan 14 is date of somber reflection on what Christs ransom sacrifice individually means for each one of us(John 3:16) and what we ought to personally do to benefit from it!

For discussions on Easter and Nisan 14 here are some wikipedia links but they are not absolute truth further study needs to be undertaken and or clarified on the statements but they point out the genesis of some of this holidays!

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quartodecimanism

The Origin of Easter -Caveat Emptor!

Many people unwittingly observe "Good Friday and Easter Monday with little thought as to the origin of this holidays.I went searching online for links that can appraise many of these self proclaimed Christians as to the origin of these holidays since both holidays are not mentioned in the bible nor is there any evidence whatsoever that the 1st Century Christians or Jesus disciples and apostles observed this two days.

My attempt in doing so is not to attack anyones faith but to inject credulity and knowledge to ones faith after all Jesus mentioned to the Samaritan lady who believed that the Samaritan jews were the ones worshiping God in the right way in John 4:22 "you worship what you do not know".Knowledge is key, a must and necessary for true faith not just self belief or persuasion! after all Jesus mentioned the true followers would worship in spirit and truth!(Verse 23 &24).The truth Jesus mentioned would be founded on Gods Word John 17 :17 and not sugar coated practices and traditions of men(Mathew 7:4-8) established over decades and acceptable to the greedy,commercial and materialistic world:

• Catholic Encyclopedia Wiki Extract :

http://bible.tmtm.com/wiki/Easter_(Catholic_Encyclopedia)

• http://www.religioustolerance.org/spequi1.htm http://www.religioustolerance.org/spequi2.htm
• the Encyclopedia Britannica:
  

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9031806/Easter#115225.hook

• http://dictionary.reference.com/features/easter.html excerpt states "Wearing a new hat to church on Easter Sunday has been a common practice in the U.S., especially when hats were in vogue. The Easter bonnet was celebrated as a custom in Irving Berlin's song "Easter Parade," written in 1933 and the wearing of a new hat and outfit on Easter Sunday symbolized spiritual rebirth. Now the Easter bonnet is seen more in the form of baskets or wreaths of flowers decorating the home. Bonnet goes back through Scottish to French chapel de bonet, "hat or cap of bonet (a fabric for hats)." Before that, boneta / bonetus was a Latin term for "material for hats."

  Rabbits were part of pre-Christian fertility lore and symbolized the abundance of new life associated with Spring. The ancient German goddess Ostara (called Eostre in Anglo-Saxon) was accompanied by a hare, which may have been the precursor of the modern Easter Bunny. (Hares are the European cousins of rabbits and have shorter ears and longer hind legs than rabbits.) In Germany, the Easter Bunny lays red eggs on Maundy Thursday and eggs of other colors on Easter Eve. The Easter Bunny came to America from German settlers who called him "Oschter Haws." The Pennsylvania Dutch prepared nests for the creature and on Easter Eve, the rabbit would lay colored eggs in these nests or in caps or bonnets left out for him. No one has come up with a good explanation of why a rabbit would lay eggs, though. The word bunny was first a term of endearment for a child or woman, perhaps formed from Scottish bun, "tail of a hare."

  Easter eggs are a symbol of fertility and immortality and the egg is an important part of mythology, from the ancient Egyptians onward. In Christianity, the egg is associated with the rock tomb from which Christ emerged to begin His new life. Because the celebration of Easter is preceded by the 40 days of Lent, during which eggs and other dairy products are forbidden among Orthodox Christians, it is traditional to begin the Easter meal in Russia and eastern Europe by cutting up an egg that has been blessed and distributing it to each family member and guest. The custom of dyeing Easter eggs probably began with medieval travelers to Egypt and Persia, where people colored eggs for their Spring festivals. According to German folklore, the Easter Bunny lays the eggs and hides them in the garden — although other creatures have also been given credit for the laying of the Easter eggs. The term Easter egg came into English c 1825 and was earlier called pace eggpaste-egg. Chocolate Easter eggs were introduced around 1880. or

  Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus. That morning, according to the Gospel of Luke, Mary Magdalene and some companions visited the cave where He was buried, but they found the tomb empty. An Angel of the Lord appeared and told them that Jesus had risen. In the following days, Jesus appeared to His disciples and explained the meaning of His death (for the sins of mankind) and His victory over death, which offered the promise of rebirth for those who believe in Him. The word Easter may come from Eostre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of Spring and fertility, whose festival was celebrated at the vernal equinox.

  Shrove Tuesday is a time for confession and absolution, Ash Wednesday derives its name from the custom of marking the foreheads of penitents with ashes on that day, and Maundy Thursday (or Holy Thursday) developed from maunde, Christ's injunction to love one another and the day celebrates the Last Supper and the ceremony of the washing of the feet. Good Friday illustrates good in the sense of "holy; observed as a holy day" and may be the oldest Christian celebration, its name possibly a corruption of "God's Friday." Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem where he was covered with palms by the multitudes.

  Self-denial during a period of religious devotion is a long-standing tradition in both Eastern and Western churches. The season of Lent was fixed at 40 days during the ninth century (with Sundays omitted). Lent comes from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "spring" or "lengthening days." It is a period of preparation for Easter and a time to strengthen one's faith through repentance and prayer. Lent has been observed with periods of fasting, abstinence from meat, dairy products, wine, etc.; and other penitential activities. It is a modern custom for Christians to "give up something for Lent" such as a favorite food, pleasure, or activity.

  The flower called the Easter lily was brought to the U.S. in the 1880s from Bermuda. It was so called because it flowered around Easter each year. Lilies were a symbol of purity in medieval iconography and the Bible mentions them as symbols of beauty, goodness, and perfection. The lily grows from a bulb that is buried and is then "reborn," like Christ. Its trumpet-shaped blooms suggest the angel Gabriel's horn and herald the coming of Spring and the celebration of Easter.

  Hot cross buns are yeast buns traditionally eaten in the U.S. during Lent, especially for breakfast on Good Friday. The buns are flavored with nutmeg and currants and, as the name implies, have a cross on top, made by cutting the buns with scissors before setting them to rise. Each cross is frosted on the buns after baking. The practice of eating these small buns seems to date back to at least the ancient Greeks. In England, the custom started during Tudor times and they were first called cross buns. By the 19th century, hot was incorporated into the name"

The links above are not exhaustive but i would recomend that genuine souls undertake thorough research by reading the catholic encyclopedia, the new encyclopedia Britannica,

Ever wondered what the Easer bunny has to do with Jesus death, the supposedly reason why Christians celebrate Easter, when there's no mention of rabbits in the Bible with reference to Jesus death.Wikipedia has an interesting authoritative information on this at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Bunny

The truth about the origins of these pagan holidays is astounding and confounding and no amount of lobbying by whichever authority or religious organisation can baptise these events to make them have the sanctity and backing of Gods word which does not change.However genuine Christians will notice that Jesus true and genuine apostles observed what the Apostle Paul Calls "The Lords Evening Meal" at 1 Corinthians 11:20. On the Jewish Calendar month of Nisan 14, 33C.E after observing(he complied with the laws as given to Moses) the "passover"(Exodus 12:1-6) which marked the date of the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt ,Jesus initiated a new ceremony(not good friday or easter monday) that would be observed by Genuine Christians.The apostele Paul writes further on this at verse 23-25 stating that Jesus took a loaf broke it and after giving thanks through prayer instructed the apostles to "keep doing this in remembrance of me" he did like wise with the cup of wine which was passed around.The event is recorded at Mathew 23: 23-26, Luke 22:14-20 and Mark 14:25.

Hence the lords evening meal or the memorial of Christs death is a communion meal observed annually as was with the case of the passover.It has nothing to do with pagan holidays.The meal was to be observed in the evening after sundown on Nisan 14,That is the practice that must be maintained. Further more it doesn't always fall on a Friday or a Monday but Keeps on varying just like your birth day does, if you were born on March 14, 2008,it was a Friday, Next year March 14th will not be a Friday, will it?Christians have been snookered by Satan time and again because he is a liar and beginning of a lie, but most so called Christians are so comfortable with that position.Mixing Darkness for light and Light for darkness. Isaiah 5:20& 21 states "20 Woe to those who are saying that good is bad and bad is good, those who are putting darkness for light and light for darkness, those who are putting bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!21 Woe to those wise in their own eyes and discreet even in front of their own faces!

So if you ask me what are my plans for Easter i would definately tell you i may not be that religious but i don't observe this pagan holidays and for good reason.Mr Blind faith!Celebrate at you own peril!