Aiming to replenish a local food pantry’s coffers, the Virginia Tech Muslim Student Association is launching its annual fundraiser and day of fasting today.
Related: A day of fasting ends in feast
The Hungry Hokies Fast-a-Thon collects $7 to benefit the Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry from participants who refrain from consuming food for a day.
Those participating in the fast are pledging to not eat anything or drink water from dawn to dusk, which is consistent with the customs of Muslim culture.
“It incorporates the traditional Muslim traditions of fasting,” said Asif Akhtar, president of the Muslim Student Association.
To break the fast, there will be a feast for all participants in the Squires Commonwealth Ballroom at 5 p.m. Food will be served from local restaurants including India Garden, Souvlaki and Napoli’s Italian Restaurant.
Nikki Giovanni, who is also participating in the fast, will be present to give a speech. Mixed Emotions, a campus a capella group, will also perform.
“It was very important to find some kind of activity program around which we could build community spirit and a sense of oneness within our community,” said Ray Williams, director of multicultural programs and services, “particularly around our holiday season when a lot of us will be around our family and share food while others around the community may not.”
All the proceeds raised through the event will be directly donated to Blacksburg Interfaith Food Pantry, located on Main Street. The pantry deals only with families affected by hunger in Blacksburg. More than 1300 local residents are served, and the number is continually increasing.
The pantry took in five new members per week in the past year, said Jenine Kotob, MSA member and head of this year’s Fast-a-Thon.
“More regular people are going to the pantry mainly because of the economic downfall,” Kotob said. “When we went and visited, most of the shelves were empty. So all donations are very helpful.”
This is the third year the event has taken place on the Tech campus. The first and second years yielded about $1,000 and $1,200 in donations, respectively. This year’s goal is set at $5,000, and three-fifths of that amount has already been raised.
A nationwide event, the Fast-a-Thon has raised thousands of dollars to support the hungry.
“We personalized it and called it Hungry Hokies so it’s personal to our campus,” Akhtar said. “Our goal was to make it bigger and better than previous years.”
This year, more groups on campus are participating in the event as opposed to previous years.
“One of our first goals was to get more students engaged,” Williams said.
In addition to raising money for the pantry, the event will also serve as a chance for students to become more aware of the diversity that thrives on campus.
“We also wanted to give students who may not have had ability to mingle with students of Islamic faith to be able to put a face with the religion,” Williams said. “This is a chance for us to educate and unify ourselves because at the end of the day, we’re all Hokies.”
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"What happened to those men and women at Fort Hood had a horrible symbolism: Members of the best-trained, best-equipped fighting force on the planet gunned down by a guy who said a few goofy things no one took seriously. And that's the problem: America has the best troops and fiercest firepower, but no strategy for throttling the ideology that drives the enemy in Afghanistan and in Texas. "
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1109/steyn110909.php3
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Actually the United States Marine Corps is the best-trained (maybe not best equipped) fighting force on the planet.
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always sticking someone with that spear tip! :>)
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Multiculturalism is an excuse for anti-intellectualism, one veteran high school teacher told me, Some of it was a necessary corrective in the 1970s and 1980s but it has gone way overboard.
http://rubinreports.blogspot.com/2009/11/life-in-american-fourth-grade-teaching.html
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"My intellectual reason to fear Muslims and their Faith and be suspect of all Muslims."
Obviously you have no intelligence if you think it is ok to judge people just because of their religion. Its funny you would say this because this is exactly how discrimination starts.
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Are you serious? Are you actually serious?
The Muslim Students Association does this every year. It is a tenant of their faith just like the Christian faith that they must give to the poor and hungry. Fasting is a pillar of Ramadan. In this way, their devotion to charity is much stronger than modern American Christianity, where giving up meat for a few weeks is considered a huge sacrifice. Give me a break.
Your comments and those of anyone who is gleefully looking for a way to bring up Major Hasan in any article that mentions Muslims demonstrates you to be an ignorant bigot. Rather than paying attention to facts, you waltz in, guns blazing with your preconceived notions of what a Muslim is and what kind of country we are.
The United States has no religion, no single faith. We are composed of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, atheists, agnostics. And we can all get together to help the less fortunate without dragging your dirty politics into it.
Disgusting.
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Got a dollar or American currency in your pocket?
Read it.
Help the less fortunate without advertising multiculuralism and staging a recruiting event for Muslims at VT. Advertise as an event for the poor not a Muslim event. Then I'll shut up.
My tax dollars and more pay for your school and education. Go to a private school in a Muslim country if want it their way.
I still live in a Judeo Christian society and will continue to fight to keep it that way, by speaking out when I see evil manipulative people trying to brainwash children and young naive minds.
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God is about freedom, like the USA and it's laws. Allah is not and stands in contradiction to freedom. it's his way or the grave. Therefore it is unamerican and traitorous to worship Allah in mine and many others opinions. But keep drinking the koolaid and see where you end up. The draft may be back soon, what would you say if you were in fatigues on a plane to the front to kill Muslims or die? Perspective changes at that point dosen't it.
Go visit the VA where young men and women may spend the rest of their lives on gurneys or wheel chairs or as vegetables because of your Muslim friends and their multiculturalism.
But I know your are young dumb and you know and could care less about people giving you freedom to scream/shout your syphilitic dribble you don't have a clue about.
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"God is about freedom, like the USA and it's laws. Allah is not and stands in contradiction to freedom."
Obviously you don't know about Islam because if you did you know Allah is god. This statement doesn't even makes sense.
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RICHMOND, Virginia, Sept. 25 /Christian Newswire/ -- Virginia Governor Tim Kaine is defending why his administration forced the sudden resignation of five Virginia State Police Chaplains because they prayed publicly "in Jesus' name." Police Superintendent Col. W. Steven Flaherty single-handedly created then enforced a strict "non-sectarian" prayer policy at all public gatherings, censoring and excluding Christian prayers, then accepted the resignation of five chaplains who refused to deny Jesus or violate their conscience by watering down their prayers.
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"And his superior officers and other authorities knew about his beliefs but seemed to think it was just a bit of harmless multicultural diversity as if believing that "the Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressor" (i.e., his fellow American soldiers) and writing Internet paeans to the "noble" "heroism" of suicide bombers and, indeed, objectively supporting the other side in an active war is to be regarded as just some kind of alternative lifestyle that adds to the general vibrancy of the base. "
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1109/steyn110909.php3
"Stupid is as stupid does"
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"Even if the likes of KSM can be safely confined in our prisons, that does not mean they pose no danger. FBI Director Robert Mueller has publicly warned that such rock stars of the Shariah-mandated jihadist movement constitute a grave threat in our penal system as they inspire, recruit and train other prisoners. This is not a hypothetical risk: Several recently uncovered terrorist plots in this country involved individuals who joined the jihad in American jails."
http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gaffney111709.php3
It's time to get real people
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"This is the THIRD YEAR the event has taken place on the Tech campus. The first and second years yielded about $1,000 and $1,200 in donations, respectively. This years goal is set at $5,000, and three-fifths of that amount has already been raised.
A nationwide event, the Fast-a-Thon has raised thousands of dollars to support the hungry."
Amazing how people turn an event that teaches empathizing with and aiding the poor into "this week's sign of the apocalypse. Sadly, I expected it.
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"event that teaches empathizing with and aiding the poor."
Sounds like Christian values and teaching?
So why a Muslim headline and
We also wanted to give students who may not have had ability to mingle with students of Islamic faith to be able to put a face with the religion, Williams said. This is a chance for us to educate and unify ourselves because at the end of the day, were all Hokies.
Is this event coupled with a Muslim recruiting event? If not why the tie to Muslims? Why any mention of Muslims? Why not just advertise as an event for the poor?
Do I really have to spell this out?
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If you burned your hand on a stove top would you put your hand back on it just because the stove top can do good by cooking your food?
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it's called "innocent until proven guilty". i believe that is in that stupid little document called THE CONSTITUTION.
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the reason it's titled "Muslim students launch Fast-a-thon Charity fundraiser" is because it was LAUNCHED BY MUSLIM STUDENTS. sweet mercy. Christians don't have a monopoly on charity and empathy; muslims are required to give any excess wealth they receive to the poor.
But you won't ever understand this because you're so damned sold on the false belief that ALL Muslims want to hurt people.
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And here is the crux of the matter: Verse 60:08, Allah forbids youfrom dealing kindly and justly with those who fight Muslims. [Slide 40]
http://www.gloria-center.org/Gloria/2009/11/why-i-murdered.html
Wake up............
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"How many Christian events are you headlining for this "Holiday" season celebrating the BIRTH OF CHRIST/JESUS."
I dont understand how we are trying to celebrate the birth of someone by having fast-a-thon. This doesnt even make sense!
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Some are meant to survive and are wise and can see through the treachery of the evil doers.
Others well, that's why the rest of the world consider Americans naive, greedy, selfish, stupid, suckers. Who are in the process of killing the goose that laid the golden egg or at best selling it for bobbles and beads. But that feels good......
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http://jatticus.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/the-problem-with-being-muslim-and-american/
A Muslim-Army major murdered many people and wounded many more at Ft Hood today. Since 1775 no Christian or Jewish officer has ever done that. Yet, it isnt a surprise that a Muslim officer would do it - if he were a devout Muslim. A Muslim-American officer has to choose to be a devout Muslim or a good American. One can not be both.
Read the Koran. Read the Haddith. Read History. Read the news.
Like Obama stated in his book...."I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction." ..
"After Virginia Tech no one blamed Koreans because there was no large group of Koreans shouting, "Death to America!" After the Luby's in Killeen incident no one blamed Christians because there was no large group of Christians shouting, "Death to America!" Can the same be said of Muslims? Just asking."
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Read the Bible much?
Whoever sacrifices to any god, except the Lord alone, shall be doomed. (Exodus 22:19 NAB)
Sounds like a Christian-American has to choose to be a devout Christian who kills gays, adulterers, and non-believers or an American who doesn't run afoul of our murder laws.
"Oh, it's okay, the New Testament changed all that. We just keep the Old Testament around for nostaliga's sake." Stop with the excuses. If the United States were a different type of nation, if it were the THEOCRACY that the right-wing would like to see it be, there would be many more sanctioned murders in this country and we'd become indistinguishable from the nations where extremists rattle their swords.
However, we are not a theocracy, and thus you CAN be a Muslim-American, just as you can be a Christian-American. The fact is that normal Muslims understand the context in which their Holy Book was written, much as normal Christians understand that they can't kill everyone some ancient Jewish Rabbi or apostle told them to kill.
The racism, xenophobia, and ignorance in this thread is damn scary.
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We need to quit being suckers to the propaganda and fighting amongst ourselves and fight the enemy inside and outside our borders that is trying to destroy us.
Please tell us how you can tell a good Muslim from a bad one?
"Akbar allah"
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It was very important to find some kind of activity program around which we could build community spirit and a sense of oneness within our community, said Ray Williams, director of multicultural programs and services, particularly around our holiday season when a lot of us will be around our family and share food while others around the community may not.
How many Christian events are you headlining for this "Holiday" season celebrating the BIRTH OF CHRIST/JESUS.
Or just another way to water down what Christmas is all about and make it "Multicultural"...........
I'm so freakin tired of this type of insidious evil in our country go back to yours if you don't like what Christians and Jews built.
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"Christians and Jews built."
Last time I checked this country was built off of slave labor.
Last time I checked, most of the slaves bought to America were indeed Muslim, UNTIL ignorant christian Americans tried to deny them their rights as human beings, with the right to freely believe in whatever god they pleased.
Last time I checked, a document written by Thomas Jefferson said that we had the freedom of religion. And thus this is direct hypocrisy, how could you even trust the country you live in if their are blatant signs of unpatriotic treason? I don't know what that means to you guys, but the way I perceive it, anyone can be Muslim if they want to, atheist if they want to, new western Christianity... if they want to be with a foul false new religion that doesn't observe any of its original laws or anyone else rights to live the way that please.... and thus THEY begin the chaos and intolerable environments that cause people to retaliate.
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And behavior has consequences. When the Muslims stop trying to kill Americans and America I'll leave them alone. They blew up buildings and innocent people in USA. They declared themselves the enemy of America and Israel.
That was then this is now.
I will trust my brain and try to survive and not believe anti-intellectual, multicultural, sensitivity that put's us here to begin with. Plenty of corruption in this country to go around and I will fight it all legally and to the best of my ability. Our government has no moral compass at present, why we are in the nightmare we are in.
But Jihad is not the answer and I will not make allowances for or condone it.
Where are the peace loving Muslims and why aren't they shouting form the rooftops for it to end and distancing themselves from it. Until I see hard evidence these people you say don't condone what's going on I will believe my eyes ears and brain.
China has political prisoners because of faith yet you don't object to that or the fact the Chinese harvest the prisoners organs when they are perfectly healthy and alive, because China has a shortage of organs for transplant.
A lot of people with selective anger and double standards.
I stand by my position and hopefully the people like me will keep you alive and free until you get the scales off your eyes.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/11/10/GA2009111000920.html
The Koranic World View as it relates to Muslims in the Military
Not my words HIS, a DEVOUT MUSLIM.
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"By the one in Whose hands is my soul, soon the son of Maryam will descend among you as a just judge. He will break the cross, kill the pigs, and abolish jizyah, and money will become abundant until no one will accept it.
Slide 45
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/11/10/GA2009111000920.html?sid=ST2009110903704
Such a peaceful people who mean no harm to Christians or Jews. And they could surely care less about multiculturalism, your rights, your freedom, or anything but your infidel blood.
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Why is it that whenever a Muslim does something positive (i.e a fundraiser), the media is quick to point out that their actions are in keeping with the tenants of Islam? Yet when a Muslim does something negative (i.e. kill 13 soldiers at Fort Hood) the media is quick to point out that their actions had nothing to do with their faith?
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How can they not say its a MUSLIM event? It was put together by a bunch of Muslims from the MUSLIM STUDENTS ASSOCIATION. Not he Baptist Campus Ministry, or Black Student Alliance, or even the Student Government. This is an event sponsored by a student organization, that happens to be Muslim. People do something good, and yet they still get bashed. The MSA at VT is comprised of members that are not all Middle Eastern, not all East Asian - there are Black Americans, White Americans, Asian Americans -there are even Non Muslims in the MSA.
I've never seen people react so ignorantly, and speak so much foolishness in response to an event intended to help those less fortunate. What have you done to help, other than complain on college blogs and share your stupid thoughts?
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Go back to or go to a Sharia law country where you don't have free speech/ and much more, and my tax dollars and more $ are not funding your education,propaganda, and "Multicultural programs"
Get out of the USA if you don't like freedom of thought and speech from infidels..........
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"The MSA at VT is comprised of members that are not all Middle Eastern, not all East Asian - there are Black Americans, White Americans, Asian Americans -there are even Non Muslims in the MSA."
Please get educated.
Indonesia 170,310,000
Pakistan 136,000,000
Bangladesh 106,050,000
India 103,000,000
Turkey 62,410,000
Iran 60,790,000
Egypt 53,730,000
Nigeria 47,720,000
China>37,108,000
18% Arab origin
Pentagon say there are 4070 self declared Muslims in armed forces may 2001
Qaseem Uqdah: heads the American Muslim armed forces and veterans council in D.C. counts 15,000 soldiers sailors airmen, coast guard members 2001
Largest group of Muslims African American, followed by Indo Pakistanis, Arabs and Caucasians in the military.
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serious suggestion to the CT - consider making commenters register themselves before they're allowed to comment. you'll have less junk to wade through. also consider editing out redundancies in quotes. ah, but i assume this will actually get read.
-alumni
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What are you afraid of someone might really learn about Muslims and the fact that their faith breeds MASS MURDERERS?
Or that you'll just lose power and control over the youth of America on it's campuses?
I have no problem registering. I am a tax paying Virginian, not a felon, and an honorably discharged vet from the US military. ARE you?
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yo that chicken biryani at the event was off the HOOK.
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Try refuting me with facts logic and truth instead of trying to shut me up..........
Knowledge is power, why you want to silence me. If the real truth were known to all there would be a massive house cleaning in this country and around the world. Is that what your afraid of?
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How many in the MSA or Interfaith multicultural group are volunteering to join the military or would go if drafted and not claim contentious objector status to fight a Muslim faith based enemy who wishes to detroys the USA (infidels).
Give the numbers please.
Or is your protection/defense in the USA solely in the hands, blood, and sacrifice of the Christian and Jewish citizenry of the USA?
wrestle with that in your liberal selfish minds.
No greater love or sacrifice has he than to give his life for his country and it citizens.
How American are they now?
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Where can I sign up for VT MSA? I find that Muslims are by far the kindest people to me in the world.
sign me up!!
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This was an amazing success. I'm not sure why everyone is talking the way they are; let see any of you put on a show like the MSA did.
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let see any of you put on a show like the MSA did.
Step right up drink the kool aid, it's free. Kind of like what a pimp does to a runaway before he beats her and puts her on the street to make him money.
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This event HAD to make note that it was run by the MSA exactly because of these comments. Why is it ok to dwell upon the fact that it was a Muslim that was responsible for the Fort Hood shootings but then when the Oklahoma City bombings happened there was no mention of faith or religious affiliation??(the bomber was a Christian...) People are constantly jumping up at every chance they get to bash the religion but what about the rest of 99% of people who don't believe or agree with these wrong doings? It is their duty to change this view of their religion. Why is that when women get raped, children get kidnapped, armed robberies and murders take place no body mentions the faith of these people (as most of these people are not of the Muslim faith)? Is it really fair to bash the 1.66 Billion Muslim believers based upon the evil wrong doings of a handful of people?? I think it's a great thing the MSA has done to negate these opinions of people. And stop complaining about your hard earned tax paying money, it didn't go to a Mosque, it went to an INTERFAITH food pantry that I'm sure you would have donated to had a member of any other faith asked you to.
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You guys are missing the point. You're supposed to be commenting on the event that took place, not bringing your political ideologies into this. How can you say anything bad about this video???
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/videos/119/a-day-of-fasting-ends-in-feast
What was wrong with this event? I can't think of anything.
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Thank you for posting the video. What a wonderful event! Thank you to the MSA for encouraging our community to empathize with others and to make a difference.
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Beautiful event for a worthy cause! Congratulations to the MSA organizers and all the supporters for your commitment to charity. I'm sure the food pantry appreciates the gesture. You all rock!
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I love many people, and it's sad to see that this thread has come down to such absurdities about the Islamic faith, when this event was meant to unite the community and enlighten people, like the ones commenting, who obviously know NOTHING about the Islamic faith. How is it possible to turn an event meant to HELP people, into something terrible?
Help is help no matter where it's coming from. No one is asking for anything in return for the help that was given... so how is this in anyway possible throwing evil into society?
It's possible to not be so ignorant guys. It's possible to get along. It's possible to be as American as you can, and still be muslim... I know. My father and many of my friends fathers were in the AMERICAN ARMY, and are very devout MUSLIMS as well as PATRIOTIC AMERICANS.
Stop the bickering, and stop focusing on peoples personal lifestyles when there are other things to target... how about the amount of poverty in this country??? How about the kids who have no homes or anything to eat? Religion shouldn't really play as much of a role in society as it already does. Why can't we focus on the betterment of ourselves? No one knows for a fact what is going to happen to anyone after they die, so just leave it alone, and let people believe what they want and try their best to be better.
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Why am I not surprised she is at the MSA event?
interesting I tried to post a quote from her poem and it rejected based on inappropriate words.Here's the link below since the PC police allow her to say it but not let me quote it.
http://www.aavw.org/special_features/pofidr_poetry_giovanni.html
Is it true Yolande Giovanni increased her speaking fees after April 16 mass murder at VT?
Maybe should feed all the poor and homeless in the Blacksburg area with those profits if she is sincere about her kindness and philanthropic speeches.
"If Ms. Giovanni wants to live phat as she might say on the lecture fees of dishing memories of the sixties, this is fine with me, but no way in hell should she be teaching kids. VT leadership, lawyers, and risk management advisers have to be hoping and praying that the families of the dead and injured never read Ms. Giovannis web site."
http://actingwhite.blogspot.com/2007/04/acting-white-nikki-giovannis-eyes-wide.html
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Saw a great bumper sticker today.
In this time of universal deceit.
Telling the TRUTH,
Is an act of Revolution!
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Since this was injected into the debate, I thought I would try to help educate you on the History of Africa and Slavery. Along with the roles religion played in Africa.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section9.shtml
By the way my ancestors never owned slaves and did not come to America until the early 1900's. Both the ships each side of family came over on were sunk by the Germans shortly after.
Don't blame me for Slavery and it ended supposedly after the Civil War but the Gen. Grant (Union) did not get rid of his slaves until the 13th amendment because "good help was so hard to find"
http://history-world.org/blacks_who_fought_for_the_south.htm
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/9chapter1.shtml
The term slave has its origins in the word slav. The slavs, who inhabited a large part of Eastern Europe, were taken as slaves by the Muslims of Spain during the ninth century AD.
Slavery can broadly be described as the ownership, buying and selling of human beings for the purpose of forced and unpaid labour. It is an ancient practice, mentioned in both the Bible and the Koran.
As for those of your slaves which wish to buy their liberty, free them if you find in them any promise and bestow on them a part of the riches which God has given you.
Koran, Chapter 24, Verse 32.
Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
Old Testament, Ephesians 6, Chapter 6, Verse 8.
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Muslims!
Even though, under Western pressure, slavery has been officially abolished in Muslim countries (which cannot permanently reject slavery, as it is recognized in Islam) the blacks of sub-Saharan Africa are, whenever they come into contact with Arab or even local Muslims, still being exploited, massacred (as the Biafrans) or sold into slavery (as in the Sudan). This is happening most notably in the Sudan, which a hundred years ago was still mainly black and overwhelmingly non-Muslim, but thanks to steady Jihad encroachments has been taken over by the dominant northern Arabs.
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2005/11/fitzgerald-black-africa-and-the-arab-muslim-slave-trade.html
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P. Dave Gaubatz and Paul Sperry
Muslim Mafia:
Inside the Secret Underworld Thats Conspiring to Islamicize America
http://admin.muslimmafia.com/about/about-the-book/
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This is pretty interesting!
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Have you ever been fooled by images that look realistic but are actually Photoshopped? You need some software to help you detect them. But such kind of software is usually pretty expensive. Instead, some online fake detection tool can help on this for free. Like <a href="http://www.pskiller.com/">Photoshopped Image Killer</a>. PSKiller extracts JPEG quantization tables from your image and compares them with those in database. If they match tables of Photoshop, image will be classifier as Photoshopped. Exif tags of JPEG are utilized as well.
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I guess that to get the loans from creditors you ought to present a great motivation. Nevertheless, one time I have got a college loan, just because I was willing to buy a building.
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