From Muslim to Zionist

How a Pakistani Muslim Became a Zionist

By John Waage and Julie Stahl

CBN News Middle East Bureau

Monday, September 22, 2014

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JERUSALEM, Israel -- The recent Israeli-Hamas war sparked huge protests in Europe and exposed a growing epidemic of anti-Semitism. But in an interview with CBN News before the summer war between Israel and Hamas, one British Muslim explained how he became a Zionist just by checking out the facts.

Kasim Hafeez is a Pakistani Muslim born, raised and living in the United Kingdom.

"I was brought up around a lot of anti-Israel feeling and especially from my dad, very blatant and direct Israel hatred and anti-Semitism," Hafeez told CBN News.

As a university student, Hafeez campaigned against the Jewish state, joined protests and called for boycotts of Israel. He said he was even willing to die to free Palestine and rid the world of Israel.

"My narrative was this: there was a Palestinian state, the Jews came from Europe, stole the land, and voila - Israel," Hafeez said.

Then he found Alan Dershowitz' book, The Case for Israel and decided to read it so he could refute what he thought was "Zionist propaganda."

"I thought I'll buy it and be able to disprove it because Israel has no case. I know the history. I'm an expert in it all," he said.

"So I start reading this book, and the most basic of facts about Israel and the Jewish people I had no clue about. I mean one of the most basic ones I came across was a Palestinian state has never existed," he added.

Profiles in Racism

And that was just the beginning. Two years later Hafeez visited Israel but got himself into trouble before he ever entered the country.

"When you go to passport control and they say, 'What is the purpose of your visit?' just say you're here for a holiday. Don't say, 'Well, I used to be anti-Semitic and anti-Israel, now I'm not quite sure so I thought I'd come and see what it's like,'" he explained.

After eight hours in airport security, Hafeez was allowed into Israel despite his confession. But the time spent in airport security was a real eye opener.

"It highlighted Israel's unique security situation," he said. "Look it's not politically correct to say this, it's not nice to say this, but people from my background, people with my kind of name have an awful tendency of blowing stuff up in Israel."

Kasim said he was also "treated with a lot of respect" from the security agent who repeatedly offered him coffee and was very apologetic. He compared it to a trip he had taken to Saudi Arabia four years earlier.

"You want to see racism, go to Saudi Arabia as a non-Arab," he said.

A Huge Surprise

After leaving the airport, Hafeez encountered his next surprise when he arrived in Jerusalem and saw the different ethnic and religious groups mixing in the city.

"Be it Muslims, be it people from African heritage, be it European, be it people from the Middle East -- it's just such a crazy mix of people. And then you see the signs in English and Hebrew and Arabic and it straight away blows away that idea of apartheid and racism," he recalled.

Hafeez said he wanted to know how people from Arab backgrounds really felt about living in Israel, so he asked various people, saying it must be "so difficult for you here."

"They look [at you] like you're mentally ill. They look at you as if you have some sort of problem because they look at you like 'no it's actually fine here, we have no problems here,'" he said, smiling.

He was even more confused when he spoke to people who are Druze, a group that has traditionally been persecuted in the Middle East, he said. They told him, "We love it here. You know, this is our home. My son's in the IDF."

He realized he was seeing "the real Israel you won't see in a lot of the Western mainstream media."

He said nothing changes your mind like seeing it for yourself.

Pro-Israel vs. Anti-Arab?

According to Hafeez, family and friends initially thought Israel's Mossad secret service had recruited him. Now some have come around.

"There's this awful idea that people think it's a zero-sum game, that if you stand up for Israel, you're instantly anti-Arab. It's ridiculous," he said.

"I have members of my family who are quite supportive of Israel now, which is nice. But with friends who have now turned their views to be more supportive of Israel, [they] wouldn't say it publicly," he added.

Hafeez said Muslims refuse to accept Israel's existence in the middle of the Arab world. Then there are conspiracy theories and the pack mentality.

"It's kind of ingrained that there's this global conspiracy by the Jews to destroy Islam and take over the world," he said.

"It's really sad but this whole anti-Israel cause has become very popular. It's seen as the cool cause almost, and nobody wants to kind of break off from the kind of pack and be seen as an outsider," he added, saying it was very difficult for him to admit that he had been wrong.

A Revelation about Israel

Nevertheless, Hafeez said, he believes it's possible for Muslims to have a revelation about the Jews and Israel. But to do so they must honestly assess what they believe and be willing to embrace reality.

They need to take a step back and look at the world and what they stand for, he said, and ask themselves if this "irrational hatred over a group of myths" they've been told is really worth giving their lives for it. They need to ask themselves if they really want peace.

"One of the most frustrating things for me is within the Muslim community. We have a double standard," he said. "We judge Israel and America by one standard, which we refuse to apply to ourselves."

Asked if he thought God had played a role in opening his eyes or giving him the desire to ask questions, Hafeez said his "a-ha" moment came at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

"I sincerely believe that things don't just happen, everything happens for a reason. I believe I'm on a particular path, I don't know where the destination will end, but I feel I'm very blessed to be where I am," he told CBN News.

"Because it has changed my life for the better, you know. It's beautiful to wake up without this hatred, without this anger, you know and I feel so lucky and so blessed," he said. "Is it God? I don't know. Maybe. It's very difficult to say."

Heart Disease caused by homocysteine

Heart Disease caused by homocysteine

 

What is homocysteine?

Homocysteine is an amino acid that is produced by the body by chemically altering adenosine. Amino acids are naturally made products, which are the building blocks of all the proteins in the body.

Can elevated homocysteine levels be genetic?

In 1969, Dr. Kilmer S. McCully reported that children born with a genetic disorder called homocystinuria, which causes the homocysteine levels to be very high, sometimes died at a very young age with advanced atherosclerosis in their arteries. Homocysteine levels in the blood may be elevated for many reasons. More specifically, these reasons can be divided into severe genetic causes and other milder causes.

In the genetic condition called homocystinuria, there is a deficiency or lack of an important mediator molecule (enzymes) in the complicated homocysteine breakdown pathway. This leads to severely elevated levels of homocysteine. In this rare and serious condition, there is a constellation of symptoms that include developmental delay, osteoporosis (thin bones), visual abnormalities, formation of blood clots, and advanced atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of blood vessels). This condition is mainly recognized in childhood.

Milder genetic variations are more common causes of elevated homocysteine levels (hyperhomocysteinemia). In these conditions, the mediator molecules malfunction and are less efficient because of minor abnormality in their structure. They also lead to elevation of homocysteine levels, although much milder than in homocystinuria, by slowing down the breakdown of homocysteine.

How common is hyperhomocysteinemia?

 Mild elevation in homosysteine levels (hyperhomocysteinemia) are common, and seen in about 5% to 12% of the general population. In specific populations such as, alcoholics (due to poor vitamin intake) or patients with chronic kidney disease, this may be more common. The severe genetic form, homocystinuria, is rare (0.02%).

How can homocysteine levels be lowered?

The consumption of folic acid supplements or cereals that are fortified with folic acid, and to a lesser extent vitamins B6 and B12, can lower blood homocysteine levels. These supplements may even be beneficial in people with mild genetic hyperhomocysteinemia to lower their homocysteine levels. However, it is noteworthy that so far there is no compelling data to support the treatment of hyperhomocysteinemia for prevention of heart disease or treatment of known heart disease or blood clots. Homocysteine levels are not routinely measured in indivduals with heart disease (atherosclerosis) or other diseases.

Does a lowering homocysteine level prevent heart attacks and strokes?

Currently, there is no direct proof that taking folic acid and B vitamins to lower homocysteine levels prevents heart attacks and strokes. However, in a large population study involving women, those who had the highest consumption of folic acid (usually in the form of multivitamins) had fewerheart attacks than those who consumed the least amount of folic acid. In this study, the association between dietary intake of folate and vitamin B6 and risk of heart disease was more noticeable than between dietary intake of vitamin B12 and heart disease, which was minimal.

Many other observational studies have been performed to assess the effect of folate and the other B vitamins on heart disease. Most of these studies have concluded that oral intake of folate has been associated to lower risk of heart disease, possibly because due to lowering of homocysteine levels. The relation between oral intake of vitamin B12 and B6 and heart disease was not as obvious in many of these studies. In one study, it was concluded that even in people with elevated homocysteine levels due to genetic reasons, oral intake of folate and possibly the other B vitamins was related to lower incidence of heart disease.

Most of these data, however, are obtained from observational studies rather than purely controlled scientific data. Therefore, it is important to mention that despite these studies suggesting an association between the intake of these vitamins and the lower incidence of heart disease, in general, there is no compelling clinical evidence to treat hyperhomocysteinemia other than homocystinuria (the severe genetic form) in regards to heart disease, stroke, or blood clots. As stated previously, homocysteine levels are not routinely measured in individuals with these problems.

Who should undergo testing for homocysteine blood levels?

Currently, there are no official recommendations as to who should undergo testing for homocysteine blood levels. Before more scientific data become available from the currently ongoing studies, many experts do not recommend a screening test for blood homocysteine levels, even in patients with unexplained blood clot formation. In addition, the consensus recommendation is against treating elevated homocysteine levels with vitamins to prevent heart disease. Rarely, a few specialists may test for elevated homocysteine levels in patients with early onset of blood clot formation, heart attacks, strokes, or other symptoms related to atherosclerosis, especially if these patients do not have typical risk factors, such as smoking cigarettes, diabetes, high blood pressure, or high LDL cholesterol levels and they suspect genetic causes

There is also no consensus as to the optimal dose of folic acid and other B vitamins for the treatment of elevated blood homocysteine levels. (For example, treatment of patients with high homocysteine levels may require higher doses of folic acid and other B vitamins than the amounts contained in a multivitamin.) Therefore, a decision regarding testing should be individualized after consulting with your doctor and/or a specialist in genetic diseases.

Dr. Andrew Weil

What are the causes of elevated homocysteine? 
An inadequate intake of B vitamins, as well as genetic factors that affect the body's absorption and use of folic acid, can lead to elevated homocysteine levels. If this is the case, your intake of folic acid has to be higher than the RDA of 400 mcg. Other contributors to elevated homocysteine levels include stress and coffee consumption: the more coffee you drink, the higher your homocysteine levels are likely to be. The stress-induced neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine are metabolized in the liver via a process that uses methyl groups. This can also increase the need for folic acid. In addition, elevated homocysteine levels may be due to low levels of thyroid hormone, kidney disease, psoriasis and some medications.  

How is elevated homocysteine diagnosed?
Homocysteine levels are checked via blood tests. Physicians may order the test for patients who have a family history of heart disease but no other risk factors, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. These tests aren't done routinely, are not widely available, and their cost (about $100) may not be covered by health insurance. A normal homocysteine level is between 4.4 and 10.8 micromoles per liter of blood.

What is the conventional treatment of elevated homocysteine?
There is no treatment for elevated homocysteine apart from efforts to lower your levels by increasing your intake of B vitamins through the eating of more green leafy vegetables, fruits and more grain-based foods fortified with folic acid. So far, studies to determine whether lowering homocysteine levels can reduce the risk of heart disease haven't shown a benefit, but this may be because the studies were too small or because homocysteine levels weren't lowered enough.  

What therapies does Dr. Weil recommend for elevated homocysteine?  
To lower homocysteine levels, Dr. Weil recommends increasing your intake of B vitamins, particularly folate, and moderating stress. The richest food sources of folate (the form of folic acid found in food) are green vegetables, orange juice and beans. Dr. Weil also recommends taking a multivitamin that gives you 400 micrograms of folic acid in addition to what you might get from your diet. (Some people might absorb this vitamin better in supplement form, which Dr. Weil considers good insurance.) To reduce stress, Dr. Weil advises practicing breathing exercises, meditation and mind-body exercises such as yoga.

Reducing foods high in animal protein can also help lower homocysteine levels. For optimum health, Dr. Weil recommends following his anti-inflammatory diet, which limits total protein intake to between 80 and 120 grams (three to four ounces) daily, and emphasizes protein sources such as fish, beans, whole soy and dairy products.

Homocysteine is not obtained from the diet.^[3] Instead, it is biosynthesized from methionine via a multi-step process. First, methionine receives an adenosine group from ATP, a reaction catalyzed by S-adenosyl-methionine synthetase, to give S-adenosyl methionine (SAM). SAM then transfers the methyl group to an acceptor molecule, (i.e., norepinephrine as an acceptor during epinephrine synthesis, DNA methyltransferase as an intermediate acceptor in the process ofDNA methylation). The adenosine is then hydrolyzed to yield L-homocysteine. L-Homocysteine has two primary fates: conversion via tetrahydrofolate (THF) back into L-methionine or conversion to L-cysteine.^[4]

 Mammals biosynthesize the amino acid cysteine via homocysteine. Cystathionine β-synthase catalyses the condensation of homocysteine and serine to give cystathionine. This reaction uses pyridoxine (vitamin B₆) as a cofactor. Cystathionine γ-lyase then converts this double amino acid to cysteine, ammonia, and α-ketobutyrate. Bacteria and plants rely on a different pathway to produce cysteine, relying on O-acetylserine.^[5]

^{Homocysteine can be recycled into methionine. This process uses N5-methyl tetrahydrofolate as the methyl donor and cobalamin (vitamin B₁₂)-related enzymes. More detail on these enzymes can be found in the article for methionine synthase.}

 ^{Homocysteine can cyclize to give homocysteine thiolactone, a five-membered heterocycle. Because of this "self-looping" reaction, homocysteine-containing peptides tend to cleave themselves by reactions generating oxidative stress.[6]}

Homocysteine levels are typically higher in men than women, and increase with age.^[8][9]

Common levels in Western populations are 10 to 12, and levels of 20 μmol/L are found in populations with low B-vitamin intakes or in the older elderly (e.g., Rotterdam, Framingham).^{[citation needed]} Women have 10-15% less homocysteine during their reproductive decades than men, which may help explain the fact they suffer myocardial infarction (heart attacks) on average 10 to 15 years later than men

Abnormally high levels of homocysteine in the serum, above 15 µmol/L, are a medical condition calledhyperhomocysteinemia. This has been claimed to be a significant risk factor for the development of a wide range of diseases, including thrombosis, neuropsychiatric illness, and fractures.^{[citation needed]} It is also found to be associated with microalbuminuria which is a strong indicator of the risk of future cardiovascular disease and renal dysfunction.^[13]

 

Use the right law for the right crime

FMT Reporters

 | September 20, 2014

CIJ says Adam Adli should have been investigated under the Penal Code and not the “vague” Sedition Act.

PETALING JAYA: The Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) says Adam Adli should have been investigated under the Penal Code and not the Sedition Act when he called for the toppling of Umno and the Barisan Nasional at a post general election ceramah.

Saying “a more balanced and constitutional approach” would have been to investigate Adam using the Penal Code, Director for CIJ, Jac Kee added, “For such an expression to constitute an offence, it should have required proof that the statement was intended to cause fear or alarm and that it would incite the public to commit violence or other such offences.”

He said the Sedition Act contained “wide-ranging and vague provisions” and was therefore not the right law under which to investigate Adam.

Calling the Act “incredibly broad”, Kee lamented that the Act even covered “legitimate and valid criticism of the government and its policies”.

Further labelling the Sedition Act an “outdated and draconian piece of legislation”, Kee stated the CIJ’s disappointment that the law had been used time and again to silence critics.

He said, “It (Sedition Act) has been consistently used as a political tool to silence the government’s opponents.”

Saying Malaysia could not call itself a genuine democracy if it continued to use the Sedition Act for this purpose, Kee added that Adam’s jail sentence was “disproportionate”.

On behalf of the CIJ, Kee said the body was once again appealing to the Attorney-General to review all current sedition charges, to stop charging those who criticised the government and to uphold freedom of expression as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

 The Sedition Act should be abolished years ago. It is sad that it is used for 'all purposes' - CURE-ALL for Umno/BN foes. Yet never applied to their own when they say even more seditious things like Mahathir said about the Malays. It is definitely TIME for a change in administration of this country at Federal level.

The distribution of wealth to fight poverty and protect the welfare of the People

Hi

Greetings

Yang Berhormat,

We are pleased to draw attention to the formulation of the Honourable Social Inclusiveness.

On February 24, 2014 The Honourable Dr. Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, Sungai Siput MP has sent a notice to the Secretary of the House of Commons for tabling the motion of the Bill titled Private Members Social Inclusiveness Act 2014, at a session of Parliament will begin on this 10Mac 2014. This motion was supported by the Honourable Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Serdang MP.

To YB, Combined Task Malaysia (GBM), a coalition of 24 non-governmental organizations various ethnic and religious groups, who are impartial and committed to building a better Malaysia, fully supports this initiative. The aim of the Bill is in line with one thing in GBM Charter, namely:

"The distribution of wealth to fight poverty and protect the welfare of the People.Any affirmative action should be based on need and not ethnic background. "

Social Inclusiveness Act needed now based on the following items:

• That vision to achieve a society that is fair, equitable and inclusive aspirations enshrined in the National Principles promulgated on 31 August 1970 but it appears we are still far from implementing and realizing the vision outlined in the historical documents.
  
  
• That nearly 40 percent of Malaysians are still trapped in a cycle of poverty and ketaksamarataan inherited from one generation to another. Nearly 12 million citizens belong to the group of low-income households and the poor and do not have the ability to overcome the deficiencies and weaknesses that forced their face every day. Individuals and groups vulnerable to prejudice, discrimination and marginalized.
  
  
• That the gap between the 40% of households and members of the community growing. They are trapped in a variety of birth due to lack of a low asset base.These include the level of education and low skills, health and poor nutrition;and poor living environment.
  
  
• That the social ills associated with a breakdown of the family problems in this society in particular, has become more pronounced. Increased rates of substance abuse such as drugs and alcohol, drop out, child abuse, criminal activity and mental illness, is a clear indication that there is something wrong with our country.
  
  
• That the income gap is growing. Forty percent (40%) of households earn an average monthly income of RM 1,847, while the top 20% of households receive RM 12,159 per month. This means, the Division of Income (Income Share) for the 40% of households in the lower level is 14.8%, while the top 20% of households earned 48.6% of the total income. If specified yet, the top 10% of households have 33.1% of the total income, while 10% of households earn only 2% of the income.
  
  
• That ketaksamarataan terms of health and education among residents of households and senior households of middle and top, the longer growing.

Long-term solutions for creating a more just and inclusive requires a new paradigm. The main causes of poverty and marginalization need to be addressed in an objective and impartial. The proposal is centered on the establishment of an independent Social Inclusiveness Commission, which reports directly to Parliament. The Commission should be given the mandate to regulate and monitor all matters relating to the eradication of poverty, affirmative action and social inclusiveness.

Particulars of the recommendations contained in the draft law can be accessed at the following link:

http://www.sayaanakbangsamalaysia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=806:draft-social-inclusion-act&catid=53:sabm-focus-group&Itemid=92

Indeed, we believe that this law includes several important recommendations that will contribute towards achieving the vision of creating a society that is fair, equitable and inclusive aspirations enshrined as National Principles.

The process of consultation with the people it is important to strengthen the integrity of democracy in our country. Therefore, we recommend the YB as elected representatives in the negotiations YB respectively to obtain views and stand roll against this Act. We call on the Honourable voters make their views and feedback as the basis for decision making. Anything we hope YB can give support to Bill Private Members because it puts the interests of the poorest people in the main.

Hopefully get a positive consideration of YB.

So, thank you.

List of Member Organizations GBM:

1. Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH)
2. Flow
3. Tamil Foundation
4. Ikram Organisation of Malaysia (Ikram)
5. Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Krisitian, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MPMA-BKHST)
6. Negeri Sembilan Chinese Assembly Hall (NSCAH)
7. Penang Chinese Town Hall (PGCTH)
8. The Federation of Chinese Associations Johore State (FCAJ)
9. Lim Lian Geok Cultural Development Centre (LLG)
10. United Chinese School Alumni Association of Malaysia (UCSAAM)
11. Muslim Professionals Forum (MPF)
12. Voice of the Malaysian People (SUARAM)
13. Center for Communications Society (KOMAS)
14. Fun Children Bangsa Malaysia (SABM)
15. Community Association of Selangor and Federal Territory (Permas)
16. National Indian Rights Action Team (NIAT)
17. Sarawak Youth (AMS)
18. All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
19. Partners in Community Organising (Pacos Trust)
20. Former Association of Graduates of the University and Colleges in China, Malaysia (Liu Hua)
21. Nanyang University Alumni Malaya (Nanda)
22. Japan Graduates Association, Malaysia (JAGAM)
23. Taiwan University Alumni Associations Malaysia (GPAUTM)
24. Islamic Renaissance Front (IRF)