Secret Desert Heart

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I'd recognize this heart anywhere...

This is the heart of someone who has gone through a horrendous experience, and who harbors that experience in their heart as if it is some sort of lost jewel or a treasure (when it is junk). Now you want to become a teacher, a preacher, a healer, a social worker, a mother and a father based on that experience?

This person has the potential to bring a lot of chaos into the lives of others... Because s/he refuses to get the proper and appropriate help to get healed, herself. He or she may be extremely talented and gifted, with a profound ability to remember and retain knowledge. But that livelihood will ricochet if caution and intention are not there.

We all have to get clear in our intentions for wanting to be with someone else. That's why we live in a world full of contracts.

We all go through many painful, repetitive lessons dis-covering how it is our strengths also become our weaknesses, and how to balance that!

The spiritual lesson of the Secret Desert Heart is, you cannot go through life hardened, and expect to be loved. You cannot harbor a hardened heart and, at the same time expect to be effective or good at what you do. It doesn't work that way.

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"I wonder what Halal food is?" I thought, walking past the little restaurant on the corner from my healer's place. That cafe is always crowded, packed with people and many others coming and going in the cars out front. I headed to the bus stop, fearful of hanging out too long in The Hood.

That night I had a wonderful dream! I had a flying carpet - and I rode it everywhere, skimming the surface of the planet and all your houses.

Yes, I saw some of you are homeless, too, living in the streets and alleys, and forbidden byways where you stay just to get a little shelter from the storms and fires... I was able to edge myself to the border of the carpet, and look over and see you trying to rest there. I want you to start making some wishes, okay? To feel better, choose to feel better, because that is a choice. And there's a lot of magic in that. It's going to happen for you. It is just a matter of asking God.

My carpet, as if by will, took me up towards the sky where I found falling stars and opened my arms to them! They came falling to me, filling my hands and mind with light. As I rode through the night I looked down to my hands and saw they were filled with jewels, so many falling from the stars I could not fit them all into my pockets or blouse.

I had to circle around, and drop some into your hands; you can start making that wish now. Do something good for someone else today, and keep believing.

The next day I found myself in a shop holding a large amethyst jewel, bevelled and crystalline, rainbows pouring out of my hands. I got to take it home...

"I wonder what that Halal food is all about?"

I pondered it again, walking past the little cafe on the corner. It is always packed full of people. I laughed at the thought of my flying carpet... With the pretty threads of black, red and blue. I remembered how I rode it all night! And it took me home as the sun was rising and the birds were waking, and the leaves on the trees were fluttering like my heart, flittering, fluttering.



"I need to learn more about these people..."

I began to collect versions of "Arabian Nights", and videos like "Aladdin" and "Sinbad". Wow! I was thinking it would be fun to have a Genie. How do you get one? I was curious. Surely, I've seen some awesome Genie Bottles, but how do you get a Genie inside one? Looking on ebay, I saw lots more bottles, but thought - why not just search? I typed in "Genie Bottle" and found Babayaga Hauntings on ebay! With real and true Genies - in Bottles! How exciting is that?!

"I want to try this food," I told the owner of the little cafe on the corner. He gazed at me from behind the counter, his eyes large like saucers.

"Sit down, my lady," he said.

He brought a large glass of water with a little ice. He brought a crisp salad with tomatoes, onion, cucumbers and creamy dressing. He brought succulent, juicy shish-kebabs from lamb and chicken; marinated in lemons and garlic and spices. He brought a meso kebab, all this char-broiled and resting on a bed of lemony butter rice. He brought pita bread and hummus and baklava. OMG!!!! President Obama should be eating this food.

Everyone in the place raves over his food.

"I am here every day," said one guy. All the guys are very friendly, and I'm often the only woman in the place. But the people come and go in waves.

After my first meal, I lost 3 nights of sleep. For 3 nights I tossed and turned, unable to think of anything but that food. Naturally I've been back several times since!

"Please, I just want to take these few pieces home for my altar," I asked for a to-go box. He got a faraway look in his eyes.

Imagine being able to feel the LOVE from a place to the extent that you can sense it, without ever going inside. You can stand outside, 8 yards away, and feel the living energy there. That is the talent and intention coming from this man. I am so happy he's here, in Seattle, Washington, the U.S. of A.!

So I felt very surprised and blessed today, when the shop cleared out and he and I were the only ones in the place. In a moment he disappeared; then came back out holding, of all things... A carpet.

It was just a little carpet, very ornate with threads of black and red and blue. Fit for a little child, really.

He placed it down in the far north corner of the room, and began to pray and do prostrations. This lasted about 15 minutes; and then it was time to go.

"Tell me, my friend, what does Halal mean?" I asked as I paid.

"That is the way the animals are cared for, bred, raised and slaughtered," he said. "You know? We have been doing these things in my tradition for thousands of years, never knowing or understanding why," he added. "And only in the last few years we have been learning about the mad-cow disease? When our ancestors have been telling us about this forever! They knew! So I am just taking care of my customers."

He's adorable.

He makes for a darling Valentine Stimulus Package!

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Riyadh pressured on death penalty Gulf News
Saturday, Feb 07, 2009

Gulf News

Geneva: Western countries Friday called on Saudi Arabia to halt floggings and amputations, allow religious freedom and abolish a system of male guardianship sharply limiting women's rights.

Britain, Canada, Switzerland and Israel challenged Riyadh on its high number of executions. Saudi Arabia executes murderers, rapists and drug traffickers, usually by public beheading, and judges sometimes give the death sentence to armed robbers and those convicted of "sorcery" or desecrating the Quran.

A Saudi delegation defended its record at the United Nations Human Rights Council, saying the country was cracking down on domestic violence by men who abused their roles as guardians and beat their wives and children.

Zaid Al Hussain, vice-president of the state-affiliated Saudi Human Rights Commission, told the forum much remained to be done to ensure that individual followers of Islam upheld human rights standards, as required by Sharia law.

"Consequently, we do not claim to be perfect, nor do we reject criticism, which is welcome provided it is objective and intended to preserve human rights and dignity," he said.

The 47-member Council began regular reviews of all UN members last June in a bid to avoid charges of selectivity.

Al Hussain said non-Muslims could follow their faiths in private in the kingdom, but it would be difficult to allow non-Muslim houses of worship as "Islam is the final religion".

The oil-exporting Gulf country, a major US ally, has paid $100 million (Dh367 million) in compensation to people detained in terrorist cases who were later found to be innocent, he said.

Israel accused Saudi Arabia of "severe discrimination against women and minorities, corporal punishment, torture, forced labour, and the sexual exploitation of children".

It should "abolish corporal punishment, and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment in general, and public floggings, eye-gouging, flogging of schoolchildren, and amputation of limbs in particular", Israeli ambassador Aharon Leshno Yaar said.

British envoy Peter Gooderham urged Riyadh to "abolish the guardianship system which severely limits the rights of women to act as autonomous and equal members of Saudi society".

Canada recommended that Saudi Arabia "cease application of torture" and other cruel treatment.

The United States did not take the floor in the three-hour debate. The Obama administration is reviewing its policy towards the Council, which the Bush administration had essentially boycotted since last June citing its "rather pathetic record".

Riyadh Despite stringent measures being taken by Saudi authorities against domestic violence and child abuse, official figures continue to reflect an alarming rise in such incidents in the country.

Hospitals in Riyadh alone received more than 50 cases of domestic violence last year, most of the victims being women and children, according to a source.

"The actual figure of such cases could be many times higher than the reported ones. This is because in most cases the victims were afraid of informing others about such incidents," said Dr Saeed Gharamullah Al Ghamdi, head of the Family Protection Team at the Health Department in Riyadh.

Speaking to Gulf News, Al Ghamdi said sexual assault figured in quite a few cases of domestic violence. Seven cases of sexual assault by a father had come to light, he said, adding that another five cases involved culprits from outside the family circle.

Some 15 women had been subjected to violence at the hands of their husbands, the official said. There were also 11 cases involving non-Saudis.

The Ministry of Health has constituted a special family protection team comprising consultants and specialists to supervise the formation of committees at almost all the hospitals in the Riyadh region, Al Ghamdi said.

A total of 35 panels have been formed so far.

"Domestic violence cases against women and children are on the rise day by the day in various parts of the kingdom. This prompted the concerned authorities to form such specialised committees besides holding seminars and campaigns to create awareness in a bid to fight domestic violence and child abuse," he said.

Several Saudi newspapers carry reports about domestic violence against women and children on a daily basis. One such report recounted the tragic story of a Saudi girl aged 12 who succumbed to her injuries after being tortured by her father.

The girl, with serious burns on her face and bruises to various parts of the body, died before being brought to the emergency unit of Al Iman Hospital in Riyadh last week.

Her younger sister, aged 9, had also been taken to the hospital with serious injuries caused by her father. A source at the hospital told Gulf News that the medical team at the hospital found several scars, old and new, on the dead girl's body.

There were also horrific burns on her face and several bones had been exposed after the man poured boiling water over her head, the source said, adding that it was the hospital staff who had informed the police and later shifted the body to the morgue.

A source at Riyadh Police said that the girls' father had been taken into custody for interrogation, and that they were awaiting the post-mortem report to ascertain the real cause of death.

"Immediately after the incident, a team of investigative officers and experts reached the home of the girls, where they found the two younger brothers (aged 7 and 8) and sister (aged 9) of the dead girl.

The younger siblings had also been subjected to beating and torture. The boys were allowed to leave with their paternal uncle after receiving primary treatment from the Riyadh Medical Complex.

The other injured girl, who was still in Al Iman Hospital, told police that she and her siblings had been mistreated by their father.

Police informed the Department for Preventing Domestic Violence at the Ministry of Social Affairs about the incident and the case was transferred to the Investigation and Public Prosecution Commission for further action.

The case of Zahra, a girl aged 8, who was subjected to domestic violence also received widespread attention. According to press reports, she was subjected to incessant torture, both physical and mental, by her parents, who forced her to go out and seek alms.

Zahra was forced against her will to beg on pavements and in front of commercial centres. Whenever she refused, the girl was tortured with a vengeance and she eventually fled her home to escape from her parents.

Warning against the rising cases of domestic violence in the kingdom, Dr Mufleh Al Qahtani, president of the Saudi National Human Rights Society, said the watchdog would soon release its new statistical report about domestic violence cases.

There were several cases of domestic violence that never came to light, Al Qahtani said. "These include sexual abuse of girls by their fathers, reckless divorce, girls being prevented from continuing their education, and inhuman torture," he said.

Dr Rashoud Al Kharif, professor of social science at King Saud University, said there were very few studies about cases of domestic violence in the Kingdom.

"Some of the studies showed that about 90 per cent of the culprits in such cases were men, and most of the cases happening against wives," he said adding that generally women were the first victims in all such cases.

© Gulf News 2009. All rights reserved.

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Saudi Blogger Detained for Recording Conversion to Christianity
By Dibin Samuel
Christian Today Reporter
Sat, Feb. 07 2009 09:17 AM EST

A 28-year-old blogger who recorded his conversion from Islam to Christianity has been detained by authorities in Saudi Arabia.

Hamoud Bin Saleh was arrested last month, according to International Christian Concern (ICC), and detained at Eleisha political prison in Riyadh for expressing his views on Islam in his blog "Masihi Saudi" atchristforsaudi.blogspot.com.

The arrest came just five months after the killing of a Saudi official's daughter who converted to Christianity. She was burnt to death by her father who cut her tongue after learning of her Christian faith, which blossomed through the internet.

According to ICC, Bin Saleh, who was arrested in November 2008, was released by the government, during the Saudi-initiated interfaith dialogue held at the United Nations in New York. However, after the conference, the officials chose to re-arrest Bin Saleh because “the entire world is busy following up on the aggression on Gaza, and the Saudi authorities may seize the chance to make an example with nobody watching."

Bin Saleh's blog, which has been blocked by the Saudi authorities, contained his spiritual walk and Christian faith after witnessing the public beheading of three Pakistanis convicted of drug charges.

“I was convinced that the wretched Pakistanis were executed in accordance with the Muhammadan laws just because they are poor and have no money or favored positions, which they had no control or power over,” he wrote.

“My mind was persistently raising questions and desperately seeking answers. I went on vacations to read about comparative religion, and I got the Bible, and I used to give these books to anyone before going back to Saudi, as going back there with such books is considered an unforgivable crime which will throw its perpetrator in a dark jail.”

It was the life of Jesus that inspired Bin Saleh to convert to Christianity. The story of Jesus forgiving a woman condemned for adultery drew him closer to the Bible.

“Jesus ... took us beyond physical salvation as he offered us forgiveness that is the salvation of eternal life and compassion,” he wrote.

Saudi Arabia has been criticized for its oppression of religious and political minorities. Freedom of speech and the press are restricted to forbid criticism of the government or endorsement of "un-Islamic" values.

Islam is the official religion. The government prohibits the public practice of other religions in the kingdom.

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feminist wire | daily newsbriefs
February 9, 2009

UN Human Rights Council Urges Saudi Arabia to Give Women Rights

At a meeting late last week, members of the United Nations Human Rights Council urged Saudi Arabia to actively work to end pervasive human rights violations in the country, particularly those against women and children. According to Reuters, Britain, Switzerland, Canada, and Israel spoke against Saudi Arabia's current practices. Israel's delegation reportedly accused Saudi Arabia of "severe discrimination against women and minorities, corporal punishment, torture, forced labor, and the sexual exploitation of children."

Women's rights in Saudi Arabia are currently limited on a number of fronts including marriage rights, freedom to travel, property ownership, education, and work. According to Human Rights Watch, although some human rights laws have been introduced in Saudi Arabia, little implementation or enforcement of these laws has occurred.

Prior to the UN Human Rights Council review, Human Rights Watch's Middle East Director Sarah Leah Whitson, said that "The international community should ensure that its review of Saudi Arabia does not just produce more promises, leaving the Saudi people empty-handed….The Saudi reply to inquiries about rights violations or legal developments is typically total silence."

Media Resources: Reuters 2/6/09; AFP 2/5/09, Human Rights Watch Press Release 2/4/09

Saudi Arabia: Kingdom Human Rights Report Discussed

The Vice-President of the Saudi Human Rights Commission Zeid Al-Hussein has delivered a speech during the fourth session of the Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review Working Group which reviewed the Kingdom's report on human rights.

Al-Hussein said that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is not only an Islamic state, but it is also the cradle of Islam and its civilization, the land of the Two Holy Mosques and the destination of Muslims around the world. Therefore, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has to take care of Islam, perform its rituals and serve its sanctities.

From this perspective, the universal periodic review is in line with the guidance of Islam. The national report was prepared in accordance with Universal Periodic Review (UPR) guidelines, Al-Hussein added.

All Government authorities and civil society institutions in the Kingdom were fully involved in the report. One of the Kingdom's main peculiarities is its rapid transformation from a tribal society, characterized by conflicts and widely dispersed and totally unconnected regions where people lived in isolation and forms of economic and educational backwardness, to an advanced phase of its political, economic, social and cultural life.

The religious particularities, as correctly viewed in Islam, supplement rather than undermine international human rights standards.

Saudi Arabia derives its values from all sources provided that they are compatible with the objectives called for by the Islamic Shari'a, Al-Hussein said.

Islamic Shari'a pays special attention to the rights of vulnerable groups such as minorities and non-Muslims. The Sharia granted women extensive rights.

The government of Saudi Arabia acknowledges that there are some human rights violations attributable to individual practices.

Many of these violations fall within the context of domestic violence, he added.

During the past two years, great efforts have been made to bolster rights of children and women and promote the role of the family in the society.

Women's awareness of their rights has been considerably increased in recent years through the social development centers, women's associations and the National Society for Human Rights which has adopted a policy of disseminating and promoting a legal culture, in general, and women's rights, in particular, he said.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also sought to achieve a balance between requirements of the campaign against terrorism and the need to respect human rights.

From the beginning of the terrorist problem in the Kingdom to the end of 2008, about $100 million in compensation had been paid to persons detained in terrorist cases and who were later found to be innocent, Al-Hussein added.

There are more than 1,000 other civil society institutions concerned with issues relating to the protection of human rights.

Since the submission of the UPR national report, the Shoura (Consultative) Council approved a law governing the activities of these institutions and ensuring their fulfillment of their duties independently, he said.

In Islam, rights are derived from the Holy Quran and the Sunna of the Prophet, which constitute the source of all legislation and a comprehensive way of life in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he added.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has adopted promising plans of human rights, which included the adoption of a comprehensive programme sponsored by the Human Rights Commission and which included the participation of all governmental agencies and civil society, Al-Hussein said.

Like other States, Saudi Arabia was not exempt from certain manifestations of human trafficking and the Government was taking rigorous measures to combat such violations and had conducted numerous symposia and training courses have been held in collaboration with various local and international bodies, he added.

These endeavors culminated in the drafting of a Prevention of Human Trafficking Act designed to eradicate this phenomenon.

The Saudi Human Right Commission is in close conformity with the Paris Principles and achieves its objectives within the limits of its mandate, he added.

Regarding not allowing the establishment of worship places for non-Muslims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we believe that Islam is the seal of religions and that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the cradle of Islam, the land of the Two Holy Mosques, the place where the Seal of Messengers was buried and the destination of 1.5 billion Muslims.

Therefore, the religious particularities make it difficult to establish worship places in the Holy Land. However, non-Muslims in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are completely ensured the freedom of worship and can practice the rituals of their religions in their own places.

In terms of freedom of religion and belief, the aims of the initiative of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for dialog among followers of the predominant global religions and cultures were to promote mutual understanding among them; to highlight the beneficial aspects of these cultures; and to affirm the importance of common denominators and the need to use them to develop human civilization and pave the way for universal peace and harmony.

In conclusion, Al-Hussein said the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia appreciates the initiative taken by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in organizing a symposium in October 2007 on the difference between the freedom of expression and incitement of religious hatred. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia hopes that other steps would be taken as a follow-up to that symposium.

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Unhook and Unpin

Ever notice how much junk we've got going on in our lives? What a challenge it can be to get some relief, even, when every time we turn on the TV or try to relax we get bombarded - with junk? I'm a big advocate of getting un-hooked and un-pinned.

Part of this comes from working for years in academic environments... Where everyone around me was all-up in their heads and their egos? Everything was a "process" (including the need to take a break to the restroom). There was so much posturing, so much "political correctness" going on! It was the very thing that made me the madwoman I am today! It was polarizing. It made people around me manic and hostile. And then? We got trips laid on us too, about how we had to speak in terms of "I" and "me" so we didn't sound as if we were blaming anyone. Okay... That's all cool. (So not all of us grew up with Mr. Rogers.)

I was working with a prominent teacher... She was a feminist and political activist; she pulled me aside one day and encouraged me to think in terms of withdrawing my support of things and people I didn't believe in.

"If you don't believe in them, just withdraw your support, and they will fall down. They will go crashing down and be ruined by their own accord."

That was 20 years ago.

Funny, I no sooner began to do that (in very passive ways, I might add) when people started telling me I had problems with authority figures. To this, all I can say is - GEE, You Can't Win! Well, maybe you can win, but you'll have to kiss somebody's ass all the way. (If you decide to go that route, just make sure it's the right person's ass. And you might want to read my other blog - the section on being a people-pleaser.)

Maybe Jim Morrison or Neitzche, or whoever the hell said it, was right? He said, you will always have problems with authorities until you become an authority.

I say, we need to learn how to get rid of the junk in our lives. Boot-it.

Sure, you have seen those episodes of Oprah where she brings in someone to help organize somebody's closet, apartment, or house? And they come in and boot all the person's valuable junk? And the person is screeching all the way. But do you think that's enough? It's only the first step.

It's only the first step, you see, because we have needs, and nature abhors a vacuum. So we have to make room in our lives for the more important things to come in.

Since our lives are cluttered with junk, we have to get rid of it. It can be as literal as cleaning out closets, getting rid of and passing on stuff you haven't used in awhile. I categorize things in terms of 7 years, 3 years, and 2 years, by order of importance. But if it is just hanging around on my energy? not serving me? not making me happy? It's a nuisance! Time to unpin myself from it.

Some people can become your literal hook-ups, okay. What's with that?

Man, I feel sorry for kids today! I mean, my generation was in there, sandwiched between our headphones for years. Fine. But this generation is dealing with something altogether different with say, text-messaging addiction. How could you?

I mean, don't you know how much better it is to be sitting with someone in person? looking into their eyes?

I mean, like the lover you don't actually sleep with? And he's down the hall with his blackberry and you're up the hall with yours? That's just idiotic. A spasmodic mis-use of energy that is ready to fry-you. If the pattern is frying you, unhook from it.

Dare yourself to start unpinning and unhooking from junk and lies.

No, wait! I dare you!

One useful little ritual I have is to imagine "it" as a piece of paper I can just crumble up and toss. I'm un-hooked. People will bring their "stuff" to me; their lies, for instance. You know, people like that are just messing with you, unhook from them. People, say, who have emotional hang-ups? They are HUNG-UP, for cryin' out loud! See that for what it is. It might not be for you, okay?

At one point someone in the media began to dish Barack Obama junk about his former preacher... By this time Obama had just been elected President, and he just shook his head and laughed. "You're just messing with me," he said. "We addressed all that stuff before I was elected, now let's move on!"

If someone else tries to hang their junk and their lies on you... You can choose not to participate. You can also let them know in these very terms I am describing. "Thanks for asking, but I don't wish to participate in discussions regarding my privacy, my sexual orientation, my political party, my religious practices or what kind of butt-wipe I use."

And while you're at it? It doesn't hurt to talk to them in a very soft, kind voice, like Mr. Rogers would do. Then, they don't feel threatened.

I know that sounds dumb, but people generally only hear what they want to hear.

Let me retract back to the butt-kissing syndrome: most people don't actually listen to anything you say. They may act like they hear you, but they are not listening. There's a difference! If someone is actually listening or not, you will feel it. Truthfully, learning the difference between hearing and listening could define a lot of your success in life! Just ask Oprah!

If you feel you must only tell others what they want to hear, it might not hurt to unpin yourself from that person, conversation, cell-phone, email or text message.

You could just be talking to yourself.

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