Background: Tunisia has undergone increasing economic liberalization over the last decade: In the 2010-2011 World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, it was ranked as the most competitive country in Africa, as well as the 32nd most economically competitive country globally. North Africa’s large Muslim populations are a vast business opportunity for Islamic banking and other businesses.
Contrary to popular belief, the world’s finances are controlled by privately-owned “central banks” masquerading as federal government banks in nearly every country in the world [The U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, ruled that The Federal Reserve (U.S.' central bank) was privately owned in 680 F.2d 1239, LEWIS v. UNITED STATES of America, No. 80-5905].
Though it is a carefully guarded secret, the Rothschilds and their associates own most the shares in the central banks (Federal Reserve Directors: A Study of Corporate and Banking Influence, Committee on Banking, Currency and Housing, House of Representatives, 1976, Charts 1-5) (Mullins, Eustice Secrets of the Federal Reserve 1983).
With extremely little government input, the economies of Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, and Algeria are strictly controlled by the Rothschild’s central banks and their International Monetary Fund.
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THE MOTIVE: FOLLOW THE MONEY
Islamic banks have been eating into Rothschild profits in the Middle East because: they don’t charge interest (Shariah Law), they are growing very rapidly among the world’s exploding Muslim populations, and (in these catastrophic economic times) they are more stable than western banks.
While it is a very good thing that people are freed from the tyranny of dictators, they also need to be freed from the tyranny of economic control and serfdom. The relevant moral question is: Do the means justify the end?.
Ben Ali's son-in-law El Materi at the opening of his Zitouna Bank, North Africa's first Islamic bank, last May
Deposed Tunisian President Ben Ali’s son-in-law, Sakher El Materi, opened Tunisia’s first Islamic bank, Zitouna Bank, on May 26, 2010. Zitouna Bank is the first Islamic bank in the Maghreb region [North Africa]. The bank was a first step toward Ben Ali’s new program of extensive reforms, “Tunisia, a Pole for Banking Services and a Regional Financial Centre”, which would have undermined the power and the profits of the Central Bank of Tunisia (privately-owned by the Rothschilds and their associates).
Tunis Financial Harbour opened last October 19. Its the first offshore finance centre in North Africa. The Telegraph (October 19 2010) reported on the opening of the megaproject Tunis Financial Harbour –President Ben Ali’s bid to make Tunisia the regional financial centre of North Africa and beyond: “Islamic investment bank Gulf Finance House (GFH) and the Tunisian government have created the first offshore finance centre in North Africa. The centre will be part of Tunis Financial Harbour, a $3 billion waterfront development in Tunis . . . GFH, which is based in Bahrain, hopes the centre will allow Tunisia to take advantage of its strategic position on the Mediterranean sea, and operate as a bridge between the EU and the rapidly growing economies of North Africa [and subSaharan Africa].”
“However, despite the current poor climate, the potential for Islamic banking in Egypt is huge, and one should expect more moves from Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank into Egypt, possibly in the form of a buyout,” Executive Magazine (Feb 8 2011) reports, “A recent Middle East Business Intelligence report said it best, when it opined, ‘If Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank can make a success of offering Islamic products, the whole market will open up. We have already seen some of the local banks start to advertise their Islamic products in view of the competition for customers they see about to begin.’
“Clearly Islamic banks in the Gulf are already anticipating the day when their home markets are saturated. And it appears that Egypt will be on the next front-line in the development of regional Islamic banking and finance.”
“African countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Sudan are keen on future sukuk exercises (issuing Islamic bonds). Gambia debuted with a US$166m sukuk deal, privately sold in the US in 2006.” [International Finance Review (Reuters), 2008]
The New York Times article “Islamic banking rises on oil wealth, drawing non-Muslims” ( November 22, 2007) reported: “Rising oil wealth is lifting Islamic banking – which adheres to the laws of the Koran and its prohibition against charging interest – into the financial mainstream. . . . In addition to Islamic loans, there are Islamic bonds, Islamic credit cards . . . Loans and bonds that conform to the Koran are already available in the United States. . . .
“’This is an industry on its way from a niche industry to becoming a truly global industry,’ said Khawaja Mohammad Salman Younis, the managing director for operations in Malaysia for Kuwait Finance House, the world’s second-largest Islamic bank. ‘In the next three to five years you’ll see Islamic banks coming out in Australia, China, Japan and other parts of the world.’
“In Islamic banking, financiers are required to share borrowers’ risks, meaning that depositors are treated more like shareholders, earning a portion of profits. Financing deals resemble lease-to-own arrangements, layaway plans, joint purchase and sale agreements, or partnerships.
“The stampede into Islamic finance is mostly an effort to tap an estimated $1.5 trillion of funds sloshing around the Middle East, largely from higher oil prices. . . .Those investments have helped ignite an economic revival throughout the Muslim world at a time of increasing religious conservatism among Islam’s 1.6 billion faithful. A result is expanding demand for financial services that adhere to Islamic law . . .
“And while the biggest Islamic banks are in the wealthy Gulf states, the most attractive potential markets are in Turkey and North Africa (emphasis added) and among European Muslims. . . .
“. . . even non-Muslims are taking advantage of a growing range of Islamic products offering competitive returns. For instance, David Ong-Yeoh, a public relations executive tired of fretting over the rising interest rate on his adjustable rate mortgage, refinanced to a 30-year fixed loan from an Islamic financial institution. Now, he pays regular installments that include a predetermined profit margin for the bank.
“’The terms are better than on conventional loans,’ said Ong-Yeoh, 41.
“Islamic finance also avoids other prohibited practices. Shariah-compliant bankers cannot receive or provide funds for anything involving alcohol, gambling, pornography, tobacco, weapons or pork. Proponents of Islamic banking say these are limits any socially conscious investor can support, Muslim or not. They also envision wider appeal for Islamic banking’s ban on interest, which stems from the Koran’s prohibition against usury.
“This is a view that has a long religious and historical tradition. Interest is repeatedly condemned in the Bible. Aristotle denounced it, the Romans limited it, and the early Christian church prohibited it. . . .
“The belief that all interest charges are unjust now underpins Islamic finance. . . .Hoarding is frowned upon in the Koran, so savings earn no return unless put to productive use.
“’Money should be used for creating better value in the country or the economy,’ Maraj said. ‘Money cannot generate money.’
“Nor can Islamic banks simply trade money. ‘In the Islamic finance model, the banks are supposed to mobilize funds through a fund management concept,’ said Rafe Haneef, head of Islamic banking in Asia for Citigroup.
“Indeed, Islamic banking is supposed to function more like private equity firms than conventional banking. ‘Private equity is an Islamic concept,’ Haneef said.
“Industry proponents say this risk-sharing requirement helps reduce the kind of abuses that led to the subprime mortgage mess in the United States. Scholars consider it un-Islamic to overload a customer with debt or invest in a company with excessive debt.”
The Washington Post, “Islamic Banking: Steady In Shaky Times” (Oct 31 2008), reported: “As big Western financial institutions have teetered one after the other in the crisis of recent weeks, another financial sector is gaining new confidence: Islamic banking.
Proponents of the ancient practice, which looks to sharia law for guidance and bans interest and trading in debt, have been promoting Islamic finance as a cure for the global financial meltdown.
“This week, Kuwait’s commerce minister, Ahmad Baqer, was quoted as saying that the global crisis will prompt more countries to use Islamic principles in running their economies. U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Robert M. Kimmet, visiting Jiddah, said experts at his agency have been learning the features of Islamic banking.
“Though the trillion-dollar Islamic banking industry faces challenges with the slump in real estate and stock prices, advocates say the system has built-in protection from the kind of runaway collapse that has afflicted so many institutions. For one thing, the use of financial instruments such as derivatives, blamed for the downfall of banking, insurance and investment giants, is banned. So is excessive risk-taking.
“’The beauty of Islamic banking and the reason it can be used as a replacement for the current market is that you only promise what you own [contrast to western banks fractional reserve system]. Islamic banks are not protected if the economy goes down — they suffer — but you don’t lose your shirt,’ said Majed al-Refaie, who heads Bahrain-based Unicorn Investment Bank.
“The theological underpinning of Islamic banking is scripture that declares that collection of interest is a form of usury, which is banned in Islam. In the modern world, that translates into an attitude toward money that is different from that found in the West: Money cannot just sit and generate more money. To grow, it must be invested in productive enterprises.
“’In Islamic finance you cannot make money out of thin air,’ said Amr al-Faisal, a board member of Dar al-Mal al-Islami, a holding company that owns several Islamic banks and financial institutions. ‘Our dealings have to be tied to actual economic activity, like an asset or a service. You cannot make money off of money. You have to have a building that was actually purchased, a service actually rendered, or a good that was actually sold.’
“Islamic bankers describe depositors as akin to partners — their money is invested, and they share in the profits or, theoretically, the losses that result. (In interviews, bankers couldn’t recall a case in which depositors actually lost money; this shows that banks put such funds only in very low-risk investments, they said.)”
It is easy to see why the Rothschilds and their network of conventional western banks would be threatened by competition from the more appealing, more conservative Islamic banks.
Late in 2008, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde announced France’s intention to make Paris “the capital of Islamic finance” and said several Islamic banks would open branches in the French capital in 2009. French sources estimate this area of the financial market is worth from 500 to 600 billion dollars and could grow by an average 11 percent a year.
John Sandwick, managing director of Swiss asset management firm Encore Management, characterized the opening of several Swiss Islamic banks as, “the race to control the rich prize: which today is worth hundreds of billions, but in the future will be trillions of dollars of Islamic wealth.”
“According to Standard and Poor’s, Islamic banking assets reached about $400 billion throughout the world in 2009. In November 2010, The Banker published its latest authoritative list of the Top 500 Islamic Finance Institutions with Iran topping the list. Seven out of ten top Islamic banks in the world are Iranian according to the list.” (iStockAnalyst, Feb 8, 2011)
BEN ALI’S SON OPENS FIRST ISLAMIC BANK IN ATTRACTIVE NORTH AFRICAN MARKET
Commenting on the opening of Zitouna (Islamic) Bank, International Business Times (May 28 2010) reported, “North Africa has begun to embrace Islamic finance after years watching from the sidelines, partly to channel more Arab Gulf petrodollars into the region. . . .
Tunisia has one of the most open economies in the region and attracts substantial investment from the European Union, something that is expected to accelerate after 2014, when the government has said it will make the currency (the Tunisian dinar) fully convertible.”
Global Islamic Finance News (May 31, 2010) reported, “Zitouna Bank also seeks to impart a regional dimension on its activities, particularly in the Maghreb region [North Africa], all the more so that it is the first specialised bank not belonging to a foreign banking group,” and went on to add, “The Bank will also seek to forge strong relations with the Maghreb and Mediterranean banks to ensure needed flow of financial operations for its customers. The bank officials stressed that the financial institution has established relations with 12 Islamic banks in collaboration with the Institute of Islamic banks in Bahrain.
Zitouna bank’s formation had been announced earlier in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Tunisia on 10 September 2009. Tunisia and Morocco authorized Islamic finance in 2007, partly to channel more investment into their fast-growing tourism and real estate industries.
Due to his being the son-in-law of President Ben Ali, El Materi’s Zitouna Bank was expanding in Tunisia to the level of monopoly. El Materi had built a powerful business empire: he ran businesses in News and Media, Banking and Financial Services, Automotive, Shipping and Cruises, Real Estate and Agriculture, Pharmaceuticals and last November 22 he bought a 50% stake in Orascom Telecom for 0.2 billion.
The newly-opened Tunis Financial Harbour was on the brink of becoming the regional financial centre of North Africa and, with its strategic position on the Mediterranean sea, becoming a bridge between the EU and the rapidly growing economies of North Africa and subSaharan Africa.
On January 20 2011, ZItouna Bank, Tunisia’s first Islamic bank was seized by the Central Bank of Tunisia (Rothschilds). The bank owned by Sakher El Materi, the thirty-year-old son-in-law of deposed Tunisian leader Zine El Abidine Ben Ali has been placed under “the control” of the central bank. Materi is presently in Dubai. The move came a day after 33 of Ben Ali’s clan were arrested for crimes against the nation. State television showed what it said was seized gold and jewellery. Switzerland has also frozen Ben Ali’s family assets.
EGYPT’S ISLAMIC BANKS THREATENED BY ROTHSCHILD REVOLUTION: OLD MAN POTTER VS HARRY BAILEY
A still from the film "It's A Wonderful Life"
The following scenario is right out of the 1946, Frank Capra film It’s a Wonderful Life with Old Man Potter (Rothschild) creating a run on Harry Bailey’s traditional Savings and Loans (Islamic bank):
Islamic (halal) banking products have not made significant inroads in North Africa yet, except in Egypt. “. . . There are several Islamic banks operating in Egypt: Faisal Islamic Bank, Al Baraka Egypt (Al Ahram Bank) and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank NBD . . . There may be others as well,” says Blake Goud, an expert on Islamic Finance (The Review – Middle East, Jan 31 2011), “. . . and the risks of a run on the bank should concern those interested in Islamic banking around the world because it could provide a test of how resilient Islamic banks really are to crisis.
“What I mean is that the Egyptian situation, which could be a fantastic opportunity for the Egyptian people, could expose a weakness within the Islamic banking industry if it is problematic. The main risk to any bank is that there is a run and the bank cannot meet depositor withdrawals with the cash available on hand. This forces the bank to raise cash from other means. In most cases, it can either get an inter-bank loan from another bank overnight that allows it to handle withdrawals. If other banks are hesitant to lend to a given bank because of fears of asset quality, then the bank will usually have access to an overnight borrowing facility with the central bank, which operates as the lender of last resort.
“The key for Islamic banks is that they are not able to take advantage of the inter-bank lending market, nor are they able to borrow from (or lend to) the central bank (emphasis added) because those loans are interest-bearing. The only alternative is to find other banks (mostly Islamic banks) willing to extend Shari’ah-compliant, bilateral loans often using commodity murabaha. In a country like Egypt where the Islamic banking industry is a small portion of the total banking system, it does not create a systemic risk if Islamic banks fail, but it does matter a lot to the depositors of other Islamic banks in the country and globally. If there is the potential that a run on an Islamic bank will not be stopped by someone; whether that is a foreign bank, a multi-lateral bank like the Islamic Development Bank or the central bank of Egypt (through emergency measures), then it could hurt confidence in Islamic banks.
“If neither of these options are available, the bank will have to try to raise funds by selling its assets, most of which (loans) are illiquid in the short run. It will have to take a loss on the sale to realize the cash it needs to meet withdrawals. If this continues and the bank sells enough assets at a discount to the value they are held on the balance sheet, the bank’s equity will be negative (the value of assets minus liabilities) and it will become insolvent (having earlier only been illiquid). This is the fundamental danger in banking from a financial stability perspective. If enough banks face runs and have to sell assets, the run could become self-sustaining and contagious. Even a healthy bank facing a run can become insolvent.
“The loss of confidence is more than just a reputational hit and a hit on the egos of Islamic bankers. It would make it more difficult for Islamic banks to attract and retain depositors and it could raise the cost at which it can attract depositors. This would make the bank, all other things equal, less profitable (it makes profit of the spread between the return on invested funds and the cost of funds borrowed from depositors). Lower profitability will lower the attractiveness of Islamic banks to equity investors limiting their ability to increase capital through equity offerings (or at least increasing the dilution to current shareholders). It will lower the amount available to supplement capital as well as pay dividends to its shareholders.
“Therefore, it is important that the Islamic banks in Egypt make it through the ‘run’ that is predicted if it materializes, not just for those banks’ shareholders, but also for the Islamic banking industry.”
In contrast, Bloomberg reports, “Egypt’s banks may risk a surge in customer withdrawals when they open for business, placing them among companies worst hit by the nationwide uprising against President Hosni Mubarak. … Central Bank Governor Farouk El-Okdah said in a telephone interview Jan. 29 that his bank has $36 billion in reserves, enough to accommodate investors should they wish to withdraw funds. His deputy, Hisham Ramez, said interbank lending “will function properly” when banks are reopened. He said the security situation will determine when that is possible.
“Asked about the risk of a bank run, Mohamed Barakat, chairman of state-run Banque Misr and head of the country’s banking association, said in a telephone interview that Egyptian lenders are ‘very liquid,’” with average loan-to-deposit ratios of 53 percent. […] “The Egyptian interbank offered rate, the rate banks charge to lend to each other, is at a 16-month high of 8.5 percent.”
THE MEANS: SPONSOR PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS
These Rothschild revolutions are done under the pretense of bringing democracy and deposing despots, but the real aim is to initially create chaos and a leadership vacuum, then quickly offer a solution: install a puppet that will do the economic bidding of the Rothschilds. The citizens gain freedom of speech and association, but become economic serfs.
These revolutions are most likely coordinated at the highest levels by the Rothschild’s International Crisis Group. Mohamed ElBaradei is already being touted as a new leader for Egypt. ElBaradei is a trustee of the International Crisis Group. Another board member of this group is Zbigniew Brzezinski. George Soros sits on the executive committee. The later two are ubiquitous front men for the Rothschilds.
The revolutions are from the same playbook as the fairly nonviolent “color revolutions”. These revolutions have been successful in Serbia (especially the Bulldozer Revolution (2000), in Georgia’s Rose Revolution (2003), in Ukraine’s Orange Revolution (2004), in Lebanon’s Cedar Revolution and (though more violent than the previous ones) in Kyrgyzstan’s Tulip Revolution (2005), and Tunisia’s Jasmine Revolution. Iran’s Green Revolution (2009) was unsuccessful.
Liberal billionaire George Soros funded training of activists in North Africa.
The Guardian reported (Nov 26, 2004) that the following were “directly involved” in organizing the colour revolutions: George Soros’ Open Society Foundation, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), the International Republican Institute, and Freedom House. The Washington Post and the New York Times also reported substantial Western involvement in some of these events.
Activists from Otpor in Serbia have said that publications and training they received from the US based Albert Einstein Institution staff have been instrumental in the formation of their strategies. The Albert Einstein Institution is funded by the Soros Foundation and NED. (Wikipedia)
In the article, “Georgia revolt carried mark of Soros” (November 26, 2003), the Globe & Mail reported, “[Soros' Open Society Institute] sent a 31-year-old Tbilisi activist named Giga Bokeria to Serbia to meet with members of the Otpor (Resistance) movement and learn how they used street demonstrations to topple dictator Slobodan Milosevic. Then, in the summer, Mr. Soros’s foundation paid for a return trip to Georgia by Otpor activists, who ran three-day courses teaching more than 1,000 students how to stage a peaceful revolution.”
Egyptian activists wearing Otpor shirts. Otpor was started by Soros in Serbia and has trained activists in other colour revolutions Several protest organizers on the streets in Egypt last week were wearing Otpor t-shirts. These t-shirts are given out by Otpor at training sessions. This is only to say that there may be a link here, between Soros and Tunisian protesters.
In 2007-08, Freedom House [funded by Soros and the Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative (MEPI)] ran the following program: “New Generation of Advocates, a MEPI-funded program that supports young civil society activists working for peaceful political change in the Middle East and North Africa, spearheaded the “Lawyers against Corruption” campaign in Tunisia.”(Freedom House website).
The group of “journalists, lawyers, and other activists who advocate for democratic reform” had a meeting with then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, on a trip to Washington on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2008. In May 2009, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met with the group of activist/dissidents. Freedom House reported on their website that the group also visited “U.S. government officials, members of Congress, media outlets and think tanks . . . After returning to Egypt, the fellows received small grants to implement innovative initiatives such as advocating for political reform through Facebook and SMS messaging.” (emphasis added)
And also from the Freedom House website: “From February 27 to March 13 [2010], Freedom House hosted 11 bloggers from the Middle East and North Africa for a two-week Advanced New Media Study Tour in Washington, D.C.”
In 2010, Soros’ Open Society Institute funded a grant called ‘Can It Tweet its way to Democracy? The promise of Participatory Media in Africa’ described on the OSI website as “. . . . Ethiopia and Egypt have been the current focus of the research programme; the OSI funding will allow the project to be expanded to include: Uganda, Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Eritrea and Rwanda. . . . it is hoped that it will contribute to the understanding of the new media in Africa and its links to democratization. It is also intended that the study will be used as a source material for future research.”
Facebook and Twitter were the primary means of organizing the revolution in Egypt: “Activists from Egypt’s Kifaya (Enough) movement – a coalition of government opponents – and the 6th of April Youth Movement organized the protests on the Facebook and Twitter . . . .” (Voice of America)
In the Foreign Policy Journal, Dr. D.K. Bolton (Jan 19 2011) writes, “NED [National Endowment for Democracy] and Soros work in tandem, targeting the same regimes and using the same methods. . . . At least ten of the twenty-two directors of NED are also members of the plutocratic think tank, the Council on Foreign Relations . . . .” (The Council of Foreign Relations is the American sister of the Rothschild’s Royal Institute of International Affairs in Britain: both are instruments of plutocratic control hiding in plain sight.
The following is a partial list of grants from the NED website for 2009 (the latest year available):
In Tunisia the focus was on training youth activists:
“Al-Jahedh Forum for Free Thought $131,000 To strengthen the capacity and build a democratic culture among Tunisian youth activists.
“Mohamed Ali Center for Research, Studies and Training $33,500 To train a core group of Tunisian youth activists on leadership and organizational skills to encourage their involvement in public life. [MACRST] will conduct a four-day intensive training of trainers program for a core group of 10 young Tunisian civic activists on leadership and organizational skills; train 50 male and female activists aged 20 to 40 on leadership and empowered decision-making; and work with the trained activists through 50 on-site visits to their respective organizations.
“Association for the Promotion of Education $27,000 To strengthen the capacity of Tunisian high school teachers to promote democratic and civic values in their classrooms. APES will conduct a training-of-trainers workshop for 10 university professors and school inspectors, and hold three two-day capacity building seminars for 120 high school teachers . . . .”
The above organizations and others have been recipients of ongoing NED grants in Tunisia, as the following list from previous years indicates:
2008: Al-Jahedh Forum for Free Thought received $57,000 to train Tunisian activists; Mohamed Ali Centre for Research got $37,800; Tunisian Arab Civitas Institute, $43,000 for training teachers in “civic values” and the Center for International Private Enterprise, $163,205 “to inculcate free enterprise doctrines among Tunisian businessmen, which reflects what NED is really aiming for in its promotion of “democracy and civil values”: globalization” (Bolton, 2011)
2007: AJFFT received $45,000 to develop Tunisian Activists; The Arab Institute for Human Rights got $43,900; The Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) $175, 818; The Mohamed Ali Center for Research, Studies, and Training $38,500; Moroccan Organization for Human Rights $60,000 “To strengthen a group of young Tunisian attorneys as they mobilize citizens on reform issues.”
In Egypt, the number of NED grants doubled in 2009 to 33 democracy projects totaling $1.4 million and the focus changed from promoting private enterprise to training young human-rights lawyers, and identifying and training youth activists. It will be interesting to see when (if?) NED publishes its 2010 grants.
From the NED website—a sample of the grants for 2009:
Egyptian Union of Liberal Youth (EULY) $33,300 To expand the use of new media among youth activists for the promotion of democratic ideas and values. EULY will train 60 youth activists to use filmmaking for the dissemination of democratic ideas and values. The Union will lead a total of four two-month long training workshops in Cairo to build the political knowledge and technical filmmaking skills of participating youth involved in NGOs.
Andalus Institute for Tolerance and Anti-Violence Studies (AITAS) $48,900 To strengthen youth understanding of the Egyptian parliament and enhance regional activists’ use of new technologies as accountability tools. AITAS will conduct a series of workshops for 300 university students to raise their awareness of parliament’s functions and engage them in monitoring parliamentary committees. AITAS will also host 8 month-long internships for youth activists from the Middle East and North Africa to share its experiences using web-based technologies in monitoring efforts.
Bridge Center for Dialogue and Development (BTRD) $25,000 To promote youth expression!!! and engagement in community issues through new media. BTRD will train youth between the ages of 16 and 26 in the use of new and traditional media tools to report on issues facing their communities. BRTD will also create a website for human rights videos and new media campaigns in Egypt.
Egyptian Democracy Institute (EDI) $48,900 To promote accountability and transparency in parliament through public participation, and to build legislative capacity. EDI will produce quarterly monitoring reports and hold seminars to discuss the overall performance of Parliament and offer recommendations on legislation proposed in the People’s Assembly. EDI will monitor, collect, and document evidence of corruption in Cairo and Alexandria Lawyers Union for Democratic and Legal Studies (LUDLS) $20,000 To support freedom of association by strengthening young activists’ ability to express and organize themselves peacefully within the bounds of the law. LUDLS will train 250 youth activists on peaceful assembly and dispute resolution
Our Hands for Comprehensive Development $19,200 To engage Minya youth in civic activism and encourage youth-led initiatives and volunteerism. Our Hands will hold two public meetings for local youth to discuss challenges and to identify youth leaders who would benefit from additional training courses. Participants will produce a short film on youth political participation, and develop and implement action plans for resolving problems facing youth in the governorate. Our Hands will also provide Minya youth an opportunity to learn from the experience of and network with Cairo-based activists and NGOs.
“Youth Forum $19,000 To expand and maintain a network of youth activists on Egyptian university campuses and to encourage the participation of university students in student union elections and civic activities on campus. . . .”
NED and Soros have been injecting millions of dollars into the training of North African, pro-democracy teachers, lawyers, journalists and youth activists. In 2009 they more than doubled their training efforts. Why, at this time, has the 30-year support of these dictators been undermined? The prize is the rapidly-rising economies of North Africa. It coincides with the efforts of Ben Ali to make Tunisia the financial center of North Africa and to promote Islamic banking. The Rothschilds want North African Muslims to borrow from Rothschild banks and pay interest at rates the Rothschild central bank decides: they do not want them to be able to borrow from Islamic banks and not pay any interest. The Rothschilds want Muslims to trade their present political oppression at the hands of brutal dictators for future economic serfdom under the control of banker Lord Rothschild.
패트리샤 킹은 그리스도에게로 오기 전에 오컬트와 뉴에이지 모두에 속해 있었음을 인정하고 있다. 그 녀의 교설은 노골적으로 뉴에이지적이며, 그녀는 공개적으로 "뉴 미스틱(New Mystic 新 秘術師)"이라고 스스로를 칭한다. 그녀의 이교적 희롱거림의 최신판은 트랜스(초월) 댄스의 일종인 "엑스타시스(Ekstasis)"의 증진이다. 순회 DJ를 겸하고 있는 그녀의 순회 목사는 이것을 "클럽 미스테리오(Club Mysterio)"라고 부른다.
[칼렙 브런딧지는 패트리샤 킹의 "익스트림 프로페틱"의 리더 중의 한 명이다]
킹은 그녀의 사이트에서 칼렙 브런딧지(Caleb Brundidge)와 엑스타시 워십댄스의 영적 체험을 소개한다. 칼렙은 젊은이들을 상대로 한 헤비 록(Heavy Rock) 음악을 나르는 DJ이다. 그는 이 춤은 마음을 뛰어넘어서 하나님과 함께 엑스타시의 장소로 가는 것이라고 말한다. 댄서들은
(흥분된) 감정에 맡겨지도록 요청된다. 이 춤은 하나님과의 깊은 합일로 유도한다고 주장된다. (춤추는 동안) 말씀이 마음을 건너서 세포수준으로 들어가 당신의 일부가 된다. [따라서 성경을 공부할 필요도 ?다고 말함] 춤으로써 중보를 하는 것이다. 등등. 이것은 전적으로 몸의 움직임에 항복하는 것으로 보인다. 이것은 "레이브 댄싱"의 영적 동등물이다.
엑스타시스(엑스타시)는 고대 그리스어 ex-statis에서 유래되었는데, "자신의 밖에 선다" 또는 "다른 곳으로 치워진다"는 의미이다. 엑스타시스예배 또는 트랜스댄싱은 모든 이방문화에 알려져 있으며, 참가자를 엑스타시(황홀)라고 불리는 흥분상태로 가져가는 것을 뜻한다. 트랜스댄스는 많은 고대문명에 뿌리를 둔 "치유도구"이다. 샤먼(주술사)들도 이를 사용한다.
최면적 소리와 움직임은 댄서들은 황홀(엑스타시)상태, 변형된 의식상태로 올려준다. 이런 변형된 의식상태에 있을 때, 그들은 암시, 마인드콜트롤, 미혹의 영의 유혹, 그리고 자연적 쿤달리니각성에 문을 활짝 열게 된다.
DJ 칼렙의 엑스타시스 워십댄스 장면 두개이다.
어느 뉴에이지 저술가가 엑스타시 댄스에 관해 정의하고 설명한 것을 들어보자:
트랜스 댄스의 목적은 영들이 당신에게 도달할 수 있는 성스러운 지대(sacred zone) 속 장소로 당신을 데려가는 것이다... 트랜스 댄스에서, 리듬과 움직임은 음악과 결함해서 (우리를) 성스러운 영역으로 들어가게 해주는 변형된 의식상태를 만든다... 몸과 몸의 부분들이 움직이며 순간순간 매력을 느끼는 리듬을 표현함으로써, 마음의 명상 상태로 들어가며 더 깊은 신비적실재로 들어갈 수 있게 한다. - 카렌 버그렌의 <샤만의 써클> 중에서
이제 패트리샤 킹이 그녀의 익스트림 프로페틱 사이트에 트랜스 댄싱 또는 "엑스타시스"에 관해 하는 말을 들어 보자:
DJ 칼렙과 클럽 미스테리오는 엑스타시스예배, 박자(비트), 전자음악표현, 댄스, 기도와 강력한 예언적 흐름을 결함시켜서 크리스천 레이브(광란 rave) 체험을 만든다. 클럽 미스테리오는 나이트클럽이 아니라 라이트(Light)클럽이다! 버려졌던 예배의 이 새로운 표현!은 당신이 춤추며 흐드러짐에 따라 당신의 믿음에 서게 하며, 주님의 임재와 (레이브의 참 대상인) 주님과의 친밀함의 깊은 비밀(미스테리)의 체험 속으로 밀어넣는다.
재미있게도 나는 또한 2007년 패트리샤 킹으로부터의 다음 내용의 우편 전단지를 발견할 수 있었다:
비밀 장소에서의 궁극의 파티에서 새해를 맞이하러 오십시오. 드럼, 베이스와 우리의 전자음악 마스터인 DJ 칼렙이 제공하는 딥하우스의 파워풀한 사운드와 엑스타시스 음악의 최면 사운드를 통해서 영광의 영역으로 들어가십시오.
내가 엑스타시스 댄스 사이트<<에 마주쳤을 때, 나는 이것과 패트리샤 킹의 클럽 미스테리오와의 놀라운 그리고 우연이 아닌 유사점들에 넋을 잃었다. 이 웹사이트는 이교적 뉴에이지 관점에서 쓰여졌으며, 캐나다 브리티쉬 콜롬비아 지방에 근거를 두고 있는데, 패트리샤는 그 지방 출신이다. 그들이 이런 종류의 댄스에 대해 하는 말을 들어 보자:
엑스타시스는 자 신의 너머로 간다(moving beyind oneself)는 그리스어이다. 태고적부터, 우리의 일상체험을 초월하는 감각을 가지는 능력-강화된 의식의 상태로의 여행을 체험하고, 시간과 공간의 인지된 한계로부터의 자유를 찾는 능력-을 사람들은 깨달았다... 지금은 변혁적, 카타르시스적 체험을 통한 치유의 샤만(주술)적유산을 되찾을 기회이다. 트랜스로 들어가는 춤을 출 때이다. 거기(트랜스)서 우리는 우리를 넘어서 신적존재와 연결하며 더 충만하고 권능적인 존재로의 비전을 가지고 돌아온다.
다음은 샴발라(뉴에이지 승격 마스터들의 거주처라고 주장되는 곳) 트랜스 비디오로서, 1분 20초 경부터 트랜스 댄스가 나온다.
다음은 DJ 칼렙의 발언과 요가 트랜스 댄스를 증진하는 증언들을 번갈아 놓은 것이다:
요기 나이트 클럽 댄서:
"고대 인도의 트랜스 댄스의 기원을 가장 잘 설명하기 위해 쉬바 나라타즈와의 개인적 연결을 추구하는 도중에, 나는 책들보다 더 깊이 들어가야 함을 느꼈다."
엑스타시스 워십 DJ:
"더 이상 말씀을 공부할 필요가 없다. 네가 고취된 분위기 속에 있으면, 이것(말씀)은 너의 일부가 된다."
요기 나이트 클럽 댄서:
"주 [쉬바 나라타즈]와 그가 나타내는 모든 것에 대한 사랑으로 고취된 나는 시대를 떠돌다 드디어 남부 인도 어떤 곳에서 육감적 탄트라 트랜스 댄스를 추고 있는 젊은 데바다시가 되었다."
엑스타시스 워십 DJ:
"엑스타시스 워십은 당신의 마음 밖으로 나가 하나님과의 버려진 예배로 당신을 방출하는 예배로서, 육감적 합일에서와 같은 하나님의 황홀로 들어가는 것이다."
요기 나이트 클럽 댄서:
"테크노 비트는 내 머리에서 셰나이의 날카로운 노래소리와 고대 석조 사원의 울리는 종소리의 리듬으로 나타났으며, 매료시키는 기도의 곡조가 되풀이되었다."
엑스타시스 워십 DJ:
"리듬과 사운드와 음악적 반복을 통해서, 말씀은 당신의 몸 속으로 들어간다. 혼으로만 아니고, 영으로만 아니고, 영, 육, 혼 전체로 들어간다."
요기 나이트 클럽 댄서:
"나타라자 트랜스가 나를 황홀하게 사로잡도록 함으로써 나는 내 몸이 시바만큼 늙은 사람처럼 익숙치 않은 방식으로 떨리는 것을 느꼈다. 이런 이상한 움직임들, 다른 시대로부터 온 도발적인 댄스 스텝은 무엇이었을까 ."
엑스타시스 워십 DJ:
"엑스타시스 워십은, 기도와 움직임 속에서, 당신의 몸을 거룩하고 받으실 만한 산 제사로 드리는 것을 몸으로 느끼며 춤추는 것이다. 빙빙 돌기 시작하라.. 설명되지 않는 일들이 생길 것이다."
요기 나이트 클럽 댄서:
"데바다시가 하는 모든 몸짓이 믿음의 메시지를 나른다는 것을 깨달았다. 트랜스 댄스는 이런 몸짓들의 깊은 의미 속으로 나를 밀어 넣었다. 나는 내가 시바 나타라즈의 현시(顯示)들이 말해주는 여러가지 감정들을 표현하고 있다는 것을 직감적으로 알아냈다."
엑스타시스 워십 DJ:
"당신이 당신의 감정과 예수 그리스도를 향한 사랑을 춤출 때, 영계에서뿐 아니라 자연계에서도 무슨 일인가 일어난다... 우리가 (말씀을) 선포하고 하나님을 찬양할 때, 뛰고, 춤추고, 움직일 때, 우리의 말은 당신의 몸 속의 세포 수준에서 하나가 된다. 당신이 말씀을 배우는 것이 아니라, 말씀이 당신의 일부가 되는 것이다."
최근 영국 더들리에 있는 영광학교에서 강의하는 도중에 나에게 주님의 푸른 불꽃에 관한 영적 인카운터(마주침)가 있었다. 이 인카운터에서 나 자신이 독수리 같이 날아오름을 느꼈고, 날으는 중에 태양을 향해 쳐다보았다.
(자연계에서 예언자의 상징으로 성경에 종종 나오는) 독수리들의 눈에는 다른 새들에게는 없는 별도의 막이 있어서 시력손상이 없이 태양을 바로 바라볼 수 있다. 태양을 바라보자 나는 태양 중심으로 끌려감을 느꼈고, 그 때 이것-푸른 불꽃-을 보았다. 나는 이것의 힘과 정열을 느낄 수 있었다... 하나님의 불같은 사랑을 바라보자. 하나님의 깊은 신비로의 계시를 받도록 준비하자.
이 환상은 패트리샤 킹의 독창적인 것이 아니며, 뉴에이지 가르침에서도 똑같이 모사된다.승격마스터(승천대사)와 "유일자(I AM)"에게 하는 주문(呪文)을 들어 보자:
나는 나의 아버지 신의 신적 권능을 나타내는 푸른 불꽃을 부른다.
푸른 불꽃은 뉴에이지, 오컬트와 마법 사상에 널려 있다. 아드리안 전통에 따르면, 이것은 제단의 초점이다. 제단의 중심에 사발이 놓이는데, 특수한 액체로 채워져 있어서 푸른 불꽃으로 타오른다. 의식 환경에서 푸른 불꽃의 출현은 신(적 존재 Divinity)의 임재를 나타낸다. 불을 성스러운 상징으로 사용하는 것은 매우 고대적 행습이다.
뉴에이지 사이트에 의하면:
푸른 불꽃은 강한 힘과 에너지의 핵심 안에 있다. 첫번째 광선은 의도, 원인, 방향, 집중과 통일의 능력으로 나타나는데, 이것의 기조는 의지 - 신적 의지이다. 푸른 불꽃의 기본적 특성은 힘,권능, 믿음과 보호의 에너지를 통해서 나타난다.
(오컬트와 비교를 포함한) 종교, 신화와 전설에 관한 전자서고는 신성한 문서에 관해 이렇게 적는다:
푸른 색을 제외한 꿈에 나타나는 모든 색깔은 좋은 조짐이다. 왜냐 하면, (촛불의) 불꽃에서와도 같이, 이것(푸른색)은 그 아래에 있는 몸을 소멸하고 파괴하는 것을 우리가 보았기 때문이다. 이것은 세상을 뒤덮는 유파스(독나무) 또는 치명적인 나무로서, 그 아래에 있는 모든 것에게 치명적이다...(이하 생략)
이것도 역시 이단 패트리샤 킹이 인용한 것이다:
푸른 불꽃은 불의 가장 뜨겁고 강렬한 부분으로서, 푸른 색은 종종 신적 계시, 하나님의 사랑, 그리고 열린 하늘의 예언적 상징이다.
여기에는 오컬티즘이 흐르고 있다. 이단 패트리샤 킹의 문제는 오컬트의 사이비 행습을 기독교화하려는 것이다. 그녀는 말한다:
태양을 바라보자 나는 태양 중심으로 끌려감을 느꼈고, 그 때 이것-푸른 불꽃-을 보았다. 이것은 매우 아름다웠다. 나는 경외하고 존중해야 마땅한 이것의 힘을 느낄 수 있었으며, 또한 이것의 정열도 느꼈다. 주님은 내게 이해와 적용을 위한 세가지 포인트를 주셨는데 이것을 여러분과 나누도록 하겠다.
이단 패트리샤 킹이 "태양을 바라보았을" 때, 이것은 태양바라보기(Sungazing)라고 불리는 것이다. 이것은 인도에서 일반적으로 수행된다. 이 행습의 지지자들에 의하면, 태양바라보기는 많은 고대인들에 의해 수행되었다. "이집트, 아즈텍, 마야, 인도요가, 북미인디언, 티벳요가, 팔기/태극 등의 기공의 초기 문명들"에서. 이집트인들과 다른 고대문명들은 태양숭배자로 알려져 있으며, 그들 일부가 태양바라보기를 했을 수 있다.
이것은 또한 쿤달리니 각성의 과정인 쿤달리니 요가에서도 설명되어 있다.
35분에서 40분 사이의 (9-10 개월의) 태양바라보기.....이 시점에서 당신은 당신의 차크라(chakras)가 깨어나는 것과 당신의 쿤달리니에서 에너지가 각성됨을 느낄 수 있을 것이다. 당신의 더 높은 자아를 알아가게 될수록 하루하루 에너지의 막힘이 해소될 것이다.
이단 패트리샤 킹은 얼마동안이나 태양을 바라보았는지 모르지만, 이것을 수행하는 사람들은 비상한 체험을 가질 것이다. 패트리샤 킹은 이것이 하나님께로부터 왔다고 그릇 주장하는 것이다. 패트리샤 킹은 이슬람으로부터의 회심자인 파이잘 말릭을 인용한다:
주님의 푸른 불꽃은 계시와 지혜의 순수함을 나타낸다. 계시는 적절한 때에 감춰진 지혜를 드러내고 있다. 비밀은 하나님으로부터 감춰진 것이 아니라, 우리를 위해 하나님에 의해서 감춰졌다.
좋다. 성경에서 감춰진 지혜가 뜻하는 것이 무엇인가?
제프리 호드슨은 자유주의 카톨릭 신부, 신지학 교사, 신비주의자이며 영지주의 선견자였다. 그는 "많은 놀라운 성경책에 들어 있는 감춰진 지혜에 대한 이해가 깊어짐에 따라 이런 믿음이 강해지는 것이 나의 희망이다"고 말했다.
이단 패트리샤 킹은 영지주의를 가르치고 있다. 그녀는 말했다:
지혜는 감춰진 계시이고 계시는 감춰진 지혜가 드러난 것이다. 감춰진 지혜가 이 땅에서 드러나는 카이로스의 시간이 오면, 아버지의 깊은 것이 우리 영의 깊은 것과 연결되며, 성령은 그분의 말씀의 씨앗 안에서 감싸인 계시지식으로 우리를 수태시킨다. 그 결과, 그리스도 안에서의 우리의 영광을 위해서 미리 정하신 감춰진 지혜가 풀린다.
이는 성경에 감춰진 지식이 있다고 말하는 또다른 방법이다. 영지주의는 이렇게 가르친다:
우리가 온전한 자들 중에서는 지혜를 말하노니 이는 이 세상의 지혜가 아니요 오직 은밀한 가운데 있는 하나님의 지혜를 말하는 것으로서 곧 감추어졌던 것인데 하나님이 우리의 영광을 위하여 만세 전에 미리 정하신 것이라 하나님이 자기를 사랑하는 자들을 위하여 예비하신 모든 것은 눈으로 보지 못하고 귀로 듣지 못하고 사람의 마음으로 생각하지도 못하였다 하였노라 오직 하나님이 성령으로 이것을 우리에게 보이셨으니 성령은 모든 것 곧 하나님의 깊은 것까지도 통달하시느니라 우리가 세상의 영을 받지 아니하고 오직 하나님으로부터 온 영을 받았으니 이는 우리로 하여금 하나님께서 우리에게 은혜로 주신 것들을 알게 하려 하심이라 육에 속한 사람은 하나님께서 우리에게 은혜로 주신 것들을 받지 아니하니라 육에 속한 사람은 하나님의 성령의 일들을 받지 아니하나니 이는 그것들이 그에게는 어리석게 보임이요, 또 그는 그것들을 알 수도 없나니 그러한 일은 영적으로 분별되기 때문이라 신령한 자는 모든 것을 판단하나 자기는 아무에게도 판단을 받지 아니하느니라
이단 패트리샤 킹의 성경말씀에 대한 이해는 매우 보잘 것 없으며, 또한 사도 바울의 가르침과 반대되게 말한다. 포셋(유명한 성경주석가)은 고린도전서의 주제에 대해 이렇게 설명했다.
바울이 "(은밀한) 신비" 또는 "감춰진 지혜'(고린도전서 2:7)로 의미한 것은 복음 밖에 있는 어떤 전통을 말하는 것이 아니라, 하나님의 계획에 따라 감춰져 있다가 이제 모두에게 공표되어, 듣는 이의 내면의 삶이 그리스도의 형상으로 완전하게 변해감에 따라 지적으로 이해가 되는 지식의 보배가 펼쳐지는 것을 말한다. (이하 생략)
[뉴에이지 "천사장" 명상 비디오<<에서 가져온 정보(?)입니다. 푸른 불꽃은 마이클 천사장의 권능을 나타내며, 노란 불꽃은 지혜를, 분홍 불꽃은 사랑을, 흰 불꽃은 가브리엘의 순결을 뜻한다나요..]
