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Coronavirus Gives a Dangerous Boost to DARPA’s Darkest Agenda As Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine Takes the Lead, Its Chief Medical Officer’s Recent Promotion of “Gene-Editing Vaccines” Comes to Light Denmark Passes Far-Reaching Emergency Coronavirus Law COVID-19 Deadliest in New York’s Black, Latino Neighbourhoods Are there any narrations in Shia literature that mention trans-humanism, eugenics, and racism in relation to the creation of artificially intelligent humans or cyborgs?

Assalamu aleikoum Brothers & Sisters, i think that many people would be probably shocked of this info. This Church (mother of the other Christian Churches, except Nestorian and partly Tewahedo) is in fact pagan bloodthirsty worship of the sun - go google photos ,,Christianity Sun worship". The Latin Church after Constantine's accepting of Christianity many pagan traditions became part of that faith and the Roman Empire started never-ending war against the ,,pagans" and heretics, for example war against Christian Arianism faith or later crusades against the Muslims, Orthodox (Eastern) Christians, Christian Albigensians and later against the northern and eastern European Pagans. And also how this bloodthirsty ,,Church" behaved towards my people - the Romani people (known as Gypsies, the G-word is somewhat racist), when we were called by the Catholic ,,Church" Pagans or filthy unbelievers even in Europe we were Christian as the local population but we took religion little bit differently than the local White-European population and it was what ,,Church" saw as herezy - it was a part of Witch-hunt and Inquisition. Another example of this sick bloodthirsty ,,religion" is a way how al-Andalus (Spain and Portugal) was re-Christianised and what happened after it, yes i am speaking about the Inquisition and also about Spanish and Portuguese colonisation of Americas and Inquisition there. Also there were pogroms on the Jews done or at least supported by this ,,Church" and the Jews often found freedom of religion in Muslim lands, same way as after fall of al-Andalus. And i should also mention the European Wars of Religion between the Catholic Church and it´s daughters Reformed Churches, which was very bloody and inquisition was working in enormous scale. After the 30 years war between the Catholics and Lutherans in the lands which were regained by the Catholics happened bloody re-Catholisation which in the Czech Lands took life of at least 60% of population and in Hungary around 40%, re-Catholisation was orchestrated by the Church and by the Austrian state. Christianity got under control because of French Revolution which was not only anti-Monarchist but also anti-Catholic and in general anti-Religious, this formed modern-day Europe, if this revolution was not successful Europe and Americas would be probably till now in Dark Ages and full of bloodshed of the innocents. But wait this is not an end of the story! I have to mention that the Catholic Church also supported Nazi Germany and Independent State of Croatia (Nazi pro-German state) which both were doing genocide of the Jews, Romani people, Serbs, Poles and other people who were seen as inferior races. I mentioned before that the Catholic (Latin) Church is a mother of other churches, i must to mention that also other churches supported witch-hunts, anti-Jewish pogroms and called the Romani people pagans which led to genocides of the Romani people. And this is not still the end of a story because last shadows of reality of this Church and it´s daughter Churches we see in Africa where the Christianity is often still so bloodthirsty as it was in Europe before and in fact we have seen it in Europe (or Asia?) recently when the Armenian Catholics started (again) doing genocide of the Muslims in nowadays Eastern Turkey (between 1830 to 1916) and of the Azerbaijanis (since 1830´s with some pauses in all the lands of Azerbaijan and last time between 1988 to 1994 in Azerbaijani land of Karabakh) and also we have seen how Orthodox Christians many times did genocides of the Muslims in Bosnia (many times since 1790´s, last time between 1992 to 1995), Kosovo (last time in 90´s), western part of Turkey (1919-1922), Algeria (Africa- done by the Catholics - 1830 to 1962) Cyprus (1960´s to 1974) and Lebanon (Asia - done by the various Christians - 1975 to 1995).

The Holy Quran mentions about the Racism: O mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female and made you nations and tribes that you may identify yourselves with one another. Indeed, the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the most God wary among you. Indeed, Allah is all-knowing, all-aware (49:13). "The issue of equality between all human beings, opposition to any type of racial, ancestral and class discrimination, fairness between all the children of Adam in relation to human rights and that no person is better than another due to his skin color, language, lineage or race - is one of the most important societal issues in the Qur’an which has been mentioned in various verses of this Heavenly Book. The Qur’an has denounced all sorts of superiority - whether it be of race, language, or skin color." Likewise, Prophet Muhammad ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) & HP) says: Surely all of mankind – from the time of Adam until our time – are like the teeth of a comb (all equal to one another) and there is no greatness for an `Arab over a non-`Arab and no greatness for a red-skinned person over a black-skinned person, except due to one’s consciousness of Allah (taqwa).” There are numerous verses in the Holy Quran and the teachings of the Holy Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) & HP) that invite human beings towards brotherhood and equality. Throughout his life, the Holy Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) & HP) taught people that all humans are one and the only difference that exists is in their God-wariness as mentioned in verse 13 of Surah Hujarat. We learn from the Holy Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) & HP) and the Ahlul Bayt (عليه السلام) that Islam has established equality for the entire human race and struck at the very root of all distinctions based on color, race, language or nationality. According to Islam, Allah has given man this right of equality as a birthright. Thus, no man should be discriminated against on the basis of the color of his skin, his place of birth, his race or the nation in which he was born. Apart from conveying the pure teachings of Islam, the Holy Prophet ((صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) &HP) was also able to rouse hope in the hearts of the poor and the downtrodden section of his society. In many instances within his practical life, he was successful in eliminating bigotry and racism that was surrounding him. In order for him to reach his aim of equality between all human beings, he married the daughter of his uncle to a slave named Zaid. In addition, he gave Bilal, who was both a non-`Arab and an African slave (at one point in his life), the important religious post of being the Muaddhin, the one who calls to prayer. He also convinced Ziyad ibn Labid who was one of the richest and noblest men from amongst the Ansar to marry his daughter to an African slave named Jubair. This marriage between a nobleman's daughter and a slave, was the beginning of many such marriages that broke mental and social barriers among the followers of Islam. Islam is a practical example of how human beings and societies can fight racial discrimination and create a society based on unity and brotherhood. Martyr Malcolm X Talks about Racism in Hajj The annual ritual of Hajj is an outstanding display of beauty and splendor among the followers of Islam and it is this very beauty of Islam that inspired (Martyr) Malcolm X to write the following letter after he made his first Hajj: "Never have I witnessed such sincere hospitality and overwhelming spirit of true brotherhood as is practiced by people of all colors and races here in this ancient Holy Land, the home of Abraham, Muhammad and all the other prophets of the Holy Scriptures. For the past week, I have been utterly speechless and spellbound by the graciousness I see displayed all around me by people of all colors.....There were tens of thousands of pilgrims, from all over the world. They were of all colors, from blue-eyed blondes to black-skinned Africans. But we were all participating in the same ritual, displaying a spirit of unity and brotherhood that my experiences in America had led me to believe never could exist between the white and the non-white. You may be shocked by these words coming from me. But on this pilgrimage, what I have seen, and experienced, has forced me to rearrange much of my thought-patterns previously held, and to toss aside some of my previous conclusions. This was not too difficult for me. Despite my firm convictions, I have been always a man who tries to face facts, and to accept the reality of life as new experience and new knowledge unfolds it. I have always kept an open mind, which is necessary to the flexibility that must go hand in hand with every form of intelligent search for truth. During the past eleven days here in the Muslim world, I have eaten from the same plate, drunk from the same glass and slept in the same bed (or on the same rug)-while praying to the same Allah with fellow Muslims, whose eyes were the bluest of the blue, whose hair was the blondest of blond, and whose skin was the whitest of white. And in the words and in the actions and in the deeds of the ‘white' Muslims, I felt the same sincerity that I felt among the black African Muslims of Nigeria, Sudan and Ghana. We are truly all the same-brothers. All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds." Conclusion: The Holy Quran tells us: "Certainly, We have honored the Children of Adam, and carried them over land and sea, and provided them with all the good things, and preferred them with a complete preference over many of those We have created." (17:70) The Holy Quran teaches us that Islam lays down some rights for man as a human being. Every man whether he belongs to one country or the other, whether he is a believer or a non-believer, whether he lives in forest or desert, whatever be the case, he has some basic human rights simply because he is a human being, which should be recognized by every human being. Today, the world is struggling to come to terms with equality in true sense. Racial discrimination continues to be a challenge, even for the most developed nations. However, Islam has shown the way to fight racial discrimination and create a society based on amity, love and unity. InshaAllah, the world will very soon realize that the only solution to racism lies in following Islam.

وَمِنْ آيَاتِهِ خَلْقُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلَافُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَانِكُمْ ۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِلْعَالِمِينَ And one of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours; most surely there are signs in this for people of knowledge. [Surah 30, verse 22] According to this verse the diversity of colours of people is a good thing - its one of the signs of God. I can imagine a black person 1400 years ago hearing this, having been told his whole life that he was inferior because of the colour of his skin, and now realising that differences in colours is a beautiful thing in Islam, and one of the many sign of Allah swt. It must have been a very liberating thing to grasp.

This is disgusting. [Warning: some comments contain explicit language] https://twitter.com/i/moments/796417517157830656 May Allah (swt) curse the oppressors and support the oppressed.

"Pie thinks he knows who is to blame for the rise of Trump... and you're not going to like it!" No, I believe what he says is agreeable. It all makes sense. Have a listen yourself and share your thoughts. Do overlook his vulgar language.

Alsalamu Alaikum Im a 25-year old women born, raised and living in Denmark. I newly graduated and until a couple of month ago worked in a pharmacy in a rural area in Denmark. I started encountering racism (or at least that's when I became aware of it) when I was 16. Every time since then it has been because of my hijab who seems to trigger these ignorant rusty mostly old wrinkly godless people. It got really bad when I started working at the pharmacy and every other day I had to listen to people muttering about me to my collegues, staring at me like Im disgusting, refusing to be helped/served by me and even yelling at me and calling me disgusting and sexistic names regarding my ethnicity and hijab. And every single time - to avoid the drama - I was the one who had to go hide in the back of the pharmacy until the stupid customer was gone. My boss never asked me If I was okay or what happend - I felt like I should just be happy that I could work there and that since the hijab is my choice I should live with the consequences. Only one single time my collegues asked the customer to leave but that was because he was yelling at them too - for having me there of course. I felt terrible and sometimes so scared I would cry. It interferred with my ability to get my work done. I studied 5 years at uni to help people stay alive giving them their stupid medicine and this is what I get. As a result I feel completely demotivated and exhausted, when before graduating I felt I had so much knowledge to give and I could not wait to get out in the big world to show everyone what I learned and what I was capable of. Now I dont even feel like I want to work anymore. Denmark is generally a very racist country (I say generally, because I've also met the most amazing people here), Im tired of reading awefull facebook threads about muslims and islam. I cant breathe anymore. Here we even have politicians encouraging this racist behaviour by being racist themselves. I know Allah swt is with me and that I must be rewarded for my patience, but it just really really hurts. I feel depressed and unsuccesful which is killing me. I catch myself just waiting for the next racist episode to happen when Im outside. Since my parents dont work and have not been subjected to very much racism they dont fully understand the extent of what I experience. I have only one hijabi friend, but she lives in the capitol city where it's much more natural to see muslims. All my other friends are non-hijabis - they dont get it either. Giving up my hijab would be on my dead body. I would never do that and specially not because of some old stupid racist degenerating toads. Im sorry about my bad English - Im too tired to google translate every word. I need advice - not to stop it - because that's impossible - but to deal with it. I thought I could deal with it by feeling sorry for them being so ignorant or by viewing it in a humorous way but I keep getting this lump in my throat and my face blushes every time it happens. I have no one to support me in this.

So I've come across an article on The Washington Post (through Facebook) and I realised this issue of racism/stereotype didn't only effect Muslims but minority groups in general. I thought it may be worth sharing this article to help brothers and sisters who've faced similar prejudice. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/10/14/a-black-doctor-wanted-to-save-a-mans-life-first-she-had-to-convince-the-flight-attendant-she-was-an-actual-physician/?postshare=7061476578657562&tid=ss_tw Know that you're not alone

People nowadays don't say they want but rather they prefer: Like: -I prefer Hijabi as wife -I prefer my husband wears beard -I prefer basketball(over football) ... So while some of these are harmless there are more harmful ways of saying prefer, like: -I prefer Sayed/a as husband/wife -I prefer white/black over black/white people -I prefer my own culture etc. I mean, come on what does prefer even mean? Like an easier way to hurt people? Just say what you want, directly. Not like: I prefer Hijabi as a wife, but I want Hijabi, no compromise. If you really want that or don't say anything at all. Or I prefer Sayed/a or my own culture/nationality. If you want to be like that, just say it directly, instead of clothing it into the "prefer" language.

(bismillah) (salam) I made this observation about racism, and its causes, in another thread and I'd like you to discuss it. Do you agree or disagree?

Salaam, Im a graduate student & need to work to cover my univ expenses. Im not a hijabi & dress very modern but more modest than western women, but most ppl can tell Im Muslim / middle eastern from my name. so I was recently working as a street canvasser for the past 3+ months for a human rights org that preaches racial equality and equal representation of all workers & bull[Edited Out] like that. Ive been facing some racism at this job and i think its cuz of my name? my coworkers were super nice when I first started but later started changing towards me & ive been getting this vibe that they want me to leave. its a close knit circle of all "american white folks" w/ few blacks & i feel that they try to make job standards harder for other ethnicities so they quit. its such a load of bull[Edited Out] Im fed up w/ it and feeling they all downright FAKE 100%. they talk non-stop about human rights and racial equality BUT I DON'T SEE IT !! after the 1st month they insisted to know where Im from, so I just said 'Western Asia' and swore I wudnt tell anyone cuz i wanna escape this discrimination problem. after that I think one person from the office found out I was Muslim & middle eastern & probably told everyone then their attitude towards me changed. they started excluding me from morning activities which i used to take part in and not let me validate credit cards & stuff like that. then I realised they wud give higher positions to new members (americans) who just started the job, & dismiss me even tho I been there for 3+ months. what kind of bull[Edited Out] hipocrisy is this??? and to make worse, I realise they kept assigning me to harder locations & neighbourhoods where I wud end up not making enough money to cover my requirements as a canvasser. Also, right now the weather is crazy in my state and ppl on the street are freaking cold nobody wanna stop and bother w/ canvassers. but at the office, the directors act like its my fault for not making enough money & blame me for poor skills !!!! I dont see them doing that to my other american coworkers who also dont get enough money either, its not just me bringing low profits. I feel like they trying to prevent me from staying on the team, like I realised twice at canvassing that the manager wud pull us out for long 10 min breaks during our shifts for no apparent reason. I figured they doing this to waste my time so I only have few mins left at the shift and preventing me from getting potential donors who wud possibly give me money. Today they told me this was my last week to raise a certain amount & if I dont they fire me!! this is really unfair, on many days I actually make more than my american counterparts, I dont get why Im being put on review?? Shud I leave for good before they let me leave? What do u guys think? Im so fed up, this isnt the 1st time Ive faced racial & religious discrimination at the workplace in the US. ppl are sooo racist here, they prefer their own kind (Americans/Europeans) and bull[Edited Out] to all other species. I stopped telling ppl where Im exactly from for a VERY GOOD reason but somehow they inevitably find out or "realise" it. Before this job, last yr, I got into deep trouble where I worked at a cafe/restaurant & even tho most of the coworkers were Muslim & eastern, I wasn't getting along with this Christian Arab guy who chose to piss ME off on a daily basis for no reason. i was soo mad so I started talking bull[Edited Out] about him to one of my "sister" coworkers about how even in a 97% Muslim workplace, we still find racist ppl who bother us ! Then the boss actually confronted me about it and claimed I was the one discriminating against the Christian Arab guy !! I was speechless . Turns out, this "sister" ended up telling on me & the boss twisted the whole story to his liking & I got fired. It's sad how Muslims today back stab each other like that :no: I was wondering if you guys have experienced or gone thru racial/ religious discrimination like that in a workplace in Western societies?? How did you know it was cuz of ur ethnic/ religious background? (Maybe Im being overly sensitive?) And how did you guys deal or cope w/ such issues?? Thanks, salaam alaikum

Exists in daily life, education and career, etc. in these six countries (Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland) studied by Amnesty International, and Muslims were found to be denied their human rights. Muslims discriminated against for demonstrating their faith Anti-Muslim banners protesting against the establishment of a Muslim prayer room, in Catalonia, SpainAnti-Muslim banners protesting against the establishment of a Muslim prayer room, in Catalonia, Spain© Jordi Moreras “Muslim women are being denied jobs and girls prevented from attending regular classes just because they wear traditional forms of dress, such as the headscarf”Marco Perolini, Amnesty International’s expert on discrimination. European governments must do more to challenge the negative stereotypes and prejudices against Muslims fuelling discrimination especially in education and employment, a new report by Amnesty International reveals today. “Muslim women are being denied jobs and girls prevented from attending regular classes just because they wear traditional forms of dress, such as the headscarf. Men can be dismissed for wearing beards associated with Islam,” said Marco Perolini, Amnesty International’s expert on discrimination. “Rather than countering these prejudices, political parties and public officials are all too often pandering to them in their quest for votes.” The report Choice and prejudice: discrimination against Muslims in Europe, exposes the impact of discrimination on the ground of religion or belief on Muslims in several aspects of their lives, including employment and education. It focuses on Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Switzerland where Amnesty International has already raised issues such as restrictions on the establishment of places of worship and prohibitions on full-face veils. The report documents numerous individual cases of discrimination across the countries covered. “Wearing religious and cultural symbols and dress is part of the right of freedom of expression. It is part of the right to freedom of religion or belief – and these rights must be enjoyed by all faiths equally.” said Marco Perolini. “While everyone has the right to express their cultural, traditional or religious background by wearing a specific form of dress no one should be pressurized or coerced to do so. General bans on particular forms of dress that violate the rights of those freely choosing to dress in a particular way are not the way to do this.” The report highlights that legislation prohibiting discrimination in employment has not been appropriately implemented in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Employers have been allowed to discriminate on the grounds that religious or cultural symbols will jar with clients or colleagues or that a clash exists with a company’s corporate image or its ‘neutrality’. This is in direct conflict with European Union (EU) anti-discrimination legislation which allows variations of treatment in employment only if specifically required by the nature of the occupation. “EU legislation prohibiting discrimination on the ground of religion or belief in the area of employment seems to be toothless across Europe, as we observe a higher rate of unemployment among Muslims, and especially Muslim women of foreign origin,” said Marco Perolini. In the last decade, pupils have been forbidden to wear the headscarf or other religious and traditional dress at school in many countries including Spain, France, Belgium, Switzerland and the Netherlands. “Any restriction on the wearing of religious and cultural symbols and dress in schools must be based on assessment of the needs in each individual case. General bans risk adversely Muslims girls’ access to education and violating their rights to freedom of expression and to manifest their beliefs.” Marco Perolini said. The right to establish places of worship is a key component of the right to freedom of religion or belief which is being restricted in some European countries, despite state obligations to protect, respect and fulfil this right. Since 2010, the Swiss Constitution has specifically targeted Muslims with the prohibition of the construction of minarets, embedding anti-Islam stereotypes and violating international obligations that Switzerland is bound to respect. In Catalonia (Spain), Muslims have to pray in outdoor spaces because existing prayer rooms are too small to accommodate all the worshippers and requests to build mosques are being disputed as incompatible with the respect of Catalan traditions and culture. This goes against freedom of religion which includes the right to worship collectively in adequate places. “There is a groundswell of opinion in many European countries that Islam is alright and Muslims are ok so long as they are not too visible. This attitude is generating human rights violations and needs to be challenged,” said Marco Perolini. http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/muslims-discriminated-against-demonstrating-their-faith-2012-04-23

Ex US Congressman and NYC mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner visits a bakery in NYC with many Jewish customers. One of the Jewish person made a racial remark on Weiner "You are married to an Arab" as if its a crime to be married to an Arab. Weiner's wife Huma Abedine is a Pakistani origin person brought up in Saudi Arabia. I've no love lost for Weiner but talk about this particular Jewish prejudice and racial hatred for Arabs. Again no generalization as Weiner himself is Jewish but there are some Jews, just like there are some Christians, some Hindus, and some Muslims who succumb to racial hatred. Watch the video @ 00.46. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/09/05/weiner-gets-in-heated-exchange-with-patron-at-brooklyn-bakery/

Afghan Refugees in Iran talk about services they "enjoy" in Iran. :!!!: is this a big lie or what? " Semnan refugee camp in eastern Tehran, home to about 3500 Afghan refugees. They enjoy high quality services. Director of Semnan Province Immigration Office told Press TV about the amount of money spent on Afghan refugees in his province. Head of the Afghan committee of the camp told us what services this amount translates to: The residents of the camp, regardless of gender, enjoy the fruits of education.Girls and boys learn various subjects such as Farsi, English and math. While many girls in Afghanistan are deprived of basic education due to extremist views. Education is not the only service provided in this camp. The physician in charge of the clinic explains how they enjoy medical services. Officials state around five percent of Afghani immigrants reside in immigration camps and the rest live in cities and villages throughout Iran. " with video http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/12/10/277249/afghan-immigration-camp-services-quality-school-doctor-clinic/

http://www.mehrnews.com/FA/newsdetail.aspx?NewsID=1617300 http://www.rferl.org/content/iran-list-of-university-courses-banned-for-afghans/24602340.html The National Organization for Educational Testing has published of list of university degrees that are banned for Afghans living in Iran - mostly engineering, advanced science degrees, military science, etc. Mehr argues that allowing Afghans to become qualified in these areas, would create an obligation to employ them, as opposed to less qualified native Iranians. Mehr also tells us that Afghans can only apply to universities in areas where they are not already banned, including a dozen provinces and a number of cities throughout Iran. Keep in mind that a sizeable percentage of these Afghans are Shia Hazars....

I have been attending the same two mosque's for a couple years now. They are predominately arab and I am a black American. At what point do we finally get past the "salaam" level of familiarity? At what point will the odd looks and "interesting" comments and remarks cease? One of the appealing parts of Islam was the notion of true brotherhood within the ummah. Sadly the brotherhood of the Prophets day is sorely gone. The ummah wasn't the reason I became Muslim or even Shia so I won't be leaving anytime soon but it would be nice if that brotherhood was actually still there. Tribalism has returned to Isla,

Our dear old Fiskie with is withering salvo on Arabs for their rampant, and criminal, racism. ********* How many tracts, books, documentaries, speeches and doctoral theses have been written and produced about Islamophobia? How many denunciations have been made against the Sarkozys and the Le Pens and the Wilders for their anti-immigration (for which, read largely anti-Muslim) policies or – let us go down far darker paths – against the plague of Breivik-style racism? The problem with all this is that Muslim societies – or shall we whittle this down to Middle Eastern societies? – are allowed to appear squeaky-clean in the face of such trash, and innocent of any racism themselves. A health warning, therefore, to all Arab readers of this column: you may not like this week's rant from yours truly. Because I fear very much that the video of Alem Dechasa's recent torment in Beirut is all too typical of the treatment meted out to foreign domestic workers across the Arab world (there are 200,000 in Lebanon alone). Many hundreds of thousands have now seen the footage of 33-year-old Ms Dechasa being abused and humiliated and pushed into a taxi by Ali Mahfouz, the Lebanese agent who brought her to Lebanon as a domestic worker. Ms Dechasa was transported to hospital where she was placed in the psychiatric wing and where, on 14 March, she hanged herself. She was a mother of two and could not stand the thought of being deported back to her native Ethiopia. That may not have been the only reason for her mental agony. Lebanese women protested in the centre of Beirut, the UN protested, everyone protested. Ali Mahfouz has been formally accused of contributing to her death. But that's it. The Syrian revolt, the Bahraini revolution, the Arab Awakening, have simply washed Alem Dechasa's tragedy out of the news. How many readers know – for example – that not long before Ms Dechasa's death, a Bengali domestic worker was raped by a policeman guarding her at a courthouse in the south Lebanese town of Nabatieh, after she had been caught fleeing an allegedly abusive employer? As the Lebanese journalist Anne-Marie El-Hage has eloquently written, Ms Dechasa belonged to "those who submit in silence to the injustice of a Lebanese system that ignores their human rights, a system which literally closes its eyes to conditions of hiring and work often close to slavery". All too true. How well I recall the Sri Lankan girl who turned up in Commodore Street at the height of the Israeli siege and shelling of West Beirut in 1982, pleading for help and protection. Like tens of thousands of other domestic workers from the sub-continent, her passport had been taken from her the moment she began her work as a domestic "slave" in the city; and her employers had then fled abroad to safety – taking the girl's passport with them so she could not leave herself. She was rescued by a hotel proprietor when he discovered that local taxi drivers were offering her a "bed" in their vehicles in return for sex. Everyone who lives in Lebanon or Jordan or Egypt or Syria, for that matter, or – especially – the Gulf, is well aware of this outrage, albeit cloaked in a pious silence by the politicians and prelates and businessmen of these societies. In Cairo, I once remarked to the Egyptian hosts at a dinner on the awful scars on the face of the young woman serving food to us. I was ostracised for the rest of the meal and – thankfully – never invited again. Arab societies are dependent on servants. Twenty-five per cent of Lebanese families have a live-in migrant worker, according to Professor Ray Jureidini of the Lebanese American University in Beirut. They are essential not only for the social lives of their employers (housework and caring for children) but for the broader Lebanese economy. Yet in the Arab Gulf, the treatment of migrant labour – male as well as female – has long been a scandal. Men from the subcontinent often live eight to a room in slums – even in the billionaires' paradise of Kuwait – and are consistently harassed, treated as third-class citizens, and arrested on the meanest of charges. Saudi Arabia long ago fell into the habit of chopping off the heads of migrant workers who were accused of assault or murder or drug-running, after trials that bore no relation to international justice. In 1993, for example, a Christian Filipino woman accused of killing her employer and his family was dragged into a public square in Dammam and forced to kneel on the ground where her executioner pulled her scarf from her head before decapitating her with a sword. Then there was 19-year old Sithi Farouq, a Sri Lankan housemaid accused of killing her employer's four-year-old daughter in 1994. She claimed her employer's aunt had accidentally killed the girl. On 13 April, 1995, she was led from her prison cell in the United Arab Emirates to stand in a courtyard in a white abaya gown, crying uncontrollably, before a nine-man firing squad which shot her down. It was her 20th birthday. God's mercy, enshrined in the first words of the Koran, could not be extended to her, it seems, in her hour of need. Weblink