A lesson on tolerance

Canadian Mayor's reply to Muslims against pork 

MAYOR REFUSES TO REMOVE PORK FROM SCHOOL CANTEEN MENU... EXPLAINS WHY
Muslim parents demanded the abolition of pork in all the school canteens of a Montreal suburb.
The mayor of the Montreal suburb of Dorval, has refused, and the town clerk sent a note to all parents to explain why...
“Muslims must understand that they have to adapt to Canada and Quebec, its customs, its traditions, its way of life, because that's where they chose to immigrate.
“They must understand that they have to integrate and learn to live in Quebec.
“They must understand that it is for them to change their lifestyle, not the Canadians who so generously welcomed them.
“They must understand that Canadians are neither racist nor xenophobic, they accepted many immigrants before Muslims (whereas the reverse is not true, in that Muslim states do not accept non-Muslim immigrants).
“That no more than other nations, Canadians are not willing to give up their identity, their culture.
“And if Canada is a land of welcome, it's not the Mayor of Dorval who welcomes foreigners, but the Canadian-Quebecois people as a whole.
“Finally, they must understand that in Canada (Quebec) with its Judeo-Christian roots, Christmas trees, churches and religious festivals, religion must remain in the private domain.
The municipality of Dorval was right to refuse any concessions to Islam and Sharia.
“For Muslims who disagree with secularism and do not feel comfortable in Canada, there are 57 beautiful Muslim countries in the world, most of them under-populated and ready to receive them with open halal arms in accordance with Sharia.
“If you left your country for Canada, and not for other Muslim countries, it is because you have considered that life is better in Canada than elsewhere.
“Ask yourself the question, just once, “Why is it better here in Canada than where you come from?”
“A canteen with pork is part of the answer.”
Share this story, to promote tolerance in the world.

tongue in cheek or real....reactions to tim cook coming out

A major crisis has broken out at FCBC and FotF, two pro-nuclear family organisations in Singapore.

This after it was revealed that Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is gay. The confession was made public on Bloomberg on Oct. 30, 2014.

This has caused members in FCBC and FotF in Singapore who are iPhone users to come to the realisation that they have been secretly financing the gay lifestyle of Apple’s CEO as they have been buying his company’s products, such as the popular iPhone 5 and 6 and Apple tablets.

Some 70 percent of smartphone users in Singapore uses an Apple iPhone.

Yeshu Aini, a local religious person, said: “My entire life is in disarray. I have all along been an Apple fan and bought the iPhone 5 and 6 that were developed under Tim Cook’s charge. Therefore, I have been directly contributing to sin by financing it and this has allowed homosexuality to thrive.”

“No wonder this latest 5.5-inch iPhone 6 feels so good in my hands. It is because this is the average length of the male anatomy.”

The confession by the head of Apple has also caused others to be extra wary as the international scope of deception could also signal that the CEOs of Samsung, Xiaomi and LG are all also secretly gay and waiting for the right time to unveil their deception.

Local magician Lawrence Khong is expected to take to the pulpit on Sunday to encourage his flock to switch to using pay phones from now on, or even better, denounce technology altogether as a whole to be Satan’s work.

animals and religion

‘I want to touch a dog’ event an attempt to insult Malaysia’s clerics, says former Johor mufti -

Former Johor mufti Datuk Nooh Gadut said the “I want to touch a dog” programme organised by Muslims in Selangor yesterday was an attempt to insult ulama (clerics) and religious authorities.

The adviser to the Johor Islamic Re‎ligious Council said it was haram (prohibited) for Muslims to deliberately touch dogs as they were dirty (najis mughallazah) according to two Muslim schools of thought, Shafie and Hanbali.

"Don't try to create a culture that goes against Islam and the Shafie school of thought, especially when it has elements of insulting the ulama in this country," he was quoted as saying in Malay-language daily Berita Harian.

more than 1,000 people turned up at the event in Bandar Utama, which was aimed at making Malaysians more aware of the furry four-legged creatures and also to educate others on how to practise "sertu" (cleansing).‎

This was to help people overcome their fear of dogs and bring together Malaysians to promote tolerance and understanding that goes beyond culture, race or religion.

The Selangor‎ Islamic Religious Council (Mais) had approved the programme and Ustaz Mohd Iqbal Parjin was present yesterday to give a talk on the touching of dogs in Islam.

"Dogs are also God's creatures. We need to overcome the mentality of seeing the animal as an offensive creature. Teach the young to love others but at the same time know the limit of touching one," said Iqbal. –

 

SAUDIS BULLDOZE THEIR WAY TO MODERNISATION

1.  the Saudis have destroyed and spoiled some of the holiest sites in the Islamic world
2. Looming large over the Grand Mosque and the Kaaba (the black cube-shaped building that is the holiest site in Islam) is the largest and second tallest building in the world, called the Royal Mecca Clock Tower complex.
3. the situation in Mecca is worsening: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah plans to redevelop the centre of the holy city into “high-rises and shopping malls”
4. The most shocking details – are to do with the destruction of sites that were once considered extremely holy by many Muslims. 
5. They were razed because the Wahhabis, who conquered Mecca in 1924, believe that “revering structures with ties to the Prophet can lead to idolatrous practices”. 
6. To that end, the house of Mohammed’s wife, Khadijah, was destroyed – and in its place now is a “complex of hundreds of bathrooms”. 
7. The prophet’s own birthplace was first turned into a cattle market, then a public library.

THIS IS A CRYING SHAME...RELIGION/HERITAGE/HISTORY.....WHY DESTROY THIS? SOMETIMES IT IS THIS LINK TO THE PAST THAT HOLDS PRECIOUS MEANING TO SOME...WHY TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM?

PEOPLE AND ANIMALS

EXAMPLE 1
A postcard featuring a cute puppy sitting in a policeman's hat advertising a Scottish police force's new telephone number has sparked outrage from Muslims.   

Tayside Police caused uproar in the Muslim community after they released this advertisement featuring police puppy Rebel sitting in a hat

The advert has upset Muslims because dogs are considered ritually unclean and has sparked such anger that some shopkeepers in Dundee have refused to display the advert.

EXAMPLE 2
2014

Malaysian politicians and religious leaders have attacked the use of Scottie dogs during the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, claiming it was disrespectful to Muslims.

Around 40 Scottie dogs were used in the opening ceremony in Glasgow last Wednesday to lead teams around Celtic Park.

The dogs, which all wore tartan dog coats with the name of each team on them, were widely praised on social media, with many people stating they thought they had "stolen the show". Hamish, who led out the Scotland team, received one of the biggest cheers of the night.

Judy Murray tweeted after the ceremony: "Scottie dogs in tartan coats at CG opening ceremony. Barkingly brilliant."

However, not everyone was as impressed. Political and religious leaders in Malaysia have claimed the use of dogs connected to Muslim countries was "disrespectful".

BUT BEFORE YOU RANT...THERE IS ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE

Traditionally, dogs have been seen as unclean and impure, with Islamic thinkers warning Muslims to avoid contact with the loyal animals.

Despite the Prophet Muhammad’s kindness to animals, including notable stories of the Prophet caring for puppies, it has often been considered that dogs are unclean and are incompatible with those that practice Islam.

Yet, a new fatwa by Egypt’s former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa challenges this traditional view, stating that there is a misconception about dogs being impure and ritually unclean (najis).

Sheikh Gomaa, who was Grand Mufti for a decade of the Sunni Islamic world’s top Islamic authority, is one of the most respected Islamic scholars and clerics in the world.

During his television show which discusses Islam’s teachings, the Sheikh stated that there is nothing wrong with keeping a dog inside your house as a dog is not impure.

divide and rule?

problem

To hope that Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq’s prime minister, could form a coalition government of Sunnis, Shias and Kurds to bring about unity and peace ignores two key factors Firstly the incompetence and cronyism of Mr Maliki and secondly the 1300 years of absolute hatred between the Sunnis and the Shias. There is nothing America can do to change, improve or stop this visceral hate.

solution

Dividing Iraq into three seperate and independent countries is the only hope—the Kurds in the north, the Sunnis in the middle and the Shias in the south. Such a division into three countries will combine the aspirations, beliefs, culture and religion into homogeneous entities and there will no longer be any reason for the unending slaughter that is taking place today.

is this a feasible solution? 

THE PINK REVOLUTION

THE Pink Dot mass picnic started out in 2009 as a small group of people from the gay community celebrating the "freedom to love", as they put it, regardless of sexual orientation.

Over the years, organisers adopted a non-confrontational approach to gay rights. Pink badges - the movement's symbol - sprouted and the event has become Singapore's biggest civil-society gathering. About 21,000 turned up last year.

2014 - a turning point, one that raises the question of whether Singapore is seeing the advent of culture wars, where issues of ideology and behaviour become polarising forces in society, as in the US.

That is because this year, religious groups have come out directly to protest against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) event. They are against homosexuality and see the mass event as undermining traditional family values.Islamic religious teacher Noor Deros has launched a "Wear White" campaign, calling for Muslims to don the colour of "purity" at mosques today, the eve of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

And in what is possibly the first inter-faith cooperation of its kind against the LGBT issue, some Christian groups have come on board.Outspoken pastor Lawrence Khong has pledged the support of his Faith Community Baptist Church and the LoveSingapore network of churches, asking members to wear white today and tomorrow at church.

MAGDALENE: WHY DO THEY NEED TO HOLD A MASSIVE EVENT TO PROCLAIM THEIR SEXUAL PREFERENCE. I DON'T ORGANIZE A RALLY TO SAY - HEY LOOK AT ME - I AM A REBEL AND YOU MUST LEARN TO ACCEPT ME

CECELIA: GAYS ARE COOL! SOME OF THE FINEST PEOPLE I HAVE MET.

SANE THOMAS: HOMOSEXUALS WANT TO BE ACCEPTED BY SOCIETY. THEY NEED ALL THE LOVE THEY CAN GET. IT IS NOT EASY BEING THE SUBJECT OF RIDICULE AND CRITICISM. LEAVE THE JUDGING TO GOD. BE NICE.
AT THE SAME TIME, I DO NOT THINK A MEGA EVENT LIKE THIS IS NECESSARY TO GAIN ACCEPTANCE. IT IS OUR DAILY ACTIONS,OUR SINCERITY AND OUR RESILIENCE THAT WOULD HELP. JUST STAY CALM AND CARRY ON....IT IS A MATTER OF TIME THAT YOU WILL BE ONE OF US, WITH MORE PEOPLE LEARNING TO ACCEPT AND UNDERSTAND YOU.

a worrying trend?

AUSTRALIA plans to strengthen its national security laws and enhance the powers of its spy 

agencies in the wake of 



growing concern about waves of Australian Islamists returning from fighting in Iraq and Syria.


the government would give its intelligence agencies greater capabilities to track the online 

activities of extremists

Australia has among the highest number of Islamic fighters per capita in the Western world. At least 10 Australians have

 died in the fighting in Syria and Iraq, and about 150 are believed to be participating in the conflicts. The latest would-be 

militants included two Sydney teenagers aged 16 and 17, one of whom reportedly told his mother he was "going fishing

" before secretly heading to Iraq last week.

The government has already cancelled the passports of Australians believed to be planning to fight in the Middle East. 

Citizens face up to 25 years in jail if they fight for organisations deemed terrorist groups, such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

does education make people more educated?

Controversial columnist Dr Ridhuan Tee Abdullah is now perturbed by the size of the Calvary Convention Centre (CCC) in Bukit Jalil, the largest church in Southeast Asia, saying that Christians did not deserve such a big place of worship given that they only make up 10% of Malaysia's population.

The lecturer said instead, Buddhists deserved bigger temples because they accounted for 20% of the population.

"We have been too good in allowing them to build the biggest church here when they make up less than 10% of the population.

"This does not include the churches in each state, district and also those in shophouses and in Orang Asli settlements.

"To be fair, the Buddhist deserve more as they make up more than 20%," he said in his article in Sinar Harian titled “What is fair and what is not”.

The RM200 million 55,700-square-metre building which began operations in July last year, boasts a 5,000-seat auditorium, as well as a multi-purpose hall, classrooms, lecture halls, a nursery and retail stores and cafes.

According to Ridhuan, Muslims in Malaysia were so good, adding that the comfortable conditions enjoyed by the non-Muslims here did not exist in neighbouring countries.

He added that the government has given a lot of leeway to other groups to air their views to the extent it was now posing a problem.

"I remember the saying, 10% of conflicts arise from opposing views, 90% from the wrong voices.

"What is happening today is that we have given freedom to the 90% immoral voices that keep talking about their rights. In the end, we feel pressured."

The Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia lecturer also reminded Muslims not to be too trusting towards the “ultra kiasu” as they might find themselves trapped in the end.

He said there ought to be suspicion as it was the strategy of the “ultra kiasu” who hold the view that there was no 

"Ultra kiasu" is Ridhuan’s favourite euphemism for those deemed as going against the Malays.

He also called for the powers of the Bar Council to be curbed, so that it did not behave like the opposition.

He added that those leading the Bar Council were made up of “ultra kiasu lawyers” and it was only they who attended the Bar's AGM.

The Bar had urged Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to withdraw his suit against online news portal Malaysiakini and its editors, saying that it set a bad precedent as Najib was, in effect, suing the media for the views and comments of the public to whom he was accountable.

Bar chairman Christopher Leong had also said public officials, especially those holding high public offices, and political parties should not resort to defamation suits as an answer to criticism or comment.

you go girl!!!

Malala Yousafzai attracted public attention in 2009 when she published a blog telling of her life in Swat, in an area under Taleban control. She then became an activist campaigning for the rights of children and girls.

On 9 October, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head as she travelled home from school in a bus in Swat, in north-eastern Pakistan. According to media reports, the Taleban have claimed responsibility for the attack during which two other schoolgirls were injured. Malala Yousafzai was transferred to a British hospital on 15 October for prolonged medical treatment. 

The day following the attack, on 10 October, the Director-General of unesco issued a press release denouncing the attempted murder. She wished to express her support for the Pakistani schoolgirl, who became a symbol of the struggle in favour of the right to education

she is in a hospital in the UK 

tit for tat

Iran's parliament plans to ban Iranian tourists from visiting European Union countries as a counter-measure for EU sanctions against the Islamic state,

government decides

Malaysia’s Information Department has banned TV shows featuring gay characters

Terry Jones 2010

problem: Jones threatened to burn Islam's holy book, the Koran, to mark the anniversary of Sept. 11.

consequence: by early September, the national — and global — media were hanging on his every word; he'd caused riots in Jakarta and Lahore, Pakistan

what made it worse: it was the media attention that made Jones' planned stunt a dangerous provocation, retaliation for which could endanger hundreds of thousands of Americans stationed in the Muslim world

in the end: Jones called off his stunt, never to be heard from again

politics and tension

 In the book Hard Truths, Lee remarks about Malays failing to integrate. It also reopens the thorny question of what integration should mean. Moreover, when Lee suggested that the community’s high regard for public piety is one of the stumbling blocks, it would have been perceived as throwing a challenge to their interpretation of Islam.

MR LEE LATER APOLOGISED, before the elections, in a move to assuage the malay community.

lee kuan yew's comment causes unhappiness

• lee kuan yew
• I have to speak candidly to be of value, but I do not want to offend the Muslim community... I think we were progressing very nicely until the surge of Islam came, and if you asked me for my observations, the other communities have easier integration – friends, inter-marriages and so on – than Muslims... I would say, today, we can integrate all religions and races, except Islam.
  • from his book 'Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going' (Asia One, March 08 2011 

Hard Truths was a book based on 32 hours of interviews over a period of two years. I made this one comment on the Muslims integrating with other communities probably two or three years ago. Ministers and MPs, both Malay and non-Malay, have since told me that Singapore Malays have indeed made special efforts to integrate with the other communities, especially since 9/11, and that my call is out of date. I stand corrected, but only just this instance! I hope that this trend will continue in the future.


were there protests? no
was there unhappiness amongst the muslim community ? yes
how was it resolved
= lky retracted his statement...
the opinion of one person cannot make or break a religion or cultural group

you do....

so stay calm, collected and show them you are made of finer stuff...friends...

No one community is to blame for the cracks that appear...everybody must bear responsibility and take action...

I hope our children will live in a better world than we did.

divine intervention or coincidence?

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Miracles of prayer?

A difficult judgement ;-)

********

In a small town in India , a person decided to open up a bar business. Unfortunately the location of his bar was right opposite a Hindu temple. The temple authorities and devotees were furious and started a campaign to block the bar from opening, with petitions and daily prayers against the yamseng business.

Work progressed. However, when the development for the bar was completed, with the joint about to open a few days later, it was struck by lightning and burnt down to the ground.

The temple folks were jubilant with that miraculous outcome, until the bar owner sued the temple authorities on grounds that they were, through their prayers, ultimately responsible for the destruction of his bar. An act of God could only be through such continuous beseeching to the Divine.

In their response in court, the temple authorities rejected any responsibility for the destruction of the bar, pooh-poohing away the miraculous powers of prayers.

The judge commented: "I am not sure yet how I'm going to decide on this case, but it appears that we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayers but a temple authority and devotees who don't."

Q Does religion hinder progress?

 errr and you call the setting up of a bar...progress...hmmm

RELIGION AND ART

SWEDEN

Citing a lack of evidence, an appeals court acquitted three men accused of plotting to murder a Swedish artist who had depicted the Prophet Muhammad as a dog. Judges in Goteborg ruled that the three men of Iraqi and Somali origin may have been prepared to use violence against Lars Vilks in September 2011 but found no concrete proof that they planned to kill him. The men were carrying knives when they were arrested after inquiring about Vilks at an art exhibition where he had been expected to appear but did not do so.

 

WHAT MAKES OR BREAKS A RELIGION?

IS IT THE CRITICISM OF OTHERS?

OR IS IT YOU?

I DO NOT CONDONE THE CONDEMNATION OF ANY RELIGION - IT IS, TO PUT IT MILDLY, NOT VERY NICE.... IT IS THEIR FAITH...LEAVE THEM BE

BUT I ALSO DO NOT THINK IT IS GOOD TO REACT SO VIOLENTLY - ESPECIALLY IN THIS DAY AND AGE...WE CAN'T CONTROL WHAT PEOPLE SAY OR DO ON THE INTERNET

BILL CLINTON IS RIGHT

Former President Bill Clinton says the followers of Islam shouldn't resort to violence when they hear their faith challenged in an increasingly diverse and Internet-connected world.

Clinton tells CBS "you cannot live in a shame-based world. You won't make it in the 21st century."
He says in an interview broadcast Tuesday the United States wasn't "disrespecting Islam" by declining to censor a film trailer that, quote, "nobody in authority knew anything about."
Clinton says the world has learned the hard way that people must be allowed in a free setting to say and do things that others might find abhorrent. He adds, quote, "you can't react every time you're insulted."
Video clips of the movie appeared this month, sparking riots in Libya, Yemen, Pakistan and much of the Islamic world.

OBEDIENT WIFE CLUB????

1
Malaysian women launch ‘The Obedient Wife Club’
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: A group of Malaysian Muslim women say they will fight divorce, domestic violence and other problems - by appealing to wives to be more obedient, one of the organisers said Friday.
Maznah Taufik said "The Obedient Wife Club" being launched Saturday is aimed at drawing women who will be taught how to please their husbands better to prevent them from straying or misbehaving.
"We just want to ask all the wives to be obedient wives so that there will be fewer problems in our society," such as infidelity, divorce and domestic violence, she told AFP.
"Obedient wife means they are trying to entertain their husbands, not only taking care of their food and clothes," Maznah said. "They have to obey their husbands. That's the way Islam also asks."
Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, with some 60 per cent of the population practicing the religion, alongside large ethnic Chinese and Indian communities who are mostly Buddhist, Hindu and Christian.
According to local media, the country's divorce rate doubled from 2002 to 2009, with rates higher among Muslims than non-Muslims.Maznah said it was also the men's responsibility to teach their wives to be obedient.
2
KUALA LUMPUR - A Malaysian group urging wives to avoid marital problems by fulfilling their husbands' sexual desires like prostitutes has angered politicians and women's rights groups, the New Straits Times reported on Sunday.
The Obedient Wives Club, which was set up by a group of Muslim women, said domestic violence, infidelity and prostitution stemmed from a lack of belief in God and a failure of women to satisfy their husbands.
The club's president, Rohaya Mohamed, said it was open to women of all religions and would conduct seminars on how to be a good wife as well as offer marriage counseling.
"A man married to a woman who is as good or better than a prostitute in bed has no reason to stray. Rather than allowing him to sin, a woman must do all she can to ensure his desires are met," Rohaya told the newspaper.
Females outnumber males in Malaysian higher education institutions, comprising 65 percent of the intake at public universities last year, according to government data.
But rights groups say women are still often victims of gender bias, and have protested what they considered the club's demeaning portrayal of women as a cause of social problems.


MAG - SPEECHLESS
CECELIA - PREPOSTEROUS...WHAT WE NEED IS AN OBEDIENT HUSBAND'S CLUB - TO KEEP MEN FROM STRAYING...BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP THE LIKES OF GIGGS!!!
SANE THOMAS - WHAT'S THE FUSS MY CHILDREN...THOSE WHO WANT TO, JOIN THE CLUB..THE REST JUST GO ABOUT THEIR DAILY LIVES... LEAVE THEM TO THEIR BELIEFS - IF IT WORKS FOR THEM, GOOD FOR THEM...AS LONG AS THEY DO NOT FORCE THEIR IDEAS ON YOUNG INNOCENT MINDS...

the danish cartoon controversy - FROM WIKI

The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy began after 12 editorial cartoons, most of which depicted the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten on 30 September 2005. The newspaper announced that this publication was an attempt to contribute to the debate regarding criticism of Islam and self-censorship.

Danish Muslim organizations that objected to the depictions responded by holding public protests attempting to raise awareness of Jyllands-Posten's publication. Further examples of the cartoons were soon reprinted in newspapers in more than 50 other countries, further deepening the controversy.

This led to Islamic protests across the Muslim world, some of which escalated into violence with instances of firing on crowds of protestors (resulting in a total of more than 100 reported deaths),[1] including setting fire to the Danish Embassies in Syria, Lebanon and Iran, storming European buildings, and burning the Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, French and German flags in Gaza City.[2][3] Various groups, primarily in the Western world, responded by endorsing the Danish policies, including "Buy Danish" campaigns and other displays of support. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen described the controversy as Denmark's worst international crisis since World War II.[4]

Critics of the cartoons described them as Islamophobic or racist,[5] and argued that they are blasphemous to people of the Muslim faith, are intended to humiliate a Danish minority, or are a manifestation of ignorance about the history of Western imperialism.

Supporters have said that the cartoons illustrated an important issue in a period of Islamic terrorism and that their publication is a legitimate exercise of the right of free speech, explicitly tied to the issue of self-censorship. They claim that Muslims were not targeted in a discriminatory way since unflattering cartoons about other religions (or their leaders) are frequently printed.[6] They question whether some of the riots were spontaneous outpourings as they took place where no spontaneous demonstrations are allowed, and whether the images of Muhammad per se are offensive to Muslims, as thousands of illustrations of Muhammad have appeared in books by and for Muslims.[7]



NOTE - THIS EXAMPLE WOULD BE USEFUL FOR A QUESTION ON CENSORSHIP VS FREE SPEECH.
RELIGION IS A SENSITIVE ISSUE - THINK BEFOERE YOU RIGHT....A BLANKET CRITICISM OF ISLAM OR MUSLIMS IS NOT ADVISABLE.

READ MY POST ON HOW MUSLIMS IN SOME COUNTRIES ARE TAUGHT SUBJECTS LIKE MATH - AND YOU WILL SEE WHY THERE IS AN INHERENT HATRED OF EVERYTHING WESTERN IN THE MUSLIM WORLD.

ARE THEY REACTIVE BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY TO FIGHT WESTERN IMPERIALISM? TO PROTECT THEIR RELIGION? SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT

xould the Raelians have been right all along?

Many planetary scientists say it's conceivable that all life on Earth is descended from organisms that originated on Mars and were carried here aboard meteorites.

And if that's the case, an instrument being developed by researchers at MIT and Harvard could provide the clinching evidence.

In order to detect signs of past or present life on Mars-if it is in fact true that we're related-then a promising strategy would be to search for DNA or RNA, and specifically for particular sequences of these molecules that are nearly universal in all forms of terrestrial life.

"It's a long shot," "but if we go to Mars and find life that's related to us, we could have originated on Mars. Or if it started here, it could have been transferred to Mars." Either way, "we could be related to life on Mars. So we should at least be looking for life on Mars that's related to us."


WELL RAELIANS, DON'T POP THE CHAMPAGNE JUST YET! THE DARWINIANS AND CREATIONISTS HAVE NOT RESPONDED YET...