SLIMK shares his story with MALA (Muslim American Leadership Alliance), by Zainab Zeb

Outspoken Musician, Actor, Michael Jackson-Impersonator Slim Khezri (aka SLIMK) shares his story with MALA (Muslim American Leadership Alliance) - by Zainab Zeb http://www.malanational.org/

"I was the first person in my immediate family who came to the United States, and first to be born outside of Tunisia. My son was the first, to be born in the United States."

 Personal stories can been a powerful catalyst for change – challenging stereotypes, building bridges, and inspiring action. In a country as diverse and complex as the United States, the identities of Muslim Americans remain layered and contested. We all have stories to tell: stories that deserve to be collected, conserved, and celebrated.

“Muslim American Journeys” is a MALA program produced in partnership with NPR’s StoryCorps and the Library of Congress, providing a platform for Americans of Muslim heritage to share their individual stories. By sharing a diverse range of narratives and experiences, “Journeys” aims to document oral history, inspire pride, and celebrate individuality. Every story recorded is officially archived in the Library of Congress, and outstanding stories are featured on National Public Radio.


Slim Kherzi (aka SLIMK), an artist and entrepreneur in California. A former Michael Jackson impersonator, he runs DoubaJen Records, an independent record and publishing company. He has acted in numerous TV shows, films and music videos, including a film on the Armenian Genocide, an Amnesty International ad on gay rights, and the music video for KSHMR that chronicles the life a would-be suicide bomber.



My family’s origins lie in Tunisia, going back at least six generations. My father immigrated to Switzerland, returned home to marry my mother, and then relocated to Germany. I was born and raised in Germany, but then moved to Tunisia for six years when I was 9. When I look back to great nostalgic times, I often think of the times in Germany rather than the ones in Tunisia. But I don’t regret the time I had there with my extended family, who made me who I am and taught me a great deal about myself. Thanks to that experience I appreciate the many points of view between the West and the Middle East.

17 years ago, I moved to the U.S. America is the kind of country that you either LOVE or really HATE. Some of my friends came and were disappointed, as they always tried to compare it to movies. I was realistic, and having lived in Germany and Tunisia prepared me that reality might be different. For me it was love at first sight, when I walked out the LAX airport doors. I knew right then that I’m going to grow old here. However I was a little surprised at how many Americans are a bit ignorant towards what goes on around the world outside the US.

My first jobs in LA were modeling and small bit parts in films. I had the classic struggling actor’s empty apartment, old black & white TV, mattress on the floor, and lots of ramen noodles. Look at me now – houses, family, cars, my own companies – all from scratch, from zero. I’ve come a LONG way, living the dream… the American dream. Lots of hard work, patience, focus, passion can get you anywhere. In Germany I felt that many are focused on what one can’t do, here in America I find that many are focused on what one can do. Just that mindset makes a great deal of a difference. Positive, optimistic, uplifting.

America to me is more than just a spot on the map, it’s an idea I admire, an amazing and unique one. Some Americans don’t understand it or realize how lucky they are.

I personally have never faced any racism, nor religious prejudice at any time or in country I’ve been to. I’ve seen it though, but never experienced it personally. I never had any trouble with American authorities. I’ve came in and out of the country many many times over the past 17 years. I do think it is a matter of attitude and how you present yourself. I don’t have a problem either if stopped by police and questioned. I have nothing to hide and would always treat the situation with respect. Works well for me. I brought with me to America a few traditions from the old country – for example certain holidays I observe, certain foods I cook that my parents and my grandmother taught me. Over time I have given up a few things that I consider to be outdated traditions or superstitious religious things. I outgrew these time, not because of pressure from anybody. You go through soul searching. I’ve always had an open mind, and I am a very curious creature that can’t stop learning. My goal is to learn about life by living it, not by trying to figure out a cryptic plan a ‘creator’ has in store for me. I had a very rich upbringing – not in terms of money, but culturally speaking. Growing up between two different cultures and multiple languages, Europe (Germany) and Africa (Tunisia), going through nine schools in both countries, and having all of the traditions and cultures at my disposal.  

>>CONTINUE READ https://www.malanational.org/2015/12/slimkherzi/

     

The sad Truth about Lebanon and it's Religious divide

MUST READ: (from Global Secular Humanist Movement) The sad Truth about Lebanon and it's Religious divide, yet another proof and fact, to keep RELIGION out of Governments by any means necessary!!

With a total surface of 10,452 km2 and 4 millions people, there are 17 state-recognized religious sects. This is their percentages according to the CIA fact-book: Muslim 59.7% (Shia, Sunni, Druze, Isma'ilite, Alawite or Nusayri), Christian 39% (Maronite Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Melkite Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syrian Catholic, Armenian Catholic, Syrian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Chaldean, Assyrian, Coptic, Protestant), other 1.3%. Lebanon is a parliamentary democratic republic in which the highest offices are proportionately reserved for representatives from certain religious communities.

Yes, we vote our representatives according to their religion -and not their abilities- who then vote the higher posts also according to the candidate's religion, for example the President must be a Maronite Christian, the Speaker of the Parliament a Shia Muslim the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim. And the political parties are not even worthy of being called political parties, they are over 70 and most of them are restricted to a certain religion. So you can imagine how terrible our economy is...

I don't even know where to start with how religion rules everything in Lebanon, even the basic things such as getting into a university or applying for a job. We don't even have civil marriage in Lebanon. During the civil war we killed people according to what their ID said that their religion is (yes we have our religion written on our ID). There are Christian schools as well as Muslim ones who teach children that the opposite of a Christian is a Muslim. Lebanon is mostly seen on the news for being into so much wars, specially back in 2006 against Israel. Now, because Jews are considered bad people in the Koran (or at least that's the alibi they use) Hizbollah has taken it as his responsibility to fight the state of Israel. Now I mentioned the religious alibi and not the humanist way of viewing this war because if it was so, any Lebanese no matter what religion he belongs to, should be allowed to participate in the fight against Israel or let's just say go to the borders and fire a gun, but he's not.

The resistance became strictly Shiite which wasn't the case before.The problem is that young people are not learning from their parent's mistakes. Even when asked what are you? a typical Lebanese guy/girl will answer you by their religion and never by "Lebanese". It's scary what this country is becoming, I would turn on the TV sometimes and see college students throwing rocks at each other because their political party lost at the campus elections. And Atheists as myself are seen as, or at least in my case, an embarrassment to their family.

I'm not sure if this is what you asked me to write, so just tell me on what subject would you like me to present more facts or arguments and I'll be more then glad to do so. And excuse my English, I'm still working on it.


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Written by Sayde Bahsa from Lebanon, about her country when asked about how is it there ? Thank you Sayde!

There's definitely more to life than religion (by Slim Khezri)

There's definitely more to life than religion, fancy terms like "COEXIST" are unrealistic and is nothing more than wishful thinking. I had been to a lot of places and seen how different people do things. I believe that there is no absolute truth or morality. If I kill a mouse in your kitchen, is that a moral thing to do? How do we prove (or disapprove) that life is an illusion? If God is omnipotent, can he create a rock that he cannot lift? Religion can act as a discipline to enhance our abilities (meditation, exercises etc), to promote spiritual well-being (meditation and prayer) and to unify and organize the masses (religious institutions, laws etc ) ... Religion and faith is there to give us hope, God above all (no matter what Religion), should be about love and comfort and NOT about fear. There are many things wrong, with all Religions, and there are unfortunately many out there using this against the uneducated, desperate and the poor. Religion is about truth and morality. Truth and morality? truth and morality according to who ? proper way of life ? proper according to who ? Conflicting religious philosophies can create friction in couples but even more so between families and entire societies.

Not a make or break issue but something to consider anyway. We are humans, so we still have to do things that humans do, regardless of religion. Our lives are about circumstances, chances, situations, emotions and thought, it is fair to say impossible to live by a "book", religion may be an instruction booklet to help, but won't solve any of your miseries reality. So yes, religion should not have total control over our lives. Everyone is free to believe whatever they want and I don't want to interfere with it but I ask Religious individuals not to impose their beliefs on me or anyone else, unless asked to do so. I don't live for religion, I live for life !!!

As a Tunisian for example, I feel nothing but disappointment and sadness for the failure of that country, people over there naively, thought by getting rid of a Dictator, life will be better ..and to make matters worse, they elect a Religious party into Government, seems ridiculous beyond believe. The problem with these radical islamists, is that they are so backward on every aspect of life.. so wrong, that their actions are more of a turn off too many (who might honestly interested in Faith), it certainly makes me run away as far as possible. I have never in my life ever questioned religion or god.. never in my life, and now after years of soul searching, being much more aware and mature, by connecting the dots, an open minded approach and a clearer sight, I find myself curious, asking and questioning more than ever, and that is not the result of Christians, Jews, Atheists or anyone else, it's the result of the so called Muslim movement, which makes me puke every time I see, read or hear from them. I've been traveling all my life, all over the world, and I never felt comfortable around my own so called people or "Muslim" brothers, I think it's very sad. Christians, Jews or anyone else never attacked nor judged me, I never had any religious or racial problems, but these people (so called "Muslim brothers") seem to interfere all the time, they seem angry, aggressive and complaining non stop about their rights and equality and I know it's a shtick, they don't care either but they are happy to play and use the same weapons, the west created against them to bring them on to their knees, it's different kind of terrorism, a new and improved "jihad".

They want salafism, sharia law and more .. this has nothing to do about Islam or God, it's about power and world domination, but yet their actions remind me of inquisitions in the Dark Ages, if that is true Islam, the true 100% teachings of the prophet, god and religion, the way it's meant to be, then very well.. I don't wanna be part of this .. not for one minute longer!

Osama bin Laden: Mission Accomplished, or is it?

Osama bin Laden: Mission Accomplished, or is it?
- Written by Slim Khezri (May, 04, 2011)


Osama bin Laden: Mission Accomplished, or is it? Who's Mission?, that would be the interesting question. Three days after bin Laden's death, the speculation and conspiracy theories are gone mad, especially now that President Obama decided against releasing death photos of bin Laden's body. Is Osama bin Laden Dead or Alive? That's the $10.000 Question.

I personally don't know and quite frankly I don't care (I don't care, because to me bin Laden did not represent Islam. He's No Muslim leader nor hero and never been. The Quran explicitly states that no soul shall be responsible for the sins of another. Terrorism, which targets innocents who had no part in a crime, fundamentally violates this Quranic commandment), the whole bin Laden idea was anyway about money and economy from the get go, if you followed bin Laden's videos from the beginning over the years, you will hear him pretty much talking and bragging about the American finances and economy in impressive detail, better than many American citizens, Osama bin Laden was never about converting people to Islam, invasion or killing, it's about cutting America's wrists, let it bleed and slip into limbo, whether you like it or not, believe it or not, believe bin Laden existed it or not .. whatever, whoever it may be, it was certainly EFFECTIVE (don't you think?), I have no doubt about it.

Even with Osama bin Laden's "death", still the world will never recover and go back to Pre- 9/11, it's now beyond bin Laden, Al Qaeda or Bush's incompetent Administration and their so called "War on Terror" costing $ Trillions, the mess is done and we've been in a point of no return for more than a decade, too many factors are here, one of them is that America will never ever pay it's debts back and someone out there is pretty happy or couldn't care less (like speculators, bankers, wall street punks, greedy vampires inside the US). Sadly we are witnessing the slow fall of Goliath.

Back to Osama bin Laden, I'm afraid that the US. just opened a can of worms, creating another Big Foot phenomenon, an 'Elvis is Alive' kinda thing.

Without any proof of photos or videos (and we know they both do exist, or do they?), the world will keep speculating JFK style for decades to come. In an age of Media manipulations, photo-shopping and "Wag The Dog", you really don't know what's true or false, you keep wondering and perhaps that's the point of politics these days.

I 'm open minded when it comes to News, I don't take anyones words for a fact, I check all kinds of Networks (CNN, HLN, NBC, MSNBC, FOX, Huffington Post, N-TV, Deutsche Welle, Der Spiegel, BBC, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya .. just to name a few), and I must admit, most of them report rather in an opinionated point of view, there's hardly any dry, objective, straight, neutral News these days, it's bull***t across the board, 90% of the stories are developing stories .. based on hype or opinion rather than facts). I wished they would have booked Osama bin Laden the way they did with Saddam Hussein, that way it would have cleared any speculation, it was way too tricky, too simple and too quick IMO.

As far the 'burial at sea' story (Islamic or un-islamic, that's not the point), many are debating about it too (and I don't know if it really happened or not, if they dumped bin Laden's body or not), if true, I certainly could understand why, No land burial place for terrorists to turn into a shrine, would be an idea. An elite US Navy seal team did the job after months off making certain. By the way, as a matter of history, Israel dumped SS-Obersturmbannführer Adolf Eichmann's ashes into the Mediterranean after he was hanged in May 1962, so Nazi nuts couldn't have a shrine. Makes perfect sense.

No matter what is done, it's done .. the myth of Osama Bin Laden has been established and will go on. I guarantee you, in decades or centuries to come, Osama Bin Laden will be viewed and compared to Vlad Țepeș (Dracula, I kid you not). In Books, movies and mythology .. not to mention history, Osama bin Laden will live forever. Inspired Jihadist and crazy Islam Radicals will recruit millions from this News. Multiple shrines will be erected, body or not. Oh No, America may have (maybe) got rid of the physical Osama Bin Laden, but his legacy (like it or not) will live far beyond the man.

The media and people say, the death of Bin Laden brought closure, really? what closure?. Instead it launched an infinite amount of new questions if you ask me. A story filled with gaps .... I' ve been always an independent, a political atheist and I certainly remain this way.

Just a tiny list of speculations (here are suggestions, conspiracies or false facts?) -
Osama bin dead and on ice for years? READ HERE