TIME 2 WAKE UP:11:11 New Earth Portal Activation

...Every relationship in your life regardless of it’s nature that has been a reflection or projection of imbalance in your life *is being highlighted and removed* if that is what is needed. In many cases and in fact most cases, this is what has happened. The relationships have not been limited to romantic relationships, they have been in all areas.

...everything that you come to experience from the 11th of November 2007 onwards *is held within the core* of the energy I speak of, that is the crossing into the new time-line, into the NEW WAY, the NEW WORLD and at the same time stepping into the realms of the *higher Akashic record vibration*... therefore you are doing yourself an injustice by denying yourself anything from that day forward because you are afraid it will be a repeat of your past. I repeat to you *do not even dare to compare* what is coming to you with what you have had in the past... by doing that, what you are doing is pulling the old paradigm energy into the morphogenetic grid of YOUR NEW LIFE.

cellularly, you have brought this new dynamic into the sacred blueprint of your complete essence and this is what is attracting to you what we have recently been calling your ‘divine compliment’, the aspect of you that reflects your inner wholeness.

One of the key areas of attention at this time is relationships, the reason being that *it is the key area where balance will be anchored*. So every relationship in your life regardless of it’s nature that has been a reflection or projection of imbalance in your life *is being highlighted and removed* if that is what is needed. In many cases and in fact most cases, this is what has happened. The relationships have not been limited to romantic relationships, they have been in all areas.

As balance comes into the *system of creation* every single one of you are energetically experiencing a recreation of energy. The recreation of energy is establishing the new magnetic grid that you will utilize to attract to you, your new life experiences which are already seeded within the NEW EARTH. Your future self has already connected with you. This is a part of you that you called to that has come to you now *to ensure that you master the pathway* that is now before you. You are being *called to service* and to serve alongside that divine compliment, the divine aspect of self...

Krishnamurti on Love, Sex and Marriage~

Question: Marriage is a necessary part of any organized society, but you seem to be against the institution of marriage. What do you say? Please also explain the problem of sex. Why has it become, next to war, the most urgent problem of our day?

Krishnamurti : To ask a question is easy, but the difficulty is to look very carefully into the problem itself, which contains the answer. To understand this problem, we must see its enormous implications. That is difficult, because our time is very limited and I shall have to be brief; and if you don't follow very closely, you may not be able to understand. Let us investigate the problem, not the answer, because the answer is in the problem, not away from it. The more I understand the problem, the clearer I see the answer. If you merely look for an answer, you will not find one, because you will be seeking an answer away from the problem. Let us look at marriage, but not theoretically or as an ideal, which is rather absurd; don't let us idealize marriage, let us look at it as it is, for then we can do something about it. If you make it rosy, then you can't act; but if you look at it and see it exactly as it is, then perhaps you will be able to act.

Now, what actually takes place? When one is young, the biological, sexual urge is very strong, and in order to set a limit to it you have the institution called marriage. There is the biological urge on both sides, so you marry and have children. You tie yourself to a man or to a woman for the rest of your life, and in doing so you have a permanent source of pleasure, a guaranteed security, with the result that you begin to disintegrate; you live in a cycle of habit, and habit is disintegration. To understand this biological, this sexual urge, requires a great deal of intelligence, but we are not educated to be intelligent. We merely get on with a man or a woman with whom we have to live. I marry at 20 or 25, and I have to live for the rest of my life with a woman whom I have not known. I have-not known a thing about her, and yet you ask me to live with her for the rest of my life. Do you call that marriage?

As I grow and observe, I find her to be completely different from me, her interests are different from mine; she is interested in clubs, I am interested in being very serious, or vice versa. And yet we have children - that is the most extraordinary thing. Sirs, don't look at the ladies and smile; it is your problem. So, I have established a relationship the significance of which I do not know, I have neither discovered it nor understood it.

It is only for the very, very few who love that the married relationship has significance, and then it is unbreakable, then it is not mere habit or convenience, nor is it based on biological, sexual need. In that love which is unconditional the identities are fused, and in such a relationship there is a remedy, there is hope. But for most of you, the married relationship is not fused. To fuse the separate identities, you have to know yourself, and she has to know herself. That means to love. But there is no love - which is am obvious fact. Love is fresh, new, not mere gratification, not mere habit. It is unconditional. You don't treat your husband or wife that way, do you? You live in your isolation, and she lives in her isolation, and you have established your habits of assured sexual pleasure. What happens to a man who has an assured income? Surely, he deteriorates. Have you not noticed it? Watch a man who has an assured income and you will soon see how rapidly his mind is withering away. He may have a big position, a reputation for cunning, but the full joy of life is gone out of him...

What Do We Need to Know Now?

"Race," Identity, Hegemony, and Education by Asa G. Hilliard III...

Dr. Mostafa Hefny, to whom the following letter is addressed, has begun to learn about the global system of classifying human beings and about its links to education. The letter is as follows:

Dear Mr. Hefny:
Be advised that the Michigan Department of Education collects racial and ethnic data as prescribed in Directive No. 15, "Race and Ethnic Standards for Federal Statistics and Administrative Reporting." This directive provides standard classification for record keeping, collection, and presentations of data on race and ethnicity in Federal program administrative reporting and statistical activities.

According to this Directive a white person is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, North Africa or the Middle East. Since you come from Egypt (a North African and Middle Eastern country) you are white, not black.

You are directed to change your classification on the Race/Ethnic Identification Card. Be advised that failure to do so will have serious repercussions for your career, and will constitute insubordination, which may result in suspension and discharge.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Teresa D. Myers
Director, Human Resources

Dr. Hefny, a very dark-skinned Nubian Egyptian native, descendant of a people who have lived at Aswan for thousands of years, wrote a four-page, single-spaced response on January 14, 1988. Among other things, he said:

"I am a black man at five levels, the biological, social, psychological, political and ideological levels. I want to reconcile my strong black identity with my classification. ... As a black man and as an African, I am proud of this [my African] heritage. My classification as a white man takes away my black pride and my black heritage."

This issue had not been resolved legally for Dr. Hefny the last time I spoke with him, a year ago. Unfortunately, this nightmarish ex-change is no more irrational than hundreds of thousands of other exchanges every day.

Some say that the contemporary concept of "race" is grounded in Nazi Germany. Adolph Hitler was surely aware of the "race" matter and was the person who most clearly saw its full political potential. Scholar Max Weinreich quotes Hitler as admitting to an associate that "in the scientific sense, there is no such thing as race." But Hitler goes on to note that as a politician he needs a conception "which enables the order which has hitherto existed on [an] historic basis to be abolished and an entirely new and anti-historical order enforced and given such an intellectual basis. ... With [the] conception of race, national socialism will carry its revolution abroad and recast the world." (Italics added.)

Hitler was very clear about "race" as a fabrication, as anti-historical, and as a tool of political power.

In preparing for this assignment on race, education, and research, I found that it is premature to discuss research needs until the "race" dialogue is clarified. Otherwise, we could spin our wheels by using the same popular language, definitions, constructs, paradigms, and problem definitions that have been typical of past work.

Most important, we must tie together the issues of "race," identity, hegemony, and education. Fundamentally, the question of "race" is not a matter of skin color, anatomy, or phenotype, but a matter of the domination of one group of people by another. Any consideration of "race" is useless unless it also considers racism, white supremacy, and any other form of racial supremacy - and considers them as a hegemonic system. The real problem is hegemony, not "race!"

A Call for TRUTH

ASCENDED MASTER KUTHUMI

LIVE CHANNELING IN JOHANNESBURG
AUTUMN EQUINOX ANNUAL CHANNELING – MASTER INITIATION INTO THE SACRED COUNCIL OF TRUTH
CHANNELED THROUGH MICHELLE ELOFF©
21 March 2007

Please note that reading this information will have an effect on you. You will energetically be linked with the Channeling being and a similar process facilitated with you. It is not exactly the same as being in the presence of the channeling Master, however the effects are just as powerful. Do not concern yourself too much regarding time lines given to the participants in the channeling. You will be taken through a similar one in accordance with your Divine Plan, Timing & Purpose. All Questions & Answers from the session have been left in the transcript as we have found the answers too have been of great benefit to our readers...

Remembering Malcolm...

May 19, 1925-February 21, 1965

By Any Means Necessary...

"We declare our right on this earth...to be a human being, to be respected as a human being, to be given the rights of a human being in this society, on this earth, in this day, which we intend to bring into existence by any means necessary."

"Our objective is complete freedom, justice and equality by any means necessary."

"The day that the black man takes an uncompromising step and realizes that he's within his rights, when his own freedom is being jeopardized, to use any means necessary to bring about his freedom or put a halt to that injustice, I don't think he'll be by himself."


Violence, Nonviolence, Self-Defense...

"Concerning nonviolence: It is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself, when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. It is legal and lawful to own a shotgun or a rifle. We believe in obeying the law."

"It doesn't mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time, I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don't call it violence when it's self-defense, I call it intelligence."

"If violence is wrong in America, violence is wrong abroad. If it is wrong to be violent defending black women and black children and black babies and black men, then it is wrong for America to draft us, and make us violent abroad in defense of her. And if it is right for America to draft us, and teach us how to be violent in defense of her, then it is right for you and me to do whatever is necessary to defend our own people right here in this country."

"I don't mean go out and get violent; but at the same time you should never be nonviolent unless you run into some nonviolence. I'm nonviolent with those who are nonviolent with me. But when you drop that violence on me, then you've made me go insane, and I'm not responsible for what I do."

"I don't favor violence. If we could bring about recognition and respect of our people by peaceful means, well and good. Everybody would like to reach his objectives peacefully. But I'm also a realist. The only people in this country who are asked to be nonviolent are black people."

"Last but not least, I must say this concerning the great controversy over rifles and shotguns. The only thing I've ever said is that in areas where the government has proven itself either unwilling or unable to defend the lives and the property of Negroes, it's time for Negroes to defend themselves. Article number two of the Constitutional amendments provides you and me the right to own a rifle or a shotgun. It is constitutionally legal to own a shotgun or a rifle. This doesn't mean you're going to get a rifle and form battalions and go out looking for white folks, although you'd be within your rights - I mean, you'd be justified; but that would be illegal and we don't do anything illegal. If the white man doesn't want the black man buying rifles and shotguns, then let the government do its job. That's all."

The White Man...

"If I have a cup of coffee that is too strong for me because it is too black, I weaken it by pouring cream into it. I integrate it with cream. If I keep pouring enough cream in the coffee, pretty soon the entire flavor of the coffee is changed; the very nature of the coffee is changed. If enough cream is poured in, eventually you don't even know that I had coffee in this cup. This is what happened with the March on Washington. The whites didn't integrate it; they infiltrated it. Whites joined it; they engulfed it; they became so much a part of it, it lost its original flavor. It ceased to be a black march; it ceased to be militant; it ceased to be angry; it ceased to be impatient. In fact, it ceased to be a march."

"But it does make the black people in this country who are jobless and unemployed and standing in the welfare line very much discouraged to see a government that can't solve our problem, can't provide job opportunities for us, and at the some time not only Cubans but Hungarians and every other type of white refugee imaginable can come to this country and get everything this government has to offer."

"I've never seen a sincere white man, not when it comes to helping black people. Usually things like this are done by white people to benefit themselves. The white man's primary interest is not to elevate the thinking of black people, or to waken black people, or white people either. The white man is interested in the black man only to the extent that the black man is of use to him. The white man's interest is to make money, to exploit."

Repayment (or Lack Thereof)...

"An integrated cup of coffee isn't sufficient pay for four hundred years of slave labor."

"How can you thank a man for giving you what's already yours? How then can you thank him for giving you only part of what is yours?"

"I can't turn around without hearing about some 'civil rights advance'! White people seem to think the black man ought to be shouting 'hallelujah'! Four hundred years the white man has had his foot-long knife in the black man's back - and now the white man starts to wiggle the knife out, maybe six inches! The black man's supposed to be grateful? Why, if the white man jerked the knife out, it's still going to leave a scar!"

Freedom, Death, and the Oppressed...

"Power in defense of freedom is greater than power in behalf of tyranny and oppression."

"Truth is on the side of the oppressed."

"You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom."

"You don't have to be a man to fight for freedom. All you have to do is to be an intelligent human being."

"If you're not ready to die for it, put the word 'freedom' out of your vocabulary."

"The price of freedom is death."

"Respect me, or put me to death."

"When a person places the proper value on freedom, there is nothing under the sun that he will not do to acquire that freedom. Whenever you hear a man saying he wants freedom, but in the next breath he is going to tell you what he won't do to get it, or what he doesn't believe in doing in order to get it, he doesn't believe in freedom. A man who believes in freedom will do anything under the sun to acquire...or preserve his freedom."

I Am Not a Racist...

"I am not a racist. I am against every form of racism and segregation, every form of discrimination. I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color."

"I am not a racist.... In the past I permitted myself to be used...to make sweeping indictments of all white people, the entire white race and these generalizations have caused injuries to some whites who perhaps did not deserve to be hurt. Because of the spiritual enlightenment which I was blessed to receive as a result of my recent pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca, I no longer subscribe to sweeping indictments of any one race. I am now striving to live the life of a true...Muslim. I must repeat that I am not a racist nor do I subscribe to the tenants of racism. I can state in all sincerity that I wish nothing but freedom, justice and equality, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all people."

"I am not a racist in any form whatsoever. I don't believe in any form of discrimination or segregation."

Changing Face of Child Trafficking

The face of child trafficking to the UK is changing, with children being transported from an increasing number of countries and traffickers widening their operations with new methods and destinations, said UNICEF UK in a new report published today as part of its End Child Exploitation campaign.

The report, Stop the Traffic!, says that hundreds of known cases of trafficked children are just the tip of the iceberg. Thousands may be trafficked to the UK every year, mainly from West Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia, but the scale of the problem is hidden by the nature of the crime and by a lack of police statistics. Police have been unable to monitor the situation because trafficking has not been a criminal offence.

Children are being brought to counties and cities all over the UK. In places such as Newcastle and Nottingham, cases have only emerged in recent months, indicating that traffickers are widening their operations, targeting places where the authorities are not aware of the issue.

David Bull, Executive Director of UNICEF UK, said: “Trafficking is a serious abuse of child rights and is the fastest growing business of organised crime, since it is seen as less risky than trafficking drugs.

“Until very recently, trafficking wasn’t even illegal and is still only a crime if carried out for sexual exploitation. The Government must criminalise trafficking for all purposes and should introduce central funding for specialist care and protection for the victims.”

The Government’s Sexual Offences Bill, currently in the House of Commons, makes it illegal to traffic people into the UK for commercial sexual exploitation, but children trafficked for other reasons remain unprotected. UNICEF is urging the Government to close this loophole and make it illegal to traffic a child for any purpose, and should introduce central funding for specialist care including training for immigration officers and social workers, counselling and safe houses.

Unless safe house accommodation is provided, fear will drive children to escape to meet their traffickers and the exploitation will continue. Traffickers use rape, beatings, voodoo and threats of violence against family members to control and intimidate the children, who rarely admit to being trafficked.

A period of reflection of up to six months, with children given leave to remain in the UK, is also vital. This would allow children to receive counselling and be protected from re-trafficking, and would help the police to gather crucial evidence to prosecute traffickers.

Trafficking should not be confused with people smuggling, which takes place with the consent of the travellers. Child trafficking involves the transportation and exploitation of unwilling or unknowing victims, often for sex work.

50 Facts that Should Change the World

I ran into an interesting book by Jessica Williams: 50 Facts that Should Change the World.


1. The average Japanese women can expect to live to be 84. The average Botswanan will reach just 39. During the Roman Empire, life expectancy was just 22 years; 1500 years later, it reached 33; now, Japense have the highest life expectancy that is predicted to increase. In Central and South Africa, though, US Census Bureau predicts a drop in life expectancy in 51 countries ... primarly because of the HIV/Aids pandemic. [ more ]

2. A third of the world's obese people live in the developing world. Obesity related conditions cost the US $118 billion in the 1990s, more than double the $47 billion attributable to smoking. The type of diet we intake is cited as the chief cause.

3. The US and Britain have the highest teen pregnancy rates in the developing world. For every 1,000 American women aged between fifteen and nineteen, there was 52.1 births, compared with 2.9 in Korea and 4.6 in Japan. UNICEF indicates that a key factor in reducing teen pregnancies is equipping young people to make informed choices.

4. China has 44 million missing women. For every 100 baby girls born in China in 2000, there were 116.8 baby boys. In China and India, sex-selective abortions are illegal but still common. China's 'one child' policy has meant that many births go unreported; these unregistered children won't be able to, for example, go to school or receive state-funded healthcare.

5. Brazil has more Avon ladies than members of its armed services. 450,000 personnel on active service, and 700,000 revendadoras (a.k.a. Avon ladies). Global beauty market is $95 billion and growing 7% every year. Avon's own reserach shows that 90% of Brazilian women considered beauty products to be a necessity, not a luxury. [ more ]

6. Eighty-one percent of the world's executions in 2002 took place in just three countries: China, Iran and the USA. Gallup poll in 2003 showed that 74 percent of Americans support capital punishment for those convicted of murder. In China, most executions take place after rallies in front of massive crowds, and prisoners are often paraded through the streets on their way to their final destination. [ more ]

7. British supermarkets know more about their consumers than the British government does. Loyalty cards, aimed to save you some bucks at the grocery counter, gather sophisticated information about your spending patterns. The problem? Such information is then sold, or used against you in court or taken by the government without your permission.

8. Every cow in the European Union is subsidised by $2.50 a day. That's more than what 75 per cent of Africans have to live on. World Bank reports than Japense cows get $7.50 per day. Of course, government costs are passed onto the consumers in terms of milk and beef prices.

9. In more than 70 countries, same-sex relationships are illegal. In nine countries, the penalty is death. Nine countries include Mauritania, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Chechen Republic, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Since the Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, more than 4,000 homosexuals have been executed. [ more ]

10. One in five of the world's people live on less than a $1/day. Through the 1990s, there was a 7% improvement in poverty. Poverty, as it turns out, is completely avoidable. For less than 1% of the income of the wealthiest countries each year, the worst effects of poverty can be greatly diminished. At least four times between 2000 and 2003, rich countries pledged 0.7% of their income and poor countries promised political reforms for accountable implementation. As it turns out, rich didn't follow through on pledges and poor are plagued with corruption. [ more ]

11. More than 12,000 women are killed each year in Russia as a result of domestic violence. That's one every 43 minutes. In America, by contrast, that number is 1,246 women killed by an intimate partner in 2000. It seems that massive economic and social upheavel in the post-Soviet era have left men demoralized. In general, women are five to eight times more likely to be assaulted by an intimate partner than men. [ more ]

12. In 2001, 13.2 million Americans had some form of plastic surgery. The number of prodecures has more than doubled since 1997. More than 70% of plastic surgery patients now earn less than $50,000 per year. The industry now even boasts its own TV show -- Extreme Makeover. [ more ]

13. Landmines kill or maim at least one person every hour. All around the world, more than 100 million remnants of conflicts past and present lie quietly in the ground, waiting for action. In more than 60 countries, landmines litter the earth. They are said to be popular because they're cheap to install. People killed and maimed by landmines are largely powerless and the countries most heavily mined are among the world's poorest. [ more ]

14. There are 44 million child labourers in India. Worldwide, the UN Labour Organization estimates 246 million child labourers aged between five and seventeen. Of those, 171 million work in hazardous conditions; roughly 8.4 million are involved in what ILO calls 'the unconditional worst forms of child labour.'

15. People in industrialised countries eat between six and seven kilograms of food additives every year. In 2000, the food industry spends around $20 billion on making our food look prettier, taste nicer and last longer. Food additives are chemicals meant to keep our food fresh longer to prevent frequent trips to the market and reduces our time in the kitchen via 'convenience' foods. Worldwide market in flavourings is worth $3.6 billion a year. Artificial sweetners are another profitable sector.

State of the World's Children

The State of the World’s Children 2007 examines the discrimination and disempowerment women face throughout their lives – and outlines what must be done to eliminate gender discrimination and empower women and girls. It looks at the status of women today, discusses how gender equality will move all the Millennium Development Goals forward, and shows how investment in women’s rights will ultimately produce a double dividend: advancing the rights of both women and children.

Download the full report [PDF, 1.9 MB]
Download the executive summary [PDF, 697 KB]


Empower Women to Help Children

Gender Equality Produces a ‘Double Dividend’ that Benefits Both Women and Children, UNICEF Reports

Eliminating gender discrimination and empowering women will have a profound and positive impact on the survival and well-being of children, according to a new UNICEF report issued on UNICEF’s 60th anniversary.

Gender equality produces the “double dividend” of benefiting both women and children and is pivotal to the health and development of families, communities and nations, according to The State of the World’s Children 2007.

“Gender equality and the well-being of children are inextricably linked,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “When women are empowered to lead full and productive lives, children and families prosper.”

According to the report, women’s influence in key decisions improves the lives of women and has a positive effect on child well-being and development.

Despite progress in women’s status in recent decades, the lives of millions of girls and women are overshadowed by discrimination, disempowerment and poverty. Girls and women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and women in most places earn less than men for equal work. Millions of women throughout the world are subject to physical and sexual violence, with little recourse to justice. As a result of discrimination, girls are less likely to attend school; nearly one out of every five girls who enroll in primary school in developing countries does not complete a primary education. Education levels among women, says the report, correlate with improved outcomes for child survival and development.

“If we care about the health and well-being of children today and into the future, we must work now to ensure that women and girls have equal opportunities to be educated, to participate in government, to achieve economic self-sufficiency and to be protected from violence and discrimination,” Veneman said.

Violence Against Afghan Women

By ALISA TANG, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 8, 5:53 AM ET
KABUL, Afghanistan -

Qamar laughed bitterly at the idea of International Women's Day, as if it were a cruel joke. As a woman encouraged by relatives to marry her stalker — who was 20 years her senior, had three other wives and now beats her regularly — Qamar found it preposterous that anyone would ever celebrate her existence.

"No one will bring me flowers. My husband won't even bring me a stone," the 45-year-old woman said with a cynical smile as she recounted her woes. "March 8th is for foreigners because they have good lives. I don't know anything about March 8th."
Perhaps nowhere else in the world do women more desperately need a day to celebrate their existence, given the bleak reality for millions of women in this war-torn country.

Since the fall of the ultraconservative Taliban regime five years ago, 2 million girls have returned to school, and women can leave their homes unaccompanied. They also hold 68 seats in the 249-member National Assembly.

But those headline successes haven't cured the underlying horrors: Officials estimate at least half of women are forced into marriage and one out of three has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused.

Qamar, who like many women in Afghanistan goes by one name, said her husband lost his defense ministry job after the Taliban came to power and the couple moved to his home in Kapisa, north of Kabul, where his other wives lived.
There, he fell in love again with his third wife, who bore him children, and the beatings began. Qamar suffered complications in her first pregnancy and was unable to have children.

She threatened divorce and ran out of the home to complain to a district elder and a mullah, or religious leader. She said her husband dragged her back inside the house so violently that one of his older sons demanded, "What are you doing? You're killing her!"
Her husband threatened to kill her brother if he interfered. Qamar stayed with a cousin for three months, but he called her a burden, so now she's back in her abusive home.

"There's no one to help me. I have to live with them. I have no choice," Qamar said, grabbing a corner of the black scarf covering her hair and shoulders to wipe at her tears.

Her tale is echoed by millions of women in Afghanistan, where domestic violence is socially tolerated. Roughly two out of five Afghan marriages are forced, while 45 percent are married by age 18, says the country's Ministry of Women's Affairs.

International Women's Day

By Augustine Anthony Thu Mar 8, 10:51 AM ET

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - President Pervez Musharraf vowed on Thursday to support reforms to empower women in Pakistan's male-dominated society, but said the ultimate responsibility for change lay with women.

In the country of 160 million people, women, especially in poor, rural areas, are subjected to widespread violence and discrimination.
In a case that shocked the country last month, a woman minister in a provincial government was shot dead by an Islamist zealot who later said women should not be involved in politics.

"We have taken many steps to empower you politically and economically but ultimately it is you who have to bring about a change," Musharraf told an International Women's Day conference in Islamabad.

"I am prepared to support you more," he said to applause from the audience.
Musharraf, who espouses a vision of "enlightened moderation" for his conservative country, pushed through a landmark bill in November to limit the scope of Islamic laws that had made it virtually impossible for women to accuse men of rape.The bill faced fierce opposition from hardline Islamists.

Musharraf rejected the argument that amending the laws was unIslamic. "These laws are man-made and those who think touching them would violate the spirit of Islam are narrow-minded," he said.
Musharraf said his government would support steps to end violence against women and safeguard their rights.

The country's main human rights group, the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, recorded nearly 900 cases of rape last year, about half of them gang rapes, but said it believed many cases went unreported. The group said at least 565 women were killed last year by men acting, they said, to preserve the honor of their families.

"Women are still being victimized in our society. Violence against women is still the norm," said Mukhtaran Mai, who was gang-raped in 2002 on the orders of a village council.

Mai was raped as a punishment for her brother's alleged affair with a woman of a higher caste. She spoke out against her attackers and became a prominent human rights campaigner.

"No woman wants to come out of her house and be identified as a rape victim, but now at least they know they can get help because of the increasing influence of the media," Mai told Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting in the city of Karachi.

Musharraf said women were playing a much greater role in politics, from national to local level, since he came to power in a bloodless coup in 1999.

"Today there are about 40,000 women in Pakistan who enjoy political authority," he said.

(Additional reporting by Waheed Khan in Karachi)