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the markham economist sun faith saturday june 24 2006 extremism support group helps new muslims adapt byjoefantauzzi staff writer it began with a poor interpretation of scripture only made worse by misinfor mation and the impatience of a teacher who wanted it his way or the highway muhammad robert heft 33 now president of the markhambased par adise forever muslim support group came close to stepping over the line between conservative islam and extremism the organization offers housing and employment networking along with other supports for those who are in diffi culty after becoming muslim the blueeyed winnipegborn mr heft submitted to islam following a par ticularly difficult period during which he drank parried and gambled away about 120000 over four years he first tried christianity he said but a trip to a beckers convenience store in 1998 changed his path a palestinian brother looked at the cross around my neck and said that guy is not your saviour he said i went back thinking i was going to convert him but it was mr heft who was convert ed i fell in love with the concept that god is beyond your imagination and he is not limited by any form or anything that we can perceive he said as a new practitioner he studied constantly and fell in with an egyptian islamic guide whom mr heft declined to name that man is reportedly under investigation by canadian authorities over six months a barrage of verses about jihad the holy struggle which permits muslims to defend themselves were taken out of context to fit the mans own agenda as mr heft calls it he claims to have had dinner with stephen chand one of the 17 men arrested recently on terror allegations working as an attar perfume pur chaser and importer mr heft also took a trip to iraq as the united states was preparing to launch its military assaults he said i was frustrated because i saw a lot of civilians were dying so i went therefor the people not for saddam hus sein whom i believe was an idiot and not george bush who i also believe is an idiot he said my heart went out to the lads i was seeing images of peoples brains blown out and graphic graphic images and it upset me and i thought i could help out he has described his stay as being a human shield he lived near palestinian hotel in baghdad and in an electrical facility until it was bombed during the shock and awe days communication with the islamic guide ended when he started asking questions about whether or not they were accurately following the teachings of the quran during his wedding in which he married into a middleeastern family in 1999 mr heft met a new teacher who now resides in mecca saudi arabia the man helped him mentally step out of the extremists reach impatience and a lack of knowledge is a death knell to a righteous following of islam he said i believe god is on the side of mercy and patience patience patience thats where you get caught up you want everything now quick answers quick solutions staff photosjoerd witteveen muhammad robert heft operates a support group that helps newly converted muslims adapt trim your waste k- york region and its local municipalities will be hosting a public information session to introduce a joint waste diversion strategy the strategy aims at increasing waste diversion locally to at least 64 some of the areas impacted will be improved blue box diversion green bin implementation b siting community environmental centres join us at one of our public information sessions and voice your opinions dates a n d l o c a t i o n s public information sessions will run from 600pm 900pm at the following locations tuesday july 11 2006 georgina civic centre committee room 26557 civic centre road keswick tuesday june 27 2006 city of vaughan civic centre council chambers 2141 major mackenzie drive vaughan thursday july 6 2006 regional waste management centre 100 garfield wright boulevard east gwillimbury questions please call 9058951200 and press 3 or visit wwwyorkca learning disabilities if you or your child suffers from learning disabilities then attending this free symposium may be the most important thing you do this year you will discover the true cause of these conditions and natural solutions and options you can use right away to overcome them many children and adults with add and dyslexia have seen significant improvement without medication dr turner is an international speaker and lecturer who has been featured on the dini petty show national news canada am cfto news marilyn denis cityline and riley live he will present a free symposium on thurs june 29 at 730 pm at the stouffville health centre 6219 main street call 9056404440 to reserve your seats today the regional municipality of york temporary road closure 16th avenue yr 73 markham bypass to reesor road town of markham 16th avenue yr 73 will be closed to through traffic between the markham by pass and reesor road commencing monday june 26 2006 for a period of approximately four weeks the purpose of the temporary road closures is to facilitate the construction of the 16th avenue realignment and a new intersection with the markham bypass reesor road hwy 7 and markham bypass are available for detour please direct inquiries to the regional municipality of york mr grant robinson p eng senior project manager the transportation works department 17250 yonge street po box 147 newmarket on l3y6z tel 9058951200 or 18774649675 extension 5946 fax9058364590 this notice is issued on june 24 2006 bylaw no r14362006021 over 70 new items i warehouse superstore why pay manufacturers suggested retail or even more discounts on every item free4packof air bombs with this ad and a minimum 20 purchase 45 sims cres richmond hill 9057070169 toll freei8oo3634767 irvwwvictoryfireworkscom 10am10pm everyday hwy7