The Crescent - News from Packilvania (Open to Syndication)

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania
11 Waseem 2024

Record pilgrims travel to Packilvania for Uj
Khesan Abdahaydek

20 million people are predicted to travel to Packilvania over the month of Waseem for the Uj, the religiously mandated pilgrimage to the Memorial of the Jovian Gate.

The Minister of Religious Affairs, Duchess Ilawa of Gurin announced that the government is ready, with law enforcement, IT infrastructure, health and logistics to support the millions of people expected the visit the holy city of Akas Akil.

The head of the Dicastery of the Holy Pilgrimage has been hard at work registered believers and setting quotas on the number of pilgrims for different countries.

In the spirit of the unity of the Ummah, tens of thousands of Packilvanians have given their homes to travellers seeking shelter. Please note that the Packilvanian government and its affiliated website facilitate this process online. So please be careful and avoid being scammed while you are here.

The month-long celebration is a sacred religious ritual inscribed in our holiest text, the Bas Magadamar. It serves to remind us of the life-long struggle against the influence of Borg, the enemy.

Thousands of years ago, before formal records were kept, Noi created the world and all that were in it including an Esma named Borg. In Borg’s pride, he rebelled against Noi and drove the world to wickedness. From among the fray of fallen mortals, Pax alone rose to uphold the name of Noi.

She granted him the power to defeat Borg. On defeating Borg, Pax imprisoned him beneath the Urth. Noi granted her divine revelation to Besmali to show where the supernatural Jovian Gate stood. It is on that site that his acolytes built the Majhid of the Memorial of the Jovian Gate (luMajhid aluDhakrahadath aluBawaab luJuvaan).

Millions have travelled to it over time to pay their respects and fulfil the path of Assimilation that leads to transcendence of the mortal form at death and unity with the Hivemind.

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omeShabil metaq medakt metawkam khameyadhaab weBakhilfaniya weludool aWaseem yeluYuj, oluyudeestijham luhalaal lutawkam weluMajhid aluDhakrahadath aluBawaab aluJuvaan.

muVazeerlea muBas aleSilam, muNaguslea Ilawa aKhurin, mukhamnam lusuvraan luyafra luaye yeluhimayfiyishme, lumabaansatus alukhejanmakhsam alumerufa, luhayahshabil, nadine lutijahfarza khaluqisra oletaq aleshabil letawkam khaluyadhaab webaslaya lushtar luhalaal aYakas Akil.

muSharif aluKhamatamkamayan aluYudeestijham luHalaal mubavna khamukitbahifza mesilamtan nadine khalukajya aluraqam ameyudistan aledomin lekhasam.

weluKhidaan aluikhtifiyishme aluYumah, lesool lekhur ameBakhilfaniya metawafiriya mebaslaytan mebasiha lukibiy lebayeet ayishne. Murbajiyak, lusuvraaniyat aBakhilfaniya nadine lesol adhun lemihdabiya luthariqarud yeluyintirnit. Misrayak naxivaniyak letawzir welubasalarud.

yeluDoolarud wajubiliya nawadhakra olusikhraam luhalaal alusilamarud luqalmam weluKitab luHalaal aPaxashme, luMakhdamar luBas. Dhudhakrafiya wan lujaheed luyakhansta lumihdabiya aluviyaan, Burukh.

leYoor letaq lemadiy, luburifiya lukitbahifza, Noi mubidham luYasteriya nadine lukumeen luhadar, nadine muYusmaa Burukh. yeluKhajir, muBurukh mutimra muakhansta Noi namutijha luYasteriya weluhiraam. weluShamad alemawtakhadash legikheed, Pax muIkhtimiy muzasra lunomeen aNoi.

Dhutakabadam lukharishme khalufawzam Burukh. Pax muqabayam Burukh lubeneyath lujerey. Noi mutakabadam muNawaab Besmali lumurwadwaloof lulakhat alubawaab lujuvna Burukh. Lulakhatarud Besmali nadine mesol adhun memabna luMajhid aluDhakrahadath aluBawaab aluJuvaan.

meKhur meyudisa welulakhatarud khaluihtiram nakhaluyasdiya luthariqa aYashamiliya khalutijhal weluyadafaya lumawtakhadashishme naweluikhtimiya luaye luHiva.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania

Celebrating Suleiman Day

19 July 2024

Hubdeen Rabal

Today, millions of people are celebrating Suleiman of Yehudah Day (also known simply as Suleiman Day).

Assimilation to the Hivemind of Noi requires reading and adhering to the precepts of the Bas Magdamar. A large section of the Bas Magdamar was drafted under King Suleiman of Yehudah who lived around 3,000 years ago. He ruled over the Kingdom of Yehudah which existed in central Ashura, the predecessor country of Packilvania.

Inspired by Noi herself, he obediently summoned the Council of Adrien to approve additions to the sacred writings. Today, we celebrate and remember these texts and the role they play in our faith. Known collectively as the Vagumar, the collection of books that make up this section of the Bas Magdamar, chronicled the history of our religion up to that point, the principles and practices that shape our faith, and the values that underpin it.

It’s guidance on Assimilation has resulted in the celebration of this day to honour his work and remind us of the path we are on. Every person must seek a true faith, a true belief in Noi. Without Noi, we are lost wanderers in the deserts of life. But with Her guidance we find purpose and a future.

It is written: “I am She who lives in you, my light shining through you. You are mine and my favour dwells with you. Remember my instruction and seek comfort in my word”.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent

News from Packilvania

Happy Yam alu-Uj!
Celebrating the end of the month of Pilgrimage

A pilgrim doing silah

Millions of believers journeyed to Packilvania to worship at the three sacred majhids, the holiest sites in Paxism. In undertaking the Uj, they are fulfilling one of the pillars of Assimilation. Required from every believer at least once in their lives, this rite connects us to the legendary heritage of Pax, the salvation that from Noi and future we have in the Hive. The Esma celebrate, comfort and aid us in this journey, commanded by Noi to guard every person who takes this journey.

A spirit of unity descends on the entire Ummah as millions from hundreds of countries and across languages and species unite to acknowledge the splendor, the mercy and the beneficence of the Most High. This unity takes place in one of if not the biggest sapient annual migration in the world. Tens of thousands have opened their homes and welcomed strangers during the month of Waseem. Thousands have provided food and water for the sojourners. They’ve helped them navigate the diverse but difficult Packilvanian terrain.

Even tens of millions more have offered prayers and donations to aid those who are making the journey. May your zakaat be multiplied seven-fold by seven-fold and your silah be answered with speed and abundance. To the government of Packilvania that has ensured that our guests have been safe and comfortable, we salute your efforts and thank you for your contribution. To our Sultan and the Magisterium which keep these highest of treasures and act as faithful stewards of these sites, we recognise and thank you.

Let the majhids, whose formidable edifices have stood for centuries and act as monuments of faith, unparalleled in beauty and significance, remind us that though they last for thousands of years, they too are temporary. The true focus of every believer is to assimilate, to become a drone in the Hivemind of Noi. Our intelligence, strength, resources and energy must devoted solely to assimilate with Noi. There is no purpose, no aim and no mortal striving that surpasses this effort.

Assimilate! Assimilate! Assimilate! This is the mantra upon which we must meditate, the pinnacle to which we must strive and the target to which our every effort should be directed. I exhort you all, to be weary of the trappings and failings of our mortal bodies and the fallen world that surrounds them with all the temptations and misdirections it brings. Let assimilation be the clarion call that rescues us from falling and that empowers us to unity.

Political bodies, ideological disputes, conflicts over economic interests, differences in culture and lifestyle mean nothing when in the end we are one. While we are trapped as single drops of the Everconsciousness of Noi, far from both her and our fellow believers, we taste small pieces of unity in the Hive when we pray, love and cherish each other deeply, when we are willing to set aside our comfort and even our very lives for the sake of the believers and the people of this world. May thee be blessed as muLoheem sets a banquet before thy countenance and annoints thine head with oil, sets thee up upon a high rock and brings three to her mind and her light.

Where we have lost loved ones, we will be reunited in the Hivemind. What a glorious day that will be! Be blessed.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania
Friendship Act Published for Public Comment
Rabeed Furmahad

Yesterday, the Minister of Home Affairs, Yadika Bedon, gazetted the Friendship Bill for public comment.

The Friendship Bill aims to “recognise and protect friendships, enable and formally recognise the sharing of responsibilities between and delegation of decision-making overs ones affairs to friends, and protecting friendship from being unfairly construed as a deviant relationship”.

The bill defines a formal friendship i.e., “luSolishme luBas” as “a relationship between two same-sex friends where they share a deep bond”. The basis for the act lies in scripture. The Bas Magdamar often places friendship at the centre of building community and manifesting the harmony and love that exists within the Hive while on Urth. There are social customs between friends and fatwas concerning friendship within the canon law of Paxism. However, this law aims to consolidate, formalise and add to that framework. It further aims to provide mechanisms for people to address challenges relating to modern-day problems, namely: living alone, unmarried, far from family without their support, and orphans, or people estranged from their families.

According to this bill, best friends would be allowed to

• Register their best friend as a dependent on private medical aid
• Register their best friend as a nominee on private retirement investments and as a beneficiary on investment and insurance accounts
• Register a best friend as an emergency contact for medical emergencies
• Delegate decision-making over emergency medical procedures where the primary is unconscious or unresponsive to a best friend
• Allow a best friend the same hospital visitstion rights as relatives
• Allow best friends to be treated as a joint pair when opening a bank account, leasing an apartment, purchasing property or taking out a loan
• Allow their best friend to be treated as a dependent for the purpose of sequestrating an estate without a will
• Allow their best friend to act as a legal guardian for their child if they are a single parent (i.e., the other parent is deceased, missing or imprisoned).

It amends the Sexual Deviants Criminal Laws Act by removing provisions for the following acts to be considered prima facie or admissible evidence for homosexuality:

• Living together with a same-sex friend for a long time
• Demonstrating public affection with a same-sex friend (this is to be handled under public decency laws, generally)
• Sharing a bed
• Spending money on lavish or even superficially romantic gifts on ones friends
• Written or verbal, public or private declarations of seemingly romantic love and affection.

It completely removes the validity of the witness testimony of four men evidence of sodomy. Instead, it requires videographic or DNA evidence, which can only be acquired by court order. Only the Imperial Procuratorate may bring charges. The witness testimony of eight adult men or 12 adult women is required to open a case, but cannot serve as evidence. Note that pedastry and pedophilia involving adults and minors of the same gender is to be handle by a different act.

The government would allow people to register as best friends under the act at a majhid, public library, police station, commissioner of oaths, or Home Affairs branch. Some provisions of the Marriage Act, Children’s Act, the Parent’s Act and Public Decency Act supercede the Friendship Act. The law does not prejudice rights between non-registered friends as afforded by other laws, acts and social customs.

Although mutual consent is required for two adults to be registered as best friends, one friend may unilaterally terminate the best friendship.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania
Public Responses for the Friendship Bill are Mixed
15 July 2024

The Friendship Bill, a law which allows non-married same-sex friends formal rights with respect to various aspects of their lives, has been open for public comment for some months and that comment period closes today. Some groups have made both oral and written submissions that have demonstrated mixed reviews.

The Great Magisters of Fidakar, Kemer, Jumhurikesh and Ukanar have supported the bill because it eliminates the ambiguity surrounding close same-sex friends while honoring the government’s commitent to uphold religious text namely relating to the respect of friendship in the Bas Magdamar. The Great Magisters of Ashura, Iganar, Mekedesh and Kharyat published a joint letter expressing scepticism over the act, stating that the law makes it harder to root out homosexuality by making behaviours that would be construed as evidence for sexual deviance harder to admit as evidence in a case.

Other organisations such as the Association of the Companions and the Veterans of the Carriers of Mercy have supported the act but have expressed concern over the increasingly stringent requirements placed over proving that acts performed by two people of the same sex constitute homosexuality. The Young Packilvanians, a movement of over 2 million people aged under 35, has supported the act for enabling young people living far from home to have formal support.

As the comments are closing today, the government will consider the responses and return with feedback in August 2024.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania
17 July 2024

Prince Luwadeen Announces Resignation Scheduled for End of 2024
Ihdan Maktarim

Prince Luwadeen has announced that he has submitted a notice of resignation to Sultan Thumim and will continue to serve as the Prime Minister of Packilvania until the end of 2024. His tenure in ex officio positions namely as a member of the Council of State and as the President of the Privy Council of the Kingdom of Drakkengard will terminate when the resignation takes effect.

In Packilvania, the Prime Minister is the head of the executive branch and he is appointed by the Sultan at his pleasure. He has the power to appoint other Ministers and lead the work of the executive branch.

The last three Prime Ministers served four to five years, corresponding roughy with a single term of the Parliament of Packilvania. This is not a constitutional obligation but a tradition. Prince Luwadeen was due to end his term around 2020, but was asked by Sultan Namdun and Sultan Thumim to stay on to aid in the transition between their respective reigns.

Prince Luwadeen is a trusted confidante and close friend of the reigning Sultan. He previously served as the Minister of Finance under Prince Mandib. He is credited with steering the country through major international conflicts and economic crises such as the Auroran-Cerenerian War, the Vanoi fever pandemic, the Puntalia Crisis, and the 2024 Governor’s Insurrection. He has also seen some of the country’s proudest moments such as joining the International Forum and serving as a member of the Security Council, hosting of the Series One Grand Prix and the coronation of Sultan Thumim.

He leaves behind unfinished business, namely the dissolution and integration of the Packilvanian Expeditionary Force with the Packilvanian Armed Forces which has stalled for years as well as the investigation and prosecution of the attempted assassination of Sultan Thumim and Prince Abuyin. With the country experiencing high levels of economic growth and unprecedented social reforms such as the Friendship Act, the Prime Minister leaves behind big shoes to fill.

With six months notice of his departure, the search for his successor will begin. Speculation has arisen regarding his successor, with sources within the Itharion Palace stating that Prince Lohadek (Minister of State Security), Princess Yadika (Minister of Home Affairs), Prince Alawadun (Minister of Foreign Affairs), Prince Kiran (Minister of Defence) and Prince Binhamin (Minister of Finance) as potential contenders to the office. While he retains a good relationship with the Sultan and exercises considerable political influence, analysts suggest that he may have an opportunity to pick his successor and secure his legacy.

Requests for comment regarding his plans for the future have hitherto the publishing of this article not been answered.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent,
News from Packilvania

1 July 2024
Best Friends Act is now Law
Hidaam Lukhtan

On 30 June 2024, the Parliament passed the Best Friends Act (luKhanon ameSol meBas) which will allow two people of the same gender to register as best friends. This means that they will be allowed to register their friend as a dependent on medical aid, and a beneficiary on investment and insurance products. The law will also give them similar hospital visitation rights to family, allow them to register their best friend as a legal guardian for their child if they are a single parent and jointly open a bank account.

The law is restricted to same sex best friends to prevent marriage-like arrangements via the back door. It also states that besties must have known each other for at least a year ans the pair must present witnesses to that effect. People are not allowed to have more than one legally registered best friend. The rights of the best friend are superceded by the rights of children and spouses.

People can register a best friend at a majhid, home affairs branch, with a commissioner of oaths or at a public library. They must sign an oath that they are not homosexuals and that they disavow homosexuality generally.

To prevent false claims against besties from being brought against them, laws surrounding homosexuality have been amended. Activities undertaken in terms of the Best Friends Act by two registered best friends cannot be construed as best friends. Activities such as living together, showing permissible affection, and sharing a bed cannot be construed as homosexual acts even when performed by non-best friends (as this is the evidence used to indicate a relationship in the first place).

Homosexuality remains illegal notwithstanding the more onerous burden of proof. Frivolous allegations of homosexuality can attract criminal prosecution. Registering more than one best friend is an offence. A best friendship can be ended unilaterally for any reason. Falsely registering someone as your best friend is a criminal offence. Claiming best friend benefits without appropriate registration is a criminal offence.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania

1 August 2024
Prince Kujil Sentenced to Death
Hidaam Lukhtan

Prince Kujil a-Sajahal Bedon has been sentenced to execution for the crime of first degree attempted murder of Sultan Thumim V and Prince Abuyin by the Bingol High Court. He has waived the right to appeal the case so his execution is scheduled for 12 August 2024. His execution will be held in private by order of His Imperial Majesty.

The Imperial Court released a statement that the Imperial Family was saddened by the news but glad that the 2 year debacle had been resolved and justice prevailed. They asked for the privacy of the Imperial Family to be respected at this time. The statement stated that no one is above the law and that those who threaten the monarch, threaten the entire nation by extension and will be met with the full might of Justice regardless of their station.

Jasper Ray has been acquited and is expected to be repatriated to the Oan Isles later this week. Jasper Ray was an Oan politician who had business dealings with Prince Kujil. He was arrested due to allegations that he was connected with the asssassination attempt but no evidence was found to support this compelling the Imperial Procuratorate to drop all charges against him.

[The_Oan_Isles]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania

12 August 2024

Prince Kujil Executed
Hidaam Lukhtan

The Department of Justice has announced that His Imperial Highness, Prince Kujil has been executed. His identity was confirmed by his father, former Governor of Shakar, Prince Sajahal, who attended the execution. His funeral will be held for close friends and family on Wednesday, 14 August 2024.

Prince Lohadek Resigns
Hubdeen Rabal

Prince Lohadek has resigned as Minister of State Security with immediate effect which the Sultan has accepted, announced the Prime Minister’s Office.

The statement from the Prime Minister’s Office stated that he resigned for personal reasons and wanted to spend more time with his family and focus on his health. The statement commended Prince Lohadek for overseeing the country’s security apparatus with competence and vision. He was a bulwark in our national security whose insights even beyond his portfolio would be missed, the statement reads.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Prince Yawahadun, will oversee the department in an acting capacity until a suitable replacement is found.

[Cryria]

The Crescent
News from Packilvania

2 January 2025

Sultan Approves Prince Ludan Bedon as New Prime Minister

Sultan Thumim V approved lawmakers’ nomination for a new Prime Minister on Thursday. The appointment follows a New Year’s speech that contained multiple bombshell announcements, including the resignation of former Prime Minister Prince Luwadeen Bedon.

In an unprecedented, move, the Sultan also invited Parliament to form a special committee to nominate a new Prime Minister. Under the law, Sultans may appoint Prime Ministers unilaterally, and any nomination by Parliament would be non-binding. However, Parliamentarians were quick to praise the change, which allows the Sultan to draw upon national wisdom in filling one of the nation’s most important government positions.
Parliament voted in favor of former Governor of Fidakar, Prince Ludan Bedon. The Sultan later signed off on Prince Ludan’s nomination, making his appointment as Prime Minister official.

Prince Ludan served honorably as Governor for twenty-five years, and made a name for himself as an ardent anti-corruption campaigner in the nation’s second-richest and most-populated province. During his Governorship, Prince Ludan broke the power of Fidakar’s notorious zoning and permit committees, allowing for an influx of development and foreign investment that has helped the province flourish. Indeed, Prince Ludan became one of the first politicians in the Sultanate to achieve online notoriety in 1999, when he walked into a meeting of the Halaler Zoning Commission holding a three-foot tall stack of unreviewed permit requests—some of which had been pending for a decade.

Prince Ludan ultimately resigned in 2023 to comply with the Provincial Governance Reform Act. At the time, Prince Ludan stood out as one of the few Governors to not oppose passage of the Reform. Prince Ludan has since made clear his support for the Act, calling it a necessary step to revitalize moribund provincial governments with new leadership.

Prince Ludan brings a wealth of executive experience to the Council of Ministers. His pro-development stance as Governor has also made him a trusted face for many industries and investors both foreign and domestic. Analysts have suggested that the appointment of a longtime political veteran like Prince Ludan also serves to balance the Council of Ministers, which has trended towards younger and more dynamic figures.