People believe that they have the right to free speech without serious repercussion just as some women believe they have the right to dress provocatively and walk down a dark alley in the wrong part of town and feel safe. And in a perfect world, it might be the case. In reality, both actions are like poking a hornets nest...quite often, you're going to get stung...and possibly even die.
Knowing this, why do people keep besieging the Muslims of the world? The publishing of blasphemous depictions and or descriptions is not akin to a protest march in defence of free speech where if you garner enough support, and wave your placards long enough, you'll achieve the desired result. You can draw silly cartoons of Mohammad every day for the next thousand years and try to defend them in the name of freedom of expression and you won't change the view and reaction of a single Muslim.
The question of whether Muslims are justified in their reprisals is not even a question. It is simply a reality that cannot be changed. Rapists rape, hornets sting and some Muslims retaliate. Must we exercise every right we believe we possess? Can we not find something else to do? What do we really lose if we just walk right on by when we see a swarm of bees, avoid dark alleys or leave a single subject free of ridicule that one billion people feel so very strongly about?
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Showing posts with label islam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label islam. Show all posts
Thursday, 20 September 2012
Thursday, 20 May 2010
Freedom of speech or simple hate?
In the midst of the "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" fiasco, defenders of their right to free speech often write that the exercise of it should never be self restricted because of what those who object to various manifestations of it see as highly offensive. Many of them assert that it is a noble right worth defending at all costs because anything less would be giving in to pressure to a lessening of personal rights and freedoms.
My question to them is: When was the last time you lost a right or freedom simply because you didn't exercise it? How many times did you lose your right to travel because you stayed home for too long a period? When was the last time you lost your right to vote because you didn't go to the polls for three elections in a row? When was the last time your freedom of speech was suspended because you didn't offend someone for six months? You are not obligated to exercise each and every right you have to it's fullest degree.
Freedom of speech is assured. I don't see it being revoked any time soon. Taunting Muslims, or anyone else under the guise of exercising the right of freedom of expression is in practical terms bull shit. It serves only one purpose: to spread hate. Not only to spread hate, but to solicit support in the spreading of that hate.
It costs you nothing to refrain from purposely offending Muslims. If you disagree with facets of Islam, fine, start a debate--you may learn something. Rights and freedoms are not like muscles--they do not need to be exercised so that they don't atrophy and lose their power. Please, stop this ploy because it amounts to nothing but hate mongering. It does nothing to cement our rights while at the same time, it pisses off a whole lot of people. So, what have you gained? Was that the real objective? Simply to piss people off? Congratulations--it succeeded. Now, try doing something positive.
Click here to go to most recent posts.
My question to them is: When was the last time you lost a right or freedom simply because you didn't exercise it? How many times did you lose your right to travel because you stayed home for too long a period? When was the last time you lost your right to vote because you didn't go to the polls for three elections in a row? When was the last time your freedom of speech was suspended because you didn't offend someone for six months? You are not obligated to exercise each and every right you have to it's fullest degree.
Freedom of speech is assured. I don't see it being revoked any time soon. Taunting Muslims, or anyone else under the guise of exercising the right of freedom of expression is in practical terms bull shit. It serves only one purpose: to spread hate. Not only to spread hate, but to solicit support in the spreading of that hate.
It costs you nothing to refrain from purposely offending Muslims. If you disagree with facets of Islam, fine, start a debate--you may learn something. Rights and freedoms are not like muscles--they do not need to be exercised so that they don't atrophy and lose their power. Please, stop this ploy because it amounts to nothing but hate mongering. It does nothing to cement our rights while at the same time, it pisses off a whole lot of people. So, what have you gained? Was that the real objective? Simply to piss people off? Congratulations--it succeeded. Now, try doing something positive.
Click here to go to most recent posts.
Sunday, 29 November 2009
A stark contrast
The following two stories appeared today on my Google News page separated only by a story on Iran's nuclear ambitions.
The first story came out of the U.S. and bore this headline:
4 police officers shot dead at Wash. coffeehouse
The other described how a very controversial issue is threatening to tear Switzerland apart:
Swiss Vote to Ban New Minarets
Now, if you're unaware or unsure of what a minaret is, let me let you in on this explosive controversy. A minaret is a slender tower attached to a mosque that traditionally is used as a "call to prayer" for Muslims, but in modern times and modern countries, including Switzerland, minarets are not used for anything other than traditional "window dressing".
While I am sympathetic to Muslims, and appreciate the affront on the sensibilities of some of them (the 10% of Swiss Muslims that actually adhere to traditional Muslim codes), quite frankly, the contrast between these two stories was very vivid to me. Four people dedicated to serving the public and upholding the laws of the land were brutally attacked and savagely murdered in broad daylight is something I think all would agree is far more egregious than offending anyone's sensibilities.
Let's face it, the social issues that face America are and have always been far more grave than those of most countries, especially when you exclude third word countries whose extreme poverty is usually the cause of their problems. Such attacks as described in this story are not isolated but can be considered a way of life for Americans. My take is that when you treat people with less than the dignity human beings deserve, you should expect them to act in ways only subhumans would. Providing basic health care to all is a good step in the right direction.
From the aforementioned story...
Last month, Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton was shot and killed Halloween night as he was sitting in a cruiser with trainee Britt Sweeney. Sweeney was grazed in the neck.
The U.S. is the serial killer and mass murder capital of the world. This is no accident. You reap what you sow. My heart goes out to the families of the victims, but until Americans realize that it is their politics that drive people to such depths, they should expect the carnage to continue. No amount of cops and super prisons will fix this problem. Wake up, America.
And to Switzerland...Don't go spoiling the fine reputation you have spent more than half a century cultivating. It doesn't look good on you.
Click here to go to most recent posts.
The first story came out of the U.S. and bore this headline:
4 police officers shot dead at Wash. coffeehouse
The other described how a very controversial issue is threatening to tear Switzerland apart:
Swiss Vote to Ban New Minarets
Now, if you're unaware or unsure of what a minaret is, let me let you in on this explosive controversy. A minaret is a slender tower attached to a mosque that traditionally is used as a "call to prayer" for Muslims, but in modern times and modern countries, including Switzerland, minarets are not used for anything other than traditional "window dressing".
While I am sympathetic to Muslims, and appreciate the affront on the sensibilities of some of them (the 10% of Swiss Muslims that actually adhere to traditional Muslim codes), quite frankly, the contrast between these two stories was very vivid to me. Four people dedicated to serving the public and upholding the laws of the land were brutally attacked and savagely murdered in broad daylight is something I think all would agree is far more egregious than offending anyone's sensibilities.
Let's face it, the social issues that face America are and have always been far more grave than those of most countries, especially when you exclude third word countries whose extreme poverty is usually the cause of their problems. Such attacks as described in this story are not isolated but can be considered a way of life for Americans. My take is that when you treat people with less than the dignity human beings deserve, you should expect them to act in ways only subhumans would. Providing basic health care to all is a good step in the right direction.
From the aforementioned story...
Last month, Seattle police officer Timothy Brenton was shot and killed Halloween night as he was sitting in a cruiser with trainee Britt Sweeney. Sweeney was grazed in the neck.
The U.S. is the serial killer and mass murder capital of the world. This is no accident. You reap what you sow. My heart goes out to the families of the victims, but until Americans realize that it is their politics that drive people to such depths, they should expect the carnage to continue. No amount of cops and super prisons will fix this problem. Wake up, America.
And to Switzerland...Don't go spoiling the fine reputation you have spent more than half a century cultivating. It doesn't look good on you.
Click here to go to most recent posts.
Monday, 13 April 2009
Usury by any other name...
The Muslims are laughing at us. Not all Muslims--I'm sure some are just feeling vindicated. What amuses them so? The fact that we've gotten ourselves into this tremendous economic problem. Of course, it all stems from the credit markets. And I don't need to explain to you how large corporations have fallen while others are teetering and already millions of people have lost either or both their house and their job.
What has this to do with Muslims? In Islam, it is a sin to charge interest or pay interest. If you've ever wondered why so many Muslims live two or three families in a house, now you know. Unlike the rest of the world, they can't borrow the money they need to purchase a home. They have, however, come up with various ways to get themselves into expensive propositions like home ownership without using credit.
I'm writing about this because I just heard that some lending institutions are using predatory interest rates as a way of boosting their bottom line. What do I mean when I say "predatory"? Would you believe 30% per annum!?
Do I have any grasp at all on how big finance works? First, they gave money to people who didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of repaying them. Smart move. Then, when those people actually defaulted on their loans and mortgages, the banks almost stopped lending altogether. How did they expect to make money without lending? Now, we hear about exorbitant rates being charged. I'd like to know how many people who can actually afford to pay such high rates are willing to take on more debt considering their job is subject to being lost at any time?
I don't know why, but I keep getting surprised by the moves that the supposedly brightest minds, individually and as a group, keep screwing up the world royally. I should be used to it by now. From CEO's of auto companies to the titans of the financial sector, to presidents of powerful countries, we see ineptitude that dwarfs anything even that of an average person. But I digress...
Before "retiring", I had many friends and colleagues who were Muslim, and one in particular was a very good friend and was also one of the less "westernized" among them. On many aspects of Islam which we discussed at great lengths, I somewhat agreed, if not whole-heartedly, were good practises. The taking and paying of interest I hadn't been sure of, but given the mess that all the brainiacs in the credit markets have put the whole world in, there's now no doubt in my mind that it is a decidedly bad thing. The frenzy of unabated consumption driven by virtually unlimited credit has caused many ills to individuals, society and the environment long before the credit crunch occurred. The true brilliant minds have been warning about it's unsustainability for some time...and as usual, few were listening.
How I feel about bankers.
What has this to do with Muslims? In Islam, it is a sin to charge interest or pay interest. If you've ever wondered why so many Muslims live two or three families in a house, now you know. Unlike the rest of the world, they can't borrow the money they need to purchase a home. They have, however, come up with various ways to get themselves into expensive propositions like home ownership without using credit.
I'm writing about this because I just heard that some lending institutions are using predatory interest rates as a way of boosting their bottom line. What do I mean when I say "predatory"? Would you believe 30% per annum!?
Do I have any grasp at all on how big finance works? First, they gave money to people who didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of repaying them. Smart move. Then, when those people actually defaulted on their loans and mortgages, the banks almost stopped lending altogether. How did they expect to make money without lending? Now, we hear about exorbitant rates being charged. I'd like to know how many people who can actually afford to pay such high rates are willing to take on more debt considering their job is subject to being lost at any time?
I don't know why, but I keep getting surprised by the moves that the supposedly brightest minds, individually and as a group, keep screwing up the world royally. I should be used to it by now. From CEO's of auto companies to the titans of the financial sector, to presidents of powerful countries, we see ineptitude that dwarfs anything even that of an average person. But I digress...
Before "retiring", I had many friends and colleagues who were Muslim, and one in particular was a very good friend and was also one of the less "westernized" among them. On many aspects of Islam which we discussed at great lengths, I somewhat agreed, if not whole-heartedly, were good practises. The taking and paying of interest I hadn't been sure of, but given the mess that all the brainiacs in the credit markets have put the whole world in, there's now no doubt in my mind that it is a decidedly bad thing. The frenzy of unabated consumption driven by virtually unlimited credit has caused many ills to individuals, society and the environment long before the credit crunch occurred. The true brilliant minds have been warning about it's unsustainability for some time...and as usual, few were listening.
How I feel about bankers.
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