Great Bullies of History
Don’t forget, there is no compulsion in religion.
Lawmakers and members of a political party assaulted the exiled feminist author as she presented a translation of one of her novels in Hyderabad…Many Muslims have accused Ms Nasreen of ridiculing Islam…About 100 protesters, including three lawmakers, from the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party burst in, shouting that the author was “anti-Islam”. Ms Nasreen backed into a corner as objects rained down and she was threatened with a chair, witnesses said.
There is no compulsion in religion, but if an author is ‘anti-Islam,’ then men will throw things at her and offer to beat her with a chair, on the grounds that there is no compulsion in religion.
It’s quite understandable, of course, because people get incensed when someone is ‘anti-Islam.’
Muslim protesters assaulted the exiled Bangladeshi author and feminist Taslima Nasreen at a book launch in Hyderabad on Thursday, incensed by her repeated criticism of Islam and religion in general. Some radical Muslims hate Nasreen for saying Islam and other religions oppress women…On Thursday, lawmakers and members of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen party attacked her at the press club in Hyderabad…An uneasy-looking Nasreen backed into a corner as several middle-aged men threw a leather case, bunches of flowers and other objects at her head and threatened her with a chair…Some of the mob shouted for her death.
That’s a pleasant mental picture, isn’t it? An ‘uneasy-looking’ woman (very brave of her to look merely uneasy – I would have been squalling in terror) backed into a corner by a lot of middle-aged men throwing heavy objects at her head and threatening her with a chair. And these are ‘lawmakers’! Lawmakers reminiscent of the great Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina who approached Senator Charles Sumner while he was pinned at a desk and unable to escape and beat him over the head with a walking stick. That kind of ‘lawmaker’ – and that kind of brave man. Brave, pious, devout, holy, ‘good’ men ganging up and assaulting one woman because they dislike what she has written, and her desire for women’s rights. Women don’t matter, principles about not ganging up on people and not assaulting people don’t matter, principles about law and equal rights and peaceful discussion and justice don’t matter, all that matters is ‘Islam’ and taboos against disagreeing with what some pack of bullies think it is.
Makes me wish I was born a Muslim, so I could write something WORSE.
Brave, pious, devout, holy, ‘good’ men ganging up and assaulting one woman because they dislike what she has written, and her desire for women’s rights.
Yeah, I can just visualise these cruel men as they rained blows down on her – crying out in unison to allah O’ Akbar. Beat her, she is impious, she is not devout; she is unholy, she is not good like us.
“crying out in unison to allah O’ Akbar”
of the illustrious Irish Akbar clan
From an informative article in the WaPo by Ayaan Hirsi Ali:
“It is also the obligation of every Muslim to command virtue and forbid vice. Apostasy, the worst possible vice a Muslim can commit, should be punished by death. The punishment need not be carried out by a state, but can easily be enforced by civilians. When it is a question of Islamic law, justice is in the hands of every Muslim.”
There’s a really interesting section about the five basic types of Muslims.
Full: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2007/08/my_view_of_islam.html
Or:
http://tinyurl.com/2q6f2j
Tingey, you mean here you go again.
Please don’t keep saying ‘here we go again’ followed by a formula. We’ve seen it; many times; we’re not impressed; please don’t keep repeating it.
Wait Guys:
It gets worse.
She is booked by police for promoting communal enmity and not her attackers.
Link is http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Taslima_booked_for_promoting_communal_enmity/articleshow/2273869.cms
All the secular parties of India are keeping quiet because they dont want to lose the Muslim vote bank.
Wonder why all are not treated same under secularism.
“That’s a pleasant mental picture, isn’t it? An ‘uneasy-looking’ woman (very brave of her to look merely uneasy – I would have been squalling in terror) backed into a corner”
The most horrifying thing Taslima Nasreen did to herself was to allow herself to be by these vicious nonentities – cornered. Being trapped in a corner – by such like gurriers – in a situation like this is/should be to her the equivalent of the sound of the death knell. A high profile figure such as Taslima should know something like this is inexorably going to occur. Security arrangements, therefore beforehand, by her minders, should have been in place for her quick and safe departure.
“I would have been squalling in terror)”
OB:
I would have either gone into fight or flight mode.
Or, then again, I might have just stood there absolutely frozen to the core.
What a terrifying predictament to have to find oneself?
Irish Farmers [most] before approaching their bulls/bullocks/others out-houses customarily make sure never to allow themselves to be cornered.
It is enormously lethal.
I know many people who died very gratuitous catastrophic deaths at the hands of their own cattle.
Definitely not a pleasant picture.
Oh, christ, no.
Thanks, Amar – I’m off to google news for more on that.
Communal enmity! Godalmighty.
The following are some of Mike Ghouse’s favourite Quotes.
1) All problems and conflicts have a singular root: Words. The words we choose can mess up or turn thin.
2) Peace and prosperity of our world hinges on justice and plurality, absence or deficiency of both will not level the world’s playing field.
Re: Exiled Bangladeshi author and feminist Taslima Nasreen
Fatwa condemned Not acceptable to Muslims Mike Ghouse March 19, 2007
mikeghouse.sulekha.com
Ah, c’mon, it’s just part of their “culture”, so we simply have to respect it, and get on with outsourcing as many jobs & selling as much high-tech weaponry to them as we possibly can…
Tingey, All religions? Of course, you know about all religions? All crows are black?