Sir Salman?

[AFPheonix]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0621/p99s01-duts.html

This entire situation pretty much is a summation of everything that is wrong on both the West's and the Middle East's part regarding communicating with each other, in my opinion.
The fact that the British committee who nominated him thought that enough time had passed since the end of the fatwa against Rushdie that it wouldn't matter are just a representation of the inability of the West to even try to comprehend Middle Eastern culture and sensibilities.

On the other hand, the fact that a Pakistani Minister thought it would be ok to endorse a suicide bombing in response is just appalling. I'm sure he'd be singing a different tune if he was the target of a suicide bomb, so why he would think it would be remotely appropriate to suggest that that would be an ok action is beyond me.

It will be quite interesting to see how this conflict is resolved.

[Rapscallion]

The speaker of the provincial assembly in Punjab province said blasphemers should be killed while Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, president of Pakistan's ruling party, said British Prime Minister Tony Blair was "personally and mentally against Islam.

Personally and mentally against Islam. Hmm, if that's true, would that be because there are idiots in Islam demand the death penalty for suggesting that mohammed could have been a man?

There's a reason for islamophobia - some of its adherents.

Rapscallion

[AFPheonix]

The stupid thing is, Blair had nothing to do with the nomination. It was a private committee picking out some candidates for the Queen's birthday, if I understand correctly.

I've never even read the Satanic Verses. Maybe I should at some point, because I really don't totally grasp what the issue is.

[rahmota]

Well according to my cousin who is in country right now one of the biggest problems with the middle east is they have a long memory and if someone from one village does something to someone from another they can start a feud that will last for hundreds of years. I mean we are talking about a region that for over the past 2000 years has had the sands run red with blood for the most trivial of things as which bush you pray to or which village you come from. It makes the hatfields and the mccoys look down right sedate by comparision.

One other thign the cousin said right now: The only way to tell the good guys from the bad guys is the good guys havent tried to kill you yet.

[Rubystars]

Apparently free speech is forbidden in Islam, even if you're not a Muslim!

[AFPheonix]

Free speech is looked down upon among other conservative religious sects, too.

[rahmota]

No you still have the freedom to say anything they want to let you......

And AFP is quite right in that there are christian extremist groups (and some not so extreme) who would like to see limits placed upon our freedoms of speech here in america.

As for the Satanic Verses I've never read it but if someone gets so bent about whats written in a book they want to go off and kill someone they have some issues......Oh wait thats already been done before the verses came out.

[protege]

I've also heard that some Islamic nutjobs publish cartoons and other materials that paint other religions and groups in a negative light. Yet, they get all bent out of shape when someone is critical of *their* beliefs...Give me a freaking break.

[AFPheonix]

Not just cartoons. There was a children's show on the air until recently in Gaza. It featured a character that looked a lot like Mickey Mouse, but he'd spout hate speech against Israel and the West and encourage child viewers to become militants.

I think the last episode ended up with "Mickey" getting martyred. It's on YouTube somewhere, I'm just too lazy to find it right now.