I don’t have anything to say, nope, nothing at all.
Showing newest posts with label Islam. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label Islam. Show older posts
Monday, October 04, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Pay the bill Terry Jones
I read this with my bowl of oatmeal this morning and nearly choked. Terry Jones, the Koran burning pastor of yesterdays news, must pay the police $180k for police protection the Dove World Outreach Center incurred in the lead up to his aborted event.
"We have 286 sworn officers and almost everyone was working either at the Dove Center or at other soft targets," she said. "Unless you were sick or injured you were working" the day the burning was to take place.
The Gainesville Police Department said it spent more than $100,000 while the Alachua County Sheriff's Office spent an estimated $80,000 during the weekend of the planned demonstration.
Coincidentally, Terry Jones sent me an email asking for donations to his cause.
My name is Dr. Terry Jones.
We need your financial assistance in order to continue the fight that we have started against Islam. As we know, Islam is a very dangerous and violent religion. We must take this message to Washington D.C. We must take this message around to the major cities in America. We have plans to contact Senators and Representatives and knock on doors to talk to them in Washington D.C. To bring to their awareness, that we must wake up, we must look at this radical element of Islam, and we must stop them. We must, around America call for rallies in order to wake up our churches, in order to wake up our local governments, that they might be able to see that it is time for us to stand up. It is time for the Church, it is time for people to speak out. In order to do this, we need your financial help. If you would like for us to come to your area, then please contact us by e-mail at, info@doveworld.org, or by phone at 352-371-2487.
Hi, my name is Terry Jones and I am a nutball.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
A newspaper capitulates
The NewsFeed and a interesting post called, Maine Newspaper Apologizes For Daring to Run Muslim Photo on 9/11. in it they describe how a local news paper in Portland called the Press-Herald apologizes for running a picture and story about the end of Ramadan on the ninth anniversary of 9/11.
If you are a Muslim in America, be warned: apparently now even the very fact that you exist is offensive to people on September 11th.
This weekend was the ninth anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. It was also the end of Ramadan. To celebrate the latter occasion, the Portland Press-Herald placed this picture of some Portland Muslims praying on the front page of its September 11th edition. Just a normal, slice-of-life shot that editors use when they don't have any news with a hard visual peg, right?
I don’t associate 9/11 with American Muslims flying planes into building. I associate it Saudi terrorists flying planes into building. I’ve changed my mind on this, partially because I know too many good people who are Muslims. So grow a backbone Portland Press-Herald. What you did was ok, stand by your work.
We have reason to fear Islam
We have reason to fear Islam. And not just the nutball terrorists we should fear. No, if a Islamic holy man can call on all good Muslims to murder someone because of something they said or did, then we must fear the masses of Muslims too. If we don’t have any idea who will step from the pack to kill in the name of their religion. How do we protect against that?
That’s just what Molly Norris is thinking. She is the cartoonist behind the “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” cartoon. The FBI warned her of a potential threat and advised that she disappear for her own safety, and she has. Molly Norris is gone, on her own dime too.
Norris views the situation with her customary sense of the world's complexity, and absurdity. When FBI agents, on a recent visit, instructed her to always keep watch for anyone following her, she responded, "Well, at least it'll keep me from being so self-involved!" It was, she says, the first time the agents managed a smile. She likens the situation to cancer—it might basically be nothing, it might be urgent and serious, it might go away and never return, or it might pop up again when she least expects it.
There is only one way to combat this. We all must call to draw a call for a Draw a Mohammed Day. Each and ever day a new call should arise. Each and every day it should be answered. With hundreds of thousands of people to choose from, how can the Imams pick on a individual?
Monday, September 13, 2010
Dude, you have no Qur’an
I read this story and smiled: Texas Skateboarder Stops Christian Extremist From Burning The Qur’an
In Amarillo, Texas, David Grisham, director of Repent Amarillo, “which aims to deter promiscuity, homosexuality and non-Christian worship practices through confrontation and prayer,” planned to burn the Islamic holy text at a public gathering. But before he could set the book ablaze, a 23 year-old skateboarder named Jacob Isom swooped in and grabbed it:
this is activism at its best. In the video interview you hear that people stood with their hands doused with kerosene over the Qur’an to prevent nutball Christian David Grisham from burning the books. Grisham heads Repent Amarillo, I would stand against this man and his paramilitary group of fundie nutballs every time the appear in public.
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Friday, September 10, 2010
Does Terry Jones run a cult?
The Sydney Morning Herald ran a story titled Pastor in Koran furore accused of using ‘slaves’. It raised an interesting question, is pastor Terry Jones running a cult?
A former worshipper said he worked 72 hours a week without pay for Terry Jones, who insists he will go ahead with the Koran burning to mark the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.
Slave labor, yes, that qualifies.
Shane Butcher, who was expelled from the church for disobedience, told the Gainesville Sun he worked for the pastor's TS and Company for up 72 hours a week without pay, and meals were provided from a ''food bank''.
Harsh rules, yes, that qualifies.
Mr Butcher said punishments for disobedience ranged from cleaning the barnacles off Mr Jones's boat in Tampa, to carrying a life-size wooden cross or writing out all of Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible.
Odd punishments, yes, that qualifies.
We know the rest of the story. Fringe beliefs, a weapons based culture, a closed “us vs. them” mentality, and lots of hate. I’d say yes, we are looking at a cult. Great, a cult nutball is capturing he attention of the world.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Catholics! Have more babies
I love it when one religion feeds off of he paranoia and fear related to another religion. The Catholics outdid themselves yesterday. Father Piero Gheddo told all European Catholics that the way to fight of Islam is to have more babies.
"Certainly from a demographic point of view, as it is clear to everyone that Italians are decreasing by 120,000 or 130,000 persons a year because of abortion and broken families; while among the more than 200,000 legal immigrants a year in Italy, more than half are Muslims and Muslim families, which have a much higher level of growth,"
Read more: Catholic priest urges European Christians to fight off Islam by having babies
I’m not sure if he included protestants in his message. My guess is that he would happy if they did not breed at all given the Catholic church is the only true church and the various protestant creeds have no chance of salvation.
I love how he paints the problem as Islam against Catholic Europe too. Never mind that Europe is largely secular now. I’m sure the Europeans are all rushing out to make babies right now. But wait, what about birth control and abortions? The plan will only work if we curtail those nasty habits too.
Racists priest make the best priests. The Vatican should be so proud. I bet they promote him.
Stupidity is not a crime
Even though at times we all wish it were true, stupidity is not a crime. Pastor Terry Jones is lucky, the stupidity police are on their way to arrest him, only they don’t have just cause. Civil rights pioneer Stetson Kennedy has his own PR stunt planned. He intends to conduct a citizen’s arrest during Jones’ planned Koran burning. This has fail written all over it. Especially since Jones has a .40 caliber pistol strapped to his leg.
Stetson Kennedy says he’ll be in Gainesville this weekend, and will conduct a citizen’s arrest on Dove World Outreach Center Pastor Terry Jones on the grounds of inciting violence and rioting.
“Any citizen in the presence of a crime in progress may make a citizen’s arrest,” Kennedy said.
“In this case, I would intend to take the Reverend Jones to the nearest U.S. Attorney.”
Expressing ones constitutionally protected right to free speech is hardly something one can be arrested for. Even if you think others may right in counter-protest. Surely a civil rights pioneer would understand this? Nah, when publicity is involved, and it could help your book sales, people will do just about anything.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
No lies, just faulty interpretation
I posted on nutball Laurie Cardoza-Moore a few days ago. Once of her supporters offered this as a explanation for her position of Islam.
No lies here, folks. The terrorism endured by Israel HAS come to our shores. There were NO Muslim Founding Fathers. The Board of Pediatrics DID propose ‘token’ female circumcision earlier this year.
Muslims WERE the enslavers of more Africans than the USA. The US IS at war with radical Islam, despite the PC-speech by the Feds.
Israel is STILL being pressured to give up land. No hate, just facts.
The terrorism endured by Israel HAS come to our shores – Has it really? Israel is fighting a constant battle with the Palestinians. We had one attack by religious terrorist 10 years ago. The conflict is Isreal is largely political in nature. It is not Islam vs. Israel. But the conflict is used as justification for religious nutballs to use violence against others.
There were NO Muslim Founding Fathers – and this matter how in our multi-cultural democracy? The reality is that today our citizens are from every nation and every religion (even no religion). The religious of our founding fathers is immaterial. They were just men.
The Board of Pediatrics DID propose ‘token’ female circumcision – A misguided attempt by physicians to find a way to appease immigrant populations with a cultural practice of genital mutilation by performing a procedure that is cosmetic. That not exactly the same as mandated mutilization now is it?
Muslims WERE the enslavers of more Africans than the USA – Again, why does this matter. We were both wrong. One is no more wrong than the other. Your point is meaningless. What Muslims did 200 years ago is no more relevant to today’s issues then we the United States did 200 years ago.
The US IS at war with radical Islam – No, we are not at war with radical Islam. We are at war with the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan. There inhabitants and combatants happen to be Islamic. Your point is like saying we were at war with the church of England during the Revolutionary War, or with Buddhists during WW II. You don’t go to war against a concept, you go to war against a country.
Israel is STILL being pressured to give up land. – What does this have to do with a ground zero mosque? But your point is off too – Israel is being pressured to find peace.
What was your point again?
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Common sense from CAIR?
I’m shocked. I’m actually shocked. CAIR, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, issued the following statement in a press release: CAIR Urges Responsible Media Coverage of Fla. 'Burn a Koran Day'
"Just as all Muslims should not be blamed for the actions of a few extremists, neither should all Christians or all Americans be blamed for the intentionally offensive actions of the Dove World Outreach Center," said CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad. "Pastor Terry Jones represents nothing but an extremist fringe."
I could have written that statement. That gives me the chills. Where is the normal doublespeak and veiled threats?
I am encouraged by the response for other religious leaders.
Twenty-four interfaith leaders in the Gainesville area have planned activities as a positive response to Dove World's planned Quran burning. In a statement announcing their plans, the leaders said, "We state clearly the act of burning the sacred scripture of Islam has no place in our faith, our religious communities, our town, or in our nation."
I plan to burn a Koran, bible, and maybe a Jack Chick tract or two on September 11, as a protest against religious nutters and their propensity toward violence, and the frequency by which they knock on my door. But the event will not be televised. Anaheim, with its large local Muslim community, is all of 3 miles from my home.
I could just be saying I will burn holy things for the press coverage. Everybody knows I like seeing my name in the press. Right pastor Terry Jones?
Yep, or I could just burn some ribs. Pork ribs… that sounds like more fun. I’ll use the Jack Chick tracts as kindling. He’s unlikely to seek revenge.
Friday, September 03, 2010
A good Atheist Rant
Man up Naser Abdo
Muslim soldier Naser Abdo (website) volunteered for the military. He took the oath. He said these words:
I, Naser Abdo, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.
Now he want to claim conscientious objector status because being in the military interferes with his faith.
"I was more faithful to God before I joined the military and that's what kind of stirred me," he said. Military duties have really consumed every part of my day and did not allow me time to involve myself with the Islamic community to maintain what duties I felt that I owed God. This is really what made me come to the conclusion that I'm not ready to die....
Who really joins the military in war without the understanding that it is demanding, hard work, and can cost you your life? How many people wish for any way out of the situation? I know I did, and I was not even in the service during a war.
The Army should not grant Abdo’s request. He’s given his word. He’s sworn an oath before God. If his religion really means as much to him as he claims, then his oath should carry enough weight that he finishes his tour of duty.
Don’t send him to war. Make him work instead. His desire to break an oath should be enough to see that he is untrustworthy. If a man cannot keep his word, then give him work in service to others. Have him clean pots, mow lawns, and clean the latrines. Make him work the hours that his unit works. Keep him in the Army until his term is up. That, or have him sit out the war in a prison cell.
I’m not a huge fan of using ones faith to make a political point. What he’s really saying here is obviously political and pure rhetoric.
"Islam is a peaceful religion, it's not a religion of warfare," Abdo said. "And it's not a religion of terror. As a Muslim, we stand against injustice, we stand against discrimination, and I feel it's my duty as an individual to do this."
He is taking a political position in support of a religion. Don’t give him the stage.
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
I have a bad feeling about this
Reports of anti-Islamic activity are become disturbing. The recent arrest of a 17-year-old boy for disrupting an Islamic service is a further example.
Orleans County Sheriff Scott Hess says the same teens from nearby Holley shouted epithets and honked horns as they drove past the mosque Friday. That's when they say the 17-year-old fired a shotgun twice into the ground.
Have we moved from media attacks to bands of armed teenaged goons? This could get ugly. The mood feels reminiscent of a tea-party fueled pogrom. I’m actually worried about my Muslim friends.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
No hijab for Mickey Mouse
When I go to Disneyland, I don’t see employees, I see cast members. I don’t know which are Catholic, Mormon, Hindus, or Muslim. I’m in an annoying fantasy world where I can pretend to have fun with a few thousand of my sweaty obnoxious friends. Even though I must be drugged and then tricked into visiting, I applauded Disney for keeping religion out of their operation. The park is as bland and boring as possible on purpose, they do not want to offend. I even like their attitude when it comes to accommodating the needs of their religious employees. They try. Of course, that does not stop people with an agenda from pushing their faith anyway.
A Muslim employee is refusing to wear a hat and bonnet that Disney provided in place of a head scarf, which she wants to leave on at work for religious reasons.
Imane Boudlal, a restaurant hostess at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, last week in a press conference accused Disney of religious discrimination for refusing to let her wear a hijab, a head scarf, in public view.
Read more: Muslim employee rejects Disney's hat alternative by Ssrah Tully
Disney is offering a bonnet with a hat, which covers the head and neck. Baudlal wants her hijab. Disney has offered her jobs out of the public eye, she’s refused those too.
"The hat makes a joke of me and my religion, and draws even more attention to me," Boudlal said in a prepared statement. "It's unacceptable."
The bonnet/hat combo looks bad.
Disney will stand firm. They don’t want religion stepping on some tourists vacation buzz.
Friday, August 20, 2010
What century do we live in?
The answer to that question depends on where you live and the faith that rules your country. In Saudi Arabia, they live in the 12th century. What else can you call it when a Saudi Arabian judge asks hospitals to paralyse man?
A Saudi judge has asked several hospitals whether they would punitively damage a man's spinal cord after he was convicted of attacking another man with a cleaver and paralysing him, local newspapers reported today.
Saudi Arabia enforces strict sharia law and occasionally metes out punishments based on the ancient code of an eye for an eye.
Sharia law is stuck in time while the civilized world moved on. Why do we even give it any chance of establishing a foothold in the west?
At least one of the hospitals refused on ethical grounds.
Okaz reported that a leading hospital in Riyadh – King Faisal specialist hospital – said that it would not do the operation. The article quoted a letter from the hospital saying "inflicting such harm is not possible"…
I’m sure they will find a way to paralyze the man. They always do.
Monday, August 16, 2010
That dove is hater
How can you call yourself a Christian, run a church called the Dove World Outreach Center, and think that offending a billion people is a good thing? I’m betting it’s because pastor Terry Jones is an attention whore who thinks burning a Koran is somehow standing up to terrorism.
"Things like 9-11, Fort Hood, and the honor killings... these are possibly not isolated incidents," Dove World Outreach Center pastor Terry Jones said. "These are things that, if we don't stand up now, they can increase."
Right… We’ve all seen what happens when you flush a Koran, burn a Koran, or my favorite, shoot a Koran. Somebody somewhere will riot, somebody somewhere will die. Yep, problem solved. I can see terrorists heading for hills. We’re safe.
Burn a Koran if you must, but don’t tell me your doing it for world peace or to protect us from terrorism. I can see that your heart is full of hate. I have a solution for you, walk away from your religion. If your sane, you’ll leave hate behind too.
Excuse me, I need to go throw a few bibles on the bonfire. It’s an Atheists thing. I hope I don’t offend you.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Ramadan starts and babies suffer?
I have a few Muslim friends who participate in Ramadan. With them, I’ve always considered the practice cultural rather than strictly religious. I asked one friend about the participation of children and pregnant women. He stressed that participation was voluntary here in the states, but might be compulsory in some Muslim countries. I pressed on pregnant women, he assured me that all pregnant women take precautions and that anyone at risk is excused. I accepted it at the time, but I’ve always had a few doubts.
I read this today: Pregnant women who fast for Ramadan risk damage to their babies, study finds.
Pregnant muslim women who fast during Ramadan are likely to have smaller babies who will be more prone to learning disabilities in adulthood, according to new research.
There are never absolutes. Religious people may know the risks and participate anyway, or they may not understand the risks at all. Religion does that to people. You make decisions based on superstation instead of facts. Let’s hope the make he right decision today.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Rape, Islam and the US Justice system
The Secular Daily News reports the a New York family judge ruled in favor of an Islamic man who claimed that marital rape and corporal punishment were his right under Islam. That’s right, a man was raping his wife and beating her too. The victim sought protection through the legal system as part of a divorce action. The judge recognized the rape and abuse, but failed to execute the order of protection because of the religious claim. An appeals court judge corrected the error.
It makes you want to scratch your head, and then call for the head of the family court judge. If the judge is that wrong, perhaps he or she should find another job.
I find SDN to be a fine resource for stories. Do you follow them?
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Thursday, April 08, 2010
Where is the outrage Islam?
A 13-year-old child bride bled to death after her forced marriage was consummated. Her name was Ilham Mahdi al Assi. Her husband was is his 20s. The wounds were horrific…
A medical report by the hospital where she was treated said she had suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding after intercourse, the group said.
Yemen recently tried to pass a law forbidding child brides. Some women even marched in supported of it. Yet Islamic parties mobilized enough of an effort to convince politicians to hold up its implementation.
On Monday a group of Islamic clerics issued a decree condemning the law, and said its supporters were apostates.
Some of the signatories of the decree were lawmakers sitting on the committee charged with amending the law, it was reported.
The speaker of parliament, Yehya al-Raei, said it was possible that the law would be changed to maintain the age limit, but punishments for breaking the law including prison sentences and fines would be cancelled.
In many civilized countries murdering a 13-year-old girl with your penis is a crime punishable by a long prison sentence. Not so in Yemen where followers of Mohammed see nothing wrong with forced child marriage. They point to Mohammed as justification. The Prophet had a child bride named Aisha who was just 6-years-old at the time of her marriage. Mohamed waited until she was nine to consummate the marriage.
Is this right? Should we cut Yemen a break because their brand of pedophilia is tied to a religion? Or should we call this cowardly act what it is, child rape in the name of religion? I vote for the latter.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Cherie Booth’s religious bias
Tony Blair’s wife, Cherie Booth, did something I consider wrong. Acting as a judge, she spared a Muslim man who had committed a violent offense from serving jail time. Her reason; the man was religious and therefore understood the difference between right and wrong.
Ms Booth told Miah that violence had to be taken seriously, but said she would suspend his prison sentence because he was a religious person and had not been in trouble before.
She added: "You are a religious man and you know this is not acceptable behaviour."
The man had punched another man while in line at a bank, breaking his jaw. As an atheist, If I had done this, would I be serving time in jail? I have no record. I clearly understand the difference between right and wrong. Yet I am not religious, this means in her eyes I am evil because she clearly connects religion with behavior. Her judgment is unfair.
The National Secular Society has complained.
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