Islam

Muslim writer 'insulted Islam' and will go to trial for it

Tony Thompson,

In October, Egyptian columnist Fatima Naoot wrote several Facebook posts referring to the Muslim sacrificial feast Eid al-Adha. Controversy quickly arose, and she opted to delete the posts. Unfortunately that was not the end of her troubles:

“Happy massacre,” Fatima Naoot wrote on her Facebook page in October during Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice.

Animals are slaughtered during Eid to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to fulfil God’s command to sacrifice his own son, although in the end God provided him with a sheep.

“Massacre committed by men over the past 10 centuries and followed by men each year with a smile,” Naoot wrote at the time.

“Annual massacre observed because of a nightmare of one (prophet) about his son… ,” she wrote in Arabic.

“Although the nightmare has passed for the prophet and his son, each year helpless animals pay with their lives the price of this sacred nightmare.”

Naoot, who is Muslim, deleted her posts from Facebook after controversy erupted about them.

But a judicial official said on Saturday that she admitted during questioning that she had written them.

The 50-year-old columnist denied she had any intention to insult Islam, the official told AFP, adding she had also been charged with “making fun of the right to sacrifice”.

“It is the price paid by those who carry torches of enlightenment at every age,” Naoot wrote on Friday after having been informed of her trial which is due to start on January 28.

She said that in October she had posted messages on Facebook to congratulate Muslims for Eid al-Adha but “urged them to respect the offering and not humiliate it by flooding the ground with animal blood”.

Egypt‘s constitution outlaws insults against the three monotheist religions recognised by the state — Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

I’m glad we have the separation of church and state as much as we do in the United States, bc I could easily imagine nationwide blasphemy laws were that not the case. And I loathe blasphemy laws. Walling religious institutions and ideas off from humor, mockery, or criticism while simultaneously harming human beings is immoral.  Ideas and institutions are things. They aren’t people, they cannot be hurt, and they should not be elevated in importance above humanity.  When religious beliefs and ideas are treated as more important than the well-being of humans, we suffer and die.

Oh, and I find it amusing that you cannot criticize Islam, Christianity, or Judaism in Egypt, but presumably it is A-OK to criticize other religions.

* * * *

With regard to the Muslim celebration…da fuq? Celebrating a fictional character who was going to kill his child? It’s like they think the only important element of that scenario is Abraham’s devotion to God. What about the damn child?! I don’t think it’s outrageous to suggest that most moral people would consider a real-world father like Abraham to be a reprehensible scumbag who should lose all parental rights.  As well as go to jail. But because he’s a reprehensible scumbag devoted to God, it’s different.

Muslim writer 'insulted Islam' and will go to trial for it
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Muslim writer ‘insulted Islam’ and will go to trial for it

Tony Thompson,

In October, Egyptian columnist Fatima Naoot wrote several Facebook posts referring to the Muslim sacrificial feast Eid al-Adha. Controversy quickly arose, and she opted to delete the posts. Unfortunately that was not the end of her troubles:

“Happy massacre,” Fatima Naoot wrote on her Facebook page in October during Eid al-Adha, the Muslim feast of sacrifice.

Animals are slaughtered during Eid to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to fulfil God’s command to sacrifice his own son, although in the end God provided him with a sheep.

“Massacre committed by men over the past 10 centuries and followed by men each year with a smile,” Naoot wrote at the time.

“Annual massacre observed because of a nightmare of one (prophet) about his son… ,” she wrote in Arabic.

“Although the nightmare has passed for the prophet and his son, each year helpless animals pay with their lives the price of this sacred nightmare.”

Naoot, who is Muslim, deleted her posts from Facebook after controversy erupted about them.

But a judicial official said on Saturday that she admitted during questioning that she had written them.

The 50-year-old columnist denied she had any intention to insult Islam, the official told AFP, adding she had also been charged with “making fun of the right to sacrifice”.

“It is the price paid by those who carry torches of enlightenment at every age,” Naoot wrote on Friday after having been informed of her trial which is due to start on January 28.

She said that in October she had posted messages on Facebook to congratulate Muslims for Eid al-Adha but “urged them to respect the offering and not humiliate it by flooding the ground with animal blood”.

Egypt‘s constitution outlaws insults against the three monotheist religions recognised by the state — Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

I’m glad we have the separation of church and state as much as we do in the United States, bc I could easily imagine nationwide blasphemy laws were that not the case. And I loathe blasphemy laws. Walling religious institutions and ideas off from humor, mockery, or criticism while simultaneously harming human beings is immoral.  Ideas and institutions are things. They aren’t people, they cannot be hurt, and they should not be elevated in importance above humanity.  When religious beliefs and ideas are treated as more important than the well-being of humans, we suffer and die.

Oh, and I find it amusing that you cannot criticize Islam, Christianity, or Judaism in Egypt, but presumably it is A-OK to criticize other religions.

* * * *

With regard to the Muslim celebration…da fuq? Celebrating a fictional character who was going to kill his child? It’s like they think the only important element of that scenario is Abraham’s devotion to God. What about the damn child?! I don’t think it’s outrageous to suggest that most moral people would consider a real-world father like Abraham to be a reprehensible scumbag who should lose all parental rights.  As well as go to jail. But because he’s a reprehensible scumbag devoted to God, it’s different.

Muslim writer ‘insulted Islam’ and will go to trial for it

"Women are not the equal of men" says President of Turkey

Tony Thompson, , ,

That’s bad enough on its own.

That statement becomes even more ugly when you consider where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan uttered those words:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again waded into controversy on Monday when he told a mostly female audience at a summit on justice for women that women are not equal to men.

That’s right. At a summit on justice for women, those selfsame women have just been told by their President that they are not equal to men.  Surely the President has a strong argument (backed by Olympic-sized swimming pools of evidence) in support of his belief, no? An argument so strong that his critics have no choice but to concede defeat.

Not so much:

“You cannot put women and men on an equal footing,” he said. “It is against nature. They were created differently. Their nature is different. Their constitution is different.”

The good ole argument from nature as justification for denying women equality.  No one in the history of…well…ever, has heard that one (<—snarcasm).  In his eyes,  women can never hope to be the social, political, or economic equals of men.  Because, biology.  But he does think there is something women are good at.  A role that women excel at and which they are born for:

Erdogan, a devout Muslim, said women’s role in society is clear:

“Our religion has defined a position for women: Motherhood. Some people can understand this, while others can’t,” he said. “You cannot explain this to feminists because they don’t accept the concept of motherhood.”

All you women who want to chart the course of your own lives? All you women who want to be mothers and have a career?  Tough luck according to President Erdogan. You are bound by biology and the religion of Islam to be nothing more than mothers.

 ::remembers that Turkey is supposed to be a secular democracy::

I’m sure the women of Turkey have nothing to worry about. I’m sure the President was just voicing his beliefs, and his religious beliefs have no role in crafting public policy. Right?

"Women are not the equal of men" says President of Turkey

“Women are not the equal of men” says President of Turkey

Tony Thompson, , ,

That’s bad enough on its own.

That statement becomes even more ugly when you consider where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan uttered those words:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan once again waded into controversy on Monday when he told a mostly female audience at a summit on justice for women that women are not equal to men.

That’s right. At a summit on justice for women, those selfsame women have just been told by their President that they are not equal to men.  Surely the President has a strong argument (backed by Olympic-sized swimming pools of evidence) in support of his belief, no? An argument so strong that his critics have no choice but to concede defeat.

Not so much:

“You cannot put women and men on an equal footing,” he said. “It is against nature. They were created differently. Their nature is different. Their constitution is different.”

The good ole argument from nature as justification for denying women equality.  No one in the history of…well…ever, has heard that one (<—snarcasm).  In his eyes,  women can never hope to be the social, political, or economic equals of men.  Because, biology.  But he does think there is something women are good at.  A role that women excel at and which they are born for:

Erdogan, a devout Muslim, said women’s role in society is clear:

“Our religion has defined a position for women: Motherhood. Some people can understand this, while others can’t,” he said. “You cannot explain this to feminists because they don’t accept the concept of motherhood.”

All you women who want to chart the course of your own lives? All you women who want to be mothers and have a career?  Tough luck according to President Erdogan. You are bound by biology and the religion of Islam to be nothing more than mothers.

 ::remembers that Turkey is supposed to be a secular democracy::

I’m sure the women of Turkey have nothing to worry about. I’m sure the President was just voicing his beliefs, and his religious beliefs have no role in crafting public policy. Right?

“Women are not the equal of men” says President of Turkey