h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Exactly. Fine should they want to expound their views and beliefs on to others they live with, in their culture, but it is* their* culture, not ours, we don't expect them to live by our cultural ideals and they shouldn't expect us to live by their's, that they do* expect us too, isn't meaning we should. It is they who have the choice of weather to take offense or not, this is* their choice, our actions, according to our own cultural and societal 'norms' arn't forcing them to take the action they do, it is their belief system, their cultural and societal belief system which is, and they have a choice... 'We' on the other hand don't have a choice... We can't turn 'ourselves' into their idea of a perfect society, and change our culture to that, as we'd have to do this not only for Islamic culture, but pressumbably for all other cultures and belief systems which differn from our own; clearly impossible to create a culture to replace our own which is capible of conjoining such contradictory and differnt systems...

I'm thinking now that one of the most scary things is that politicians in the US felt they had to dignify this person, the pastor, with so much importance. I didn't understand why, from the outset, they didn't just say this is some crackpot extremist fundie...so we in the US hold him with so little value and meaning..even though the press have made a big deal, the overwhelming majority of US citizens find him a total irrelevence.

But I think they didn't dare because they were afraid that many in the US maybe sympathised with and agreed with this lunatic. And that's why US press decided to give him so much publicity.

It strikes me that in general, the places where Muslims protest the most are the autocratic type of countries beset with all types of problems like Pakistan, Yemen, Iran, Gaza etc. We don't generally see mobs protesting in places like Indonesia or Malaysia.

The cynic in me might wonder if some governments might be perfectly happy for their citizens to be jumping up & down about things happening abroad rather than looking closer to home.

There's also the fact that the book-burning incident has undoubtedly helped the cause of those wanting to build their mosque/centre/prayer rooms/whatever in New York.

"It strikes me that in general, the places where Muslims protest the most are the autocratic type of countries beset with all types of problems..."

Well, that's often the way all-round. "Autocratic countries beset with problems" do lead to protesting mobs - eastern Europe in the late '80s, for one example. Zimbabwe in the recent past, for another.

But when you talk about which protests we "generally see", don't forget that's largely down to an editorial decision made by somebody else.

Who remembers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thailand#Political_crisis now, mere weeks after it was the hot topic?

I'm curious.

In Topeka Kansas, copies of the Koran were burned, publicly, by members of a small church.

In Springfield, Tennessee, two pastors publicly burned copies of the Koran, and put pictures up on a website.

A Christian group tore pages from the Koran outside the White House, and some geezer did the same thing outside the "Ground Zero Mosque" site.

And yet... Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam planning the "Ground Zero Mosque", has said that a "disaster" was narrowly averted because a completely different pastor of a small church in Florida DIDN'T burn a Koran.

Can anyone explain:

(a) how the Florida pastor managed the PR coup of being the only Koran burner who mattered?
(b) why those in power don't admit that they're simply scared of Muslims, when Mr. Rauf, of all people, explicitly stated, and I quote: "[Burning the Koran] would have enhanced the possibility of terrorist acts against America". We ALL KNOW that you have tiptoe round Muslims for fear of offending them, in a way that you simply don't have to around adherents of any other religion. Why is this fact swept under the carpet?

One of my favourite jokes was by Jimmy Carr. He said:
"When I was a kid, I used to have an imaginary friend. I thought he went everywhere with me. I could talk to him and he could hear me, and he could grant me wishes and stuff too. But then I grew up, and stopped going to church."
Pause for audience response. Then:
"What? Ah, come on, that's all it is."
Pause again.
"Unless you're a Muslim. In which case it's all absolutely true."
Tiny pause.
"I mean... I'm not a f%%%ing idiot."

It';s the way in which if the PAstor burns some books and Muslims go nutbar and start committing violence, which is what world governemnts are saying will happen then it's the pastors fault.

It is not unknown in relationships where one partner is controlling a control part of that relationship, that that person threatens they will kill themslves if their other half walks out because they can't take the stress and mental abuse(or whatever) anymore. If that person does walk out and the other half does kill themselves is it the fault of the person who walked out?

It was therir choice to kill themselves they did not have to.

hence, if someone does something that really does nto affect the other person but that person then takes offense and goes nutbar whose fualt is it?

YOU MADE ME DO IT! YOU MADE ME DO IT!!!

No, we didn't...

<<(a) how the Florida pastor managed the PR coup of being the only Koran burner who mattered?>>

it was the timing and the media hype that made this story and pushed it world wide

once its been done theres not a lot to protest about, but with the week long build up, it got the nutbars stirred up good and propper

2 people were killed over what the pastor was GOING to do!!!!!

It could be said that two more people died over an excuse.

Lets face it, religion is just a handy. Power is the ultimate driving force for violence, greed etc in our world. Whether that power is bought with money, argued for with science or religion... they are all excuses.

Power is ultimately what people who are directing, encouraging and pushing these behaviours want. Even if they wont admit it's that crude to themselves. Ultimately, it is.

<<
One of my favourite jokes was by Jimmy Carr. He said:
"When I was a kid, I used to have an imaginary friend. I thought he went everywhere with me. I could talk to him and he could hear me, and he could grant me wishes and stuff too. But then I grew up, and stopped going to church."
Pause for audience response. Then:
"What? Ah, come on, that's all it is."
Pause again.
"Unless you're a Muslim. In which case it's all absolutely true."
Tiny pause.
"I mean... I'm not a f%%%ing idiot."
>>




Very funny and encapsulates the point I'm trying to make: that people tiptoe around issues to do with Islam because of fear of what certain muslims might do, but tend to do so much less with Christianity (and other religions, too, I guess) because there are a lot less likely to be violent reprisals.

"...that (some) people tiptoe around issues..."

clearly what this story (and others referenced) tells us is that some don't.

>that people tiptoe around issues to do with Islam because of fear of what certain muslims might do, but tend to do so much less with Christianity

You're mixing with the wrong sort of people then.

Round here the bornagain Christian community don't know who to hate the most, gays or Muslims.

But it doesn't make much sense to me that they should fear what Muslims might do..all the quicker to be dispatched upstairs I'd have thought.

Religious f'wits burn an item sacred to other people in act of provocation on 9/11 - but nobody gives a damn

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pjWXu4t9AY&feature=related

The US invaded Bradford?

That's a battle they'd lose...

Joking aside, I think that's Manchester, specifically the University of Manchester. The windows in the background at the very start could be either the Green Wing of the John Rylands Library, or the side of the Simon Building.

The greenery makes me think it's the bit between the Simon and Zochonis buildings.

Sorry to anyone who doesn't have the faintest clue what I'm talking about.

Not the US Embassy in London then?

Yeah it was - and their chums in the EDL were there too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAHZpGXQ4K0

The islamisation of Paris.
Apparently what they're doing is illegal on several grounds, but the police let it go ahead anyway.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwQdvonuG4E

Not sure exactly the degree to which the Christian Broadcast Network is a reliable source I have to say....

FB

Oh he'll just be starting on his Christian bornagain Youtube cycle again