This is in reference to Eric Wood’s column, “Remember the anniversary of the Salman Rushdie fatwa” (CT, Mar. 5). I deplore the insensitivity in the inane opinion of Mr. Wood. Ayatollah Khomeini’s fatwa was self-defeating, since it unfortunately changed the focus of the controversy. The crux of the issue is simply that no decent and cultured person would launch an unwarranted assault on the character of the founder of a great faith in the name of fiction and literature. No amount of fiction or notion of freedom of expression would justify, for example, anybody hurting the feelings of Holocaust victims. I believe that Dan Brown’s example in the column is irrelevant, as Brown did not caricature Jesus Christ, but only the Catholic Church.
I think that Mr. Wood only remembered the unjustified fatwa, but does not recall Rushdie’s false, indecent and hurtful representation of Prophet Muhammad. Instead of Rushdie, let us gauge Muhammad through the words of Mahatma Gandhi in his statement in “Young India” in 1924: ‘’It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own
mission.’’
Syed Ahmad
Graduate electrical engineer
A version of this article appeared in the Mar 16 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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The crux of the issue is simply that Salman Rushdie did not launch an unwarranted assault on the character of the founder of a great faith.
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The crux of this issue is Islam's intolerance of any criticism whatsoever. Islam is unique among religions in this regard. Remember the insane -- and I means insane -- Muslim reaction to the Danish cartoon.
Not only does Islam have problems with anyone criticizing their religion, but the fatwa against Rushdie was not unique. In fact it is typical of what happens to Muslims who question or leave their religion.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Quran/012-apostasy.htm
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Hey now muslims are a peaceful people don't let a few million bad apples ruin the bunch.
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Anon,
You might find the following website worthwhile. It highlights just how darn peaceful, tolerant and compassionate Islam really is!
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/index.html#Attacks
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Way to not understand his point.
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This school is disgusting...and it is disgusting because comments like Anon #3 are tolerated when they publicly state their ignorant, heinous, and clearly paranoid delusions.
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Yeah this school is disgusting how dare they allow people to express themselves freely. They should clamp down on all opposing world views because your's is the right one. I'm sorry that the CT couldn't recognize your brilliance.
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The crux of the issue is simply that no decent and cultured person would follow a religion whose adherents call for the killing of a man for writing a book.
I notice Syed Ahmad has no problem expressing his view in print but justifies a death sentence for someone else for doing the same.
Go live in Saudi Arabia or Iran if you want free speech or press suppressed. You obviously can't handle it here.
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Way to not understand sarcasm.
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Anon.,
Is the following sarcasm too?
I am beginning to think these Muslims are a laugh riot!
http://www.newsarama.com/film/090822-MickeyFatwa.html
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where is the sarcasm?
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The sarcastic comment was "Hey now muslims are a peaceful people don't let a few million bad apples ruin the bunch." The CT system screwed up where the comment went.
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My Dearest Syed ,
To start, I forgive the title as you did not select it and it does not portray your position. Yet, you compare Muslims to Holocaust victims and in the next sentence condemn me for using a poor comparison. This is a self defeating argument. Besides, it is obvious that you have never read The Da Vinci Code, as it does characterize Jesus as having sex with the prostitute Mary Magdalene and fathering children. I also doubt that you have ever read The Satanic Verses, for obvious reasons.
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Good. Do two wrongs make a right? Slandering Jesus is as abominable as slandering Muhammad, or slandering anybody for that matter. Slandering in the name of literature or freedom of expression contributes positively neither to human freedom nor to arts and literature.
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Moving on, Salman Rushdie is an award winning, best selling author; he has been knighted by the Queen of England, he is a world traveler, guest professor at Emory University, and he is listed as one of the top public intellectuals in America. I challenge you to find a more cultured and civilized individual.
I hold freedom of speech principles in higher regard than any religion and I will not apologize for this opinion. Finally, I believe that that the majority shares this view.
-Your Humble Servant
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"I challenge you to find a more cultured and civilized individual."
Challenge accepted. Adolf Hitler. Most biographers who chose to write about him, have judged him civilized and cultured, on a personal level. Hitler inflicted physical injury to one community, and Rushdi brought emotional injury to another.
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Right because Holocaust = Depiction of Mohamed
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"I hold freedom of speech principles in higher regard than any religion and I will not apologize for this opinion."
"Freedom of speech" is something very desirable indeed. However, "decency" and "civility" are not exactly the most undesirable of virtues.
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Dr. Robert Faurisson has asked to see one factual documented evidence of the Holocaust. Instead the Jewish gangs have beaten him several times. Once he was nearly beaten to death! For his "Crime" of asking to see one documented evidence of the holocaust he has been fined and jailed several times. You talk about the intolerance of the Muslims. see: birobidjan and tellingfilms.
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"You talk about the intolerance of the Muslims..."
http://eye-on-the-world.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-islam-is-incompatible-with.html
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Jihad Jane,
What are you saying here? If you are saying the Holocaust did not take place, and let's assume I agree with you on this. What of it? What are you implying and/or what follows from this?
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First, the name is Jane. Just Jane, Don't confuse me with some Media propaganda personalities. I am not and do not like Muslims either. The point is Fairness. All religions have fanatic intolerant individuals. That includes the Holocaust, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism,.... Don't just pick on one of them.
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So what follows from the fact that the Holocaust is a total Hoax: In Australia, I can Walk down the street and say that I am not a Muslim. But If I say that I am a Holocaust Heretic, I could be dragged off to Jail, even beaten or killed. People have been sent to jail there and in Europe for refusing to believe in the Holocaust. And Europeans are forced to Pay billions of dollars to the Apartheid country of Israel, because of the Holocaust Myth.
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I should like to send a letter to sir Salman Rushdi. Transfer, please, this letter to him and my email mismay@mail.ru I have same ideas to him and they seem to me not bad. About fatwa. I am Russian woman and it is my national spirit finding the exit in impasse.
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@Anonymous#17
The ordeal through which Muhammad and his followers had to go through, by far surpasses that faced by the victims of the holocaust. The comparison, in terms of similarity has been drawn between Rushdi and Hitler.
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wow.... This is amazing. Youre really justifying KILLING SOMEONE because of a book they wrote? WTF!? lol, LISTEN to yourself... listen to what youre saying!!!
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Free speech apparently takes a back seat to hypersensitive religions.
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