Understanding the Islamists
Sep 28, 2008
Police arrested three men on Saturday in connection with a fire at the offices of the publisher of a book about the Prophet Mohammed and his child bride.
But the radical cleric Anjem Choudhary, who lives in Ilford, east London, said he was "not surprised at all" by the attack and warned of possible further reprisals over the book.
"It is clearly stipulated in Muslim law that any kind of attack on his honour carries the death penalty," he said.
"People should be aware of the consequences they might face when producing material like this. They should know the depth of feeling it might provoke."
He denied any involvement in the attack but said he "understood" the feelings of the perpetrators.
Links via Small Dead Animals.
The threats and actual violence, even in the face of Random House's capitulating ought to result in someone leaking the entire book onto the Internet. If caving in to threats does not ensure safety from the threats then why do it? Leaking the book would help undermine the ideology of those who are persecuting the author and publisher and since they won't likely make any money off the book if they can't publish it, making it freely available would seem to be the obvious next step.
Posted by: Saul Wall | Sep 28, 2008 at 06:36 PM
I think the movie "Swordfish" had the right idea - put together a unit that's got nothing to do with the government, and is able to target terrorists and their supporters. Imagine how quickly things would change if, every time an "infidel" was killed for religious reasons, a senior extremist Imam went missing the next day and was later found skinned alive and covered in bacon. I guarantee the remaining Imams would change their tune right-quick.
"What? Kill people for criticizing Muhammed? Oppress women and brainwash children? No no no! That was all a big misunderstanding! Look ... uhhh ... it says right in the Quaran on page 256 - 'be nice and kind and never kill anyone for any reason whatsoever'. End of discussion! Now please, take off your Burkhas, and put away your weapons! And, uh, do any of you have a spare cave I could borrow ... just for a few decades?"
Posted by: Alex | Sep 28, 2008 at 09:59 PM
Well, if "Muslim law" stipulates the death penalty for offending against the Prophet's honor, why don't we make it a death-penalty crime in Christian law to deny the divinity of Jesus of Nazareth? Might raise a few eyebrows, but the point would sink home.
Posted by: Francis W. Porretto | Sep 29, 2008 at 04:41 AM
Francis,
It's too bad that the RCC is so stubborn on its refusal to reconcile with the reformed churches. If the RCC, Presbyterians, Anglicans, Lutherans and Calvinists were once again under one church government, the Pope could call on the church to raise an international army to fight Islam.
Posted by: Mike T | Sep 29, 2008 at 02:22 PM
Dear Isaac Schrödinger,
I am sure many of your readers are wondering where Islamic terrorism and all these Jihadi bombings in the Indian subcontinent are leading to ...
Here is the big picture:
http://www.bengalgenocide.com/mughalistan.php
There is a method to their madness.
Posted by: Ibn Hindi | Oct 07, 2008 at 01:31 PM