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Article Archives (05-14-2005)
Death By Islam
I am conflicted in writing this article. Heinous crimes have been committed in the name of Islam; however, the same may be said about Christianity if we take a bit longer view of that religion's history. Don't even get me started on the genocide being committed against the Palestinians by the fanatical branch of the Israeli state (with heavy subsidies from the US). But those who die or are threatened with death deserve to be remembered. So I thought I'd just start a roll call here of incidents where individuals have been killed or an Islamic religious leader has issued a fatwa sanctioning death merely for speaking out against extremists acting in the name of Islam. As an American, freedom of expression is something we take for granted like the air we breath. I can't fathom a religion that wishes to deny this right and would sanction killing as a means to silence criticism. I'm sure I've missed incidents so please feel free to help me add to this list:
- 5-5-2005: Angry crowds have demanded the death penalty for a Sudanese newspaper editor over an article allegedly questioning the parentage of the Prophet Muhammad. Link.
- 4-30-2005: The following threats were posted to the web site of Irshad Manji, a Canadian, who is the author of "The Trouble With Islam Today": "I swear by Allah that some brothers are planning to take action against you ... Just as Van Gogh was taken care of. This is your last warning." Link.
- 2-7-2005: Hatun Surucu, 23, was killed on her way to a bus stop in Berlin-Tempelhof by several shots to the head and upper body, fired at point-blank range by 3 of her brothers. She was of Turkish descent. Link.
- 1-20-2005: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reaffirmed the fatwa of death for author Salman Rushdie in response to his novel "The Satanic Verses". Link.
- 10-2-2004: Dutch film maker Theo Van Gogh killed for creating a 10 minute short film (Silence) written by Hirsi Ali about violence against women in Islamic societies. Link.
- 10-6-2002: Jerry Falwell's appearance in a 60 Minutes segment sparked international Islamic protest, political fallout, and a fatwa calling for his death. Link.
- 2-1998: Kola Boof of Sudan is the target of a fatwa sentencing her to death. Her first book about women who live under Islam prompted a phone call from Osama bin Laden, who is quoted by her as saying, "If I had the time, I would come there and slit your throat myself." Link.
- Addendum: "In the past four months, six Muslim women living in Berlin have been brutally murdered by family members. Their crime? Trying to break free and live Western lifestyles." SPIEGEL ONLINE, 3-2-3005.
The actions of the few should not tarnish the name of the many. In my view, Islam is one of the world's great religions ranking with others such as Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. A battle hidden to the west is raging now between moderates and extremists within the Islamic world. For the sake of us all, as we are all in this thing called life together, I pray reason prevails.
JJR
5-14-2005
Comments (2)
Update: The following incident occurred in Pakistan and appears to more a tribal issue than one directly related to Islam, other the barrier conservative interpretations of Islam poses to changing the lowly status of women in many Islamic countries. "Mukhtaran Mai, a simple, uneducated peasant of a small village, was gang raped on the orders of a local council" apparently in retaliation for some wrong allegedly committed against their tribe by Mai's brother. Christian Science Monitor. It is traditional for women in such societies to suffer in silence but Mai has spoken out drawing support from the international community. She seeks the death penalty against those who raped her. "Though she has helped embolden women in Pakistan, the fragile women's movement has a long road ahead. During seven months last year, 151 Pakistani women were gang-raped and 176 were murdered, victims of the centuries-old tribal custom of honor killings, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan." (quote also from the Christian Science Monitor article linked above).
Update: Again from Pakistan: a Pakistani man and some of his relatives chopped off his wife's feet after accusing her of being promiscuous. Link. July 9, 2005.
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