Tuesday 3 February 2009

Words of our last Emperor

In 1898, William II (Wilhelm II) visited officially the Holy Land. At that time the area was called Palestine and it was under Turkish rule. Have a look at him.





On his way he came to Damascus where he delivered a speech and said something that went far beyond the usual politeness of a visitor from a foreign land. "If I were not born as a Christian, I would have been a Muslim"

That is more than a hundred years ago and I am wondering what made him say that. Were those Muslims he saw and talked to the same kind of people we hear of these days? I just can't imagine that. They must have been very different.

Time has changed. Now, a hundred years later, who would like to repeat those words?


This video about the stoning of a girl of 17 has been sent to me by a French blogger-friend.



There are people who hurt her and there are others who are busy making a movie with their cellphones. Until someone "finalizes" with a block of concrete, similar to those I am using when building a wall (about 20 kg each).

No need to imagine how is hell in the afterlife. It's nearby, just a few airplane hours from here, equipped with battery powered cell phones.

The murdered girl's name was Doa Khalil Aswad, 17 ans. She was subject to to public murder because she fell in love with a young man of another religion. One more life wasted by or for Sharia.




During the murder procedure, her thighs become visible and you see her slip. Then someone covers that part of her body to protect her dignity. Can you imagine. That's what I call perverse.

There is a petition so as to stop this Sharia business in Kurdistan/Iraq.

Important statement received as comment by an Afghan blogger living in Pakistan:

Hi Georg, I'm with you against madness practiced in the name of any law, whenever, wherever it is practiced. But facts should remain facts. Du'a Khalil Aswad was not stoned under Sharia Law. She wasn't even a Muslim. She was a Yazidi, and she was stoned by the people of her own religion for having a Muslim boyfriend. It was a case of honor killing.

Islam, that like any other religion preaches of love and peace , its image has been enough tarnished by a bunch of savages who think they are being Muslims.

I request you, to kindly set the facts straight about the video in your blog.

I had a look at Wikipedia under Yazidi and they even mentioned this stoning. So I made a mistake. The poor girl was not Muslim and Sharia - this time - is not to be incriminated.

32 comments:

  1. Georg~
    Do you often wonder, if the world is Mad?
    I can find stories,
    such as this one, in my own yard, or in my neighbors yard. Tales of men who are cruel, and filled with ambivalence.
    It simply makes me hold my children closer,
    and try and be kinder to strangers I may meet.
    So sad...

    ReplyDelete
  2. George,
    I didn't watch the video, it's too violent. My guess is the sin of that poor little girl should have been adultery..
    It's so saaaaaaaad, These people are bunch of illiterate, barbarian. They need to be saved from their deep stupidity. These things take time..longer than my patience

    Take Care

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  3. Georg, I can't watch the video...even the thought of someone filming it, much less doing what was done fills me with pain...

    I am giving a link to this post in my latest post Georg...here too things are beginning to move backwards in time...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sorrow and Hiva, thanks for taking your time to comment

    For Sorrow:
    Well, I would't say the world is mad because the majority of the people are decent, honorable and law abiding. But there are some among us, vulture-predators that should be suppressed, weeded out. And behind those hide their sponsors, feeding on ignorance and credulity.

    For Hiva:
    These people are certainly modern barbarians but I am not sure they are illiterate. To operate a cellphone making photos and videos you need a least understand the manual.

    Scenes like this happen in Irak, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, Somalia
    the list is long.

    I have been told in Pakistan the prisons are full of women who have been raped and are then accused of adultery according to sharia law.

    Georg

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  5. Hallo georg!!!!
    je vois les commentaires sur ton billet. Je ne sais pas si tu as vu ceux qui ont été postés sur mon blog. Ils correspondent sensiblement aux miens.
    beaucoup ne veulent pas voir les images. c'est vrai qu'elles sont violentes.
    Certains de mes lecteurs m'ont engueulé.
    Ma famille me dit d'être prudent dans mes phrases pour ne pas heurter la sensibilité des personnes visées pas ma critique mais aussi pour ne pas être l'objet de plainte pour injure à des minorités ...... des conneries de lois françaises qui défendent la racaille.
    c'est vrai!! vaut mieux faire attention à la loi qu'aux hors la loi.
    hihihihihi!!!
    biss dann georg!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Un petit bonjour en passant
    Bonne journée
    Viviane

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've often pondered why people actually do things like this, but can't understand any of it at all.

    You can add that to trying to understand why there is any poverty, or lack of jobs, or enough pay for all workers, etc, etc.

    Have you seen the film: "The Gleaners And I" ?

    We saw it a few days ago and was very surprised, but not really at the gist of the story. So much needless waste of food around the world, everywhere you look. ; (

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Georg,

    How would you feel if we accuse ALL Christians of barbarism and savagery, because a few Christians in Germany decided to exterminate Jews?!

    How would you feel if we accuse all christians of savagery for what they have been doing in the Americas over the past 5 centuries?

    To isolate one case of tribalism, and use it as a representative of Islam is very narrow-minded and somewhat biased.

    Let's remember how the French executed in public!

    Let's remember what the French did in Algeria, to Jamila Bupasha, raping her with bottles!

    Shall we cast a blanket statement about the French savagery?! Or shall we use our intellect to consider the historical and ethnic context of each even independently! Gee I thought the French were the fans of this kind of structuralist approach to society. But I guess I am wrong!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Coffee, hi Naj,
    Thanks for passing by. Here is my little comment

    To Coffee:
    Yes we live in troubled surroundings. And many of those disturbances could be avoided.

    I've never seen the movie you mentioned. I'll have a look at Google to know what it is about.

    To Naj
    You would be absolutely right if in this moment exterminations of minorities, public killings, whippings, rape would be presented here as a lawful activity carried out in accordance with the wishes of God.

    That is not the case in the country I am presently living in. And it is not the case in any country belonging to the UE.

    These horrors you mentioned happened in fact, in the past, in the name of Christianity, several hundred years ago and are most certainly neither condoned nor excused, these days.

    The mass murder of the Jews in Germany was not done in the name of religion but of ideology and was a tightly kept state secret that came to light after the war. All this has been officially and privately condemned in Germany by the 3 generations of people living there after these events.

    But that does not apply to Sharia that is right now official law in many Muslim states (but fortunately not in all of them). So there is no denying that there is a link between Sharia, terror, horror and the Muslim religion.

    This being said I am convinced that a vast majority of Muslims are not violent. But I cannot help thinking that this is so not because of their religion but in spite of it.

    Last not least, I know your blog and appreciate your fight against simplifications of all kinds, especially related to Iran. I know your country - just a little - and I know that you can boast of a very
    old and sophisticated civilization, appreciated and admired worldwide.
    But that is not the subject here.

    Georg





    Georg


    So there is a link beetween

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Georg.
    Thank you for your wonderful blog. I could not bear to click on the video. But I hope and pray that all this madness will one day be a thing in the faraway past. Or at least, as you point out in your response to Naj, not a government-condoned, or religiously-permitted exercise of power and abuse.
    I frequent an Iranian restaurant, and the people there, both the owners and guests are kind, warm, wonderful people, and I am certain the large majority of Iranian people are, also.
    I do not believe the religion of Islam teaches violence, but I do think that religion and fascism have "fused" in certain countries, and this is why you see these horrible "Punishments" meted out, literally for no crime at all, or in the case of women raped, punishment is put on them, in addition to these women having been victimized.
    I wrote an essay at my blog, long ago, about two men(one an Israeli Jew, who lost his 14-year-old-daughter to a bomb at the hands of Hamas; the other a Palestinian Muslim whose 62-year-old father was murdered by Isareli soldiers.These two men are now, best friends.) I met them at a Peace & Reconciliation Day here in Atlanta. The essay is at the website of the
    Parents'Circle--Families Forum, at:
    www.theparentscircle.org
    I mention this NOT to in any way promote me, or my writing, but just so you may see how these two men have impacted many people, including me, through their work, which is traveling the entire world, begging for the violence to end.
    Peace,kids.
    www.lisananetteallender.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hallo Lisa,

    Thanks for the compliment, really. As you say, there are people of good will everywhere. And there are even some able to jump over their own shadow and try to change evil into good.

    May be one day they become a bigger minority.

    Right now I am going to the link you suggested.

    Georg

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  12. Bonsoir Georg,
    oui j'étais dans l'enseignement des sciences et de la recherche, la plus grande partie à la "formation".
    Tu me demandes de faire un article sur ces réformes qui fâchent, je ne peux pas. Je ne parle pas du gouvernement et de politique sur mon blog parce que je ne veux pas discuter avec certaines personnes de ces questions là!
    Par contre, je connais bien le problème, même à la retraite je continue à enseigner bénévolement.
    Je te propose de te dire ce qu'il en est des réformes en privé, sur ta boîte-mail. Tu pourras t'en servir si tu veux je n'y suis pas opposée.
    Tu me donneras une réponse si tu es intéressé, sans réponse de ta part, je ne fais rien...
    Je te souhaite une bonne soirée
    Amitiés
    Viviane
    Je peux aussi t'expliquer par téléphone si tu préfères. Je rajoute ça, parce que je me rends compte que c'est vaste, il y a la réforme du primaire, des lycées et des universités.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Bonjour Viviane,

    Merci pour ta gentille réponse. Je comprends que tu ne veux pas en discuter dans ton blog. Pour la même raison j'écris en Anglais et ne traite pas d'affaires françaises.

    Ce qui m'intéresse c'est l'enseignement universitaire.

    J'aimerais bien t'entendre au tél. car cela t'éviterait de rédiger un très long texte. Et je ferais ta connaissance.

    Comme j'ai l'ADSL, mes communications sont gratuites. Si cela vaut aussi pour toi, téléphone -moi. J'aimerais cependant ne pas laisser mon numéro sur ce blog.
    Tu peux m'envoyer un mail et je te donnerai ce numéro.

    Tu trouves ce mail en descendant ce blog, c'est à gauche, sous le libelé "view my complete profile".

    Cordialement
    Georg

    ReplyDelete
  14. There's no condoning violence of any sort coming out of anywhere and for whatever reason. There are some absolutes in life like inflicting pain on another is wrong, stealing is wrong, and there are a few more in the category I imagine. Also, I admire people like Georg who are not afraid to call a spade a spade, however, I also believe that nuances are lost and depth goes unmeasured in a painting where all strokes are made with a wide paint brush. The need of the hour is to drop barriers and educate ourselves on the diversity that surrounds us and one which is fast shrinking into one global village. We have to learn how to coexist peacefully without being suspicious of each other.
    What the video is said to depict is gross violence, and is obviously repugnant so I do not wish to partake of it even vicariously.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Georg,
    I read over my comment and I wish to apologize if the words came out sounding harsher than I imagined they would. Do forgive me if my words offended; that wasn't my intent.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hallo Id,

    Just let me tell you I am not miffed or offended. Not at all.

    However, I understand you very well. Frequently, I have the same sentiment -afterwards - when having written something that suddenly looks aggressive.

    Didn't know that expression "to call a spade a spade". Here in France, they say "appeler un chat un chat" (to call a cat a cat).
    Why cat, why spade, that is the question!

    Georg

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  17. Hi! I wished the ground would swallow me up when I saw what your article is about.
    I'm persian. I'm half peace and half war because I have been zoroastrian and I am muslim. in both world the I am not cruel as you think about the today muslims.
    agree I must cry!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi! I wished the ground would swallow me up when I saw what your article is about.
    I'm persian. I'm half peace and half war because I have been zoroastrian and I am muslim. in both world the I am not cruel as you think about the today muslims.
    agree I must cry!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Bonjour georg
    j'ai rajouté un lien tout à la fin de mon texte. Tu pourras voir les modifications, elles sont mentionnées en rouge.
    Bonne fin de journée
    Amitiés
    Viviane

    ReplyDelete
  20. Bonjour Setarvan,

    First time you leave a comment here, thank you.

    Unfortunately, I don't understand the meaning of "I am half peace and half war..." and would be glad if you would take some more time to explain.

    I never said that Muslims are cruel. Some are, sure, but most are not, most certainly. But it is a fact that Sharia is a Muslim outcrop with consequences only too well known.

    Georg

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  21. well, the current situation in india - hindu taliban's attack pub going girls and boys (?) with complete recording of camera crew and all !

    as long as one religionizes everything and the political leaders fear the loosening grip - such incidents will only happen -

    is it perverse - without a doubt

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  22. To Anrosh,

    Can't but agree with this, Anrosh.
    As you say "those in power fear the loosening grip" and they endeavour to give the screw another turn. The only countermeasure I can imagine is to mention what happens and to do my best to make people a little more lukewarm towards religion.

    Georg

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  23. "to do my best to make people a little more lukewarm towards religion." I too think that is one possible way of reducing suspicion and hatred between cultures. Do not give religion so much importance. You are an identity to reckon with even without the outward manifestations of your religious beliefs. We must not let our religious identities alone define us as to who we are as human beings.

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  24. To IdItIs,
    It seems we have the same ideas about this difficult subject. Who know who is reading this?

    Georg

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  25. And why should that matter...it is not an idea that harms or kills, in fact quite the reverse - it lets you be.

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  26. This nightmare seems to be spreading into the neighboring nations too....

    I have read and seen and blogged about some more similar scenes.

    India has had it's own form of attempts at Talibansising where some hooligans calling themselves Sri Ram Sene molested some girls for going to pubs in Mangalore, it seems they had no problem with men who had been going to the pubs/bars/daru addas etc for centuries. Thankfully women and men protested strongly with the sarcasm of Pink Chaddi campaign and it worked.

    Today, I saw women in Pakistan protesting too, they will not be able to dare to protest with the defiance that the comparatively freer Indian citizens could, (Indians also refused to follow the traditionally 'acceptable' but ineffective method of protesting when they resorted to PCC)) but I hope they succeed.

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  27. I thought of watching the video, I just can't imagine how anybody could film something like this or let it happen - we live in a beastly world. I could not bear to watch it.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hallo Homy,

    Thanks for commenting. I know your blog through Vinod's and I know you are very interested in womens' affairs.

    By the way, I frequently hear that there is a shortage of baby girls in India because so much are being killed or aborted. Did you write about this?

    Georg

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  29. I do write about female foeticide also Georg, and everything else that happens leads to it.

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  30. Hallo Georg,
    So that's Wilhelm II! Honestly... I don't really know in what sort of context his comment was supposed to mean, though I think I'd like to hear more religious people today be able to realize that a great part of what make them take up a certain religion is culture or tradition. People who were born and raised in a culture dominated by one religion do tend to just take that religion for granted as the only right one... And had the person been born in a culture dominated by a different religion then chances are good that he'd take up that creed instead. I don't know if that was what the Kaiser had in mind, though. Just my extrapolating on it. :o)

    Anyhow... That's depraved indeed what's shown on the video clip. :o( It's one thing I've learned since I stopped being a Christians many years ago... Religion can be used in such a way that some people will accept it as a perfectly good rational to justify doing some really hideous things.. and not feel bad about it afterward.

    That's the part that really disturb me the most. That there will be no remorse for the action simply because the person can tell himself that such an act is ordained by god, and since nothing else can matter to him more (or he would be a bad believer), then the well being of others doesn't matter. God wants it, he delivers it. He's righteous... Ugghhhh! :oP

    Thanks very much for this post. It is hard to watch, but it has to be told, I think.

    Cheerio,
    Smorgy :o)

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hi Georg, I'm with you against madness practiced in the name of any law, whenever, wherever it is practiced. But facts should remain facts. Du'a Khalil Aswad was not stoned under Sharia Law. She wasn't even a Muslim. She was a Yazidi, and she was stoned by the people of her own religion for having a Muslim boyfriend. It was a case of honor killing.

    Islam, that like any other religion preaches of love and peace , its image has been enough tarnished by a bunch of savages who think they are being Muslims.

    I request you, to kindly set the facts straight about the video in your blog.


    You can confirm about the video here:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Du%E2%80%99a_khalil_aswad

    &

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-452288/The-moment-teenage-girl-stoned-death-loving-wrong-boy.html

    ReplyDelete
  32. Reading these kind of posts reminds me of just how technology truly is an integral part of our lives in this day and age, and I think it is safe to say that we have passed the point of no return in our relationship with technology.

    I don't mean this in a bad way, of course! Societal concerns aside... I just hope that as the price of memory falls, the possibility of copying our brains onto a digital medium becomes a true reality. It's one of the things I really wish I could see in my lifetime.

    (Submitted by InterPost for R4i Nintendo DS.)

    ReplyDelete