Comments on Simply Lujayn.......: Whats in a name....

Hello! Can you tell me how i can register mail at ...

2010-02-25T05:37:47.685+04:00

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This reply has taken its sweet time. I'm not even ...

2008-01-03T01:20:00.000+04:00

This reply has taken its sweet time. I'm not even sure I can argue much around this story anymore.

In this case, there was never any criticism of Islam. It was cultural oversight on the part of a British woman - no malice, no ulterior motives, no hidden agenda. If cultural oversight were a crime, jails in the Arab and Muslim world would be at full capacity given our lack of respect and tolerance for most other religions, customs and rites.

The criticism leveled by the reader I quote is directed at Muslims, not Islam. There is plenty of room to level criticism at many Muslims. I personally think the oversensitivity of Muslims around Islam is gaining ground on the oversensitivity of Jews on anti-Semitism, and both mindsets are getting to me. Enough already!

As for not being able to breath around you, Dubai Jazz, I would put it down to your argileh habit. However, if you're seriously asking me whether your religion is "suffocating" me, then you need to get your lungs checked because the oxygen flow up to your brain seems to be seriously impeded :p

And by the way, what do you mean you agree with th...

2007-11-30T18:10:00.000+04:00

And by the way, what do you mean you agree with the writer of the comment? do you find it harder to breath when I am around?
There could be other reasons to this though!

Lujayn, I think that a distinction should be made ...

2007-11-30T18:08:00.000+04:00

Lujayn, I think that a distinction should be made here:
1- There are certain things or acts that make people feel insulted (or uneasy), it's too late to ask them why are they feeling so when they are already 'insulted'.
In the back of my mind, I may actually think that some of the Hindo rituals are quite funny, but I wouldn't mock them loudly anyway.
2- A retribution should only come after apprehension. Therefore, the British teacher is presumably Innocent if she didn't know that naming the teddy bear Muhamed would insult people. Actually, I don't think that anybody is entitled to be angry at her if they know she's not aware of the implications. See what one of the Sudanese scholars said: "If she made an innocent mistake and did not mean Mohammed the Prophet (when naming the bear) there is no problem."
3- I heard that the court had sentenced her for 15 days imprisonment and a deportation to follow. Her lawyers are going to appeal. It's highly likely that they may succeed in revoking the prison sentence ( with a nice letter of apology). This by no mean compares to the Bulgarian nurses crisis.

Lujayn,True, I think someone called these people "...

2007-11-29T22:22:00.000+04:00

Lujayn,
True, I think someone called these people "the bewildered herd" once. Golaniya brings up a good point about the knee jerk reactions that some display when "hot" topics or perceived red lines are approached.

However, we have to be careful in how we approach matters such as objective criticisms for or against Islam or any other religion for that matter. For example the idea of somehow building a "critical argument" against Islam implies that you are trying to demolish or undermine this belief system. By making such a statement, it is always best to define where one stands in this regards as this defines the nature of the discourse. A non-muslim would by necessity find themselves framed within a discourse that by it's very nature challenges and undermines what is genuinely believed by the followers to be truth. As such they would be responded to differently than, let's say, a Muslim who would try presenting a critical argument against an "interpretation" of that Truth. The former scenario, by it's very nature, can only be an attack on the entire belief system, while the latter is a constructive and self critical discourse within an agreed framework.

To truly preserve objectivity in any criticism, I think there must be clarity in the position of the person making the criticism. This is not just to obtain an objective response but to sideline accusations of maliciousness that will arise. Objective and dispassionate discourse can also arise when the nature of the criticism is of an enquiring rather than malicious nature.

Ultimately though, particularly when it comes to theology, there is a point beyond which there can only be conflict since faiths can only accomodate each other as far as practical interactions with people of other faiths, but never with true respect towards the claims of truth professed by the other. This is something we must bear in mind I guess.

I think it is important to put in mind what Wassim...

2007-11-29T15:15:00.000+04:00

I think it is important to put in mind what Wassim has raised, but within the context of this article I second Lujayn on her note about the masses; unfortunately and because of how some countries politically accuse Islam of being the "religion of terrorism," many Muslims/Christians and Jews are acting defensive to any criticism that touches the mere abstract words of "Islam", "Qur;an", "Muhammad". "Jews"..etc not looking into the arguments built in a criticism.

Criticism to many people is considered not a "challenge" but an "insult", so the very concept of criticism is structurally flawed.

Just like some people attack the word "Arab" not what the Arab "is" or "is-not". Same with attacking a certain regime and a certain country. the words themselves, the terms, these labels: "west", "US", "Israel", "Islam", "Arab"..etc are the ones being attacked and defended and not what they rather represent.

I think there is a problem of building a critical argument against Islam, and there is also a problem of building a critical defense of Islam.

I totally agree that top leadership has other gain...

2007-11-29T14:55:00.000+04:00

I totally agree that top leadership has other gains in mind when they hop on the religion bandwagon. But what bothers me is the masses that jump up and start demanding things, like killing this woman because she insulted Islam. For God's sake, its a name! Lots of people named Muhammad do all sorts of horrible things - like murder, robbery, etc. Why not just behead them all?

Somehow I don't really think it's about that. The ...

2007-11-29T14:38:00.000+04:00

Somehow I don't really think it's about that. The Libyan AIDS fiasco was more about Libya getting something back for all the money they had to pay for Lockerbie. I can imagine the Sudanese would like many things in order to make this problem "go away" for the poor teacher.