Theocracy scores
A little bit off topic of the geoscience-field… but I feel it necessary for people to know. It sounds almost like a nightmarish bad dream… but according the a online paper the UNs counsil of human rights have BANNED criticism of islam. Yes you read it right. Banned critique. That means that topics on human rights vs sharia laws and those nasty fatwa-curses are off limits. The theocratic despots are safe to act as they see fit in countries like Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Afganistan, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Sudan - the countries that most often of all muslim countries ignores human rights. No one can any longer complain about such small things as beheadings of gay people and such "trivial stuff"… Political correctness towards muslims one might think was the reason - the real reason probably has more to do with the fact that the UN counsil on human rights have been controlled by undemocratic nations for a long while…
Far less serious, but still bad this of course means that the islamic version of creationism and intelligent design now can feel safe from ungodly western ideas like the theory of evolution and such. Not know to many westerners but universities all around the islamic world tend to teach so called non-offensive science only. Theres a reason theres not that many prominent muslim scholars on evolution.
In the past there have been some discussions in the UN on the scientific quality in islamic universities and the UNs organisations on education have brought up several issues. But now the religious delegates of course can relax since they with ease can claim that any such critique is critique of islam - and therefor not allowed.
Theocracy vs human rights/freedom of speech = 1-0
August 31, 2008 + Posted in Pseudoscience +
Well, this is certainly something to cause great frustration. Since when in the hell is the right not to be offended a basic human right that should be legislated?
You know, I tend to get annoyed by the theocratic shitbag right-wingers we have in the US, but I can give ‘em credit for one thing - they help (inadvertently no doubt) keep the spirit of open religious discourse alive by screaming loud as hell when someone in the US suggests giving Islam this kind of courtesy. To be fair, they speak out of both sides of their mouth and get pissy when Christianity is criticized…but, fuck it, in the current state of affairs a person is almost automatically labeled as ‘racist’ for criticizing Islam (in the US, at least) which shuts most people down immediately. It doesn’t seem to bother them. I’m going to quit ranting at this point, but it just strikes me as bullshit that (for the most part) one group of theocratic shitbags is all that bothers to stand up to another group of them, though I am glad on some level that *someone* is doing it.
Hm…there was a very good article about the state of science in Islamic countries written by a physicist who lives and teaches in one (it was on a physics news site) - unfortunately I can’t find it. On a somewhat humorous note, he said that they are quite insistent on having the technology that comes with an advance in science, and in particular enjoy cell phones with a built in compass and alarm that lets them know it’s praying time and points them towards Mecca. This gave me a chuckle.
Comment by Thomas M. — September 1, 2008 @ 12:43 am
Even thought it sounds like something that a human rights council with representation from e.g. China, Cuba and Saudi Arabia might decide, I cannot find anything about it in the resolutins from the council. Also, it is a strange time to report it, since the last meeting of the council was in June, and the next one starts on sept 8.
I am sceptical until I see some source.
Comment by mjn — September 1, 2008 @ 7:43 am