The BBC is reporting that fifty people may be dead in Kanduna, Nigeria after protests turned into riots against the Miss World contest and an article in a newspaper that said the women were so beautiful Muhammed himself might have married one.
WTF???
First of all, the reason it’s in Nigeria is because Agbani Darego is Miss World this year. Not to insult Islam, not to flaunt Western standards during Ramadan, etc. Second of all, if you don’t want to support the contest, don’t go. Don’t buy magazines and newspapers or watch the TV show. If you’re a clergyman, mention from the pulpit why Islam doesn’t allow this (oh, but it allows polygamy and female circumcision, doesn’t it dipshits) and that you’d rather your people don’t watch the contest and then LEAVE IT TO THEM TO DECIDE.
Maybe it wasn’t the brightest idea for ThisPaper to print that article in such a divided city; maybe it was a little tactless and people should have sent it strongly worded letters. But Gawd almighty, rioting? Burning stores and killing each other?? Over a beauty contest?
I know there’s lots of subtext going on here–the threatened boycott by the contestants themselves over the Amina Laval case, the north/south divide, etc. And on a day when there’s been two huge bombings in Israel and the shooting of an missionary in Lebanon who had the effrontery to be a nurse at a clinic, Islam does not need yet another bad image.
Picket signs. You’ll get on the news with picket signs. And nobody has to die.
Just adding that I know that Islam does NOT really allow FGM, just that these clergymen are the type to say it does.
Nor am I saying that nobody should have an issue of any kind w/ beauty contests, even in America. Just that the response of rioting is totally out of proportion.
And that’s the difference between the West and the Third World (well, some places in the Third World). It puts those crackpot letters to the editor you always see in newspapers in perspective, doesn’t it? You could read them and go “Jesus, what the hell kind of country am I living in?” or you could think “Well, at least they’re not rioting and suicide-bombing.”
I dunno, I’ve read a few letters to the ed that have made me want to bludgeoned a few people. I guess the difference is I’m not a complete fucking idiot animal.
Their religion of peace prompts them to burn people alive in the name of sexual morality? Where do I sign up? My eyes have been opened! America is the Great Satan!!
It gets better, folks. Now they’re burning chruches! Yep, those nasty Christians will wake up, look on the smouldering ruins of their places of worship, and realize that females in swimsuits are the root of all evil.
Now, now Mehitable, one mustn’t criticize the Religion of Peace, or its adherents Who Behave Badly. Nay, they must be UNDERSTOOD. After all, different religion, different culture. Tis not for us Western infidels to criticize. Plus, you get bonus points, if in coming to your great UNDERSTANDING, you can blame Americans and Jews in the process. Go forth, seek to UNDERSTAND, and sin no more. Carry on.
Of course, it never is Islam. It’s always those horrible fundy types that seem to control the religion. Sooner or later, people will start asking exactly what the difference is.
Would you make the same comment about christianity after an IRA or Ulster unionist bombing? Or do you only make this sort of comment when the religion is one other than your own?
nope, its the Fundies that make the news. You dont hear reports on the hundreds of millions of Muslims who adhere to their religion and don’t do anything wrong.
but never have a problem raising a crowd for a riot or to go and kill a few of those infidels down the street. If it weren’t for the passive support of all those millions of practicing Muslims then the fundys would have a much harder time of it.