# Good news: A fatwa on Reverend Falwell **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 12, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009 "2002-10-12T23:46:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/21 "2002-10-13T04:06:08Z")
Just goes to show that God is in his heaven, and all is right with the world. Anything else would seem pretty wierd. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/22 "2002-10-13T04:13:30Z")
> [@](#): > > …but having forceful disagreement is one thing; hoping for their death is quite another. That’s just plain wrong. But not always, right? Which is it, and who gets to decide? ---
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/23 "2002-10-13T04:36:18Z")
A fat idiot says that Islam is based on the preachings of a terrorist, and to prove him wrong, an Islamic holy man calls for the death of the idiot. _sigh_ Could we maybe the good ayatollah to a Logic 101 course? ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/24 "2002-10-13T04:46:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by happyheathen \* > \*\* > > But not always, right? > > Which is it, and who gets to decide? \*\* I think it’s fairly ridiculous to draw a parallel between the advocacy of murder for the express purpose of eliminating people you disagree with and advocating killing for the purpose of self-defense and eliminating evil. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/25 "2002-10-13T04:53:00Z")
Good news? Hurray! Religious fanatics on the other side of the world issued a death warrant for a U.S. citizen! Joyous day! WTF WSLer? ---
**Author:** ![Kirkland1244](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dc4da7/32.png) [@Kirkland1244](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kirkland1244)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/26 "2002-10-13T05:04:33Z")
Now I’m really confused. Is the enemy of my enemy my enemy, or is the enemy of my enemy my ally? Dammit. Though I wouldn’t be upset if they all just killed each other, chances are they’d take some decent folk down with them. Kirk ---
**Author:** ![JonScribe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3be4f8/32.png) [@JonScribe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonScribe)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/27 "2002-10-13T05:25:43Z")
Do I really want to see Falwell killed by a misguided Islamic fundamentalist? No. But I think you can excuse those of us who are sick of the good Reverend’s diatribes when we utter what amounts to rhetorical black humor. My morbid fantasy about a price on Jerry’s head pales in comparison to his defamation of another culture’s religious beliefs and the ill will that he is fostering among Muslims for Christians. Considering the current climate, Falwell’s little speech amounts to juggling flaming torches in a room awash with gasoline. His comments were irresponsible, and I pray that no one, including Falwell, ends up dead because of them. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/28 "2002-10-13T06:05:02Z")
This reminds me of a Doonesbury strip. An author’s group was condemning the Islamic group for issuing an edict against Salman Rushdie. Then in the last panel, they said “However, in the spirit of compromise, we wholly support the stoning of \_\_\_\_.” But I can’t remember who that person was. It was some 1980s semi-celebrity, I think. Anyone remember? ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/29 "2002-10-13T06:07:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by friedo \* > \*\* > > I think it’s fairly ridiculous to draw a parallel between the advocacy of murder for the express purpose of eliminating people you disagree with and advocating killing for the purpose of self-defense and eliminating evil. \*\* So, what if I disagree with someone because they are evil? Do you realize how absurd your rationalization is? You either DO get to decide which of those with whom you disagree dies or you don’t. Or: “I disagree with A, L, and U, but since only L is evil, I get to kill only him. Killing the other 2 would be immoral”. You are now back to “who gets to decide”. ---
**Author:** ![Joe\_Cool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ecb155/32.png) [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/30 "2002-10-13T07:24:46Z")
On this one, I’m right behind gobear. You people (the ones laughing and cheering for falwell’s death) are disgusting, bloodthirsty bastards. You all think the idea of a psychopath in another country condemning a US citizen to death is funny? The idiocy around here is just over the top. > [@](#): > > n Lebanon Saturday, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah called on Muslim countries to respond to Falwell who, he said, had “infringed on the prophet (Muhammad’s) dignity.” > > Fadlallah, however, cautioned against resorting to “physical violence” against Falwell, saying Islam is “a religion of mercy and love.” (from Jerseydiamond’s link, and about a dozen other sources, all using the same article) It sounds like he outranks the guy who called for the murders, but I’m not sure. And, according to the first link posted, the guy from Iran didn’t actually mention the three by name, but only as “the Israeli mercenaries.” Things are really getting wacko these days. ---
**Author:** ![Freyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freyr/32/5763_2.png) [@Freyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freyr)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/31 "2002-10-13T07:51:21Z")
I have no love of Jerry Falwell but I think that calling for his death over something he said (even tho it’s incredibly stupid) is wrong. Then again, I’m not Muslim, either. I don’t share their values and mores. What they’re doing is probably a proper response according to their values and mores. Given what Falwell’s done and said in the past, this is a situation of his own making. If I were standing on a street corner and saw ole Jerry being chased by an angry mob of Muslims, I wouldn’t feel much obligation to help him out. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/32 "2002-10-13T12:05:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Freyr \* > Then again, I’m not Muslim, either. I don’t share their values and mores. What they’re doing is probably a proper response according to their values and mores. Sorry, I don’t buy into this kind of cultural relativism, any more than I agree that there’s any excuse for widows being burned alive in traditional India, young girls having their feet bound in imperial China, or infant girls having their genitals mutilated in some parts of today’s Africa and the Middle East. If I saw a mob chasing somebody just for expressing his or her views, I hope that I would defend that person to the best of my ability, no matter how much I might disagree with the views in question. People who advocate murdering people whose views disagree with theirs are fucking barbarians, no two ways about it. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/33 "2002-10-13T12:12:50Z")
BTW, Freyr, what should we do if we happen to see a Muslim mob chasing [you](http://www.ilga.org/Information/legal_survey/middle%20east/iran.htm)? Should we just accept their values and mores? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/34 "2002-10-13T13:07:40Z")
A couple of things: As a point of information, the fatwa against Rushdie was lifted several years ago. So Rushdie is off the hook. No one here said anything different, but it was implied. Secondly, a Lebanese Iman is not going to outrank an Iranian Iman. Islam is not the Catholic church with a heirarchy. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/35 "2002-10-13T14:10:31Z")
This thread somehow reminds me of another one, where posters who identify themselves openly as liberal were hoping for the death of certain US senators… Murder is always bad, unless it fits your political bent. Then it’s funny. Right? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/36 "2002-10-13T14:31:53Z")
“Anytime a bunch of Holy People want to get together and kill each other, I’m a happy guy.” – George Carlin ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/37 "2002-10-13T14:34:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*This thread somehow reminds me of another one, where posters who identify themselves openly as liberal were hoping for the death of certain US senators… > > Murder is always bad, unless it fits your political bent. Then it’s funny. Right? 😕 \*\* Like in early 2000, when Craig Kilborn’s late night CBS show showed a picture of then-candidate Bush with the flashing message “SNIPERS WANTED” superimposed on it. Har de har har. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/38 "2002-10-13T14:35:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NutWrench \* > \*\*“Anytime a bunch of Holy People want to get together and kill each other, I’m a happy guy.” – George Carlin \*\* “George Carlin is a sad, bitter old man at the end of his career and a sick antisocial fuck to boot.”–Doghouse Reilly ---
**Author:** ![grendel72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/91b2a8/32.png) [@grendel72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grendel72)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/39 "2002-10-13T14:38:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Anthracite \* > \*\*Murder is always bad, unless it fits your political bent. Then it’s funny. Right? 😕 \*\* **Anth** , it is funny to some because of the irony of a scary fundamentalist being targetted by another scary fundamentalist. I certainly hope nobody is killed, but I can definitely see the irony in one who has profitted so much from spreading hate having his chickens come home to roost. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/40 "2002-10-13T14:52:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by grendel72 \* > \*\ ***Anth** , it is funny to some because of the irony of a scary fundamentalist being targetted by another scary fundamentalist. I certainly hope nobody is killed, but I can definitely see the irony in one who has profitted so much from spreading hate having his chickens come home to roost. \*\* Seeing irony is good and healthy. Like seeing the irony in a leader of a religion, upset at having his prophet slurred as a “terrorist”, then urging his congregation towards a clearly terrorist action… _Schadenfreude_ is another thing entirely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009.md?page=3)