# 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:** 5\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/81 "2002-10-15T22:16:23Z")
So, to summarize in _Abbott and Costello_ format: _Costello:_ Your guy was a terrorist! _Abbott:_ Terrorist? Why, you… I’LL KILL YOU! _Costello:_ K-k… k-k-k-k… k-k-k-kill me? _Costello shakes violently and turns to the audience. Crowd roars with laughter._ _Costello:_ I’m… I-I’mmm… I’m sorry? _Abbott:_ Well, I’d be a heel not to accept an apology. Put 'er there, pal. _Costello:_ Yeah, hey, thanks buddy. Hey, do you have any paint and brushes? _Abbott:_ Paint and brushes? What do you need paint and brushes for? _Costello:_ I’ve gotta go paint [ten turbans](http://www.sabcnews.com/world/asia1pacific/0,1009,44977,00.html) on the side of my Cadillac. _Audience laughs, claps. Curtain drops._ ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2002, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/82 "2002-10-15T23:39:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doghouse Reilly \* > \*\* > And BTW, don’t you think it smacks even more strongly of imperialism and the “white man’s burden” to say that it’s our duty to “educate” the barbarians and change who they _are_, rather than simply how they _behave_? > And yeah, yeah, yeah, it will be a true cross cultural interchange and we’ll learn from them too and yadda yadda yadda. But the fact remains that your ideal of “multiculturalism” is a uniquely _Western_ conceit not shared by the objects of your efforts at “education”. > \*\* You can’t be seriously suggesting that multiculturalism is uniquely Western? In the pre-colonian era, there was flourishing multiculturalism in the Indian subcontinent, Europe and Middle-east (still is in some parts), and in the Islamic world. Most of the people grappling with multiculturalism and construction of humane societies in the modern world are doing so because theirs has becomes a decadent society due to a number of reasons. It is not an issue of white man’s burden as it is the collective problem of fostering global societies. Though the British-India story someone quoted is interesting and definitely has meaning, I do like to say a few things: (1) It continues to propagate the image that the British were a humane people in sharp contrast to the Indian barbarians. Indian society became fossilized, women became marginalized and norms and practices became decadent. History proves that there were better times (e.g. Ancient Tamils ran a egalitarian society relative to the standards at their time) (2) There were many Indians who indulged in social reform. One common motif in Indian history is decline followed by reform followed by decline… etc. Though it is true that Western civlization in some sense formalized the concept of a humane society, the concept was not entirely alien to many other civilizations and cultures. You also have to consider that many peoples still retain the colonial past in their memories. (I wish some history is forgotten) This makes the education task much harder as the motives of the “white man” are constantly questioned. But, inevitably, I think globalisation will succeed in creating more human societies. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/83 "2002-10-16T00:31:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sofa King \* > \*\*So, to summarize in _Abbott and Costello_ format: **Sofa** , that was the funniest thing I’ve read in months. The idea alone is hysterical and your exectution was flawless. I was inspired and so I swiped your idea [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=139685). I’d have posted it here but it’s huge. Anyway, thanks for the laugh and the inspiration. Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Deptford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Deptford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deptford)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/84 "2002-10-17T16:05:13Z")
**Fenris said** > [@](#): > > There’s an old, probably apocryphal story about the British in India. There was a regiment stationed in a city and the Sergeant-Major (or whoever) noticed a mob dragging a elderly widow to a funeral pyre. “What’s going on?”, he thundered as he pushed his way through the crowd. “You don’t have to like it” said the Indian “But it’s our custom and I thought that all civilized peoples respected one another’s customs.” > > The Sergeant-Major grinned a not-altogether pleasant grin and said “Oh we do. So I’m sure you’ll understand and respect our custom of hanging murderers…” The story is usually attributed to Sir Charles Napier when he was Governor of Sind (modern Pakistan).He certainly did ban Sutte. When protests were made he is alleged to have replied when these protests were made . \*\*“It is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and hang them. Build your funeral pyre and beside it my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your national custom - then we shall follow ours.” \*\* Whether he did say it? Some sources say yes , others no.Take your pick really. ---
**Author:** ![litost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@litost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/litost)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009/85 "2002-10-17T17:40:52Z")
I am aware of Sir Charles Napier in the context of the controversial annexation of Sind. There is yet another apocryphal story that involves him sending a telegram (“Peccavi”) that was interpreted as “I have sinned”, when he meant “I have Sind”! This story was used as fodder by those who viewed the annexation in an unfavorable light. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-a-fatwa-on-reverend-falwell/132009.md?page=4)