# The Fallen Blogger and the Spectre of Secularism **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 28, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827 "2015-02-28T03:21:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 62
**Author:** ![ryu238](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cdc98d/32.png) [@ryu238](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryu238)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1221 "2015-08-31T00:13:25Z")
This reminds me of this story: [Black Activists Call for Lynching and Hanging of White People and Cops](http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/08/28/black-activists-called-for-lynching-and-hanging-of-white-people-and-cops/) The writer tries to make the case that freedom of speech should be an excuse for islamphobia…honestly it is just gibberish to me. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1222 "2015-08-31T04:52:53Z")
> [@truthSeeker2](#): > > Cancerous Islam attacks Punjab, India (from across the border in Pak). 15 terrorists, hostage situation, 8 people dead so far, army called in. Of course, the political history of the area cannot be the major issue, can it, for you bigots? > [@](#): > > 5 bombs planted to blow up railway tracks diffused in the same area. _Defused_. Moron. ---
**Author:** ![tooldtocare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1223 "2015-09-05T15:34:31Z")
> [@ryu238](#): > > This reminds me of this story: [Black Activists Call for Lynching and Hanging of White People and Cops](http://www.breitbart.com/texas/2015/08/28/black-activists-called-for-lynching-and-hanging-of-white-people-and-cops/) > The writer tries to make the case that freedom of speech should be an excuse for islamphobia…honestly it _is just gibberish to me_. The only gibberish I see here is the quote above. Got a link-? just asking-? (:- ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1224 "2015-09-05T15:53:29Z")
> [@Steken](#): > > Sigh. > > Secularism isn’t inevitable. If true, sigh… ---
**Author:** ![tooldtocare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1225 "2015-09-05T15:58:52Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, has confirmed that the Israeli art students were, in fact, part of a major Israeli intelligence operation and that they were conducting surveillance of the activities of the 9-11 hijackers. They also worked with the Israeli Urban Moving System employees in New Jersey who were seen in at least two Jersey City locations – Liberty State Park and The Doric apartment building – celebrating the impact of the first plane into the World Trade Center. > The Israelis at Liberty State Park were dressed in Arab-style clothing when they were witnessed celebrating the first attack. The FBI later confiscated a videotape they filmed of the first attack. > [Israeli art students who shadowed 9-11 hijackers were part of a major Mossad intelligence operation - Looking Glass News](http://tinyurl.com/8ss8r7r) > State Dep’t Defines Israeli Settler Violence as Terrorism > > .[http://tinyurl.com/8cn3cpz](http://tinyurl.com/8cn3cpz) Somebody here refute the above. I am all ears (:- Is the above spamming ? just asking (:- ---
**Author:** ![tooldtocare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1226 "2015-09-05T16:11:28Z")
Law 101 “_You may not post attachments_” If I posted something like this ~~~~ www universalknowledge net Would this be called an attachment-? Just asking (:- ---
**Author:** ![tooldtocare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1227 "2015-09-05T16:37:37Z")
> [@Haberdash](#): > > .,.,_Booth also has the unfortunate problem of ranting about how British Jews run the world and forgetting to mention anything about Palestine in her speeches. I guess this is part of the “we too oppose the extremists, but refuse to identify anyone as an extremist” game._ As an American I am a bit confused in the above post. “British Jews run the world” That statement confuses me. The term “Jews” as used above confuse me. I see a difference between a “Jew” and an Israeli. There are some 18,000 million “Jews” walking this planet. 6 million in Europe 6 million in The United States of America 6 million living in Israel Now this is the question Out of the 18 how many feel themselves to: [1] Be a Jew [2] Be an Israelite Check the box that best fits you view (:- ---
**Author:** ![tooldtocare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1228 "2015-09-06T16:39:32Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Originally Posted by Steken View Post > Sigh. Secularism isn’t inevitable. If true, sigh…If true, sigh… I have never looked up the term “Secularism” before. So here it is: \*Secularism is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries. One manifestation of secularism is asserting the right to be free from religious rule and teachings, or, in a state declared to be neutral on matters of belief, from the imposition by government of religion or religious practices upon its people. Another manifestation of secularism is the view that public activities and decisions, especially political ones, should be uninfluenced by religious beliefs and/or practices. Secularism draws its intellectual roots from Greek and Roman philosophers such as Epicurus and Marcus Aurelius; from Enlightenment thinkers such as Denis Diderot, Voltaire, Baruch Spinoza, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine; and from more recent freethinkers and atheists such as Robert Ingersoll and Bertrand Russell. > **[Secularism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularism)** > > Secularism is the principle of seeking to conduct human affairs based on naturalistic considerations, uninvolved with religion. It is most commonly thought of as the separation of religion from civil affairs and the state and may be broadened to a similar position seeking to remove or to minimize the role of religion in any public sphere. Secularism may encapsulate anti-clericalism, atheism, naturalism, non-sectarianism, neutrality on topics of religion, or antireligion. As a philosophy, se The... The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an expression of allegiance to the Flag of the United States and the republic of the United States of America, originally composed by Francis Bellamy in 1892 and formally adopted by Congress as the pledge in 1942. The official name of The Pledge of Allegiance was adopted in 1945. The last change in language came on Flag Day 1954 when the words “under God” were added. Congressional sessions open with the recital of the Pledge, as do many government meetings at local levels, and meetings held by many private organizations. It is also commonly recited in school at the beginning of every school day, although the Supreme Court has ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that students cannot be compelled to recite the Pledge, nor can they be punished for not doing so. According to the United States Flag Code, the current Pledge of Allegiance reads: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.\* As an American citizen I have recited The Pledge of Allegiance numerous times, have you-? (:- ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1229 "2015-09-06T21:06:26Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > Somebody here refute the above. I am all ears (:- Regarding the “Israeli students” that allegedly “cheered” the WTC attack, there is nothing to refute. It is a bit of nonsense that bled into the rumor mill on September 12, 2001, and is constantly repeated by CT enthusiasts such as WMR. It is silly bullshit that has no basis in reality. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1230 "2015-09-06T21:06:39Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > As an American I am a bit confused in the above post. > > “British Jews run the world” > > That statement confuses me. The term “Jews” as used above confuse me. I see a difference between a “Jew” and an Israeli. > > There are some 18,000 million “Jews” walking this planet. > > 6 million in Europe > 6 million in The United States of America > 6 million living in Israel > > Now this is the question > > Out of the 18 how many feel themselves to: > [1] Be a Jew > [2] Be an Israelite > > Check the box that best fits you view > > (:- You really need to pay better attention to what you read and quote. Haberdash did not claim that “British Jews run the world.” Haberdash attributed that claim to Booth. Wandering into the thread months after a post and attributing an idea to the wrong person does nothing to persuade anyone that you are paying attention. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1231 "2015-09-06T21:11:14Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > As an American citizen I have recited The Pledge of Allegiance numerous times, have you-? Who cares whether you have recited it? Why would you care if anyone else has? Any number of persons object to the egregious insertion of "“under God” into the pledge. Others object to its socialist origins. Aside from various politicians attempting to turn it into a litmus test of “loyalty” or “love of country,” (a task it performs very poorly), it is a rather meaningless gesture. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1232 "2015-09-06T21:16:44Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > The only gibberish I see here is the quote above. > Got a link-? > > just asking-? > > (:- You quote a post with a link, then ask if there is a link. You might try posting sober the next time you visit. (And while there may be some black guy out there encouraging the murder of white people or white cops, (if Breitbart did not actually invent the quotes), Breitbart then goes on to say that the BlackLivesMatter movement is involved in that same nonsense, when not even Breitbart can provide any evidence of their lie.) ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1233 "2015-09-06T21:19:30Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > Tomndebb, > If you want my posts deleted and/or me just say so & if it is within my power it will be done (:- No. I want others to see just how stupid your posts are. Spamming gets deleted and some other posts with rules violations, but stupidity is allowed to wave its flag under the guideline that “No one is completely useless; they can always serve as a bad example.” ---
**Author:** ![tooldtocare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1234 "2015-09-06T21:43:52Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Regarding the “Israeli students” that allegedly “cheered” the WTC attack, .,.,.,.,.,It is silly bullshit that has no basis in reality. According to that news article they were videoing the incident. Those videos were indeed confiscated All I can ask at this point is,where are they-? just asking (:- ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1235 "2015-09-06T21:56:38Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > Somebody here refute the above. I am all ears (:- > > Is the above spamming ? > > just asking (:- Are those sites based on conspiracy theory reporting? What is looking glass news? ---
**Author:** ![tooldtocare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e19adc/32.png) [@tooldtocare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tooldtocare)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1236 "2015-09-06T22:21:40Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > _Wandering into the thread months after a post and attributing an idea to the wrong person does nothing to persuade anyone that you are paying attention_. If I am not paying attention you can just pass on by my thoughts.,…,.,as anyone can OK-? But what I can say is forgive me (:- ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1237 "2015-09-06T23:23:28Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > According to that news article they were videoing the incident. Those videos were indeed confiscated It was not a news article. It was a blog posted by a CT enthusiast, repeating a rumor. If the “film was confiscated,” please provide confirmation from CNN or Fox that provides the details. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2015, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1238 "2015-09-06T23:24:48Z")
> [@tooldtocare](#): > > just asking (:- Are you familiar with the expression [JAQing off](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=JAQing+off)? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2015, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1239 "2015-09-07T11:15:28Z")
[Hate crimes against Muslims up 70% in London](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hate-crimes-against-muslims-in-london-up-by-70-according-to-police-10489175.html). > [@](#): > > The Met’s statistics record a total of 816 Islamophobic hate crimes in the 12 months to July 2015, up from 478 over the same period in 2013-14. > [@](#): > > A BBC report quoted a spokesman from Tell MAMA, a group that monitors Islamophobic attacks and supports victims, as saying the majority of victims of Islamophobic attacks are women. > > Fiyaz Mughal, the organisation’s director, said wmen wearing the hijab, or Muslim headscarf, were the group worst-affected by the rise in cases. > > The Met’s figures are not broken down by gender. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2015, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827/1240 "2015-11-01T06:43:25Z")
> [@](#): > > A publisher of secular books was stabbed to death in his office Saturday, the fifth victim to die in a series of knife attacks here this year on writers and publishers of material that raises questions about Muslim radicalism. > > The killing of Faisal Arefin Dipon, head of Jagritee publishing house, which had published a book by slain blogger Avijit Roy, came hours after another of Roy’s publishers was attacked. Roy, a Bangladeshi-born U.S. citizen, was hacked to death with machetes outside a book fair in the Bangladeshi capital in February. > > Ahmedur Rashid Tutul, 43, was in critical condition Saturday at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, authorities said, after a group of men stormed into his office and pointed a gun at him before stabbing him and two bloggers in the head. The writers, Ranadeep Basu, 50, and Tareque Rahim, 30, were also hospitalized. > **[Publisher slain in Bangladesh hours after 3 others stabbed in latest attacks...](https://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-publisher-2-others-stabbed-in-bangladesh-in-latest-attack-on-secular-voices-20151031-story.html)** > > A publisher of secular books was stabbed to death in his office Saturday, the fifth victim to die in a series of knife attacks here this year on writers and publishers of material that raises questions about Muslim radicalism. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fallen-blogger-and-the-spectre-of-secularism/713827.md?page=61)