# Top Religious Leader of Saudi Arabia bans Chess **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 22, 2016, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892 "2016-01-22T18:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/321 "2016-01-26T16:26:46Z")
> [@A\_isha](#): > > Which is interesting, since [the Buddhists of Thailand have engaged in systemic and religiously motivated violence against the country’s minority Muslim population…](http://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Fury-Religion-Violence-Southern/dp/0199793247) A’isha, this link goes to a used textbook site’s homepage. ---
**Author:** ![A\_isha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@A\_isha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_isha)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/322 "2016-01-26T16:33:49Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > A’isha, this link goes to a used textbook site’s homepage. It goes to Amazon’s page for Michael Jerryson’s scholarly book about the Buddhist violence against Muslims in South Thailand (where you can buy the book used, new, or on Kindle). It’s the work cited in [the Thailand section of the Wikipedia article on Buddhism and Violence.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_violence#Thailand) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/323 "2016-01-26T16:36:31Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I believe that it is played in Purgatory. :dubious: I thought they danced the Limbo. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/324 "2016-01-26T16:38:14Z")
> [@A\_isha](#): > > It goes to Amazon’s page for Michael Jerryson’s scholarly book about the Buddhist violence against Muslims in South Thailand (where you can buy the book used, new, or on Kindle). > > It’s the work cited in [the Thailand section of the Wikipedia article on Buddhism and Violence.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism_and_violence#Thailand) Odd, that’s not where it goes for me. Might be a cookie issue. Thanks for the other link, I’ll find it that way. ---
**Author:** ![A\_isha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@A\_isha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_isha)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/325 "2016-01-26T16:44:02Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > Odd, that’s not where it goes for me. Might be a cookie issue. Thanks for the other link, I’ll find it that way. Huh, that’s weird. When I went to double-check the link, I could swear it said something about [textbooks.com](http://textbooks.com), but now that I look at it again, it’s the [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) link I thought I’d put in there when I posted it. EDIT: Wait, now it’s a [textbooks.com](http://textbooks.com) link again. What the heck?! Okay, let’s try this again: [http://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Fury-Religion-Violence-Southern/dp/0199793247/ref=sr\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453826583&sr=8-1](http://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Fury-Religion-Violence-Southern/dp/0199793247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453826583&sr=8-1) ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/326 "2016-01-26T16:48:33Z")
> [@A\_isha](#): > > Huh, that’s weird. When I went to double-check the link, I could swear it said something about [textbooks.com](http://textbooks.com), but now that I look at it again, it’s the [amazon.com](http://amazon.com) link I thought I’d put in there when I posted it. > > EDIT: Wait, now it’s a [textbooks.com](http://textbooks.com) link again. What the heck?! > > Okay, let’s try this again: [Amazon.com: Buddhist Fury: Religion and Violence in Southern Thailand: 9780199793242: Jerryson, Michael K.: Books](http://www.amazon.com/Buddhist-Fury-Religion-Violence-Southern/dp/0199793247/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453826583&sr=8-1) Success! Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/327 "2016-01-26T17:44:51Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > In coremelt’s defense (modest, since IMHO he’s being schooled in this discussion), he does live in Thailand and probably has a decent amount of contant with Buddists (sp) which he feels (and probably has) helped him understand their beliefs… _Theravāda_ Buddhists, who are ultimately as doctrinally removed from a Pure Land sect like _Jōdo Shinshū_ as, say, the Eastern Orthodox Church is from the Jehovah’s Witnesses. ---
**Author:** ![Memnon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Memnon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Memnon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/328 "2016-01-26T18:24:53Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > Curiously, access to this source hasn’t help corement with the spelling of deity. You misspelled **coremelt.** ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/329 "2016-01-26T18:27:45Z")
> [@Tithonus](#): > > You misspelled **coremelt.** Hail **Gaudere** , full of irony, Cecil is with thee. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/330 "2016-01-26T20:45:47Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > Whether Chess is the invention of the devil, I think. No, **Uniquoeorn** , it’s on the level. But Bobby Fischer certainly was under the influence of dark powers. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/331 "2016-01-26T21:22:42Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > No, **Uniquoeorn** , it’s on the level. > > But Bobby Fischer certainly was under the influence of dark powers. That he was. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/332 "2016-01-26T21:39:03Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > In coremelt’s defense (modest, since IMHO he’s being schooled in this discussion), he does live in Thailand and probably has a decent amount of contant with Buddists (sp) which he feels (and probably has) helped him understand their beliefs… And I’ve lived in Japan, travelled extensively in India and Nepal, been to Bodh Gaya where Buddha achieved enlightenment and to Dharam Sala and attended talks at the Dalai lama’s monastery. So I can say with some confidence, myself and Mr Dibble are both correct. Pure Land buddhism does not “own” Amitābha, other forms of buddhism have statues of him in temples and venerate him, and in some schools he’s an incarnation of Gautama and in some schools he is not. Pure Land just especially elevates him to a the most important position. Actual practising Pure Land buddhists I’ve spoken with in Japan still didn’t believe in any Deities, but I’m sure that varies from individual to individual. The point is, it doesn’t matter, the spirits and Deities in buddhism are either a distraction, just another manifestation of Maya, or they’re helpers but the end goal is always enlightenment which is a self achieved act. As for Buddhist violence in the south of Thailand, its a complex issue but its certainly not a one way street. The Muslims in the south are fighting for independence and or more autonomy from the central government, including a long running bombing campaign. The Thaksin government was especially heavy handed in its tactics to suppress that and yes there have been incidents of extremist buddhist monks calling for violence. But most of the violence is not specifically religiously motivated. The Bangkok area has close to a million muslims, mosques are common and buddhist - muslim violence is almost unheard of here, because the muslims here are not fighting the government. Same in other areas such as Koh Lanta which has a high muslim population but little or no violence issues. One of the demands of the southern insurgents is that they want to live under islamic law. Their current situation is not “buddhist law”, its a secular legal system and while individual buddhists might be prejudiced against muslims there is freedom of religion in Thailand and its illegal to discriminate on the basis of religion in employment etc. I’d also like to point out that you are completely free to set up shop here and attempt to convert buddhists to any religion you want. There is no restrictions on proselytizing or apostasy. So yes I’d agree that the demand for political theocracy in the south is one of the main causes of the buddhist / muslim conflict here. But as I said in my last reply to Kimstu I still believe political theocracy is fundamentally more likely to occur in muslim majority populations, so you can’t separate issues with islam from issues with political theocracy, they’re too closely intertwined. ---
**Author:** ![A\_isha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@A\_isha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_isha)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/333 "2016-01-26T21:59:14Z")
Thailand [isn’t](http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/03/opinion/sri-lankas-violent-buddhists.html?_r=0) the [only place](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/27/the-burmese-bin-laden-fueling-the-rohingya-migrant-crisis-in-southeast-asia/) with Buddhist monks preaching and inciting violence. ---
**Author:** ![A\_isha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@A\_isha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_isha)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/334 "2016-01-26T22:20:04Z")
Oh, and a few months ago the parliament of Burma [passed laws](https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/08/23/burma-discriminatory-laws-could-stoke-communal-tensions) (promoted by an organization of Buddhist monks) which would criminalize marriages between Buddhists and members of other faiths and conversions away from Buddhism. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/335 "2016-01-26T22:30:15Z")
I have never denied the existence of buddhist violence, whats your point? Countries with Buddhist majorities and muslim minorities including Thailand, Sri Lanka and Myanmar have conflicts, over land ownership and over political theocracy and yes there are a few idiot monks trying to enflame the situation. I can’t speak personally to the situation in Myanmar, but I can tell you that in Thailand muslims are not systematically oppressed (by the government I mean) simply for being muslim. Neither are there any organised buddhist groups waging terrorist campaigns against other countries, calling for the entire world to live under a buddhist theocratic world government or wanting to live under “buddhist law” in countries which have buddhist minorities. So no its not equivalent, terrorism, political theocracy and religious violence in general are statistically far worse problems in muslim majority countries than in buddhist majority ones. And while you might have heard what I say before you must admit that a buddhist sympathising islamophobe is probably a welcome change from the usual right wing christian islamophobes 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2016, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/336 "2016-01-26T22:52:08Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > In coremelt’s defense (modest, since IMHO he’s being schooled in this discussion) Further in coremelt’s defense: I think he’s done quite well in this thread. It is difficult in any thread where you’re clearly being outnumbered, and much more so in a thread in the Pit where those ganging up on you are slinging insults like they’re going out of style, but coremelt has stuck around, calmly made his points, and kept the signal:noise ratio higher than his opponents. Even if he’s wrong on some points, he’s coming out of this smelling a lot better than those arguing against him. ---
**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:** [January 26, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/337 "2016-01-26T23:42:37Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > No, **Uniquoeorn** , it’s on the level. > > But Bobby Fischer certainly was under the influence of dark powers. Speaking of Fischer, he was mentioned yesterday on _Listverse_: [10 Craziest Events In The History Of Chess](http://listverse.com/2016/01/26/10-craziest-events-in-the-history-of-chess/). He’s listed at #3. ---
**Author:** ![booneyvince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@booneyvince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booneyvince)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/338 "2016-01-27T04:21:59Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Except that nobody here **is** condoning such doctrines on the part of radical-extremist Islamists or anybody else. Sure you are, princess. Whenever a Muslim practices their backwards-ass religion and inevitably kills, rapes, or otherwise horribly subjugates another, liberals breathlessly run into the room and declare that their horrible behavior has nothing to do with Islam, and that if you notice the hell on Earth Muslims are uniquely inflicting on each other and everyone else, you’re some kind of horrible bigot. Unfortunately for you, it’s no longer working. Any civilized country making the mistake of letting these culturally retarded clowns in is finding out how fucked they are in short order, and reality is impugning liberal dipshit orthodoxy yet again. Have no fear though, just wait a few hours for the next Muslim atrocity so you can get some more use out of your thesaurus’ entry on “Islamophobia.” ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/339 "2016-01-27T05:12:38Z")
> [@](#): > > _Last edited by booneyvince; Today at 08:22 PM… Reason: Dumb_ Truer words were never spoken. Having fun, troll? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2016, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-religious-leader-of-saudi-arabia-bans-chess/743892/340 "2016-01-27T05:14:25Z")
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