Probably to no one’s surprise, a pakistani imam has offered a million dollar bounty for the murder of one of the danish cartoonists.
Unlike other solicitations to murder, such as the bounty on Rushdie posted by Khomenei, and the 25 million on 'sama posted by Bush, this particular solicitation to murder comes from a private citizen, and is therefore arguably without the putative cover of raison d’etat.
Should Denmark not demand, and should we not support, extradition of this asshole for trial on solicitation of murder? (nb. probably fatal for Musharraf to comply, but tough shit)
Failing which, ought we not chip in our nickels and dimes to raise a bounty on HIS head.
I know this is not the way to pour oil on trouble waters, but dammit, I don’t think the Salman Rushdie model for the survival of controversial artists is a good one.
How long will THIS poor bastard have to hide out (if he’s lucky enough to hide successfully)?
If he was to be murdered, I don’t think it would have anything to do with the money. Fanatic’s do not blow themselves up for the money, they do so for well whatever there cause/belief is IMHO of course.
As for the counter reward, interesting as it is, it would do nothing but put a bigger spotlight on this loon and his ilk.
i know that my motivation is more teeth grinding frustration than well thought through policy, but I still don’t get why it’s ok to solicit murder in the public square, whereas if you try to buy a hit man for your spouse and you get an undercover cop instead, you are severely busted.
Disturbing video footage of beheaded bodies being paraded through the streets of southern Pakistan, in front of powerless police, has been broadcast today in Afghanistan.
somewhat off topic, but rolicking good fun. (the beheadings occurred a month ago, making one acknowledge that the stalwarts who (presumably) manipulated the bodies to create the “marching” effect had pretty strong stomachs…)
I’m almost certain that Pakistani law, based on British Common Law as it is, would have reason to arrest this guy for incitement. Musharraf is probably too scared of the fundies to do it though.
I don’t see a debate here, though. I don’t think you’ll find anyone who feels anything but revulsion here.
I wouldn’t expect M. to move on his own, and I realize that extradition isn’t on the menu.
That, of course, leaves us going door to door with our “unicef” bags to raise a counter bounty, obviously not the statesmanlike approach.
But are we then reduced to merely offering an attic to these modern fugitives? i confess I run out of ideas after arrest, countersnuff, or hide. I am hoping someone has a fourth idea how to deal with this insanity, once it gets to actually purchasing a murder…
For every day the bounty stands the US should provide some multiple in direct military aid to India.
Why? Because I’m guessing the people in Pakistan with the ability to shut someone like this up (e.g. the ISI) care more about their conflict with India than a Danish cartoonist.
I could ask for my money back - with interest - which I’ve send to Pakistan when they had that earthquake.
You think they will? Being civilized and all?
alaricthegoth, You forgot the car. A Pakistani imam has offered a million dollar bounty and a new car for the murder of one of the danish cartoonists.
Don’t see a difference, huh? Solicitation of murder is not the same as saying someone should be killed. If so, there are even quite a few dopers that would need to do some runnin.
So I’m watching a movie. British Colonial officers in a Muslim country. A “native” is brought before a judge, accused of attempting to murder a British officer in his sleep with a huge curving sword. Through a translator, the turbaned accused defends his actions thus: *“This officer sleeps with his feet toward Mecca!” *
This was not a recent TV Movie of the Week. It was The Lives of a Bengal Lancer.
A Gary Cooper flick from 1935.
How long has this sort of thing been going on? I thought this was about Israel and George Bush and junk?
I confess that I overlooked the car. It starts to sound a little bit like" queen for a day".
why not a washer/dryer and a freezer in there too (with a year’s supply of pork chops)?
(parenthetically Pat Buchanan on the McLaughlin Group was discussing the necessity for religious (not racial) profiling vis-a-vis the new vigilence on the nyc subway, and he was stumped by a rejoinder that there was no such thing as a muslim-o-meter; I could not help thinking that a topless chick with a tray of jimmy dean sausage standing at the top of the stairs would go a long way towards sorting the sheep from the goats, as it were)
i would miss pat–he provides badly needed comic relief at a time of inter-communal tension…besides, if past history is any guide (vide, jimmy swaggart) we can expect him to be caught in a motel room in flagrante delicto any minute now. buffoons of his ilk are invariably harboring a cesspool of urges just seething below the surface that will not bear the light of day.
from a broader point of view, it’s a little ridiculous for Britain to jail Abu Hamza (sp?-the guy with the hooks) for incitement but take no action (granted I can’t think offhand what the action might be) where there is actual solicitation.
Whereas in Britain it is illegal to say “kill the jews”, here it has to be “kill that jew over there” to rise to the level of a criminal offense. This particular imam has certainly fit the definition of the crime in even the most first amendment friendly jurisdictions.
It is just insufferable that western governments trot quietly along from day to day tut-tutting, yet allowing “allies” to harbor conspirators (or aspirants to conspiracy) to murder.
Rushdie’s life was a living hell for the longest time, and I doubt if even today he fails to look over his shoulder…
Denmark collected quite a bit of aid for the Pakistani earthquake, I think it was the second or third largest donator nation compared to population - but now the Danish aid workers have been forced to leave Pakistan on danger of their lives. Apparently if you look European people will stop you in the street and ask if you’re Danish. So now the aid for Pakistan is being redirected to Africa. Well all for the good, if they believe they’re better off without Danish aid, I guess there are many more deserving places on Earth. I think if the earthquake was to take place today, disaster organisations would have a very hard time getting Danes to pony up.
Same thing is also happening in Palestine, where Danish (and Norwegian) aid workers have been forced out. Even volunteres from organisations which are there to report and document alleged Israeli crimes. Here from the news, gotta love irony:
duh. Sometimes reality knocks so loudly on the door it’s impossible to ignore it.