Who would be STUPID enough to hold a MISS world beauty contest in NIGERIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nothing sanctions or justifies the rioting and killing or vandalizing property. It’s sad that people do not have respect or dignity left in them to express their opinions and thoughts in a civilized manner.
May Allah bless those who are the victims of such rioting & help their families cope during this tough time.
:k:
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by mo_best: *
I'm sorry but if a paper doesnt have the sense to check what its publishing in a muslim majority state and in a situation of great tension then it is not responsible and should be shut down.
[/QUOTE]
Does muslim majority automatically mean there is no freedom of speech or press? What about the 40% Christian population? Where are they supposed to get their uncensored information?
Here is an eyewitness account.
I guess my concern is that extremeism and ultra violence seem to be on a hair trigger. While there is no binding thread, a Christian aid worker was killed yesterday in Lebanon by three shots to the head. She had been previously threatened by extremeist to leave the neighborhood. I share the feelings that whatever ones moral objections to a beauty pageant, that pales in comparison to rioting, murder and religious gangs roving the street. Granted, Nigeria is a special case, and unfortunately all over the African continent life is cheap. But, who will privide the voice of reason? It almost makes me wish for an Ummah, who could at least call for tolerance and reason at times of crisis.
Eyewitness: A narrow escape in Abuja
The rioting began near Abuja’s main mosque
By Haruna Bahago
BBC, Abuja
After Friday prayers at the main mosque in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, Muslim youths took to the streets destroying the vehicles of motorists and burning police cars.
They were beating people and shouting “Allahu Akbar” (God is great), asking people if they were Christians - and if they were then beating them up.
It has been total chaos out on the streets.
I myself was caught up in the midst of a group of hundreds of youths - some armed with knives, sticks and daggers.
Some were saying I was a Christian. I had to shout Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Muhammad Rasoul Illah (God is great, God is great, Muhammad is the prophet of God) before they would let me go
I am still really shaking as it was a very frightening situation.
The youths are now moving to the Muslim market in the heart of the city
So many people have been injured. So many have been wounded by daggers and sticks.
I can’t really say for sure how many are hurt. I was confused being caught up in the crowd.
The police have now started moving in to try to control the situation.
What one can say is that the scene is very chaotic around the central mosque area with cars driving in all directions.
I'm only saying that papers should have a sense of political happenings before writing inflamaroty articles, I'll fiercely pro-freedom of speech, opinion and so on, but there are times which make it illogiocal to say stupid things-such as Nigeria at this point of political and social disharmony.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by ChannMahi: *
I will say that the comment published in the paper is unfortunate but it amazes me to no extent how people are going an extra mile in their arguments to say..it was supposed to happen...it is because of beauty contest....because it was Ramadhan....it was a wrong decision to host the contest in Nigeria....all these excuses to ignore and side track the real issue that 100 people have been killed....and the Government that allowed the hosting of the contest claims to be Islamic.
[/QUOTE]
No one is denying the unfortunate riots. The primary responsibility is on the rioters, and the secondary, but equally severe responsibility is on the government of Nigeria.
To me it seems just a matter of lack of common sense.
I hate to give analogies because that usually results in deviation of the topic, but I consider it similar to organizing a basketball tournament in Harlem (New York) which will only allow white-players and each player's shirt will carry the words "Niggers". Now if this results in riots in Harlem, who will you claim responsible?
These people in Nigeria, who are rioting, genuinly feel that hosting a beauty paegent in their country is an insult to their religion, which is Islam. They are incensed at the outrageous behavior of their government during this month. On top of that, a newspaper came out with that claim. It was plain stupid and insulting.
Political correctness can only take you so far. Sometimes you just have to come out and say what you believe in.
Mo Best,
I don't think the newspaper had a thing to do with it. It was simply the spark that lit the fuse that exploded the bomb. The real problem is a huge underlying religious tension that has given way to the ugliest type of violence. Whoever the religious leaders are, they appear to be inflaming the situation rather than putting it into perspective.
So here is a question. If a local Islamic leader is leading his people towards a path of death and destruction, who in the world Islamic community would step into the situation to bring calm and reason?
In the Christian world there are organized churches, the Catholic church being the most organized, that would attempt to intervene if an affiliated church was advocating violence or whipping people into a frenzy. How would this be done inthe Islamic religion?
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
These people in Nigeria, who are rioting, genuinly feel that hosting a beauty paegent in their country is an insult to their religion, which is Islam. They are incensed at the outrageous behavior of their government during this month. On top of that, a newspaper came out with that claim. It was plain stupid and insulting.
[/QUOTE]
And the 50% non-Muslim population of Nigeria is incensed at the outrageous behavior of sharia law implemented in their country. You talk of the rights, values and culture of the Muslim population. What about the 40% Christian population? Are they not entitled to have their own events, editorials, rights, culture and values? Or does the 50% Muslim population have veto power over all that?
Faisal, so let us accept that some people in the Islamic Govt of Nigeria by miscalculation and some other organizers by deliberate effort did something that hurts the feelings of Muslims in Nigeria.... now do they have license to find and kill Chiritisans for this act on the streets of Nigeria? Is that a fair rule then that whenever someone from one community does something or say something that hurts Majority's feelings, the minority needs to lynched publically to teach them a lession? Sorry to say but that sounds exactly like little Nazis in Gujrat few months ago. That was wrong and this wrong too.
There is no feeling so sacred that it needs people killed by mobs like this.
Mo-Best, you live in England....have you ever read literature by some Isalmists there which offends, insults and threatens the majority there? I have seen and read things said by some minority people living in USA about this country and its people and beliefs worse than hosting a Beauty contest or the comment in the newspaper.....Does majority here have the same rights as it does in Nigeria?
I just said that rioters are wrong. No one should support killing of innocent people. But for the 40% christian population to support this paegent (even if they are supporting it) during this time, may be ok as far as their so-called rights go, but this still qualifies as devoid of "common sense". I refer you back to my analogy. Rioting is wrong, but people, especially uneducated low-paid people can be quite illogical and emotional. It helps to take into account their feelings
My concern is with the loss of life, and my sympathies are for those who lost their loved ones, not with the political correctness of who has a right to stage what event.
ps. Chann ji, I had already said that rioters are primary responsible for the unfortunate events in my previous post.
Does lack of education cause this behavior or are they just nuts?
Irked by the publication of a provocative cover story titled “Miss World: The World on their feet,” which cast aspersions on the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in ThisDay newspaper of Saturday November 16, Muslims came out en masse at the Kaduna State branch office of the newspaper, just as a fatwa (religious decree) has been passed for the beheading of the writer of the offensive story as stated in an anonymous letter signed by one Sheikh Abdulkareem Abdullahi and sent to Weekly Trust.
The fatwa states that: "Isioma Daniel has committed a blasphemy against our noble prophet (SAW). Her offence is no less severe than that of Salman Rushdie who wrote the Satanic Verses to defame our prophet (SAW). Therefore, any Muslim who finds her should behead her for the sake of Allah and His rasul (SAW).
The provocative story which has been likened to the Satanic Verses states in its third paragraph thus: “Muslims thought it was immoral to bring ninety-two women to Nigeria and ask them to revel in vanity. When will Muhammad think? In all honesty, he would have chosen a wife from one of them.”
From the look of things, Muslims would not be easily placated on this matter. Reactions from Muslim organisations and individuals have been vehement and uncompromising.
The reaction of the president of the Supreme Council for Sharia implementation in Nigeria(SCSN), Dr Ibrahim Datti Ahmed was expectedly sharp. He declared that with the blasphemous story, ThisDay newspaper has declared a total war on Islam. He therefore urged Muslims to also declare a total war on the newspaper. “We (Muslims) do not provoke other people, but when we are provoked, we don’t rest until we deal with the offending agent. Nobody will denigrate the holy prophet of Islam and live in peace with Muslims,” he added.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Faisal: *
I just said that rioters are wrong. No one should support killing of innocent people. But for the 40% christian population to support this paegent (even if they are supporting it) during this time, may be ok as far as their so-called rights go, but this still qualifies as devoid of "common sense". I refer you back to my analogy. Rioting is wrong, but people, especially uneducated low-paid people can be quite illogical and emotional. It helps to take into account their feelings
[/QUOTE]
So because a portion of their country men do no share their views, they are supposed to give up their rights? That's not common sense, that's oppression.
The analogy of Harlem does not fit. First of all, the percentage of black vs whites is much higher in Harlem than the Muslim vs Christian in Nigeria. Secondly, the printing of "nigger" on their jerseys is a direct, intentional insult. The Miss World contestants are not an intentional insult, they are being themselves and doing what they want to do (they actually see that as common sense and the opposing view as oppressive).
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Seminole: *
That's not common sense, that's oppression.
[/QUOTE]
While you can concern yourself with the political correctness of freedom of speech, the world is probably more concerned with the loss of life. The talk of "oppression" and "rights" don't mean zilch if you are not coignizant of religious senstivities of your populace and the result is a high number of deaths and damage to property. Its inane.
The fact that for a handful of beautiful women, 105 equally beautiful women, men and children have already died, and another 600 or so have been injured, is truly shameful for any human to tolerate. The meaning of being a woman is being compassionate and understanding first and foremost. I am surprised that these beauty contestants themselves have not had the gumption - or perhaps the brains - to realize that their contest has resulted in the deaths of very many innocents, and cancel the event. This is the height of callousness on the part of any woman anywhere on earth. The loss of even one life should have sparked indignation and horror among these representatives of womanhood, but it didn't. And to top it off, they are tolerating the double-standards of their host government that allows women to be stoned and metes out injustices left and right on its own people. The Miss World contestants of 2002 have proved beyond a doubt that pageants are nothing more than parades where heartless and brainless plastic barbie dolls do nothing except flash their skin. All those arguments that beauty pageant members also are human, goes down the drain after this year's show.
Faisal, I know you said rioting is wrong but the fact still remains that you have repeatedly presented arguments in this thread that makes one think that you seem to believe that these rioters have genuine grievance caused by an anti-Islamic act of beauty contest being hosted during Ramadhan and a one-liner comment in one news paper about the Prophet. I am puzzled at that.
The fact that for a handful of beautiful women, 105 equally beautiful women, men and children have already died, and another 600 or so have been injured, <<
Ana, 105 are not dead because of the beauti contest..they are dead that some people can't tolerate people having different point of view than them and doing things different than them..like holding the beauty contest. Beauti contests happen every day one place or the other...never heard about people getting killed by it before.
There are a few idiots who make stupid comments in the UK, but they are not in a position comparable to those of the editors of that paper in Nigeria. They are just ignored here, with a 60-40 split and tension as deep as it is, the paper was simply irresponsible.
If a muslim paper insulted Jesus (unlikely) in Russia where we are 17%~ of the pop (CIA, other sources online)-the majority would go crazy-it just wouldnt be smart. Same thing here.
Okay people, clam down
Pageant moved to London
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Pakistani Tiger: *
Okay people, clam down
Pageant moved to London
[/QUOTE]
Thank god and good riddance
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Pakistani Tiger: *
Okay people, clam down
Pageant moved to London
[/QUOTE]
what about the feelings of millions of muslims who live in England?:) they must be pulling their hairs...oh no this evil evil beauty is coming towards us..oh no..down with beauty.