Third Bangladeshi Blogger Murdered In As Many Months
An anonymous reader writes: Ananta Bijoy Das blogged about science in Bangladesh, also sometimes tackling difficult issues about religion. He won an award in 2006 for "deep and courageous interest in spreading secular and humanist ideals and messages." He's now been murdered for his writings, the third Bangladeshi blogger to die in the past few months. Four masked assailants chased him down in broad daylight and attacked him with cleavers and machetes. The Committee to Protect Journalists says Das is the 20th writer to be murdered globally so far this year. Arrests have been made in Bangladesh for the murders of the previous two bloggers this year, but no convictions have yet been made. Das's murderers remain at large.
Shows how "progressive" some countries can be.
...gis sdrawkcab (usually not responding to ACs; don't bother posting as AC)
It's a Muslim thing, you wouldn't understand.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
True. We must all worship the son of God the father, born to a mortal woman, who traveled the mid-east several thousand years ago performing miraculous deeds and building a religious following. Lets all worship Hercules.
Or did you have some other silly myth in mind? You were not very clear on that.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Guess who's behind it. Go ahead, guess without even reading the summary. It's "the religion of peace" again. You know, the one that tells people to cut off other people's heads and enslave them and that everyone is an enemy and most crimes are punishable by death?
Islam is the religion of peace! Well, except for a few radicals, maybe 2 or 3 percent, which would only make about a million radicals. And, maybe except for their supporters, maybe 20 percent or so, which would make about 200 million. Other than that, it's mostly moderates, who won't actually go out and jihad, but they'll cheer the jihadists on. You've nothing to fear from Islam, there's just no way that there are more than a three or four hundred million activists and jihadists combined!
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
The Guardian shies away from discussing the motivation, but even their description of an earlier attack alludes to it:
Could some Islamic scholar chime in to describe, how such an attack (as well as that against Charlie Hebdo, or Pamela Geller, or Salman Rushdie) is not in perfect conformance with Koran?
No, pointing fingers at other religions will not answer the question and will be ignored.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
>> Arrests have been made in Bangladesh for the murders of the previous two bloggers this year, but no convictions have yet been made.
You know, in America it would also be rare for a murder conviction to happen the same year an arrest was made. For example:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B...
It's a weak god indeed that is needs to be protected by semi-illiterates armed with hatchets and cleavers from a guy asking questions and having discussions. Each act like this done in this "god's" name further convinces me there is no possible way it is worthy of worship, or that it exists at all.
I should add, not all the followers do those things, but the ones that do are pretty shameless about it.
Islam is nothing like christianity. Christ (the new testament) at least teaches love and forgiveness. In islam it is the very prophet that incites and orders followers to commit those atrocities. Those muslims are not ignoring the words of their prophet but acting in accordance with god's command, which is exactly the problem.
If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
If Islam is like American-style Christianity, its followers actively ignore the words of their own prophet so they can do whatever atrocious shit they wanted to do anyway.
For Christianity, that means hating gays, subjugating minorities, and living a selfish, materialistic life while judging others.
This is actually a pretty common misconception about Islam. You're correct in saying that Christians are hypocrites when they do any of those things, because it runs contrary to the teachings of Christ. You can't say the same about Muslims when they commit acts like this, because they are expressly commanded by Muhammed either in the Quran or the Hadith (honor killings, killing apostates, drawing images of the "prophet", etc.).
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
Christianity on gays "we don't want gays to be married"
Islam on gays "We will kill gays"
Christianity on Minorities "people are people"
Islam on Minorities "Convert to Islam, pay a tax or die"
Christianity on Selfish living "Love one another"
Islam on Selfish Behavior "Kill the Infadel" "Hate the Jew" "Kill the people of the Cross"
Christianity on Judging "Love the sinner, hate the sin" "Judge not lest ye be judged"
Islam on Judging "Kill the infadel"
Yeah, they are completely the same.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U...
Was enacted, has since been struck down but only for technicalities: lack of quorum when passed. That is being appealed to Uganda Supreme Court, and if that fails it will be brought up again. Original bill included death penalty, was changed after International pressure to life sentence, but politicians have been working to amend to make homosexuality a capital crime as originally intended.
Either way, the legislation has also increased vigilante homophobia, Uganda gays "face an atmosphere of physical abuse, vandalism to their property, blackmail, death threats, and 'correctional rape'."
Bill was introduced following a two-day conference by U.S. Christians on how homosexuality is a threat to families in Africa.
American Family Association leader praises bill:
http://www.thenewcivilrightsmo...
Family Research Council supports Uganda anti-homosexuality bill:
http://www.hrc.org/blog/entry/...
Well, I guess this is a nice visceral example against the argument that "only" government can censor people or affect what people say publically.
Calling either Mao or Stalin a scientist is so strange as to qualify for wierd. Hitler had some doctors working for him who would meet the qualification, but I haven't been able to think of any other scientists that engaged in multiple murders, though I sure some must have existed. I suspect that this is largely because scientists are rarely in positions of power, and don't like to expose themselves to violent circumstances. But not entirely. The kind of mind that will devote itself to science must of needs be relatively passive and oriented towards careful observation. Such people will only take personally violent action under extreme provocation.
I think we've pushed this "anyone can grow up to be president" thing too far.
Most (many at least) Christians don't have a clue what the bible actually says. They only know what (parts of) the New Testament says. Most only recite what their pastors preach from the pulpit, or single verses (taken out of context)
Most couldn't explain why Jesus didn't condemn the whore to stoning, because they don't know. But he was 100% biblical (Torah Compliant) in his approach and there are many lessons that could be learned from that.
Yes, there are some pretty strong prescriptions in the Bible, but most of them are actually hard to fulfill, as most of the accusers would be indicted for their own sins in the process of pointing fingers at others, something most people don't like to face in themselves. It would be like saying "Mr Drug Dealer stole from me (when I was trying to buy drugs from him)".
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
False. There is only one true being, and we all marvel and one day hope to be embraced in His noodley appendage.
Ramen.
Since when does being a Socialist mean 'someone who has a different opinion than me'?
Well considering the massive support the Kill the Gays bill had in 84% Christian Uganda, I think a few more than 5 Christians supported it.
Now, if you want to compare Christianity in Uganda and the U.S. in terms of the legacy of exploitation, poverty, and strife, and how those issues are a more important factor in social attitudes and affect the interpretation and execution of a shared religion, be my guest. Just take it up first with the poster who made sweeping statements about Christians and Muslims.
Oh, right, that was you. Talk about disingenuous.
I hate to interrupt a good smug-a-thon, but it should be noted that the assailants were Muslim.
As you were...
Quo usque tandem abutere, Nimbus, patientia nostra?
They almost always are. But notice how the summary conveniently left that fact out?
It's interesting. You can do this here, but as the article points out, it will get you killed in other areas with other religions.
|-&
Look, I just drew a picture of Mohamed fucking the spaghetti monster. But wait, before you yell "blasphemy". I said spaghetti monster not Flying Spaghetti Monster. It's his mentally challenged cousin I'm talking about.
I think he was referring to the Son of God, and also God himself (part of the holy trinity), born as a man from immaculate conception, the Savior, the adoptive son of a carpenter, visited at birth by wise men guided by a star, whose human parents fled when angels predicted that the local dictator would attempt to assassinate the child, born without sin, the miraculous healer of disease, followed by disciples, capable of raising the dead, host of one hell of a last supper. He who made the lepers whole! He who was meek, merciful, and forgave his enemies! He who was crucified, and was then resurrected! Ladies and gentlemen, the seed of the woman bruising the serpent's head! The Lion Of The Tribe Of Saki! My savior, and yours! Give it up for Krishnaaaaaaaa!
Sorry, I got confused. I'm talking about the Holy Child, born on December 25th to a virgin and placed in a manger! The traveling teacher who performed miracles! The sacred king of kings killed and eaten in a eucharistic ritual of purification! The one who turned water into wine, was crucified, and was resurrected after death! The God of Gods! The Only Begotten Son! The Redeemer, Bearer of Sin, the Anointed One, Alpha and Omega, the Lamb of God! My God of the Vine, and yours! Dionysuuuuuuus!
Sorry, I was confused. I'm talking about THE ONLY begotten son of God, born of a virgin! His birth heralded by the brightest star in the sky! Threats of death upon his birth, with his mother rushing to hide them! Nothing at all known about him between the ages of 12 and 30! Baptized in a river at 30! The baptizer got beheaded! The one who walked on water! Cast out demons! Healed the sick! Cured the blind! Crucified, died, and was resurrected 3 days later! My God of the Sky, and yours! Hooooooruuuuuuuus!
Or maybe someone else. I'm sure their mother claimed to be a virgin too. Suuuuuuure, honey. Whatever it takes to avoid being stoned to death.
"Our two-party system is like a bowl of shit looking at itself in a mirror." - Lewis Black
In the context of the country in which this incident happened, he probably meant worshiping the pedophile prophet who got his adopted son to divorce his daughter-in-law so that he could marry her himself, and went on a mission to heaven in a dream to bargain with his imaginary friend the #times his followers would have to pray to him down from 50 to 5.
The vast majority of atheists in America, particularly those who live in conservative areas report hiding their beliefs from neighbours (often claiming to be agnostic) for fear of discrimination and reprisal.
It would appear that even in the US of A atheists feel legitimately scared of religious people who are decidedly NOT Muslims. 3 Atheist murders in a short period is distressing but hardly above average, it COULD be just a random statistically clump which has no deeper meaning. There is nothing to suggest that this happens more frequently there than among Christians in the USA.
In fact, there isn't even any proof yet that this particular person's murder (or any of them) were even related to their writings - no trials yet, no evidence or motives known. The country is in a state of significant civil upheaval where murders are a frequent ocurrence. That these three victims happen to be atheist may be entirely unrelated to their deaths.
A good atheist should not form opinions before evidence is available and ought to know about statistical clumping fallacies and selective reporting.
Of course it's also possible that these WERE religiously motivated murders - we don't have enough evidence ot judge yet, we don't EVEN have a signficant enough statistical clump to consider it an unlikely coincidence
To get a valid sample you must EXCLUDE the data that originally drew your attention from your data-set, then make a prediction of what would happen if there was a NON-random event, and only if that prediction holds can you rule out randomness. So we now suspect that atheist bloggers may be getting targeted for their writings. We can predict that more deaths will follow, in quick sucession. If another happens -then we can NOT say "4 deaths now" - we say 1 death matching the prediction, if another 3 happen in a reasonable timeframe THEN you've got something MORE than mere coincidence.
Oh - and Muslim extermists are hardly the most violent religious lot around. That title is actually held by a Christian group. The Lords Resistance Army kills about as many people every month as all the Islamic terrorists in the world combined do in a decade - and that was in the decade that include 9/11, in a typical decade it's about a 5th of what the LRA does monthly.
The reason you don't HEAR about the LRA murders is because they don't happen where there is oil or, indeed, any resource of importance to America. They just happen somewhere in Africa, which as far as America is concerned is basically this big country full of children with distended bellies where everybody dies by age 10 anyway.
Unicode killed the ASCII-art *