On April 24th, 2017, Yameen Rasheed died from a stabbing he suffered in the stairway of his home in the city of Male in the Republic of Maldives. He was stabbed 16 times.
What sort of man was this Yameen Rasheed to be assassinated in this way? According to close friends, he was soft-spoken and funny. Others describe him as smart, witty and sweet.
So what was his crime? Why was he targeted for murder?
As Yameen himself explained prior to his murder, he wrote a blog and "did the campaign." He was known for his satyrical tweets. In his popular blog, "The Daily Panic," Yameen often criticized the government for using the religion of Islam in presenting its agenda to the public.
His "campaign" refers to Yameen's effort to find his close friend, Ahmed Rilwan Abdulla, who was a journalist for the Maldives Independent. Ahmed was abducted in 2014 and has not been heard of since. Recently, under great pressure, the authorities conceded that they had knowledge of the perpetrators of the murders of both Yameen and Ahmed.
What sort of place is this Republic of Maldives? It's a nation of about 1,200 islands with a population of about 400,000 people southwest of India. It is a gorgeous vacation destination popular with tourists. The population, Sunni Muslim, has traditionally been liberal in its interpretation of Islam. Women went about without covering covering their heads. But that changed about two or three years ago. Under the increasing influence of Saudi Arabia, the Maldives began to shift to a more conservative strain of Islam. One indicator of this shift is the finding of an international security firm that estimates that 200 Maldive people have travelled to the Middle East to fight with ISIS.
This movement to a more Salafist version of Islam was brought about through Saudi offering scholarships to the youth of the Maldives to study in Saudi Arabian universities. In addition, Saudi Arabia has supplied the Maldives with Saudi imams. who have been rolling out a wide ranging agenda that is Sharia based. On October 18, 2015, the Maldive Independent reported the sentencing of a woman to death by stoning for the crime of adultery; the first such sentence given in the history of the Maldives.
For more details on what is happening in the Maldives, Google " Maldive Clerics Roll Out Wide Ranging Religious Agenda." There is a lesson to us in the west in what has happened in the Maldives and it is this: Muslims are a good people, but the teachings of Salafist imams is destructive of western values. In the case of the Maldives, Salafism has been spread by a country that permits no churches or synagogues to be built in its own nation but brazenly builds mosques all over the globe.
Credits: Essential information contained in this entry come from Hassan Moosa, of Male, and Kai Schultz of New Delhi. Geeta Anand contributed reporting from Mumbai, India.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Sunday, April 16, 2017
The Drip, Drip Drip of Alec Baldwin's Acid Humor
Alec Baldwin is a talented actor and a really funny guy. But humor isn't always funny. My wife loves the skits of Alec Baldwin where he plays Donald Trump. I watch him only to observe his style.
So what's my problem with Alec Baldwin? It's the context of his humor. A biting narrative can be both funny and supportive of the individual of whom fun is being made. "Roasts" are typical of this type of humor.
However, humor can also be used to tear down an individual whom we hate. And, make no mistake; Baldwin and many others in Hollywood hate Donald Trump.
They say anyone who brings up the name "Hitler" will lose an argument. I'll take that chance. Remember World War II when Mel Brooks used his enormous wit to denigrate and belittle Hitler. And, we cheered. And, we cheered because Hitler was truly evil. Only someone like Mel Brooks could show this vile individual for the low-life trash that he was. Mel Brooks was a genius.
Alec Baldwin is no Mel Brooks. Still, he's pretty good at what he does. And, where Brooks had Hitler, Baldwin has Trump. The question is: Is Trump Hitler? Of course not. At least not for half of America. But, whether Trump's a Hitler or not, Baldwin's going to do his best to bring Trump down in the minds of Americans. If Aristophanes with his play, Clouds, could destroy Socrates, why not Alec Baldwin bringing down Trump with his skits? Why not? Chutzpa is Alec Baldwin's middle name.
So what's my problem with Alec Baldwin? It's the context of his humor. A biting narrative can be both funny and supportive of the individual of whom fun is being made. "Roasts" are typical of this type of humor.
However, humor can also be used to tear down an individual whom we hate. And, make no mistake; Baldwin and many others in Hollywood hate Donald Trump.
They say anyone who brings up the name "Hitler" will lose an argument. I'll take that chance. Remember World War II when Mel Brooks used his enormous wit to denigrate and belittle Hitler. And, we cheered. And, we cheered because Hitler was truly evil. Only someone like Mel Brooks could show this vile individual for the low-life trash that he was. Mel Brooks was a genius.
Alec Baldwin is no Mel Brooks. Still, he's pretty good at what he does. And, where Brooks had Hitler, Baldwin has Trump. The question is: Is Trump Hitler? Of course not. At least not for half of America. But, whether Trump's a Hitler or not, Baldwin's going to do his best to bring Trump down in the minds of Americans. If Aristophanes with his play, Clouds, could destroy Socrates, why not Alec Baldwin bringing down Trump with his skits? Why not? Chutzpa is Alec Baldwin's middle name.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Stick It To The Man
"Stick it to the man" was a song written for the play/movie, School of Rock, about a rock musician who finds himself teaching music to a high school class of gifted students. The "man" in "stick it to the man" refers to anyone in a position of authority: teachers, parents, principals and the like.
Today, we have a situation that might be paraphrased, "Stick it to United." Who hasn't been inconvenienced by one airline or another? A number of us have arrived late because of traffic and have seen the door of our plane slam shut in our face. We have found ourselves with seats suitable only for people shorter than five feet. We've found it impossible to get to a lavatory because a drink cart blocked our way. We've been seated next to crying babies. We've had chunky passengers seated next to us with oversized shoulders that intruded into our space. We've suffered through delayed departures; not to mention cancellations. Just taking off your shoes and belt prior to entering the departure area served to darken our mood. Flying generally isn't fun.
So who's to blame. Difficulties at security can all be attributed to Muslims who would like to blow us out of the sky. The bastards! All the rest is the responsibility of the airlines. Bad weather? Oh, sure. Ticket price? Everyone pays a different fare, depending on the day and they booked the flight, and most paid less then you. And, then there's the amount extra you must pay if your luggage is a bit overweight.
Flying ain't fun. We'd just love to stick it to the airlines. Who cares about them having to compete with other airlines. Who cares what the weather conditions. Who cares? Suddenly we can stick it to United. It feels so good.
To those who care to give it a moment's thought, it might be pointed out that in the end passengers are a kind of cargo. Yes, they are people and deserve care and special handling. But, in the end we've all signed up for the airlines to take us from here to there as cheaply as possible. And, the pilots hold the same power as the captains of a ship. Indeed, the head pilot is called "captain."
David Dao, the passenger dragged off of the United flight was initially described as "belligerent" and "disruptive." Later when the public saw their chance to stick it to "the man;" namely, United, United changed its tune and said the man was not to blame. But, of course, the man had indeed been belligerent as well as disruptive. And, what images he incurred were brought about by his own actions. Had he simply gotten out of his seat and left the plane as the other two passengers did who were also asked to leave Dr. Dao would have been none the worst for wear.
Can airlines avoid this situation in the future? Of course, they could set up a glass enclosed waiting areas. Then, when the flight was ready to board, and unfortunate, but necessary adjustments, had been made, those passengers, whose final status had been firmly established would be allowed to board the plane. It would cost the airlines more to operate this way. But, of course, it would be one more cost to be transferred on to the passengers. Thank you Dr. Dao.
Today, we have a situation that might be paraphrased, "Stick it to United." Who hasn't been inconvenienced by one airline or another? A number of us have arrived late because of traffic and have seen the door of our plane slam shut in our face. We have found ourselves with seats suitable only for people shorter than five feet. We've found it impossible to get to a lavatory because a drink cart blocked our way. We've been seated next to crying babies. We've had chunky passengers seated next to us with oversized shoulders that intruded into our space. We've suffered through delayed departures; not to mention cancellations. Just taking off your shoes and belt prior to entering the departure area served to darken our mood. Flying generally isn't fun.
So who's to blame. Difficulties at security can all be attributed to Muslims who would like to blow us out of the sky. The bastards! All the rest is the responsibility of the airlines. Bad weather? Oh, sure. Ticket price? Everyone pays a different fare, depending on the day and they booked the flight, and most paid less then you. And, then there's the amount extra you must pay if your luggage is a bit overweight.
Flying ain't fun. We'd just love to stick it to the airlines. Who cares about them having to compete with other airlines. Who cares what the weather conditions. Who cares? Suddenly we can stick it to United. It feels so good.
To those who care to give it a moment's thought, it might be pointed out that in the end passengers are a kind of cargo. Yes, they are people and deserve care and special handling. But, in the end we've all signed up for the airlines to take us from here to there as cheaply as possible. And, the pilots hold the same power as the captains of a ship. Indeed, the head pilot is called "captain."
David Dao, the passenger dragged off of the United flight was initially described as "belligerent" and "disruptive." Later when the public saw their chance to stick it to "the man;" namely, United, United changed its tune and said the man was not to blame. But, of course, the man had indeed been belligerent as well as disruptive. And, what images he incurred were brought about by his own actions. Had he simply gotten out of his seat and left the plane as the other two passengers did who were also asked to leave Dr. Dao would have been none the worst for wear.
Can airlines avoid this situation in the future? Of course, they could set up a glass enclosed waiting areas. Then, when the flight was ready to board, and unfortunate, but necessary adjustments, had been made, those passengers, whose final status had been firmly established would be allowed to board the plane. It would cost the airlines more to operate this way. But, of course, it would be one more cost to be transferred on to the passengers. Thank you Dr. Dao.
Sunday, April 9, 2017
To Black Lives Matter: Grow Up
Two things should be said at the outset: One, slavery is an abominable practice. And, two, it has a very long history. It was practiced in biblical times and, no doubt, even earlier.
Having said that, let's now turn to the Africans brought to the New World as slaves. Who took them from their villages? Fellow Africans. Before the city-state, people tended to identify as clans. To some extent, it is still that way in many places. Clan identification is still strong in the Middle East. In Africa we refer to groups of people as tribes. In the 16th century, and, no doubt earlier, stronger tribes would raid weaker ones, and, where convenient, make slaves of them.
The Portuguese needing labor to work Brazilian sugar plantations turned to slaves shipped over from Africa. The Spanish had tried using Indian slaves but they died or disappeared into the rain forests. It was in the Americas that the plantation system was developed for raising crops such as sugar cane, cotton, rice and tobacco. But, in Brazil and in the Caribbean, sugar was the most important crop.
Shipping companies stepped in to get a piece of the slave cargo market. Ten percent of the slaves died in transit to their destinations in the Americas. Brazil took the most slaves; roughly 4 million. The Caribbean countries took, collectively, roughly 3 million. And the U.S. came in with a bit under 1 million.
It is interesting to ponder what makes people not see the horror of slavery. Could it be their awareness of the practice of slavery in earlier ages? I think not. The only thing that occurs to me is that Africans were viewed as some sort of subhuman species. Hadn't they been taken out of jungles? They had no written language, as far as anyone could tell. No, they were clearly subhuman.
And, yet, slave holders feared that they might learn to read and write. In short, they feared testing their hypothesis that the Africans were subhuman. They also seemed preoccupied with converting them to Christianity. It makes no sense -- not now, not back then.
An awareness of the inhumanity of slavery came to William Wilberforce the British parliamentarian who succeeded in having slavery ended in all British colonies. It was something also painfully obvious to American abolitionists. Ultimately, slavery ended under President Lincoln.
It might be noted, however, that many American presidents, up to the time of Lincoln, owned slaves. One can only assume that those who fought to maintain slavery; primarily in the south, saw emancipation as undermining their plantation system and their financial interests. And, it must also be recognized that even with Lincoln, the first salvo in the fight against slavery was not to end it entirely, but rather to keep in from being instituted in the western territories that would soon become states. But, of course, once the battle was jointed, the institution of slavery throughout all of the American states was to be ended.
It took many more years to end Jim Crow, the practice that denied African-Americans their full rights. In the battle against Jim Crow, blacks were supported by a number of white groups and white individuals. A white man helped establish the NAACP, once the preeminent black group fighting for equal rights. Whites, including a noted rabbi and Catholic priest, among others, marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King in Selma Alabama. And, can we forget the two young men, Schwerner and Goodman, who died with their black friend Chaney at the hands of racists.
The Yad Vashem, a memorial to the 6 million who died at the hands of the Nazis, the Jews also commemorated the non-Jews who, at their peril, worked to aid the Jews. They are referred to as the "righteous gentiles." There were too few of these people, but Jews recognize the importance of giving them recognition. It is an example America's blacks might seek to emulate.
Having said that, let's now turn to the Africans brought to the New World as slaves. Who took them from their villages? Fellow Africans. Before the city-state, people tended to identify as clans. To some extent, it is still that way in many places. Clan identification is still strong in the Middle East. In Africa we refer to groups of people as tribes. In the 16th century, and, no doubt earlier, stronger tribes would raid weaker ones, and, where convenient, make slaves of them.
The Portuguese needing labor to work Brazilian sugar plantations turned to slaves shipped over from Africa. The Spanish had tried using Indian slaves but they died or disappeared into the rain forests. It was in the Americas that the plantation system was developed for raising crops such as sugar cane, cotton, rice and tobacco. But, in Brazil and in the Caribbean, sugar was the most important crop.
Shipping companies stepped in to get a piece of the slave cargo market. Ten percent of the slaves died in transit to their destinations in the Americas. Brazil took the most slaves; roughly 4 million. The Caribbean countries took, collectively, roughly 3 million. And the U.S. came in with a bit under 1 million.
It is interesting to ponder what makes people not see the horror of slavery. Could it be their awareness of the practice of slavery in earlier ages? I think not. The only thing that occurs to me is that Africans were viewed as some sort of subhuman species. Hadn't they been taken out of jungles? They had no written language, as far as anyone could tell. No, they were clearly subhuman.
And, yet, slave holders feared that they might learn to read and write. In short, they feared testing their hypothesis that the Africans were subhuman. They also seemed preoccupied with converting them to Christianity. It makes no sense -- not now, not back then.
An awareness of the inhumanity of slavery came to William Wilberforce the British parliamentarian who succeeded in having slavery ended in all British colonies. It was something also painfully obvious to American abolitionists. Ultimately, slavery ended under President Lincoln.
It might be noted, however, that many American presidents, up to the time of Lincoln, owned slaves. One can only assume that those who fought to maintain slavery; primarily in the south, saw emancipation as undermining their plantation system and their financial interests. And, it must also be recognized that even with Lincoln, the first salvo in the fight against slavery was not to end it entirely, but rather to keep in from being instituted in the western territories that would soon become states. But, of course, once the battle was jointed, the institution of slavery throughout all of the American states was to be ended.
It took many more years to end Jim Crow, the practice that denied African-Americans their full rights. In the battle against Jim Crow, blacks were supported by a number of white groups and white individuals. A white man helped establish the NAACP, once the preeminent black group fighting for equal rights. Whites, including a noted rabbi and Catholic priest, among others, marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King in Selma Alabama. And, can we forget the two young men, Schwerner and Goodman, who died with their black friend Chaney at the hands of racists.
The Yad Vashem, a memorial to the 6 million who died at the hands of the Nazis, the Jews also commemorated the non-Jews who, at their peril, worked to aid the Jews. They are referred to as the "righteous gentiles." There were too few of these people, but Jews recognize the importance of giving them recognition. It is an example America's blacks might seek to emulate.
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