Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

Category: Society

  • Dying To Kill

    "Dying to Kill" – that phrase graces the cover of the August 2005 issue of Prospect magazine. Given the moral universe in which I live, it’s a phrase that I find supremely unsettling. But clearly, there are those who live in a completely different moral universe and to whom this phrase is an edict of aspiration. One such, Hassan Butt, is interviewed in the magazine. Read the interview.
     
    Elsewhere in the web version of the magazine, Ayaan Hirsi Ali puts her finger on the definitions of the two moral universes:
    Those who love freedom know that the open society relies on a few key shared concepts. They believe that all humans are born free, are endowed with reason and have inalienable rights. Governments are checked by the rule of law, so that civil liberties are protected. They ensure freedom of conscience and of expression, and ensure that men and women, homosexuals and heterosexuals, are treated equally under the law. People can trade freely, and may spend their recreational time as they wish.
     
    The terrorists, and the Shari’a-based societies to which they aspire, have an entirely different philosophy. Humans are born to serve Allah through a series of obligations that are prescribed in an ancient body of writings. These edicts vary from rituals of birth and funeral rites to the most intimate details of human life; they descend to the point of absurdity in matters such as how to blow your nose, and with what foot to step into a toilet. Muslims, according to this philosophy, must kill those among them who leave the faith, and are required to be hostile to people of other religions and ways of life. This hostility requires them to murder innocent people and makes no distinction between civilians and the military. In Shari’a societies, women are made subordinate to men. They must be confined to their houses, beaten if found disobedient, forced into marriage and hidden behind the veil. The hands of thieves are cut off and capital punishment is performed in crowded public squares in front of cheering crowds. The terrorists seek to impose this way of life not only on Islamic countries, but, as Blair said, on western societies too.
    Give me the open society every time.

  • Crank Dot Net

    I came across Crank Dot Net today – a web site devoted to collecting links to material published on the web by cranks, crazies, and the simply misguided. It’s a salutary experience to use the site as a jumping-off point to visit the wider reaches of the human propensity for credulity. However, I do find myself having to come up for air after a very short while of trawling through the tripe.
     
    I think there must also be some sort of correlation between craziness and the inability to construct a web site without resorting to coloured text on a black background.

  • A Fatwa For Freedom

    A fascinating and true story by Robert Tait in today’s Guardian: the life story of Maryam Khatoon Molkara.

  • Bouyeri Behind Bars

    Mohammed Bouyeri has received a life sentence for his murder of Theo van Gogh. I trust that he will have a long life in the hope that he will reflect long and hard on what he did. Mind you, he starts from a bad place: ‘Clutching a copy of the Koran, he said that "the law compels me to chop off the head of anyone who insults Allah and the prophet".’ Clearly not too much remorse there at the moment, then. 

  • Franklin Kameny

    He was one of my heroes. Good to read that he’s still going strong.

  • What Not To Write

    Jason Kuznicki, over at Positive Liberty, quotes an example of the sort of letter he receives several times a year. The contrast between the fantasy of the letter-writers and the reality of Jason’s photos is very telling. But what I find distressing is trying to imagine the depths of self-denial and self-hatred that surely must seem to exist in the minds of these letter-writers. To be trapped in such a prison of your own making like that is not something I would wish on anyone.
     
    On a lighter note, I have to say that I’ve never received any letters like that. I’m obviously considered a lost cause.

  • How True It Is

    Aginoth revives some common memories – and the kick in the tail is all too true. Je ne regrette rien, though.

  • Unite Against Terror

    uat
     
    The world would be a better place if we could believe in the kindness of strangers. The narcissism, nihilism and fascism of terrorists such as Rudolph, Bouyeri and Bin-Laden have no place in a civilised society.
     
    I’ve signed – how about you?

  • Bad News

    Hard on the heels of the news from Canada comes this story of the hanging of two young gay men in Iran – because they were gay. One step forward, two steps back…

  • Excellent News

    The Canadian Senate has approved a bill legalising same-sex marriages, following a similar decision by the lower house of parliament last month. So Canada becomes the fourth country in the world to do so. Oh well, four down, only another 189 to go before common sense prevails universally. Mind you, I suspect that some countries, such as the Vatican, are likely to resist until Hell freezes over. 

  • Like Two Peas In A Pod

    Eric, meet Mohammed.
     
    I hope they will both be behind bars for a very, very long time. I doubt though whether they will ever flush the poison out of their minds.

  • The Power of Nightmares

    While I’m on the subject of the Internet Archive (see the previous entry), I also must mention that it holds a copy of one of the most riveting political documentaries I’ve seen in recent years: Adam Curtis’ "The Power of Nightmares".
     
    This film (in three parts) explores the origins in the 1940s and 50s of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East, and Neoconservatism in America, the parallels between these movements, and their effect on the world today.
     
    Curtis delivers a powerful polemic, with some arresting images and ideas – I won’t forget that of the Taleban fighters dancing (apparently) to "Baby, it’s cold outside" for a long, long, time.
     
    The film, financed by the BBC, has (I believe) never been shown on the US TV networks. Why am I not surprised?

  • The Price Of Protest

    Jarndyce, over at The Sharpener blog, makes an eloquent point about the G8 and the Price of Protest. Go and read it. Now.  I’ll wait until you get back.
     
    So, I hope it’s made you think. Particularly the closing argument:
    Eight Men in One Room can change the world: the economic structure of it, anyway. But they won’t. These eight men didn’t get where they are by helping the world’s poor, but by pandering to lobbyists and agribusiness, and sending pork home from every international shindig. Ordinary people like us aren’t constrained. Given the choice between some very expensive awareness-raising plus a police baton charge or two, and 6,500 childhoods, I know which one I take. Every time.
    It got me thinking. I donate on a fairly regular basis to AIDS charities, and, like millions of others, was shocked into donating to the Tsunami relief fund. But it’s not enough. Perhaps the answer is, as Jarndyce suggests, to sponsor a child – and contribute to his or her education and healthcare. He suggests World Vision‘s scheme. But the way that it works – in exchange for your money, you get letters and photos from some poor unfortunate child in some far-off land thanking you – always struck me as slightly icky. I much prefer the anonymous benefactor route. I’d personally also prefer to be giving my money through a non-religious agency. So, time for some research into how to do more, and do it more effectively, preferably without religious trappings. Fortunately, I see that the practical Dutch have set up an organisation (the Donateursvereniging) that has already measured the charities and aid organisations missions and effectiveness against a plethora of attributes, to help undecided donors, such as me, make up their minds.
     
    The G8 leaders, as Jarndyce predicts, almost certainly won’t do a damn thing of any practical value. I really don’t know how they square it with their consciences. It’s that thought that spurs me on to take direct action via the aid agencies.

  • Cultural Combinations

    Via Dare Obasanjo’s blog comes this link to an intriguing commercial for Coca-Cola made for the Chinese market. I could understand if this had been made for the Japanese market, because the the mixing of cultural mores and leitmotifs between East and West has been going on for years, but I confess it surprised me to realise the extent to which this must now be happening in China.

  • An Introduction to Peak Oil

    Jim B. over at The Sharpener blog posts a sobering assessment of the Peak Oil phenomenon. Outcome: it’s going to happen, and this will change our world. I don’t think we fully understand yet how much this will impact us. But it ain’t going to be a picnic.

  • Make Prejudice History

    Prejudice is an interesting phenomenon. You assume that you know what the other thinks before he/she opens her mouth. So I thought well,  Elton John – celebrity, showman, clearly not a deep thinker. But then I read this piece in today’s Observer. And I thought – I was wrong. Good on yer, Elton.

  • 8 Women – One Voice

  • The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

    Three data points illustrating religious attitudes towards homosexuals:
     
    Data Point 1 (the good): Methodist leaders vote to bless gay couples. "In stark contrast to the Anglican communion, which is tearing itself apart over its attitude towards homosexuality, the annual Methodist conference voted unanimously to continue its "pilgrimage of faith" towards gay people".
     
    Data Point 2 (the bad): Bromley council to ban gay ceremonies. "Councillors were quoted in local newspapers making comments widely criticised as homophobic. One was reported to have said: ‘Gay marriages are immoral and undermine family values in society’."
     
    Data Point 3 (the ugly): Stabbings at Jerusalem Gay March. A religious protester stabbed three people taking part in a gay pride parade in Jerusalem. 
     

  • Another Reason To Celebrate Today

    The Spanish parliament has voted in favour of allowing gay couples to marry and adopt children. When the law comes into effect in a month’s time, Spain will become the third European country after the Netherlands and Belgium to legalise same-sex marriage.
     
    Excellent news! And if Martin and I decide to move to sunnier climes when we’re getting old and doddery, then now at least we know that our marriage will continue to be recognised in Spain…
     
    Update: Extracts from Prime Minister Zapatero’s speech are here, translated by Rex Wockner. An amazing speech.

  • Oh Dearie Me…

     
    The driver who a) has a truck this size and b) invests in a set of these is clearly beyond the pale. Equivalent to carrying a large sign saying "I am a stupid prick".
     
    Avoid at all cost.