Found In Translation

When Pamela Geller was on Hannity last Friday, she was gifted with a humungous Koran. According to the gifter--Islamic activist Michael Ghouse--it was supposedly translated in a way that emphasized the book's positives (i.e. its inherent "pluralism") and eliminated the negatives (i.e. the "evil"--yes, that's the word Ghouse used--inherent in common "mistranslations").

Imagine her surprise when she happened upon some, er, problematic and decidedly un-pluralistic verses:

The first thing I noticed was that this translation uses "God" for Allah throughout, even as it shows on every page that the Allah of the Qur'an is not the G-d of the Jews or of the Christians. Hmmmm.

I found plenty of pluralism. I found Allah saying to the Jews, who "profaned the Sabbath," "Be as apes despicable!" (2:65). And saying to the Muslims that they should "fight in God's cause against those who wage war against you, and do not commit aggression, for, verily, God does not love aggressors. And slay them wherever you find them" (2:190-191). Don't commit aggression, but slay them wherever you find them. Right.

I kept reading. "And as for those women whose ill-will you have reason to fear, admonish them [first]; then leave them alone in bed; then beat them" (4:34; the bracketed word is in the book in this and all other quotes). I sure am glad I am finally reading the right translation.

The pluralism and peace don't end there. I learned that God has "disowned" the "hypocrites" -- that is, people who pretend to be Muslim but aren't really, or who were once Muslim but leave the religion. It says that if they "revert to [open] enmity," the Muslims should "seize them and slay them wherever you may find them" (4:89). So now Muslims are supposed to beat "women whose ill-will" they "have reason to fear," and kill those who wage war against them, and hypocrites who are in open enmity against them, wherever they find them. And we're only on page 139 (out of 1,164 pages). They're not told to try to talk things out, or turn the other cheek, or work to make peace even while defending themselves. Muslims are supposed to fight against those who have "denied the truth" until "there is no more oppression and all worship is devoted to God alone" (8:39). So now Muslims have to fight unbelievers until everyone worships only Allah.

I guess we can add "pluralism" to the list of words (which includes "freedom," "democracy," "peace" and "justice") that mean one thing to non-believers and another thing (i.e. Islam/sharia) to those who submit to God/Allah.

Question: Are Some Lesbians Making Out in Public in the Hopes of Laying a Potentially Lucrative "Human Rights" Complaint?

That's the question that sprung to mind when I read this story about two lesbians who were playing tonsil hockey at a Tim Horton's. That account reminded me of Guy Earle's unfortunate run-in with randy, angry lesbians at a Vancouver comedy club.

The biggest unfairness here: if a man-woman couple engaged in similarly inappropriate behaviour were asked to knock it off, they could not lodge a "human rights" complaint (because unlike lesbians, heteros don't have the right to shake down people who "offend" them).

"Suffering" Muslims Join 'Occupy Wall Street' Kvetch-Fest

From onIslam:

In a sign of support, Muslims held their weekly prayers at Wall Street, where American protesters occupied the area.

Imam Aiyub Abdul Baki of the Islamic Leadership Council delivered a sermon on social justice.

"We are also suffering; suffering racism and discrimination,” the imam said.

Venting anger at the hated policies of Wall Street bankers, the imam pointed to Islam’s opposition for usury system.

He also complained of the growing bashing of US Muslims in recent years.

“Islam-bashing is on the increase," Abdul Baki said.

Bashing Islam may or may not be on the rise, but bashing Jews sure is, particularly in New York state:

In 2009, of 37% of all hate crimes committed in the Empire State were directed against Jews. With regard to hate crimes motivated by religious affiliation, Jews were targeted 85%. Most of the hate crimes directed against Jews were crimes against property (presumably synagogues and Jewish community centers) although more than half the incidents involved threats and assault against Jews. To put this figure into perspective, Muslims in New York State were targeted 1.6% of the time. While the report notes that such figures are underreported within the Muslim community one still cannot ignored the vast statistical differential.

My nomination for the most tedious sound in the world: the Halleluiah chorus of whinging, whining Islamists and Leftists.

Update: Zombie took some photos of the "Occupy" rabble in Oakland, CA. This one seemed especially apropos:

Zombie comments:

But some of the protesters reminded us: If we aren’t all in tune with Allah, nothing will change. As the uprisings in North Africa have reminded us: the only path to true revolution is through Islam. Maybe this will be the American “Arab Spring” in more ways than one!

You would think that the Leftists would have learned from the example of Iran's revolution. Sure, in order to topple the Shah, the Islamists were delighted to march arm-in-arm with the secular Socialists. But once the Ayatollah and his mully-bullies had cemented their hold on power, the Lefties were forced to accede to their will, and thousands of them were imprisoned and killed.

Must-Have "Arab Spring" Fashion Accessory

Libya's new strongman, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, may not have the outré fashion sense of his predecessor, but he does sport an accessory that the late addlepated potentate never wore: one of those permanent forehead scars revealing him to be très devout.

Now, thanks to the NATO lamebrains who helped install him, polygamy, raping your enemies' women and other fetching aspects of Islam's draconian religious law are back in style.



Update: Forehead-icky dude tries to allay kafir fears by saying that Libya's will be a "moderate" from of sharia.

About Those "Sticks and Stones"...

When I was growing up back in the dark ages, my mama used to tell me that "sticks and stones can break your bones but names will never hurt you." Of course, that was waaaay before we had "human rights" commissions and people who made a nice living off the victim group/grievance industry. Today that old saw has been turned on its head by Grant Sharfstein, a lawyer for the Saskatchewan "human rights" racket. In justifying the unjustifyable--state censorship--to the Supreme Court as it adjudicates the case brought against the SHRC by anti-gay pamphleteer Bill Whatcott, nurse practitioner Sharfstein insists that

Bones heal. The harm and hurt that is done by hate speech will never heal.

Replace "hate speech" with "abridgements on free speech and the busybodies who police them" and I think he has it exactly right. (Hat tip: JB)

Melanie Phillips on the West's "Achievement" in Libya

"Freedom" is just another word for submission, she writes.

Warning: Don't Watch This While Eating and/or Drinking

It (a video of little Avi Lewis shilling for an upcoming talk featuring his folks) might make you gag, choke, barf and/or spew.

Unintentionally Funny--Though Gruesome--Headline of the Day

Libya declares "liberation"; Gaddafi stays unburied

Although, much like Generalissimo Francisco Franco in his time, still dead.

Meryl Streep's Bad Impersonation of "the Iron Lady"

When I saw this trailer in the theatre the other day, I thought at first she was trying to be Queen Elizabeth (because that's how unlike Thatcher she looks--even with the dental appliance in her mouth). Also, to my ear she sounds more like Julia Child-with-an-English-accent than she does like Maggie T.

Get a Grip, Posties

The National Post's front page is agog at and in a tizzy over what it calls the "FRUITS OF THE ARAB SPRING." Said fruits include the election in Tunisia ('We'll show the world how we can build a real democracy'--a report by New York Times scribbler David D. Kirkpatrick) and the dawn of a new day in a Gaddafi-less Libya ('Raise your head high. You are a free Libyan').

Much as I hate to poop on the revelry, I think it behoves us to reserve judgement until we see exactly what sort of "fruits" the Arabs are cultivating. In Tunisia, for example, they seem to be of Islamist variety, while in Libya, ditto.

The "Cure" For Failed Sharia Is...More Sharia!

Criticism is being lobbed at a sharia finance outfit that tanked, leaving 160 saps who used its non-mortagage mortgages to purchase their homes in a state of limbo and confusion. However, an "expert" (thank Allah for them, eh?) quoted in this Globe and Mail piece thinks he knows exactly what to do:

Some critics suggest such practices amount to mortgage by another name. Another critique is that they invite abuse of “the poorest sections of homeowners in the Muslim world, who have been told, ‘If you deal with banks that deal with interest, you will go to hell,’” said Tarek Fatah, a liberal Toronto Muslim who points out what he regards as fundamentalist practices.

Other observers say Canada needs to figure out a way to better regulate sharia financing models, given the brisk demand. “It's going to grow,” said Walid Hejazi of the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, which now offers courses in Islamic finance. “In the U.S., it’s doing well, in the U.K. it’s doing well, but in Canada it’s lagging.”

Prof. Hejazi said various levels of Canadian governments, as well as big banks, are studying Islamic finance models – up to $1-trillion of “excess liquidity” in the Gulf states could be translated into some foreign direct investment one day.

There are also discussions, he added, about whether Toronto should seek to become a North American hub of Islamic banking. “If you get more players you get more transparency.”...

Actually, what you get is more sharia.

Update: From an article last fall in the U of T Magazine:

Hejazi has developed a three-day executive program – which he believes to be the first of its kind in Canada – that will teach participants the differences between Shariah-compliant and conventional financial instruments using retail and commercial banking examples, such as mortgages and bonds. (Islamic law prohibits the payment or acceptance of interest on loans.) Program participants will also learn about Shariah-compliant derivatives and the legal and tax implications of Shariah finance. Hejazi says Canada’s attractiveness to foreign investors has been slipping over the last 40 years. He argues that expanding Islamic finance would make Canada a more appealing destination for capital internationally.

However, Tarek Fatah, founder of the Muslim Canadian Congress, a liberal group, argues that Shariah financial instruments have a ghettoizing effect on Muslims because they separate people based on their religion. He also fears broader repercussions. “The danger is that we are legitimizing Shariah law,” he says.

Hejazi rejects Fatah’s claims. He says Canadian Muslims are currently at a disadvantage because they cannot access Shariah-compliant products at conventional banks. “If the main banks understand and offer these products, they’re regulated, and there’s more competition. We’re simply talking about financial securities with different characteristics that anyone – Muslim or non-Muslim – can use.”