51. At a Theater Near You ...

Comment #53945 by geckoman on July 4, 2007 at 10:17 am

jonecc

I too was struck that the recent attempts in the UK were amateurish (thankfully). Molotov cocktails are 60 year old technology and their use and that of other legal weapons (gas cylinders and nails) smack of desperation.

Perhaps we should praise the security services for limiting access to dangerous substances and generally practicing better vigilance. Hopefully too,we are seeing a fall in the calibre of terrorist-in terms of his training and experience.

Let's hope this is not a temporary blip..

52. When is a bishop like a suicide bomber?

Comment #53937 by geckoman on July 4, 2007 at 9:33 am

Philip

Yes, changes in the alienation and suppression of women and sexual politics may well help to dilute extreme islam.

How to do it though? Women are seen as a separate and inferior species. They are a possession. Hard to change such extreme belief.

Taking the theme of the article's muslim solution to a muslim problem, maybe muslim women do hold the key. But when the culture, religion and law all hold them in an untenable position, how do they even begin? By witholding sex? They'd be raped and the perpetrators would go unpunished. By forming pressure groups? Illegal. By occupying professional positions of influence. Illegal. By educating their sons,in a more balanced manner? Maybe, but they'd need to do it clandestinely.

Yeah, pity there is no mention of bevy in the Koran. Mind you, you'd think the dope smoking and qwat chewing might chill some of the nutters out, but evidently not. Opium? Instead of suppressing poppy growth in Afghanistan we should perhaps encourage it and facilitate export markets in neighbouring countries.

53. At a Theater Near You ...

Comment #53932 by geckoman on July 4, 2007 at 9:08 am

And another thing!

Our Foreign Secretary should be hauling in the Jordanian Ambassador and asking him to explain what conditions allowed one of his citizens to perpetuate this monstrosity.

54. At a Theater Near You ...

Comment #53930 by geckoman on July 4, 2007 at 8:56 am

Duff is on the money.

Condemnation so far emanates from muslim leaders in liberal democracies.

Have Jordanian muslims condemned the attack on Glasgow airport? Yeah, right. They are denying that Jordanian Dr Asha was even involved, yet alone an extremist.

This despite film of him screaming "Allah" as he ran into the terminal on fire, his car crashed at the door. Presumably a guy that looks like him had a run in with his zippo lighter and lost control of his car. The gas canisters and nails were in the vehicle as he was planning a massive barbecue and home improvement charity event, no doubt.

A muslim solution to a muslim problem would be great. But I fear it is as likely as Colin Montgomerie winning the Open.

55. When is a bishop like a suicide bomber?

Comment #53917 by geckoman on July 4, 2007 at 6:51 am

Thanks scottishgeologist.

Pulling the piss on issues like the 72 virgins on this website is of course a bit like shooting fish in a barrel, but why resist a tap in from 3 feet out? I might try posting my comments on Al Jezeera's website. Then again...

I do believe that if Islamic men spent more time drinking, shagging and watching sky sports than listening to the fundy nutters, they'd be a lot less susceptible to believing nonsense about Paradise and infidels. It certainly worked for me with Christianity...

So to perpetuate atheism what you need first are satelite dishes, nightclubs and breweries. Guys like Prof Dawkins are useful later. But start with the basics I say..

56. When is a bishop like a suicide bomber?

Comment #53801 by geckoman on July 3, 2007 at 8:54 am

Potential Islamic martyrs are told that if they die during jihad, they will be attended to in paradise by seventy two virgins. Such inducement, we are informed, is regularly promised to the perpetrators of suicide terrorist attacks by their handlers. In short, it is believed.

Yet the concept throws up certain observations. First, of course, it illustrates how little Islamic men know about sex. By definition, virgins are not good at sex. They have not practiced or honed their skills. Wouldn't it be better to be attended to by seventy-two experienced women? High class call girls perhaps? After all, the martyrs themselves are quite often virgins. If one partner knew what they were doing it would avoid all that awkward fumbling and embarrassment. Just a suggestion.

Secondly the idea infers that in paradise there exists a sizeable pool of virgins just waiting for a martyr to come along and deflower them. Where did the virgins come from? Are they the fruit of previous generations of virgins' daughters? Who makes sure they maintain their chastity? Do they sit around in a harem indulging in teenage girl talk such as- "Hey Fatima, I'm like totally dying to get laid. I hope some hunky guy blows up a bus full of Israeli schoolchildren soon, god-willing."

It is also puzzling to know how precisely martyrs take advantage of the seventy two virgins when often the martyrs have blown themselves into tiny pieces. It is difficult enough to have sex as a virgin, with a virgin when all your parts are in order. But doing it when you are reduced to a million fragments is, one imagines, especially challenging. Never mind unhooking a bra without fingers, how do you remove the virgin's burka without possessing arms? Presumably during the ascent to paradise, martyrs are somehow reconstituted by some celestial glue. Nonetheless, this process appears a tad hazy.

It is particularly odd that Islam uses the promise of sex in Paradise as a reward, while it does everything to censure sexual practice on earth. The Irish journalist Brian Keenan was kidnapped in Lebanon in the 1980's by Islamic criminals and held for four years. The young men guarding him varied in character and brutality. But they did not vary much in their ignorance of sexual matters. He was often asked by his captors "Hey Brian, how many women have you been with? What is it like?" This from men in their late twenties. If young Islamic men had free access to sex, alcohol and other earthly delights, perhaps fewer of them would be drawn by the promise of rewards in Paradise.

And why seventy-two virgins? Is the martyr expected to satisfy all seventy-two at once? Or is he expected to have sex with a different virgin every day? And what about the girls? Do they only get laid once every seventy two days? That's only five times a year. It's going to take them ages to become proficient at sex. Is there some manual- a sort of jihadist's karma sutra- to advise on these issues? It may all seem exciting at first but the practicalities may prove to be a logistical nightmare. Logistically far more difficult than blowing up a bus full of seventy two virgins on earth.

57. In U.S., faith is never far from politics

Comment #51357 by geckoman on June 22, 2007 at 1:14 pm

The survey results-and it was only a survey-are terrifying.

The results indicate, as if more proof were needed, that most people in the most powerful country in the world are utterly deluded.

We already know that legislation, foreign policy and decisions that have massive global impact are being influenced by utter kidology and misguided beliefs. But to hear that this view is so entrenched is terrifying.

58. Grief Without God

Comment #51149 by geckoman on June 21, 2007 at 6:42 pm

Hi everyone- new user so please forgive me for not being up to speed-I'm not sure if this is how to instigate a new thread.

Wanted to talk to folks about the weirdness of living in an uber religious country as an atheist. Not the USA, but... Swaziland. For the geographically challenged, it's a small kingdom adjacent to South Africa and Mozambique. We're there as my wife works in development.

But the extent to which christianity permeates every facet of life is weighing terribly on me. The king and political elites permanently evoke religion to justify their nefarious activities and the people buy it. Added to this, missionaries flock to the country in droves to exacerbate the problem.

Have other forum members experienced expat life where they wonder are they the only sane person around? What strategy did they adopt to deal with the crushing omnipresence of stifling, knee-jerk belief? People in Africa have nothing, yet their leaders have them believing that they must have faith in God and that their reward will come, if only in the next life. All the while, the money to combat hiv/aids and to build hospitals disappears. It's dreadful-just a great excuse for the corrupt to perpetuate their own agenda.

Indeed, there is a whole debate to be had on religion and development policy. But for now I am finding it increasingly difficult not to scream from the rooftops that Marx's 'opium for the masses' was never more relevant. Only problem is, my residence permit for swaziland would be revoked. Yet I feel obliged not just to grin and bear it. Any suggestions on how to cope welcome- though I have already started drinking heavily...

Best wishes,
Stuart