Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir Wins Election! Genocide? What Genocide?

Sometimes it's appropriate to let bygones be bygones. Sometimes, not.

Take the example of a small country whose military ruler likes to be called "president," and who had an election recently to prove his point. Several years ago, natives in a backward part of this small country dropped dead in large numbers. Rather abruptly, in many cases.

"Genocide" is such a harsh word. And, just because the International Court indicted this gentleman regarding those dead natives: well, can't we just forget the past and move on?

Looks like that's what's happening.

And I'm not comfortable about the situation. At all.

'Genocide' is Such a Harsh Word

The small country is Sudan. The leader is Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir. He won an election recently. The official poll numbers say so.

The BBC didn't, as far as I could tell, mention the little matter of dead natives in the Darfur region on Sudan. CNN did, in the 14th paragraph of their article:

"...Al-Bashir, a former military officer who took power in a bloodless coup in 1989, has been indicted over allegations of war crimes by the International Criminal Court...." (14th paragraph, CNN)

Genocide? CNN didn't bring up that little matter. It's such a harsh word, anyway.

Besides, it's those Americans who claim that lots of black people dropping dead in Sudan was genocide:

"...When rebels took up arms in Darfur, he armed militias to crush the uprising, unleashing a wave of violence Washington still calls genocide -- a charge dismissed by Khartoum...."
(Reuters)

The concentration camps? Hey, those kids were "rebels" who "took up arms" - and besides, it's the American government that's fussing about it. 'Everybody knows' what those Americas are like.

And anyway, they weren't called "concentration camps." Millions of people were displaced - a nice way of saying "forced out of their homes" - and humanitarian aid was easier to deliver if the refugees were mostly in a few places. Then, convoys carrying food and other supplies to the camps were attacked.

Genocide, Oppression, and All That

Not everybody is on the same page as the American government, when it comes to that little oopsie in Sudan. News, quoted in an earlier post, from 2008:

"Sudan President's Arrest Sought by ICC Over Darfur (Update5)"
Bloomberg (July 14, 2008)

"The International Criminal Court's prosecutor is seeking the arrest of Sudan's President Umar al- Bashir, alleging he bears 'criminal responsibility' for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur....

"...The ICC is the only permanent tribunal for prosecuting individuals responsible for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity committed anywhere in the world. Its first judges were installed in 2003.

"The ICC has approved 12 arrest warrants that resulted in the custody of four people, said Dicker.

"The court was modeled on temporary tribunals set up to try war crime cases stemming from conflicts in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia as well as the first such trials held in the German city of Nuremberg after World War II...."

CNN wasn't quite as reticent about that little matter of genocide back then:

"CNN exclusive: ICC prosecutor on Darfur charges"
CNN (July 14, 2008)

"The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on charges of genocide in a five-year campaign of violence in the country's Darfur region. Luis Moreno-Ocampo spoke exclusively to CNN's Nic Robertson ahead of his announcement on Monday of the charges.

"Nic Robertson: What exactly are you accusing President Bashir of?

"Luis Moreno-Ocampo: We request a warrant for the crime of genocide -- 6a, b and c -- basically massive rapes and the condition of 2.5 million people -- in addition we charged him with crimes against humanity and war crimes.

"Q. For genocide though -- attempt to destroy an ethnic group in whole or in part -- which is an intent -- how do you prove intent?..."

"Sudanese president charged with genocide"
CNN (July 14, 2008)

"The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has filed genocide charges against Sudan's president for a five-year campaign of violence in Darfur.

"Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Monday urged a three-judge panel to issue an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to prevent the deaths of about 2.5 million people forced from their homes in the war-torn region of Darfur and who are still under attack from government-backed Janjaweed militia...."

Not everybody sees what happened in Sudan quite the same way, though:

"Arab parliament slams ICC move against Sudanese president "
Xinhua (July 15, 2008)

"The Interim Arab Parliament (IAP) on Monday criticized the plan of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur, the Egyptian official MENA news agency reported.

"The IAP is 'amazed and dismayed' by reports of the ICC move, which is stirring Arab nations' concern, head of the parliament Mohamed Jassem al-Saqr said in a statement.

"The ICC move raises the fear that the international court could become a tool of major world powers to intimidate smaller countries, al-Saqr was quoted as saying...."

Well, we wouldn't want those "major world powers" to get in the way of national leaders purging their lands of people they don't like, would we?

Seriously, the possibility of a judicial system used for coercive purposes is real. But I think the Interim Arab Parliament might have chosen a better paragon to defend.

Still, with Saudi Arabia setting the standard of excellence for Islamic nations - - - well, that's another topic.

Islam has No Monopoly on Whack Jobs

This would be a good time to highlight a post that's in the "related posts" section:

• "Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks"
  (November 26, 2007)

Related posts:

• "Darfur and the United Nations: Something's Happened"
  (July 14, 2008)
• "Darfur: Overview of the Current Mess, and Some Background"
  (April 23, 2008)
• "Good News for Infidel Teacher:
  Still No News on Anti-Islamic Teddy Bear"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Sudan Defends Islam Against Blasphemous Teddy Bear"
  (November 28, 2007)
• "Islam vs. the Blasphemous Teddy Bear"
  (November 27, 2007)
• "Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks"
  (November 26, 2007)

In the news:

• "Sudan president wins election, officials say"
  CNN (April 26, 2010)
• "President Omar al-Bashir declared winner of Sudan poll"
  BBC (April 26, 2010)
• "NEWSMAKER-Election win poses test for Sudan's Bashir "
  Reuters (April 26, 2010)

Sudan, Women, Trousers, Culture and Common Sense

Sudan's in the news again.

I think if the Sudanese government had more wealth, they could give Saudi Arabia a run for its money as the craziest Islamic country. Still, they're doing a pretty good job with the resources they have.

The topic is trousers, again. This time, trousers on women:

"A Sudanese judge convicted a woman journalist for violating the public indecency law by wearing trousers outdoors and fined her $200, but did not impose a feared flogging penalty.

"Lubna Hussein was among 13 women arrested July 3 in a raid by the public order police on a popular cafe in Khartoum. Ten of the women were fined and flogged two days later. But Hussein and two others decided to go to trial.

"Hussein told the Associated Press Friday that she would not pay any penalty and would serve a month in jail instead as a matter of principle...."
(AP)

Trousers seem to be 'un-Islamic' in parts - although not all - of the world where Muslims are a majority. Almost two years about, this hit the news:

"Three suspected al Qaeda militants, including two sisters, beheaded their uncle and his wife, forcing the couple's children to watch, Iraqi police said on Friday.

"The militants considered that school guard Youssef al-Hayali was an infidel because he did not pray and wore western-style trousers, they told police interrogators after being arrested in Diyala province northwest of Baghdad...."
(Reuters)

Religious Beliefs, Cultures Mores, Personal Preferences: There's a Difference

I think I can understand the horror of trousers a bit better than some Americans, particularly younger ones.

Women, Trousers, Culture and Common Sense - a Digression

Roughly forty years ago, women in America started wearing trousers or pants - occasionally. The custom wasn't all that new: but it hadn't been adopted so widely before. Quite a few people who were Christians, but whose beliefs were a mix of cultural traditions and what they felt about some passages from the Bible, were aghast.

According to them, women wearing trousers or pants was un-Biblical! They had a point, sort of. It's that Deuteronomy 22:5 thing - "A woman shall not wear an article proper to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman's dress; for anyone who does such things is an abomination to the LORD, your God."

No woman in my experience was fined, flogged, or jailed for wearing trousers. On the other hand, I did run into folks who, judging by what they said and how they said it, would have been happy to do so. What was funny, in a grim sort of way, was that these folks lived in the Red River Valley of the North: where wearing pants is one of the few ways of not freezing your legs in the winter.

Quite a few of the folks who really believed that God supported American cultural norms of the 1940s were people I could get along with. They meant will, but hadn't learned to distinguish between the Word of God, cultural mores they'd grown up with, and the personal preferences of their pastor's clique. Then there are outfits like the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas (October 31, 2007) and Tony Alamo's group (A Catholic Citizen in American (October 2, 2008)).

Those 'skirts for God' people were responsible, indirectly and in part, for my eventually becoming a Catholic. Which is another topic, for another blog.

From Abraham to Janet Jackson in One Generation: Cultural Values, Principles, and Confusion

As a sort of segue back to this post's main topic: According to the Catholic Church, "The forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another...." (Catechism (2524). I think that a confusion over what are cultural values and what are religious beliefs is behind quite a lot of the war on terror.

As I've said before, I have some sympathy for people in places like the Middle East and Sudan. Their ancestors had lived in a reasonably stable culture - one which had scarcely changed since the time of Abraham. Then a late-industrial-age global culture dropped on them, closely followed by the early information age, with its hundreds of cable channels, beer commercials, Gap jeans and freedom of expression.

It's no wonder some of them are a little crazy.

Not that I'm making excuses for what's happening in Sudan and elsewhere. It's been a long time since Ur and Lagash, Nubia and the Old Kingdom were major powers. Recognizing the importance of the past is one thing. Trying to live in it is another.

Related posts:

• "Modesty: Living in Balance"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (August 16, 2009)
• "The Pope, the Antichrist, and Fu Manchu"
  A Catholic Citizen in America (October 2, 2008)
• "British Teacher Home from Sudan: Gillian Gibbons, Muslim Clerics, and a Teddy Bear named Mohammed"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Fanatics: Not an Islamic Monopoly"
  (November 23, 2007)
• "Tolerance Only Goes So Far"
  (October 31, 2007)

In the news:

• "Woman’s trial for wearing tight pants in Sudan begins"
  CNN (September 7, 2009)
• "Trouser-wearing women fined $200 in Sudan"
  The Associated Press (September 7, 2009)
• "Iraqi school guard, wife beheaded as children watch"
  Reuters (November 23, 2007 )

Background:

• "Darfuri women live 'nightmare,' Harvard-backed study says"
  CNN (May 31, 2009)
• "Catechism of the Catholic Church (2524)
• Deuteronomy 22:5

Related posts, on Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror.

Related posts, on tolerance, bigotry, racism, and hatred

Darfur: Overview of the Current Mess, and Some Background

• Bad news:
  People are still dying in Darfur. And, the situation isn't getting any better
• Good news:
  More people are becoming aware of Darfur.

At first glance, Darfur doesn't seem to have much to do with the War on Terror. Despite this Sudanese borderland's position outside the Middle East, I think that the humanitarian disaster in Darfur is very much part of the 21st century's first major conflict.

Sudan is run by Islamic Arabs, but isn't an Arab country:

• Black 52%
• Arab 39%
• Beja 6%
• Foreigners 2%
• Other 1% ¹

It is an "Islamic" country, but not the way Saudi Arabia, for example, is:

• Sunni Muslim 70% (in north)
• Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)
• Indigenous beliefs 25% ¹

The presence of Islam and Arabs isn't what makes Sudan a part of the War on Terror. It's what Islamic Arabs are doing to the blacks. And, the way that Sudan recently protected Islam from a blasphemous teddy bear.

Since Darfur is still relatively unfamiliar, I thought it might be helpful to pull together a little of what's happening, and what led up to the current situation.

Darfur in the News This Week

"U.N.: 100,000 more dead in Darfur than reported"
CNN (April 22, 2008)
Excerpts:

• "... 300,000 are believed to have died in the tribal conflict in the past two years, said John Holmes, who also is the United Nations emergency relief coordinator.
  "Holmes said that sexual violence has increased and that food allotments for civilians affected by the civil war will be halved in a few days."
• " 'Darfur today is still characterized by insecurity, lawlessness and impunity,' he said. 'A particularly worrying feature is evidence of high levels of sexual violence and exploitation in the northern corridor of west Darfur over the past two months.'
  "This is shown by the increased number of women and girls seeking treatment after sexual brutality, Holmes said."
• "Six aid workers have been killed this year, and 42 humanitarian posts have been attacked.
  "The supply line also is hurt by soaring food prices: The price of staples such as millet has doubled since April 2007, Holmes said.
  "While expressing gratitude to the Sudanese government for improved cooperation under various agreements, Holmes said there still is no physical access to internally displaced persons and some other groups.
  "He said he was 'saddened and angry' that after five years, there has been no lasting solution to the suffering."

"U.N. Says Darfur Conflict Getting Worse With Perhaps 300,000 Dead"
FOXNews (April 22, 2008)

Excerpts:

• "The conflict began in early 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Sudan's Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination. Many of the worst atrocities in the war have been blamed on the janjaweed militia of Arab nomads allied with the government."
• "Darfur's main rebel chief said Tuesday he told Security Council representatives last month that no peace talks can be held until security is restored.
  " 'Wrong negotiations will only complicate the matter and prolong the suffering of the people of Darfur,' Abdulwahid Elnur, head of the Sudan Liberation Movement, told The Associated Press during an interview in Paris, where he lives in exile.
  "When former U.N. humanitarian chief Jan Egeland brought the Darfur conflict to the Security Council's attention in April 2004, he said approximately 750,000 people were in danger.
  "Today, Holmes told the council, 'of Darfur's estimated 6 million people, some 4.27 million have now been seriously affected by the conflict.' "
• "The U.N. World Food Program announced last week that it will have to halve the amount of food provided to Darfur's needy next month because humanitarian convoys are being attacked. The cut "could not come at a worse time ... as the rainy season approaches," Holmes said.
  "Egeland, the former U.N. humanitarian chief, estimated in 2006 that 200,000 people had lost their lives because of the conflict, from violence, disease and malnutrition. He said this was based on an independent mortality survey released in March 2005 by the U.N. World Health Organization.
  " 'That figure must be much higher now, perhaps half as much again,' Holmes said Tuesday.
  "Sudanese Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed countered that 'in our own calculations, the total number does not exceed 10,000.'
  "He said his government counts only people killed in fighting, saying there are no dead from malnutrition and starvation 'because in Darfur there is no epidemics, no starvations.' "

Sudan's Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed's remarkable statement reminded me of Iran's President Ahmadinejad's remarks about homosexuals in Iran in 2007. The Iranian president's claim was so outrageous that even Columbia University students laughed.

Maybe, Sunni or Shi'a, Islamic regimes that don't approve of the post-Magna Carta world have a common way of dealing with facts they don't like: pretend the facts aren't there.

Darfur: What's Happened in the Last Half-Century

I found a somewhat more complete background at another website:

"Military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented governments have dominated national politics since independence from the UK in 1956. Sudan was embroiled in two prolonged civil wars during most of the remainder of the 20th century. These conflicts were rooted in northern economic, political, and social domination of largely non-Muslim, non-Arab southern Sudanese."

• First civil war ended, 1972
• Civil war broke out again, 1983
  • More than 4,000,000 people displaced
  • Rebels say 2,000,000 people died
• Peace talks with several signed accords, 2002-2004
• Final North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in January 2005
  • Granted southern rebels autonomy for six years
  • Referendum for independence is to be held after those six years
• A different conflict broke out in the western region of Darfur, 2003
  • Almost 2,000,000 people displaced in this conflict
  • An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people died as a result of this second conflict
• Command of Darfur peacekeeping operation transferred from the African Union to the UN, December 31, 2007
• Peacekeeping troops struggling to stabilize the situation, early 2008
• The Darfur/Sudan mess is becomming increasingly regional
  • Eastern Chad is becomming unstable
  • Sudan has entered the Central African Republic
  • Refugees, mostly from Ethiopia and Chad, entered Sudan

"Armed conflict, poor transport infrastructure, and lack of government support have chronically obstructed the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected populations."¹

---

¹ Unless otherwise noted, quotes and data are from "The World Factbook, Sudan," CIA

Reciprocity, the Middle East, and America: Contrasts

While the Holy Father and the American president went into the White House for a private meeting this morning, a commentator said that one of the topics that would probably be discussed would be reciprocity.

He didn't specifically mention the War on Terror, but "reciprocity" sheds light on what I think is an important aspect of the conflict.

First, despite the impression that so many Islamic governments seem determined to give, I do not believe that the War on Terror is a war on Islam. I prefer to believe that there are aspects of Islam which will allow the religion to exist in today's world.

I do believe that we're in a conflict between a culture in the Middle East and surrounding areas, whose rules and traditions were ancient when Mohammed was born, and the culture which is making cyborgs, debating the ethics of organ transplants, and whose robots are exploring the outer solar system.

I imagine that people who grew up in a culture which permits men to be executed for wearing trousers, men and women to be stoned for committing adultery, and which accused a British schoolteacher of attacking Islam with a teddy bear might find the post-Magna Carta world a strange place. We do things differently out here.

America is roughly 78% Christian, counting Protestants, Catholics, and Mormons as a group: but there are no no restrictions on building mosques. Apart from the usual issues with building codes and local grouches.

That isn't to say that there isn't anti-Islamic sentiment in America. Some jerks burned a mosque in Tennessee, earlier this year. After the fire was out, local churches started passing the hat to help re-build the Mosque, and providing the Muslims with meeting space until they could get their own place set up again.

A mostly-Christian nation where Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and practically anyone else, can build and use a church, temple, mosque, shrine, or whatever. That's "reciprocity."

That's not the way it works everywhere. For example:

• Sudan, where the Darfur genocide is (finally) getting a little of the attention it deserves
• Saudi Arabia, where visitors may not bring dangerous items like
  • Prohibited drugs and narcotics
  • Firearms
  • Explosives
  • Edged weapons
  • Pornographic materials
  • Bibles
  • Crucifixes
  • Statues
  • Carvings
  • "Items with religious symbols such as the Star of David, and others"
    (More, at "Saudi Arabia: Non-Islamic Religious Items Verboten" (August 9, 2007).)

Not all countries in the Middle East are that intolerant. Nina Shea, in Middle East, a speech delivered in 1998, pointed to Jordan as an exception. And, not all Islamic countries are intolerant. The American State Department describes Indonesia as a nation with constitutional guarantees of religious freedom. Indonesia isn't as wide-open as America in that respect, but they don't have the Saudi flavor of Islam, either. Last, year, I wrote about traditional cultures of northern Africa and the Middle East:

"The impression I get is that these are places where men were living comfortably in a mosaic of tribes, living their lives in much the same way that their ancestors had since the time of Abraham. "Then, a few centuries ago, European colonial powers dragged them into the

• Age of nation-states
• Age of Reason
• Age of Enlightenment
• Industrial Revolution
• Cold War
• Space Race
• Information Revolution

"To people still accustomed to burqas and Sharia, a world of Barbies and sports cars must be terrifying. It's no wonder that they go a little crazy, trying to adjust." (November 28, 2007)

I think that Barbies and sports cars, disturbing as they are, aren't the most frightening aspect of western civilization for traditionalists of the Middle east. It's the idea of freedom: including the freedom to worship, or not worship, based on personal choice.

Reciprocity - giving followers of non-majority religions the same rights as the majority - works in America. Perhaps other cultures can survive exposure to new ideas, too.

The War on Terror: It's Not Just the Middle East

Just a reminder: The war on terror isn't limited to the Middle East. There's trouble all over. And, the situation is complicated. These are excerpts: headlines and the first two or three paragraphs from today's news.

"Somalia sinks into greater chaos as Islamist insurgents gain ground"
International Herald Tribune (March 28, 2008)

"MOGADISHU, Somalia: The trouble started when government soldiers went to the market and, at gunpoint, began helping themselves to sacks of grain.

"Islamist insurgents poured into the streets to defend the merchants. The government troops got hammered, taking heavy casualties and retreating all the way back to the presidential palace, supposedly the most secure place in the city. It, too, came under fire."

---

"For victims of Tibet riots, a complex fate"
International Herald Tribune (March 28, 2008)

"SHANGHAI: In life, the five young women who burned to death in a Chinese clothing store during rioting in Tibet on March 14 were not the types who would make headlines.

"One had received permission from her family to follow her fiancé to Lhasa; another sent home most of her wages to support 13 relatives; several sent text messages in the minutes before they died, warning loved ones to stay indoors as violence erupted.

"In death, though, the women are being treated as martyrs. The Chinese government has been using their deaths to support its version of what happened on "3/14," when Tibet experienced its worst day of violence in 20 years. In that version, broadcast by state-controlled media, ethnic Tibetans took to Lhasa's streets, unprovoked, burning and looting shops that were owned by Han Chinese."

(I think that China is going to be involved in the war on terror, if it isn't already. The Chinese government has much to gain by exploiting instability in its part of the world. I doubt that Chinese leaders will ignore the opportunity.)

---

"Hollywood stars help sustain Darfur aid flights-WFP"
Reuters (March 28, 2008)

"GENEVA, March 28 (Reuters) - Money from Europe and a charity co-founded by Hollywood actors George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle will help maintain humanitarian flights in Darfur through April, the United Nations said on Friday.

"The $6 million donated by Ireland, the European Union and the Clooney-backed Not On Our Watch will allow the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) to hire helicopters and aircraft to ferry aid workers to Sudan's war-torn region for 30 days."

Darfur, Sudan's western region, is a mess. I wrote about it, back in November of 2007. It doesn't look like much has changed: except that some Hollywood celebrities collected enough money to fly food to people there for another month. Which does help.

---

As I said: the war on terror isn't just in the Middle East.

Last year, Sudan's Islamic leaders seemed more focused on a blasphemous teddy bear, than on the chronic disaster in Darfur.

Today, Somalia is still without anything that could be called a stable government. Or a "government," period. So, Somalis have a situation where "government" soldiers loot grain, and insurgents try to protect the merchants from the soldiers.

Meanwhile, China is trying to look as if it isn't the overlord of an unwilling Tibet. There aren't any Muslims involved: but I'm still inclined to see that situation as part of the current global conflict.

British Teacher Home from Sudan: Gillian Gibbons, Muslim Clerics, and a Teddy Bear named Mohammed

Posts touching on the matter of a teddy bear named Mohammed vs. Islam:

• "The War on Terror - What It's For, What It's Against"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Good News for Infidel Teacher: Still No News on Anti-Islamic Teddy Bear"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Mohammed the Teddy Bear vs Islam: The Saga Continues"
  (December 1, 2007)
• "Sudan Court Defends Islam: Teacher Found Guilty of "Inciting Religious Hatred" / Inciting Religious Hatred - With a Teddy Bear??!"
  (November 29, 2007)
• "Beyond the Teddy Bear: Sudan, the Darfur Genocide, and Islam"
  (November 29, 2007)
• "Sudan Defends Islam Against Blasphemous Teddy Bear"
  (November 28, 2007)
• "Islam vs. the Blasphemous Teddy Bear"
  (November 27, 2007)
• "Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks"
  (November 26, 2007)

The War on Terror - What It's For, What It's Against

Western Plot Against Islam Thwarted!
Hatemongering British Teacher Flees to England!
Mohammed the Teddy Bear's Fate a Mystery!

British teacher Gillian Gibbons is back in England. I'd like to say "safe in England," but this year's bombings in London and Glasgow show that the United Kingdom has its share of religious nuts. As the news of Gibbons' attack on Islam filters through the Islamic community in England, someone's going to have a shot at carrying out their fellow-Muslims' demands for "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad."

Still, it's good that this teacher is out of Sudanese hands, and back in a country where sharia law isn't the law of the land.

Why those borderline-delusional headlines for this post?

I've read and heard that the people who targeted a London nightclub and drove a flaming Jeep Cherokee through the main entrance of Glasgow's Blackpool airport are upset at how western nations - including England - are oppressing Muslims.

Lord Nazir Ahmed and Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, British peers who follow Islam, negotiated Gillian Gibbons' release earlier today. How elevating people whose immediate ancestors aren't anywhere near British to the peerage doesn't sound like oppression to me.

On the other hand, being more or less forced into national politics and international affairs isn't exactly a piece of cake. Maybe Lord Ahmed is oppressed, after all.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir may have gained some diplomatic ground from this incident. Lord Ahmed said "the relations between our two countries will not be damaged by this incident." He also said that Britain respected Islam. He apparently didn't explain why.

Meanwhile, the British teacher, Gillian Gibbons, gave the Sudanese government a written statement to work with. Under the circumstances, I can hardly blame her. Some excerpts:

• "I have a great respect for the Islamic religion and would not knowingly offend anyone"
• She wrote that she was sorry if she caused any "distress."

These statements may be useful to President al-Bashir's regime. He's been using a "mix of anti-colonialism, religious fundamentalism and a sense that the West is besieging Islam."

I think this successful philosophy may help explain why Sudan's genocide in the Darfur region was a non-event that wasn't happening for so long.

Western leaders, at least the self-described best and brightest in America, have a rather clearly-defined model of how the world works:

• Western imperialism, particularly American Imperialism, is the root of the world's ills
• The western religion, Christianity, is also the root of the world's ills
  (never mind that Christianity is, arguably, an Oriental mystery religion)
• Blacks/Africans are victims of
  • Oppression by whites
  • Specifically, oppression by northern Europeans, and people whose ancestors were northern Europeans
  Oppression by Christians and Christianity
• Believers in non-Christian religions are oppressed by Christians

This is over-simplified, of course, but I think that this list of assumptions is a fairly accurate description of part of the mental model that those people who believe themselves to be the educated and open-minded segment of American society.

It's a model that works fairly well, at least when looking at parts of the Old South before the sixties.

Then, there's the Darfur region of Sudan. That's where an Arabic, Islamic regime is, at best, hampering efforts to stop a systematic killing of Africans: in a part of Sudan where the (African) locals are rather more likely to be Christian than in the Islamic north.

Christians being oppressed by non-Christians?

Africans being oppressed by people who, although technically Caucasian, most certainly don't come from northern Europe?

This most certainly does not fit the 'America and Christianity is to blame' model.

I may be unfair, writing this, but I think it's at least plausible that Darfur stayed off the radar so long because there wasn't an obvious way to blame either America or Christianity for the killings. At least, without blaming the victims of the genocide. And blame-the-victim isn't very popular right now - thankfully.

---

"Western Plot Against Islam" and all that:

I'm not making up that "western plot" stuff. Sudanese clerics said that "What has happened was not haphazard or carried out of ignorance, but rather a calculated action and another ring in the circles of plotting against Islam." There's more: "It is part of the campaign of the so-called war against terrorism and the intense media campaign against Islam."

"Hatemongering?" That's not my opinion about what the British teacher did. It's what a Sudanese court, following sharia law, said she was doing. She was found guilty of "Inciting Religious Hatred."

As for the teddy bear, brought to school by one of Gillian Gibbons' students: Mohammed the teddy bear hasn't been heard of since this exercise in lunacy began.

---

Is Islam a Treatable Mental Illness?

Quite possibly not.

It's easy for non-Muslims to see Islam as a disorder similar to paranoid schizophrenia, based on

• Sudan's insane response to a teddy bear named Mohammed
• Saudi Arabia's sentencing of the "Girl from Qatif"
• The Taliban's execution of a teenage boy for teaching English and wearing pants

And that's just cases of Islamic jurisprudence that made international news in the last few weeks.

There seems to be more to Islam than that.

A spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, Inayat Bunglawala, said that Gillian Gibbons should never have been arrested - and that the the Muslim Council of Britain welcomed the pardon. "It will be wonderful to see her back in the U.K. I am sure she will be welcomed by both Muslims and non-Muslims after her quite terrible ordeal at the hands of the Sudanese authorities," he said.

On this side of the Atlantic, the American Islamic Congress has issued a series of press releases as the matter of the British teacher, the teddy bear named Mohammed, and sharia law played out:

1. "American Islamic Congress Slams Sudanese Government over Teddy Bear Case, Demands British Teacher Be Freed Immediately"
2. "American Islamic Congress Slams Sudan for Jailing Teacher, Launches FreeGillian.org Letter-Writing Drive"
3. "American Islamic Congress Calls for Continued Pressure on Sudan Following Teacher's Release"

This case of the British teacher and the teddy bear named Mohammed is not a major event. I doubt that it will be more than a footnote, at most, in any history of this period.

On the other hand, I think it's an excellent example of what the War on Terror is about. Apparently, the 'Arab on the street' shares the opinion of those Sudanese clerics, who believe that the west is out to get Islam.

I can understand how people who fear the end of treasured traditions like honor killings and flogging rape victims would see the War on Terror as an attack on their beliefs. It is.

But it's not an attack on Islam. At least, not according to the likes of the American Islamic Congress and Lord Ahmed.

As I see it, America and several other nations around the world are defending a two-hundred-year-plus-year-old tradition of freedom, self-determination, and a rule of law that doesn't involve draconian decisions based on tribal law.

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Mohammed the Teddy Bear vs Islam: The Saga Continues

This isn't Islam's finest hour.

Unless the masses of mad Muslims in Khartoum today didn't accurately reflect Islamic thought and belief, when they said:

• "Shame, shame on the U.K." as a chant, and
• "No tolerance: Execution," and "Kill her, kill her by firing squad"

They were talking about Gillian Gibbons, a British schoolteacher sentenced by a Sudanese (Islamic) court for "inciting religious hatred" - by letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear after one of their classmates: whose name is Mohammed.

Gilliam Gibbons has been moved from the Sudanese women's jail she was in, to an undisclosed location. For her own protection, purportedly. Considering what's going in the streets, that might be a good idea.

At least some mosques in Sudan are pumping up the people. In one, Abdul-Jalil Nazeer al-Karouri, famous for his 'hard-line' beliefs, said, "imprisoning this lady does not satisfy the thirst of Muslims in Sudan. But we welcome imprisonment and expulsion."

There's more: "This an arrogant woman who came to our country, cashing her salary in dollars, teaching our children hatred of our Prophet Muhammad."

The demonstrators were probably doing in on their own, or without government sponsorship, at any rate. Sudanese government-inspired demonstrators generally carry semi-automatic weapons. This lot carried axes, knives and clubs.

So:

• Gillian Gibbons has nine days to go on her sentence: wherever she is; and providing that the Sudanese court doesn't change its mind
• Muslims are demonstrating in the street
• Mohammed the Teddy Bear has dropped out of sight

The effects of this Islamic groundswell against the blasphemous teddy bear go beyond Gillian Gibbons. The school she taught at, Unity High School has been closed since Gibbons' arrest. Unity High School (www.unityhighschool.org, "The British International School in Sudan / Member BSME; BISW / A school for boys and girls aged 4 to 18") was founded by Christians. Now, about 90% of its students are Muslims: most of them from upper-class Sudanese families.

The sound and fury in Sudan may not be typical of Islam.

• In Britain, a Muslim Labour peer, Lord Ahmed, says he'll travel to Sudan to try to get Gibbons out of the hoosegow
• The Muslim Council of Britain wants the Sudanese government to release Gibbons
• A Peacebuilding Fellow with the American Islamic Congress, Jana El-Horr, said, "Ms. Gibbons needs to be freed at once"

I've heard and read that the "Arab on the street" believes that the wicked west is attacking Islam. They could be right, depending on how "Islam" is defined.

If "Islam" is the bunch of terrorists who accept Osama bin Laden as their leader, the Muslims who kill their daughters when the girls are raped, the people who stamped out soccer in Afghanistan, and destroyed a set of irreplaceable ancient statues in that country, then America and other western nations are attacking "Islam."

I like to believe that there's more to Islam than explosive vests and and lashings: and that the war on terror is going to benefit Muslims in the Middle East as much as atheists in New Hampshire. At least, those Muslims who don't mind getting an education, and catching up on what's happened in the last thousand years or so.

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Sudan Court Defends Islam: Teacher Found Guilty of "Inciting Religious Hatred"

Inciting Religious Hatred - With a Teddy Bear??!

British school teacher Gillian Gibbons is guilty of "inciting religious hatred" by letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear "Mohammed."

Apparently, it's okay to name boys "Mohammed," but it's not okay to name a teddy bear "Mohammed." That's because Muslims aren't supposed to depict the prophet. And, apparently naming a teddy bear "Mohammed" is depicting the prophet, and naming a boy "Mohammed" isn't.

Being a non-Muslim, I suppose I can't be expected to understand?

If Gillian Gibbons can survive 15 days in a Sudanese prison, odds are that she'll be home free. Today, the Sudanese court said that she'd get 15 days, and then be deported. Tomorrow, who knows what the Sudanese court will decide?

We got a good look at Islamic justice, Sudan style, in this trial.

• The judge demanded that the prosecution bring the person who originally complained about Gibbons.
• The defense lawyer for Gibbons had to "scuffle" with police before he could get into the courtroom.
• British diplomats were barred from the courtroom - they were eventually allowed to enter.

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Beyond the Teddy Bear: Sudan, the Darfur Genocide, and Islam

That Gillian Gibbons, a British school teacher, being likely to get 40 lashes - more, if a judge feels like it - is serious. Particularly since the Sudanese government seems to bent on making an example of this dangerous infidel.

People in a moderate Sufi sect were distributing leaflets in Khartoum's Arab market, by the city's Great Mosque. They want the (Muslim) faithful to protest.

"What has been done by this infidel lady is considered a matter of contempt and an insult to Muslims' feelings and also the pollution of children’s mentality as an attempt to wipe their identity," is what the leaflet says.
(TimesOnline.co.uk)

That "moderate Sufi sect" wants a million people to protest in the streets after prayers tomorrow.

Stay tuned?

Sixteen hours ago, as I'm writing this, another blogger posted "Gillian Gibbons and Sudan - why is nobody mentioning Darfur?" I followed the link (http://casabill.blogspot.com/2007/11/gillian-gibbons-and-sudan-why-is-nobody.html), and got a "Page Not Found" message. Checking the blog confirmed that yesterday's post has been removed.

2 questions:

1. Why was that blog post removed?
2. Why isn't Darfur being discussed, in connection with the blasphemous teddy bear?

Although I'd love to cook up some wild conspiracy theory, it's much more likely that the blogger who posted that Gibbons - Sudan - Darfur piece wasn't forced to delete it. I generally write offline, check what I've written, and then post a finished work. Not everyone works that way, and I've occasionally posted in haste: then repented (and re-written) at comparative leisure.

Bill, the blogger whose post I wrote about, left a comment a little while ago. He explained what happened, and told me where to find that post. Here is the new, improved, and - now - correct link: Gillian Gibbons and Sudan - why is nobody mentioning Darfur?. Thanks for the help, Bill!

Why isn't Darfur being discussed in articles about Gillian Gibbons and the terrible teddy bear?

My guess is that it's very, very, hard for many people to think about the connection. Particularly people in the 'better' and 'more intelligent' circles.

I'll get back to that, after a little background about Sudan.

---

Darfur? Sudan? Where's That?

Since Darfur, and for that matter, Sudan, aren't among the best-known places in the world, Here's some background. The following facts are from The CIA's "The World Factbook." That document is a great deal more detailed - and polite - than my summary.

Sudan lies south of Egypt, with borders on Egypt, the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, Chad, and Lybia. Sudan's capital is Khartoum. Darfur is a border region of Sudan, bordering Chad and the Central African Republic.

Northern Sudan is mostly Muslim, Arab, and hasn't been doing too well, economically. Southern Sudan is mostly Non-Muslim, Non-Arab, and has been relatively prosperous. The country got independence from Britain in 1956.

Since then, there have been a string of military regimes with Islamic leanings and/or Islamic governments in Sudan. Also, two major civil wars: mostly over the unfair (?) way that non-Muslims were doing better than Muslims. (My comment - with Sudanese Muslims focusing their energies on saving Islam from things like teddy bears, is it any wonder that non-Muslims make more money in Sudan?)

Having an Islamic (Sudan style) government may help one facet of the Sudanese economy, though.

"Sudan is a source country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation; Sudan may also be a transit and destination country for Ethiopian women trafficked for domestic servitude; boys are trafficked to the Middle East, particularly Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, for use as camel jockeys; small numbers of girls are reportedly trafficked within Sudan for domestic servitude as well as for commercial sexual exploitation in small brothels in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps...."

Here's a list of religious beliefs in Sudan:

• 70% Sunni Muslim (in north)
• 5% Christian(mostly in south and Khartoum)
• 25% indigenous beliefs

---

The Darfur Genocide: a Non-Crisis that Never Happened?

I could be mistaken, but it seems that the Darfur genocide was ignored until 2004, when then- U. S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, said

"that genocide has occurred in Darfur and that the government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility, and that genocide may still be continuing." Following that, the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, unanimously declared "that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide."

Around that point, the genocide became a non-crisis that wasn't happening, and an American plot. Some anonymous USAID workers cited in "The Guardian" (UK) said that the Americans were using the wrong numbers. The UN World Food Programme used a survey and decided that, although people were going hungry, the crisis (non-crisis?) was being handled well. And, that USAID head Andrew Natsios, who told UN officials that "We estimate right now, if we get relief in we'll lose a third of a million people and, if we don't, the death rates could be dramatically higher, approaching a million people." was lying.

Later, the USAID assistant administrator, Roger Winter, told foreign journalists that the numbers were 30,000 killed during the 'on-going crisis in Darfur,' on top of 50,000 people dying from malnutrition and disease. He still said that the situation was a "humanitarian disaster of the first magnatude."

"The Guardian" had an explanation, and an insinuation:

"Under the Bush administration, the work of USAID has become increasingly politicised. But over Sudan, in particular, two of its most senior officials have long held strong personal views. Both Natsios, a former vice-president of the Christian charity World Vision, and Winter have long been hostile to the Sudanese government."

You hear that? "Christian charity World Vision! Maybe those Christians are part of the plot against Islam. You know, the one that Gillian Gibbons and the blasphemous teddy bear are in on.

I'd prefer to be wrong about this, but I think that there's much better than even odds that the Darfur genocide isn't getting much attention because mostly-Muslim and Arab outfits are killing mostly-non-Muslim, non-Arab people. Worse yet, quite a few of the non-Muslims are Christian. And African. Black.

That leaves traditional news media on the horns of a dilemma. Blacks are being slaughtered and starved to death by Caucasians. That's news!

But, these Caucasians aren't the European sort. They're Arabs: and as non-Europeans, aren't part of the oppressor class. In fact, they're part of the oppressed class. Just ask the Palestinians. (I know: the Middle Eastern situation isn't that simple - just like someone from the sovereign state of Georgia might not appreciate being called a Yankee.)

With such a confusion of oppressors and oppressees, I'm afraid that it's 'way too easy for me to see the Darfur genocide as a tragedy that got ignored because it doesn't fit the standard western-oppression editorial model.

Back to the Teddy Bear

My guess is that Gilliam Gibbons, and Mohammed the Teddy Bear, will be back in the news tomorrow, when a massive spontaneous demonstration is planned in Khartoum.

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Sudan Defends Islam Against Blasphemous Teddy Bear

Sudan got around to charging Gilliam Gibbons. She's the British school teacher who blasphemed the prophet you-know-who, by - get this - letting a boy in her class suggest the name "Mohammed," which is his name.

Oops. By using you-know-who's name, I probably committed blasphemy, too. At least by Sudanese standards. Forget it. I don't live in Sudan, thank God. It's easier to write out "Mohammed,"¹ than dance around it.

A few more details about Gibbons' "offense" came up in "The New York Post" today.

• Sudan authorities say that she's guilty of inciting religious hatred. If she's found guilty (and how unlikely is that?), she'll most likely get 40 lashes. Unless Sudan follows Saudi Arabia's lead, and adds extra lashes.
• The name "Mohammed" was suggested by one of the class - a boy in her class named Mohammed.
  • It seems that giving the name "Mohammed" to a teddy bear is blasphemous, but giving it to a boy isn't: Unless young "Mohammed" is going to have lashed and/or stoned and/or beheaded parents soon.
• Gibbons is being charged under article 125 of the Sudanese legal code
  • This is significant, since it shows that Sudan uses a written legal code - this bizarre accusation isn't being made up out of thin air by some Sudanese official who forgot to take his medication
• Besides lashes, Gibbons may be facing six months jail time and a fine
• This imbroglio started when some of her pupil's parents complained about the teddy Mohammed.
• The British government is involved. Their officials are talking with Sudanese officials. (Let's hope no British officials are accused of blasphemy.)

The Sudanese government claims that being attacked for doing something that Muslims don't like is an isolated incident. Given all the people who have been hurt and killed, from the 1972 Munich Olympics to 9/11 and the present, that's a little hard to believe.

At least the recent attacks have been over genuinely spiritual values, like the naming of teddy bears.

The Teddy Bear Conspiracy

Sudanese clerics have earned more of my respect, by clearly stating what's going on. Here's the situation, from their point of view:

• Naming that teddy bear "Mohammed" is part of a larger Western "plot" against Islam.
• Naming the teddy bear was intentional blasphemy.
  • "What has happened was not haphazard or carried out of ignorance, but rather a calculated action and another ring in the circles of plotting against Islam."
    "It is part of the campaign of the so-called war against terrorism and the intense media campaign against Islam."
    From a statement by the Sudanese Assembly of the Ulemas. (Ulemas: "the body of professional theologians who are regarded as the authority on religious law.")
• The Muslim Council of Britain urged the Sudanese government to intervene. (Which side the Muslim Council of Britain is taking isn't clear in "The New York Post" article.)

In a way the Sudanese Assembly of the Ulemas has a point. Western news media seems to have gotten over its reluctance to report atrocities committed by non-western societies, and that isn't making Islam look good. The fairly steady trickle of reports on lashings, stonings, and beheadings, in Islamic nations doesn't paint a flattering picture.

On the other hand, the recurring theme of women being lashed and stoned for peccadilloes suggests that contemporary Islam might be a tolerant and nurturing home for people who follow the practices and philosophy of the late Marquis de Sade.

Religion - or Culture?

It's easy to say that Islam is the common thread connecting burqas, beheadings, and honor killings. Particularly since the Muslims who commit these atrocities say that they're doing what Mohammed told them to, and are following the will of Allah.

There's something else that most of these expressions of sadistic jurisprudence have in common. They happen in "Islamic" countries in the Middle East and northern Africa.

The largest Islamic country in the world, in terms of numbers of Muslims, is Indonesia. That country's home to a little upwards of 200,000,000 Muslims. Even percentage-wise, Indonesia is more Islamic than America is Christian: 86% Muslim for Indonesia; 78% Christian for America, including Mormons.

Indonesia, a very Islamic country, isn't flogging women for not wearing a burqa, or beheading people for being insufficiently Islamic. In fact, the Bali nightclub bombing, back in 2002, is just one incident in continuing fight Indonesia has with Islamic groups like Jemaah Islamiyah, and Al Qaeda affiliates that want Indonesia to be an Islamic state like northern Sudan or Afghanistan under the Taliban.

There's no question, I think, that something is terribly wrong with places like Saudi Arabia and northern Sudan.

Living in Fast-Forward, Culture Shock, and All That

I don't think that the problem is necessarily Islam. Look at the map, and look at the relatively uniform culture of the countries in northern Africa and the Middle East. The impression I get is that these are places where men were living comfortably in a mosaic of tribes, living their lives in much the same way that their ancestors had since the time of Abraham.

Then, a few centuries ago, European colonial powers dragged them into the

• Age of nation-states
• Age of Reason
• Age of Enlightenment
• Industrial Revolution
• Cold War
• Space Race
• Information Revolution

To people still accustomed to burqas and Sharia, a world of Barbies and sports cars must be terrifying. It's no wonder that they go a little crazy, trying to adjust.

Non-Muslims might consider the possibility that the insanely intolerant, violent, behavior of "Islamic" countries doesn't stem from Islam. The traditional cultures of many of these places were old-fashioned when Rome ruled the Mediterranean, and hadn't been forced to deal with outside ideas until the last few generations.

---

¹ Why not "Muhammed," or one of the other Latinized spellings? I'm using an Associated Press stylebook, and that resource says that "Mohammed" is the way that the Prophet of Islam's name is spelled in English. It's one of a number of commonly-used efforts to bring that name into a language that uses the Latin alphabet.

(Thanks to "The Sudanese Name Game" for steering me to "The New York Post" article, and to "American Islamic Congress Slams Sudanese Government over Teddy Bear Case, Demands British Teacher Be Freed Immediately")

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Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror

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• " 'Draw Mohammed Day,' the Sequel"
  (July 13, 2010)
• "Bombs in Uganda: Islam, Martyrs, and Making an Impression"
  (July 12, 2010)
• "Pakistan, YouTube, Censorship and the Sixties"
  (May 20, 2010)
• " 'Draw Mohhammed Day?!' Get a Grip!"
  (May 19, 2010)
• "Afghan Husband Rapes Wife: Culture, Law, History, and Catching Up"
  (September 24, 2009)
• "Sudan, Women, Trousers, Culture and Common Sense"
  (September 7, 2009)
• " 'Pope Turns Back on Peace Dialog' - Sort of"
  (May 11, 2009)
• "House of Saud Lashes Old Woman: Another Tale from the Weird Side"
  (March 10, 2009)
• "Kaffiyeh Craziness at Gateway High"
  (February 19, 2009)
• "Saudi Arabia Bans Valentine's Day - and the Color Red"
  (February 10, 2009)
• "What is Islam? Even Muslims Don't Seem to Agree"
  (February 6, 2009)
• "Ayman al-Zawahiri: The Face of Islam?"
  (January 6, 2009)
• "Hamas Leader's Son Converts to Christianity, Moves to California"
  (January 2, 2009)
• "Muslims and Others Discussing Islam and Related Topics"
  (December 6, 2008)
• "No Burial in India for Terrorists: Muslim Group's Gutsy Stand"
  (December 1, 2008)
• "Quran On Demand Text Service - By an Israeli Company"
  (December 1, 2008)
• " 'Why is Everybody Always Picking on Me?' - The United Nations, Muslims, Zionists, and 'Those People' "
  (October 5, 2008)
• "Saudi Cleric Wants Women to Use One Eye - I'm Not Making This Up"
  (October 4, 2008)
• "United Nations Treats Islam More Equally Than Other Religions"
  (October 3, 2008)
• "More Academic Freedom, American Style?"
  (September 22, 2008)
• "Chief Saudi Judge: Death to Network Owners! "
  (September 19, 2008)
• "Mickey Mouse Must Die! Agent of Satan Targeted by Saudi Cleric "
  (September 19, 2008)
• "This Should be Interesting: Sharia Law Officially Adopted in Britain"
  (September 15, 2008)
• "Another Teacher in Trouble in a Muslim Country
  (September 14, 2008)
• "Honor Killing is Against Islam, Islamic Party Members Say"
  (September 7, 2008)
• " 'Self-Satisfied Ignorance?' Eucharist, Quran, and Athiest Book Trashed"
  (August 5, 2008)
• "Quran, Eucharist, Atheist Book Nailed by Equal-Opportunity Desecrator"
  (August 4, 2008)
• "Islam in the Information Age: Afghan Journalist Charged with Blasphemy"
  (July 30, 2008)
• "The Subway Project and 'Why Islam?' - Terrorists in the Subways! Or, Not"
  (July 23, 2008)
• "Pro-Islamic Ads Coming to New York City Subways: There's a Real Danger Here, of Becoming Informed"
  (July 21, 2008)
• "Sandeela Kanwal, Chaudhry Rashid: Honor Killing? Maybe, Maybe Not"
  (July 9, 2008)
• "Looks Like Another 'Honor Killing' - This Time in Georgia"
  (July 7, 2008)
• "Brit Puppy Offends Muslims - Outrage Over Police Insult"
  (July 1, 2008)
• "Aqsa Parves, Muslim Teen: No Scarf, No Life"
  (June 28, 2008)
• "Spiritual Leader of 1,000,000,000 Doesn't Meet With Los Angeles Advocate!"
  (April 15, 2008)
• "Pope Visits America: News and Adequate Coverage"
  (April 15, 2008)
• "Pope Benedict XVI is Coming to America"
  (April 14, 2008)
• "The Pope Comes to America: A Prediction in a Very Catholic Post"
  (April 13, 2008)
• "America is in Good Company: Bin Laden Slams Pope, Too"
  (March 20, 2008)
• "What is an American? For that Matter, What's America?"
  (March 12, 2008)
• "All's Quiet on the Harvard Front: Jiggling Gymnast Segregation Continues
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• "Harvard Decision Threatens Collegiate Tradition: Girl Watching"
  (March 3, 2008)
• "Mosque Burned in Tennessee: What Does it Show?"
  (February 13, 2008)
• "Does 'Death to America' Warrant 'Death to the Terrorist?' "
  (February 11, 2008)
• "Riyadh: Home to International Business, Islam, and Reality Checks"
  (February 7, 2008)
• " 'Will the Real Islam, Please Stand Up?' "
  (February 6, 2008)
• "Cultural Acid Test: Islam and Hygiene, Rights and Responsibilities"
  (February 3, 2008)
• "Islam, Assault, Culture, and a Houston Area Crisis Hotline"
  (February 1, 2008)
• "Something Different: Afghan Women Want American Back"
  (January 29, 2008)
• "Muslims Chant 'Death to America! Death to Israel! at Hajj Part 2"
  (December 20, 2007)
• "Muslims Chant 'Death to America! Death to Israel! at Hajj Part 1"
  (December 20, 2007)
• "Canadian Teen Killed by Muslim Father - Over Scarf: Maybe - And This Isn't News?"
  (December 12, 2007)
• "Canadian Teen Killed by Muslim Father Over Scarf: Maybe / And This Isn't News?"
  (December 12, 2007)
• "Is the War on Terror a War on Islam? Not Quite"
  (December 8, 2007)
• "The War on Terror - What It's For, What It's Against"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Good News for Infidel Teacher: Still No News on Anti-Islamic Teddy Bear"
  (December 3, 2007)
• "Mohammed the Teddy Bear vs Islam: The Saga Continues"
  (December 1, 2007)
• "Sudan Court Defends Islam: Teacher Found Guilty of 'Inciting Religious Hatred' "
  (November 29, 2007)
• "Beyond the Teddy Bear: Sudan, the Darfur Genocide, and Islam"
  (November 29, 2007)
• "New on the Blogroll: American Islamic Congress"
  (November 28, 2007)
• "Sudan Defends Islam Against Blasphemous Teddy Bear"
  (November 28, 2007)
• "Islam vs. the Blasphemous Teddy Bear
  (November 27, 2007)
• "Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks"
  (November 26, 2007)
• "It's Arabic, Is It Islamic?"
  (November 21, 2007)
• "Tolerance Only Goes So Far"
  (October 31, 2007)
• "Does Free Speech Include Disrupting Funerals?"
  (October 26, 2007)
• "A Film Not Approved by PBS, Nation of Islam, or the Islamic Society in Denmark"
  (October 21, 2007)
• "Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:"
  (October 20, 2007)
  • ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics" - This blogger's introduction (last section of "Muslims, Terrorism, Islam, PBS, and 'Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics'")
  1. ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Denmark
  2. ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Canada
  3. ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Canada - Women
  4. ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Chicago
  5. ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Michigan
  6. ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" Arizona
  7. ""Inside Islam: Faith vs. Fanatics:" France
• " 'Pope attacks Iran at Jewish Congress' "
  (October 13, 2007)
• "Muslim Leaders Call For Dialog!
  Pope Told "Survival of World" at Stake!!"
  (October 12, 2007)
• "Arabs, Jews, Israel, Islam, and More: 11,000 Years of History In 800 Words"
  (October 8, 2007)
• "Islam: Salafi, Wahhabi, and That's Just a Start"
  (October 4, 2007)
• "Islam and the 21st Century: Not the Best Fit?"
  (September 27, 2007)
• "I'm With the Devout Muslims on This One"
  (September 19, 2007)
• "Muslims Are Not All Alike"
  (August 19, 2007)
• "More about 'Yeh Hum Naheen' / 'This is Not Us' "
  (August 9, 2007)
• "Moderate Muslim Video from Pakistan: Very Good News"
  (August 7, 2007)
• "Another Islamic Voice in the Debate"
  (July 16, 2007)
• " 'Islam is a Peaceful Religion' 2"
  (July 15, 2007)
• " 'Islam is a Peaceful Religion' "
  (July 6, 2007)

Islam, Christianity, Culture, and Kooks

"The Islamic world" is a handy label for that swath of territory and people from Turkey to Indonesia.

As the followers of Mohammed preached and hacked their way across Asia and Africa, they set up quite a wide variety of "Islamic" cultures. I'm aware that I'm over-simplifying here: This post is long as it is, without going into detail on what's happened in the last fourteen centuries, since Mohammed's conquest of Mecca in 630.

(The founder of Islam has my respect, if for nothing else than for raising an army, marching on a city, conquering that city with minimal bloodshed, and then refraining from slaughtering the inhabitants. Such a high level of humanitarianism has been rare in human history.)

(And, about the spelling of the Prophet's name. There's a variety of ways to take his name from the Arabic alphabet and drop it into the Latin alphabet as used in English. I'm going to use Mohammed, since that's what the standard set in the Associated Press style book I use. Exceptions will be situations where I'm quoting from a source, or where I make a mistake.)

Islamic Unity??

Since Islam is a sort of roll-your-own religion, with no central authority to define what's so and what's not, there are many varieties of Islam. I'm going to take a glance at three "Islamic" countries, and "Christian" America, and try to make some sense of what's out there.

Indonesia is just over 86% Muslim, compared to

• 70% Sunni Muslim for Sudan
  (with 5% Christian - mostly in south and Khartoum -
  and 25% indigenous beliefs)
• 100% Muslim for Saudi Arabia

For comparison, America is about 78% Christian, if you include Mormons:

• 52% Protestant
• 24% Roman Catholic
• 2% Mormon
• 1% Jewish
• 1% Muslim
• 10% Other
• 10% None

Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country, in terms of raw numbers, and is more "Muslim" than America is "Christian."

On the other hand, Saudi Arabia owns and controls Mecca, and is virtually all Muslim.

And, in addition to being about as far away from each other geographically as any other two Islamic countries are, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia are very far away from each other in terms of their on-the-street, practical, Islamic beliefs.

Islam: Saudi Style

She's known as the "Girl from Qatif." She's a 19-year-old who was raped by about a half-dozen men, and (so far) sentenced to 200 lashes and prison time. The Saudi Justice Ministry's latest story is that she's guilty of adultery. And that's why she'll be flogged.

It makes sense, since what passes for justice in Saudi Arabia is run by a collection of Islamic courts and judges appointed by the king. The royal opinion has access to the opinion of Saudi Arabia's Supreme Judicial Council. The whole mess uses Sharia Law as the foundation for their decisions.

A little oddity in this case: The Saudi Justice Ministry's current story is that the "Girl from Qatif" was with a high school friend, recovering a photo that showed the two of them together. "Then they were spotted by the other defendants as the woman was in an indecent condition as she had tossed away her clothes, then the assault occurred on her and the man," is how the Houston Chronicle reported the latest Saudi story.

That sentence of prison and lashes, that the 19-year-old got after an appeal? It was legal, according to the Saudi ministry, and followed the "the book of God and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad."

Speaking of Mohammed, here's an example of

Islam: Sudan Style

A British school teacher has been sentenced to 40 lashes. She's guilty of a serious crime. She allowed her class of 7-year-olds to name a teddy bear "Muhammad." The vote was 20 for "Muhammad," 3 for other names.

British Embassy in Khartoum said that it still doesn't know whether the teacher has been charged. Formally, that is. "We are following it up with the authorities and trying to meet her in person," said the embassy.

I'm impressed at how laid back Sudanese authorities are, about getting around to formal charges. Not favorably impressed, but I am impressed.

The teacher was following a British National Curriculum course for teaching about animals and their habitats. The animal this year was the bear.

After naming the teddy bear, each student could have the bear for a weekend. They were supposed to record what they did with the bear. Then each account was put in a book, with "My name is Muhammad" on the cover.

This apparently is an insult to the prophet of Islam. And, more to the point, regarded as an insult by the prophet's lash-happy followers in Sudan.

Sudanese police now want to question the 7-year-old girl who brought in the teddy bear.

Posts on "British Teacher Home from Sudan: Gillian Gibbons, Muslim Clerics, and a Teddy Bear named Mohammed"

Islam, Indonesian Style

Since the Indonesian judicial system isn't based on Sharia Law, it wouldn't be entirely fair to use Indonesian court decisions as an example of Islam in action.

Christians have been executed in Indonesia: For example, the three Christians who were convicted of leading a militia that killed at least 70 Muslims during 1999-2002. After that, Indonesia sentenced a dozen Christian men to terms of up to 14 years: Because they beat two Muslims to death, and beheaded them. The nominal Christians were exacting vengeance for the earlier death sentences.

Christianity, American Style

America is less "Christian" than any of these three Islamic nations is "Muslim." And, America's judicial system, like Indonesia's, isn't based (directly) on a set of religious laws.

For both countries, I'm sure that the religious faiths of those who drew up the laws had something to do with what the laws dictate. I think, though, that America can take credit for putting more distance between traditional religious beliefs and actual judicial practice.

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Religious Values: or Cultural Values?

Islam isn't the only religion where decisions about the faith are made on a regional or local level. Protestant Christianity is very democratic in the way that its lack of a central authority demands that groups decide for themselves what they believe.

In the case of large denominations, like the Lutheran or Baptist churches, we don't often see beliefs preached that stray very far from the dominant culture.

At the other end of the scale, we've got outfits like the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. (Not the Westboro Baptist Church of Westboro, Ontario, which has nothing in common with the Kansas outfit, apart from the name.) I discussed this outfit's notions about the American military being part of a homosexual plot in "Tolerance Only Goes So Far" and "Does Free Speech Include Disrupting Funerals?."

Then, there's the Ku Klux Klan, or KKK. They're not a religious group, but their beliefs include disapproval of the existence of Catholics and Jews in their neighborhood. Or anywhere, I gather. And, their habit of burning crosses has seared the idea into people's minds that they're a Christian splinter group.

I'm no expert, but it looks like "The Islamic World" is nowhere near being a unified entity. From Saudi Arabia, where religious fanatics seem to be running the judiciary, to Indonesia, where religious fanatics are trying to topple the government for not being Islamic enough, there's at least as much of a divide as between Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who want to kill infidels in America, and elsewhere; and the infidels, who, by and large, would rather not be killed.

Certainly not for offenses like wearing pants.

The impression I get is that many of these "Islamic" countries are what America would be like, if the KKK or the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka ran the show.

Related posts, on Islam, Christianity, Religion, Culture and the War on Terror.
Related posts, on tolerance, bigotry, racism, and hatred.