A new poll by the Pew Research Center offers an disturbing insight into the views of the majority of Muslims in some countries on the subject of apostasy. With blasphemy, apostasy remains one of the greatest threats to human rights and free speech in the world with people continuing to be arrested for rejecting Islam. Some 78 percent of Afghan Muslims support putting former Muslims to death for rejecting Islam. Our Afghan “allies” actually had the highest support for this basic denial of human rights — a system that we prop up with American lives and treasure. In Egypt and Pakistan, 64 percent support executing for apostasy.
Pew polled Muslims in 38 countries from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East and found overwhelming support for Sharia law — at least when applied to Muslims. Notably, there were exceptions with less support in Bangladesh, Tunisia and Lebanon.
We continue to treat our Muslim allies as enlightened governments when many still embrace this denial of a basic human right (as with common denial of other rights of woman and religious minorities). These countries cannot by definition be considered part of the “free world” when they mandate the execution of people for exercising this fundamental right to choose the religion (or the lack of religion) of their choice. Viewed from this perspective, we are spending billions on governments oppressing their citizens while our leaders continue to espouse the centrality of faith in their public lives.
Civil libertarians do not view such rights as a “western” or “American” view. Many often try to defend these oppressive nations by saying that we have no right to judge others. When it comes to our government, there is certainly a basis for charging hypocrisy on issues like torture and the denial of due process after 9-11. However, the right to choose your faith and the right to free speech is a human right not an American right. Support for punishing apostasy is a “red line” that separates a person from the free world. It is the most vile form of majoritarian tyranny and oppression.
Source: Washington Post
Interesting the bias of comprehension. The US invaded Iraq under the claim of WMD. Non existed and yet the US only went on to kill 1 million Iraqi’s in the shock and awe invasion(a big distraction…a fireworks display to the mentally defective), and proceed to have american companies take over the Iraqi oil supply! Wake up!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAXMFFyrIZo&w=560&h=315%5D
Reblogged this on West Coast Atheist and commented:
Here’s an article about the recent Pew findings that show a majority of Muslims in 39 countries support the death penalty for apostasy, or leaving Islam.
Talk about a religion of peace. (Not that Christians wouldn’t do the same if they didn’t have our secular government keeping them in check).
The pestilence of Islam
I like the thread about the dividing line between the “free world” and these places that beat down human rights. This is right down BarkinDog’s alley when he talks about Pirate Territories. BarkinDog is in Den Haag, Holland for some world court event with his half blind guy and they are staying at a place in Amsterdam. He can not get on a Dogalogue Machine from there.
The other topic today was about Morocco where they hang dogs by their feet (alive) in markets for sale. Pirate Territory.
BarkinDog says that the terms about the Pirate Territories are evolving. The so called Free World was formerly that which was outside Communist control. Then we had Third World and Fourth World. I guess Itally was second world. I am reading BarkinDog’s draft of a book on the subject in his absence. The notion of making The World Safe For Democracy is too far fetched (no pun intended). We need to make the World Safe For Human Rights and by implication the rigths of dogs, whether guide dogs or not.
These Third World countries or Pirate Territories need guidance and also condemnation and payback when they stomp on human rights. We must say to the Ambassador to the UN from Yemen that he can hold his head up high when the last ship has been released by the pirates in his so called nation state. The piracy issues are completely ignored by American media.
“A new poll by the Pew Research Center offers an disturbing insight into the views of the majority of Muslims in some countries on the subject of apostasy. With blasphemy, apostasy remains one of the greatest threats to human rights and free speech in the world with people continuing to be arrested for rejecting Islam.”
Most killings for blasphemy have to do with docrtrnial differences within Islam (and Christianity too).
So we have mass killings over Shite Islam vs. Sunni Islam, and Eastern Christianity vs. Western Christianity.
“Us vs. Them” (UVT) seems to be a very virile strain of virus.
It is stimulated to action by various forms of religions music.