There is a truly horrific story out of Pakistan that reveals the sheer insanity that can be instilled in an entire community through religious orthodoxy. News reports indicate that Mohammad Anwar, 15, cut off his own hand after being told that he had committed blasphemy by failing to pray enough. His act was reportedly celebrated by the community as a wonderful testament to his Islamic faith.
This horror began, according to a local police chief, when an imam told a gathering at a village mosque that those who love Mohammad always say their prayers, then asked who among the crowd had stopped praying. Anwar apparently raised his hand by mistake after mishearing the question. The crowd then turned on him and denounced him of blasphemy. Anwar went home and cut off the offending hand to prove that he is a faithful Muslim. He then brought his hand to the imam on a plate to the praise of his parents and the community.
Various news reports have published this story, which was supposedly based on the account of the local police. Even with the past accounts of grotesque abuses under Sharia law, these stories continue to mystify me and I am left hoping that the story is apocryphal.
The imam bore the greatest responsibility in singling out the boy and triggering the public condemnations as a blasphemer. His name is Shabbir Ahmed and he has been reportedly arrested after the story.
This is clearly insane.
If this was done in the US, the mosque would be held culpable, arrested, and charged with endangering a minor, causing injurious harm, and exploiting the minor for cultic purposes.
I am OK with religion in the home but I am not OK when religion becomes so paramount as to amount to ignorance. When someone is gravely mistaken for doing something, a full account of what happens needs to be investigated. That’s what is needed to be done before some crazy stuff like this happen.
I used to go to a church, where church members prided so much on clothes. The pastor said, “God loves men who dress well in clothes, and it honors or pleases God.” I couldn’t stomach that myself. In the Bible, it is clear that:
Jas 2:3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:
James 2:4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
They cared so much that they wanted me to dress like them. They hated the fact I wore casual clothes because I don’t make enough $$$ to afford really good clothes like them. So I wore my own casuals, even if they ignored me. A few of them shook hands just out of spite and denial. They just couldn’t come to terms with the fact I’m not like them. I’m different from them yet I attend the same church as them.
Now? I work a lot, go to college, study Computer Science. I don’t even go to that church anymore. Even if I’m wealthy, powerful, and influential, I refuse to support that church or any of its pastors. They failed to exemplify the Christian spirit all because they’re so worried about those damned clothes!
This article about the Mosque? It’s way borderline messed up more than what I get at the church I used to go to. That fifteen-year-old boy will end up a moron for the rest of his life not realizing he’s buying into a bunch of bullcrap.
There’s multitudes of reasons why I won’t support Islam but I will support true Christianity, not pagan Christianity.
With tongue firmly place in cheek I declare that this is a positive trend for young muslim boys/men. Since our elected leaders, who serve only the elite 0.1% and corporate oligarchy, have decided to enrage 1.6 billion muslims worldwide (or ~24% of the world’s population) with what to them must seem like a new Crusade, we have entered into a “generational conflict.”
General Martin Dempsey, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has stated that the war against ISIS is a “generational conflict.” And General Ray Odierno, former Army Chief of Staff, has echoed these sentiments by stating that “ISIS is a 10 to 20 year problem; it’s not a two year problem.”
With this in mind, one handed muslim boys and men have a much more difficult time building IED’s, shooting rifles, spreading propaganda via social media, and sexually harassing European women.
It’s time to reinstate the draft for mandatory 2 year service whether in the military or service to your country in a peaceful manner (lotsa stuff needs fixin in this country). Most of the Congress Critters don’t have family members who are currently in the military so letting these undeclared wars go on forever means nothing to them.
Google Smedley Butler (especially his quotes). He won the Medal of Honore TWICE, and he was the most highly decorated Marine in history at the time of his retirement. Here is one of his quotes:
“I served in all commissioned ranks from a second Lieutenant to a Major General. And during that time, I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street, and for the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer for capitalism.”
Sorry for getting off topic or if I offended anybody. I’m just soooo pissed off at the state of our country.
When I was a kid, I once used the Lord’s name in vein, and for punishment, my mother washed my mouth out with soap. Doesn’t seem so bad now.
Keep Islam to the East of Corfu where the Ten Commandments Don’t Apply. The end of Europe is near. Mr. Obama: Build Up That Wall!
Good post Po.
Olly, the ones who dismiss religion are usually the ones who know the least about it.
I have yet to meet one of those deniers who has read fully any of the holy books. Especially the New atheists. Those people have prophets in Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris…
a priest in Bill Maher…
holy books in the writings of the former…
churches on the media sites of those…
doctrines and talking points that they keep spouting…
dogmas that they abide by…
a refusal to stray outside of those doctrines and dogmas and inform themselves about that which they speak on…
And yet they eschew religion?
The most illogical thing I have ever seen.
Thank God they are the rational ones!
Just another day in Islamoworld. There’s no cure for the cult of Islam except to take every measure possible to ban it from all civilized nations. And today’s there’s another story in the news about some poets in Iran who face lashings and worse. Real poetry, art, music, science, and other things that could benefit mankind and make for a more civilized world are, of course, anathema to Islam. But as long as there are dupes like JT who will decry Islamic acts as “non-Islamic,” the insanity will continue.
For JT and other Islamopandering dupes, fools, and dopes, here’s an instructive video from Pat Condell:
Ralph, that cult is claiming more and more members…how do you feel about that?
Jim Jones, Heaven’s Gate, Branch Davidians, Salem Witch Trials, and Solar Temple show a similar religious induced insanity. Religion and cultism are not separated by much.
Sadly, for the boy who had his hand cut off, anyone who would have said he didn’t deserve the punishment would have been subject to similar or worse punishment.
When it comes to being a member of a religious group, I consider the Groucho Marx line, ‘I don’t want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member.’