By Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor.
Free-speech claimed another victim in the Middle-East after Jordanian Journalist Nahed Hattar, who is accused of sharing online an “anti-Islamic” cartoon, was assassinated outside a courthouse where he was facing trial for insulting Islam.
Hattar was arrested in August after posting a cartoon titled “God of Daesh”, which garnered not only outrage on social media for depicting God in illustrated form, but drew the attention of authorities who accused Hattar of inciting sectarian violence and insulting Islam. He was released on bail in September.
The cartoon was featured on Hattar’s Facebook page and depicted a man smoking and lying in bed with two women. The man in the illustration addresses God as a servant and demands that he be given wine, and cashew nuts, that someone clean the floor, and barks at God, telling him to knock before he entered.
Hattar removed the cartoon after the row, explaining that he the cartoon was a fun way of portraying “terrorists and how they imagine God and heaven, and does not insult God in any way”.
Jordan’s attorney general declared a media blackout on court proceedings against Hattar after Prime Minister Hani al-Malki ordered his interior minister, Salam Hammad, to summon the writer and to initiate legal proceedings against him, according to al-monitor.com.
The Jordanian government, through Spokesman Mohamad Momani, denounced the killing as a “heinous crime”.
“The law will be firmly applied to the person who committed the crime and the government will strike with an iron fist anyone who dares to take advantage of this to spread hate speech,” he said.
A source reported the assailant, a forty-nine year old resident of Amman wearing conservative Islamic clothing, allegedly shot Hattar three times as he ascended the courthouse steps. He then surrendered to police at the scene.
Hattar died after arriving at the hospital.
By Darren Smith
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
Darren does a great job holding down the fort on weekends.
Credit where credit is due.
Nick, we don’t always agree, but sometimes you nail it. Darren does a great job, indeed, and presents some of the more interesting articles we see. Greatly appreciated.
Paul, you are a prankster at heart – like moi. that’s why I wear my “pro women / anti Hillary” t-shirt at every event I attend in the arts community locally. The majority of them are Hilbots and are irritated that I am not “falling in line” BTW – did you see Milo’s most excellent funeral for Twitter at FSU?
Autumn – missed the funeral, but I did see all the photos of Milo as Queen of the May at LSU. RuPaul has to be jealous.
Squeek and “St.” Paul – just got back from seeing “Bridget Jones’s Baby” – I needed a laugh and it was quite amusing.
Saw a person sporting a T-shirt: “Deplorable Lives Matter”
Autumn – I would buy one of those just to be annoying. 😉
I like that, too! Plus, did you and Paul see this, a picture of typical Hillary voters:
http://www.zerohedge.com/sites/default/files/images/user5/imageroot/2016/09/20/hillary%20selfies_0.jpg
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-09-25/hillary-2016-caption-conest
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
A little security would help . what is the penalty for what he was charged with?
This insanity is the norm in the ME. It makes me wonder how we can insure that our refugees and immigrants identify with the writer and not his killers. How can we tell? It is important that we not permit this savagery to spread here.
Reblogged this on The Grey Enigma.
The cartoon depicts a guy smoking tobacco. This is the real killer of humans on Earth. Islam is number two but they go together. Notice that he was not faulted for smoking.
(music to tune of Up Against the Wall Redneck Mothers, by Jerry Jeff Walker:
Dumb smokers need love too stickers! And its up against the wall redneck muslims.
Muslims who have raised hell so well.
They are 34 and drinking in honkie tonks..
Lying to the Imams and raisin hell.
This is another country that we supposed to embrace because they are moderates. Sorry but that a bunch of horse feathers. Any country that criminalizes free speach should be off our list of allies! I’m tired of the theocrats getting away with…..
The Jordanian government is no trouble to the world. Any country has a criminal class, some of whom are politically motivated.
The viciousness with which one is punished for religious infractions discloses how desperate religionists are to force their religion on others. A decent rational religion would attract allegiance without any threat of punishment.
I am evolving to the point where I disagree with you. I think that maybe a decent religion MUST punish those who poke fun at it, or perish. Like Christianity is doing. Christianity is namby-pambying itself out of existence.
As a practical matter, nearly any religion is going to consist of a bunch of mumbo-jumbo that nobody can objectively prove. Paul (the saint, not Schulte) came right out and said it when he said, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Yet, when you don’t have religion, and some pretty objective rules about behavior, you end up with all kinds of societal disorder and instability. Civilization is a social construct, and not a natural one for humans. By nature, we are suited to be hunter gatherers, running around in small groups, at the mercy of Nature. Sex is just a matter of which male is the strongest and can take who he wants, when he wants, at the time. And, the offspring truly are raised by the “village” in the sense that the females in the troop work as a team to take care of the children, because who knows who the father is???
But by setting up rules of behavior, we are able to live together in groups of thousands, and millions, and specialize in our interests, and responsibilities. Those rules of behavior have to come from some source “above” humanity, because if they come from humanity itself, they are easily changed, even within a generation. Over the millennia, humanity developed a set of rules that pretty much worked, to the point where there was a constant technological improvement. And moral improvement, such as the alleged end of slavery.
For example, the sexual function was reduced to a more monogamous model, because there was no longer a “village” of females taking care of children. And, a “specific father” was needed, because children’s survival had moved beyond the need to simply gather fruits and nuts, and outsmart a lion. Now, kids had to be nurtured into adulthood, and educated. And now, there were significant assets to be passed down to the next generation. All hunters and gatherers could pass down was maybe a spear, and a loincloth. Now, there is land, buildings, and tools, and scrolls, and jewelry, and money, and sheep.
Again, this is all a social construct, and alternatives are possible. For example, our welfare state has replaced the “specific father” with a system of welfare benefits. Theoretically, that should work. Theoretically, welfare benefits simply replace the security provided by the father. But the reality is that it doesn’t work. Thus, you have the ‘hood! Complete with violent savages who have regressed back down the civilizational ladder. Many black neighborhoods are composed of “blocks” where the stealer/gatherers of one block, fight with the stealer/gathers of another block. Predominantly black schools see fights between blacks kids of one neighborhood versus the the black kids of another neighborhood.
Sooo, maybe back when this stuff had first gotten started, which I think Women’s Lib and Free Sex was maybe the first chink – – – maybe if insane Christian extremists had started bumping off the likes of Hugh Hefner, and Helen Gurley Brown, our particular society would not have degenerated so quickly. And maybe the changes that were probably coming about anyway via baby bottles, infant formula, anti-biotics, and birth control pills would have occurred over a larger time span, and could have been better managed.
Whether you believe this or not, I suspect that many Muslims believe it. Hence, the Dead Jordanian Journalist.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Thanks for thoughtful response, but there is no agreement on how things are and how they should be and what is right and wrong, hence any set of laws is meaningful only temporarily until a culture decides to follow a different set of standards.
Duh! This is why you need a “God”, who sets down the rules, and with which you screw with to your own peril. Why do you think Moses went up Mount Everest and chiseled out the tablets, and said they were from God? Because if it was “Moses says to not commit adultery!” – — people would ignore the taboo and say, “Who the F is Moses? He ain’t no better than me! F him! I’m going to commit adultery!”
No, society needs a God, and then it needs to enforce those taboos. You will either have law and order, or you won’t, and if you don’t you will have societal chaos. That is why heresy and treason against a king were capital type crimes. Because the people who committed them were directly attacking the very system of law and order which made society possible.
I think America is going to have to learn this all over. And we will. Or we will perish.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Again, this is all a social construct, and alternatives are possible. For example, our welfare state has replaced the “specific father” with a system of welfare benefits. Theoretically, that should work. Theoretically, welfare benefits simply replace the security provided by the father. But the reality is that it doesn’t work.
AFDC was abolished nearly 20 years ago. It’s successor, TANF, enrolls about 1.3% of the population. No other welfare programs have paternal absence as an eligibility criterion. Cash assistance via TANF amounts to about $10 bn as we speak. Alimony and child support payments sum to about $42 bn annually. Look forward to your denunciations of shrews whose vocation is expressive divorce.
True. BUT TANF ain’t the only monkey in the show. Check out “crazy checks” for just one alternative source of trashy behavior funding. That is a really fun one! Because while little Jequarius is acting stupid to get the check, he is stuck in the retard class at school, and learning squat.
Most black women don’t think they need a man for anything other than a sperm donor. If they are lucky, they can even get some child support out of the poor sap. Then, if they can hedge their bets, and spread the kiddies out over a couple of baby daddies, then they get more money, and if one of them gets shot down, or incarcerated, she still has an income source. They are not having babies for the right reason.
If you interested, there are even some statistics out that show your average single black woman has a net worth of $5.00. You might also enjoy this:
http://watchdog.org/102295/in-many-states-welfare-can-pay-better-than-an-honest-days-work/
Personally, I am not sure that if we withdraw nearly all the forms of welfare benefits that it will necessarily work and result in less illegitimate kids. I just know that there is zero chance if we don’t.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Check out “crazy checks” for just one alternative source of trashy behavior funding.
We’ve reviewed that before, not that you listen. There are about 3.7 Disability or SSI recipients who received their award consequent to a finding of mental disorder. About 1.7 million are autistic, schizophrenic, or mentally retarded (and you have to have an IQ below 60 to receive a categorical award for mental retardation). Another 500,000 are in fuzzier categories but past child-bearing age. About 20% of those collecting Disability or SSI are black, so you’re talking about 300,000 people out of a black population of over 40 million.
Personally, I am not sure that if we withdraw nearly all the forms of welfare benefits that it will necessarily work and result in less illegitimate kids. I just know that there is zero chance if we don’t.
You’re an idiot. TANF rolls are one third the size of the old AFDC rolls and we have a larger population. The effect on family structure has been undetectable.
As you’d expect. Fully 55% of the 1st born children in this country are born out of wedlock. Perhaps 30% of these are legitimated post-partum. While you’re beating up on the black population, you haven’t noticed what’s modal behavior among working class people and not uncommon amongst the bourgeoisie. All but a single-digit minority of these people have never and will never have anything to do with TANF.
You are not as informed on this subject, as you think you are. Here is a place where you can get the raw numbers. As I have said before, TANF is only one of the forms of assistance available. Crazy checks are another. I am not sure where you got your 300,000 numbers, but perhaps you should check out this series:
The link is to the main page of the total series. The specific excerpt if from page 2 of the first story. And please keep in mind that there are numerous ways to obtain support from the government, and TANF and crazy checks are just two of them.
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Squeeky – neither autism or ADHD make a person ‘crazy.’ Although, a lot of uniformed teachers think ADHD students are crazy.
Eau Contraire! (French for “grouchy water”) ADHD is the most prevalent basis for a crazy check! Here is the GAO report:
http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/591872.pdf
Or, the short version:
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Squeeky – mental impairment does not mean you are crazy. The mind of an ADD person works at twice the speed of a regular person, they are always thinking, they will always fail lie detector tests. However, they are not crazy.
Squeeky – Paul, the Schulte, is a Saint, he just has not been canonized yet. 😉
If he fails the to claer the canonization hurdle, he can always take comfort in his namesake Paul C. Schulte High School in Indiania.😉😉
Indiana
tnash – I think that Paul C Schulte was a archbishop or cardinal or both. 🙂 I am not related.
Paul C. Schulte-
When I first visited the JT site a couple of years ago, your name was one of the first ones I saw.
The name range a bell, because I once attended a parochial school run by Sisters of Providence nuns.
The Paul C. Schulte school was run by the same order, so I’d seen, or heard, the name before.
RANG a bell
tnash – I hope your time with the nuns was better than mine. 😉
Paul Schulte-
With a couple of glaring exceptions, most of the clergy I knew back then were pretty good people.
One nun I didn’t care much for looked a lot like Gen. Burkhalter on “Hogan’s Heroes”.
But she didn’t have Burkhalter’s “pleasant disposition”.
I think I generally got a good edu ation from both parochial and public schools, but I did transfer to a much larger public school in high school.
That school simply had a lot more resources, and at that particular point in time, some of the more elderly nuns were well
passed their “prime years”.
Paul, would this be the free cartoon movement? =)
Reblogged this on pundit from another planet.
Well, shooting journalists is one way of keeping them in line with your particular culture. Speaking from a sheer efficiency angle, probably the most effective. I would love to see what happens to Jordanian Journalists who promote Gender Fluid Bathrooms. . .
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
“Gender Fluid Bathrooms. . . ”
Must be a term of art from sanitation engineering? Not sure I want to know.
Hate to say it but Hattar was a fool. Or maybe he wanted to invoke suicide by Islamist. There is no free speech in Muslim countries. RIP
Autumn – some movements require martyrs.
There are about 40 countries with a muslim majority. About 1/4 of them have fairly benign political cultures.
I will be very interested to hear what medal the shooter gets from the government.