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Pakistan bans latest issue of Newsweek, calls article offensive to Islam
Followup to article from 7/24/03, adds a bit more context...Hat tip: Tacitus for the first 2 links... There are three bits here... The real reason this is newsworthy is that Islam, Religion of Peaceâ¢, is not only based upon, but actually dependent upon, the absolute claim that it is "the verbatim revelation of Allah, speaking to his prophet, Muhammad, through the Angel Gabriel, in Arabic." Of course this is problematic, given modern science... Read the Tacitus intro (see third item on page linked above)... Note that questioning this claim is forbidden: "Islamic scholars who have dared ignore this taboo have often found themselves labeled heretics and targeted with death threats and violence." Per the title, hereâs the "news"... Pakistan bans latest issue of Newsweek, calls article offensive to Islam ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 24 â Pakistan has banned the latest issue of Newsweekâs international edition, saying an article on new interpretations of the Quran offends Islam. The information minister said Thursday that customs authorities have been ordered to seize copies of the edition. more... And the light-reading version about the fire beneath the smoke of PakIslamic indignation... Challenging the Qurâan A German scholar contends that the Islamic text has been mistranscribed and promises raisins, not virgins By Stefan Theil NEWSWEEK INTERNATIONAL July 28 issue â In a note of encouragement to his fellow hijackers, September 11 ringleader Muhammad Atta cheered their impending âmarriage in Paradiseâ to the 72 wide-eyed virgins the Qurâan promises to the departed faithful. Palestinian newspapers have been known to describe the death of a suicide bomber as a âwedding to the black-eyed in eternal Paradise.â But if a German expert on Middle Eastern languages is correct, these hopes of sexual reward in the afterlife are based on a terrible misunderstanding. more... And, finally, the real thing for those that actually have do an inquiring mind... From The Atlantic, January 1999, this is the spark that started the fire. What is the Koran? Researchers with a variety of academic and theological interests are proposing controversial theories about the Koran and Islamic history, and are striving to reinterpret Islam for the modern world. This is, as one scholar puts it, a "sensitive business"... by Toby Lester More... This is actually a good read and quite interesting - especially given the sputtering outrage and dire threats that have emanated from Islam... including taking the step of banning an issue of Newsweek just for mentioning the resulting debate. Islam - Religion of Tolerance⢠Posted by: PD 2003-07-27 |
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