ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Taliban militants on Wednesday shot dead Pakistan's only Christian government minister for challenging a law that mandates the death penalty for insulting Islam, the latest sign of instability in a country where many fear radical Islam is becoming more mainstream.Reuters also reports: "The blasphemy law has been in the spotlight since last November, when a court sentenced a Christian mother of four to death after her neighbors complained she had insulted Prophet Muhammad." HERE is the rest of the article.
What I'm curious about is why America is paying to refurbish mosques overseas (or anywhere, for that matter). HERE is information we have all heard about our $6 million dollars being spent for that purpose. I can't help wondering if the people who have condemned Christians, like in the two stories above today, are having their mosques fixed by US? Probably not that exact mosque but, let's face it.....this is NUTS.
From the American Thinker:
Nicole Thompson, a State Department spokeswoman, has said that this cultural preservation "is helping to preserve our cultural heritage. It is not just to preserve religious structures. It is not to preserve a religion. It's to help us as global inhabitants preserve cultures."
As multicultural Americans, isn't it important to be caretakers of the ancient world and understand and learn from these structures?
Still others would ask, if American doctrine entails a separation of church and state, why are tax dollars being spent to assist in any religious monument, however well meant. Isn't this a flagrant violation of American doctrine?
Apparently the funding of such projects became acceptable in 2003 when the Justice Department "declared that the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause did not preclude federal funds from going to preserve religious structures if they had cultural importance."
How, then, does one define "cultural importance?"
Wouldn't you THINK that that 'cultural importance' is HERE IN AMERICA? Like old churches and synagogues needing repair? Does this dovetail on Obama's opinion that Islam is "part of America?"
Think we should be doing this? Think the killers of those Christians above are benefiting from our tax dollars?
z
21 comments:
Why aren't people complaining about our tax dollars going overseas like that?
For one thing, a lot of people don't even know this is happening.
For another, so many think that building bridges with the Islamic world will cause Moslems to like us. Ain't gonna happen.
I thought the ignorant bigot Spencer reported on this quite a while ago.
Anyway, a large number of religious structures are involved in the program. The grand altar in the cathedral of Guatemala City is rightfully being restored. Several South American churches will be repaired.
Now, if anyone thinks there will be a restoration program that does not include Islamic architecture then I suggest their sense of art history is lacking. This is a matter of world history, not Islamic relations.
So if becoming "global inhabitants" means that we in the west must accept our burden to "preserve the world's cultures", does that mean that those preserved will then uphold the foundational values of Western Civilization? I doubt that. Instead it will only create more spittle-spewing-rabid-foaming-at-the-mouth-mad dogs, calling for the destruction of the west.
At the highest levels, I mean at the levels of those actually pulling the strings of their political puppets, the plan had long ago been laid that the west in order to be brought down and destroyed. Why? Because it embodied the practice of the ideals of individual rights, limited government and capitalism (lassez-faire). If those ideals are the enemy of those that desire to enslave humanity to either the state (world government) or primitive theocracy, then at least we can see the common ground that unites the enemy in its desire to destroy the individual and create the drooling automaton the new servant of the new rulers of the planet.
Waylon
Robert Spencer is one voice in the wilderness that does recognize the primitive desires of those religious theocrats, IMO.
pSuch a 'peaceful' religion! Anybody who believes that had better study their history. What can't be conquered by their religion they will take over by the sword, or the appropriate modern weapons: guns, bombs, terror, or oil $$$$. Wake up & smell the coffee, people. Or in this case, blood.
Drill, baby, drill.
Silvrlady
Why do we have a foreign restoration program at all, when we have a looming debt which promises to cripple our economy for years, if not reined in?
How about preserving our own culture? Wow, what a concept. We don't have the resources to make everything nice somewhere else.
We don't have the resources to make everything nice here!
Take a look at Detroit. Does the Bronx still look like a bombed out city in some areas? I haven't seen it in awhile.
The ugly truth is we don't have the money or the inclination to fix American infrastructure, let alone foreign historical mosques, or significant architectural treasures of any kind.
This particular program restoring mosques is nothing more than an appeasement program, which of course will not accomplish good will from the recipients.
It's the same old story of attempting to bribe your adversaries. When all it does is embolden them.
Ducky, you make me laugh. You, who hates the idea of America being No. one in the world, yet want's us to prop up your priority of art history.
Well we can't afford those niceties anymore thanks to the shortsightedness of people like you.
If you're hungry, you don't go out and buy new china to eat off of.
You live in an alternative universe Ducky. A dreamworld. You wanted this mess the left has created, now deal with it!
Pris
I often wonder what the World would be like if there was no religion in it?
"if American doctrine entails a separation of church and state, why are tax dollars being spent to assist in any religious monument, however well meant. Isn't this a flagrant violation of American doctrine?"
What people fail to understand is that the word "religion" doesn't actually mean religion to Liberals. It means "Christianity".
Therefore, whenever a Liberal starts condemning religion, what he means is Christianity.
Any other religion means "Cultures" to these people. Look at it that way, and you begin to understand the apparent dichotomy.
Whenever a Liberal praises a "religion", he means any culture other than the American Judeo Christian culture.
AOW, it's ignorance which causes that "maybe they'll like us" stuff.
Ducky, that's our job? To repair other country's worship centers? wow.
talk about ignorant.
Waylon, well written. I think you're right.
SilvrLady, curious why both parties have dragged their feet on drilling...tho Republicans have been more for it than the left.
Pris, isn't it astonishing? Suddenly, this is OUR job?
CS..I shudder to think. I hear more often than your comment "What would I do without my faith?" it's such a blessing.
Faith didn't create these nightmares..people did.
Mark, you're absolutely right. the only really abhorrent religion to a liberal is that of Christians...we see it every single day. NOt that there aren't faithful Dems, but the far left is rabid, championing only anything that doesn't hint of AMerica, including Christianity.
I'll go for this when Saudi funds the rebuilding of churches that have been razed abroad and fund the rebuilding of the WTC.
Once again, Ducky shows his posterior.
Apparently Obama bows low enough to be slapped on the neck before paying the jizyah.
Ducky, you make me laugh. You, who hates the idea of America being No. one in the world, yet want's us to prop up your priority of art history.
-----------
No Pris, what I most want to do is point out that the bigot Spencer only mentioned Muslim structures and by posting a link to his nonsense, z has once again laid herself open to the charge that her antipathy is to all things Muslim, not simply radicalism.
As for the expense, it's small enough and if you take a look at the structures that are being preserved, it's worth the small sum being spent. It is tragic what is happening to a lot of American cities as they start to look like Beirut. I'm thankful that a number of structures have been preserved locally such as the terrific train station in Worcester. There are many preservation efforts ongoing. Of course the Tea Party will attempt to stop them.
You seem to be under the delusion that this is something recent. It's been going on for decades and decades. And you are a fool to assume we are the only ones who contribute.
Of course Waylon and Bloviating consider the height of artistic expression to be anything they can see from the Walmart parking lot and even the big box stores are decaying. I've been taking photos from a fixed location in a big box parking lot and recording the decay of the building for two years now. I hope to publish it as a photo essay but I am more interested in its decay than restoration, I admit.
$625,000 to the World Monuments Fund for the conservation of the remains of the 11th-century Surp Prikitch (Church of the Holy Redeemer) at the medieval Armenian site of Ani in eastern Turkey
Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/texttrans-english/2010/June/20100618172425SBlebahC0.7294689.html#ixzz1FZGWy0r5
Ducky, you won't be welcome here and I'll js-kit, too, if you don't stop the insults. And I MEAN IT, it's no big deal to me, TRUST me. I'm SICK of your insults.
You write: "by posting a link to his nonsense, z has once again laid herself open to the charge that her antipathy is to all things Muslim, not simply radicalism."
If there's ONE DAMNED FREAKING thing you should know by spending untold hours at my blog for some reason, it's that I have antipathy for ISLAMISTS, not all muslims.
If you read my whole posts instead of jumping in and trying to show you're so erudite and all-knowing in every opinion based on the title, maybe you'd have picked that up.
As for the Armenians Would it be YOUR nature to say "OH, for MY PEOPLE< that's fine?" Rubbish. It's not fine for AMericans to pay for ANYTHING in Armenia. That is NOT my American nature, I assure you.
That's what your stinkin' UN is for...let them, a BODY OF COUNTRIES interested in the WHOLE WORLD'S ART AND PEACE, pay for OTHER COUNTRIES.
Yes, Ducky, just what the world needs in another "artist" that thinks decay is the height of artistic expression. Interesting to see you frequent the WalMart parking lot to create you future masterpiece.You are likely a closet "blue light shopper", too.
Waylon
Two hanged in Iran capital for killing a senior Islamic judge
They had been convicted of killing the senior judge in his car in 2005.
They were submitted by the US EMBASSY of Dubay to the Iranian Authorities.
SAM
Architecture does not a civilization make -- contrary to Duck's contentions.
I, whom Duck would no doubt term a bigot, do happen to have high regard for Islamic architecture. In fact, I did an award-winning research paper on that very topic.
Duck's ad hominem attacks are reason for deletion of all his comments, IMO. Just sayin'.
The Judge was an Islamist Judge, like All the judges after the islamists arrived on state,
He had executed more than 2,000 innocent people, the women, the children, the Christians and Apostates;
The two cousins were not resistant, they had no political agendas, they didn’t had any relationship with the Resistance, just they had heard the crimes of that Islamist Judge, and because they learned that they can track him very easily,
They take their motor cycle, one drives and anther shot on the judge when he was stopped on the square stop red light.
Nobody knew that the judge was killed by those cousins.
It was just when GWB announced that “IF THE IRANIAN PEOPLE STAND, AMERIC WILL STAND WITH THEM>>
They believed on those words, they reached DUBAY, they went to US EMBASSY, they requested an appointment from the Ambassador, they were asked to handwrite their history and sign and return back to the embassy after 2 days, when they returned to the embassy, the DUBAY POLICE was waiting them.
They were submitted to the Iranian Passdarans, in their trial their handwritten witness for the US EMBASSY was the only document against them.
They were executed AUG. 3 2007.
When us state Dept was questioned about that, their spokesman answered << WE ARE AGAINST THE TERRORISM >>
SAM
SAM, I was afraid that was the story.
So we say "we'll protect and stand by you", then we turn these young people in to their oppressive government which then kills them.
Well, I suppose murder is never a good thing but why did we turn them back?
Who knows what DEALS are made, correct?
The History is very simple;
BUSH was sincere and honest, but, your state dep. is shark-infested.
When I say you that USA Foreign policy was and is and will never be decided by the USA PRESIDENT, to believe it, it costs you the live of the HEROS.
What they did was not an assassination, it was an heroic civilian reaction.
SAM
SAM, yes, it's heroic from your and my points of view, but it is taking the law into your own hands. Well, maybe this is a culture thing and you don't see it as I do. I personally think some things like very swift justice are a GOOD thing, unlike ours :-)
But, it sure seems wrong to me to tell people you'll stand by them and then turn them into their oppressive authorities. I guess a country HAS to do that if they've murdered though, no?
In this country, it's hard to say "Well, we killed that judge because he's a bad guy"...we just can't DO that here and get away with it.
See my problem with it? They should have a LEGAL trial but if it was proven they did it, they must go to jail or something no matter now awful this islamist was, no?
SAM, don't take me wrong, however; If I knew the awful things the judge had done, I'd probably view them as HEROES for taking his life.
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