Multi-culturalism boon or bane?

[brownjenkins]

Originally Posted by inked

Why are we living in Dearborn, Michigan and still wearing all this sh*t?

Agreed!

But then, why are christians still clinging to a book of myths written a few thousand years ago?

Human irrationality at it's finest!

[brownjenkins]

Originally Posted by Valandil

Congratulations! Wow - I thought you were still at three.

Thanks all!

Time flies... my #4 is actually four now.

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by inked

GM, could you please provide links to back up your assertion that other Muslims oppose this interpretation? You know, like the opposition quoted the link you provided about the Bahamas? Thanks.

inhttp://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503545650

http://www.seekingilm.com/archives/61

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/...rital-rape-159

http://www.muslimaccess.com/articles...e_in_islam.asp

Now, a lot of these articles seem to be rather strained readings of Islamic teachings, but of course that's what you have to do when you're trying to adapt ancient teachings to modern times- very few Christians today still accept Paul's instructions that women must be silent in Church, though some do:

http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/loc...cc4c03286.html

And, certainly I would say that most Muslim religious leaders reject the idea of marital rape as a crime- IOTW, they have the same position as just about everybody except godless commies and socialists had up till 30 years ago

Several countries in Eastern Europe and Scandinavia made spousal rape illegal before 1970, but other countries from the Western World outlawed it much later, mostly in the 1980s and 1990s. In the US spousal rape is illegal in all 50 states; the first state to outlaw it was South Dakota in 1975,[2] and the last North Carolina in 1993.[3] Other developing countries have outlawed it in the 2000s.

Wiki

Among countries that haven't outlawed it are the vast majority of Muslim countries (Malaysia is one exception) but also: Singapore, Bahamas, Ethiopia, Honduras, Kenya, Mongolia, India, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, and Zambia.

[GrayMouser]

And of course the reason that marital rape became unacceptable in the 70s and 80 was...the feminist movement. Yep, those bubble-headed bra-burning women's-libbers managed to do something that thousands of years of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Confucian, and Buddhist teachings on morality had somehow managed to overlook- gee, I wonder why? Could it be because all those religions have been run by men?

I'm old enough to remember when rape only happened when a women had been dragged into the bushes and had a knlfe held to her throat- and even them she'd better have cuts, bruises and vaginal injuries- and of course, if she'd known her attacker, been wearing "provocative' clothing, or not been a virgin, those were all mitigating circumstances that could be brought up in the trial- "you wanted it, you shameless slut"


Marital rape was greeted with outrage- "She says 'not tonight, dear, I've got a headache' and suddenly I'm a rapist?" and still is among some (admittedly elderly) conservative activists:

At one point, Schlafly also contended that married women cannot be sexually assaulted by their husbands.

"By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don't think you can call it rape," she said.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/conten...yllis-schlafly

[GrayMouser]

Originally Posted by inked

Food for thought, even if it is an email joke making the rounds:

A young Arab asks his father:

- What is this weird hat that we are wearing ?

It's a "chechia" because in the desert it protects our heads from the sun !

- And what is this type of clothing that we are wearing ?

It's a "djbellah" because in the desert it is very hot and it protects your body !

- And what are these ugly shoes that we have on our feet ?

These are "babouches", which keep us from burning our feet when in the desert !


Tell me, papa...



Yes, my son?



Why are we living in Dearborn, Michigan and still wearing all this sh*t?

"chechia"

Like those baseball caps people in Detroit wear, often backwards?

"Djbellah"

You mean a long robe like all those funny priests and pastors wear? Not only protects from sun, but warm in those cold desert nights- luckily Detroit never gets cold (and a hell of a lot more comfortable than skinny jeans!)

"babouches" ( aka mules)

Highest quality authentic handmade Moroccan leather slip-on babouches for holiday, summer or indoor lounging wear
100% Top Grade Soft leather with beads and sequins. New and improved version of our favorite Moroccan slippers, with extra soft padded interior and double layered sole. After a day out in heels, these will make you feel like you're walking on air. Bliss! VERY easy and light to pack.
Babouches and Mules, the originals out of Morocco, Africa! Order today and we'll ship them today!

I wear them all day; admittedly may not be practical for Detroit- but great idea for civilised people who don't track mud and dirt into other people's houses.

Ugly? compared to, say, pointy shoes or Ugg boots?

Of course, for me the modern men's suit- especially that useless strip of cloth around the neck- is one of the ugliest and most dysfunctional styles of dress ever invented.

Making the rounds all right- the first two hits I got on Google were Gunbroker.com and WhiteNewsNow

(yes, that's white as in "white supremacy")

[GrayMouser]

The variations write themselves:

What is this weird hat we are wearing?

It's a cowboy hat, because on the prairie it protects our head from sun and rain.

And what is this type of cloth we're wearing?

It's called denim, because out on the range there are many scrub bushes and thorns and the thick cloth protects our bodies.

And what are these ugly boots we have on our feet?

They're called cowboy boots, and the pointed toes enable us to control our horses.

Tell me, papa...

Why are we living in the suburbs, never ridden a horse in our lives, and we're wearing all this sh**t?

[The Gaffer]

[post content removed for flame content - by Admin Valandil]

[brownjenkins]

The Gaff must had said something that was a bit too true for the 'moot.

Getting back to multiculturalism, seeing my kids, who often play games online and voice chat with people halfway around the globe, I can't help but think how irrelevant all these issues will be a few generations from now.

[The Gaffer]

Here's hoping.

Unfortunately, as long as we keep pussyfooting around people who deliberately try to provoke discord, I have a feeling we will still be dealing with them.

[Insidious Rex]

Five kids! Did you win the lottery recently? But its good to see at least one non religious liberal breeding like the unwashed masses. Im pulling the average down myself but at least I have two step kids whos minds I can alter with my "radically liberal" ideals (seems to be working so far. Ones a new age hippie and is psyched about attending the Rally To Restore Sanity this weekend. And the other one likes to date black guys much to her fathers chagrin). Let us know when you reach double digits.

[The Gaffer]

Nice one IR.

Are you going yourself?

[Valandil]

Sorry to squelch the conversation on a note like that, but I'm shutting down this thread. At least temporarily, maybe permanently - but at least for now, it's dead.

It isn't any particular thing that was said once - or any particular "side". There have been numerous offenses here, and the blame spreads pretty wide.

For some reason, this thread brings out the worst in many of us here. Heck, we've noticed this for a long time, and considered this all year.

Henceforth if you disagree, we insist that you be more kind.
....

Alright - I just can't keep up the rhyming any longer. But we HAVE had this thread under observation for a very long time, and generally have not liked what we have seen. The thread itself is our 'bane'.

We like allowing for discussion of just about any (within PG-13 limits) topic here at Entmoot. But we want to maintain our 'friendly' atmosphere and reputation. Oftentimes, the 'friendliness' gets checked at the door of this thread. We staff have even begun discussing among ourselves if we really want to continue allowing these political/religious/contentious discussion threads. They can be a pain to moderate - and our jobs would be much easier if we no longer allowed them. For now, we plan to keep them. Our continued willingness to do so - is up to how all of us Entmooters treat these threads - and how we treat one another in them.

So please - everyone - when you post with someone, especially someone you disagree with - please post as though you like them, and simply disagree, but want to maintain the friendship.

If anyone thinks they're being singled out or treated (or represented) unfairly in this - I disagree. Multiple parties have been privately reprimanded over posts here, for some time running. If you don't like it - we urge you to contact me - or any of the other Entmoot staff - via Private Message. Or else, to just drop it. That would be fine too.

Thank you.