In Pakistan, a government minister offers a reward for committing a murder.
That’s right.
In Pakistan, a government minister offers a reward for committing a murder.
A Pakistani government minister has offered a $100,000 (£61,616) reward for the death of the maker of an anti-Islam film produced in the US.
Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told reporters that he would pay the reward for the “sacred duty” out of his own pocket.
He suggested the Taliban and al-Qaeda would be eligible for the reward.
His comments came a day after at least 20 people died in clashes between anti-film protesters and police.
“I announce today that this blasphemer who has abused the holy prophet, if somebody will kill him, I will give that person a prize of $100,000,” the minister said.
Just like that. “This blasphemer” made a movie, and a government minister is saying “somebody please murder him, and I’ll give the murderer a hundred grand.” That’s Pakistan, land of the pure.
Richard Dawkins pointed out a 2010 Pew poll on Muslim views, on Twitter. One item is “harsh punishments.” In Pakistan approval for stoning people to death for adultery is 82%. Approval for whippings/cutting off hands for theft is 82%, for death for apostasy 76% (how liberal!)
That’s purity for you.
And this guy is a minister in the gov’t of a country that has twice as many nukes as the UK.
As awful as this is, may I point out that we have the overseer of a trillion dollar military convening informal (weekly?) committees and ordering, repeatedly, the murder from the sky of people based on vague “he looks like a terrorist” musings from a flawed spy agency?
As awful as this is, may I point out that we have the overseer of a trillion dollar military convening informal (weekly?) committees and ordering, repeatedly, the murder from the sky of people based on vague “he looks like a terrorist” musings from a flawed spy agency?
Yeah that IS awful.
May I point out the tens of billions in free money Pakistan has recieved from America over the years?
American aid has saved countless Pakistani lives.
Unfortunately, it has also served to line the pockets of putrid and corrupt pakistani gov’t “ministers”.
This jackass can only afford to place a hundred thousand bounty on the head of a U.S. citizen because most of the money for that bounty probably comes from diverted american aid…
What’s really shocking is the indulgent attitude being taken towards him by his own party and the government.
From the article:
That tells you a lot more than any one extreme comment.
Re Select @ #1
But, at least according to some accounts, less then 1/3 as nukes as Israel.
And there is uproar at the moment in the UK, coz A tory called a copper a pleb (aledgedly).
You’d think there would be an international law against something like that.
But, you know, we cannot really condemn that man, because the movie he is referring to is such a violence inciting hate mongering flick.
(In order to have that opinion, one simply cannot have seen that flick. If that movie incites violence, than PZ should have been killed for throwing the quaran into the trashcan – a much more hatefilled action showing what that garbage really deserves than the nonsense put into the actors mouth)
I wonder if the usual suspects now will show up to apologize for this idiot and his really action inciting action and consider that action rather appropriate.
But you know, he is muslim and feels insulted so I guess his reaction is alright by raging bee et al.
Kraut, we are perfectly capable of condemning both. Don’t give me that “either you’re with us, or you’re with the t’rrists” nonsense.
“Kraut, we are perfectly capable of condemning both.”
And condemning free speech in the process, thank you very much.
There is nothing to condemn in the movie, it is a weak propaganda piece (if you ant to see the real stuff, Goebbels is still #1 in hate speech) of the most hilarious kind.
Anyone offended by that piece really needs to abandon the internet.
“The “Innocence of Muslims” was picked up and peddled with subtitles by far-right Salafists – radical followers of an Islamic movement long supported by Saudi Arabia. The film was a cheaply made, YouTube failure until an Egyptian Salafist TV host, Sheikh Khaled Abdullah (right) began promoting it to viewers on 8 September.
Most insulted Muslims ignored the film or protested peacefully, but the Salafists, with their signature black flags, were leading instigators of the more aggressive protests that breached embassies. Leaders of the Egyptian Salafist party attended the Cairo protest that broke into the US embassy.
Like the far-right in the US or Europe, the Salafist strategy is to drag public opinion rightwards by seizing on opportunities to fan radical anger and demonise ideological opponents. This approach resembles that of anti-Muslim US pastor Terry Jones (who first promoted the film in the west) and other western extremists. In both societies, however, the moderates far (far!) outnumber the extremists. A leading figure in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (the more powerful and popular political opponent of Egypt’s Salafists) wrote to the New York Times saying: “We do not hold the American government or its citizens responsible for acts of the few that abuse the laws protecting freedom of expression”.”
http://en.avaaz.org/783/muslim-rage-protests-newsweek-salafists?utm_source=avaaz_newsletter&utm_medium=blast&utm_campaign=stop-the-clash
That movie already showed up on you tube in june or july – and nothing happened until…Yeah hurray, a muslim pushed it to further his agenda. So much for the sponetneaus combustion of the muslim street, and so much for the “skeptical idiots” here and on other forums who ask for someone held responsible. Fucking clueless apologist for one of the more vile religions.
And of course, the most vile government of all, the pathetic idiots of pakistan, who always supported anything from the taliban to the various shades of muslim terrorist organizations, who the american govt. was idiotic enough to prop up with billions, some of the funds finding its way to support the various proxys of the ISI who also supported the bombings of 9/11 and wired funds at the amount of 100 000$ shortly before the attacks, is now through at least one member supporting even more terrorist actions.
What a beautiful world.
If I had deep enough pockets I’d offer to double any publicly offered death-bounty for the killer of the person who offered it.
Maybe you should learn what the concept of free speech actually means. It doesn’t mean you get to say whatever you want and not have it challenged. It doesn’t mean others can’t say that you’re an idiot who no one should listen to. It doesn’t mean you get to say racist, bigoted things without being called a racist or bigot. It simply means that government can’t censor you.
My condemnation of both these groups is perfectly compatible with free speech because it is free speech.
A disgusting man in a ridiculous country. I wonder how Pakistan railways are doing under his stewardship. Much like everything else in the country, I should imagine.
@kraut
Yes, I do remember PZ’s “despicable” action. The nail also went through a page of the Koran. Care to point out any real double standards?
I removed kraut’s last two comments, so please don’t quote them now.
“Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told reporters that he would pay the reward for the ‘sacred duty’ out of his own pocket.”
This is standard practice in many contexts. In this case, the minister is demonstrating his well above average piety and devotion to the cause of Islam. But of course he can be left behind in this auction by someone who raises the offer higher: 200k, 300k; whatever. And how did the minister come by the cash he is offering? It would probably be impious to ask.
Alexander Solzhenitsin as I recall recounted an illustrative story. Following the 1930s show trials and purges, Stalin gave a speech in a Moscow(?) theatre to an assembled audience of army and bureaucrats. At the end of the speech, they all started applauding. The clapping went on for about half an hour, because all were too scared of being the first to stop. That could have been interpreted by the secret police present as a sign of disloyalty, disrespect or worse. In the end, Stalin himself called for it all to end.
The same frenzied loyalty was displayed by loyal Maoists in the Chinese ‘cultural revolution’, and can be seen in public behaviour in North Korea today.
Demonstrations against the film by outraged Muslims are likely to get out of hand as the fanatics involved vie with each other to see who can display the greatest indignation and outrage over the abominable sacrilege that has been perpetrated by the producer behind it.