Protest over burning of Korans

Joe Xuereb

Feb 22nd, 20:29

@Graham Holme. I note that you responded to my comment. Please note that the second of my two comments should have been submitted against another article. Apologies. As for burning all holy books, I could not agree more.

Joe Xuereb

Feb 22nd, 12:56

@Martin Cassar. Please read this comment and understand it in the spirit that it is meant to be read and understood.
The West, and the USA is demonised for its meddling be it in Afghanistan, Libya, Iraq, you name it. It's the oil you see. Note that it is demonised by many in the West, by many so-called refugees fleeing terror, who live - and handsomely so - in countries like the UK and, are they grateful. No they are not. And I know this from first-hand experience. I ask, at street-level, and the responses are amazing. Many hate London, Britain and all it stands for. They live for the day when.............I am glad I won't be around.
Only last week a ethnic MP was clamouring for the Christian Faith in Britain and went visiting the Pope. As a gesture of good will, she gave him a copy of HER holy book which he accepted.

Apologies. I digressed. Yes, the USA, it meddles. I see the planet as a collection of very diverse societies, with different cultures and different religions. One god everybody claims - including our priests one of whom even went as far as to say that alien people have a right to worship (in Malta) and build as many of their very alien temples as they think they need. Temples are built to be filled, no?! He would be the first who would claim that there is but one god and we can all pray together and live in peace. And I say, dream on baby!
Oh yes! this planet! A collection of countries some behaving like unruly children. So the planet needs a policeman - not a Big Brother Copper, just a benign policeman, one we are familiar with, one with a decent track record, progressive, humane. Not perfect but humane. Now if this policeman, the USA were to be done away with it does not mean that a policeman won't be needed anymore. We would need a replacement. Enter the Taliban. Or worse.

Mr. Cassar. Do you think that the members of parliament here in UK are the same mixture that was in place even ten years ago? The different ethnicity is not the issue. It is the diametrically opposite agenda to the traditional that is the issue. And the mixture, I can assure you, is not what it used to be. We now even have one fawning to the Vatican, no less. See link below from last Sunday's Quotes and News, here on the Sunday Times of Malta.


The Sunday Times
Sunday, February 19, 2012

Quotes and news

‘Militant secularism’ on the rise in Europe


Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, a British Cabinet ‘minister without portfolio’ and co-chair of the ruling Conservative Party, wrote in the Daily Telegraph that Europe must counter the threat posed by a militant secularism that is on the rise by becoming “more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity”.
Baroness Warsi is a Muslim.
She wrote that this secularism is denying people the right to a religious identity because they were frightened of the concept of multiple identities.
The minister had just led a delegation of the British government on a two-day visit to the Vatican. She said that the trip was about “recognising the deep and intrinsic role of faith here in Britain and overseas”.

Talk about ingratiating oneself with the higher echelons, ie the Vatican (of Christianity) and getting in through the back door.

May I add that, like many of the rioters/looters in London this Summer just gone, many of the protestors in this Afghanistan clip are indeed fanatics. But what propels them is a primitive male instinct to be anarchic, wanting action, enjoying anything inflammatory and the fanning of flames. They go for the ride. To many, the holy book is just an excuse for them to re-enact a bit of Rambo machismo. Plus a big dose of tribalism which only makes it ever more pathetic and dangerous. I dare anyone to try to reason with people like this, and that includes the rioters in London. Many people, usually men, seem to be destined to experience life on the edge, in this kind of marginalisation.

Joe Xuereb

Feb 22nd, 12:53

@ Francis Sammut. I live in central London. 8/9/12 million people inc. Greater London. I walk with a stick now (and that's fine as long as it's not some mind-numbing prop, some fatuous mish-mash. Except it is NOT pointless because there is a strong point for religion. And one is either stuck in there, or one opts out. Opting out is an arduous road but navigable, and infinitely worth it. And we owe it to ourselves because we are worth it. Even the queer ones. Queer stands for homosexual in case you don't know. A homosexual man is someone who emotionally speaking responds to other men as opposed to women. This homosexuality - very common because it occurs as a whole spectrum and not a cosy single entity, so easy for society/religion to suppress and vilify is part of the arduous road mentioned above. Many follow this path and many homosexuals among them. Sadly, many homosexuals collude with their oppressors, denying their inclinations. One can easily spot them by their body language, their sharpish sting in their highfalutin gibberish, and the fact that they regularly come out in spots. An innate thing such as a god-given sexual arousal is difficult to put down - short of some chastity belt or sleeping on walnut shells - and as we say, there is a price to pay for everything). The most common tactic is to not go anywhere near the issue, and this is called denial, a Maltese speciality always on the menu (well, they do go 'there', and often, because they are masochists for curiosity; if nothing else to delude themselves of their higher moral ground, whatever that means in godly terms. They are terrified but this often goes unnoticed because they turn to their religion for succour. It don't work, of course. Not long-term.

I got on a bus yesterday, for just one stop (supermarket about to close). A black man in a hat shifted in his seat and moved a briefcase from the seat to his lap, thus offering me the seat. I acknowledged the gesture but remained standing. I looked at the man, now intent on his newspapers and it crossed my mind that I wanted to further acknowledge his thoughtfulness. Before I get off, I thought, I will draw his attention and express gratitude (I didn't need to and being aware of my getting off so soon, he'd have realised the reason for my refusal to accept the seat). I thought, do I tap his coat-sleeve? No, a light tap on the hand is better, as in skin-contact. And that is what I did. I got off steadied by my prop, smug(?) at my insignificant but huge little deed for the day. In London one gets all sorts, murders on the pavements, the lot. It is a difficult, horrible world out there, and often so. But a touch of humanity goes a long way, costs nothing. I felt good and the black guy, with his hat, and his reading matter, and whatever else, he would have noted my gesture because it was an extra. If it made him think, and anybody else who noted the interaction (I do this all the time), surely that is for the good. In a horrible, horrible world. When things go wrong we need to do something about it, and be seen to be doing something about it. How else can we raise each other's spirits? Yes, I have one of those too.
Flynn, take my advice. Take the advice. Read John Micklethwait. You don't need to buy it. If you're bright enough to access a library, it should be there on the shelves somewhere. But be warned. If you have a weak heart...... To the likes of me and thee, Willie, this implies that the contents of whatever it is our Johnny's tome has to say is that, finally, and irrevocably, the existence of god is proven. So quick, get the smelling-salts. But the heart attack? Nah!! The proof of a deity would be most welcome, life would be so much easier. With little change for me at any rate. From christian I'll be Christian and god I'll refer to as God. As simple as buongiorno(have a nice day). Except one last point. Hell and its fire would be of no concern as I live an exemplary Christian life anyway, even as things stand (a little bit of charity work in an alleyway is being the good samaritan surely, no sweat, no guilt). But I would want to opt out of the heaven thingy. That I would still not fancy.
Now, if Micklethwait counterpart in the opposite direction were to publish his findings, would his readers have a heart-attack? Or would it be much worse? Worse as in total collapse of previously propped up identity and thence, total panic stations? Somewhere in all this, there's a bit of the Pascal's Wager, the shallow, shallow man.

Ġ. Agius

Feb 22nd, 08:35

I think that what the Afghans are doing is admirable. And the comments below show that the Maltese have truly lost their faith. If someone were to burn a bible here in Malta no one would bat an eyelid.

Franco Farrugia

Feb 22nd, 08:13

How fast these people are, at protesting about the Koran! But they should much rather protest about their children, dying of cold!

Mr D.S. Scott

Feb 21st, 22:54

I beleive that St. John the Baptist was the last prophet before the birth of Jesus Christ. All the prophets were sent
to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah - this as Christians, we beleive. No other prophets followed after the birth of Christ.
We should be free to loudly say this among ourselves in our own European countries, which countries are characterised by our Christian culture and civilisation. Let nobody impose on us that we call anyone else a prophet - we will not be bullied by uncivilised angry crowds starting fires and throwing rocks. Let nobody use our hospitality and democratic system to stifle our traditions and culture.

Joe Scerri

Feb 21st, 21:29

Hotheads

Martin Cassar

Feb 21st, 19:58

Did Osama Ben Laden 'attack' the USA because the latter is a Christian and democratic countery?

Joe Xuereb

Feb 21st, 19:28

@Luce Duncan(Tuesday 15:01). Quote: ......people say that religion amasses people. By which you mean that religion brings people together and makes them stay together. You are right to question this. This belief might be true, might work if there were just one religion on this planet. But the minute you get different religions, and everybody believes that theirs is the right one, you are going to get conflict, and even bloodshed. Some religions are more bloody than others. And some religions even have in-fighting within the one religion (the current situation in Iran and Iraq). In this instance, the Afghans are being obnoxious but at least it is in their own country, calling for the death of the infidels. I don't know about anywhere else but here in UK I speak to people all the time, refugees, and often, they hate the West and all it stands for. They are insulting me in my own country. I am sure you are aware of the Jordanian national who has just been released on strict tagged curfew. He and his large family subsist on benefits from my taxes. He was charged with incitement to hatred towards Britain. He is wanted in Jordan but the UK is unable to extradite him to Jordan because Strasbourg says he may be questioned under torture which would be in violation of his rights. The UK Parliament is trying to bypass this ridiculous situation. This is humanitarian rights gone crazy. And people with an agenda will not see this as civility, humanity. They see this as weakness, a weakness that they are willing and able to exploit more and more as long as we let them.

Luke Duncan

Feb 21st, 15:01

They can always make another 2,000 copies in an instant as we're living in 2012 and technology does permit.

They can even read a soft copy of it on the internet or have it locally on their machines but yet they just don't realize we're living in 2012 and still want to find any kind of excuse in order to yell, protest and find any kind of reason what so ever in order to fight and create chaos!

And yet people say that religion amasses people.

Graham Holme

Feb 21st, 14:29

Yet Muslims can burn our bible,our symbol the poppy,our national flags with impunity.
One rule for Islam,another for us "Infidels"