Lets Destroy The Bamiyan Buddhas!

Neurogen,

AM I answerable to you .... I am not going to give you any answer... enough is enough of this bulshit... I didnt know they let your kind on CHowk.

Yasser Hamdani

Hello Mr. F. Khan,

Your argument is ‘the condemnation by the western countries’ is unjustified. You don’t care to justify the destruction of artefacts and relics by Teleban on their own merits of human values. For a moment let’s forget about the western countries. The statues of Bamiyan may not have religious value to the Teleban. They may just be stones. But they have immense human values. It’s their history and our history. A civilized person would respect his heritage no matter how he disagrees with his ancestors. It would be hard to think in human terms for the ones who’s minds are poisoned by religious fanaticism and the brains are replaced by edicts.



You go on rambling why didn’t the western condemn so called ‘similar events’ that happened elsewhere. All you examples are pathetic. You scavenged for these examples to attack the western countries. Many countries you quoted were on a war-foot. No one ever supported the Serbians on their destructions. NATO attacked the Serbians to bring them in line. No one supported the communists Russians or the Germans during World-War II. You example of Taj is nauseating.

The western countries did a lot of mistakes. They killed six million Jews in concentrations camps. If any similar event happens elsewhere, are you saying they should not speak up and condemn. Their voice is clear. Please don’t do the mistakes that we did. We humans have improved a lot and evolved between the beginning and the end of the 20th century. You are stuck in the 7nth century and do not want to evolve with the rest of the human species and even want to regress from what you evolved.

At the end of your article you have inserted a sentence “Let us hope for the sake of Islam that we destroy the Taliban before they destroy Islam in their misguided vision of what constitutes as the true devotion to, and implementation of, Islam” which has no relevance to the rest of the article. You are a slimy character and you too want to distance from Teleban because deep down in your heart you know Telebans you support are inhumans.

What a pathetic article! What kind of perverted people are living in this 21st century!

Perhaps all the countries, US, Japan, France, etc being berated here have MORE than 1/4th of their population outside their national boundaries with Afghan aid agencies tending to them. Thats why the Taliban is able to `hoist them on their own moral petard`.

If bits of stone are not worth all the fuss and bother, going to such lengths to defend the Taliban (by bringing up the assault on a Japanese girl, for example) is just not worth the black face cloth of either of the two Afghan woman executed for prostitution.

I`m sure theses women fully deserved their death sentences and unlike the Japanese government`s policies leading to rapes of their young women, the Taliban`s policies had NOTHING to do with these prostitutes` death-deserving deeds.

Berating the world community is at best a futile activity for better-than-the-best armchair humanists who cannot bring themselves to be counted in the open even marching behind their own activists, much less getting equitable laws passed in their own countries.

Better direct all this hot air and pious indignation on Mullah Omar, it might actually a difference for suffering Afghans before he ascends to heaven.

sac #11
A simple google search on ``Supreme Court`` AND ``Taj Mahal`` and so many wussie baniyas pop up:

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/earth/stories/s14365.htm
http://clinton3.nara.gov/WH/New/SouthAsia/itinerary/india/india2.html
http://www.goldmanprize.org/recipients/recipientProfile.cfm?recipientID=34
http://www.rediff.com/news/mar/14yanni1.htm


Sadhana

In response to Feroz (Reply # 5)
Dear Feroz:

I wonder if you have really answered my question. The theme of hypocrisy is indeed the lynchpin of your article.

Interpretations do indeed vary from person to person and from one group to another. I personally prefer to focus upon the universal message of Islam (my interpretation) and of other religions. This approach brings me closer to people of all existing faiths. Hence, in my personal view, the Talibans are uncritically making use of the teachings/practices of Islam/Muslims/etc. which may or may not be what the spirit of Islam really intends to establish.

We all know how the world works. You are right that the Talibans will not care about the so-called global community which, in my view, is essentially divided, hierarchical, and unfair. As a sovereign people, the Afghanis are not likely to reciprocate unless coerced. But, in my view, coercion fails to pave the way for the establishment of a just order.

Are we really heading toward a global community that is free, democratic, fair, humanistic, and peaceful? If not, then what do we need to do?

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

Hello Mr. F. Khan,

Your argument is ‘the condemnation by the western countries’ is unjustified. You don’t care to justify the destruction of artefacts and relics by Teleban on their own merits of human values. For a moment let’s forget about the western countries. The statues of Bamiyan may not have religious value to the Teleban. They may just be stones. But they have immense human values. It’s their history and our history. A civilized person would respect his heritage no matter how he disagrees with his ancestors. It would be hard to think in human terms for the ones who’s minds are poisoned by religious fanaticism and the brains are replaced by edicts.



You go on rambling why didn’t the western condemn so called ‘similar events’ that happened elsewhere. All you examples are pathetic. You scavenged for these examples to attack the western countries. Many countries you quoted were on a war-foot. No one ever supported the Serbians on their destructions. NATO attacked the Serbians to bring them in line. No one supported the communists Russians or the Germans during World-War II. You example of Taj is nauseating.

The western countries did a lot of mistakes. They killed six million Jews in concentrations camps. If any similar event happens elsewhere, are you saying they should not speak up and condemn. Their voice is clear. Please don’t do the mistakes that we did. We humans have improved a lot and evolved between the beginning and the end of the 20th century. You are stuck in the 7nth century and do not want to evolve with the rest of the human species and even want to regress from what you evolved.

At the end of your article you have inserted a sentence “Let us hope for the sake of Islam that we destroy the Taliban before they destroy Islam in their misguided vision of what constitutes as the true devotion to, and implementation of, Islam” which has no relevance to the rest of the article. You are a slimy character and you too want to distance from Teleban because deep down in your heart you know Telebans you support are inhumans.

What a pathetic article! What kind of perverted people are living in this 21st century!

Always love reading Mr. Khan`s articles. I do think there is a bit of a reach in some of the comparison he makes. Yet, there is something for everyone - Muslims, non-Muslims, westerners and easterners -- to think about.

My fear is that we will all take from this article what we want to and leave out what may be more important to correcting our peculiar blind spots.

But that is not the author`s burden.

Good job, Mr. Khan.

* * * * * * *

In a more lighthearted vein, only you could have written something that both Farzana Vershey and I can enjoy! You should come to India, throw the BJP and the Sahabuddins out, and become our prime minister :)

Oh wow, so you can register as Ram and post as me... I am impressed! No wonder people think Rutgers doesnot produce good scholars!

Chowk Staff,

Make a note of this. ``Ram`` a fundoo from Rutgers is posing as me!

Kindly put an end to this nonsense, because the flood that these people are going to unleash is unprecedented, and it will serve to bring down chowk.

Ferozk

Help me understand...

While the Taliban destroys the statues, should the World community just shut up and watch it? Is that what u are saying?

A simple `Yes` or `No` would suffice.

Thanks,

---SN

Not just the article, but so many of the responses are :

We are not responsible for our actions ! We are victims ! Two wrongs make a right !

Everything is relative ! The Taliban had 250 women flogged on a single day for violating their burqa rule. But they ought to have the same stature as Nelson Mandela.

Everything is absolute ! It is the West that is responsible for the dour face of Islam ! All that poor innocent boy Osama bin Laden did was to grow a beard.

My ignorance defines the world ! The Bamiyan Buddhas are worthless, nobody ever paid them attention ! The Archaelogical Survey of India spent several years and many rupees restoring these.

Since there are no Buddhists in Afghanistan, it is OK ! I suppose destroying the Babri Masjid would be OK if we first drove out all Muslims from India ? Or need it just be Ayodhya ? Or need it just be a 10-meter buffer around the masjid ?

Sorry folks, you are too far fallen even to be piteable.

-Arun the Infidelator

I would agree with one part of this article, and disagree with the other. It is true that in terms of destroying human lives (outside their own borders), and stealing national treasures, no one can come close to the acheivements of the, ``Western nations,`` in the past two centuries. More people in the world are killed by a bullet made in the USA than by any other piece of armament. And since WWII, the USA has used more weaponry and destroyed more people and buildings outside its own borders than any other country. And of course, their is colonisation and enslaving the millions of our, ``uncivilized`` forefathers. Unfortunately this is how is works, i.e. the most powerful countries always do the most damage. Because they can. So it is quite hypocritical of them to all of a sudden attempt to become the symbols of virtue, on this issue.

At the same time, this does not mean it is correct to destroy these statues, for two reasons: Destruction in general is bad, unless it is done to create something better. Destruction of items of religious significance to any group, by a govt., for any reason, is a sign of ultimate backwardness and bigotry, as well as a sick mind.

The West is wrong in its holier than thou attitude, and the Taliban are wrong in destroying the statues.

I have a question for all the people who point fingers at the hypocrisy of the world and say that they are equally or more horrified by starving Afghans than the Taliban destroying the Bamiyan Buddhas, why is the world speaking up only now.

I don`t recall seeing any of you speaking up about starving Afghans prior to the Taliban edict for destruction of the statues.

-Arun the Infidelator

I did not go through your entire rambling article since I had seen enough by the time I got to ``The international arguments of moral outrage against the Taliban’s actions and its cries of protest are nothing more than hollow meaningless self promoting expressions of political correctness foisted upon the world by a few self chosen champions and purveyors of western arrogance and neo-fascist cultural imperialism``

I think, sir, that you are a fool and I dont understand which school for the mentally retarded you went to before they decided that you were to screwed up to be capable of learning anything. Like the editor or the Frontier Times, I assume the chowk editor was flying close to the ceiling of his office with the help of a few chemicals when he let your article slide by.

amen!!

Excellent article. Could you send this to the editor at the New York Times. I`d like to see if that biased newspaper would publish such a mind opening article. I doubt it.

Re: Macgupta

You Sir, are a fine one to talk about ethics, and morality! Honestly, If i were you and belong to your miserable lot, I would shut the * * * * * up and sit and cry at my misfrotune, as oppsoed to trying to make some sort of conversations at the expense of being labelled as a stinking hypocrite.

Reda and weep, at your lot`s ignorance and at your theocracys having blinded people into such submissions as below.

Asim

Three children sacrificed at Hindu temple: 10 held

SRINAGAR-At least 10 people of a remote Indian village including a Hindu temple Sadhu have been arrested for masterminding the sacrifice of three children to appease the temple goddess and the illiterate father of the ill-fated children.

Bodies lying in pool of blood of Mukesh (6), his two sisters, Rani Lakshmi (3) and Rani Prem (2), were recovered from the outskirts of a temple in Jodhpur District in Rajasthan province Thursday night. All the three had been first strangulated and then stabbed by their father and the temple priest for bestowing richness upon them by the goddess of the temple.

The police said that a poverty-stricken Sohan Lal was lured by the temple priest that he should sacrifice all his children to the goddess of the temple known as ``Ram Deora Temple`` and turn into a rich man overnight.

An illiterate Sohan Lal took away the children from his wife on the plea that they would have a ``darshan`` of the goddess and be blessed. Fearing some mischief, Sohan Lal`s wife first resisted the suggestion saying that the youngest daughter who was only two years old did not need to be taken to a temple for any ``darshan`` because of her being an innocent infant.

Police further said that heads of all the three slain children were kept towards the direction of the temple so that the goddess of the temple was pleased. Ten people including the children`s father, the priest and some more people associated with the temple were taken into custody. A senior police officer also said that there might be some more murders having been committed by these temple people who occasionally drink blood of human beings. All the three slain children were having toys in their hands as they lay dead

Ylh,

Take a hold of yourself. I am also surprised to see those posts. The system has screwed up the messages. I posted only one message altogether. There are five in my name.

Pleas rein in your tongue. You do see the sign below the message signed by someone else, don`t you. I have noticed before in Chowk tha sometimes if you post simultaneiously it replaces one persons post with another person`s. Or it could totally be different kind of screw up. They are not MINE.