X-Message-Number: 20479 Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 15:40:19 -0800 From: James Swayze <> Subject: Opposing paradigms, will we survive them? References: <> > > Message #20472 > From: > Date: Thu, 21 Nov 2002 11:06:22 EST > Subject: Telling quote from father of Israel bomber > > Hello, life lovers... > > I was so dismayed by this comment off the current news that I thought I must > copy it and post it where people of reason, goodwill, and a generally secular > bent can see it. <snip> > Eleven people were killed and at least 48 wounded, eight of them very > seriously, authorities said. Israel Radio said many of the casualties were > school students, though hospital officials declined to give a breakdown. > > Israeli police identified the bomber as Nael Abu Hilail, 23. > > Abu Hilail's father, Azmi, said he was pleased with his son. ``Our religion > says we are proud of him until the day of resurrection,'' Abu Hilail said. > ``This is a challenge to the Zionist enemies.'' > > End quote. > > Would you be proud of your son expoding noncombatants and children, for any > political or religious cause? No > Do any of you agree with me that this is one supremely "sick, perverse" value > system? Agreed > What a contrast to the scientific humanism exhibited by most > participants at the ALCOR conference! Absolutely > Yet there are about 1.2 BILLION Muslims...there are about 1 THOUSAND > cryonicists. Cause for worry > Sorry to start a new thread not directly related to conference or cryonics. I think survival from dogmatism IS directly related. It relates to how we are perceived. How we are perceived often has more to do with our perceiver's paradigm than with anything we do or try to appear as. What to do? Change their paradigm. Is this really "the religion of peace" as it is portrayed/apologized, as? > Observations? Just this. [begin quoted article] Dozens dead in Nigerian riots Newspaper article over Miss World pageant triggers clashes A Muslim woman walks past a church destroyed during riots in Kaduna, Nigeria, on Friday, the third day of sectarian riots triggered by a newspaper article about the Miss World pageant. MSNBC NEWS SERVICES KADUNA, Nigeria, Nov. 22 Rioting by mobs of Muslims and Christians in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna has killed more than 105 people and seriously injured 500 others, Red Cross officials said Friday as thousands of residents sought refuge in army bases and police stations. Trigger for riots in Kaduna? 'What would (the prophet) Muhammad think? In all honesty, he would probably have chosen a wife from among them (the contestants).' NEWSPAPER ARTICLE MOBS OF Christian youths retaliated against Muslims on Friday in the third day of riots triggered by a newspaper article suggesting Islam's founding prophet would have approved of the Miss World beauty pageant."The 105 are identifiable deaths," Nigerian Red Cross president Emmanuel Ijewere told Reuters by phone from the capital Abuja, adding that the tally came from his field officers in Kaduna. He suggested the toll could rise further. "There are some houses that have not been entered. It is possible that there are injured in these houses." Red Cross spokesman Patrick Bawa said 521 injured people had been evacuated to Kaduna hospitals by Thursday night. Sporadic gunshots and shouting could be heard Friday morning by Kaduna residents who were still hiding in fear inside their homes. Angry mobs have stabbed and set fire to bystanders, while others have burned churches and rampaged through streets. Security forces were expected to be on heightened alert in northern Nigeria's biggest city of Kano a hotbed of sectarian unrest during Muslim prayers on Friday. CURFEW On Friday morning, plumes of black smoke rose above the city from makeshift barricades lit by angry mobs. Advertisement Authorities extended a round-the-clock curfew, although large numbers of people were ignoring the order. In the neighborhoods of Ungwa-Rome and Larayi areas dominated by minority Christians witnesses said mobs of youths smashed windows and set fires in mosques used by the ethnic Hausa and Fulani Muslims who dominate Kaduna, a cosmopolitan city of several million people. Rioting was also reported in Kabala Costain, one of Kaduna's many predominantly Muslim neighborhoods. Fearful residents of all faiths were rushing into police stations and military bases for protection. "The soldiers have been very helpful, giving us bandages and first aid. Everyone is here Muslims, Christians and pagan. We are all afraid of going home. Only God knows when this will end," civil servant Habiba Ibrahim said in a telephone interview. Ibrahim spent the night at the city's defense academy, near the government clinic where she works.Hundreds of soldiers and police were deployed to restore calm Thursday, although on Friday the rioters were running through the city to avoid them. THIS DAY NEWSPAPER Street demonstrations began Wednesday with the burning of an office of This Day newspaper in Kaduna after the Lagos-based daily published an article questioning Muslim groups that have condemned the Miss World pageant, to be held Dec. 7 in the Nigerian capital, Abuja. Muslim groups say the pageant promotes sexual promiscuity and indecency. "What would (the prophet) Muhammad think? In all honesty, he would probably have chosen a wife from among them (the contestants)," Isioma Daniel wrote in Saturday's article. The newspaper ran a brief front-page apology on Monday, followed by a more lengthy retraction on Thursday, saying the offending passage had run by mistake. At least four churches were destroyed in the rioting, Ijewere said. Many of the bodies were taken by Red Cross workers and other volunteers to local mortuaries. Young men shouting "Allahu Akhbar," or "God is great," ignited makeshift street barricades made of tires and garbage, sending plumes of black smoke rising above the city. Others were heard chanting, "Down with beauty" and "Miss World is sin." Previous riots in Kaduna, a largely Muslim city with a sizable Christian minority, have escalated into religious battles that killed hundreds since civilian government replaced military rule in 1999. Islamic fundamentalist groups have for several months warned of protests against the Miss World pageant, prompting organizers to postpone the finale until after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The pageant has also drawn protests from other parts of the world. Contestants from five countries Costa Rica, Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and Panama are boycotting the event because Islamic courts in Nigeria have sentenced several unmarried women to death by stoning for conceiving babies outside wedlock. Nigeria's government insists none of the judgments will be carried out, although it has refused to intervene directly. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. [end quoted article] Most noteworthy quote from those involved "...[sic]...Only God knows when this will end". As if! James -- Cryonics Institute of Michigan Member! The Immortalist Society Member! The Society for Venturism Member! MY WEBSITE: http://www.geocities.com/~davidpascal/swayze/ While there follow the links to photos of me and some of my artwork and a radio interview on Dr. J's ChangeSurfer Radio program with me and the father of cryonics Prof. Robert Ettinger, author of "The Prospect of Immortality". A RELIGION I actually recommend: http://www.venturist.org A FAVORITE quote: Last lines of the first Star Trek the Next Generation movie. Capt. Picard: "What we leave behind is not as important as how we've lived, after all Number One, we're only mortal." Will Ryker: "Speak for yourself captain, I intend to live forever!" Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=20479