From: Michael M. Butler (mmb@spies.com)
Date: Fri Mar 28 2003 - 17:04:56 MST
On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 14:03:01 -0800 (PST), Noah Horton
<nhorton@ectropic.org> wrote:
> Obviously the at least perceived anti-western attitudes of many muslims
> are one place where anti-extropic themes can be found. Yet another that
> comes to mind is that there are bits in the Koran to the effect of, "Live
> your life as closely as possible to that of Muhammed." Such passages,
> per my understanding, are often interpreted literally to mean that your
> life should be as similar as possible, including things like not watching
> TV if Muhammed didn't. Those are just some starter examples to get the
> conversation started.
Cards on the "credo" table time. I have gotten along well with some people
who call themselves Muslims--or I *think* I have. But since then I've
learned that a smile can be a sign of discomfort, too; so I might not have
a clue what was _really_ going on. This is part of the classic existential
puzzle.
For all I know, someday this post will be used to issue a fatwa on me. My
hopes and my fears are counterparts.
At this time, the-me-whom-I-am-today finds Shariya (Islamic theocracy)
incompatible with the kind of place I'd like to live in, or (perhaps) be
resuscitated to after being cryonically suspended. This is entirely
separate from the question of whether or not such a world, or indeed any
future world, would "want" to bring me back.
So: a world government based on Shariya is not one I-right-now can support.
In the spirit of minding my own business, I have for many years been
willing to tolerate the fact that Shariya is in force in various places
around the world--I have not felt obligated to do anything about it, though
I wince at what I perceive as some of its secular effects. Ergo, I
conjecture I could accept being brought back to a world where some fraction
of the population was still subject to it.
What fraction? I don't know. Not me, thanks.
Now, is there such a thing as "Shariya lite"? Is there such a thing as
genuine peaceful coexistence with the current crop of "advocates" of global
Shariya, given their tactics and rhetoric? I have serious doubts.
Are the advocates of global Shariya correct in their claims that all who
call themselves Muslims but do not institute/promote Shariya are false, and
worse than infidels? I don't know. But the fact of the outspoken claim
bodes ill, and cannot prudently be ignored.
I also agree with some of the Shariya proponents, and others, that there
are signs that the Western culture/system I grew up in is sick, or fragile,
or vulnerable, in some significant ways; and I conseqently fear that it
might not be able to perk up, clean up, and successfully memetically
compete with a vibrant theocratic movement of one sort or another in the
long run. What to do?
Ask me again in 20 or 40 years.
I can imagine all sorts of weird future end-runs that would make Shariya
more tolerable---want to vote, woman? change your sex, go vote, just make
sure you get back to the kitchen before Hubby gets back from work; want to
steal--OK, we cut off your hand and you don't get to have a new one for a
month---
But that's very much not the world we live in today.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Fri Mar 28 2003 - 17:13:44 MST