Today’s Jesus and Mo email came with a message and a link that explains the cartoon:
Saudi Arabia and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – gifts that just keep on giving.
If you go to the link, you find this:
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its reservations on the remarks made, in regard to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, by the Foreign Minister of Sweden, Margot Wallström, at the Swedish Parliament last week. In her remarks, Ms. Wallström degraded Saudi Arabia and its social norms, judicial system and political institutions.
The OIC stressed that the world community, with its multiple cultures, diverse social norms, rich and varied ethical standards and different institutional structures, can not, and should not, be based on a single and centric perspective that seeks to remake the world in its own image; and conform all according to its convictions, references, historical background and philosophical, social and political roots.
For more about the kerfuffle, read here. There’s an uproar in Sweden about this. Money is involved, of course, since Sweden exports a lot of stuff to Saudi Arabia. Further, Wallström’s remarks have even been construed as criticism of Islam. Well, that’s partly true, because the brutal sharia law enforced in that country is based on Islam. But to claim that it’s okay to behead people, prohibit women from driving, cut off the hands of thieves, and repress women in a number of ways—because that’s just a “different culture”—is to justify inequity and brutality.
But of course Jesus and Mo say all that in four terse panels:
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I am reading (inter alia) City of Veils by Zoe Ferraris –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zo%C3%AB_Ferraris
She lived in Saudi Arabia & gives a real flavour of the place with its bizarre rules & contradictions. The first book, Night of the Miraj (UK title) was read as part of the Royal Institution’s Lab Lit as it involves a female forensic scientist.
BBC Radio 4 just had some programmes on Saudi Arabia –
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b054zcz4
Possibly only available in the UK…
Good for Margot Wallström!
And from the linked piece:
“The Saudis do realize the need to reform many of their institutions,” Nazer explains, “but they’ll do so on their own terms, not because of outside pressure.”
Don’t think of it as outside pressure – think of it as a contribution to activation energy.
Well, it’s not as if we’re holding guns to their heads…
Q. How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb.
A. One, but the light bulb has to want to change.
/@
I thought it was none!?
Because if psychologists get involved we are already screwed…
“but they’ll do so on their own terms, not because of outside pressure.”
My guess is with the totalitarian regime in place for this long, it will take outside pressure like opening a clam. I suspect Wallström’s attack was a deliberate attempt to move things along. Now, if the U.S. would just take advantage of the world oil glut and apply some additional pressure…
For an idea of what the application of “some additional U.S. pressure” (Additional? Where’s the initial?!?)would look like, I refer you to the images of the King of Saudi Arabia and George W. Bush holding hands and kissing each other on the mouth.
No thanks, b/c then I would have to poke my eyes out.
2 seconds too late.
Uh huh.
“Okay, but I’m doing it because I WANT to, not because you TOLD me to.”
One would hope that Sweden would stick by Wallstrom but probably not. All that money and the white clothing seems to hide everything.
It’s good to know that Saudi law is a “beacon of light” for Muslims around the world. Wonder how they feel about that in Iran…
“rich and varied ethical standards”
I think they missed a full stop after the word “rich”.
Sweden should answer back that they are shocked, shocked I say, that Saudi Arabia should attempt to degrade their rich Scandinavian traditions and social norms of criticizing barbarians.
+1
+++
lol
Saudi Arabia describes their legal system as “…centered on the values of justice, compassion, equality, tolerance …”. Tell that to Raif Badawi, or the women who are sentenced to lashes and imprisonment after being raped. And check out what Reporters Without Borders has to say about them – there are literally dozens of cases on their website relating to the imprisonment of journalists and netizens.
They do not know what the words justice, compassion, tolerance and equality mean.
“…a single and centric perspective that seeks to remake the world in its own image”
Psychological projection? Why are all churches banned and one rigorous interpretation of islam (wahhabism) imposed on every single citizen in Saudi-Arabia?
Psychology 101: What A says about B says more about A than B.
That Jesus ‘n’ Mo cartoon is truly brilliant. I am constantly impressed with the skill and insight of Author.
Not even Jesus & Mo can match the irony of this in contrast with Muslims displaying signs that says “Islam will dominate the world.”
http://www.americasfreedomfighters.com/2015/03/24/muslims-demand-texas-accept-shariah-law-heres-what-happened-next/
Followed the link. It seems quite likely (to me) that the ‘anti-foreign-law’ bill is aimed directly at Sharia as the Muslims say. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with that.
Unfortunately the supporters – or at least that webpage – appear to be the sort of xenophobic assholes one might expect to find in – well, Texas.
What does one do when both sides of the debate are bigots?
Aw, let’s give Texas some slack, here. They’re heading potential Shariah-ists off at the pass.
Don’t mess with Texas!
I had the same thought.
Doesn’t this:
contradict Islam’s ultimate goal?
(Apparently several commenters had this thought.)
There’s a lot of use of relativism and antirealism to cover religion and psueudoscience. I sometimes wonder if it would be useful to study how much of it exists, actually.
Reblogged this on The Invisible Atheist.
Pimping Islam to defend Saudi Arabia’s detestable human rights record is the nadir of cynicism.
Parsing the OIC’s periphrastic prose to figure out WTF it means is like trying to nail jello to a post.
I hadn’t read OIC’s hypocritical ‘expression of reservations’ before.
But I thought it was a nice touch that OIC had to end with that the religion in case “which Saudi Arabia … is governed by” is not centered on human values but on “human viceregency” beneath a magical tyrant…
MaybeI’m misunderstanding this …”can not, and should not, be based on a single and centric perspective that seeks to remake the world in its own image; and conform all according to its convictions, references, historical background and philosophical, social and political roots.”
as meaning Islam is not the ultimate be all and end all of the way humanity should live? That a person who doesn’t believe their holy book is any more special than any other collection of ink on paper and burning it is simply an opinion to which anyone is entitled without having to fear for their life?
That producing satirical cartoons of thier prophet is not a mortal insult which requires the death of the authors?
I don’t know, I’m getting a very pungent and unpleasant odour of self serving hypocrisy here.
I was going to post something like this, but I see you and at least two earlier posters beat me to it.
I think it’s just a trifling bit disingenuous for religious crazies who want to convert the whole world not only to their religion, but to their sect of their religion to write things like “The OIC stressed that the world community, with its multiple cultures, diverse social norms, rich and varied ethical standards and different institutional structures, can not, and should not, be based on a single and centric perspective that seeks to remake the world in its own image; and conform all according to its convictions, references, historical background and philosophical, social and political roots.”
sub