Today’s Jesus and Mo, called “Only,” came with this notice:
“Based on an old story from 2013.”
Check out the link; it’s to a PuffHo story about a “women’s rights conference” reportedly held in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Here’s a photo. What’s wrong with this picture? (Hint; it’s not the Westerner in his flannel shirt):
And heeere’s Jesus and Mo:
What really bothers me is that one of the most obvious problems of Islam—even liberal Islam—is its disenfranchisement of half the population, the half with two X chromosomes. How can liberals (and feminists) possibly defend those practices? And yet, in the many screeds protesting “Islamophobia,” and criticizing Ayaan Hirsi Ali—the biggest ex-Muslim crusader for women’s rights under Islam, the signatories include not only minorities, but feminists. Let me just list once again the student organizations at Yale who protested Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s appearance there last September for “hate speech” (she did eventually speak). My emphasis:
The Women’s Center
Asian American Student Alliance (AASA)
Black Church at Yale (BCAY)
The Slifka Center
Council on Middle Eastern Studies (CMES)
Yale Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics (AHA)
Chi Alpha Christian Fellowship
Hindu Student Council (HSC)
St. Thomas More Undergraduate Council
Youth Evangelical Fellowship
The Arab Students Association (ASA)
Black Student Alliance (BSA)
Yale African Student Association (YASA)
Jews and Muslims at Yale (JAM)
Korean American Students at Yale (KASY)
South Asian Society (SAS)
Yale Friends of Turkey
Nepali Association of Yale-Undergraduate Affiliates (NAYA)
Yale Friends of Israel (YFI)
Japanese American Student Union (JASU)
Yalies for Pakistan
Students of Nigeria
Chinese American Student Association (CASA)
Albanian Students at Yale College
Dominican Student Association
Taiwanese American Society (TAS)
Women’s Leadership Initative (WLI)
Students for Syrian Relief
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
Building Bridges
Survivor’s Inbox
Asian American Political Action and Education Committee (PAEC)
J Street U
Broad Recognition
DisOrient
and the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA)
Why are “Yale Atheists, Humanists, and Agnostics” on that list?
Anyone here from Yale AHA to explain themselves?
Not sure how to post links to websites here, but read this drivel by one Vlad Chituc:
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nonprophetstatus/2014/09/12/yale-university-humanist-group-supports-msa-criticizes-invitation-of-ayaan-hirsi-ali/
A quote from Yale’s Muslim Student Association: “Our concern is that Ms. Hirsi Ali is being invited to speak as an authority on Islam despite the fact that she does not hold the credentials to do so.”
Hemant Mehta of The Friendly Atheist at Patheos, expressed his disappointment with the student groups opposing the Hirsi Ali lecture…and took the words right out of my mouth!! “She doesn’t have credentials’?! She lived through it. Yale: Where the lack of a doctorate means you have nothing worthwhile to say…” He goes on to say “If these students think she’s wrong, then they’re welcome to challenge her. But not to silence her.”
Um, yeah, and where are their credentials to challenge hers? Oh, yeah, I forgot. They expect to have their diploma any year now, from the same institution that gave W his.
+1
She is a citizen of the world and communicates things we all need to hear. (The only credential she needs.)
Sophists who live in a spectacle that drives drama because they think the symbols after one’s name mean more than their words are divided from reason.
“Better the pride that resides in a citizen of the world. Than the pride that divides when a colorful rag is unfurled.” – Friends from Canada, aka Rush
“Our concern is that Ms. Hirsi Ali is being invited to speak as an authority on Islam despite the fact that she does not hold the credentials to do so.”
What are the requisite credentials – testicles?
That’s necessary, but not sufficient.
The (other) most important credential is, of course, the ability to sincerely state that there are no dogs but Yeller and Mud Hound is his bitch. Or however the rhyme goes.
b&
ROTFLMAO!!!!
P.S. Furthermore, it seems that a doctorate means nothing to those who differ in their opinions. If a person with a doctorate holds an opinion different from your own, they’re a mindless hack. If a person without a doctorate holds an opinion different from your own, they have nothing useful to say.
I was scanning down the list of organizations and noticed AHA. It really stood out since AHA is the name of Ayaan’s foundation.
Sometimes the frustration is so intense, and that picture, all those smug male faces, is really triggering my frustration right now.
I feel your pain.
Are we sure that’s not a picture from an old Onion piece?
The struggle by organized groups to acquire greater political influence within an advocacy coalition can lead them to take positions and make endorsements that are hypocritical to say the least. In the late 90s I recall attending a conference where a representative from NOW staunchly defended and supported Bill Clinton, at the time a poster boy for sexual harassment.
I believe the Bushes all went to Yale and that turned out well.
Probably that law about not driving over in Saudi was a factor in not making it to the conference? Reservations are hard to get at these events. Possibly some of those groups at Yale should have attended.
Jeb did UT Austin in 2.5 years.
Austin is an intellectual oasis in Texas. No wonder he sounds so different from his brother.
Oh wow, a Women’s conference with no woman attending. So the next Atheist convention will probably be open to Catholics and Sunni Muslims?
Wait, what? I’m pretty sure there’s no “faith check” at the door to any athiest convention, and I really don’t get the connection.
A better analogy would be an atheist convention open ONLY to Catholics and other religionists.
Well, that’s what I meant. Didn’t write it explicitly, but I thought it was clear from the context. Well, never assume anything when in the presence of scientists …
There’s a difference between “open to” and “exclusively for”. And I’m not even a scientist.
This must be the most humourless discussion I’ve had in a long time. Reminds me of my old school days.
Really? A “Women’s rights conference” where only men (are allowed to) attend vs an “Atheist conference” where only people of faith ca get in? Not the most sophisticated comparison, I admit, but …
I can’t help but think that this is like horse breeders having a conference but of course not inviting any horses.
I think that hits the nail on the head.
The only possible excuse I could come up with is maybe this is some sort of policy voting body, and of course women would not be in it the same way women in the US couldn’t formally vote or participate in the passage of the 19th amendment; because they didn’t have the legal right yet. But that just doesn’t fly: the suffrage movement saw loads of women speaking at political events (even if they couldn’t vote on anything), and if this was a voting body doing something similar – and they were sincere about it – we would expect to at least see a bunch of invited women speakers.
Which is a long way around to saying I agree with you. It’s a “how to better treat our property” conference so of course the property is not invited.
It’s actually a regular annual conference in Saudi Arabia. In its entire history, no woman has ever attended, or even been invited to attend.
Things aren’t likely to get better in a hurry either. The king who’s just died was constantly pushing back against the conservative clerics, trying to get advances in women’s rights. The new king is doing stuff in support of the Wahhabis.
“It’s actually a regular annual conference in Saudi Arabia. In its entire history, no woman has ever attended, or even been invited to attend.”
So, it’s essentially about private property (women) rights of men.
Good analysis! What they’ll let the women do, and whether any changes would suit them.
Reminds me too much of our own (American) legislators regarding women’s rights to their own healthcare decisions.
Sub
sub
I look at that photo and think, god, but Arab women are harrier than I thought.
Serious question – do islamic women have perpetually tumescent male angels in heaven?
If it’s heaven, there aren’t any Arab men.
HA!
I spotted the westerner in the flannel shirt.
Yes, but did you find the nightjar? It’s cleverly camouflaged itself as a woman….
b&
I spotted him, too, though his shirt didn’t look flannel to me. Maybe it’s a nightjar in disguise?
Never mind…the shirt looked white on my iPad, but now I do see it’s plaid, and probably flannel. Apologies to the nightjar.
Has Waldo bought a new shirt?
Also, one of the groups on the list, “Broad Recognition,” is a “feminist magazine at Yale.”
Feminist magazine and they’re called BROAD recognition?! why not bitches, babes, birds, chicks, honeys, or dames? Is this supposed to be tongue in cheek, or are they not up on their older slang terms? just weird.
FWIW, AHA (the person, not the organization, of course) is scheduled to speak in Pittsburgh in January.
Womens rights to no rights..well f**k me, in the Ayaan Hirsi Ali farce some of those women’s groups listed have the most oxymoronic names I’ve ever had the pleasure to snigger at.
What a list! I can understand Muslim and Arab organisations opposing, but blacks, jews, hindus and asians? Have they got a dog in this race? Or have they all just gone soft in the head?