When was it taken?

chicken_lipsforme wrote on Aug 9^th, 2010 at 2:46pm:


Ha!

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According to Abu, and as far as I can tell most Muslims, they can't. Islam differs from most religions in that it combines politics and religion. More than anything else, it is a system of government and a system of law (that is outdated by about 1200 years). Take these things away from Islam, and there does not seem to be much left. That is why, unlike other religions, Islam is having such trouble accomodating the modern world. That is why it is so easy for the 'extremists' to get support.

http://www.ozpolitic.com/wiki/index.php?title=Islam_and_Australian_values

It's like if the Pope wanted to stone cheating wives to death. What would catholics do? Some of them would stick by him, and the result would not be pretty.

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As stated by fd (first thing he's actually gotten right) Islam consists of a political and a spiritual dimension. And in fact all religions originally did, since religion actually means a system which manages the affairs of humanity (the Arabic word does anyway, and I'm pretty sure the Latin origins of the English word also have these connotations).

Just that most religions ended up being defeated by secularism/atheism in their societies and so they were relegated to mere "spiritual" systems, Islam being the only real religion left.

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Not at all. Democracy claims to give all a voice, so only by abandoning your democratic values could you come to such a conclusion.

By that I mean Muslims living in a democratic society is not incompatible at all. Likewise Socialists, Jews, Communists, Anarchists etc. have no problem living in a democratic society, yet they all believe in a system of government contrary to democracy.

The idea that you must be an 'adherent' to democracy to live in a democratic society is just nonsense.

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They all have their own system of government, just as Islam does. You still fail to recognise the point that this doesn't preclude their adherents from living in a democratic country.

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Writing this kind of tripe is easier than actually thinking.. I agree.

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The poll is going on as we speak, the will of the Afghan people is being expressed through their resistance to the occupation. Mock elections and puppet governments setup by occupation forces do not gauge the will of the people, they merely gauge the will of the occupier.

Afghanistan voted again on the weekend. The Australian is declaring it a success.

Taliban defied by vote for peace

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/taliban-defied-by-vote-for-peace/story-e6frg6so-1226876080295#

Some highlights:

AFGHANS voted in huge numbers at the weekend, defying Taliban threats, relentless rain and long queues for the right to choose who will lead their country into an uncertain future.

Across the country, men and women queued from early morning to cast their vote, surprising the Independent Election Commission, which was forced to extend the vote by an hour to 5pm and send additional ballot papers to polling centres that had run out of supplies.

More than seven million of an estimated 12 million eligible people — a third of them women — cast their ballots by official close of polls for one of eight presidential candidates, as well as for provincial councillors, though Afghans waiting in queues after 5pm (10.30pm, AEST) were allowed to vote.

They will need more patience yet, with results at least two weeks away and perhaps longer, given few expect either of the top three presidential contenders — former foreign ministers Abdullah Abdullah and Zalmai Rassoul and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani — to win a majority needed to avoid a run-off.

Turnout was significantly higher this election than the 4.6 million counted in the fraud-tainted 2009 poll (when 1.2 million votes were disqualified), prompting congratulations from US President Barack Obama, UN special envoy to Afghanistan Jan Kubis and NATO military alliance chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

President Hamid Karzai praised his countrymen and women in a televised address yesterday. “Today’s election and massive participation of the people have taken Afghanistan a few steps forward to peace, stability and development.”

About 6400 voting centres opened at 7am, though a further 1000 were closed for fear of ­attack. By midday, reports emerged of ballot paper short­ages, blindsiding election officials who had barely dared to hope participation might beat 2009’s disappointing turnout.

Kandahar was among the first to report shortages. The southern province was the centre of ballot stuffing in 2009, and the IEC sent fewer ballots this year to avoid a repeat.

Early violence erupted at polling stations in Kunduz, eastern Logar and Kunar, with 20 people killed, including four civilians, and 43 wounded. Afghan security forces killed more than 80 insurgents nationwide.

Though the IEC introduced fraud-prevention measures, election and security officers were ­arrested for ballot stuffing, and four civilians were caught with 1000 voter cards.

But the Taliban could not deliver its promised major disruption, despite a series of recent high-profile attacks in Kabul and the fatal shooting by an Afghan policeman on Friday of German Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus. “We are choosing ballots over bullets,” said one woman voter in Kunduz.

Kabul remained calm, thanks to a heavy security presence.

Those who queued outside polling centres, exposed to weather and potential violence, overwhelmingly talked of a desire for peace and security.

At Kabul’s Habibia high school, teacher Sohaila, 45, said she had placed her faith in ­Afghan security forces — who have taken full control of security from withdrawing NATO troops — by coming to vote. “We can’t predict what will happen but they’re doing their best,” she said, adding the new president’s first priority must be to bring peace.

Salama, 21, said she, too, had cast her vote for peace, and women’s rights.

She voted for Zalmai Rassoul because he was the only main candidate to include a female vice- president.

Emerald miner Abdul Kahar said he hoped Dr Abdullah’s pledge to work with international allies would keep the economy stable.

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Behind the tea-drinking, rumours of political bastardy

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/behind-the-teadrinking-rumours-of-political-bastardy/story-e6frg6so-1226876082697#

If the Afghan presidential elections were to be judged purely by the reaction on social media — the domain of city dwellers — it would have been declared a roaring success before the polls had even closed.

The rest is paywalled. The article has some interesting bits about the Presidential election. They appear to have a French style runoff election for president, if no-one gets over 50%. However there is also an option of a power sharing arrangement, which the Afghani people would apparently disapprove of because it is a "backroom deal" and they are fed up with fraud.

I still think its going to get ugly in Afghanistan.

Educating and arming the women is a good start tho.

pretty sure its going to turn to sh1t tho.

I hope not but I think so.