polite_gandalf wrote on Nov 20
th, 2016 at 9:17pm:
freediver wrote on Nov 20
th, 2016 at 6:11pm:
This is perhaps the clearest case we could get of Islam destroying freedom of speech. All it takes to realise this is empathy, the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes, rather than defaulting to defending murderous Islamics.
OK FD, you've caught me in a good mood, so I'll explain it to you nice and simply.
Where you fail here is in your (baseless) assumption that Ahok was ever interested in criticising Islam in the first place. Thats the only way you can keep up this 'modify his behaviour' malarky: ie if he's tiptoeing around the topic of Islam since the protests, he must have been more brave about criticising it before right? The truth is, he merely made an interpretation of the Quran that is perfectly mainstream amongst muslims. So how are his opponents packaging this as blasphemy? I have no idea, but the court case (if it makes it to that) will be most interesting. But there is no reason to think that he was intentionally being critical of Islam, or that he ever wanted to be critical of Islam. I think this is one of your problems FD - you simply can't countenance the idea that not every non-muslim person who is on the side of freedom and democracy is out to bash Islam.
Islam is used to intimidate people.
Even when an infidel says that the Koran should not be used to drive a wedge between Muslims and other, Muslims will use the very utterance to charge the speaker with blasphemy. And Muslims WILL go on the streets and will scream and
demand punishment for a man who wrongly, blasphemously says that the Koran is peaceful. They will not have a bar of that.
Prior to the alleged blasphemy, some Islamic groups had urged voters not to re-elect Ahok, citing verse 51 from the fifth sura or chapter of the Koran, al-Ma'ida, which some interpret as prohibiting Muslims from living under the leadership of a non-Muslim. Others say the scripture should be understood in its context - a time of war - and not interpreted literally.
Koran:
O you who have believed, do not take the Jews and the Christians as allies. They are [in fact] allies of one another. And whoever is an ally to them among you - then indeed, he is [one] of them. Indeed, Allah guides not the wrongdoing people.
What he allegedly said:
Interpretation, of sorts:
In recorded remarks to a group of fishermen that went viral, Ahok suggested that some Muslims were "deceived" by al-Ma'ida 51. The comments caused outrage. Ahok apologised and insisted he was not criticising the Koranic verse but those who used it to attack him.
Abu Jibril, the leader of Majelis Mujahidin, a radical Islamic group which played a key role in the protest, said Ahok should be sued over his comments that protesters were paid.
"God said that infidels are liars, infidels are hypocrites and liars. If Ahok really said that he can be sued," Mr Jibril said.