Thursday, June 23, 2005
NEW INTERVIEW WITH FALLACI
Interview with Oriana Fallaci in the Wall Street Journal:
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/tvaradarajan/?id=110006858
A bit gloomy. But interesting as usual.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/tvaradarajan/?id=110006858
A bit gloomy. But interesting as usual.
Friday, June 17, 2005
"MODERN" IRAN VERSUS "OLD" PERSIA
I've just read and recommend to all a beautiful travel article by Christopher Hitchens in Vanity Fair, about the contradictions of Iran, with a majority of young people sick and tired of theocracy and a government that just won't let go the bone. The elections, a farse? More like a tragicomedy, really. Things are so bad even Khomeini's grandson hopes for the Americans to come and settle things. All this and more in Hitchen's article, that also mentions and talks about the great Omar Khayam:
And do you think that unto such as you / A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew / God gave a secret, and denied it me— / Well, well, what matters it? Believe that too.
by
Omar Khayam
Hitchens' "Mind over Mullahs"
And do you think that unto such as you / A maggot-minded, starved, fanatic crew / God gave a secret, and denied it me— / Well, well, what matters it? Believe that too.
by
Omar Khayam
Hitchens' "Mind over Mullahs"
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
THE TRIAL
"Oriana Fallaci is 75 years old. The renowned Italian journalist lives in hiding because of death threats she received after the publication in 2001 of her book The Rage and the Pride. She is dying of cancer. And now she is going to go on trial for “defaming Islam.”
The complaint comes from Adel Smith, president of the Muslim Union of Italy, who was never charged with defaming Christianity after he referred to a crucifix as a “miniature cadaver” during his 2003 efforts to have depictions of Christ on the Cross removed from Italian schools.[1] He has amassed a reputation as something of a crank after demanding that Christians deny aspects of their faith that offended his Islamic sensibilities: he has called for the destruction of Giovanni da Modena’s fresco The Last Judgment in the 14th-century cathedral of San Petronio in Bologna, Italy, because that priceless expression of Medieval Christianity depicts the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in hell."
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18349
Things are getting weirder and weirder. Who would have thought that in Italy, heart of the Catholicism, such a process could take place? And, irony of all ironies, because of a law created by the Fascist state to protect the Catholic religion.
"The Force of Reason" will be published in English in August.
The complaint comes from Adel Smith, president of the Muslim Union of Italy, who was never charged with defaming Christianity after he referred to a crucifix as a “miniature cadaver” during his 2003 efforts to have depictions of Christ on the Cross removed from Italian schools.[1] He has amassed a reputation as something of a crank after demanding that Christians deny aspects of their faith that offended his Islamic sensibilities: he has called for the destruction of Giovanni da Modena’s fresco The Last Judgment in the 14th-century cathedral of San Petronio in Bologna, Italy, because that priceless expression of Medieval Christianity depicts the Muslim Prophet Muhammad in hell."
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=18349
Things are getting weirder and weirder. Who would have thought that in Italy, heart of the Catholicism, such a process could take place? And, irony of all ironies, because of a law created by the Fascist state to protect the Catholic religion.
"The Force of Reason" will be published in English in August.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
ORIANA FALLACI: ONE YEAR FROM TRIAL
Oriana Fallaci, one of the greatest Italian journalists - what am I saying, one of the greatest journalists ever, as you all know - or should know - has been put on trial for "defaming Islam", in one of the most ridiculous trials of recent memory. Not in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia, but in Italy, heart of the Catholic world.
She is over 70 and has cancer, so she might not even be alive (but let's hope she is) for the trial that is scheduled to start on June 12, 2006. Her accuser, an idiot called Adel Smith, an italian convert to Islam, was already famous for having thrown a crucifix out of the window of his son's school and declaring that the Catholic Church was "an association of criminals". Nothing happened to him - as it rightly should be, since freedom of speech also means that stupid people will say stupid things. However, it seems that to Mr Smith not all free speech is to be protected...
Oriana Fallaci's book, "The Force of Reason" (La Forza della Raggione, due to have an English translation in August), does indeed criticize Islam, but is far from being the "racist" books that its critics (most of whom did not even read it) say it is. In fact, it's mostly a meditation on how "politically correct" idiots are trying to control what we have to think or say, when it is clear from any one who still has an ounce of common sense that the forces of a new form of religious fascism are well on the rise. It's in a sense ironical that the trial of Fallaci, who argues that Europe has become an Eurabia too afraid or dull to reverse its immigration tendencies and even to criticize islamic radicals, is the major proof of such a theory.
She is over 70 and has cancer, so she might not even be alive (but let's hope she is) for the trial that is scheduled to start on June 12, 2006. Her accuser, an idiot called Adel Smith, an italian convert to Islam, was already famous for having thrown a crucifix out of the window of his son's school and declaring that the Catholic Church was "an association of criminals". Nothing happened to him - as it rightly should be, since freedom of speech also means that stupid people will say stupid things. However, it seems that to Mr Smith not all free speech is to be protected...
Oriana Fallaci's book, "The Force of Reason" (La Forza della Raggione, due to have an English translation in August), does indeed criticize Islam, but is far from being the "racist" books that its critics (most of whom did not even read it) say it is. In fact, it's mostly a meditation on how "politically correct" idiots are trying to control what we have to think or say, when it is clear from any one who still has an ounce of common sense that the forces of a new form of religious fascism are well on the rise. It's in a sense ironical that the trial of Fallaci, who argues that Europe has become an Eurabia too afraid or dull to reverse its immigration tendencies and even to criticize islamic radicals, is the major proof of such a theory.
Architecture of Doom
In yet another scandal, although this one was not so much in the news, Sérgio Naya, a political figure of dubious morals, owner of a construction company that used cheap materials and dodgy concrete with way too much sand for its buildings, was acquited of any responsability in the death of dozens of people when the Palace II building, built by his company, fell to the ground a few years ago. Yet another sad confirmation that in Brazil, apparently, the law is only harsh with PPP (preto, pobre e prostituta - blacks, poor people and whores).
BIG PAYCHECKS AND LOW ETHICS
Here in Brazil, all the latest news regard the "mensalão" scandal (mensalão having no translation whatsoever to English, well, maybe something like "big monthly paycheck"). A political figure, already involved in a corruption scandal, has said that the Lula government paid MPs so that they with vote for the Government projetcs. If true, the accusation could damage quite a lot Lula's government, already in a 10% low from last survey. Things don't look too good for Mr. L.
Liberated!
Florence Aubenas has been liberated. Clementina Cantoni is already back in Italy. Good news indeed - the kidnap of women by fanatics who are most of the time also mysoginous freaks always sends shivers down my spine. Cantoni was apparently released in exchange for Timor Shah's mother (although the Kabul government denies, probably afraid of new kidnappings). What did the French trade Aubenas for?
