I remember as a young student flipping through the pages of
Paris-Match in the school library. Although I did not know a single word of French, I did know that certain photos would occasionally titillate the eyes of this reader. But besides the chance glance of some topless woman on some Mediterranean beach, there were shocking photos of graphic violence which did not titillate at all. I can even now see a series of images of an execution on some Arab or Saharan runway: a petty thief, I believe, was beheaded right next to a waiting airplane, as passengers, one shooting with a camera, watched in horror through lidless windows. The pool of blood that spread across the red sand/red clay runway continues to expand in my memory.
Then there is
this story. Of course, we live in crazy times: those of us dwelling in the United States are familiar with such hate-filled violence. But this story comes from Jordan, and it reminds me of things I used to see in Paris-Match. The first paragraph says it all:
AMMAN, Jordan — A father shot dead his 17-year-old daughter, having suspected her of having sex, and surrendered to the police in the latest case of the so-called "honor killings" that have brought international opprobrium on Jordan. An autopsy found the girl to be a virgin.
A clash of civilizations, I am sure, that is not one bit civilized.
5 comments:
off topic, but how and where did you get the U.S. military deaths number since the new congress info? Is it sourced from another link or are you just keeping up with it yourself? Either way I think it makes a pretty powerful statement.
It's OK to be off topic, James.
The sobering data I post everyday can be found at this site. I confess that the daily routine of looking up this tally has really affected me; reading the names of lost soldiers has truly impacted me. I shall spare you the details.
Peace to you,
BG
"An autopsy found the girl to be a virgin."
Why was this included in the story? Would his killing have been justified if she'd spend the previous night having hot, steamy sex?
Western media is so weak, so cowardly.
A sad world, indeed.
Luke
Luke,
You make a valid observation, but I think the detail is telling.
Blessings.
BG
Bill...
I suppose the detail even helps highlight the absurdity of a brutal practice, in a certain light.
But my irritated reaction has more to do with our media in general: they're so dumb, so oblivious, when it comes to dealing with the Islamic world. I saw a clip of Jon Stewart (who I sort of like, actually) making fun of the very minor furor over a Congressman being sworn in with his hand on the Koran, and though it's true that the response to that event was pretty dumb, his comments didn't make me laugh at all, because I could tell that he didn't understand what he was dealing with; or that there are real reasons to criticize Islam, and to be concerned over its presence in any society, including out apathetically pluralistic one. It made me angry. The Mainstream "journalists" are even less perceptive on this issue, for sure (and I'm sure you and I agree on that, though we probably came to the conclusion differently).
cheers,
Luke
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