According to reports in Dutch newspapers, two unknowns placed a severed pig head on the doorstep of the Al Mouahidin mosque in Ede.
This to the distress of the local Muslim community, of course.
Ede in the Netherlands is where Muslim jugend celebrated tumultuously on September 12, 2001. The local authorities only intervened once people complained that they could not sleep because of the ongoing festivities.
The Muslim jugend in the Veldhuizen neighborhood were not unknown to the police before that episode, in case you were wondering.
As you may gather, I shall be giving Ede a big miss the next time I go to the Netherlands. There is no reason to patronize the businesses of a town that harbors such virulent hatred for Americans among its disaffected elements.
Remains of course the question whether I will ever visit the Netherlands again, given how large a percentage of the native Dutch also despise the United States - they seem never to have forgiven us for World War II - but that is not the issue.
STILL FRESH, AND QUITE.... PINK
The issue is the deliberate insult presented by that pig head. Which is just not a civilized thing to do.
Using pork products for religion-insulting purposes has a long history in the Netherlands and nearby countries. It is one of those traditional elements of European civilization which never transferred to the New World.
I have no problem disagreeing with the individual Muslim, or in fact considering the entire Islamic religion preposterous and repulsive on many levels. Freedom of religion also means the freedom to thoroughly despise someone else's religion. It is a freedom of which I make abundant use - I am quite displeased with every religion except my own.
But the religious tolerance of the Western World demands that you do not offend members of other creeds in such a manner.
Among the Muslims of Ede there were also those who did not celebrate in September 12th. These are the responsible "buurtvaderen" ('neighborhood fathers') who distanced themselves from the expressions of glee, try to keep things quite in the Veldhuizen neighborhood, smooth things over with the non-Muslims, and join mosques.
One should never so egregiously seek to offend the good people of another faith.
It just isn't proper.
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3 comments:
VAARKENS!
Well said BlogMeester!
though you do omit the thought that maybe the pig - which also - despite everything - had a nefesh - was a simple beast and using parts of its cadaver in this way - displays the g-dlessness of the human perpetrators.
Noah had two on board and looked after them - neither eating them (as he lived at a time when Chinese restaurants were unknown)nor using them to "make a statement"
Pigs (US = hogs) may not be pretty - but they are here for a reason like all the other beasts - and have to be respected as part of creation
.... though cats are far more interesting
and koalas far cuter
and tropical fish far more colourful
and snowy-owls far more spooky
Graham
though I do wonder about wasps....
Leave the fucking religious statements alone: pigs=good eatin'.
thanks for the input Spiros... It will ring a bell with cannibals too
with ketchup or without?
a littul tzatziki mebbe?
Graham
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