shari@wpi.wpi.edu (Shari Deiana VanderSpek) (02/13/90)
In article <8028@wpi.wpi.edu> gsmith%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU (Gene W. Smith) writes: > >In article <7878@wpi.wpi.edu>, araja@m2 (Ali Raja) writes: > >>Anyway, Yusuf did not call for Rushdie's death. He said that Khomeni's >>call for his death would make life difficult for Rushdie. Given Rushdie's >>behaviour, he seemed to approve of this. > > I saw him on television, where he seemed to be saying that >Khomeini's "death sentence" was correct. The situation that I wrote above - it is a clarification that he made when he had been quoted out of context in the TV interview that you describe. >In any case, if he >approves of a death sentence for any reason, then he approves. >If Rushdie is indeed killed, Yusuf will be one of those who bears >a share of the blame (or glory, depending on one's point of >view). Accepting your other point of view that Yusuf called for the death sentence, I do not see why it necessary for Rushdie to be killed for Yusuf to share the blame or glory. A man is responsible for his own actions and words. He would have his personal part of the blame of glory for the words that he uttered, not the murderous actions of another. >>I wonder... have you read the book? > I have. The blasphemy aspect has been much exaggerated. I do not see how you can make such a statement. I would suggest that the followers of a religion are the ones to decide what they consider to be a blasphemy or not. As Islam is an open religion, whose laws and rules can be read by any, you may be able to show that the blasphemy aspect has been exaggerated by finding a logical contradiction in the claim that the book is blasphemous and Islamic laws relevant to the subject of blasphemy. You can also make a value judgement and decide that the responses to the blasphemy were exaggerated, but I cannot see how you can decide that the book is not blasphemous.