Aby The Liberal

Mag June 19th, 2007

Salman Rushdie, the famed author was knighted by her majesty the Queen Elizabeth on June 16, 2007. The knighthood was met with sharp criticism and opposition from Muslims in UK and around the world in countries like Iran and Pakistan because of their hate-hate relationship against Sir Salman Rushdie. Islamic extremists placed a bounty of £80,000 on his head as is expected of them. A group of Pakistani ministers also went as far as to justify the acts of suicide bombers saying giving knighthood to someone like Salman Rushdie is a cause for terrorism. His fault? He wrote a book The Satanic Verses 18 years ago which supposedly insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Salman Rushdie, the author of Midnight’s Children who was granted Knighthood

I know it is not very politically correct in a secular country to speak against a religion but Sir. Salman Rushdie did something he paid for manifold, by being hunted and being on run for years. He got the knighthood for his contributions to literature because of Midnight’s Children , Haroun and the Sea of Stories and such literary works. If he was knighted for The Satanic Verses it might be somehow justified for an opposition in the form of peaceful protests but terrorism? Suicide bombings? How does it justify to kill people who have nothing to do with it just because an author made defamatory comments against a religion and that in a book penned two decades ago? Is it worth that people get violently killed for the name of a prophet? I can’t understand this and I hope someone can explain me how could humans kill innocent people for thing as small as someone slandering a prophet.

A few years ago we had a bestseller book Da Vinci Code which was very offensive against Christians in general and Opus Dei Catholics in particular. It was followed with a movie on the same book which became a hit. We sure didn’t have the Pope or even a Cardinal passing a million pound bounty on Dan Brown and no one blew themselves up in a public place for it. It is because sane people living in secular nations know that it is a free world where people like me and you have choices. Choices to say what you want, choices to do what you want and choices to go where you want as long as you do not harm others. The people who are besmirched in the Da Vinci Code or Satanic Verses are long gone and their followers stay till today. But while the followers of one religion did not make a fuss about a book, the followers of another make a big fuss about it. Is it because one party is not very sure about the strength of their religion?

Why would people of a certain belief get so violent about offensive remarks that they are ready to kill for it? It is surprising when another group of people with another set of beliefs does not go berserk in the same situation. I think it has more to do with the strength of beliefs. Believing Christians are not worried that their religion will disappear overnight because of Da Vinci Code becoming a hit/bestseller. But maybe the Muslims who make such a fuss are not so sure when it comes to their own religion. Maybe they know their religion is possibly weak and a small strike like The Satanic Verses can destroy it. If we let religiously narrow minded people like this have their way, our freedom of expression and right to life will be in danger. This will turn into a war where every religion tries to have its way, we will have violences in the likes of the Crusades, the Holocausts and the Inquisitions.

We cannot eliminate religion altogether because of the strength of people’s beliefs and sense of emotional connection people have with the religions. But we can at least ensure that practising religion is done not at the cost of someone’s right to live and other fundamental human rights like freedom of expression and speech.

- Maggie
(Special thanks to Aby for formatting, editing and designing the post and also for giving a catchy title)

• Humanity , Ideology , Religion , Violence , World Culture
• Comments(8)

Mag June 18th, 2007

The sexual exploitation of children in the poor developing countries by paedophiles from rich nations has become a cause of concern to the civilised world. Children as young as 5 years old from countries like India, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam etc. are preyed upon by sex tourists who take the advantage of lax laws, weak prosecution and easy availability of children as sex slaves. The children  torn by poverty, wars and desperation become victims of the heartless who take advantage of the fact that they are beyond the laws and jurisdiction of their home countries.

Dalyn, from Cambodia who was only 12 years old when she was forced into prostitution tells her tale of horror.

An article appeared on Reader’s Digest a few years ago about undercover reporters who visited a brothel in Cambodia. They found terrified children from 6 years old to 15 years old being given to sexual predators for cash by the brothel owners. Thousands of men - mostly from America flock in these countries, travelling halfway across the world to prey on these kids for sex. They might think it is nothing more than prostitution but by any legal definition or any sane human - it is rape. The crimes are committed not only by criminal sexual offenders; but also by people with respectable professions like Dr. Gregory Kapordelis from Georgia who drugged young boys in St. Petersburg (Russia) and a retired Army sergeant from Seattle who may have molested upto 50 children.

The situation is so serious that US laws had to be reformed to punish American sex offenders in other countries. But in reality, because of the extra-judicial nature of such crimes and the secrecy in which the offender carry their crimes overseas, it has become very difficult to persecute them for the offences. Human rights groups in America have estimated 25% of all sex tourists abroad come from USA, the reality could be even more judging by the trends. The paedophiles are helped by dubious travel agencies and internet sites to solicit a trip abroad to countries like Cambodia, etc. for such activities. It is difficult for American authorities to investigate these crimes because the power of jurisdiction issues and the suspicion other countries have against US law enforcement authorities, thanks to the activities of Americans around the world.

Apart from America - France, Britain, Germany, Switzerland and Japan are countries from where child predators go on sex tourism to South and South-East Asian countries. In case of these countries the accused can be tried by national laws where they committed the offence unlike Americans who have to be extradited. The punishment can range from 10 years imprisonment (India and Sri Lanka) to death by firing squad (Thailand and China) for child prostitution offences. Americans have to be sent back to USA where only the most serious offences are penalised with imprisonments less than 7 years and some even bargain their sentences to short periods for ‘good behaviour’ or by ‘plea bargains’. It is because of this that predators do not fear the local laws. India, China and Thailand are the only countries where anyone committing a crime in their land is persecuted by national laws rather than sent back to their home country (even if it is USA).

Child prostitution is a violent and brutal crime against children and a crime against humanity. It is the worst form of child labour which scars them physically and emotionally as the children in these poor countries are forced into it against their own will. It is a sick and perverted person who solicits children for sex whether by coercion or prostitution, children who need to go to school to learn alphabets and play with toys. Millions of children in Asia, East Europe and South America are pushed into child prostitution because of paedophile predators every year. If we keep ourselves blind against such crimes it will make our conscience dead. Who knows, one day if things go as they are it might be one of our own…..

More Information and Resources -
Children For Sale - MSNBC
WTO Statement On The Prevention of Organised Sex Tourism

- Article by Maggie Aston; formatted and edited by Aby MC

• Crimes , Humanity , Violence
• Comments(6)