Comments | boozegnome: the more things change...

boozegnome

the more things change...

Mar 21, 2006 13:28

the op-ed i'm currently writing at work is definitely in crash-and-burn mode right now, so i decided to take a time-out to read some news. which in turn has led me to waste my time on LJ, where at least there are effectively no consequences for my abysmal writing (none for me, that is ( Read more... )

Comments 3

Claims and realities... shukri March 21 2006, 22:21:16 UTC

Democracy is "government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system."

If we believe the claims of world governments, Afghanistan is a Decmoratic county.

Hence, this concern about "democratic freedoms" is only applicable if "democracy" is defined as "the hegemonic enforcement of Western ideals upon a populace".

Quick question: are we interesed in Democracy or are we interested in enforcing Western ideals on others?

Re: Claims and realities... boozegnome March 22 2006, 04:14:09 UTC

well, as an avowed libertarian, i've never been interested in "enforcing" anything on anyone. my ideal has always been to live freely, without interference from anyone else, so long as i'm not infringing on anyone's basic rights as a human being. and i guess i consider one of those basic rights to be the right to think as you choose, without being oppressed (let alone executed) for doing so ( ... )

Re: Claims and realities... shukri March 22 2006, 07:06:45 UTC

My point is that Western ideals include and permit actions that are rejected by traditional societies and in fact punished. The rights to insult, ridicule, be disrespectful of the Sacred etc. While these rights maybe integral to a Western mindset, they are not necessarily integral to the Eastern or even to the non-Western view of the world.

Freedom to choose one's religion is guaranteed by Islamic law. However, the Muslims consider, specifically, the rejection of Islam to be treason. (See here).

My concern is about the interference of the West in attempting to enforce a "right" upon another nation that has chosen for itself how it wants to be ruled.

My apologies for not introducing myself. My name is Shukri. I'm a 21 year old Muslim.

Peace.