Harry Potter: A Childhood Immunization Against Philistinism?

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"Dont let the Muggles get you down."

Among the many life lessons of the Harry Potter books are these:

1. Those who live outside the magical world are to be pitied.
2. Those who stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the reality of magic are motivated by fear.
3. The ability to work with magic is a gift to be cherished and cultivated, even though it might inspire fear and denial from non-magical people.

Obviously, Potter-mania flies in the face of the world-view of those who wish to stigmatize "magical thinking". And it's a good thing, too, since so many people today (it seems like an ever increasing number) boorishly insist on associating anything that remotely resembles belief in magic with mental illness or congenital stupidity.

Children who are raised on JK Rowling's writings, however, are forewarned and forearmed. The world is, indeed, full of "Muggles", who are either completely unaware that magic exists at all, or recoil in horror from it.

Rowling also, especially through the deeply humane and magnificently human example of the Weasley family, and Arthur Weasley in particular (as well as through the negative example of the ugly anti-Muggle bigotry of the followers of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named), teaches us to be kind to and tolerant of Muggles, at least up to a point. All (indeed, most) Muggles are not like the Dursleys, and many Witches and Wizards, even non-Death-Eaters like Dolores Umbridge and a number of other apparatchiks at the Ministry of Magic, are nevertheless thoroughly contemptible human beings.

Atheist, Humanist, Buddhist, and Leftist Voices Against The Islamic Threat To Freedom

This is an extremely varied group of individuals. Their criticisms of Islam are also quite varied, and to some extent they hardly belong all lumped together in this way, except for one thing. And that one thing is what they are not. They are not right-wing xenophobic Christians, like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich.

In addition to those named below, also see the 12 signatories of the 2006 statement for "The Universality of Freedom of Expression" (there is some overlap).

Sam Harris (American, atheist, long-time student of Buddhist philosophy and meditation)

• Silence is not moderation
• What Obama got wrong about the mosque
• Debate between Sam Harris and Reza Aslan
  

Bill Maher (American, political satirist, social critic, self-declared apatheist)

• "Islam was extreme to begin with. Muhammed was a warrior."
• "Their religious whackos are a lot more whacko than ours."
• Bill Maher stands by Muhammed remarks.

Richard Dawkins (British, atheist, scientist, writer)

• Fury over Richard Dawkin's burqa jibe
• Muslim parents "import creationism" into schools

Lama Ole Nydahl (Danish, Lama in the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism)

• "Islam, I warn against. I know the Koran, I know the life story of Mohammad and I think we cannot use that in our society today."
• "I have two fears for the world: overpopulation and Islam. Those two things could destroy the world, which could otherwise be a beautiful place.
• The Buddha meets Holger Dansk: "Aldous Huxley, who I studied intensively at the university, called it 'herd poison'. If a lot of people do something, it will attract others who want to belong or be a part of something. And if an incipient movement is sufficiently extremist, it will always attract certain unstable individuals. That is the reason why something that is basically against most people's nature may become powerful and therefore very harmful."
  

Pat Condell (British, comedian, troublemaker, atheist)

• "The trouble with Islam"
• "Islam in Europe"
• "What I know about Islam"

Femke Halsema (Dutch, LeftGreen party leader)

• "A religious axis of evil"
• Dutch Green leader calls for critique of Islam

Villy Søvndal (Danish Socialist Peoples Party leader)

• Danish Socialists Denounce Islamist "Rubbish About No Freedom"
• A Danish Socialist Speaks Out

Bahram Soroush (Iranian, Worker-Communist Party of Iran)

From an Interview with Maryam Namazie:

"No one deserves to die because of their views or the views that they have expressed. Actually that shows the essence of the political Islamic movement. It is a violent movement; it is an atrocious movement, and it needs to be stopped. They will start with van Gogh and Ayaan and then try to impose their dark scenario and rule in the West over the rest of the population . . . .

"It is difficult to say it in one sentence. In essence, it's from the standpoint of the human being, from a humanistic perspective, against religion as an ideology, against political Islam as a political movement, in defence of women's rights, in defence of children's rights, in defence of political freedoms and the right to freely and safely criticise any religion."

Maryam Namazie (Iranian, atheist, One Law For All Campaign, UK)

• I would be executed in Iran for my Facebook page
• Manifesto of Liberation of Women of Iran
• Islamic States are a threat to humankind

Alice Schwarzer (German feminist pioneer)

• "the headscarf is 'a flag and symbol of Islamists'"
• Islam Ist Undemokratisch (Video auf Deutsch)
• Eyes Wide Shut (Der Spiegel interview in English)

Taslima Nasreen (Bangladesh, atheist, humanist, feminist, writer)

• Lajja means "Shame"
• "Should the right to oppose Islam not exist?"

Philippe Val (French, former editor and director of leftist magazine Charlie Hebdo)

• French cartoons editor acquitted
• Court Acquits Satirical French Mag Over Mohammed Cartoons
• Those Muslim-themed cartoons (again), this time in French court

Caroline Fourest (French, feminist, anti-racist and secularist activist, Le Monde Columnist)

From Brother Tariq: The Doublespeak of Tariq Ramadan

Hassan al-Banna is a figure revered by Islamists the world over. In the early years of the twentieth century, this Egyptian preacher developed a program for reasserting social and political control that has served as amodel for all those engaged in the fight to extend the reign of a form of political Ialsm that is both archaic and reactionary. He oversaw the birth of a diabolical machine -- the Islamic Brotherhood -- that to this day grinds out its fundamentalist message, spreading it to the four corners of the world. Even Al-Qaeda is no competitor in terms of the scope of this negative force. Al-Qaeda militants were often fascinated by al-Banna before they crossed the line into bin Laden-type terrorism. Given the nature of al-Banna's influence, which remains a constant threat, citizens of Muslim origin are often uneasy when they see Tariq Ramadan continue his grandfather's work in the very heart of the West [Tariq Ramadan is the grandsom of Hassan al-Banna, and both of his parents were ardent supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood].

In a collection of interviews with Alain Gresh, editor in chief of Le Monde diplomatique, Tariq Ramadan made no secret of the fact that he had taken Hassan al-Banna as a model: "I have studied Hassan al-Banna's ideas with great care and there is nothing in this heritage that I reject. His relation to God, his spirituality, his mysticism, his personality, as well as his critical reflections on law, politics, society and pluralism, testify for me to his qualities of heart and mind." And he added: "His commitment also is a continuing reason for my respect and admiration." This admission is in itself terrifying. Every word was chosen to to play down the fanaticism and totalitarianism advocated by al-Banna, a man for whom "the Islamic banner must wave supreme over the human race." His name still fills any Muslim who is modern and liberal—or simply healthy-minded—with rage over the crimes that have been committed in the name of Islam. Yet his grandson finds nothing wrong in all this. On the contrary, in a book written for a popular audience, he fully accepted his role as one whose mission it was to continue in the footsteps of his grandfather, whom he presented as a model of “spirituality” and of “critical appreciation of society.” By extolling his grandfather’s “critical reflections on pluralism,” essentially he was praising the virtues of al-Banna’s totalitarian outlook.

The Law of Thelema according to Dunlap

The Red State Update $120 political ad for the Aleister Crowley in 2012 write-in campaign is possibly the most WTF viral video since the Christian Side-Hug. (Here's a link to the official campaign website, where you can even get AC 2012 yard signs!)

The boys not only pronounce Crowley's name correctly, but they manage to work in references to Ozzy Osbourne, Jimmy Page, and Jay Z.

And Dunlap's explanation of the Law of Thelema is priceless. Here's a direct link to that part, but really you should watch the whole video.

Also, Jackie's closing rendition of "Old Rugged Cross" (direct link) is, well, fucking beautiful.

[The direct links are a little hinky because of the commercial at the beginning of the video. You have to wait for the very brief (I think it's only 10 seconds) commercial to finish, then refresh your browser and it will go directly to the correct portion of the video.]

"More Pagan & Mad" (Or, How to kiss like a Witch)

Mild to moderate spoilage to follow. You have been warned.

I haven't seen it yet, but there is a scene in the new Harry Potter flic in which Hermione and Harry kiss. I won't say more about the circumstances (well, other than that you can be sure that Ron does not appreciate this one bit.)

Anyway, after the first take on this scene Director David Yates was dissatisfied. He felt that the kiss was too tame, and so he told Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe they needed to be "more Pagan and mad."

The result, according to Radcliffe, was that in the next take, Emma Watson kissed him "like an animal ... She really went for it, I have to say. It caught me slightly off guard, but yeah, I'm not complaining."

For her part Watson explained that "I guess I just realized that I would have fewer takes to do if I just got on with it and just gave David what he wanted, which was a passionate kiss. Which was something that would really rock Ron's boat."

The way this story is being covered it's starting to look like Rita Skeeter is now writing for the Muggle press!


links:

• Daniel Radcliffe: Emma Watson Kisses 'Like An Animal' (HuffingtonPost)
• ‘Harry Potter’ Stars Dish On Harry/Hermione Kiss & Possibility Of More Movies (AccessHollywood)
• Daniel Radcliffe on locking lips with co-star Emma Watson: 'She's an animal... I was ambushed!' (DailyMail)
• Emma Watson's 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' kissing scenes are 'animal' but also 'sweet' (NYDailyNews)

Airlocking Caprica. Finally. (Or, "All this has happened before, and all this will happen again.")

Never yield to remorse, but at once tell yourself: remorse would simply mean adding to the first act of stupidity a second.
[Friedrich Nietzsche, The Wanderer and his Shadow]

Battlestar Galactica will never die. But, as is inevitably the case with all Eternal Returnage, it will sometimes disappoint.

Caprica started off magnificently. The movie thrilled me beyond my wildest expectations, which, in all honesty, were not that wild. I dared not hope for too much.

In fact, and I hate to admit this, after the (DANGER SPOILER ALERT) return of Starbuck in the Season 3 finale, I thought that BSG Seasons 4 & 4.5 were unfocused and sometimes even incoherent, and, alas, not all that compelling. So much so that when Caprica (the movie) came out on DVD in April, 2009, I didn't bother watching it until August.

But then, like Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, I suddenly found myself knocked clean off my horse, lying on the ground, the taste of dust in my mouth, blinded by the light. The scales having been removed from mine eyes, I proceeded forthwith to re-watch nearly the entire series (I skipped some of Season 1 & 2, but I did once again worship at the shrine of the glorious Miniseries That Restarted It All). And this time the final season was revealed unto me as a Triumph of the Reimagination. Hallelujah. Thank the Gods.

And then I watched The Plan. And, lo: I did see appear before me a great Vision, and yea verily it was given me to understand that that which had been thought to be the future was the past, and that which had appeared to be the last was, in truth, Before The Beginning. So say we all. Or, well, something like that.

By late January I had finally worked my way through the whole story. It all made sense now. I was ready.

After the first episode I was seriously in denial. My wife pretty much hated it. "No," I insisted, "it was pretty good. It'll get better." Ha. Was the first hour of the miniseries "pretty good". Did it leave me hoping it would improve? No. At 3 minutes and 12 seconds into the miniseries, Number Six leans over the desk of a nameless Colonial officer and asks him, "Are you alive?" Three hours later you're not wondering if it will get better, you're begging for more. Please please please.

The really telling failure of Caprica was it's inability to create any compelling characters. Zoe and Lacy and Sister Clarice and Sam Adama are kind of interesting, but if you put them them all together they don't amount to one Romo Lampkin, or even a Tory Foster.

Appropriately so, BSG was a veritable pantheon of truly godlike Characters. Most TV shows don't have even one character that can match Starbuck, or Colonel Tigh, or Gaius Baltar. In fact, how many characters of the stature of Admiral Adama, or Galen Tyrol, or Number Eight, or Number Six do you ever encounter on the boob tube?

Even the minor characters shone incredibly brightly in the BSG constellation. The glorious bastard lawyer, Romo Lampkin, has already been mentioned, as well as the truly, madly, deeply evil Tory Foster. But there's also the charmingly urbane sociopath Number One, the angel-voiced Gaeta, the mysterious Ellen Tigh, and the beautifully cunning D'anna Biers. Hell it didn't even matter that two of the central characters (President Roslin and Apollo) were consistently as annoying as a two-headed Wesley Crusher.

Oh well.

It will probably take a while, but hopefully someone will come back to this again and do it right. The groundwork has been laid. This really could happen, especially considering the checkered prehistory that BSG already had going into the “reimagined” series.

Geert Wilders and Islam: Beyond Left & Right

These are not our only choices. Thank the Gods.

If it were to stand all on its own, the idea of a "liberal critique of Islam", as described in a previous post in this blog, would have two major deficiencies.

First of all, defending basic civil liberties against the encroachments of Islam need not, indeed it must not, fall prey to knee-jerk left-right dichotomizing. There is no special role for either liberals or conservatives, however those terms are construed, when it comes to defending the rights of all. However, in the current political climate in the US and Europe (oh, alright, and Canada, and Australia and New Zealand ...), those who are politically inclined to the left are often made to feel as if it is somehow impossible to be progressive and to oppose the regressive ideology of Islam.

Therefore it is justifiable to argue for a "liberal" critique of Islam in order to, if you will, create an intellectual space (or, to be more accurate, to shine light into an already existing space that has not so much been kept in the dark as it has been roped off with "Off Limits" signs posted around it) in which a progressive discourse of resistance to Islamization can develop and thrive.

But there is a second reason why (on its own) a simple call for a new "liberal critique of Islam" is off the mark. And that is because a genuine classical liberal critique of Islam is already being articulated, and that by no one other than the man who is arguably the world's most famous opponent of Islam: Geert Wilders.

There is no question that Wilders is often allied with people and groups "of the right". He and his PVV party hold many positions that are clearly right-leaning. But, and this is not news to most people any longer, there are significant variations in what ends up being lumped together under these labels "right", "left", "liberal" and "conservative".

PVV leader Geert Wilders & LeftGreen leader Femke Halsema

First and foremost, Wilders is a classical liberal. He espouses humanist values, and is reportedly an atheist (although he scrupulously avoids anything remotely anti-Christian or "anti-clerical" in his rhetoric). He makes support for women's equality and gay rights central to his critique of Islam. And he aggressively supports the infrastructure of the Dutch welfare state.

In fact, Wilders proudly takes credit for successfully (1) blocking cuts to unemployment benefits, and (2) preventing any weakening of Dutch government regulations of hiring and firing. Both of these were accomplished in direct opposition to the wishes of Wilder's right-wing partners in the new Dutch government.

But Wilders is also "tough on crime" in a way that is highly reminiscent of American Republican party rhetoric, including support for longer maximum prison sentences and mandatory minimum sentences. He also sounds far more "Republican" than "Libertarian" (in the sense that these terms are now used in American political discourse) when it comes to "soft" or "recreational" drugs. He is very strongly pro-Israel and an enthusiastic Zionist. He has been feted by Glenn Beck. And he has received sympathetic coverage in the conservative National Review magazine during the course of his trial, while the "mainstream" American media mostly ignores him, or grudgingly acknowledges his existence while labeling him a Islamophobic far-right extremist.

Wilders' relationship with the American right is very far from being all sweetness and light, however. After fawning over him on his show (in Feb. '09), Glenn Beck later turned on Wilders (in March '10) and even called him a fascist! But Beck did not execute this bat-turn all by himself. Nearly simultaneously he was joined by other leading lights of the FAUX News punditocracy in a Geert Wilders Smearfest. Such sudden and drastic changes of tune at NewsCorp do not simply happen on their own, as is well known, and speculation is that not only was this ordered from on high, but, more specifically, that Uncle Rupert was doing this as a favor to his Saudi buddies.

In addition to FOX falling out of love with him, Wilders also called off a major US appearance in March at a premier for a new documentary film (about Wilders), when he discovered the homophobic tendencies of the documentary's backers (and he made it clear that was why he was dissociating himself from the project).

And, just to make Wilders relationship with The Right even less predictable, he has consistently distanced himself from those elements of the political right that he finds incompatible with his own humanist values and classical liberal views. The British National Party and the Front National (of Jean-Marie Le Pen) are both frequently cited by Wilders as examples of genuinely racist movements with which he will have nothing whatsoever to do. (And these just happen to be the "far-right" groups and movements that leftists are eager to equate to any and all criticism of Islam.)

A newish group, the English Defense League, have been trying to associate themselves with Geert Wilders at least since March of this year, when Wilders delivered his much anticipated speech to the House of Lords. At that time, the EDL turned out in force to offer their unsolicited "support" to Wilders, but really they were hoping to polish their hooliganish public image. By loudly solidarizing with Wilders the EDL obviously sought to give the impression that their endorsement of him was reciprocated. Which it was not.

Then recently when the English Defense League announced another demonstrations, this time in Amsterdam, to once again declare their unsolicited and unwelcome "support" for Geert Wilders, Wilders told de Telegraaf: "I have no involvement with this demo, I've never been in touch with the EDL." Concerning the EDL demonstration, he was also quoted by the DutchNews.nl website as saying: "This demonstration means nothing to me. It is nothing to do with me, nor is the EDL. I only know the group from the newspapers and I have never had any contact with them."

Although Wilders, so far as I know, has stopped short of making any specific criticism of the EDL, it is not hard to see why he has no interest in their company. It's not just that they are, and transparently so, just another xenophobic street-gang made up of disaffected youths infected with hatred of foreigners and anyone else whose looks they don't like. And it's also not just that there are persistent accusations that they are nothing but a front group for the BNP, or possibly for some faction of the BNP. Its also that with their Crusader's Cross logo, accompanied by their "In this sign we conquer" motto, the EDL makes plain their proto-fascist vision of England as a "Christian nation." (Not to mention the fact that the group is run by a bunch of thuggish knuckleheads who all apparently hate each other.)

Here is an excerpt from Wilders' recent interview in Der Spiegel, in which he explains his views on "far right-wing parties" and "extremists":

"[T]he main thing for me is that I want to have absolutely nothing to do with far right-wing parties like the German Republikaner, Jean-Marie Le Pen's Front National in France and the British National Party.

"We want to have nothing to do with these far right-wing parties. Indeed, following our success in the European Union elections, we have joined no faction in the European Parliament. Ask our political opponents in the Netherlands: They may not share our opinions, but they do not all maintain that Wilders and his people are extremists. Anyone who labels 2 million Dutch as extremists does not insult me, but rather the voters."

I just want to reiterate that the idea of a "liberal" or "progressive" or "leftist" critique of Islam is still very important. It is necessary for people of different political views to be able to agree on basic issues such as freedom of speech, women's rights, and religious freedom, all of which are threatened by the spread and increasing influence of Islam. Resistance to Islamization should not be part of a package deal in which one is automatically enlisted on Pat Buchanan's side in the Culture Wars.

"I have never had any contact with them [the EDL]" Geert Wilders

Geert Wilders News Roundup

The first law of holes (stop digging).
On October 26, the Wall Street Journal published an editorial calling for all charges against Geert Wilders to be dropped: The Lost Cause Against Wilders. Quote from the editorial: "It's time to drop the charges against Mr. Wilders before it further undermines the credibility of the Dutch legal system and the country's tradition of free political discourse."

With friends like these . . . .
On October 30, the English Defense League organized a demonstration in Amsterdam "in support of Geert Wilders." Wilders told de Telegraaf: "I have no involvement with this demo, I've never been in touch with the EDL." Concerning the EDL demonstration, he was also quoted by the DutchNews.nl website as saying: "This demonstration means nothing to me. It is nothing to do with me, nor is the EDL. I only know the group from the newspapers and I have never had any contact with them."

"They may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one."
Dutch rapper Mosheb came out with a song in 2007 called "Who is next?", in which he brags that all those who criticize Islam will be killed. The song names Pim Fotuyn (murdered in 2002)  and Theo van Gogh (murdered in 2004), and then asks, "Who is next?" Mosheb doesn't want to leave too much to the imagination, though: "Listen Geert, this is no joke, last night I dreamed that I had cut off your head." On November 9, the appeals court in the Hague acquitted Mosheb of any wrongdoing "because it did not consider the text of his song constituted an offence," according to NisNews.nl.

"We have no problems with other skin colors, nor with Muslims -- our problem is with Islam."
Also on November 9, Der Spiegel published an English language translation of an interview with Wilders. Read the damn thing, already. It's quite fucking awesome.

Duh.
Also on November 9, DutchNews.nl announced that a new poll by the gay Dutch newspaper Gay Krant had found that among its readership Geert Wilders' PVV is now the most popular political party.

But what does he really think?

Yesterday, November 10, godless comedian Pat Condell released upon an unsuspecting world yet another spoken word broadside, this time on the subject of "Free Speech in Europe". It is primarily devoted to the trials of Geert Wilders and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff . Here's a taste: "Whatever happens at these two trials, this is just the beginning. The genie is out of the bottle, and no multicultural diversity fascist is going to put it back. Already, thousands are speaking out and making their voices heard in opposition to the relentless Islamization of our society. And soon, it's going to be millions. People who've had enough of political correctness, of being told what they're allowed to think and say, of being told to respect a religion that respects absolutely nobody. And they're finding out as they do speak out that they are not alone, and that they are not in fact fascists, hate-mongers, or racists at all, despite what they're told."

One more time with feeling.
Then today, November 11, it was suddenly announced that the new judges for Geert Wilders' new trial had been selected. As usual, the best place to get the low-down on this is at the Klein Verzet blog.

Toward a Liberal Critique of Islam

Adil Doukali, A Muslim chosen to represent Spain
in the 2007 International Bear Rendezvous.

The word liberal covers a great multitude of sins. But common to all the different uses and misuses of liberal is the underlying idea of liberality: "The quality of being open to new ideas and free from prejudice" (from the Oxford Online Dictionary). More mundanely, liberality can also simply mean generosity; in fact the Roman Goddess Liberalitas was the deified representation of the virtue of generosity.

Liberal opposition to Islam emphasizes the fact that Islam has, from its beginnings to today, always and everywhere been the enemy of individual freedom. The debased and degrading status of women in Muslim societies is Exhibit A in this critique. The criminalization of homosexuality and the brutalization of LGBT people is also a central issue, and so is the lack of freedom of speech in Muslim societies, as well as the absence of separation between church and state. Once upon a time such things as individual liberty, women's equality, sexual freedom, gay rights, freedom of speech, and separation of church and state were all core liberal values.

"I Can't Think Straight", the movie.

Reactionary opposition to Islam, on the other hand, is a very different animal. It is characterized first and foremost by an "us versus them" xenophobic attitude that is usually explicit, and that often proclaims itself proudly and crudely. To these close-minded reactionaries, the main problem with Islam is that it is foreign, and/or that it is not Christian. The oppression of women and lack of freedom generally in Muslim majority societies might be included in the reactionary critique of Islam, but only as a secondary consideration. This critique comes almost exclusively from fundamentalist Christians, and, therefore, the oppression of LGBT people under Islam is not even a peripheral issue. Freedom of speech is also not a genuine concern of these reactionary Christians, because they don't want their own religion subjected to public criticism. And separation of church and state is also a foreign concept to the right-wing Christian critics of Islam.

It is very easy, at least in theory and at least on paper, to clearly distinguish these two very different positions as I have above. But today it seems as if all criticism of Islam is automatically assumed to originate from the "far right", while the leftists have adopted a perverse lockstep apologetics in which Islam is mindlessly defended against all criticism, thus validating right-wing claims to ownership of opposition to Islam. How did this happen?

More Adil

After all, the rampant misogyny and homophobia, and the total lack of even a pretense of basic human rights in Muslim majority societies is hardly a well kept secret. Nevertheless, many progressives, liberals, and leftists have stupidly talked themselves into believing that the adherents of the world's second largest, and demonstrably most violent, religion are somehow the pitiable members of an oppressed minority group! This self-imposed delusional thinking is exacerbated by the way in which leftist parties and organizations have adopted pandering to Muslims as a strategy for gaining members and votes.

Several specific phenomena have fed into the Left's embrace of Islam and even of Islamism. First there was the invasion of Iraq, which succeeded in casting reactionary thugs in the role of "freedom fighters." Then there was the mother of all internet memes: "Obama is a Muslim", which succeeded in training progressives to associate negative representations of Islam with right-wing bullshit. To this has now been added the hysterical misrepresentations of the Israeli response to the so-called "peace flotilla", during which progressives proved that they had totally lost all contact with reality to such an extent that openly anti-Semitic, martyrdom seeking Jihadists were transformed into victimized "peace activists." And then to top it all of was the ludicrous progressive defense of the Ground Zero Mosque, led by that arch-progressive, Michael Bloomberg.

Probably more important than any of the above, though, has been the near total collapse of the secular left in the Arab and Muslim worlds. This collapse (greatly accelerated by the end of the Cold War) created a political opening that has allowed reactionary Islamists to go from strength to strength in terms of popular support among the Arab and Muslim masses. This has essentially silenced what should be the most important voice against Islam: those who know first hand what it means to live in "submission" (the literal meaning of "Islam").

Kiana Firouz, Iranian lesbian activist

It's gotten to the point where the "Religion" section at the Huffington Post is now dominated by thinly disguised (if that!) Islamic apologetics and Islamophobia-baiting, while politically progressive Pagans (whom Muslims have sworn to wipe off the face of the earth) line up to voice their clueless "Solidarity with Islam."

But I honestly do think that it is possible to make headway against this stream of mindless "sharia compliance" among supposed liberals. There are even positive signs, if one looks hard enough for them. For example, a recent poll found that the most popular political party in the Netherlands among gays is Geert Wilders PVV, according to the Dutch gay newspapaper Krant (as reported in the English language version of the DutchNews.nl website).

I suppose, though, that the real issue is for liberal-minded individuals to think for ourselves, regardless of the party-line being promoted by the Glenn Greenwalds, Andrew Sullivans, etc. Gee, what a concept. Independent thinking from the very people who claim to support the freedom of individuals to think for ourselves and to freely express own own individual opinions!

Gay victims of Islamist death squads in Sadr City, Iraq

Links:

• Geert Wilders and Islam: Beyond Left & Right
• Danish Socialists Denounce Islamist "Rubbish About No Freedom"
• "And if they don't meet these demands then you can send them back"
• "A religious axis of evil"
• "The Islamic Exception"
• The right to oppose Islam
• Melanie Philips on Lars Hedegaard
• A plague on both their houses: Notes toward a renewal of liberal anti-clericalism
• Getting Beyond Gingrich
• Islam, Free Speech, Tolerance, and Politics
• Spanish "bear" Adil Doukali at progressiveislam.org
• "Just another British, Indian, Muslim, Arab, Christian lesbian romantic comedy"
• The trials of an Iranian lesbian activist
• Iraq: Gay murders surge

"Horns Up!" (Nergal Update: Bone Marrow Match Found for Behemoth Frontman)

.

"Yes, we’ve found a donor!"

The following message was posted by Nergal (Adam Darski) on the official Behemoth website. It is translated from Polish (the translation is now up at the English version of the Behemoth website):

"Hello everyone! I’m still in the hospital but in quite a good shape so I write to let you know about my health and the further stages of treatment.

"I’ve been through four planned chemotherapies and have stayed in hospital for over 3 months now. I’ve gone through the whole therapy smoothly, though I also had a couple of difficult moments. All this means I finish the stage of pharmacological treatment and I am about to start the irradiation and then the marrow transplant.

"Yes, we’ve found a donor!

"Having searched for months, the fundation has found a person whose genotype is identical to mine. It would have been difficult to achieve if it wasn’t for the support of so many people.

"Most of all, I want to express my admiration for Dorota - my wonderful and devoted fiancée. She did everything she could to help me and many other people, regardless of adversities and comments which were often unfair. Your help is invaluable! Thank you! I love you.

"On behalf of me and all other people ill I thank everyone who registered in the bone marrow bank regardless of origin, skin colour or religion. The concerts for charity have been organised all over the world and people of show business, bands and, most of all, the fans got deeply involved. You are beyond great! One of you made my transplant possible, but remember, your attitude may save many others in need.

"So I appeal to everyone: don’t stop the madness! The march for victory continues! Horns up!"

Also: The new Evangelia Heretika set (2 DVD's, 1 CD) goes on sale in the US tomorrow. Check out the MetalBlade.Com website for details.

And if you are not familiar at all with Nergal, or only know a little and would like some background information, check out these three posts:

• Nergal: "Po moim trupie!" ("Over my dead body!")
• More on Nergal's Case
• "Music that is so extreme, so politically incorrect and so evil."