R-E-S-P-E-C-T find out what it means to me
(Sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me, sock it to me...)
The Feb 11/06 edition of The Bangkok Post had a piece on the Cartoon Hoax, discussing the current protests and rioting in various Asian countries. (If you care to read the entire article, "Islam-West divide grows", you'll have to register with The Bangkok Post first.)
This caught my eye:
About 175 students at an Islamic school in Surabaya, in East Java province, signed a pact saying they are "ready to die" for Prophet Mohammed, and would confront any Danes they meet, said their headmaster, Yusuf Muhajir.
He said, "They will ask Danish citizens wherever they meet to apologize. They will be slapped if they refuse to apologize."
"The slap is merely intended as a lesson, instead of hurting them."
Oh well, I guess that makes it OK then.
When you think about it, you could actually call this a minor victory in the Global War on Terrorism. I mean, it's kinda moderate, isn't it? It sure beats bombing folks indiscriminately in Balinese nightclubs, doesn't it?
So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you, Yusuf. Until now, I was entirely ignorant about the graciousness of Indonesian hospitality. What in the world could be better than an idyllic vacation with sun, sand, snorkelling...and virtually limitless prospects for public humiliation?
UPDATE (Mar 17/06): Sounds like Yusuf is an Indonesian moderate because today we learned that eleven percent of the population are pro-suicide bombing. That works out to 24 million - exceeding the number of people currently living in Taiwan.
Oh yeah - and 50% of Indonesians support stoning adulterers.
