[Buddha-l] more signs of mappo

[Dan Lusthaus]

> The shariah (or sharia) applies only to Muslims (hope Williams knows
that).

Not exactly. It also applies to how Muslims interact with and treat others.
If you follow the news in the Mideast -- e.g., Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, etc.,
where there are non-Muslim minorities, this can get quite troublesome. As
your own example begins to illustrate:

> if a Buddhist girls sleeps with a married Muslim guy, the latter is
punished
> but not the
> former.

In the Mideast, she would be killed ("Honor killings") -- by her own family
(father, brother). A case in Lebanon some months back became big news there.
At first the girl, who had run off with a non-Muslim, was arrested and
imprisoned, her sentence being indeterminate in length. Her immediate family
convinced a cousin of hers, who barely knew her, to marry her, so she would
be released from prison. He did, so she was released and as they lived
together for a few months he fell in love with her. One night her brother
came over, and killed her. The cousin, distraught, was encouraged to let it
go, but he began to protest through various channels. Others (Western
feminists and Lebanese reformers) began to take up the case, since the
details were so stark and compelling. The head cleric of Lebanon eventually
weighed in (he is associated with the govt.), and delivered a speech
declaring that honor killings are not Islamic and should be abandoned. When
people in the street were interviewed by reporters on their reaction to the
cleric's comment, they said, and I quote: "If he said that, we'll kill him."

He's still alive as far as I know, and the day when honor killings are
abolished is still very far away.

How would you like to be a boyfriend to a girl with a family like that,
especially if you have no plans of converting to Islam?

And this isn't even the "radical" variety that everyone talks about -- just
the ordinary sundry variety.

On the other hand, there are many intelligent, civilized aspects to Sharia.
But they don't mix well with 21st c sensibilities. As Richard can tell you,
those protesting the loudest in Canada, insisting that Sharia should NOT be
accomodated, are Muslims themselves, who don't want to be strapped down by
it.

>
> Assalammualaikum wa rahmat buddha wahi barakatu
> (Peace be upon you and the blessings of the Buddha's goodness, more or
less)

rahmat means compassionate, so Buddha's compassion.
Allah is also merciful and compassionate (rahman rahmin) as well as great
(akbar).

Dan