This morning's message from the British Humanist Association

[mr blur]

On the tragic events in Paris
An attack on freedom and human dignity

We live in an uncertain, fragile world.

And yet in this world, there is joy. We find a way, through the hardships of life, the pains, the tribulations, the daily struggles, to make life mean something more.

We socialise. We enjoy the pleasures of music or a good book. We watch films. We play sports. We enjoy a drink, or a meal. We find joy, and happiness, in life itself. And we can do so freely, whatever our tastes may be, so long as we do not harm others.

In a city like Paris, all interests are catered for. It is a city characterised not so much by its politics, architecture, or history so much as it is by life itself. By joy. By the bustle of humanity. By the diverse preferences and tastes of millions living side by side.

And yet life itself, the joy of living, was the target of Islamic extremists with a burning hatred for these very freedoms on Friday night, killing well over 100 people. They did not attack infrastructure, politicians, military personnel, or sites of historical or cultural significance. They targeted innocent people, going about their lives, trying to make it through this difficult and complicated world with a modicum of fun and lightness. Something we all aspire to.

It was, in every sense, an attack on multiculturalism; an attack on how we find happiness, outside the confines of a strict religious code of submission; an attack on the secular, enlightened spirit embodied by Paris's vibrant, varied culture.

Our hearts go out to all those affected, over the world. And not just by events in Paris but those in Beirut and Syria and everywhere the cruel hand of religious extremism is felt.

Today we make one request of you. And it is a simple one.

Enjoy your life.

Make it count.

And don't let the murderers win.

Our dream is of a tolerant, open society with a secular state ensuring the human rights of everyone, where we can all go about living the kinds of lives we want for ourselves.

That dream, that essential humanist cause, is now more important than ever.

https://humanism.org.uk/

I've no comment to make, just wanted to post this.

[mountain grammy]

2. That Atlantic article is great. I have it bookmarked and have read it more than once.

I've never believed they hate us for our freedoms. If it were only that simple.
That said, this is a beautiful statement.

[onager]

3. Well, they hate us for our music too...

The American is primitive in his artistic taste, both in what he enjoys as art and in his own artistic works. "Jazz" music is his music of choice. This is that music that the Negroes invented to satisfy their primitive inclinations, as well as their desire to be noisy on the one hand and to excite bestial tendencies on the other.

Quote from Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian with a Hitler moustache who practically invented the modern jihadist movement. (I know, only white folks can be racist and Mr. Qutb was just expressing his Deeply Held Religious Beliefs, insert usual apologist BS here, etc. etc.)

He was executed in 1966 for trying to overthrow the Egyptian government and establish a sharia paradise, along with his buddies in the Muslim Brotherhood. Some of this may sound vaguely familiar nowadays.

IMO, it's almost impossible to understand ISIS & Co. without some knowledge of Qutb. The really curious can tackle his masterpiece commentary on the Quran, Fi Zilal al-Quran (In the Shade of the Qur'an). It runs to 30 volumes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayyid_Qutb

Thanks for the article, Mr. Blur. It was well-said.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Which is not that far from what ISIS said about the concert in Paris

"the Bataclan where hundreds of idolaters were together in a party of perversity " http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article44876634.html

(and they called Paris "capital of prostitution and obscenity&quot

[mr blur]

4. Well actually, it doesn't repeat the awful Bush-ism "they hate us for our freedom",

it says "for these very freedoms" - points out the things they do hate, that their religion frowns on: singing, having a drink, dancing, men and women mixing, things "we can do so freely, whatever our tastes may be, so long as we do not harm others".

[AlbertCat]

5. Enjoy your life. Make it count. And don't let the murderers win.

I wish America had done this after 9/11.

Boy, did the terrorists win! So much confrontation...about everything!