Blasphemy or democracy? Egypt cleric tears up, burns New Testament at US Embassy

NBC News ^ | September 28, 2012 | Ayman Mohyeldin

[rightwingintelligentsia]

Updated at 3:49 a.m. ET: CAIRO – An ultra-conservative Islamist cleric in Egypt faces charges of blasphemy after he allegedly tore up and burned copies of the New Testament at a protest in front of the American Embassy in Cairo.

Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud Abdallah, also known as Sheikh Abu Islam, is part owner of a private ultra-conservative Islamic TV station known as Al Uma and was participating in demonstrations against a U.S.-made movie denigrating the Prophet Muhammad that swept the Muslim world in the last month.

Egypt’s General Prosecutor accused Abu Islam and his son, the channel's executive director, of insulting religion – in this case Christianity.

The case is a rare example of the country’s often-criticized blasphemy laws being used against someone who allegedly insulted a religion that is not Islam. That trial is scheduled to begin September 30.

[blueyon]

Gee can we Christians have him arrested like the “movie maker” was?

[Leep]

Get a hair cut and get a real job.
Their profet must be weak if he needs these waste products to do his? work.

[Tex-Con-Man]

I'm issuing a fatwa on Monty Python for “Life of Brian”.

[bmwcyle]

As a Christian knows:

Isaiah 35:4

Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

Hebrews 10:30

For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.

[Windflier]

"Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud Abdallah, also known as Sheikh Abu Islam..."

And they wonder why we snigger. Sounds like something from Saturday Night Live.

[DManA]

Heard a good one on a local talk show this morning.

Guy suggested building an Islamic doomsday machine. This would be a printer generating pages of the Koran that are fed directly into an incinerator. Put a web cam on the doomsday machine.

In a couple of weeks ever radical muslim head will explode. Problem solved.

[molson209]

It’s only paper and ink , I wonder if bought it or did he steal it

[buffaloguy]

We can print them faster than you can burn them, Bucko.

[pallis]

Why should anyone in the West be burdened with judging the actions of this kook as anything other than the actions of a kook? Every Muslim living is a blasphemy against the True God, reason, and liberty. Democracy has nothing to do with Islam. Here’s a question: What makes Muslims so ignorant they think silliness, like burning a New Testament, means anything to enlightened Christians who know how to print more of them? Even symbol enamored Christians are not so detached from reason that they confuse the person of Christ with things that represent him, including scripture. Jesus came to free us, not to enslave us in ignorance. Leave the ignorance up to Mohammad, his petty god, and the kooks who buy into symbolic oppression.

[Daveinyork]

the nerve of that guy. He’d better not burn Atlas Shrugged. Then all of us libertarians will have to riot.

[RummyChick]

If anyone has access to Debka - they are running a story that Stevens knew his killers because he ran them as double agents.

http://www.debka.com/article/22386/

[The Great RJ]

That no Christian mobs incensed by this “blasphemy” will be storming and burning the embassies of Muslim countries, tearing down and burning their flags and murdering their ambassadors shows the stark contrast between Christianity and Islam. Jesus taught to pray for those who persecute you, to turn the other cheek and not seek vengeance. Islam is rooted in the 6th century with blood feuds, revenge, honor killings and the killing of "unbelievers".

[Wings-n-Wind]

I wonder if he READ the New Testament first...
... perhaps a side-by-side comparison with the Kooran?? No wait...

...never mind....

[paudio]

This guy did this with an assumption that people would equate the Bible and Quran as the Holy Book for respective religion. They're not the same. Quran for Muslims is the relation from God. Every aspect of it is sacred since it's God's Word given to men on the 17th day of Ramadan. For Christian,Christ himself is the Word of God. The Bible is 'merely' a chronicle of his ministry in this world.

For this reason, Muslims go berserk if someone disrespect (the physical) Quran. Christians wouldn't be happy if someone disrespect the Bible, but not at the same level as Muslims do.

[Cronos]

Should be interesting. For Christians, this doesn't matter -- we don't worship a book. They can burn the Bible if they want, we won't behead people.

however, this is interesting as a test of Blasphemy laws. If in Egypt one is blaspheming by burning the Bible, then it should be very, very insteresting

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

The only way I would get upset over this destruction of ink on paper is if the book he destroyed was a hand lettered on real parchment maybe 1400 years old and cost huge amounts of money to make.

I’ve seen modern bibles wore out from use thrown in the trash and new ones bought with no rioting.

If he really wanted to make a statement, try destroying an original Gutenberg bible or a 1st edition KJV.

[alancarp]

Exactly - plus the prophets of the God of Israel were routinely insulted, stoned, beheaded, exiled, villified, chased, and more (even sawed in half, if you accept the traditional view of Isaiah's death). They all suffering great hardships in their roles. Never mind what was done to the Son of God Himself.

Islam's prophet was a war-mongering adulterous sexual predator who is honored and raised to near-deity status.

Interesting distinctions.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

OMG! After reading this I began to foam at the mouth! Oh wait, that is slobber from smelling the BACON cooking in the kitchen.

[Jemian]

This highlihts yet another difference between the ROP and Christianity. They think the paper and ink are holy. We do not.

But it is EgypT where this is happening. Let them deal with it.

[Rumplemeyer]

I wonder what the reaction would be if a flash mob of 500 mooned the Egyptian consulate...as a show of contempt