Q: What's the Difference Between Darfur and Afghanistan?
Rob Long ·
Jul 29, 2010 at 9:30am
A: Darfur is cooler. How else to explain why stories like James' below, and this video, from David Horowitz, aren't inspiring Darfur-like responses? Remember Darfur? We had rock concerts and protests and brave op-eds and a huge left-wing cultural mission to Do Something About Darfur. Meanwhile, in an unfashionable part of the world:
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Jun '10
Re: Q: What's the Difference Between Darfur and Afghanistan?
In many places in this world, a woman is not a woman. She's a womb on legs. In violent societies, run by the most ruthless kid on the block, that's the role of a woman--producing the next ruthless kid.
Re: Q: What's the Difference Between Darfur and Afghanistan?
The video is chilling--especially how she lists one honor killing after another, many of them occurring in Western nations (US, Canada, Britain).
I know that honor killings are not part of mainstream Islam--only the radical fringes--but you can't help indict Islam itself in this type of violent, sexist behavior. But one question I have--which I always have when thinking about regressive practices associated with Islam--is this: is Islam the cause of honor killings or are they relics of tribal culture? Does it matter?
On a related note, is there anything akin to honor killings in the history of Christianity or Judaism?
Jul '10
Re: Q: What's the Difference Between Darfur and Afghanistan?
Yes, Rob, you are correct. Strange how a rape victim in Afghanistan/Pakistan can be convicted of adultery, but that's not as worthy of our attention as the same thing occurring in Darfur. So how are we to prioritize? It is interesting that the left continually disses Administrations' efforts to engage an enemy where we actually have a national interest, but think it's OK for the US to commit blood and treasure where we have limited to zero national interest. Perhaps this "prioritization" is what really bothers them? It is brutal to choose. But when/where do we draw the line? Wouldn't other cultures still harp on America for "imposing their ideas/mores" in an Empire-like fashion? Tough to figure out.
May '10
Re: Q: What's the Difference Between Darfur and Afghanistan?
And from whom, I so humbly ask, was freedom expected when it came to Darfur? Who would have been charged with trekking to and liberating that god-forsaken place, i.e., performing the very dirty work? Of course, our dispensable, reusable armed forces, particularly the Army and the Marine Corps. So much for the anti-war sentiment on the left (those on the left who argued for a humanitarian intervention, anyway).
And who would have paid for this grand undertaking of international altruism? Of course, our taxpayers with their boundless wealth. Sigh...
May '10
Re: Q: What's the Difference Between Darfur and Afghanistan?
Emily Esfahani Smith: ...is Islam the cause of honor killings or are they relics of tribal culture? Does it matter?
On a related note, is there anything akin to honor killings in the history of Christianity or Judaism?
Islam, that is, the passages in the Koran and the Haddiths or sayings of Mohammed, do endorse cruelty towards pagans and non-believers. As for honour killings - I'm not confident.
As for Christianity and Judaism, there are quite a few rules of social conduct in the Old Testament that carry draconian punishments if they're violated. Stoning is certainly prescribed in the OT as well. Young, Jewish women would have had much to be cautious about at the time.
May '10
Re: Q: What's the Difference Between Darfur and Afghanistan?
For the most part, no, it does't matter. As I said in another thread, whether the link between Islam and such evils is causal or coincidental, that link surely exists and must be confronted somehow.
If we have performed evils in the past, that does not mean we should tolerate similar evils today. Even if Islam is likely to change tomorrow, that does not absolve us of the responsibility to save its victims today.
Our challenge is to identify and balance the consequences of ways we might respond.
Abortion clinic bombings are a useful analogy. If one believes that abortion always involves the unacceptable slaying of a child, then one might think it's as acceptable to kill the murderous mother or abortionist to save the child as it is for a policeman to gun down a kidnapper with a knife to the throat of his hostage. The problem is that killing the mother does not save the child. Nor does killing an abortionist stop abortions.
Similarly, wars sometimes cost lives without saving any.