Not even the publishers of the famous "Wicked Bible" from 1631, where the crucial word "not" was left out of "Thou shalt not commit adultery," got 20 years in prison.
Sharia Alert, and an update on this story. "20 years' jail for errors in Koran translation," from AdelaideNow, September 13:
An Afghan court has sentenced an ex-journalist and a mullah to 20 years in prison each for publishing a translation of the Koran alleged to contain errors, friends and media rights groups said today.
Afghan and international media rights organisations condemned the sentences handed down yesterday and called on President Hamid Karzai to intervene.
Former journalist Ahmed Ghous Zalmai was arrested in November trying to escape into Pakistan as religious clerics and parliament were in an uproar about a Dari-language version of the Muslim holy book he had published.
Mullah Qari Mushtaq, who was sentenced with him, had approved the version which other clerics and parliamentarians claimed contained errors and misunderstandings about issues such as homosexuality and adultery.
Critics also complained the book did not include the original Arabic text as required by Islamic law.
"We appeal to the President's spirit of tolerance and ask him to intercede on behalf of two men who have been given extremely severe sentences," said Paris-based Reporters Without Borders and Article 19, another rights watchdog.
"Their aim was not to violate Islamic law, but only to promote the Koran among the Persian-speaking peoples," they said in a statement.
Afghan media unions have also called on Mr Karzai to intervene, said Hafiz Barakzai from the National Union of Journalists.
"This is an academic issue .... (Islamic) scholars should sit and discuss it," he told AFP.
Two brothers of Zalmai who had been arrested with him on charges of trying to help him flee the country were freed yesterday after being held in jail for seven-and-a-half months, a friend said, labelling the detentions illegal.
Zalmai, expected to appeal, had been a fairly outspoken TV journalist in the 1980s, Reporters Without Borders said. At the time of his arrest, he was a spokesman in the office of the attorney-general. [...]
Afghanistan's judicial system is based on Islamic Sharia law which forbids criticism of Islam and rules that the death penalty should be applied in cases of blasphemy.
"This is an academic issue..."
Hardly. Not even if Islamic scholars discuss it till the cows come home.
And I'm sure that jackal Hamid Karzai will be a lot of help in addressing the less important human rights issues.
American boys are dying in this hellhole in support of a system of government which permits a man to be jailed for twenty years because he published an unapproved religious text. And everyone knows he got off damned easy.
If not for precious American blood being spilled in rocky terrain perfect for a good stoning, it would be hard to care less about "academic" issues in Afghanistan.
I wouldn't be surprised if the "errors" said that homosexuals SHOULDN'T be killed, and that adultery shouldn't be punished by stoning.
Oh no!
What would they say about my copy with bacon strips as bookmarkers?
Why is it, every time I see the phrase, "islamic scholar", I have the urge to snort.
Up here in the Great White North we are having an election too. Our present Prime Minister has stated we will not extend our mission in Afghanistan past the already extended date of 2011. I support our troops - and all of the coalition troops - and I believe Canadians must honour our commitment, but may the day soon come when we are out of there. Ultimately there will be no change in Afghanistan. Of course by 2011 the "coalition of good" may well be fighting in Pakistan as well.
"We appeal to the President's spirit of tolerance and ask him to intercede on behalf of two men who have been given extremely severe sentences,"
...Being forced to be a Muslim is an extremely severe sentence...
I'm so proud the West are keeping these bloody lunatics in power. It makes my breast swell to think that we're supporting Sharia law and Heroin production simultaneously.
I bet Gordon all be mentioning this on the telly, how proud he is of our Muslim allies.
Bet the media will not even mention it, let alone take politicians to task about it. Sickening.
Nothing new here. in this youtube link Peter Sellers relates a story Peter O'Toole told him about a scene from Lawrence of Arabia in which an English actor playing some arab is reciting a passage from the koran to the king, played by Alec Guinness. The jordanian king allowed them to film the scene in jordan, provided that an imam was always on the set to ensure that the koran was never misquoted. start listening at the 5 minute mark.
Ultimately there will be no change in Afghanistan."
-- from a posting above
Except that if more Afghanis do not have to engage in subsistence farming, thanks to Infidel aid, and if they --- and the Taliban, and other bringers of the Good Muslim Word -- can travel about more easily on roads and bridges built by those same Infidels, and if there is a better television grid, and greater access to computeers and the Internet where the full message of Islam can be head, then from the Infidel point of view, whatever change there is will be for the worse.
And the same goes for iraq and Pakistan.
But in general you are probably right: there will be no change in Afghanistan. Or Pakistan. Or Iraq. Unless we leave them now, and let them sink, not swim.
Afghanistan's judicial system is based on Islamic Sharia law which forbids criticism of Islam and rules that the death penalty should be applied in cases of blasphemy.
----
Isn't it great to know that we are fighting for such a noble cause?
And here I thought Bush was busy exporting Democracy.
From all the evidence found all around us I have a feeling he is much busier importing islam.
No need to raise blood pressures by recounting the manifold ways.. we all know.
from the article:
"Mullah Qari Mushtaq, who was sentenced with him, had approved the version which other clerics and parliamentarians claimed contained errors and misunderstandings about issues such as homosexuality and adultery."
Yep, this is a sure sign that the long-awaited islamic reformation is just around the corner.
the missing link to the Peter Sellers' interview mentioned above:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu_mctDE1Hs
Let's see-
1. The country is devastated due to the Soviets and the Taliban.
2. The Taliban are still hanging around waiting for their luck to change.
3. Massive infrastructure repair is needed.
4. Opium and Heroin are the major cash crops.
5. Little girls are still being married to old men.
6. There are very few schools that haven't been blow up by the Taliban.
7. Women still have to wear burkas.
8. Warlords still dominate rural areas.
And so what is the number one issue?
Someone translating the Qur'an.
Why do we bother?
sheik,
Thanks for the link, it was hilarious! Peter Sellers was the best.