sharma-arke451

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Posts posted by sharma-arke451

  1. Posted

    Scientific justification

     

    Indeed he makes the case for this violence explicitly, putting him in class with the worst proponents of scientific racism of the 20th century - including those who helped provide scientific justification for the horrors of European fascism.

     

    Far from being a hyperbolic characterisation of his views, Harris has stated that the correct policy with regard to Western Muslim populations is in fact that which is currently being pursued by contemporary fascist movements today. In Harris' view:

     

    "The people who speak most sensibly about the threat that Islam poses to Europe are actually fascists."

     

    Given the recent murders and threats to turn Muslim immigrants "into soap" by the most prominent of these fascist movements, this statement leads to understandably troubling questions about what Harris finds attractive and "sensible" about openly racist and genocidal far-right political movements.

     

    The right to atheism - as well as the right to criticize Islam or any other religion as a system of belief - is as fundamental as the right of any religious adherent to practice their faith. Islam as an intellectual movement is not above scrutiny any more than any other religious tradition, and attempts to shut down legitimate debate using the charge of Islamophobia should be rejected.

     

    However, what is being pursued today by individuals such as Harris and others under the guise of disinterested observation is something far more insidious. By resurrecting the worst excesses of scientific racism and its violent corollaries, Harris is heir to one of the most disreputable intellectual lineages in modern history.

     

    Where once scientific racism was trotted out to justify the horrific institution of slavery, today it is produced to justify the wars of aggression, torture and extra-judicial killings of the 21st century. Scientists in the service of power, who once employed Phrenology to "prove" the racial inferiority of blacks, now enthusiastically push forward the belief that Muslims as a people lack basic humanity.

     

    While those individuals who have provided the intellectual ammunition for the excesses of the present era will inevitably find themselves as dishonoured as their racist predecessors, in the present they should nonetheless be recognised as the dangerous ideologues which they are.

     

    Just as it is incumbent upon Muslims to marginalise their own violent extremists, mainstream atheists must work to disavow those such as Harris who would tarnish their movement by associating it with a virulently racist, violent and exploitative worldview.

     

    Murtaza Hussain is a Toronto-based writer and analyst focused on issues related to Middle Eastern politics.

     

    Follow him on Twitter: @MazMHussain

     

    The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial policy.

  2. Posted

    Scientific racism is a term seldom used today but which has a long and ignoble history in the modern world. In the late 18th century, the renowned scientist and philosopher Christoph Meiners published his famous treatise The Outline and History of Mankind. Central to his analysis was a qualitative comparison of peoples by race - a comparison which his own popularly-accepted findings claimed revealed a clear hierarchy.

     

    Drawing in large part on the now-discredited science of Phrenology (the measurement of human skulls), Meiners described whites as being endowed with clear superiority to all races in both their intellectual as well as moral faculties.

     

    About blacks, his scientific analysis was far less generous - finding them not only to be inferior to whites in every mental capacity but in fact "incapable of any mental feeling or emotion at all", as well as "unable to feel physical pain".

     

    As influential as it was, Meiners' work was par for the course in the institutionalised science of racism of the age. Famous philosopher Voltaire - whose works were among the most significant of the French Enlightenment - wrote of his empirical research on those humans who possessed dark skin:

     

    "They are not men, except in their stature, with the faculty of speech and thought at a degree far distant to ours. Such are the ones that I have seen and examined."

     

    While they wore a veneer of disinterested scientific analysis in their conclusions, in the context of their times it can be seen that such proponents of scientific racism had the specific goal of legitimating certain policies. With regard to those of African descent, the intention of then-contemporary scientists was often - implicitly or explicitly - to report findings which could be used to justify the socio-political institutions of slavery and colonialism against African societies.

     

    Institutional racism

     

    Alongside routine characterisations of blacks in scientific analyses as naturally childish and in need of patronage from "superior races", were outright claims regarding the scientific necessity for slavery as a natural phenomenon. While the prominent American physician Josiah Nott wrote that "the negro achieves his greatest perfection, physical and moral, and also greatest longevity, in a state of slavery", others such as Samuel Cartwright diagnosed aversion to slavery among blacks as a full-fledged disease unto itself.

     

     

    Calling the purported malady "drapetomania", Cartwright wrote that it was a legitimate mental defect which could be treated by visiting corporal punishment upon blacks - up to and including amputation.

     

    We rightly recoil with horror today at what we know to be the false claims and methodologies of the pseudoscience of the past. The level of institutional racism masked under scientific study reached a particularly horrific apex at Paris' infamous "human zoo" - where peoples of different races lived their lives for both scientific observation as well as the enjoyment of the general public.

     

    Viewed in proper context it can be seen that the crudest racism has often been cloaked in the guise of disinterested scientific inquiry. Those claiming this mantle have often felt licence to engage in overt bigotry using science as a smokescreen, and yet far from being a relic of history, many celebrity-scientists of today show startling parallels with their now-dishonoured predecessors.

     

    In the present atmosphere, characterised by conflict with Muslim-majority nations, a new class of individuals have stepped in to give a veneer of scientific respectability to today's politically-useful bigotry.

     

    At the forefront of this modern scientific racism have been those prominently known as the "new atheist" scientists and philosophers. While they attempt to couch their language in the terms of pure critique of religious thought, in practice they exhibit many of the same tendencies toward generalisation and ethno-racial condescension as did their predecessors - particularly in their descriptions of Muslims.

     

    To be utterly clear, Islam itself does not denote a race, and Muslims themselves come from every racial and ethnic grouping in the world. However, in their ostensibly impartial critiques of "religion" - and through the impartation of ethno-cultural attributes onto members of a religious group - the most prominent new atheists slide with ease into the most virulent racism imaginable.

     

    That this usefully dovetails with government policies promoting the military subjugation of Muslim-majority countries is telling with regard to what purpose these contemporary scientist-philosophers serve.

     

    While one could cite Richard Dawkins' descriptions of "Islamic barbarians" and Christopher Hitchens' outright bloodlust towards Muslims - including lamentations of the ostensibly too-low death toll in the Battle of Fallujah and his satisfied account of cluster bombs tearing through the flesh of Iraqis - these have been widely discussed and are in any case not the most representative of this modern phenomena.

     

    Indeed, the most illustrative demonstration of the new brand of scientific racism must be said to come from the popular author and neuroscientist Sam Harris. Among the most publicly visible of the new atheists, in the case of Muslims Harris has publicly stated his support for torture, pre-emptive nuclear weapons strikes, and the security profiling of not just Muslims themselves, but in his own words "anyone who looks like he or she could conceivably be Muslim".

     

    Islam is not a race

     

    Again, while Islam is not a race, those who are identified with Islam are the predominantly black and brown people who would be caught up in the charge of "looking Muslim" which Harris makes. Harris has also written in the past his belief that the "Muslim world" itself lacks the characteristic of honesty, and Muslims as a people "do not have a clue about what constitutes civil society".

     

    His sweeping generalisations about a constructed civilisation encompassing over a billion people are coupled with fevered warnings - parallel with the most noxious race propaganda of the past - about the purported demographic threat posed by immigrant Muslim birthrates to Western civilisation.

     

    Harris' pseudoscientific characterisations of Muslims dovetail nicely with his extreme right-wing views on military intervention in Muslim-majority countries. As he has said:

     

    "It is time we admitted that we are not at war with terrorism. We are at war with Islam."

     

    This belief in the need to fight open-ended war against Muslims has extended to both his steadfast support of the Iraq War, as well as to the conflict between Israel and Palestine which - ironically enough for one in his position as a scientist - he sees in strictly religious terms. About this issue he has written:

     

    "Liberals ignore the fact that Muslims intentionally murder non-combatants, while we and the Israelis seek to avoid doing so. Muslims use human shields, and this accounts for much of the collateral damage we and the Israelis cause… there is no question that the Israelis now hold the moral high ground."

     

    Citing "Muslims" as a solid monolith of violent evil - whilst neglecting to include the countless Muslims who have lost their lives peacefully protesting the occupation and ongoing ethnic cleansing of their homeland - Harris engages in a nuanced version of the same racism which his predecessors in scientific racism practiced in their discussion of the blanket characteristics of "Negroes".

     

    Indeed he argues in his book that the only suitable form of government for Muslim people is "benign dictatorship", an echo of the 19th century social theorist George Fitzhugh who argued in favour of slavery by saying:

     

    "The Negro is but a grown up child, and must be governed as a child."

     

    Finally, dismissing the possibility that Muslims may have legitimate objections to being subjects of torture, murder, and - as he's advocated - wholesale nuclear genocide, Harris helpfully states:

     

    "The outrage that Muslims feel over US and British foreign policy is primarily the product of theological concerns."

     

    A statement of deeper myopia and more emboldened ignorance would be hard to produce. However, what is nearly certain is that Harris' nightmares about, in his words "dangerous and depraved" (not to mention monolithically terrifying and foreign) Muslim hordes aided him in making it.

     

    What Harris and those like him represent is the time-honoured tradition of weaponised racism in the guise of disinterested scientific observation. When Harris - as a scientist - claims to observe the innate dishonesty, violence and intellectual inferiority of Muslims, he gives his own scientific approval to the propagation of the most heinous violence against them as a people.

  8. Posted

    so far, uhuru is leading with 600000 votes, at 53.36% while raila is at 42.06%

    this percentages were calculated based on the number of valid casted votes, in contrary to the legal provision of calculating the total national casted votes. As of now, the rejected votes stand at over 300000 votes,

    Therefore, should the due process followed in determining the winner, who has to garner 51% of the national votes, it might lead to a tie.

    The electral body said it will use the legal provision in determining the percentages, and that has caused a sharp reaction from the jubillee coalition running mate ruto. Who said that decision has been influenced by western diplomats to deny their presidential candidate first round win.

    We shall see what comes of that.

  11. Posted

    gheelle t, the registered voters in wajir county specically does not reach 6000 voters, this doesn't in any way reflect on the real population of the people. Some people don't go for the registration exercise and that is the major contributing factor. And in general, the north eastern province voter registration turn out was very low, hence not a primary province.

     

    Having said that, as at now, the provisional results indicate uhuru leading by a margin of 410 thousand, although his percentage lead dropped by 2% from 56% to 54% and raila odinga's percentage rose by 2% from 38% to 40%.

    These are the from 8000 of 3100 polling station.

    hence this figure as at now do not mean much, because the basket votes are yet to be counted.

     

    For any presidential candidate to be declared winner he mus garner more than half of the total national votes cast, and at least 25% of the counties, if not the two leading candidates will go for a re-election exercise after one month in april 5. This might be a tight new rule, which highlights the possibility of a re-run.

  12. Posted

    it is dark for mudavadi because his home town vihiga is has almost a tie between him and raila. That tells alot.

    its hard to tell much now because some strong holds for some party is turning out to vote other parties.

    For wajir, the candidate for eagle alliance (whose presidential candidate is peter keneth,) strong hold is what has been reflected in the results, and mark you, not all polling stations in wajir have submitted their full results,,,,,, we have to wait.

  13. Posted

    the update from iebc is very sophisticated, since they are feeding the system with a county whose only for example 21% of the votes has been counted.

    As at now, 8.8% of the national votes has been counted, and uhuru is leading by about 130 thousand. The result is at very early stage, and there is pattern which is being followed.

  14. Posted

    the tallying has started at the bomas of kenya, where the electral body, IEBC is camping.

    Premature early results indicate uhur being ahead by over twenty thousand votes. As at now, not even more than 5% of the cast votes have been counted.

  17. Posted

    of course the north eastern is significant, but it is not a primary determinant for who will win. their vote is divided, between TNA and ODM. there is no straight support for any particular party.

    all business premises are closed, and the voter turn out is extremely large.

    the results will be announced 48 hours after closing of the polling stations i.e 5:00pm in the evening today.

     

    Mr. Mohamed dida, is a Muslim Somali presidential candidate, although his support base is narrow. but he is gaining the future public figure.

  18. Posted

    so far so good. The election process is going smooth.

    For the somali community, there are 4 contestants for the kamukunji seat. Among them, yussuf hassan has the majority support, although he is still in hospital recovering from injuries on his both legs. Yussuf is the most likely winner in that seat.

    The other somali aspirant for the deputy governor of nairobi is ibrahim johny, with jimnah mbaru of the apk party. Their chances are narrow because of the stiff competition from cord and jubillee governors contestants,, dr. Evans kidero and ferdinand waititu respectively.

  20. Posted

    Today, the 4th of march 2013, kenyans have gone to the polling stations to decide on the historic election for the next president and new elective posts like the governors, senators and county representative.

    This is one election in kind because of the registration tools used, the bvr and the political height of the tight contests. However, there are problems that arose in some polling stations where the bvr kits failed to function, some polling stations were opened late although people came as early as 5am, some polling papers were also missing the names of the contestants,, etc etc

    There were some insecurity issues, in mandera, garissa and mombasa. An explosion, firing and killing of police officers respectively.

    The presidential race is tight between raila odinga of the cord alliance and uhuru kenyatta of the jubille alliance. The opinion polls suggest there will be no straight winner in the first round, although the opposite can happen. Kenyans are voting on tribal blocks.

     

    Later

  23. Posted

    khiyaano caadi ma ahan, nin muqayil ah ayaa qamiis isku so tagaayo, kadibna gabar somaliyeed ayuu falsafo ku afuufaa, miskiinta weey kuqancee. habeenkii dambe, waaba ninki oo nin kale ah. indha gaduudan, af qalifan oo midib cagaar ah saaranyahay, maskax jiiro jiiro badan, damac iyo fahmo zaaid ah. ~~~~~~~~~~~ hadee fashil camal.