“NINE YEARS ago Asia Bibi, a poor farm labourer from Pakistan’s tiny Christian minority, went to fetch a jug of water from a well for the Muslim women working beside her in the fields. It was a hot day. She took a sip before passing the water on, inadvertently initiating a furore that has lasted ever since.

“On October 31st the Supreme Court overturned the verdict of the lower courts and acquitted Ms Asia of blasphemy. The charges stemmed from her neighbours’ anger that an “unclean” Christian had dared to share their drinking vessel. Ms Asia’s fellow fruit-pickers had demanded she convert to Islam. After she refused, a mob accused her of insulting the prophet Muhammad—an offence punishable by death in Pakistan.”

Courtesy: The Economist

Islam is a non-violent religion, a religion of tolerance. So we’re told over and over.

I agree with Richard Dawkins; there are two religions in the world that are truly dangerous. The first is Islam, and the second is Roman Catholicism. Absolutely agree. Religion is a mass delusion. It can have benefits, such as the Salvos and other caring organisations run by churches, exclusively Christian churches as far as I can see.

But throughout history all the wars, periods of darkness, torture, partitions, repressions, pogroms, mass genocides (witness the Rohingyas) have been due to religion. It is the scourge of mankind!

Witness Pakistan itself, created by the inability of Hindus and Muslims to get along, and what was formerly called East Pakistan and is now called Bangladesh was due to one sect of Islam being unable to get along with another. And Shi’ites and Sunnis, even in the same religion, are ready to tear each others’ eyes out!

It’s barbaric and cruel. Religion is the cause of hundreds of millions of deaths over the centuries of history. It may be the death of us all now that nuclear weapons are being openly displayed again. Dog help us.

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Aaah, warm sunny weather again. Not real warmth yet, but I’ve thrown the light blanket off the top and don’t need to wear a cardigan any more.

I’m floating the idea of buying a car in Brisbane and driving it back to Perth. I wish I’d done it a month ago when it was still spring, because the east looks as if it’s heading into heatwave conditions already, and the cruel drought is still in force, making large parts of the country dry and dusty. I suppose sticking to the coast, which I would do, will still see plenty of green.

It’s still just a vague plan at the moment, but I’d better do something to firm it up soon or the car might disappear. I’ve been looking at it for at least a month.

Don’t assume I’ve got money. It’s nine years old and not expensive, half the price of a new small car.

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Aaah, Aussies, don’t you love ’em?

Sand on your feet after being at the beach? Slip these on and wipe all the sand off as if you were walking on lawn.   🙂 😉

As advertised on Facebook.