Greetings, everyone, I have been wanting to share with you some thoughts on the rich exchanges between Keith and Ray, but found that this note on Qatar impelled me to reply. Thoughts on the rewarding RAy/Keith exchange, I hope, are to follow.
No, the mullahs are recognizing that many non-Muslims will be coming to Qatar and they are simply confirming the traditional Arabic hospitality that will be extended to visitors. Sharia is not "suspended" or even "relaxed" and will continue to guide/influence the law as it pertains to Qataris. The World Cup event poses a particular challenge to the mores of any host country: the advent of tens of thousands of fans who expect to get drunk and have their way, regardless of those mores. What the mullahs, apparently, are saying is that they won't expect Qatari law enforcement to exercise the normal standards in the face of this onslaught. Their motive won't be to "make a buck" as I take it Der Spiegel is proposing, but to help the Qatari authorities find the best way of maintaining the best semblance of law and order possible, given their expectations of the behavior of some fans. It is important for Europeans and Americans to realize that sharia law is viewed by Muslims as being the direct expression of god's instructions for good, respectful and healthy living. It is not viewed as oppressive; rather it is viewed as the embodiment of justice and social harmony. Muslims generally feel blessed to have such guidance, and feel sorry for those who don't have it, or who don't follow it. Thus the "relaxation" of sharia as it applies to the masses of non-Muslims descending upon Qatar is undoubtedly viewed sadly as a concession to their nominally unchangeable lack of good morals and behavior. Second, the Taliban are not representative of fundamentalist groups in Islam. They are an ultra-conservative tribal (Pashtun) manifestation that emerged, surprisingly to many, as a genuine reformist group working against the corruption and undemocratic ways of Afghanistan's numerous and self-centered warlords. They have morphed into fighters for national liberation and in so doing have applied their ultra-conservative social beliefs (e.g. re. women and education) to areas of Afghanistan in which even when they dominated the government in the post-USSR period they did not hold sway. The US invasion and occupation has given the Taliban a nation-wide legitimacy that they never possessed before, and so doing has left Afghanis with terrible choices -- support a corrupt, warlord-centric, and anti-democratic Karzai, or support an ultra-conservative, anti-woman Taliban. The US occupation has left no room or opportunity for a third moderate, democratic, and pluralistic choice to emerge. So, as to music: music is a fundamental cultural aspect of the Arabic and Muslim worlds. Two million people attended the funeral of one of Egypt's extraordinary singers, Um Kalthum. If anyone reading this doubts this, please consider down-loading her "Baid anak" (38 minutes uninterrupted of some of the most heartfelt and beautiful music you will ever hear) from iTunes. Some "fundamentalist" groups, including several sufi ones, have music at the heart of their religious practices. Others, including many salafi groups, do not, though adherents may have a lot of music in their non-religious lives. And then, yes, there are some groups that actively avoid music, feeling that it is a distraction form what is important in life. Some people, including me and, i think, Ray, view music as a form of harmony, or a medium through which harmony in society can be sought. And this latter group of Muslim traditionalists (and certainly not "most" of them) holds the opposite view: that music distracts, seduces, attracts people away from those practices and beliefs that are the basis for such harmony. I would love to sit in on a discussion between advocates of these two opposite perspectives. In Qatar, music is a standard aspect of cultural life, in the past as it is today. "The mullahs" are not, as far as I know, opposed to this, and it would not in any case be considered contrary to sharia. I hope these notes are of interest. Cheers, Lawry On Dec 17, 2010, at 10:34 AM, Keith Hudson wrote: > You've answered this yourself. The mullahs are agreeing to the soccer event > because it will bring business. However, soccer, like the arts, is an > offpsring of an economy and not a main driver. What the mullahs of Qatar > think of music, I don't know. Most traditional Islamic sects, such as the > Taliban in Afghanistan, regard music as sinful and it's proscribed. Not for > them the great festivals of the Baltic countries when scores of thousands of > people meet for days of singing. > > KSH > > At 09:52 17/12/2010 -0500, you wrote: > >> Thanks for the pictures Keith. Traditionally we called the ballgamea >> sacred act. Its subtext was the little warand it diffused tension between >> nations, cities and groups. Still works. How do you justify you >> comments about the Arts (and Sports) with what the Mullahs are doing here to >> drum up business and replace the declining revenues as oil runs out. >> South Korea is doing something similar as well as they invest a billions >> dollars a year in culture business through their version of the National >> Endowment of the Arts. Of course the Germans call it Heilige Kunst. >> >> >> >> REH >> >> >> >> From: [email protected] >> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Keith Hudson >> Sent: Friday, December 17, 2010 3:10 AM >> To: RE-DESIGNING WORK, INCOME DISTRIBUTION, , EDUCATION >> Subject: [Futurework] Astonishing architecture >> >> >> >> For quite the most astonishing architectural photographs that I've ever >> seen, go to: >> http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,734621,00.html >> This also raises two more points in my mind. The Der Spiegel article >> mentions that, apparently, the Qatari mullahs are prepared to relax Sharia >> law for those who will be attending the World Soccer Championship in 2022. >> It may be seriously suggested to Western politicians and diplomats that >> soccer might be a much more effective way to dissolve the tensions that now >> exist with Islamic countries. (And what about cricket also?) Secondly, the >> German architects of the stadia are putting their faith in solar-cell >> technology for the vast amount of energy that will be required. However, see >> the companion piece to this for a breakthrough which might be a superior way >> forward, perhaps even by 2022. >> >> Keith
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