Glem journalister. De stiller ikke pågående og vedholdende spørgsmål af denne art til denne kategori af personer. Heldigvis har den teknologiske udvikling muliggjort journalistikkens demokratisering, så her får man et aldeles fremragende eksempel på journalistik som det burde være. Bemærk at professorfyren starter med at sno sig nøjagtigt som Abdul Wahid – han kan ikke fravælge dele af islam. Her stopper de højtlønnede bladsmørere som bekendt. Den ukendte borgerjournalist fortsætter og fortsætter, og professoren hænger til sidst og spræller så det er en nydelse (LFPC).

Hugh Fitzgerald: One More Look at Awadh Binhazim, Or, A Door Left Ajar In Tennessee

Forbrydere med en sag

Fængsler og fredens religion går hånd i hånd ikke kun hvad angår religiøst legitimeret kriminalitet. Er jihadisterne først indenfor murene venter som bekendt et interessant marked af konvertitemner – og i hele den vestlige verden ser myndigheder blot passive til. Mon ikke mange har fornemmet det umiddelbare slægtsskab mellem jihadister og sociopater: Sidstnævnte kan jo ved indrulning under den grønne fane dulme evt. tilbageværende moralske skrupler ved skidt adfærd i ‘visheden’ om at tjene et højere mål. Og belønningen i det hinsidige er også til at forstå umiddelbart for mere impulsive typer. Raymond Ibrahim om konvergensen mellem disse to samfundsproblemer (LFPC).

[…]  If traditional masculine virtues are upheld in Islamic culture, so too do traditional masculine vices abound — for it is often a very fine line that separates hyper-virtue from hyper-vice. Honor, courage, and patriarchic ethics can — and do — easily morph into destructive pride (e.g., “honor killings”), disdain for life (e.g., suicide bombings), and rabid misogyny. Nonetheless, for those more “adventurous” young men looking to add a bit of “excitement” to their lives, Islam offers avenues. Based on the Koran and Muhammad’s biography, raiding, killing, and plundering infidels (i.e., the “other”), abducting their women, and enslaving their children are all permissible, so long as they are done in a jihadist context, that is, in the “service” of Islam. […]

Of course, such behavior was “normal” in the seventh century. Then, wherever one looked, men of all races, creeds, and religions were raiding, pillaging, plundering, and enslaving their neighbors. For Islamists, however, the actions of seventh-century Muhammad, no matter how at odds with modernity, must be emulated today no less than yesterday. Moreover, any moral scruples a potential jihadist may experience over such “antiquated” practices — that is, should his conscience momentarily get the best of him — immediately dissipate in light of Allah’s explicit approval. For instance: “Married women are prohibited to you [Muslims] — except for those taken captive in war” (Koran 4:24; see also 23:6 and 33:50-52).

Little wonder, then, that Islam appeals to certain Western men over Christianity: Aspects of it better comport with man’s baser proclivities — for war, possessions, and women — than, say, the passive and inhibiting teachings of Jesus: “turn the other cheek,” “pray for those who persecute you,” and “he who lusts after a woman in his heart has already committed adultery.” Even Islam’s version of paradise is far more alluring. There, a river of wine and dozens of “voluptuous women” await the jihadist who dies battling infidels (see Koran 78:33). And so, like mischievous little boys who find the pirate lifestyle fascinating — raiding, killing, plundering, abducting, hiding in caves — so do some Western men find the lifestyle of the jihadist captivating. So they convert. […] Raymond Ibrahim: The Lure of Radical Islam, or ‘Boys Will Be Boys’

Increase in use of Kalashnikovs in Brussels

According to the police trade union NSPV the number of heavy weapons has increased in Brussels in recent months. The police have especially noticed a growing number of Kalashnikovs.On Saturday, after a failed hold-up attempt on a money exchange bureau, a shootout ensued. One of the police agents involved in thwarting the attempt was shot with a Kalashnikov.The NSPV trade union says that they see more heavy machine guns and other war arms in certain neighbourhoods in Brussels than they used to. Expatica –  500 politifolk demonstrerede igår foran Palais de Justice i Bryssel mod volden imod dem. “Volden imod os er ude af kontrol, den er et angreb på staten.” (fransk – klik på videoen.)

Kulturellt självmord eller temporär svacka?

Essä om litteraturen, kulturen och offentligheten i det nya nöjessamhället.

Följande essä skrevs före nyår för Kristianstadsbladets kultursida.I onsdagstidningen publiceras den som mitt farväl efter mer än trettio år som dagstidningskritiker. Min första journalistiska skola var den revolutionära vänsterpressen. Jag skrev i sådana tidningar i Sverige, Danmark och Norge mellan 1973 och 1979. Dessutom skrev jag i Folket i Bild/Kulturfront, tidskrifterna Clarté och Förr och Nu, samt i liknande norska organ. Men det som började som ordinärt dagstidningsharvande fick sin start i Helsingborgs Dagblad och Kvällsposten på 1970-talet och fortsatte sedan i tidningar som Arbetet, DN, Expressen, Kvällsposten på nytt och sedan med ett återvändande till tidningen jag skrev i under 1980-talet, Kristianstadsbladet. Med denna essä avslutas det härmed. Thomas Nydahl: Min sista dagstidningstext.

That old shithole

Henry Miller  og Ferdinand Celine.

Bathroom monologue 1, 2, 3 om kvinder, Buddha, Gauguin, Hesse, Cendrars – og kvinder.