Seriously, what the hell is wrong with people at the LA Times? Their obit for Yusuf Ali Bey, a notorious anti-Semite from the Nation of Islam with responsible for the rapes of numerous underage girls, including his own daughters, (favorably?) includes the following touching contribution (via Daniel Pipes):
Some loyal supporters argued that Bey’s sexual relationships should be viewed through the lens of cultural relativity.
“He was a born leader in the sense of an African chief or a Muslim caliph,” said Maleek Al Maleek, a 62-year-old mathematician who attended Bey’s memorial. “What is prohibited here is not prohibited in East India, where there are child marriages. I can show you chiefs in Africa who have 30 wives .The ways of the high priests are not shared by the commoner.”
“He was a born leader in the sense of an African chief or a Muslim caliph,” said Maleek Al Maleek, a 62-year-old mathematician who attended Bey’s memorial. “What is prohibited here is not prohibited in East India, where there are child marriages. I can show you chiefs in Africa who have 30 wives .The ways of the high priests are not shared by the commoner.”
I say favorably, because notions such as “accepting other cultures” have much cultural capital in the LA Times newsroom. I have trouble believing that this quote was included because the author was critical of its underlying assumptions.
In other LAT news, Patterico just did a of the year at the LA Times. Surprisingly, the review is not positive.
