Rosh Hashana Saudi Textbook Edification (6) - Calculating How Much an Infidel Woman's Life Is Worth
On Tuesday, insipid Guardian journalist Karen Anderson tried to defend murderers and bombers by writing that "at a time when European social order was deeply hierarchical, despite the egalitarian message of the gospel, Islam was condemned for giving too much respect to women and other menials." Looks like Islam's fixed that problem:
TENTH GRADE
The 10th-grade text on jurisprudence teaches that life for non-Muslims (as well as women, and, by implication, slaves) is worth a fraction of that of a "free Muslim male." Blood money is retribution paid to the victim or the victim's heirs for murder or injury: "Blood money for a free infidel. [Its quantity] is half of the blood money for a male Muslim, whether or not he is 'of the book' or not 'of the book' (such as a pagan, Zoroastrian, etc.)... Blood money for a woman: Half of the blood money for a man, in accordance with his religion. The blood money for a Muslim woman is half of the blood money for a male Muslim, and the blood money for an infidel woman is half of the blood money for a male infidel."
Which makes this Juan Cole summary of why the Koran is a book of peace extra-special funny...
These verses recommend nighttime prayer, fear of hellfire, balanced spending habits, and belief in only one God. They forbid murder and adultery. Since both of these are torts, the Quran recognizes that they must be punished. Typically in seventh-century Mecca, the wrongdoer would pay blood money or guilt money to the aggrieved party. But the Quran requires more than just the retirement of a debt to the injured family. It demands repentance, faith, and good works in redemption. These reorientations of the will can have a transformative effect, and lead to divine forgiveness.
... and begs the obvious question: if you kill an infidel women, does that mean that you only have to do one-fourth of your repentance, faith, and good works in order to get "a transformative effect"? Because that seems like a really sweet offer - we get to transform and reorient our will for one-fourth the time and effort. Why aren't Muslim missionaries pushing this awesome deal to get people to convert, instead of having religious, jihadist terrorists hold guns to people's heads? Which Juan Cole also says is not allowed. Except the religious, jihadist terrorists haven't gotten that memo (ditto for their religious, jihadist imams (ditto for their religious, jihadist scholars)). Maybe Cole can find somewhere to take a refresher course on the Koran - it's not like there aren't plenty of schools available:
The Saudi public school system totals 25,000 schools, educating about 5 million students. In addition, Saudi Arabia runs academies in 19 world capitals, including one outside Washington in Fairfax County, that use some of these same religious texts. Saudi Arabia also distributes its religion texts worldwide to numerous Islamic schools and madrassas that it does not directly operate... Education is at the core of the debate over freedom in the Muslim world. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden understands this well; in a recent audiotape he railed against those who would 'interfere with school curricula.'"
We're actually kind of supporting this part of the Saudi textbook. Anything that gets those kids learning a little math or physics is a plus:
Ruth is an Jewess who's life is worth 6 dinars. Yassin is a Muslim male. Calculate how much Yassin's life is worth. Show your work.
For extra credit, calculate how many beautiful and virtuous maidens Yassin gets if he becomes a martyr by blowing up Ruth and her kids on a Haifa bus.
TENTH GRADE
The 10th-grade text on jurisprudence teaches that life for non-Muslims (as well as women, and, by implication, slaves) is worth a fraction of that of a "free Muslim male." Blood money is retribution paid to the victim or the victim's heirs for murder or injury: "Blood money for a free infidel. [Its quantity] is half of the blood money for a male Muslim, whether or not he is 'of the book' or not 'of the book' (such as a pagan, Zoroastrian, etc.)... Blood money for a woman: Half of the blood money for a man, in accordance with his religion. The blood money for a Muslim woman is half of the blood money for a male Muslim, and the blood money for an infidel woman is half of the blood money for a male infidel."
Which makes this Juan Cole summary of why the Koran is a book of peace extra-special funny...
These verses recommend nighttime prayer, fear of hellfire, balanced spending habits, and belief in only one God. They forbid murder and adultery. Since both of these are torts, the Quran recognizes that they must be punished. Typically in seventh-century Mecca, the wrongdoer would pay blood money or guilt money to the aggrieved party. But the Quran requires more than just the retirement of a debt to the injured family. It demands repentance, faith, and good works in redemption. These reorientations of the will can have a transformative effect, and lead to divine forgiveness.
... and begs the obvious question: if you kill an infidel women, does that mean that you only have to do one-fourth of your repentance, faith, and good works in order to get "a transformative effect"? Because that seems like a really sweet offer - we get to transform and reorient our will for one-fourth the time and effort. Why aren't Muslim missionaries pushing this awesome deal to get people to convert, instead of having religious, jihadist terrorists hold guns to people's heads? Which Juan Cole also says is not allowed. Except the religious, jihadist terrorists haven't gotten that memo (ditto for their religious, jihadist imams (ditto for their religious, jihadist scholars)). Maybe Cole can find somewhere to take a refresher course on the Koran - it's not like there aren't plenty of schools available:
The Saudi public school system totals 25,000 schools, educating about 5 million students. In addition, Saudi Arabia runs academies in 19 world capitals, including one outside Washington in Fairfax County, that use some of these same religious texts. Saudi Arabia also distributes its religion texts worldwide to numerous Islamic schools and madrassas that it does not directly operate... Education is at the core of the debate over freedom in the Muslim world. Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden understands this well; in a recent audiotape he railed against those who would 'interfere with school curricula.'"
We're actually kind of supporting this part of the Saudi textbook. Anything that gets those kids learning a little math or physics is a plus:
Ruth is an Jewess who's life is worth 6 dinars. Yassin is a Muslim male. Calculate how much Yassin's life is worth. Show your work.
For extra credit, calculate how many beautiful and virtuous maidens Yassin gets if he becomes a martyr by blowing up Ruth and her kids on a Haifa bus.
