I always thought it would be Murray or I to get the first blogger fatwa but I was wrong. The AnarchAngel is the unfortunate recipient of what looks to be a very serious threat. The FBI is involved and he is not cowed but rather angry. We bloggers believe we have a right to free speech...alas Islamists don't believe anyone has a right to free speech besides. After the events of 7/7 and how close some of my mates were to it all...this fatwa is indeed chilling.
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."









Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Aaman
So what exactly did this guy do to deserve this fatwa?
I see, he defiled/destroyed/plundered a Koran - rather immature at the very least.
He claims he is American and alleges he is against 'Muslims' - I guess he's not very well-informed about the reality of Muslim-Americans.
He claims to be a libertarian too.
Hmmm
His original action here and his reasoning here - which probably belonged in the main post.
I hope he and his family stay safe.
2 - Bennett
Way too hot to handle.
...and this post could have been so much more than it is.
Thanks for the links Aaman.
3 - Dave Nalle
And awful lot of Libertarians are fundamentally anti-religion, be it Islam or Christianity, and they certainly can be rather childish and petulant. I have great experience with the Party o' Nerds having been a member for almost 30 years.
Dave
4 - What a dumbass
I wonder what this fuckwad expected? He put video of him and some friends shooting a Koran, and their faces are all over the site, along with his real name.
This guy is a real genius. Way to put your loved ones in danger for you politics.
5 - Natalie Davis
Oh my god... Thanks for the info, ,Mr. Aaman; now I understand. Well, no, I don't understand putting fatwas on people and I certainly don't approve. But now I see what set off those who allegedly made the horrifyingly inhumane threat against the AnarchAngel. (I assume the threat is real, but there has been no evidence shown.) In any case, I will pray a lot for Mr. Byrne and his family and friends and their safety. But here is more proof that violence begets violence.
The world is going fucking nuts.
6 - Aaman
Incidentally, it may not be accurate to call this a fatwa - a death threat is not quite the same thing.
A fatwa is a legal pronouncement by a mufti or imam on specific issues where Islamic jurisprudence is unclear.
In the general sense of declaration, it is ok - e.g. "the Pope issued a fatwa against Harry Potter"
A book, not available on Amazon, by Indian journalist/scholar, Arun Shourie, "The World Of Fatwas"(8190019953) deals with the oddities of fatwas and of Islam.
7 - Temple Stark
After looking - thanks Aaman - these guys are the greatest argument for gun control yet out there. And those (specifically) who have apparently threatened to injure or kill these idiots are the greatest argument for using the gun.
I have no respect for either group.
8 - Dave Nalle
I've been to the other links now and seen the video. Hilarious stuff.
"Nothing says 'god is great' like 00-Buck"
Priceless.
This is a humorous political statement and while it may be childish, it's something I find I have to respect. And after browsing through his site I find myself in sympathy with many of his ideas as well.
He may be a gun-toting, quasi-anarchist with a screw loose, but he's my kind of guy. Makes me want to strap a Koran over the muzzle of my cannon - yes, i do own a small artillery piece - and let fly.
Dave
9 - RJ
Is shooting a Koran full of holes stupid and pointless? Yes.
Is issuing a death threat against someone who does such a silly thing vastly more wrong? Yes.
This is akin to some pinko burning an American flag, and some wing-nut issuing a death threat in response. While I have no use for the hypothetical flag-burner, he would at least be within his rights. But the person calling for murder as a response would have VIOLATED another person's rights.
So, while this may not be a clear-cut case of good guy vs. bad guy, I think it is a case of obnoxious guy vs. dangerously violent guy...
10 - Dave Nalle
And admit it, RJ - sometimes it's just fun to be the obnoxious guy who shoots the Koran. It get so frustrating to be reasonable and sensible all the time. I have great empathy for those who let their inner pissed off guy out for a bit of harmless fun.
Dave
11 - RJ
Sure, I'm obnoxious all the time. :)
But there is a cost to be incurred for being an occasional ass. You rile people up. And sometimes, you rile up the WRONG kinda people... :-/
12 - Shark
Ah, those kooky, fun-loving Libertarians.
And those kooky, fun-loving Islamic fundamentalists.
A marriage made in Heaven.
==========
BTW: just fer the record:
a legal pronouncement by a violent rap artist or producer on specific issues where jurisprudence is unclear is called a phatwa.
Yer welcome.
13 - Shark
Natalie: "The world is going fucking nuts."
~Going?!
Wouldst thou please correct this statement by deleting the above word.
Thanks in advance,
God
14 - Tao Jonez
yo Shark, "phatwa"
man, dat shit is priceless!
you da Carcharhinus Funnyboneus
15 - Temple Stark
You know someone has gone waaay over the line when RJ is offering a plea for moderation :-)
A phatwa. GRIN. Someone may have just coined a new word / use.
16 - Dave Nalle
>>But there is a cost to be incurred for being an occasional ass. You rile people up. And sometimes, you rile up the WRONG kinda people... :-/<<
Yes, but isn't the fact that they can't take a joke - or at least turn a blind eye to this sort of reaction - a sure sign that they are deserving of exactly the kind of hostility Anarchangel is leveling at them? Even Jerry Falwell can take a joke...or a bit of criticism and keep smiling.
Dave
17 - Bennett
Heh, Temple, the best is the first google ref for "phatwa" here.
Too funny, very very wise.
18 - Natalie Davis
That thought crossed my mind as I pushed "send," Sharkie. :)
"Phatwa" -- hilarious.
And though it gives me chills to be in agreement with certain individuals, indeed, it is far worse to threaten to harm people than it is to shoot up a book.
19 - Aaman
Just another tool for the people around the world who doubt American good intentions
20 - KC
Yes it is wrong to threaten someone, but shooting an object of worship (even if you don't understand it) isn't a political argument. It's a pathetic attempt at getting attention, and now that he's got what he was after one can only hope his poor family lives through the consequences.
21 - Bennett
There's no lack of tools, Aaman. Hell, they're everywhere we live. Something as simple as our lifestyle, for starters.
If YOU don't have it, then the folks that do have it are pikers, or evil bastards.
How else can you explain my disdain of millionaires?
Like WMD, fer instance.
22 - Bennett
No mystery, the last line was from a cut and paste from a different train of thought, previously abandoned. Please disregard.
23 - Dave Nalle
>>Yes it is wrong to threaten someone, but shooting an object of worship (even if you don't understand it) isn't a political argument.<<
I believe this is a political statement, not a matter of not understanding what the Koran is all about. It's the equivalent of a rude gesture at all of Islam - to the terrorists for their viciousness and to the rest of Islam for just standing by and tacitly condoning terrorism - and as such it's a defensible expression of opinion which I think a lot of us share to at least some degree, though we might not go to such extremes of expression.
>> It's a pathetic attempt at getting attention, and now that he's got what he was after one can only hope his poor family lives through the consequences.<<
There it is again. The consequences of destroying a book, even a holy book, should NOT be to have your family killed or even threatened, and the fact that you seem to accept that those are the consequences is inherently part of the problem.
Dave
24 - Marty Dodge
As far as I am concerned it does not matter what this guy did. A group of Islamists have threatened to kill he and his family. Its serious enough for the FBI to be involved. This is a serious development in the land of blogging. A rather sinister one at that.
Speaking of wishing people dead...someone who has taken exception to my review of the last Insane Crown Posse album has called for my death.
25 - andy marsh
I think it's more like...just another tool to prove that islam is in fact a religion of peace....yeah right!