Maryam may not be as famous as AHA, but she is quite well known and has been active for a long time and been on TV many times. Her talks are publicised and open to anyone.
Actually someone asked me the other day about what sort of protection we at CEMB get - I laughed and said "What protection?!"
Neither Maryam nor any of us get any police protection. At all the meetings and rallies I have been to we have had absolutely no protection. Literally anyone can find Maryam's mobile, address - and mine too - or walk into a meeting.
I'm not saying there is no danger (and that is something Maryam and the rest of us are willing to take to make it easier for others) - but the hordes of Islamic fanatics ready to kill any ex-Muslims is greatly over-hyped by some. (especially the right and conservative Christians who like to goad Muslims then say "Look! See how dem Muzlems behave!")
I think that Zia Sardar's article I posted yesterday offers an insight into this issue.
"Or of Maryam Namazie, the "voice" of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain? Has no one noticed that the Council consists largely of Iranian exiles, card-carrying members of Mujahedin-e-Khalq, the revolutionary Trots who fought the shah? They were hardly Muslims in the first place.
I have nothing against these folk (though I think those who take them seriously ought to be put in a straitjacket)."In other words people like Maryam (or you) are seen as lunatic fringe and not to be taken seriously.
In this respect A.H.A is a victim of her own "success"; she is a poster-girl for apostasy - partially precisely because of her notoriety which has a lot to do with the fact that she aligned herself with ant-immigrant right wingers (some or even most of whom are undoubtedly bigoted simpletons).
I could also relate my own experience here - a guy I used to know quite well (a British born Pakistani Muslim) threatened that he is going to find out where I live and "do something about it".
Surely he was probably full of shit and guys like him are quite rare but on the other hand we are talking about somebody who had the opportunity of experiencing the beauties of British legal system. Here:
http://www.councilofexmuslims.com/index.php?topic=7085.msg176310#msg176310Okay why did this require her to align with the right?
It didn't. That was her choice - and there clearly are consequences as a result - she is not taken as seriously as she could have been had she remained absolutely principled.
No to both.
Care to take a wild guess why they would do that?
Okay so once she was in tulip-land why did she need to become politically active?
Why do people usually become politically active? But that is something you would have to ask her really.
Okay, well leaving aside the fact she got a Masters in Political Science before getting into the limelight, let's say you're right-- why should I care?
We're in the midst of an extended historical period of social reaction all around the globe. For those who oppose this reaction, there are allies, enemies, and everyone else. An enemy's particular motivations and circumstances may or may not make me more or less sympathetic to them, but it does not make them any more or less of an enemy.
That's quite polarizing don't you think? Were your own political ideas and values always consistent or did they change (perhaps even grow and improve) in time. If yes, would you consider your old "you" a political enemy?
Imho lines are a lot more blurred and actions of a lot of those who consider themselves to be in opposition to the current socio-political system actually help the system to become leaner and meaner. Because such pseudo-activity is already calculated into the very functioning of the system - consider the recent student protest in the UK. In order to overcome this one must become truly radically violent. And do nothing.
Because Somali Atheists do not exist. Am I right
They obviously do exist but are perhaps not vocal about their apostasy because they fear the consequences (social ostracism at the very least)?
That would be a check mate in my book
I was under impression that you were born and live in the UK?
Topic: Hi:)