I guess that it takes a disaster to reveal major issues of ignorance and intolerance in a society.
Few months ago, during the Israeli war of Gaza there was a circulation of emails, blogs, micro-blogs and text messages cheering up for Hitler’s holocaust against the Jews. As disturbing as it has been the massacre taking place in Gaza for me, it was even more disturbing the intolerance hate speech spread among people whom I considered to be well educated, tolerant and open minded. I couldn’t find any reasonable justification for cheering up to a racist dictator like Hitler who classified people’s nations into superior and inferior ones even if he mass murdered a group of people whom we consider their descendents to be an enemy for us.
Today, with the swine flu spreading, I learnt about another disturbing common belief between some Muslims in Jordan. It sadly came out of the tongue of a close friend of mine “Men who eat pork don’t feel jealousy towards their wives, that is why Christian men let their wives go out wearing revealing clothes!“
I still can’t comprehend the amount of ingorance in this statement. Obviously it is built on an irrational common belief that eating pork copies some of the pigs characteristics to the one eating it. They claim that male pigs doesn’t react when watching his female having sex with another male and thus eating pork would make a man careless about his wife’s sexual affairs! (I am not an expert in animal matters, but would you people help pointing out which animals care and which don’t?). For Jordanian Christians, I know that such claim is very offensive. It steps on honor which is very sensitive cord that is common among both Muslims and Christians in Jordan. I won’t emphasize on the honor notion here as you know how I regard our cultural definition of honor, but the fact that this statment shows a general condescending moral attitude is disturbing.
The truth is that Islam forbades eating pork and requires Muslim women to wear veils while Christianity doesn’t forbade eating pork and doesn’t impose veils on Christian women. As a result of the veil Islamic restriction, Jordanian Christian women may have enjoyed less restrictions on clothes (which may not be true except for the veil part). On the other hand Muslims have always had a rational explanation of why Islam forbade eating pork – which is because it can cause serious health issues. They also state that pigs are filthy animals because they eat their shit. That is fine as well. But the claim of copied behaviour and linking it to jealousy is quite a stretch!
A doctor friend of mine told me a story about a mother who had her son in a very bad condition at the hospital. He needed a medication that contains some substances taken from pigs. The mother refused giving him the medication stating that if they give it to him, he would grow up pimping his sisters and that she won’t take that chance! We sadly value honor more than life, don’t we? I don’t know if the boy survived or not, but isn’t this a weird form of honor crimes?
Apparantly this common belief does have a religious base. I watched a video featuring a Sheikh on a religious channel talking about this matter. He claimed that people who eat pork acquire some pig’s characteristics. He even went further into claiming that people who eat a lot of pork do tend to look like pigs as they grow old! My friend claims that their is a hadith that says so, but I doubt it.
Islam is a religion of tolerance and knowledge, it helped in setting the grassroot for one of the most important civilization of the human history. Critical thinking has been one of its major pillars that provided a much needed catalyst for the development of human race at that point of time. I don’t know why people today ignore the importance of critical thinking and follow blindly rumors, lies and myths.
Inspite of our cultural perception of the dirtiness and ugliness of pigs, I happen to find them really cute creatures. They certainly look better than hens and sheeps, no?
Fadi Zaghmout فادي زغموت 
It is my understanding that a lot of animals carry diseases and if not cooked properly you can get sick. I’m no expert on this by any means so you should check with your health care professional for expert advice. As for the pig characteristics taken on by Christian men, well this made me laugh. This is as bad as the one where the Muslim guy said that masturbating caused serious health problems! There is absolutely no medical evidence to prove that masturbating causes health problems, (except maybe carpal tunnel syndrome if you do it all day everyday lol). In fact recent medical research shows that masturbation and sex are good for people, it releases endorphins in the body when you reach orgasm that can help with headaches and other things. Once again please check with your health care provider before you engaging in sexual behavior to make sure you are healthy enough for it. I’m pretty sure if he gives the OK health wise he’ll tell you to masturbate away! As for men not caring about women having sex outside of their marriage I’m pretty sure most civilized men would not want their wives sleeping around outside of marriage. My question is why do most middle eastern men think that it is OK to screw around on their wives and expect their wives to be virgins when they get married, but think that it is OK for them to screw around before and after marriage, and how can they kill a woman with so much ease when she violates these stupid rules. I would say that they have taken on the barbaric characteristics of the animals they eat, why else would they act like this? They screw everything with a pussy, this is how bulls (male cows are).
LikeLike
And for that matter there is a saying Americans have to make fun of middle eastern men, “They say that their sheep make good meals and also good company when they are lonely”!!! Like I said anything with a pussy. To make it clear there are some very nice middle eastern men out there who are not like this and they are very attractive. I just don’t want someone to say I’m racist because this is far from the truth!!!
LikeLike
Ignorance is the most terrifying disease of all!
LikeLike
This just just amazing stupid!
LikeLike
San Antonio City, I here what you say. I have also joked about the sheep part but in a different way. We percieve sheeps in our culture with a cowardness characteristics. So I said: This must explains why we -Arabs- are not able to achieve freedom of expression, because we eat a lot of sheep and thus become not brave enough to rebel on our dictator regimes!
Nadine, yes ineed :S. It is really shocking sometimes.
Kinzi, yes it is 😦
LikeLike
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
LikeLike
hahahahaha that gave me a laugh
LikeLike
pigs is one of the filthiest animals in the world, they live on filth & dirt, in villages they don't have modern toilets and villagers excrete in the open air, very often excreta are cleared by pigs, even in advanced countries pigs are being brought up in clean and hygienic conditions and no matter how hard u try to keep them clean they are filthy by nature, they eat and enjoy their own as well as their neighbor's excreta…they are most shameless animals on earth, the only animal that invites its friends to have sex with its mate, if feels no jealousy, and among people who consume pork the practice of such behavior is common…
LikeLike
I guess Paris didn’t read the post.
Oink oink.
LikeLike
I hate pigs, but it is stupid to say u will become a pimp if you eat pork! Holy x) that is so stupid!
Seems we have troubles with animals here in Jordan, a Black cat is Jinn and pork makes u honor less! What else?! SCREW IGNORANCE!
LikeLike
That is bullshit.
I like pork, it tastes good. does that make me a pig? WTF.
this country lacks… education and I seriously had it with numerous examples.
LikeLike
Actually the reason they are dirty is because they roll in the mud to stay cool. If you give them a pool of shallow water they will roll in that instead of the mud! I know I have a friend who raises a couple of pigs just for fun not food! The bottom line is that any meat needs to be cooked very well to make sure that it is safe to eat. This swine flu has nothing to do with pigs and the World Health Organization has changed the name from swine flu to something else to prevent confusion. The fact that people think that we take on animal characteristics by eating an animal is just pure ignorance! This is like when I tried to explain to my Arab friend that not all women are born with a hymen and you cannot judge a woman’s virginity by a piece of skin. There is medical to prove this too. Yet he is so ignorant that even when confronted with the medical evidence he still refuses to believe. Sometimes I feel like I’m just banging my head against a brick wall when I talk to him and listen to the ignorant things he says.
LikeLike
Paris, I don’t think cows and beef are much cleaner, I don’t think any animal is a clean one given the way they live. I really cannot make any educated association between the sexual life of an animal and whether or not we should eat it. It doesn’t make any sense at all. There is no rational thinking on earth that supports eating or not eating an animal based on whether or not the wife sleeps with one male partner or more than one. I can’t even imagine why such a debate is taking place!! It’s a very vert strange argument to say the least
LikeLike
Sorry they say laughter is the best medicine and this entire post made me laugh so hard! Oh and my friend also said they have done studies to prove that pork tastes just like a human, now I wanna know who the in hell decided to participate in this study “Jeffrey Dahmer” Heres a little background information incase some of our readers don’t know who he is…….Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys – most of whom were of African or Asian descent – between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders were particularly gruesome, involving rape, torture, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism. On November 28, 1994, Dahmer was beaten to death by fellow Columbia Correctional Institution inmate Christopher Scarver with a bar from a weight machine while on work detail in the prison gym.
LikeLike
sorry, I haven’t gone through the rest of the comments here, but hey! If eating pork meat turns our mentality to being pigs and stuff, then its true when it comes to eating sheep, because everyone in Jordan have the sheep mentality, because all eat sheep, and we all follow each other like idiots!
What would they say about the Japanese, who eat dolphins, dolphins have gay sex! yup you read it correctly, they like banging in blow holes! I know its crazy, but if you do a little bit more research on animals, some are are as gay as gay humans 😀 hahaha hence, Japanese people are gay! (explains the anime really) (no pwn intended) but its silly, what ignorance would do, another funny thing, its only found in countries where honor killing is common, waiting to hear something similar in Dubai… wait no, it is infested with similar pig eaters! God damn it!
LikeLike
You guys should also bear in mind for quite some centuries science couldn’t prove that Sun revolves on its own orbit and scientists used to make fun of muslim’s Holybook ‘Quran’ which says it does. As far as i know being a muslim, pigs are not allowed to be eaten in Islam and that is enough for we muslims and we are happy without eating pork.
LikeLike
what a person eats has an effect on his behaviour. This is one of the reasons why Islam prohibits the eating of carnivorous animals like lion, tiger, leopard, etc. who are violent and ferocious. The consumption of the meat of such animals would probably make a person violent and ferocious. Islam only allows the eating of herbivorous animals like cow, goat, sheep, etc. that are peaceful and docile. We Muslims eat peaceful and docile animals because we are peace loving and non-violent people
LikeLike
Oh please, stop you guys, this is becoming a comedy!
Sidenote, I don’t know why PETA hasn’t gotten all over Egypt for killing all those swine.
LikeLike
Non-violent my ass, honor killings? Stonings? Your treatment of women is admirable! That was sarcasm! You guys are just as violent as every other society! Suicide bombers! Should I go on! What the hell are all those suicide bombers eating? Suicide bombers are all muslim by the way! What the hell is Osama Bin Laden eating and all his little friends and the taliban! Peaceful my ass!
LikeLike
Oh and a lot of you guys beat your wives too, and throw acid on your wives faces, forgive me for asking but isn’t this “VIOLENCE”?
LikeLike
An appeal court in Saudi Arabia has doubled the number of lashes and added a jail sentence as punishment for a woman who was gang-raped.
The victim was initially punished for violating laws on segregation of the sexes – she was in an unrelated man’s car at the time of the attack.
When she appealed, the judges said she had been attempting to use the media to influence them.
The attackers’ sentences – originally of up to five years – were doubled.
Extra penalties
According to the Arab News newspaper, the 19-year-old woman was gang-raped 14 times in an attack in the eastern province a year-and-a-half ago.
The victim and attackers are from Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority.
Seven men from the majority Sunni community were found guilty of the rape and sentenced to prison terms ranging from just under a year to five years.
But the victim was also punished for violating Saudi Arabia’s laws on segregation that forbid unrelated men and women from associating with each other. She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes for being in the car of a strange man.
On appeal, the Arab News reported that the punishment was not reduced but increased to 200 lashes and a six-month prison sentence.
The rapists also had their prison terms doubled. But the sentences are still low considering they could have faced the death penalty.
The Arab News quoted an official as saying the judges had decided to punish the girl for trying to aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media.
The victim’s lawyer was suspended from the case, has had his licence to work confiscated, and faces a disciplinary session.
LikeLike
Saturday, December 2, 2006
A local commander and his 11 men are alleged to have gang-raped a 22-year-old woman in Shahre Buzurg district of the northeastern Badakhshan province of Afghanistan on November 28.
The crime was reported to have been committed in the Shah Dasht village by a local warlord called Mujtaba who belongs to Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan led by Burhanuddin Rabbani (now member of the parliament).
Local villagers told journalists that they have complained a number of times about brutalities and lawlessness in their village by warlords but police and local officials took no action because these warlords were powerful and backed by Burhanuddin Rabbani, who himself is based in Badakhshan.
Qari Jehangir, husband of the victim, says the armed men raped his wife and when his 2 children were crying, one of the assailants urinated in their mouths. The victim was warned that she would be killed if she registered a complaint with authorities.
Brig. Sayed Habib Saeedkhili, the border police chief in Badakhshan confirmed the crime and told to the media that commander Mujtaba and his men are famous drug traffickers who succeeded to flee but his brother, Anayat, has been arrested.
According to Pajhwok Afghan News, the director of the Women Affairs Department of Badakhshan, Zofanoon Natiq was not aware of the incident. She told the news agency that said no such incident had occurred in Badakhshan before.
The head of the Independent Human Rights Commission at northeast zone, speaking to Pajhwok Afghan News, said, “This is a crime, and will also stimulate anger of the people.” He added that weakness of the local authorities was the main reason such cases recurred.
Crimes against women are on the rise across Afghanistan but especially in Badakhshan province, which is the stronghold of Jamiat-e-Islami Afghanistan — despite the Canadian-led occupying force. Tha Jamait has its armed militia and holds key government posts in the area.
In April 2005, Amina, a 29 year-old woman was publicly stoned to death on the basis of a district court’s decision in this province.
LikeLike
Cicily chill out! What u are saying is about Saudi Arabia, they are mentally retarded! They almost revolted in 1920s when the phone was introduced to them! Not all of the saudis are so, but to say the truth the system want people to be like that, no doubt! And besides, do not think that bringing us news articles proves ur point, nor your stupid Arab friend! I can bring u tons of stories about stupid Americans and Americans who beat their wives to hell! But the Americans are not stupid! As u said, every society has the good and the bad!
2nd, The Tamil tigers invented the suicide belt and perfected suicide bombing as a tactic. They also pioneered the use of women in suicide attacks. They has carried out more suicide bombings than Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and al-Qaeda (search for your self at wiki) am not saying this to defend Qaeda or Hamas or anyone! You should be sure of what u say before saying it!
Anon,
Would you please tell me (that is if you are not making fun out of Muslims) how come we eat sheep and keep eating sheeps when they are peaceful and eat herbs! From what u say, u only eat a sheep once and then u will start grassing like a one! They are banned by Islam and that is enough, so just do not try to find a reason for that!
LikeLike
I’m just making the point that all societies have violence. I’m also tired of Americans talking bad about Arabs as well as Arabs talking crap about Americans. When will this stop? We all are human beings who want the same things, its just how we go about achieving those goals that differs!
LikeLike
Cicilly that is right! But u know, talking was never the way to solve problems! I think we should do our share of deeds in this life! So just try to raise ur children to be good and free of those stupid thoughts! =) and think about what other things u can do to promote ur ideas! And GOOD LUCK ON THAT =)
LikeLike
hello old friend,
Did you forget me? How are you? I decided to explore today and remembered your blog. It’s wonderful that you are doing so well, and you still write so beautifully 🙂
Lots of love
Yajna
LikeLike
” I’m also tired of Americans talking bad about Arabs as well as Arabs talking crap about Americans. When will this stop?”
Cicily why don’t you start with yourself?
LikeLike
The issue of associating human behavior with what they eat sounds absurd. I don’t know if it has been investigated in modern science. The problem is that to prove or disprove it you need to start with that absurd premise. It has its root in opinions of highly respected scholars. The earliest that I know comes from Ibn Khaldoun. He suggested that pride (or actually excessive pride) in Arabs – particularly Bedouins- is due to eating camels and the Romans not reacting to their wives having extramarital activities is due to eating pork. He also commented on other nations. It makes a good project to document misconceptions in our societies and their sources and expose them as invalid.
LikeLike