Pakistani president earns fatwa by flirting with Sarah Palin
First my comment:
There used to be a time when I used to look forward to reading the Guardian articles. No more! in the last decade so much has changed. This is a good example. The title alone is outrageous! the Pakistani people have so much else to worry about, first and foremost being the fact that their rulers are imposed on them. The current one is an imperialist stooge just like his deceased wife (good riddance). The man has the nickname of Mr. 10% for his corruption. He has yet to dislcose where he got his $600,000,000 that is now at his European bank account. Instead, what we have here is a silly Guardian reporter writing about silly matters. It is not up the man to tell the American woman how to dress. And if the Pakistanis feel like engaging in 'fatwa' they have so many grievances to choose from, top on the list being Europe Ashkenazi Jewry who have yet to stop stampeding towards Palestine where they do not belong.
I will also strongly advise against crying wolf, not to use the word 'fatwa' except where applicable and necessary. It would also have been helpful if he had provided the meaning of 'tatwa'. But of course, the meaning that is expected to convey is like the 'fatwa' on Salam Rashdi. Here is what 'fatwa' means from wikipedia.
A fatwa in the Islamic faith is a religious opinion on Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwa is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be, depending on the status of the scholar ... In the early days of Islam, fatwa were pronounced by distinguished scholars to provide guidance to other scholars, judges and citizens on how subtle points of Islamic law should be understood, interpreted or applied. There were strict rules on who is eligible to issue a valid fatwa and who could not, as well as on the conditions the fatwa must satisfy to be valid.
Asif Ali Zardari angers radical Muslims with flirtatious remarks to Republican vice-presidential candidate
Zardari's greeting to the Alaskan governor at their meeting at the UN headquarters in New York - described as "overly-friendly" by the Christian Science Monitor - has earned him a fatwa from some of Pakistan's radical Muslims.
Benazir Bhutto's widower tells Alaska's first woman that she is "even more gorgeous in life" and says he can see why "America is crazy about you". But what really got radical clerics backs up was his comment that he might hug the Moose-hunting governor if his aide insists hard enough.
For Palin, the incident appears to have confirmed jokes that her meet-and-greet sessions with world leaders at the UN were "speed dating" diplomacy.
But Zardari faces much harsher condemnation for his conduct. His remarks managed to unite both hardline Islamic leaders and Pakistani feminists in condemnation.
One radical Muslim prayer leader said the president shamed the nation with his "indecent gestures, filthy remarks, and repeated praise of a non-Muslim lady wearing a short skirt." Meanwhile, Tahira Abdullah, a member of Pakistan's Women's Action Forum, criticised the president for failing to show decorum and behave like a "mourning widower".
But Zardari can perhaps take comfort that not everyone is taking his flirtatious manner so seriously. Two Facebook groups have been set up to commemorate his encounter with the vice-presidential candidate. One group called Zardari should marry Sarah Palin for the sake of world peace!, reckons their union would "stop the incursion of US forces in Pakistan" and lead to polo races in the White House.