Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA03701 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Thu, 8 Mar 2001 19:46:52 GMT Message-ID: <000701c0a80d$47f120c0$f514bed4@default> From: "Kenneth Van Oost" <Kenneth.Van.Oost@village.uunet.be> To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk> References: <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D3101745CC3@inchna.stir.ac.uk> <20010305124656.A1186@reborntechnology.co.uk> Subject: Re: Witness Tells of Taliban Attack on Ancient Buddha Relics Date: Thu, 8 Mar 2001 21:20:16 +0100 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2314.1300 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2314.1300 Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: Robin Faichney <robin@reborntechnology.co.uk>
To: <memetics@mmu.ac.uk>
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2001 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: Witness Tells of Taliban Attack on Ancient Buddha Relics
> On Mon, Mar 05, 2001 at 11:24:58AM -0000, Vincent Campbell wrote:
> > I'm torn here. I hate it when history and archaeology is treated with
such
> > contempt, but at least as bad is the massive international outcry over
these
> > statues compared to the deafening silence over the Taliban's treatment
of
> > women. I think the international community should get its priorities
right.
Hi Robin and all,
I totally agree with Vincent 's comments here.
I agree with the fact that destroying historical and cultural artifacts is
des-
troying memes.
But, we may and cannot deny the fact that underneath the international
outcries there hides a paradox.
We may be intolerant of the attitudes of the Taliban, but only in such a
way that we are not intolerant of the intolerance of the others.
If you do that, you attack their way of life, you pre- suppose your
memes are better than theirs. In a way you attack their freedom of
decision, the way in which they are willing to organise their cultural
environment. If that means destroying statues, well that is their business.
Like Vincent mentioned in his post, the West should get its priorities
right. There is an international outcry over the destruction of the statues,
even in the Islamitic world, but not that much protest, nothing at all as
I recall, when the Taliban obligated the women to wear veils.
Even more, women are completely excluded of education and health-
care.
This is meaningful in the way the West sees women and also to which
extend equality, freedom and having equal rights means to us.
To solve this problem we have to be tolerant of the intolerance of the
Taliban to this or that degree and no futher. ( See Russell)
Our tolerance stops where the intolerance begins...
But anyway, it is IMO very significant that two statues are more impor-
tant than thousands of women whom has no life at all.
But than again, that is a Westerns point of view and in no way we can
impose our beliefs and rituals upon the Taliban for whatever the reason !!
Best,
Kenneth
( I am, because we are)
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