Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Takfeer in Yemen



Can't stop thinking about Omar who was killed two days ago by a fanatic religious group because he dared to challenge one of the trio taboos in Yemen (politics, sex and religion). For Omar, it was Allah to be examined. He dared to use his mind and think critically while the lunatics killers didn't have the balls to think, and simply followed ill-hearted rules and decided that Omar's blood was their ticket to heaven. Heaven; Omar would have laughed at that idea. Rest in courage, sweet Omar! You'll always be my hero!

"Politics and the Evolution of Takfeer in Yemen". I'm reposting this in-depth report Sama'a Al-Hamdani & I made few years ago, as we're reminded again by the sensitivity of offending religion with the murder of the 18-years-old Mohammed Omar. Sama'a and I conclude that "mandatory education must be enforced to help individuals make informed decisions. The Yemeni educational system, which is currently being revamped, needs to give equal importance to scientific education (learned knowledge over memorized knowledge). More importantly, the people need to be aware of the influence of religious imperialism from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey. When it comes to governance, people need to understand that there are modes of governance other than religious orthodoxy or failed “democracy.”