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Paper democracy and the justice system of the United Arab Emirates "seven places avove the USA"

Reader comment on item: Qaddafi's Ignominious End
in response to reader comment: A few observations

Submitted by Ianus (Poland), Nov 3, 2011 at 18:33

BB King wrote :

> Lebanon like Israel has a parallel court system i.e., civil courts and religious courts. There are a total of four main court systems in Lebanon: Judicial, Administrative, Military and Religious.<

Let me ask you again as I am not sure if you understand one basic fact. Do you believe that the government of Lebanon controls its own territory or not ? Do you believe that it is able to impose its laws on the country? You cling to the formal similarities with Israel as if forms could tell anything on contents . So imagine that Israel's legal system is much more than a decorous form as is the case in Lebanon that is not a state but a collection of territories out of control by the central government.They may recognize its laws or may equally effectively ignore them. If one day Israel disintegrates into a collection of confessional fiefs and spheres of influences of competing close and remote neighbors, then I will be the first to liken its institutions and principles to those of present-day Lebanon.

> So if a Lebanese citizen doesn't like the religious court system there are other options. I don't know why you believe that inter-faith couples upon returning to Lebanon they will be persecuted, seeing as that there are many apostates in Lebanon including atheists and agnostics who practically make up the bulk of the communist party hence, atheism is tolerated."

What part of the country are you talking about? West Beirut or South Lebanon which are Moslem-dominated and where it's dangerous for a non-Moslem, let alone an atheist , to pop up unarmed ? I don't doubt that there are parts of Lebanon where Moslems are in overwhelming minority and where some rudimentary tolerance can be found, but I thought we were talking about Lebanon a whole, weren't we?

> Even the Muslim apostate Ibn Warraq finds that Lebanon objected to the Islamic law of apostasy and accepted people fleeing persecution for changing their religions within its territory (http://www.iheu.org/node/1541).

Read around the 11th paragraph for info on Lebanon. The Lebanese Constitution guarantees the freedom of religion and Lebanon does not recognize Sharia or Islam as the state law or state religion...

But since you love statistics here is one that will surprise you. Lebanon ranked first in the Middle East in guaranteeing civil rights to its citizens. (http://www.thenational.ae/thenational/news/uae-news/courts/uae-justice-system-ranked-above-us-in-annual-index). The report on Lebanon starts on paragraph 9 the preceding paragraphs are about UAE."

This constitution is a fiction as there is no force behind it that can enforce its provisions on the country.

And quoting a UAE newspaper as a source on "civil rights" is ridiculous. Especially when you consider when they admitted anything wrong about themselves at all and that they really brag that " the UAE's justice system has been ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa and 13th in the world ...seven places above the US, which ranked 20th" ! ;)

And to show you Lebanon's dismal realities and not Moslem self-serving fairy tales let me quote something too :

"... as of last week, the mighty Hezbollah, armed to the teeth with 30,000 rockets and missiles and aligning thousands of self described "Divine soldiers" has been marching across the capital, terrorizing its population, shutting down media, taking its politicians and the Prime Minister as hostages, and looting at will. The hordes of Lebanon's "Khomeinist Janjaweeds" have conquered already half of the Middle East's cultural capital, Beirut. As I have reported before, Hezbollah has occupied West Beirut and has since sent its storm troops in multiple directions to resume the blitz."

If one day Hezbolla or Hamas or Fatah or any other Palestinian militias armed to the teeth with US or any other weapons will be marching across Jerusalem or Tel Aviv terrorizing their inhabitants, storming TV stations, demolishing news agencies, looting and taking politicians and prime ministers of ex-Israel as hostages and at the same time some commentators will be writing about "democracy" in Israel and refer as a confirmation to the new Israeli constitution and quote a newspaper from the United Arab Emirates, again ranked first among the 66 countries studied by the UN civil rights committee, then I will agree that such Israel has indeed the same form of 'democracy' as Lebanon. Yet before it happens I will insist that Israel is a democracy and Lebanon just as the UAE isn't and can't in principle be.

> In regards to your query regarding the number of inter-faith marriage statistics you are asking me to do the impossible. Lebanon has not had an official census since 1934 so the statistics only exist in govt. records, which I have no access to. What I can provide you is this. In 2009 523 inter-faith Lebanese couples were married in Cyprus as were 1,533 inter-faith Israeli couples (http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2009-10-18-cyprus-weddings_N.htm)<

Small wonder there has been no population census since 1934 on a territory that is no state strictly speaking.

Your source hasn't learnt yet that the Paraguayan Consulate General is an easy next door option for non-religious Israelis. And the only example of a Moslem woman marrying a kafir given there is a Bahai which is hardly representative of Islam as what percentage of Lebanon's population do they make and what major Islamic sect recognizes them as Moslems in the first place ? And one more thing, you have no comment on the fatwa issued by the Moslem clergy I quoted ?

> You also implied that I love sharia law. That's not true! I am an atheist and a secularist. If I loved sharia I would've moved to a sharia-law abiding nation.<

What I implied is that you don't seem to realize what sharia means in practice. Otehrwise , you don't have to move to a Moslem-majority nation to live under sharia. There are places in the US where sharia is already in force , e.g. Dearborn in Michigan.

Submitting....

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Reader comments (66) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
2Tragic event [30 words]LoraOct 27, 2011 08:43190446
3democracy in the arab world [57 words]swapnilOct 26, 2011 10:31190412
3the people's tyrant [176 words]RNOct 24, 2011 04:25190329
12Where are Libya's 144 tons of gold ? [186 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 16:40190316
Similarities between Qadhafi and Jugurtha [57 words]Debanjan BanerjeeOct 24, 2011 14:17190316
1To find something similar to Gaddafi in the western world, Debanjan has to go back 2000 years [99 words]JoshOct 25, 2011 02:09190316
8The Test of the Century [109 words]Michael Hanni MorcosOct 23, 2011 14:42190313
3Qaddafi's Ignominious End [187 words]Balarabe AbbaOct 22, 2011 09:11190276
Qaddafi's Ignominious End [63 words]Balarabe AbbaOct 21, 2011 14:01190250
3Qaddafi's Ignominious end [135 words]Nenette GrunbergOct 21, 2011 10:50190245
3Nothing to rejoice [115 words]car313Oct 21, 2011 05:01190238
8What about directing worldwide jihad against China ? [192 words]IanusOct 21, 2011 18:21190238
2China's "Muslim Problem" doesn't need US manipulation [542 words]Kepha HorOct 21, 2011 23:17190238
While I'm at it... [52 words]Kepha HorOct 21, 2011 23:19190238
1Democracy and Islam [110 words]JoshOct 22, 2011 00:39190238
1You have a point there [122 words]car313Oct 22, 2011 05:31190238
4Why another enemy? The old one is still there. [596 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 15:01190238
4Spectators,not actors [326 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 16:18190238
3How to profit from meddling with China's "Islamic problem" ? [716 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 18:46190238
1The next bogey is... [12 words]KeithOct 23, 2011 23:55190238
Communism was not a bogey [443 words]PrashantOct 24, 2011 00:05190238
Nice Litany, but... [71 words]Kepha HorOct 25, 2011 17:55190238
4Whose litany do you mean? [531 words]IanusOct 26, 2011 07:00190238
Re my Comments [439 words]Kepha HorOct 26, 2011 21:06190238
Re my Comments [136 words]Kepha HorOct 26, 2011 21:11190238
11Chechens were Christians. [644 words]IanusOct 29, 2011 12:38190238
3Ever heard a Moslem blame Islam for anything ? [889 words]IanusOct 29, 2011 19:26190238
3Islam -the biggest killer of Christianity [1120 words]IanusOct 30, 2011 08:27190238
1Have I ever heard a Muslim blame Islam for anything? [199 words]Kepha HorNov 3, 2011 21:43190238
1A quibble [83 words]Kepha HorNov 3, 2011 21:48190238
2What America will you fight for ? [855 words]IanusNov 6, 2011 19:32190238
1What Will You Fight For, Indeed, America? [580 words]M. ToveyNov 7, 2011 18:04190238
Ok, Ok, [485 words]Kepha HorNov 7, 2011 21:48190238
Maybe... [36 words]Garry LockwoodNov 17, 2011 18:30190238
3Maybe... [452 words]IanusNov 20, 2011 15:20190238
Don't Forget [134 words]BB KingNov 23, 2011 22:47190238
5"Quod licet Iovi, non licet bovi" [1639 words]IanusNov 30, 2011 14:13190238
3Qaddafi [66 words]Nelson D'SilvaOct 21, 2011 04:08190236
Seconding Nelson D' Silva's voice [197 words]JoshOct 22, 2011 15:37190236
4Canadian -Nato Factor [130 words]Michael Hanni MorcosOct 20, 2011 23:03190223
2QADAFFI'S END [45 words]samOct 20, 2011 22:27190222
1No Pluralism in Libya [86 words]jdOct 20, 2011 22:09190220
2Or ... [39 words]IanusOct 21, 2011 19:39190220
6I hope I'm wrong, but... [79 words]Peter HerzOct 20, 2011 20:25190212
3Peter Herz's hope is true [120 words]PrashantOct 20, 2011 22:18190212
7We all need to be pessimistic about Libya [63 words]JoshOct 21, 2011 00:43190212
6Theory of games and Qaddafi [774 words]IanusOct 21, 2011 17:54190212
2Are you aware that Lebanon is a democracy in the MiddleEast, not just Israel? [71 words]BB KingOct 21, 2011 22:46190212
4Mixing up form and content [285 words]IanusOct 23, 2011 14:09190212
2Disagree [83 words]BB KingOct 23, 2011 20:20190212
4What content does 'confessionalism form of government' convey in real life ? Theocratic pluralism ? [622 words]IanusOct 25, 2011 02:50190212
2Wrong Precedent to Establish Democracy [124 words]BB KingOct 25, 2011 20:47190212
4Not so wrong as you think [661 words]IanusOct 26, 2011 19:03190212
4Answer [66 words]BB KingOct 26, 2011 23:25190212
4Unsatisfactory answer [411 words]IanusOct 28, 2011 07:48190212
2Set in your mindset [175 words]BB KingOct 28, 2011 22:13190212
3... or perhaps in yours ? [1177 words]IanusOct 30, 2011 19:01190212
5A few observations [288 words]BB KingNov 1, 2011 00:46190212
2Paper democracy and the justice system of the United Arab Emirates "seven places avove the USA" [992 words]IanusNov 3, 2011 18:33190212
1Thanks, Prashant [33 words]Peter HerzNov 3, 2011 21:50190212
1Thanks for the moral support... [35 words]Peter HerzNov 3, 2011 21:54190212
2Freedom of Religion in Lebanon [240 words]BB KingNov 6, 2011 17:43190212
2Experience and governmental lies [543 words]IanusNov 6, 2011 20:15190212
2You're welcome [167 words]IanusNov 6, 2011 20:44190212
Last Dictator ? [44 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
nashoushOct 20, 2011 16:45190202
2Not to mention the pro-US dictators [38 words]Debanjan BanerjeeOct 24, 2011 14:19190202

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