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Author Topic: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think  (Read 1772 times)

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Offline Boojatta

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Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« on: June 17, 2012, 12:10:29 PM »
Quote
I’m a regular reader of The Daily Dish by Andrew Sullivan. I generally like his take on religion, and I find his criticism of religion to be even-handed and insightful. However, he recently published a quote by Sam Harris saying that the Qur’an is “not that good,” followed by his own question of “can any readers counter?” It was a shocking and, I thought, lazy post.

(...)

The Qur’an is a text in Arabic, a language to which I do not believe Harris has access. How do you judge the value of a text if you don’t know the language, or even know how to judge a translation?

(...)

However, I want to point out just how paternalistic, arrogant, colonialist, and generally ignorant Harris sounds. (I suppose ignorance is actually a precursor to all the other adjectives.) Here is a text that has over 1.6 billion adherents all over the world, with a 1400-year history. Along comes a privileged white male telling them that he has read the foundational text of the religion and that it has no redeeming value.
From:
Forums & Groups » Topics » Religion & Spirituality » Religion (Group)
Sam Harris Says Qur’an “Not That Good”
http://www.democraticunderground.com/121831186
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Offline USA4ME

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2012, 12:27:07 PM »
Just goes to prove that 63.8% of statistics are made up on the spot.

.
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Offline Bad Dog

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2012, 12:33:41 PM »
So, you get your nut reading evenhanded and insightful criticism of religion (except Islam).

How do you know Sam can't read Arabic.  He may be a cunning linguist & a wizard at reading Arabic.

P.S. the Quaran was translated to English some time or other.
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Offline obumazombie

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #3 on: June 17, 2012, 12:40:58 PM »
Don't get me wrong, I don't want Boojatta banned, I just want his topic initiation privileges revoked.
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Offline Boojatta

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #4 on: June 17, 2012, 12:59:13 PM »
Actually, it seems that somebody at DU did think:

Quote
Silent3 (6,089 posts)
4. What qualifications are required?

I suspect that Harris's comments were about the value of the Qur'an as a moral guide, not about its value as literature or poetry or music.

It's always seemed to me nothing more than the Courtier's Reply that the Qur'an can only "properly" be understood and appreciated in the original Arabic. Even if that somehow were true, then the defense of the Qur'an's value based on the 1.6 billion who claim to follow the book falls apart since only a fraction of those followers actually speak and read Arabic themselves.
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Offline Bad Dog

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #5 on: June 17, 2012, 01:13:48 PM »
Quote from: obumazombie on June 17, 2012, 12:40:58 PM
Don't get me wrong, I don't want Boojatta banned, I just want his topic initiation privileges revoked.

"Don't get me wrong" my ass!!  The man/woman/thing is brilliant.  He/she/it is, unfortunately, casting swine before pearls here on CC.  You have to read everything he/she/it pastes at least three times before you can respond intelligently.  APOSTATE!!!
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Offline Boojatta

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #6 on: June 17, 2012, 01:24:00 PM »
Quote from: Bad Dog on June 17, 2012, 01:13:48 PM
(...) casting swine before pearls here on CC. 
That's different from casting pearls before swine.

Quote from: Bad Dog on June 17, 2012, 01:13:48 PM
You have to read everything he/she/it pastes at least three times before you can respond intelligently.
How many times do you recommend that people read your posts?  People could easily miss something if they read them only once.
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Offline Big Dog

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #7 on: June 17, 2012, 01:27:02 PM »
Quote from: Bad Dog on June 17, 2012, 01:13:48 PM
"Don't get me wrong" my ass!!  The man/woman/thing is brilliant.  He/she/it is, unfortunately, casting swine before pearls here on CC.  You have to read everything he/she/it pastes at least three times before you can respond intelligently.  APOSTATE!!!

 :popcorn:

Damn, we need a "pie-eating" smiley!

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Offline JohnnyReb

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #8 on: June 17, 2012, 01:29:40 PM »
I don't read Arabic but I do understand that the bastards want to subdue me or kill me....they really shouldn't have done 9/11 if they wanted to keep me ignorant about the real islam.
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Offline Bad Dog

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #9 on: June 17, 2012, 01:36:59 PM »
Quote from: JohnnyReb on June 17, 2012, 01:29:40 PM
I don't read Arabic but I do understand that the bastards want to subdue me or kill me....they really shouldn't have done 9/11 if they wanted to keep me ignorant about the real islam.

Religion of piece...of pie!!!!
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Offline Bad Dog

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #10 on: June 17, 2012, 01:41:59 PM »
Quote from: Boojatta on June 17, 2012, 01:24:00 PM
1.That's different from casting pearls before swine.
2.How many times do you recommend that people read your posts?  People could easily miss something if they read them only once.


1. Sharrrrrp, can't slip anything by you.

2. My posts are so concise & clear, they don't have to be read at all to be fully understood.
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Offline Big Dog

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #11 on: June 17, 2012, 01:59:10 PM »
Quote from: Bad Dog on June 17, 2012, 01:41:59 PM
2. My posts are so concise & clear, they don't have to be read at all to be fully understood.

Zen Master Dog approves!

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Government is the negation of liberty.
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CAVE FVROREM PATIENTIS.

Offline Bad Dog

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Re: Say that 1.6 billion people can read Arabic, and nobody at DU stops to think
« Reply #12 on: June 17, 2012, 02:02:24 PM »
Quote from: Big Dog on June 17, 2012, 01:59:10 PM
Zen Master Dog approves!



Grassyass, I blush.
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