The Stoning of Soraya M. OR What The Hell Is NOW Doing?

If you want to see a truly powerful movie that will move you deeply, try "The Stoning of Soraya M.". This gem will likely only see very limited distribution because this true story paints a less than glowing opinion of "the religion of peace and love." In a very small nutshell, it is a movie about the stoning of an Iranian woman who is falsely accused of adultery by her husband so that he can wed a 15 year old girl. Islamic law punishes an adulteress by allowing her to be stoned to death while an adulterer (I guess) gets a harsh talking to. But, I'm not here to tell you about the whole movie ... go see it and judge for yourself.

The movie did make me think up two burning questions:

1. Where the hell is NOW? While they've been whining and ranting about glass ceilings and equal pay for equal work, human beings (mostly women) continue to be stoned to death in Islamic states around the globe. Sure, it's one thing if a male journalist just gets his head chopped off with a dull knife while the world watches, but you would think that the National Organization for Women would at least complain mildly about the stoning of a woman. But don't worry NOW gals, I think that this is a barbaric form of murder and even though I'm one of those white males that you have been trying to marginalize for decades, I'll still cry out against this.

2. When Tony Blair and George Bush were spouting that crap about the "religion of peace and love", what did they think they were accomplishing? A religion that condones beheadings and stonings (please spare me the moderate Muslim stuff - this is in the Koran and it's in there multiple times) should not be referred to by our leaders as some furry little puppy that just wants to be part of the family. Unless people know the truth, how can they act on it? Are there many peaceful Muslims? Of course. But in general, this is not a religion of peace and love. And, by the way, if you think I'm way off base here, read the Koran (or at least a condensed version of it) and make your own decisions.

We will never eliminate the threat of radical Muslim terrorists unless we meet the challenge head on. To do this we need the facts and we also need to think. Who is the real abuser of human rights? The country that waterboards terrorists (this doesn't hurt them ... it just really, really scares them) in order to protect not just its own citizens but the entire world or the country/religion that hacks off heads and stones women to death?

Powerful stuff to contemplate on a quiet Sunday night.