Niqash - An Iraqi Civil Society Experiment on the Web
An interesting new civil society experiment is running on the web called Niqash A friend, Matthias Klein, is editor of the English section. It will be interesting to see how such experiments develop and is well worth supporting. Here is their blurb.
*niqash* is a space for Iraqi citizens to exchange views on the current political process and to debate the processes that are shaping the Iraqi society. Its main focus is on issues relevant to the drafting of the new Iraqi constitution. Its main goal is to facilitate a public and popular debate on the current political process in Iraq. In order to do so, *niqash* provides background information, organizes expert exchanges on current topics, and offers every visitor the possibility to participate in discussions or even create a personal web-diary (blog). A newsletter keeps registered users updated. There is also a Niqash Radio Station, the broadcasts of which are downloadable.
*niqash* is produced by an Arab-German-Kurdish team in Berlin & Amman. It is published in English, Arabic, and Kurdish.
The project is funded by the German Foreign Ministry and supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation.
posted by Joshua Landis @ 7/17/2005 04:32:00 AM
17 comments
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17 Comments:
President Bush, don't let dumb civil servants rob you from being
a man of destiny. It is not fun to levae the white house and live the rest of your life hearing citizens all over the world remembering you like they remember Nikson, as the Watergate man, Clinton, the sex scandel man. In fact, Lewinsky name is more of a household name today than Clinton. Do you want people to remember your "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" statement like they remember today Clinton mission accomplished statement " I HAD SEX WITH EVERY WOMEN WORKED FOR ME BUT I NEVER HAD SEX WITH THAT WOMAN, I JUST SHOVED THEREE CIGARS UP HER YOUNG PUSSY AND I CALL THAT INTERNAL AFFAIRS, PART OF MY JOB"
Josh;
I cannot imagine anything good coming out of the American aggression in Iraq. It is faulted to the core and I do not think anything will impress me. Elections of anonymous candidates held under occupation?And when you see the face of Chalabi still in the picture, you can but feel very cynical.
The only good thing Americans can do at this point is getting out.
what do those first two comments have to do with josh's post???
if you read the whole thing (it's barely 3 paragraphs!!!) then you will see that he is just helping out a friend to inform people about this niqash website. which is funded by the GERMAN government and has pretty much nothing to do with the americans.
there's nothing wrong with bashing the u.s. governments and with saying that the american troops should just leave iraq, but the two comments just show that their writers didn't even read josh's post.
Nikash
Boring site, like Moslem Brotherhood site. Bayanat, bayanat, bayanat, and talk that it sterlized to the core. That is what happened when foreigner pay for something or produced in colaboration with westerners. You must produce work that comperative to the payer or aid provider in every way, loosing effect of the work and any accomplishment.
Looks like a U.N. website, where they talk for 30 years about the people rights and abuses, but all the photos are of conference halls.
The Middle East problems need Action, a lot of actions and fast. Diplomatic bla.. bla... is cheap.
3:50 was off the mark but in Iraq EVERYTHING has to do with Americans and their allies at this stage.
Terrorists mix candy with blood
US soldiers were distributing candy to a group of Iraqi kids. A terrorist didn't like it so he slammed his explosives ladden car in the US soldiers and the children around them. One US soldier and 2 dozens kids were killed. Wow, how wonderful the resistence is!
Upon reading this story, I immediately logged on to Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera websites. Here is how the 2 channels covered the same story:
Al Arabiya:
- Al Arabiya mentioned that kids were killed
- They mentioned the "candy story"
Al Jazeera:
- Al Jazeera website did not mention that kids were killed. They just said that "24 Iraqis and one US soldier was killed".
- They did not mention the "candy story".
I have mentioned before that Al Arabiya channel started to take an anti-terrorists in Iraq stand when the great Abdul Rahman al Rashed became its general manager.
My web counter indicates that I do get a lot of visitors from the US State department and the Department of Defence. To those people I want to say this: the war on terror will never be complete unless there a change in the top managment of Al-Jazeera. The ruler of Qatar must be forced to fire Al-Jazeera's top management and replace it with a sensible one just like what the Saudi owners of Al Arabiya did. The ruler of Qatar must be forced to do so even if this means shutting down the huge US base in Doha.
Dear readers, please send this post to any official you know.
Al Jazeera's story (Arabic)
Al Arabiya's story (Arabic)
Update: Al Jazeera's Arabic website now (at last!) mentioned that 13 children were killed. However, this is mentioned only in the body of the story and not in the headline as every other news agency did. It seems that AJ reached the conclusion that they cannot hide the fact that 13 kids were killed especially after all major agencies reported that. However, AJ said that they were killed as "the bomber was targeting a US convey" (in a way of adding some legitimacy to the terrorist). And by the way, no word was mentioned on the "candy story". The kids were murdered as they were receiving candy from US soldiers.
The US should give the ruler of Qatar a choice: either you choose us or you choose Al Jazeera and your relationship with the world's most radical forces, you cannot have both your royal highness. Will the US do that? Or its hands are still tied because of the need for the US base in Doha?
Al Jazeera's "improved story" (Arabic)
Why do you care about american presidents? You should watch your own arabic leaders. Do they not use cigars? And what about the hijabs of women? Why have they to wear that? Does it make a woman more holy?
I am sure, Monica Lewinsky is much more honest, she has nothing to hide. Why is sex dirty? Didnt Allah create sex? Where do you come from?
Murderers and liars first of all seek in arabic nations. And by the way, what about yourself?
When I went to Amsterdam after 911 and wanted to take a one day visa because of a flight delay, the policeman at the airport treated my passport as if he was handling a bag with a severed decayed cow head inside. I felt very humiliated and angry, yet I later realized that it is us Arabs and Muslims who brought this upon ourselves.
What happened after September 11? How did the majority react? How did the Arab media and the religious establishment react? First, by denying the whole thing, saying that it was a smart attack, as if they wanted to say that Arabs or Muslims are too dumb to do it. Then by circulating and believing a rumor that 4000 Jews knew about the attacks on the WTC and they didn't go to work on Sept. 11. This rumor was so powerful here; even my smart dad was on the verge of believing it. Then we were anesthetizing ourselves by news stories about how Americans are mass converting to Islam after reading a book or two or two about the faith. Well, sorry, but no 4000 Jews stayed home and opinion polls indicate that the percentage of Americans who have a negative view of Islam is increasing yearly.
Where were the mass demonstrations against Al Qaeda? Where are the mass demonstrations against the daily killings of Iraqis by terrorists in Iraq? Where are the fatwas against Bin Laden coming from the heart of Mecca? Kamal Nawash, the founder of Free Muslims Coalition, decided to organize an antiterror rally on Capitol Hill. Only a handful of people attended. Why didn't the mainstream "Muslim organizations" in America join Nawash in his demonstration? If they didn't like Nawash for one reason or another, why didn't they organize their own protests? The last time I checked, the garden in front of the congress is open for everyone.
Many Arab/Muslims might not like to demonstrate against terror while "America is killing in Iraq"? OK, for the sake of the argument, let us equate Bush and Blair with Bin Laden. In the US and Europe, thousands upon thousands marched against the war in Iraq. They took an action, they said that they are against the war and they proved it on the streets. Why aren't Muslims in Europe marching against Bin Laden? Why aren't they marching
against Zarqawi today? Why did it take a train bombing for Spain's Islamic officials to issue a fatwa against Bin Laden? Why did it take bombings in London for their British counterparts to issue religious edicts against the terrorists? Besides, issuing religious edicts from an air conditioned mosque is not enough. The Western world believe in public demonstrations, if you want them to believe that Islam is a religion of peace and get a better treatment at their airport terminals, then get out of your fantasy world and start demonstrating on the streets of London, Paris, Rome, Cairo, and Mecca.
Why there aint any demonstrations or high profile fatwas against Al-Qaeda and the other terror masters? When will the good guys take over? Believe me, I have no clue.
To Anon at 12:27,
There is no doubt in my mind either that Al-Jazeera is a biased and irresponsible news network. They are so anti-American that they are willing to side with the devil and not the US. The wording of their frequent online surveys is always aimed at providing an anti-American consensus full of hate, its despicable.
But to say “The US should give the ruler of Qatar a choice: either you choose us or you choose Al Jazeera and your relationship with the world's most radical forces, you cannot have both your royal highness.” Is equally repulsive. Why should the Qatar or any Arabic country close its conservative news network? What about Fox News? CNN? Washington Time or the New York Post? I don’t hear you crying foul about these media outlets. Sure they sometimes use more sophisticated methods of mass mind manipulation but its nevertheless equally biased and probably more dangerous due to their higher viewership. Without them the American public would have never gone along for the ride on Iraq and any past unfair conflicts.
Al-Jazeera and Al-Manar, as (very) flawed as they are, cannot be but good for the Arab world. They provide another view to counter the pro-American vision CNN supplied unchallenged for decades. And just like CNN we will need to learn to read between the lines to get the more accurate facts.
it is truly interesting to see that nobody - 'cept for the indefatigable srp/ssrps - wrote his/her(/its?) comments in relation to the actual post.
it seems like you all just read the title & it had "iraq" in it & thus you immediately clicked on the "comments" button & expressed your strong feelings about the situation in iraq.
some posts even look like their authors don't even read the headlines but go straight to the "comments" section and then "answer" already existing comments...
that's ... bizarre.
"in Iraq EVERYTHING has to do with Americans and their allies at this stage" -- does that mean we won't get involved AT ALL, that we will just BOYCOTT any political process until the u.s. & coalition troops leave???
look - these people @ niqash seem to try to do something with and for the iraqi people. if you don't like it - don't participate. but if you don't participate in civil society projects then please never EVER again complain about the fact that most (if not all) arab countries are governed by de-facto dictators.
Mr Tarek
you asked:
"Why should the Qatar or any Arabic country close its conservative news network? What about Fox News? CNN? Washington Time or the New York Post? I don’t hear you crying foul about these media outlets."
Is the answer difficult?
Isnt there a problem in the arabic muslim world with terror, daily killing in Iraq, terror in europe, usa.........? Why again do you put your fingers on usa media? First of all....if you are looking for a better life in middle east....dont use your energy to blame the west. Well I guess you know, how uneducated and illaterate most of people are, who watch al jazeera, especially young people missing a job...missing love....missing all. The presence of americans in middle east is may be the last chance for a change, use it before media in the united states will call for withdrawal.
Not one of all the arabic leaders in the past or present did goods for their citizens, benefits only for their clans.
Instead to watch qatari or other stupid arabic TV programms you should do something for a better world. What about organize a protest against violence?
And please, dont care about us here in the west, let us do our business and care for yourself.
Unfortunately the reason why Muslims aren't protesting against terrorism and people like Bin Laden and Zarqawi is because they're doing what the Quran tells them to do. Violence, especially towards non-believers is encouraged in the Quran. Fore example:
Sura 2.216 "Fighting is enjoined on you, and it is an object of dislike to you; and it may be that you dislike a thing while it is good for you, and it may be that you love a thing while it is evil for you, and Allah knows, while you do not know."
Sura 8.12 "When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them."
Sura 9.5 "So when the sacred months have passed away, then slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them captives and besiege them and lie in wait for them in every ambush, then if they repent and keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate, leave their way free to them; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful."
Sura 9.29 "Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Messenger have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection."
There are also numerous other examples: Sura 3.151, 4.56, 4.91, 5.33, 33.25-27, 48.16, etc...
May H.E. Emir of Qatar and his Al Jazeera be blessed with a long...long life for gods sake. Amen.
Even though I am an Atheist I found you last comment highly offensive. You’re a racist and begot to say the least so maybe I shouldn’t waste my time with you. But lets try to be patient here and actually argue with you. Yes, Arab media supports violence, but if you try and even suggest that the American "intervention" in the Middle East is not violent or not harmful then you don't know the difference between your head and your ass.
I truly believe that the American public is one of the sweetest and loving people on earth. They are much friendlier than their European counterparts. But they are just as naive and gullible as Arabs (we are just less sophisticated). And you think we are closed minded? Americans had people sitting on different sections of the bus because of their skin color less than 50 years ago so please spare me the B.S.
And what about invading another country illegally? doesn’t that constitute as terrorism? Even if that country is ruled my maniac and needed help.
Rest assured, what America is doing in the Middle East has nothing to do with democracy and all to do with its strategic interest and its allies; oil is but mere gravy on top.
You also have the nerve to quote the Quran when it comes to condoning violence. While ignoring the millions of peaceful Suras. And what about the Bible? Doesn’t it preach violence as well? I think you need to stop listening to imbeciles like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.
Here are a few peaceful quotes you might want to ponder:
Deuteronomy 28
“The Lord strike thee with the ulcer of Egypt, and the part of thy body, by which the dung is cast out, with the scab and with the itch: so that thou canst not be healed. 28 The Lord strike thee with madness and blindness and fury of mind. 29 And mayst thou grope at midday as the blind is wont to grope in the dark, and not make straight thy ways. And mayst thou at all times suffer wrong, and be oppressed with violence, and mayst thou have no one to deliver thee. 30 Mayst thou take a wife, and another sleep with her. Mayst thou build a house, and not dwell therein. Mayest thou plant a vineyard and not gather the vintage thereof.”
“41 Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, and shalt not enjoy them: because they shall be led into captivity. 42 The blast shall consume all the trees and the fruits of thy ground”
“20The Lord shall send upon thee famine and hunger, and a rebuke upon all the works which thou shalt do: until he consume and destroy thee quickly, for thy most wicked inventions, by which thou hast forsaken me.”
Ezekiel
"16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast."
"17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them."
Look I am not trying to return the favor per-say. I believe Christianity like Judaism and Islam are inherently peaceful in nature. But it is, closed-minded morons like yourself and Muslim fundamentalists worldwide that alter religion from a blessing to a curse upon mankind.
Sorry, Mister Tarek, we talk just about terrorists and murderers. They kill their own people, their own kids. All the leaders in middle east, included the religious leaders are responsible for that forever. Also anybody, who doesnt stand up against.
Sorry, Mr Tarek, true is for your leader, even the religious, you means nothing, less than a mirage. In the western societies you find much more pitty with your bad life.
Did you ever hear that a western leader, religious or not, gave order to kill his own people. That he and his club owns all the wealth of his country? That he owns and use the media of his country to tell that you have to pray for his wealth and your poverty?
Did CNN ever show the world how to behead people?
Besides, Mr Tarek, why should we discuss about the united states, respect the freedom and wealth there as an example, or do you want to change the democracy in america you miss so much in muslim countries???
There is a perversion in any arab muslim and that depends on religion. Thats a fact and dont try to apologize it with what is written in the bible or other books. We are talking here about the middle east.
Just wait, Allah will ask you why you did nothing, why you close your minds and ears and eyes and mouths.
A clear future, middle east will go the way africa is gone before.
Josh,
The only reality in Iraq is the terrain, but "nikash' is OK; not great, just OK.
Since people are debating the Al-Arabiya versus Al-Jazeera networks, I will only repeat what Al Franken said about Al-Jazeera, that Arab people are entitled their own Fox News network.
As to these two networks, they have both lacked in seriously analyzing each of the suicide bombings in Iraq: some are due to insurgents, others to Wahhabo-Salafists, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, some are perpetrated by professional for-hire criminals who act on behalf of companies that are fighting each other for lucrative contracts in Iraq. My source: Iraqis who live in the USA and Canada.
PS: I would like Al-Arabiya to tell us how many of the suicide bombings can be attributed to Saudi citizens.
First Comment, you are one uneducated mofo..spell Nixon right!Civil servants and robbing him from destiny, your toothless wife put something in your beer bro! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!
Comments about Iraq: if they killed 100,000 Iraqis until today, then they have 1000,000 Iraqis who want to revenge (Assuming only one relative wants to revenge). As the one and only Disobedient Motherfucker, I would personally make sure half of the family watch the other half get mutilated, if they touch any family member.
To the one comment about Arabs being mistreated, fuck ya we should be mistreated, look at us! we do nothing but blame others. Not that they can't be blamed, only that we should do something about it. If 19 Americans or whatever our government tells us hit some commercial building in Damascus, man we would run after anything that is not hairy!
Unlike what you pastor tells you every Sunday. The entire Bible mentions the word LOVE just 2 times. That is right 2 times in all those 3 inch thick of pages.
Here are some Bible reference ordering people to kill one another in addition to the hundreds more mentioned about how god committed genocide after another.
Kill People Who Don't Listen to Priests
Anyone arrogant enough to reject the verdict of the judge or of the priest who represents the LORD your God must be put to death. Such evil must be purged from Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:12 NLT)
Kill Witches
You should not let a sorceress live. (Exodus 22:17 NAB)
Kill Homosexuals
"If a man lies with a male as with a women, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives." (Leviticus 20:13 NAB)
Kill Fortunetellers
A man or a woman who acts as a medium or fortuneteller shall be put to death by stoning; they have no one but themselves to blame for their death. (Leviticus 20:27 NAB)
Death for Hitting Dad
Whoever strikes his father or mother shall be put to death. (Exodus 21:15 NAB)
Death for Cursing Parents
1) If one curses his father or mother, his lamp will go out at the coming of darkness. (Proverbs 20:20 NAB)
2) All who curse their father or mother must be put to death. They are guilty of a capital offense. (Leviticus 20:9 NLT)
Death for Adultery
If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10 NLT)
Death for Fornication
A priest's daughter who loses her honor by committing fornication and thereby dishonors her father also, shall be burned to death. (Leviticus 21:9 NAB)
Death to Followers of Other Religions
Whoever sacrifices to any god, except the Lord alone, shall be doomed. (Exodus 22:19 NAB)
Kill Nonbelievers
They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 NAB)
Kill False Prophets
If a man still prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall say to him, "You shall not live, because you have spoken a lie in the name of the Lord." When he prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall thrust him through. (Zechariah 13:3 NAB)
Kill the Entire Town if One Person Worships Another God
Suppose you hear in one of the towns the LORD your God is giving you that some worthless rabble among you have led their fellow citizens astray by encouraging them to worship foreign gods. In such cases, you must examine the facts carefully. If you find it is true and can prove that such a detestable act has occurred among you, you must attack that town and completely destroy all its inhabitants, as well as all the livestock. Then you must pile all the plunder in the middle of the street and burn it. Put the entire town to the torch as a burnt offering to the LORD your God. That town must remain a ruin forever; it may never be rebuilt. Keep none of the plunder that has been set apart for destruction. Then the LORD will turn from his fierce anger and be merciful to you. He will have compassion on you and make you a great nation, just as he solemnly promised your ancestors. "The LORD your God will be merciful only if you obey him and keep all the commands I am giving you today, doing what is pleasing to him." (Deuteronomy 13:13-19 NLT)
Kill Women Who Are Not Virgins On Their Wedding Night
But if this charge is true (that she wasn't a virgin on her wedding night), and evidence of the girls virginity is not found, they shall bring the girl to the entrance of her fathers house and there her townsman shall stone her to death, because she committed a crime against Israel by her unchasteness in her father's house. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst. (Deuteronomy 22:20-21 NAB)
Kill Followers of Other Religions.
1) If your own full brother, or your son or daughter, or your beloved wife, or you intimate friend, entices you secretly to serve other gods, whom you and your fathers have not known, gods of any other nations, near at hand or far away, from one end of the earth to the other: do not yield to him or listen to him, nor look with pity upon him, to spare or shield him, but kill him. Your hand shall be the first raised to slay him; the rest of the people shall join in with you. You shall stone him to death, because he sought to lead you astray from the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. And all Israel, hearing of this, shall fear and never do such evil as this in your midst. (Deuteronomy 13:7-12 NAB)
2) Suppose a man or woman among you, in one of your towns that the LORD your God is giving you, has done evil in the sight of the LORD your God and has violated the covenant by serving other gods or by worshiping the sun, the moon, or any of the forces of heaven, which I have strictly forbidden. When you hear about it, investigate the matter thoroughly. If it is true that this detestable thing has been done in Israel, then that man or woman must be taken to the gates of the town and stoned to death. (Deuteronomy 17:2-5 NLT)
Death for Blasphemy
One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father got into a fight with one of the Israelite men. During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the LORD's name. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother's name was Shelomith. She was the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. They put the man in custody until the LORD's will in the matter should become clear. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard him to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death. Say to the people of Israel: Those who blaspheme God will suffer the consequences of their guilt and be punished. Anyone who blasphemes the LORD's name must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the LORD's name will surely die. (Leviticus 24:10-16 NLT)
Kill False Prophets
1) Suppose there are prophets among you, or those who have dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles take place. If the prophets then say, 'Come, let us worship the gods of foreign nations,' do not listen to them. The LORD your God is testing you to see if you love him with all your heart and soul. Serve only the LORD your God and fear him alone. Obey his commands, listen to his voice, and cling to him. The false prophets or dreamers who try to lead you astray must be put to death, for they encourage rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of slavery in the land of Egypt. Since they try to keep you from following the LORD your God, you must execute them to remove the evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 13:1-5 NLT)
2) But any prophet who claims to give a message from another god or who falsely claims to speak for me must die.' You may wonder, 'How will we know whether the prophecy is from the LORD or not?' If the prophet predicts something in the LORD's name and it does not happen, the LORD did not give the message. That prophet has spoken on his own and need not be feared. (Deuteronomy 18:20-22 NLT)
Infidels and Gays Should Die
So God let them go ahead and do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies. Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So they worshiped the things God made but not the Creator himself, who is to be praised forever. Amen. That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. And the men, instead of having normal sexual relationships with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men and, as a result, suffered within themselves the penalty they so richly deserved. When they refused to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their evil minds and let them do things that should never be done. Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, fighting, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They are forever inventing new ways of sinning and are disobedient to their parents. They refuse to understand, break their promises, and are heartless and unforgiving. They are fully aware of God's death penalty for those who do these things, yet they go right ahead and do them anyway. And, worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. (Romans 1:24-32 NLT)
Kill Anyone who Approaches the Tabernacle
For the LORD had said to Moses, 'Exempt the tribe of Levi from the census; do not include them when you count the rest of the Israelites. You must put the Levites in charge of the Tabernacle of the Covenant, along with its furnishings and equipment. They must carry the Tabernacle and its equipment as you travel, and they must care for it and camp around it. Whenever the Tabernacle is moved, the Levites will take it down and set it up again. Anyone else who goes too near the Tabernacle will be executed.' (Numbers 1:48-51 NLT)
Kill People for Working on the Sabbath
The LORD then gave these further instructions to Moses: 'Tell the people of Israel to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you forever. It helps you to remember that I am the LORD, who makes you holy. Yes, keep the Sabbath day, for it is holy. Anyone who desecrates it must die; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. Work six days only, but the seventh day must be a day of total rest. I repeat: Because the LORD considers it a holy day, anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.' (Exodus 31:12-15 NLT)
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2) God's Murders for Stupid Reasons:
Kill Brats
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. While he was on his way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him. "Go up baldhead," they shouted, "go up baldhead!" The prophet turned and saw them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two shebears came out of the woods and tore forty two of the children to pieces. (2 Kings 2:23-24 NAB)
God Kills the Curious
And he smote of the men of Beth-shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of Jehovah, he smote of the people seventy men, `and' fifty thousand men; and the people mourned, because Jehovah had smitten the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before Jehovah, this holy God? and to whom shall he go up from us? (1Samuel 6:19-20 ASV)
Killed by a Lion
Meanwhile, the LORD instructed one of the group of prophets to say to another man, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike the prophet. Then the prophet told him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me." And sure enough, when he had gone, a lion attacked and killed him. (1 Kings 20:35-36 NLT)
Killing the Good Samaritan
The ark of God was placed on a new cart and taken away from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab guided the cart, with Ahio walking before it, while David and all the Israelites made merry before the Lord with all their strength, with singing and with citharas, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.
When they came to the threshing floor of Nodan, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God to steady it, for the oxen were making it tip. But the Lord was angry with Uzzah; God struck him on that spot, and he died there before God. (2 Samuel 6:3-7 NAB)
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3) Murdering Children
Kill Sons of Sinners
Make ready to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their fathers; Lest they rise and posses the earth, and fill the breadth of the world with tyrants. (Isaiah 14:21 NAB)
God Will Kill Children
The glory of Israel will fly away like a bird, for your children will die at birth or perish in the womb or never even be conceived. Even if your children do survive to grow up, I will take them from you. It will be a terrible day when I turn away and leave you alone. I have watched Israel become as beautiful and pleasant as Tyre. But now Israel will bring out her children to be slaughtered." O LORD, what should I request for your people? I will ask for wombs that don't give birth and breasts that give no milk. The LORD says, "All their wickedness began at Gilgal; there I began to hate them. I will drive them from my land because of their evil actions. I will love them no more because all their leaders are rebels. The people of Israel are stricken. Their roots are dried up; they will bear no more fruit. And if they give birth, I will slaughter their beloved children." (Hosea 9:11-16 NLT)
Kill Men, Women, and Children
"Then I heard the LORD say to the other men, "Follow him through the city and kill everyone whose forehead is not marked. Show no mercy; have no pity! Kill them all – old and young, girls and women and little children. But do not touch anyone with the mark. Begin your task right here at the Temple." So they began by killing the seventy leaders. "Defile the Temple!" the LORD commanded. "Fill its courtyards with the bodies of those you kill! Go!" So they went throughout the city and did as they were told." (Ezekiel 9:5-7 NLT)
God Kills all the First Born of Egypt
And at midnight the LORD killed all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn son of the captive in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. Pharaoh and his officials and all the people of Egypt woke up during the night, and loud wailing was heard throughout the land of Egypt. There was not a single house where someone had not died. (Exodus 12:29-30 NLT)
Kill Old Men and Young Women
"You are my battle-ax and sword," says the LORD. "With you I will shatter nations and destroy many kingdoms. With you I will shatter armies, destroying the horse and rider, the chariot and charioteer. With you I will shatter men and women, old people and children, young men and maidens. With you I will shatter shepherds and flocks, farmers and oxen, captains and rulers. "As you watch, I will repay Babylon and the people of Babylonia for all the wrong they have done to my people in Jerusalem," says the LORD. "Look, O mighty mountain, destroyer of the earth! I am your enemy," says the LORD. "I will raise my fist against you, to roll you down from the heights. When I am finished, you will be nothing but a heap of rubble. You will be desolate forever. Even your stones will never again be used for building. You will be completely wiped out," says the LORD. (Jeremiah 51:20-26)
(Note that after God promises the Israelites a victory against Babylon, the Israelites actually get their butts kicked by them in the next chapter. So much for an all-knowing and all-powerful God.)
God Will Kill the Children of Sinners
If even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey, I will inflict you with seven more disasters for your sins. I will release wild animals that will kill your children and destroy your cattle, so your numbers will dwindle and your roads will be deserted. (Leviticus 26:21-22 NLT)
More Rape and Baby Killing
Anyone who is captured will be run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death right before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked and their wives raped by the attacking hordes. For I will stir up the Medes against Babylon, and no amount of silver or gold will buy them off. The attacking armies will shoot down the young people with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for the children. (Isaiah 13:15-18 NLT)
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4) Miscellaneous Murders
More of Samson's Murders
(The Lord saves Sampson from standing trial for 30 murders and arson by allowing him to kill 1000 more men.) When he reached Lehi, and the Philistines came shouting to meet him, the spirit of the Lord came upon him: the ropes around his arms become as flax that is consumed by fire and the bonds melted away from his hands. Near him was the fresh jawbone of an ass; he reached out, grasped it, and with it killed a thousand men. (Judges 15:14-15 NAB)
Peter Kills Two People
There was also a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the full amount. His wife had agreed to this deception. Then Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God." As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. Then some young men wrapped him in a sheet and took him out and buried him. About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her, "Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?" "Yes," she replied, "that was the price." And Peter said, "How could the two of you even think of doing a thing like this – conspiring together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Just outside that door are the young men who buried your husband, and they will carry you out, too." Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened. (Acts 5:1-11 NLT)
Mass Murder
This is what the Lord of hosts has to say: 'I will punish what Amalek did to Israel when he barred his way as he was coming up from Egypt. Go, now, attack Amalek, and deal with him and all that he has under the ban. Do not spare him, but kill men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and asses.' (1 Samuel 15:2-3 NAB)
You Have to Kill
Cursed be he who does the Lords work remissly, cursed he who holds back his sword from blood. (Jeremiah 48:10 NAB)
The Danites Kill the Next Town
But the territory of the Danites was too small for them; so the Danites marched up and attacked Leshem, which they captured and put to the sword. Once they had taken possession of Lesham, they renamed the settlement after their ancestor Dan. (Joshua 19:47 NAB)
God Kills Some More
Then the LORD said to me, "Even if Moses and Samuel stood before me pleading for these people, I wouldn't help them. Away with them! Get them out of my sight! And if they say to you, 'But where can we go?' tell them, 'This is what the LORD says: Those who are destined for death, to death; those who are destined for war, to war; those who are destined for famine, to famine; those who are destined for captivity, to captivity.' "I will send four kinds of destroyers against them," says the LORD. "I will send the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, the vultures to devour, and the wild animals to finish up what is left. Because of the wicked things Manasseh son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, did in Jerusalem, I will make my people an object of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth." (Jeremiah 15:1-4 NLT)
God Promises More Killing
I will make Mount Seir utterly desolate, killing off all who try to escape and any who return. I will fill your mountains with the dead. Your hills, your valleys, and your streams will be filled with people slaughtered by the sword. I will make you desolate forever. Your cities will never be rebuilt. Then you will know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 35:7-9 NLT)
The Angel of Death
My angel will go before you and bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites; and I will wipe them out. (Exodus 23:23 NAB)
Destruction of Ai
Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the entire army and attack Ai, for I have given to you the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the captured goods and the cattle for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city." So Joshua and the army of Israel set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand fighting men and sent them out at night with these orders: "Hide in ambush close behind the city and be ready for action. When our main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out to fight as they did before, and we will run away from them. We will let them chase us until they have all left the city. For they will say, 'The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.' Then you will jump up from your ambush and take possession of the city, for the LORD your God will give it to you. Set the city on fire, as the LORD has commanded. You have your orders." So they left that night and lay in ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai. But Joshua remained among the people in the camp that night.
Early the next morning Joshua roused his men and started toward Ai, accompanied by the leaders of Israel. They camped on the north side of Ai, with a valley between them and the city. That night Joshua sent five thousand men to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. So they stationed the main army north of the city and the ambush west of the city. Joshua himself spent that night in the valley. When the king of Ai saw the Israelites across the valley, he and all his army hurriedly went out early the next morning and attacked the Israelites at a place overlooking the Jordan Valley. But he didn't realize there was an ambush behind the city. Joshua and the Israelite army fled toward the wilderness as though they were badly beaten, and all the men in the city were called out to chase after them. In this way, they were lured away from the city. There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not chase after the Israelites, and the city was left wide open.
Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Point your spear toward Ai, for I will give you the city." Joshua did as he was commanded. As soon as Joshua gave the signal, the men in ambush jumped up and poured into the city. They quickly captured it and set it on fire. When the men of Ai looked behind them, smoke from the city was filling the sky, and they had nowhere to go. For the Israelites who had fled in the direction of the wilderness now turned on their pursuers. When Joshua and the other Israelites saw that the ambush had succeeded and that smoke was rising from the city, they turned and attacked the men of Ai. Then the Israelites who were inside the city came out and started killing the enemy from the rear. So the men of Ai were caught in a trap, and all of them died. Not a single person survived or escaped. Only the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua.
When the Israelite army finished killing all the men outside the city, they went back and finished off everyone inside. So the entire population of Ai was wiped out that day – twelve thousand in all. For Joshua kept holding out his spear until everyone who had lived in Ai was completely destroyed. Only the cattle and the treasures of the city were not destroyed, for the Israelites kept these for themselves, as the LORD had commanded Joshua. So Ai became a permanent mound of ruins, desolate to this very day. Joshua hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening. At sunset the Israelites took down the body and threw it in front of the city gate. They piled a great heap of stones over him that can still be seen today. (Joshua 8:1-29 NLT)
Killing at Jericho
When the people heard the sound of the horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the city from every side and captured it. They completely destroyed everything in it – men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep, donkeys – everything. (Joshua 6:20-21 NLT)
God Kills an Extended Family
"You have done more evil than all who lived before you. You have made other gods and have made me furious with your gold calves. And since you have turned your back on me, I will bring disaster on your dynasty and kill all your sons, slave or free alike. I will burn up your royal dynasty as one burns up trash until it is all gone. I, the LORD, vow that the members of your family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.'" Then Ahijah said to Jeroboam's wife, "Go on home, and when you enter the city, the child will die. All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only member of your family who will have a proper burial, for this child is the only good thing that the LORD, the God of Israel, sees in the entire family of Jeroboam. And the LORD will raise up a king over Israel who will destroy the family of Jeroboam. This will happen today, even now! Then the LORD will shake Israel like a reed whipped about in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land that he gave their ancestors and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, for they have angered the LORD by worshiping Asherah poles. He will abandon Israel because Jeroboam sinned and made all of Israel sin along with him." (1 Kings 14:9-16 NLT)
Mass Murder
The men of Israel withdrew through the territory of the Benjaminites, putting to the sword the inhabitants of the city, the livestock, and all they chanced upon. Moreover they destroyed by fire all the cities they came upon. (Judges 20:48 NAB)
The Angel of Death
That night the angel of the Lord went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. Early the next morning, there they were, all the corpuses of the dead. (2 Kings 19:35 NAB)
Kill Your Neighbors
(Moses) stood at the entrance to the camp and shouted, "All of you who are on the LORD's side, come over here and join me." And all the Levites came. He told them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Strap on your swords! Go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other, killing even your brothers, friends, and neighbors." The Levites obeyed Moses, and about three thousand people died that day. Then Moses told the Levites, "Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Because of this, he will now give you a great blessing." (Exodus 32:26-29 NLT)
Kill the Family of Sinners
And Joshua said to Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession to him; and tell me now what thou hast done, hide it not from me. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done. When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them, and behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it." [Note that the sin is not looting, but failing to give the loot to the treasury of the Lord.] "So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And they took them from the midst of the tent, and brought them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them to the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger: wherefore the name of that place was called the valley of Achor to this day. (Joshua 7:19-26 Webster's Bible)
Kill Followers of Other Religions
While the Israelites were camped at Acacia, some of the men defiled themselves by sleeping with the local Moabite women. These women invited them to attend sacrifices to their gods, and soon the Israelites were feasting with them and worshiping the gods of Moab. Before long Israel was joining in the worship of Baal of Peor, causing the LORD's anger to blaze against his people. The LORD issued the following command to Moses: "Seize all the ringleaders and execute them before the LORD in broad daylight, so his fierce anger will turn away from the people of Israel." So Moses ordered Israel's judges to execute everyone who had joined in worshiping Baal of Peor. Just then one of the Israelite men brought a Midianite woman into the camp, right before the eyes of Moses and all the people, as they were weeping at the entrance of the Tabernacle. When Phinehas son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron the priest saw this, he jumped up and left the assembly. Then he took a spear and rushed after the man into his tent. Phinehas thrust the spear all the way through the man's body and into the woman's stomach. So the plague against the Israelites was stopped, but not before 24,000 people had died. (Numbers 25:1-9 NLT)
Murder
At the customary time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. O LORD, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself." Immediately the fire of the LORD flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the ditch! And when the people saw it, they fell on their faces and cried out, "The LORD is God! The LORD is God!" Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don't let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there. (1 Kings 18:36-40 NLT)
Kill All of Babylon
"Go up, my warriors, against the land of Merathaim and against the people of Pekod. Yes, march against Babylon, the land of rebels, a land that I will judge! Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them, as I have commanded you," says the LORD. "Let the battle cry be heard in the land, a shout of great destruction". (Jeremiah 50:21-22 NLT)
Micah Kills a Whole Town
Then, with Micah's idols and his priest, the men of Dan came to the town of Laish, whose people were peaceful and secure. They attacked and killed all the people and burned the town to the ground. There was no one to rescue the residents of the town, for they lived a great distance from Sidon and had no allies nearby. This happened in the valley near Beth-rehob.Then the people of the tribe of Dan rebuilt the town and lived there. They renamed the town Dan after their ancestor, Israel's son, but it had originally been called Laish. (Judges 18:27-29 NLT) (Note that God approves of this slaughter in verse 6.)
More shit about killing in the Bible. We will leave the sex and rape and scientific absurdity aside.
Evils, Atrocities and Injustices of the Torah
The following is a very SHORT list of sadistic acts that are commanded, allowed, or threatened by God and his “righteous” men. All of these verses can be found in the Torah. (which are the first five books of the Bible.) I have put them in chronological order so that you may verify them as you read along. (Keep in mind that the scriptures literally have an atrocity on every other page. So this list will keep evolving as I work through the Pentateuch yet again. To compile a full list may take months, so feel free to check back in later.) God entraps humans by placing the tree of knowledge in the garden and telling Adam and Eve not to eat of it. This is rather similar to placing a toy in front of a child and telling them they are not allowed to play with it. God created us with instinct, rebellion, and curiosity. Soon he punishes us for only doing what is part of our nature. Genesis 2:16.47
God now commands that all women must have health hazardous labors for Eve ate the fruit. In no way shape or form is it just that I must pay for the sins of my ancestors. Genesis 3:16
God caused sibling rivalry by favoring Abel over Cain, with absolutely no attempt at justification. This act of favoritism led to Abel’s death. Genesis 4:3-5
Genesis 7:23 He killed, intentionally, every man, woman, and child on the planet save eight of them.
God commands Hagar go back into servanthood and bear children for her master though she does not want to. Genesis 16:7-9
Genesis 19:23-25 God burns down a whole city (women and children included) simply because they were supposedly homosexual.
Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and that the Lord slew him. How was Er wicked? The Bible doesn’t give us this bit of information, only that Er was wicked in the sight of the Lord. Genesis 38:7
Genesis 38:10 God murders Onan for refusing to commit incest with his sister in law.
Exodus 12:29 God repeatedly tells Moses exactly what calamity he will next visit upon the Egyptians if the Pharaoh does not allow the Israelites to be set free from slavery. Then he tells Moses (also repeatedly) that he will harden Pharaoh’s heart, so that he will refuse to allow the Israelites to go, thus bringing a calamity upon his own people, as well as showing him the awesome power of the Israelites’ Lord. This occurs over and over, bringing calamity upon calamity upon the Egyptian people. What is troubling about this verse is that when god “hardens the pharaoh’s heart” he is interfering with the Pharaoh’s free will and ultimately bringing punishment on the Egyptians for something they are not responsible for. As a final punishment god decides to kill all the first born of Egypt. The lord reduced himself to murdering innocent kids when he could have simply freed the Israelites himself with his “omnipotent” power.
God punishes children for the sins of their fathers, unto the third and fourth generations. Punishing a child for the sins of their ancestors is not very just. Exodus 20:5&34:7
God endorses slavery. He even set up laws as to how slavery was to be carried out, and goes as far as Okaying beating them. Exodus 21:2-6
God sanctioned the selling of ones daughter. How can any being tell another to literally sell their child into slavery? Disgusting! Exodus 21:7
Exodus 22:18 God orders the death of witches, sorceresses and anyone who practices magic. Sadly enough, this verse was justification for the Inquisition.
Exodus 32:27 God ordered to be killed, 3,000 Israelites for no greater crime than worshipping a golden calf. I don’t know about you but death is a pretty harsh fucking punishment.
Leviticus 20:9-10 God commands death for cursing out ones parents and death for adultery. Gee, with these types of laws the population should be almost nil by now.
Once again god is a homophobe, or at the very least, a bigot. Leviticus 20:13
Handicapped people must not approach the altar. Leviticus 21:16-23
Leviticus 26:30 “And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shill ye eat.”
Leviticus 27:28-29 God ordered and allowed human sacrifices.
Numbers 16:27 God buries alive Korah and his family.
Numbers 16:35 God killed 250 Levite princes who disagreed with Moses’ leadership. He was so bloodthirsty that he wanted to slay more until he was talked out of it. Later he put a plague upon 14,700 Jews who thought there was something wrong in killing 250 princes.
Numbers 21:1-3 God utterly destroyed the Canaanites at Hormah as a favor to the Jews.
Numbers 21:27-35 God abetted Moses in utterly destroying the Amorites at Heshbon - “…the men, the women, and the little ones.”
Numbers 31:17-18 God commands Moses to kill all the Medianite people including children and women. To top it off he commands that the virgins be saved for later raping by Moses’ soldiers.
Deuteronomy 3:3-7 God ordered Moses’ army to “utterly destroy” 60 cities, killing all the women and children within!
Deuteronomy 7:12 God ordered the Israelites to kill all the people of seven nations. He even adds, “show no mercy unto them”.
Deuteronomy 20:16 God orders that we kill everything that breathes in the cities that he gives us for an inheritance
A bastard can’t attend church “even to his tenth generation.” As if denying an innocent child rights to worship isn’t cruel. Deuteronomy 23:2
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