Also, I'll be doing either a) one long post about being a libertarian/conservative in a bunch of "Arab Spring"-themed events b) or likely several shorter ones.
It was a mix of good and bad - I'll try to get everything I can to illustrate the differences. On the negative side, below is part of an email I sent to one of my professors after an event [I've omitted part of a sentence from the original to keep my secret-identity safe]:
I have to say that I was rather disappointed with the discussion after the screening of "The Stoning of Soraya M." I really hoped some open dialogue would emerge, but I don't think that was the case.
I know I entered the conversation in a rather confrontational manner [Editorial note: in his response, the professor said he didn't believe I was rude or even controversial - I did have the temerity to question the speaker, though, and read a few quotes from the Qu'ran as I asked my question]; I hoped I'd get some interesting feedback. I don't know if you noticed, however, how quickly (in the space of one question, really) the issue addressed was more along the lines of "Well, Christians did bad things, too, And this story isn't about Muslims doing bad things to each other, it's about [patriarchy] [local tradition] [etc]."
I certainly won't argue that Christians haven't committed atrocious acts against, well, nearly everyone. I do firmly believe, however, that the people responsible for those acts were lousy Christians. DISCLOSURE: I very loosely consider myself Christian. I do, however, take issue with immediate comparative arguments that cloud, rather than clarify, the issue at hand. Want a talk on Christian violence, sure, I'll be there. Want a talk on Muslim violence, ditto. But conflating the two creates little more than an emotional mess.
To argue that honor killing and frequent abuse of women isn't tied to Islam flies in the face of logic. In the US, wifebeaters are scorned. Islamic (or semi-Islamic countries) don't treat the issue the same way. Arguing the opposite is like arguing against gravity - the numbers don't work.
As always, I worry that what I say or write will be mistaken as some sort of anti-Islamic screed. I honestly feel, though, that in many cases you can't even use the words of the Qu'ran or Hadith or Sunna to justify any argument without backlash. I wish people could be a bit more honest. Even if it's uncomfortable.
I wasn't sure how you felt about the whole thing. Was there anything that you specifically wanted to see (in the discussion - I think we all wanted to see a miraculous rescue of Soraya)?
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