AN OUTSIDE VIEW

Music can obviously not damage the brain in the way that a stroke or a blow to the head can. But the brain is a plastic organ - one might think of it as a self-wiring computer. This means that if the wiring is faulty, its function will be impaired and it will in fact be damaged. We know that emotions and feelings can be affected by sound. There is the notorious effect of being exposed to 7Hz, a frequency just below the threshold of hearing, matching the theta wave frequency recorded by electroencephalagrams (EEG); there is a lot of literature on this subject. It is a frequency that can easily be generated by playing low-frequency chords on the organ. Music was used as a form of torture  at Guantanamo Bay. Music torture has been common practice for the CIA ever since it began its "enhanced interrogation program" in the early 2000s. The process is designed to "create fear, disorient … and prolong capture shock" in prisoners. Sgt. Mark Hadsell, a member of the U.S...

"'My client Mr Tanveer Ahmed has specifically instructed me that today, 6 April 2016, to issue this statement to the press, the statement is in the words of my client. ' This all happened for one reason and no other issues and no other intentions. 'Asad Shah disrespected the messenger of Islam the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. Mr Shah claimed to be a prophet. 'When 1400 years ago the Prophet of Islam Muhammad peace be upon him has clearly said that "I am the final messenger of Allah there is no more prophets or messengers from God Allah after me.  'I am leaving you the final Quran. There is no changes. It is the final book of Allah and this is the final completion of Islam."  'There is no more changes to it and no one has the right to claim to be a prophet or to change the Quran or change Islam. 'It is mentioned in the Quran that there is no doubt in this book no one has the right to disrespect the sayings of the Prophet Muham...

In an article which is of course not open for comments, the Guardian reports that , " The man accused of murdering Asad Shah has released a statement through his lawyer claiming that he killed the popular Glasgow shopkeeper because he disrespected Islam. "Tanveer Ahmed, from Toller in Bradford, was charged with murder after Shah was discovered with serious injuries outside his newsagent’s shop in the Shawlands area of Glasgow, a few miles south of the city centre on 24 March. The 40-year-old was taken to Queen Elizabeth university hospital, where he was pronounced dead. In a highly unusual move, Ahmed’s lawyer John Rafferty released the statement following his client’s second court appearance ." I doubt if the accused is unusual. His views appear to be widespread within his community. They are a menace to free speech in particular and to society in general. They bring shame on "peaceful Muslims", whoever they may be, and are revealing the true nature of ...

Lebanon was once a haven of peace and prosperity in the Middle East. It was created after the First World War, effectively as a Christian state, as it was that part of Syria which had a majority of Maronite Christians. As the Muslim minority grew, the religious balance changed, leading to a struggle for power which culminated in the civil war of 1975, after which it became another failed Muslim state. And now nobody wants to stay in Lebanon . The difficulty is that these people bring their problems with them when they go somewhere else, because however good they are individually, their culture, attitudes and conduct are shaped by Islam.

They will be burning people at the stake for it soon. http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/03/jungle-book-disney-remake-racism-worries Fear of being accused of Islamophobia (the worst sort of racism), must be the reason why the popular Narnia book  The Horse and His Boy  by C S Lewis, has not, and can not, be made into a film. There is also a good chance that someone would blow up the studios and cinemas that showed it would be hit by suicide bombers.

The release of Islamic beachwear by Marks and Spencers has got the liberal left in a bit of a tizzie. The wearing of Islamic clothing is a political statement, as is acknowledged in this article here . The difficulty for the liberal left is that Islam stands in direct opposition to their progressive principles but they do not want to criticise it. This is not a new controversy.   A seventeenth century commentator advised against nude swimming "for a Naiad will snap at a worm". Victorians swam in the nude on segregated beaches. I have swum in places in Scandinavia where it was considered impolite to cover up. Members of Brighton Swimming Club, in the 1860s, were expected to swim in "drawers". In the world of competitive swimming, the design of costumes is regulated by the Amateur Swimming Association, for the sake of decency and to prevent unfair competition, for example through the use of buoyant materials. Triathletes, however, swimming in open water, are expecte...