Hungary’s Defence Ministry yesterday dismissed the threats from the Taliban that had appeared on the website of Pakistani newspaper The Frontier Post after a fourth Hungarian soldier died in Afghanistan.
Taliban spokesman Zabibullah Mudjaheed had told Hungary to withdraw its soldiers from the Asian country or prepare for the deaths of more Hungarian soldiers.
The Ministry said “we read quite a number of these kinds of threats, especially at a time when operations by Taliban resistance fighters meet with the same result as the ambush two weeks ago”.
Hungarian ambassador István Darvasi in Islamabad said the Taliban threat was from a dubious source. “If the threat had been serious it would have received a bigger reaction from Pakistan,” he told MTI on Wednesday.
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It would be prudent to send the Hungarian troops home. They have no business in Afghanistan and it could only bring trouble for Hungary.
“”If the threat had been serious it would have received a bigger reaction from Pakistan,”
Talk about painting the Devil on the wall. Too bad he sounded so cavalier. He’ll be eating those words.
I don’t know if any of you heard about this right-winged Minister in Florida. On September 11Th, he and his congregation plan on hosting a ‘Koran burning’ event. They welcome all and sundry to come and join in.
Combine that with the resentment that has been directed towards Muslims in New York (actually other States as well in the US as per out News) for having been given the green light to build some Mosque/Community Centre a block or so from Ground Zero.
I don’t know…gut feeling…somethings gonna give.
@justasking:
I hope your gut feelings are not correct!
This whole affair reminds me of one of Germany’s favorite poets – don’t know if you ever heard his name (the following quote is from wiki):
“Among the thousands of books burned on Berlin’s Opernplatz in 1933, following the Nazi raid on the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, were works by Heinrich Heine. To commemorate the terrible event, one of the most famous lines of Heine’s 1821 play Almansor was engraved in the ground at the site: “Das war ein Vorspiel nur, dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man am Ende auch Menschen.” (“Where they burn books, they will ultimately also burn people.”)
The most remarkable thing about this famous sentence on burning books:
Heine (who was Jewish) in this play “Almansor” describes the burning of the Quran!
Point taken. That Hungarians die over there is part of the game they are participating in. Just a friendly counter warning: don’t bring the jihad to Budapest.
“If the threat had been serious it would have
received a bigger reaction from Pakistan.”
-
I think Pakistan has other problems right now with
half the country stuck in the mud. Besides, the US
military suspects the Pakistani military of
warning Osama and the Taliban when their attacks
are coming. I hardly think the Pakistani are a
reliable litmus test.
-
As far as burning the Quran goes. What a stupid,
selfish, arrogant shit-head this ‘minister’ is.
The term ‘media-whore’ comes to mind. Apparently
he’ll change his mind if the President
calls…That sounds like blackmail.Him and his
congregation should be charged for complicity in
the murder of American citizens killed in
reprisals.
What a stupid, selfish, arrogant shit-head this ‘minister’ is
Cináed at September 10, 2010 1:07 PM
—
Yes, sometimes ‘Freedom Of Speech’ feels just wrong, but you cannot love them all
The highest US military commanders for Afghanistan, has asked that the burning should be canceled, so the ‘minister’ got his 15 minutes of fame
It is questionable if any President anywhere should answer such a demand in person and directly, that sounds as you write, like blackmail, and is what is used by organizations that in normal official language are called ‘terrorists’
.
In a religious country like the US, there are no laws against burning religious books?
I could go there and burn the Bible?
(Why I now would do that?)
Yes Viking, you can publicly burn religious books in the US, including the bible. Supreme court interpretations of the free speech first amendment in the past put this pastor on legal ground. You can also burn the American flag or any other flag.
While someone may be within their legal rights, you can’t control how people feel about your actions, and those actions may breed their own consequences.
It would seem that the greatest consequences
probably wouldn’t be inside the US anyway.
Personally, I think that burning someone else’s
flag or religious book is about as mature as
pulling the head off your sister’s favourite dolly
just to make her crazy. Sadly, people use real
bombs and bullets in responding. A protester has
already died. I know that the American flag gets
burned as a matter of course in many other
countries, but this is a case where US citizens
could demonstrate just how ‘civilised’ they really
are by rising above such behaviour. In that, I
think what I’ve seen in the news has been
promising; that is people trying to marginalise
this guy and even Muslim and Christian leaders
having interfaith singalongs.
-
I think there is a jibe going begging though. I’m
surprised no-one has questioned when this Reverend
Jones is going to take his faithful flock down to
Guyana for some Cool-Aid.
Hello Cinead,
I think the Muslim world can also show how civilised they are and rise above a violent response. Otherwise, they are proving that preacher’s point.
@Laci,
I hate to say this, not wanting to sound so negative…I highly doubt that will happen. Not being able to not respond violently I mean.
It’s like they’re always in a state of frenzy for some reason or another.
FL: I’m not arguing with you on that, because I do
agree. However, it gets a bit hard to go with the
whole ‘innocent victims of terrorism’ when one’s
own ‘side’ resorts to the same kind of behaviour.
This is not a comment on taking sides or
justifying behaviour…it just seems manifestly
stupid and arrogant to stir the hornet’s nest just
to gain notoriety. In that sense, it’s not unlike
the predictable result of continuing to build
houses in the new settlements.
-
As I said before…it’s good to see this actually
turning out to be an opportunity for
reconciliation between the moderate elements
everywhere.
-
This guy is no ‘christian’. He is just yet another
narcissist who has started to believe his own
personality cult bullshit.
Hi Zsuzsa,
That was a rhetorical point and not a realistic hope or expectation. The “arab street” will of course go bonkers, just like they did with the Danish cartoon. I don’t expect any “civilised” response from that end. I think the preacher man has a point after all.
Hi Cinead,
I’m not a big fan of the whole cultural/religious mileau that that “pastor” coms from. I don’t know how smart he is, but his muslim opponents are just dumb enough to fall into his trap. He says it’s a religion of violence, and they respond violently.
FL: Yep. It was a Hungarian who said: ‘As long as we
continue to react predictably, others will
manipulate us to their own ends.’
-
I wish I could find the name of the author. All I
know is that it was a Hungarian who said it. Any
ideas?
Yep, all the warnings seem to have gone for me too.
@Bobs,
Well…at least we have each other