I’m not a religious man. Though if people get pleasure from praying 6 times a day, good luck to them. Whatever floats your beard. But I do appreciate the value, historically, of a religious framework for society which, in days of old (like those frikkin Romans) generally defaulted to debauchery, hedonism, slavery and murder based solely on socio-economic lines. The rich had the fun, the poor got raped, beaten and subjugated into slavery. That’s why God invented football, to give the poor something to watch between beatings.

So a ‘Christian framework’ presented a moral code. The basics, upon which the western world developed its values. In fact a ‘judeo-christian’ framework, because the Moses got in first with the 10 commandments, 3 thousand years before Jesus famously turned the other cheek and invented mooning. Or whatever.

So religion set the morality; don’t murder, don’t commit adultery (unless you can get away with it and use a superinjunction), do not covet your neighbour’s wheelie bin and basically, don’t be a naughty boy or girl, within the value system we now employ. Easy peasy. And common sensy too. As life is to be revered. Help people to live, is the message, and you’ll be blessed. Which does beg a few interesting questions when state-sanctioned murder is allowed. Like death sentences for convicted criminals. Like warfare. And what about things that are worse than death? Like watching Spurs give up a 2-0 lead at home to Scarborough?

But generally, and in most cases: people do bad shit and its the job of the state to protect us, save us and punish them for their transgressions. That’s the way it works round here. Generally.

Yet elsewhere that ain’t the case. And more and more frequently I find myself deeply troubled by the plight of others, in foreign lands, where values are ‘different’. I can’t judge things by any values other than my own. Its who I am. And I want to understand that in other nations, other regimes, they come from a different starting point. The basis of which is not the judeoo-christian morality.

And they’re allowed to do whatever they like, because its their countries. Even though that understanding itself is pretty much unique to western thought. Western tolerance to others.

So in Pakistan a woman is beaten to death on the street. By a crowd. Led by her own father and watched by, among hundreds of other ‘spectators’, police and court officials. Who did nothing during the 15 minutes it took to murder this woman accused by her father of dishonour. She married a man he didn’t like. I suppose ‘grounding for a week’ wouldn’t quite fit then. The father, it now transpires, had previously murdered his other daughter in an ‘honour killing’ 3 years ago.

Whereas in Sudan, Meriam Ibrahim has just given birth to a baby daughter. In prison, whilst chained to the floor. Where she is awaiting the death penalty for adultery and apostasy. The ‘adultery’ is because she had a relationship with a man (her husband, in fact) in an unsanctioned relationship, ie one that wasn’t Islamic. Because Meriam was raised as a Christian and married another Christian. But due to having a Mulsim father, is an apostate. A denier of her faith. So will be hanged.

So just a couple of questions that spring to mind:

1. Why do these people hate women so much?

2. WHAT THE FUCK???????????

Happy Friday, here in the West

A xxxx