To Kikei

[fpb]

The way to silence me on a matter of principle - or, at least, to come close - is not, as a few people have found out before now, to threaten or insult or cyber-mob me. These things work on me by the law of contraries. But if someone I really care for asks me to moderate or abandon my position, because it is painful for her (or him), I will find it very hard not to do so. Gentleness does for me what threats never will: it is very hard for me to look in the eye of a friend and tell them - you are wrong, you are even disastrously wrong, and I am under an obligation to everything that is true and beautiful to oppose you. Which is why I have taken two days to even drop this little note in response to your answer to my last post. I have no time to answer it in depth, as I am late with a RL job. I will in the near future, I hope; and to clarify my position, I will give my view as a historian and a non-Muslim of Muhammad's place in history, and of the religion he founded.

Comments

[kikei.livejournal.com]

I never asked for a change in position. I simply gave my comments, as I always do. Believe you me, it's probably the worst thing I could ever do, and I'm not happy about it, because I find myself on the opposite end of the issue from a lot of my friends. But it works both ways. We should all have our right to say what we think, even if those who would oppose us happen to be our greatest friends. Like those mentioned in the article in your last post... they said and did what they thought was right. I am merely expressing my disappointment because I felt that as intellectuals they could have done better. Perhaps my view of them is tinged - after all, I have grown up being told that Rushdie is a sworn enemy and should be killed, just to give the most obvious example - but notice that I did not say that 'HE SHOULD DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE'. I only wished for those who have the knowledge and intellect to display it in a better fashion.

Again. You're compltely entitled to post what you think is correct in your lj, and anywhere you so please that you have access to. It is your opinion, you have a right to be heard.

But, remember, so do I.

-Kiks