August 8, 2002

9:19 PM

The University of North Carolina is under fire and facing a possible lawsuit for assigning a book on Islam. Fox's Bill O'Reilly even likens it to studying Mein Kampf during WWII. Because God forbid we try to understand what makes our 'enemies' tick.
posted by zztzed (6 comments total)

The book has nothing to do with explaining Islam as I have been told. Its just a book which sorts the whole area of religeous terminology with the help of verses from the Quran as examples. Watching Bill O'Reilly's "no spin zone" is a sure way of spinning one's head out of control. He is a moron.
posted by adnanbwp at 9:26 PM on August 8, 2002

Mein Kampf was a book containing one man's personal ideology. The Quran is a book containing wisdom and stories that could apply to almost any person in the world. Sure, it's the holy book for Islam.. and the USA doesn't really like certain Islamic people right now.. but saying we shouldn't study Islam because of that is like saying we shouldn't have played Tetris during the Cold War.
posted by wackybrit at 9:32 PM on August 8, 2002

I'm not one to speak much, but it's been done.
posted by Ufez Jones at 9:40 PM on August 8, 2002

I'm not one to speak much, but it's been done.

Quite so.

A five word Google search parameter, perhaps...
posted by y2karl at 10:05 PM on August 8, 2002

I'm glad there's people out there to look out for anyone wanting to 'learn something' about the enemy. I mean, when will the people learn that the talking heads on TV are there for a reason?

You know, even if the book is flawed (what a unique story in that alone), I'd rather have people make an attempt to expand their knowledge of a culture that's having a major effect on our country right now.

When I was reading Holy War, Inc. I had somebody at my work read the blurb on the cover: "'The ONLY book you need to read about Osama bin Laden.' Yeah right, like I'm gonna read a bunch of them! Ha ha!"

Inwardly weeping...
posted by Busithoth at 10:07 PM on August 8, 2002

Will the mention of Mein Kampf, Bin Laden and the double thinger invoke a goodwinesque stiffling of this thread or will it again be hijacked into an argument for free market anarchism? Or have we learned in these two hectic weeks that as fragile as those young minds may be, they will cruise through this course like a pimp in a 78 Eldorado on a friday night cruise down Broadway?
posted by Mack Twain at 10:20 PM on August 8, 2002