#politics

By declaring our Prophet infallible and not permitting ourselves to question him, we Muslims had set up a static tyranny. The Prophet Muhammad attempted to legislate every aspect of life. By adhering to his rules of what is permitted and what is forbidden, we Muslims supressed the freedom to think for ourselves and to act as we chose. We froze the moral outlook of billions of people into the mind-set of the Arab desert in the seventh century. We were not just servants of Allah, we were slaves. ↗

— Ayaan Hirsi Ali

#politics #freedom

I take criticism so seriously as to believe that, even in the midst of a battle in which one is unmistakably on one side against another, there should be criticism, because there must be critical consciousness if there are to be issues, problems, values, even lives to be fought for... Criticism must think of itself as life-enhancing and constitutively opposed to every form of tyranny, domination, and abuse; its social goals are noncoercive knowledge produced in the interests of human freedom. ↗

— Edward W. Said

#edward-said #freedom #politics #freedom

The host took care to produce one or another of these whenever the current subjects seemed about used up, so that the conversation gathered new life and at the same time steered clear of political arguments, which are hindersome to both ingestion and digestion. ↗

— Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

#dinner #food #politics #food

GRAPESHOT, n. An argument which the future is preparing in answer to the demands of American Socialism. ↗

— Ambrose Bierce

#politics #socialism #humor

Handcuffs barely wrap around the girth of my penis. I should run for Congress. ↗

— Jarod Kintz

#humor #politics #humor

All White House hopefuls we forewarn: You'll have to prove that you were born. Before Trump hits the state of granite, He must identify the planet Where he first took on human form - A place where blowhards are the norm. ↗

— Calvin Trillin

#politics #humor

It is not enough for journalists to see themselves as mere messengers without understanding the hidden agendas of the message and the myths that surround it. ↗

— John Pilger

#media #politics #journalist

It is possible to be a retard and a politician. In fact, it’s almost a prerequisite. 
 ↗

— Jarod Kintz

#politics #possible #prerequisite #retard #politicians

the fact that every people feel itself threatened by the others gives the state it's definite unifying powers; it depends upon the instinct of self-preservation of society itself; the latent external crisis enables it to get the upper hand in internal crises ↗

— Martin Buber

#politics #power #state #anarchy

From the comfort of distance, [Non resident Indians and Kashmiris] financially and emotionally support ideologies whose consequence they don’t have to face. They are not just a nuisance. As a collective they are dangerous. When men capable of murder receive the affection of engineers and MBAs, it makes them potentially far more lethal. ↗

— Manu Joseph

#kashmir #non-resident-indian #politics #support #men