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from the oh-good-stronger-copyright-laws-/s dept.
French president challenges 'inward-looking nationalist selfishness' in Europe:
Emmanuel Macron has outlined his vision for the future of the European Union in Strasbourg. The 40-year-old, who secured the French Presidency in May on a pro-EU platform amid a populist surge in the bloc, delivered his highly anticipated speech to over 700 MEPs in the European Parliament on Tuesday.
Macron challenged "inward-looking nationalist selfishness" amid populist sentiment in the bloc and pushed for a more united and reinvigorated Europe. "Nationalism will lead Europe into the abyss. We see authoritarianism rising all around us," he said. "The response should not be authoritarian democracy but the authority of democracy."
Macron also sought to tackle the "poisoned debate" on migration, proposing the creation of a European programme that could subsidise local authorities which host and integrate refugees.
In a speech which touched on a range of issues, Macron recommended that copyright law be tightened to protect artists' "genius" and reiterated his support for tougher environmental legislation.
Meanwhile, Macron wants to "reform" Islam:
Speaking alongside the flag-draped coffin of a police officer killed in a terrorist attack in southern France, President Emmanuel Macron last month lay blame on "underground Islamism" and those who "indoctrinate on our soil and corrupt daily." The attack added further urgency to a project already in the works: Macron has embarked on a controversial quest to change Islam in France — with the goal of integration but also preventing radicalization.
He has said that in the coming months he will announce "a blueprint for the whole organization" of Islam. And those trying to anticipate what that will look like are turning their attention to Hakim El Karoui, a leading voice on how Islamic traditions fit within French culture.
It's hard to miss that the man who appears to have Macron's ear on this most sensitive of subjects cuts a similar figure. Like the president, El Karoui is an ex-Rothschild investment banker with an elite social pedigree who favors well-tailored suits, crisp white shirts and the lofty province of big ideas. The latest of those ideas is this: that the best way to integrate Islam within French society is to promote a version of the religion "practiced in peace by believers who will not have the need to loudly proclaim their faith."
Also at BBC.
(Score: 5, Informative) by TheRaven on Thursday April 19 2018, @08:51AM (1 child)
This is not true for most Christian sects. Mainstream branches of Christianity (i.e. anything that accepts the decisions of the First Council of Nicaea in 325) believe that the Bible is 'inspired' by God, but is fallible because it was translated by the mind of man. In contrast, Islam teaches that the Qur'an is the literal word of God (who, apparently, can't speak any language other than Arabic), dictated by an angel and memorised by Muhammed. Translations of the Qur'an into other languages must be referred to as 'interpretations' and are not considered canonical.
sudo mod me up
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Thursday April 19 2018, @08:06PM
Sounds like the exact same decision to me. "Only the original can be considered valid. All translations are suspect." is the decision in both cases.
The only problem is, Arabic is still a existing language with native speakers, and they think they know what the words the read today meant when they were written 16 centuries ago. OTOH, they also acknowledge that the existing Koran is a disorganized patchwork of fragments that were pieced together during the Caliphate. A pity they don't understand what that means about the meaning and understanding of each fragment (i.e. that each fragment was originally embedded in a larger context which has been lost). Well, some of them do, but you won't find them being fanatical.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.