Category Archives: Nutters

apparently we’re all robert spencer now, according to the weasels at “spinwatch”

By bananabrain | Published: August 24, 2011

we at the spittoon have for some time been a target for the not-very-impressive “spinwatch” site, which appears to be the hobby-horse of strathclyde university’s answer to bob pitt, dr david miller. dr miller, we hardly need remind you, appears to think that spittoon authors are without exception rabid “neo-cons”, by which he appears to mean some sort of catch-all imperialism of liberal democracy imposed by force of arms on the bucolic, picaresque and entirely pacifist natives of the middle-east and south asia. as if this wasn’t bad (or inaccurate) enough, we are also supposed to be apostles of islamophobia; apparently it isn’t clear enough to someone who is supposed to be an academic that what we oppose is the virulent political ideology known as islamism – as well as other forms of religious and political extremism; jewish, christian, atheist, muslim, ethnicity-based – we are equal-opportunity anti-extremists, or we certainly try to be.

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Also posted in Activism, Anti Muslim bigotry, Blogosphere, Dodgy Policy Wonks, Education, European Fascism, Far Right Extremism, Homophobia, Identity Politics, Islamism, Moral relativism, Racism, The Far Left, The Left, The Regressive Left | 20 Comments

unfortunately, this is not haredi satire….

By bananabrain | Published: August 17, 2011

i came upon this notice in synagogue this morning. it makes interesting reading – as a piece of satire, of course, which i hoped and prayed it is, but unfortunately, on investigation, it isn’t, although it was, due to its over-the-topness, taken as such by the regulars, which was a relief. i know there are synagogues where it would not occur to anyone to think it might be satire – there is at least one commentator who sympathises, but nevertheless thinks it’s “overstated”!

the state of "yiddishkeit" yesterday

the state of "yiddishkeit" yesterday

anyway, it appears to be (you can download it from here) from one of the increasingly odd sub-groups of the breslover sect of hasidim, who you may have seen in the recent tv documentary partying at their annual jamboree at the sect founder’s tomb in the town of uman in the ukraine. they are regarded as somewhat odd even by other hasidim (in a kind of sufi high-on-G!D hippy kind of way) but they are rather obsessed with the kabbalistic aspects of correct sexual activity, the piece itself being extremely revealing of the attitudes that filter through in much of the discourse from the haredi world, particularly the hasidic bits, so i thought i’d share it, with some translation and commentary:

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Also posted in Activism, Esoterica, Exegesis, Farce, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Hermeneutics, Jewish Extremism, Laughs, Obscurantism, Sectarianism, Sexuality | Leave a comment

“it is more important and impressive for G!D to Work through natural law than through supernatural miracles”

By bananabrain | Published: July 8, 2011

i have been, for some time, a supporter of the “zoo rabbi”, r. natan slifkin, who had the temerity to come out publicly in favour of evolution and has struggled with numerous attacks on his positions and, of course, the inevitable ad hominems and various disgraceful attempts to discredit his work by people of whom decidedly better should be expected.the zoo rabbi

i came across this particular gem of an essay  from his website today. it is an elegant argument for the ability to reconcile scientific and religious viewpoints:

“…Even if the Darwinian mechanisms were inadequate, presumably G!D had some sort of means of transforming creatures via natural law, which science would eventually discover. Dissing the neo-Darwinian explanation would mislead people into thinking that it necessarily happened in a supernatural manner.

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Also posted in Blogosphere, Christian Evangelical Nutters, Defamation, Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Religion, Jewish Extremism, Obscurantism | 1 Comment

Jewish court sentences dog to death by stoning

By avicenna | Published: June 18, 2011

What is it with Middle Eastern monotheistic beliefs and dogs?

JERUSALEM — A Jerusalem rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a dog it suspects is the reincarnation of a secular lawyer who insulted the court’s judges 20 years ago, Ynet website reported Friday.

According to Ynet, the large dog made its way into the Monetary Affairs Court in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, frightening judges and plaintiffs.
Despite attempts to drive the dog out of the court, the hound refused to leave the premises.

One of the sitting judges then recalled a curse the court had passed down upon a secular lawyer who had insulted the judges two decades previously.

Their preferred divine retribution was for the lawyer’s spirit to move into the body of a dog, an animal considered impure by traditional Judaism.

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Also posted in Jewish Extremism | 13 Comments

Weard Beards

By Abdul Hamid al Manchesteri | Published: June 5, 2011

Gillette boycott:

Shaving Weard Invokes Wrath of Allah

Also posted in Drollery | Leave a comment

Watching Al-Muhajiroun Watch Porn

By avicenna | Published: May 27, 2011

The website Islambase was the online presence for members of Anjem Chaudhuri’s rebooted incarnations of Al-Muhajiroun – Saved Sect and Al-Ghuraaba (or Mojos as we prefer to call them) – after the demise of Omar Bakri’s Paltalk. In December 2007 Islambase was part of an investigation by a team of Russian hackers, who entered several extremist Islamist sites around the world. They recorded the key strokes of certain users of these extremist sites for up to several days and have helpfully published their findings.

So what can we see from the reports? What kind of noble and conscientious activities did these pious, virtuous and upright Muslims get up to online in preparation for jihad on earth and for life in the hereafter?

Guy Baldwin, who is a techie and terror tracker, checked out the results of the Russian investigations and he has gives us the shocking but wholly predictable look into the porn consumption of Anjem’s homeboys and girls:

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Also posted in Drollery, Islamism | 2 Comments

kabbalah loony-fest: global aftershocks continue

By bananabrain | Published: March 9, 2011

“Since we decided to do this conference, it seems to me the energy has gone insane all around the world.”

thus karen berg of the kabbalah centre.

it seems that the “energy” has indeed “gone insane” from the “power of peace” conference: the brothers of centre aficionado lisa tchenguiz have just been arrested in connection with an investigation into the collapsed icelandic bank kaupthing.

obviously, the kabbalah centre will be rushing to claim credit for this turn of events, it having about as much to do with their conference as the other effects they claim.

i think someone has tattooed the wrong letter triad on their bum.

Also posted in Crime, Esoterica, Farce | 2 Comments

the kabbalah loony-fest and the levers of power and influence

By bananabrain | Published: March 8, 2011

if the kabbalah centre are to be believed, their recent “power of peace” conference was responsible for the current reshaping under way in the middle east. according to the founder’s wife, karen berg:

“Since we decided to do this conference, it seems to me the energy has gone insane all around the world.”

according to her, this is because of the butterfly effect. as usual, proper science is being pressed into service as pseudo-scientific twaddle in order to bolster outrageous claims of causality and influence, but as we know from that deepak chopra-caused earthquake, that’s nothing new.

what is somewhat more worrying is the attendee list at the conference. a quick scan reveals the following:

  • philanthropist / socialite lisa tchenguiz, also known as “britain’s richest divorcée” and sister of the property magnates and entrepreneurs vincent and robert tchenguiz – so presumably, like other celebrity aficionados, a key target for flattery and significant personal and family funding.
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Also posted in Esoterica, Obscurantism | Leave a comment

Lambert: So Wrong On So Many Levels

By Effendi | Published: February 9, 2011

Bob Lambert came out fighting with a desperate piece in defence of his disastrous thesis, which is unconvincing from the start:

As a result of Cameron’s new policy, several Muslims who al-Qaida strategists regard as serious and credible opponents in the battle for young hearts and minds will be hampered in their important counter-terrorism work. Fortunately, Cameron’s decision to deny effective Muslim community initiatives legitimacy and funding will not entirely halt effective grassroots work against al-Qaida influence but it will reduce its scale and impact. It will also make life difficult for local partnerships where Muslim community groups are branded extremist and subversive by the government. As a consequence, trust and mutual respect between police and Muslim community projects will be replaced by relationships of control and distrust, or no relationships at all – both outcomes serving al-Qaida better than counter-terrorism.

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Also posted in Islamism, Moral relativism | 7 Comments

Murder Money Maulana

By Effendi | Published: January 7, 2011

News of a cleric who puts a cash-incentive on the murder of Aasiya Bibi comes via Pakistaniat (by Adil Najam). This man is not an exponent of radical political Islam or Islamist, he is a traditional Barelvi cleric and a prominent and highly respected khateeb of a historic mosque in Peshawar:

Maulana Yousaf Qureshi

This man is Yousaf Qureshi of Peshawar and he has publicly offered a reward of Rs. 500,000 (Rs. 5 Lacs; US$5880) to anyone who murders Aasiya Bibi of Nankana.

Yousuf Qureshi has never met or seen Aasiya. Yet, his heart is so full of hatred that he is willing to give anyone, even you, Rs. 500,000 to kill her. By the way, he does not seem to hold you in very high esteem either; he believes that you will be willing to commit murder for him for less than US$6,000. And if you will not, he calls upon the Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP) to do the killing for him. For around the price of a new Suzuki Mehran VX he wants you to commit murder, make three children orphans, and take a human life. All reports suggest that he is mighty proud of what he is trying to do!

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Also posted in Crime, Freedom of Religion | 5 Comments

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