Pakistan — More than 500 Muslim scholars are praising the man suspected of killing a Pakistani governor because the politician opposed blasphemy laws that mandate death for those convicted of insulting Islam.
This quote, from an MSNBC article Muslim scholars praise killer of Pakistan governor concerns reaction to the assassination of Gov. Salman Taseer for the "crime" of saying that people should be able to offer up competing ideas to Islam without fear of being killed.
These people are not "scholars". They are 21st century barbarians who praise the use of violence against those who dare suggest that their beliefs are mistaken.
History tells us that barbarians can be poweful forces, capable of bringing down more civilized societies by force of numbers and willingness to inflict unrepentant harms.
However, force of numbers and a willignness to inflict unrepentant harms does not make one deserving of the name "scholar"
This is particularly true when we talk about freedom of ideas. How can one be a "scholar" and praise the slaughter of those who present competing ideas? This is the very antithesis of the "scholar". Scholars engage in scholarly debate. They take those whom they would say are guilty of blasphemy and ask, "Which of us can best defend our ideas by means of force of intellect, rather than force of arms."
These 500 Muslims mentioned - with their praise of violence - have declared themselves the enemies of anything that can be called "scholarly".