Hamed Abdel Samad wore what I would consider a fairly innocuous shirt on the street in Egypt (“God is busy. Can I help you?”). Watch what happens as a pushy, angry mob forms around him and he is blamed for “provoking” them.
You really don’t want to be anywhere near an Islamist or Christianist. They’ll use any excuse to bully you.
Back when I was younger and more dickish, I used to go around in a shirt that sad “Jesus hates me” whenever I was in a particularity pissy mood. Worked pretty well for keeping the local bible thumpers at bay.
I would wear that sweatshirt, and get beat up for shouting “sarcasm” the crowd of “defenders” harassing me about it. IF, IF IF
shit.
talk is cheep [sic]
?
Or be around dickish anyone.
Oh, Egypt, what are we going to do with you? *unnecessary smug grin*
I used to desire wearing atheist shirts as well.
You are free to do whatever you want in a state ruled by fanatics and authoritarians.
If you want to do the same things they want.
A guy I know was a bit tipsy in Cairo and decided to argue with his taxi driver about religion. He claimed to be hindu, that he believes there’s one god with many faces, just like the 99 faces of the muslim god (he’s of Indian ancestry so he could pull it off).
The taxi driver to him to get out of the fucking car before he killed him.
(To be fair: the taxi driver asked him if he was muslim, is what sparked the discussion)
I’d asked them, “you’re Egyptians, why aren’t you following the Egypt religion, instead of some silly foreign one?”.
Re: Alt-X @ #8….
Much as I agree with you, please supply the name and contact information for your next of kin so we’ll know who (and how) to contact them after you do that.
I sold a t-shirt “Atheist – Come on out, the reality’s fine” to a woman from Kuwaiti. I asked “Isn’t that dangerous?” Her reply: They can’t read English, I’ll be fine. I hope she’s fine.
I wore a t-shirt with that same printing to a secular group’s volunteering at the San Diego Feeding America food bank. I then started doing significant facilities work. Probably saved them a lot of money. Nobody would talk to me. Only a thank you if I asked. Eventually quit. A bunch of fundies doing god’s work.
If his shirt offended God, why did they feel the need to harass him over it?
Perhaps God was busy.
This happens wrt Buddhism too.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/sri-lanka/travel-tips-and-articles/buddha-tattoos-avoiding-offence-on-your-travels-to-sri-lanka
jimzy: “doing god’s work” — God is such a slacker.
Not that it excuses the appalling conduct of the bullying crowd, but the sweatshirt said more than “God is busy. Can I help you?” It also had a satanic face on it, making it not so much an innocuous atheist statement, and more of a mocking semi-satanic statement.
Their god has to be a total wimp if he needs to be defended all the time.
Provocation. The easiest excuse for assholes who are out of reasons.