About us - The GoKunming story

Apologies in advance for 'hijacking' a thread, but I'm increasingly frustrated by contributors hijacking an entire website and thereby devaluing a precious resource. Please find below the first paragraph from the 'about' page of gokunming. I've always found this website useful and navigable when users have stuck to the stated purpose of GKM and do so in the spirit of the founder(s). There are websites for every conceivable topic but only a handful focus on Kunming / Yunnan.

GoKunming was founded by Chris Horton in 2005. Chris was frustrated by the general lack of up-to-date, practical information available online regarding Kunming and Yunnan. He set out to create a platform that could provide English-language news and travel information for both foreign and domestic users.

Thanks for the reminder. You are right. This topic has nothing to do with Kunming and is far too sensitive for debate here.

@nnoble: I don't understand what you mean by 'hijacking an entire website'. Obviously gokunming is now about more than English-language news and travel information. I can't understand why people don't see that the nature of English-language news and the media (including Internet media that we all receive) does not affect those of us who live in Kunming. As for what is or is not 'practical', it all depends on what you are trying to do. I think this thread could also have been put under 'Study' - think of those here to study, not just language, but tourism in, say, Lijiang vis-a-vis what is said about it in the media and by advertisers.
As for 'sensitive', take a look at some rather insensitive comments concerning 'the Chinese' that appear. And so far, on this thread, I don't think any comment has been insensitive in the way that seems to be implied. But I'm willing to abide by the judgement of those who run gokunming, but will consider a negative judgement an example of what I'm talking about and a sad example what gokunming must do to cover themselves.
I respect the comments of those who think this can't be, and/or shouldn't be, discussed at all, but I do not agree with them and see it as sadly similar to a possible negative judgement from gokunming.

It is a free world. But we should respect each other including their faith.

What about sproofing your religion and prophet? We are brain-brushed by medias, but we never reflect what the medias did for us and for Muslim.

As pointed out, there are many other more appropriate places to discuss the original topic of this thread elsewhere on the internet. If the site owners chose to pull this topic that is their right. They have to comply with the law. They would not be wrong to do so.

Personally I think the Charlie Hebdo cartoon was a really stupid and irresponsible thing to publish, especially in the present climate of violent acts and attitudes of both deed and speech, which are likely to lead to future unnecessary physical violence - but, given the alternative of more Control, I finally have to support their right to do so. But then note the way in which it has been used by political entities to further advance stereotypes of 'all Muslims' and 'all nonbelievers' that rely on information distortion and demote serious inquiry about what the actual causes of serious violence and domination of the world's population and resources may be. So the whole complex of media distortion and its role in perpetrating acts by those who have exaggerated power is involved.

@Tiger: indeed that is their right and their responsibility and within their capacity - under the...law. As I've mentioned, I won't blame them if they choose to do so. But so far I don't think we've crossed any lines.

NB
The originator of this thread is the only individual posting here with an unverified account.

I believe that China's response to the entire situation was quite mature and considerate. As a US citizen raised to believe in the Freedom of Speech - I've come to believe that Freedom of Speech also comes with responsibility, as do liberty and justice.

Islamic law specifically states (ad hoc) publishing images of the Prophet or of God are forbidden - punishable by death. I believe these are aberrations of the Old Testament - which were originally designed to emphasize upon the Jews the importance of NOT building idols of worship (e.g. Aaron's Golden Calf/Bull while Moses was up on "the hill" getting the ten commandments) - I'm a bit out of chronological sync here - as Islam (I believe) was created out of Abraham's child from his handmaiden, Hagar (since his wife Sarah was kinda old and past menopause). That was a bitter story - and may explain the bitter relationship between Jews and Islam.

Anyway - long digression - the bottom line was freedom of speech - like the gokm blogs - should also come with an element of mutual respect, which the HEBDO cartoon lampooned.

I do believe that the assassins however acted illegally (religiously speaking) as they are outside the Islamic faith system AND they are required to be tried in accordance with Islamic law for death-penalty inducing transgressions.

Islam is NOT a lawless religion - but fantasized Islam IS a lawless religion - it is law based on whim. China has some seriously bitter historical experiences with religious wars, cults, and self-proclaimed messiahs.

So China's response, which was somewhat mirrored by the Pope's - was conservative, well-measured, mature, and respects social harmony.

Unfettered, uncontrolled, irresponsible, undisciplined freedom of speech is like some of the recent gokm blogs - which devolve and disintegrate into pedantic, immature name calling and online bullying - and this includes the baiting tactics.

There's nothing wrong with debating various issues - it helps keep us mentally and socially sharp - but name-calling, baiting are immature playground bullying tactics used when logic fails - or neither party can respect the other's opinions and insists on attempting to force an opinion, philosophy, or whatever - which is how wars are incubated.

I love the USA - but it frequently exhibits the foreign policy of a selfish, pedantic bully as sometimes exhibited on these forums.

The current US led policy of economic embargoes on Russia may force a military response - and we know Putin is definitely macho testosterone driven.

The world is currently in a three kingdoms state of politics - the West, Russia, and the rising Islamic Fundamentalist States - with China playing neutral, as all are major trading partners and a global economic instability is bad for China and currently - with the world still trying to emerge from a global recession (caused by unabated US greed, fraud, and a generally criminal lack of self discipline and social responsibility with US government collusion) - what's bad for China will be bad for the world.

One point only, laotou (not directly to the point, but one might as well get it right, and I think I've got it right): It's not Islam that was, according to the religious mythology, created out of Abraham's child, Ishmael, by Hagar, but the Arabs as a people, just as the Jews, as a people, are said to be the descendants of Isaac, Abraham's son by Sarah. For the most part Arabs were not following the religion of Abraham in any form when the Prophet of Islam delivered the Quran, although some were Christians, and some Jews converted to Islam (as well as Persians and a lot of others). Islam is said by Muslims to be the true religion of Abraham, and that the message given through the Prophet Mohammed corrected the various deviations from that religion that are embedded in Judaism and Christianity.
Of course the 'peoples' of today, and for that matter in Mohammed's time, have all sorts of ancestry, but I'm presenting the religious mythology here only.