Christian Man Has 39 Wives…What if he were Muslim? It's Official: Bill Maher is a Racist
01 March 2011By Juan Cole
A 66 year old man in Guwahati, India has 39 wives,
94 children, and 33 grandchildren…and he's not done
yet! According to Reuters [emphasis added]:
The more, the merrier is certainly true for Ziona
Chana, a 66-year-old man in India's remote northeast
who has 39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren —
and wouldn't mind having more.
They all live in a four storied building with 100
rooms in a mountainous village inMizoram state,
sharing borders with Myanmar and Bangladesh, media
reports said.
"I once married 10 women in one year," he was quoted
as saying.
His wives share a dormitory near Ziona's private
bedroom and locals said he likes to have seven or
eight of them by his side at all times.
The sons and their wives, and all their children, live
in different rooms in the same building, but share a
common kitchen.
The wives take turns cooking, while his daughters
clean the house and do washing. The men do outdoor
jobs like farming and taking care of livestock.
The family, all 167 of them, consumes around 91 kg
(200 pounds) of rice and more than 59 kg (130 pounds)
of potatoes a day. They are supported by their own
resources and occasional donations from followers.
"Even today, I am ready to expand my family and
willing to go to any extent to marry," Ziona said.
"I have so many people to care (for) and look after,
and I consider myself a lucky man."
Ziona met his oldest wife, who is three years older
than he is, when he was 17.
He heads a local Christian religious sect, called the
"Chana," which allows polygamy. Formed in June 1942,
the sect believes it will soon be ruling the world
with Christ and has a membership of around 400
families.
What if he were Muslim? What if this was some Bedouin
in Saudi Arabia? The Islamophobes would be all over
it, claiming Islam takes away women's rights, treats
women as chattel, etc. etc. Indeed, some Muslims do
just that. But, their crimes cannot be projected upon
Islam. Polygamy is found in every culture and every
religious tradition. But Islam-haters like "Police
Blotter Bob" Spencer would never tell you that…
Bill Maher Slams Muslim Men's
Treatment Of Women, Gets Heckled By Audience Member
Maher was having it out with Smiley over relative
treatment of women in Muslim countries and American
society – Smiley didn't argue that Muslim countries
often exhibit poor attitudes toward women, but argued
treatment of women in America has a long way to go,
too. Maher called it a "false equivalency," and it
went on from there. Maher read off a list of the ways
women are oppressed in Arab countries – in 19 of 22,
they can't vote; in Saudi Arabia they aren't allowed
to drive; etc.
Then, he got into slightly weirder territory. He
asserted that "civilization begins with civilizing the
men," and then, after saying, "I know this is
anecdotal" (not an auspicious way to start when you're
trying to make a convincing argument), unleashed this
line:
"Talk to women who've ever dated an Arab man. The
results are not good."
Maher added they have a "sense of entitlement," indeed
quite the anecdotal piece of "evidence," and one to
which guest Michelle Caruso-Cabrera shot back, "Every
man I've ever dated has a sense of entitlement." And
Maher kept on having none of Smiley's argument that
Americans shouldn't act superior about treatment of
women and rejected the notion he was "demonizing"
anyone by saying Americans' treatment of women is
better:
"They're worse. What's wrong with just saying that?"
And it continued on like that until a guy in the crowd
started yelling about Hellfire missiles…and yelling,
and yelling. He rattled off so much so quickly (though
most of it was tough to hear) that Maher guessed it
was a prepared speech…a guess buoyed by the fact that
the rant, as Maher also pointed out, indeed didn't
have a whole lot to do with what the panel was talking
about. Video of the segment below – the interruption
begins at the 5:32 mark
It's Official: Bill Maher is a
Racist
How long will Bill Maher get a pass on his racism
and anti-Muslim Islamophobia? Is it acceptable because
the targets are Arabs and Muslims and because Maher is
a comedian from whom outrageous things are expected?
On his last show Bill Maher went on a spiel
undermining the Democratic character of Revolutions
sweeping across the Arab world. Amongst his ludicrous
statements he claimed "women can't vote in 19 of 22
Arab countries," that "women who have dated an Arab
man, the results aren't good," that "Arab men have a
sense of "entitlement," etc. He also went onto forward
the argument that "we are better than them,"
justifying it by implying he is not a "cultural
relativist."
No, Bill might not be a "cultural relativist" but he
sure sounds like a "cultural supremacist." His factual
accuracy about the Islamic and Arab world is akin to
Robert Spencer's. It is patently false that "19 of 22?
Arab states don't allow for women to vote, a brief
trip to Wikipidea would have disabused him of that
false fact:
Women were granted the right to vote on a universal
and equal basis in Lebanon in 1952[46], Syria (to
vote) in 1949 [47] (Restrictions or conditions lifted)
in 1953 [48], Egypt in 1956[49], Tunisia in 1959 [50],
Mauritania in 1961[51], Algeria in 1962 [52], Morocco
in 1963 [53], Libya [54] and Sudan in 1964 [55],Yemen
(Partly)in 1967 [47] (full right) in 1970 [56],
Bahrain in 1973 [57], Jordan in 1974 [58], Iraq (Full
right) 1980 [57] Oman (Partly) in 1994 and (Fully
granted) 2003 [59], and Kuwait in 2005 [57].
The reality, (what is lost on Maher) is that even
though nearly all Arab states allow for voting for men
and women, their votes didn't matter in the autocratic
kleptocracies that littered the Middle East, and this
is what Arabs — men and women — have been fighting
against these past few months. It seems Maher just
can't handle all the myths he's been pushing being
shattered.
Bill Maher goes onto talk about how Arab men are bad
spouses and boyfriends, to buttress his points he
brings up "anecdotal" evidence and his opinion that
Arabs have a "sense of entitlement." How does Bill
know? Has he dated Arab men? This is one of those
things that is so ridiculous and patently
unsubstantiated that it is beyond being laughable, you
almost cringe with embarrassment for how stupid it
makes Maher look.
Maher also seemed to use "Arab" and "Muslim"
interchangeably, perhaps not knowing that a
significant number of Arabs are not Muslims. While
there are certainly problems in the Middle East and
the Muslim world regarding the treatment of women,
Maher judges Arabs and Muslims by their lowest common
denominator. Ignoring countries such as Turkey,
Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh,
Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan and others that have
progressive legislation regarding women and which have
had women presidents, prime ministers,
parliamentarians, business leaders, sports icons,
journalists, etc.
At the end of the day Maher needs to have someone on
his show who can push back against the myths that he
indulges in and propagates. Someone of the caliber of
As'ad Abu Khalil or Juan Cole might be a good start.
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