Atheist Arab Psychologist gives an interesting speech at Al-Gazirah I think

[Heresson]

She speaks very, very good arabic (she makes a few mistakes, but not in grammar or pronounciation, but sense, and she corrects herself). while the islamic guy speaks some dialect.

Very nice. I'm curious if her background is muslim or christian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN4AL-AOyfs

there are english subtitles

[Meticulous Man]

The first part of her speech sounded Bushian in its black-and-whiteness but it got better towards the end.

[Barnabas]

Does quitab/kitab mean book?

[Barnabas]

This woman completely powns by the way

[Gangerolf]

yes, she speaks teh TRUTH but why is she yelling? I have a hard time taking her seriously.
and those other guys are just ridiculous.

[Barnabas]

Maybe arabs just speak loud

[BeBMan]

It wasn't as great as Jon Stewart pwning Tucker Carlson, but still cool. If you agree with the woman in every detail or not, she has done a good job in countering that religious guy.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Gangerolf
yes, she speaks teh TRUTH but why is she yelling? I have a hard time taking her seriously.

Well, I think given the context it's understandable, it's not like it's an normal debate when you have a fundy on the other side which tries to label you a heretic. We probaly wouldn't care about that here, but in a deeply religious environment it could be very different. It's an easy way to invalidate everything she said in the eyes of others.

Of course we'd have to see the full debate to make a better judgement what was going on.

[Jon Miller]

If she is an atheist isn't she a heretic?

JM

[BeBMan]

If you're of the wrong faith for anyone you'd be a heretic as well. It's a meaningless term, unless of course you need a cheap way to go rid of someone.

[Jon Miller]

Heretic is a meaningful term for disputes among members of the same faith over doctrinal differences.

JM

[BeBMan]

What good is it for other than to exclude someone from the group of the good guys?

[Gangerolf]

yeah, not very normal debate. but at least they are debating

[Tattila the Hun]

Wouldn't someone without faith be pagan? To the one with faith, atleast? She'd be heretic, if she was muslim, but "other kind" of muslim...

[BeBMan]

Well, other kinds of Christians were labeled heretics in the middle ages (Albigensians for example). Of course those who labeled them so probably thought they weren't Christian anymore. IMO using the term means only that one side thinks it can arbitrarily define who's right and who not.

And re pagan - maybe he thinks that she was Muslim before and has left, that would make her probably "heretic" (in his eyes). People from other faiths are usually seen as infidels. In the Christian middle ages heretics were often seen as worse as infidels. Infidels could be converted, but heretics that left the "right path" couldn't expect much good.