Literary Discussions

A convert to Islam constantly posts these sorts of things:

BREAKING: Muammar Gaddafi has been spotted in Berkeley, on Telegraph Avenue. He has made a career change and is now a sidewalk vendor of sunglasses, African silk robes, and anti-war bumper stickers. He was also seen chatting up female undergrads.

My response:

So much frequent humor and you will have little credibility

Whenever I begin to take some article seriously and see "the onion" I stop reading. Now when I see your name will think "The Onion"

Habits can be our best friends or our worst enemies

Plus, this sort of humor is not graduate school humor, it is junior high humor.

As a convert to Islam everything you say and do is as a spokesperson for Islam and other will assess Islam in part by how you deport yourself. I was just now notified that Turkey is launching air strikes against Kurdish civilians. I was asked to spread the video link. I saw your mention of Gaddafi and paused with concern to read. The topic of Gaddafi brings to mind the tragic persecution of civilians by government forces. To make light of it with crass jokes and sexual allusions is in poor taste. If I don't take the  time to make you aware of what is wrong with this then who will? But, perhaps I am mistaken. I knew one Rabbi who told me how he became furious with the post office but controlled his words and actions because everyone was seeing him as an example so if he lost his dignity he gives Judaism a bad name.

[He argues: William, satire is an integral part of politics. It's one of the ways we keep ourselves sane. And someone else says I am attempting irony. Another writes: If you see Mr. Gaddafi, please remember to kick him in the testicles.]

My reply: