Why not hold it in Mecca? Oh, yeah ….
posted at 2:50 pm on July 16, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was kicking off an interfaith conference in Madrid on Wednesday — an effort to bring Muslims, Christians and Jews closer together amid a world that often puts the three faiths at odds. …
Abdullah has made reaching out to other faiths a hallmark of his rule since taking over the oil-rich kingdom following the death of his half brother in 2005. He met with Pope Benedict XVI late last year, the first meeting ever between a pope and a reigning Saudi king.
And in June, Abdullah held a religious conference in Mecca in which participants pledged improved relations between Islam’s two main branches — Sunni and Shia. At that meeting Abdullah also rejected extremism, saying that Muslims must present Islam’s “good message” to the world.
Bad news:
Observers say the conference was being held in Spain partly because it would be politically unpalatable for Abdullah to allow Jewish and Christian leaders on Saudi soil.
I’m surprised they even held it in al-Andalus. National Brotherhood Week, Saudi style …..
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The vid was a little hyperbolous, but funny.
jgapinoy on July 16, 2008 at 2:54 PM
I thoroughly enjoyed the video Ed, thanks for sharing.
ThackerAgency on July 16, 2008 at 2:57 PM
As someone who spent seven months in the Kingdom, jewish and christian leaders should be extremely happy that they get to go to Spain, vice Saudi.
Spain is a really, really great country to visit.
Saudi? Not so much.
NoDonkey on July 16, 2008 at 2:59 PM
Everything would be cool……..except for those damn Joooooos and Christians.
/sarc
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on July 16, 2008 at 2:59 PM
In King Abdullah’s Islamic world everything is double talk. Nothing he says is what it is, because everything he says is what it isn’t. And contrary wise, what is, he can’t really say. You see?
MB4 on July 16, 2008 at 3:00 PM
Updated version from the 1965 original, even if the clip is in black and white. In the original, Lehrer notes before the song that during the last National Brotherhood Week, Malcom X was assassinated, and in this one he subsitutes Cassius Clay and Mrs. Wallace for Sheriff Park and Lena Horne (also a little too much over-emoting for the TV camera in this one, but still funny. Too bad that, as a liberal, Lehrer’s satire today would be taken about as well by other libs as they’re taking the New Yorker’s Obama cartoon).
jon1979 on July 16, 2008 at 3:04 PM
I have all of Tom Lehrer’s CD’s. Fantastic. Another reason to like Ed!
Canadian Infidel on July 16, 2008 at 3:04 PM
Oh lord just checked out some of this guys other videos. He’s got a monumentally screwed up, yet hilarious sense of humor
jimmy the notable on July 16, 2008 at 3:04 PM
taqiyah
TheBigOldDog on July 16, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Forgot the link…
Taqiyah
TheBigOldDog on July 16, 2008 at 3:07 PM
Woah, I just finished watching the BBC Space Race series from a few years ago, and our rocket guy Wernher von Braun…they showed this video during the series. Small world..
jimmy the notable on July 16, 2008 at 3:08 PM
Muslims seem to have a very serious religious inferiority complex.
EJDolbow on July 16, 2008 at 3:14 PM
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia can bring all the people of the world together by lowering oil prices to $40 a barrel.
I say it’s worth a try.
fogw on July 16, 2008 at 3:19 PM
Of course they do, they can’t stand up on a fair playing field.
TBinSTL on July 16, 2008 at 3:21 PM
Tom Lehrer is probably the only Liberal I can say I like… having owned his albums from the time I was a teenager in the 60’s ( no wise cracks from the pups out there) he along with Firesign Theatre kept me laughing in a scary South Philly hovel. Funny how Tom’s songs are ageless… or maybe not so funny.
MNDavenotPC on July 16, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Yeah, behead someone, and everything is OK, kill civilian children, praise allah, but just don’t you draw a cartoon or you’ve gone too far………
Seven Percent Solution on July 16, 2008 at 3:28 PM
And if this were held in the Vatican, don’t be surprised if the “Religion of Peace” reps start measuring the drapes…in fact, they may do this when they’re in Al-Andalus, as well!
dmh0667 on July 16, 2008 at 3:38 PM
The video was great! I hope Abdullah uses it for the opening ceremony in Spain.
becki51758 on July 16, 2008 at 3:46 PM
I sometimes wonder if Western “crusade terrorists” started attacking Meca would our problems with the Jihadists go away overnight?
luckybogey on July 16, 2008 at 3:49 PM
“Go out and shake the hand of someone you can’t stand…” could definitely be the Week’s motto!
GeneSmith on July 16, 2008 at 4:07 PM
In other words this isn’t an Interfaith meeting it’s an Enterfaith meeting. In even otherwords, you can come and everything in the world will work out if you become a muslim.
- The Cat
MirCat on July 16, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Great video Ed! I’ve heard the lyrics before and never knew who did it, funny stuff. What major network would air that today? It’s a shame political correctness has all but destroyed freedom of speech, most of the time humor is what’s needed to undo a tense situation.
Maxx on July 16, 2008 at 4:34 PM
“Masochist’s Tango”, “The Vatican Rag”.
Yeah I grew up with his stuff too. Brings back memories.
Markvike on July 16, 2008 at 4:40 PM
That’s worth a shot! Although I’d prefer the Fightin’ 69th Airborne Pig Division being inserted, myself…10,000 of the meanest sows in the Midwest, they are!
dmh0667 on July 16, 2008 at 5:12 PM
Thoroughly self-parodic.
OneGyT on July 16, 2008 at 8:03 PM
Sorry. I thought you meant Gene Pitney.
Randy
williars on July 16, 2008 at 8:54 PM
I think the opposite would be true. Mecca and Madinah are the two holiest of Islamic cities. The fact is, non-Muslims are not even allowed into Mecca, that’s how holy it is to them. I don’t see attacking Mecca as a good move, as interesting as it might be to think about.
Glynn on July 16, 2008 at 9:43 PM
Unfortunately, I do.
OldEnglish on July 16, 2008 at 10:29 PM
I spent a year in Riyadh. I totally agree, though Jeddah is not so bad, but nothing compared to Spain.
Glynn on July 16, 2008 at 10:42 PM
Maybe instead of holding a big photo opportunity in Spain asserting his commitment to religious tolerance, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia could instead simply stop bankrolling Islamic terror. Or maybe make it legal for other religions to enter their backward country. Watching the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia extoll religious tolerance is like hearing hyenas praise vegetarianism.
Tantor on July 17, 2008 at 2:33 AM
Lehrer’s great, but I’ll bet you can guess whom he’s voting for.
calbear on July 17, 2008 at 6:17 PM
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