Could learn? Nope.
Extremely interesting piece of history.

In order to prevent sedition and retain strong defences, Catherine was obliged to establish herself as a protector of religious freedom.

Under her policy of religious toleration, which forbade the demolition of mosques and the forced conversion of Muslims to Christianity, Muslims came to accept the empire as the ‘House of Islam’ (dar al Islam), allowing them to fulfil their religious obligations. ...

‘So the idea here,’ says Crews, ‘is that they owed her loyalty as a religious obligation. Because she allowed mosque construction and allowed clerics to function, she effectively gave Islam a legal standing for the first time in the Russian Empire, and for that she expected loyalty.’

Makes perfect sense. Respect people and they'll be loyal. Squash people and you'll get constant "terrorism" in return.

I was going to say "Modern leaders could learn a lesson", but then I remembered Polistra's law of implied intent. Modern leaders aren't dumb. They squash Christians and Muslims because they WANT "terrorism" arising from the unfashionable. When the unfashionable are defined as "terrorists", the fashionable can obliterate the unfashionable and feel good about it.

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A bit later: Looks like Putin has learned the right lesson from Catherine.

Homosexuality may not be tolerated in today’s Russia, nor political dissent. Polygamy, though, is a different matter. Ever since news broke this summer of a 57-year-old police chief in Chechnya bullying a 17-year-old local girl into becoming his second wife, Russian nationalists and Islamic leaders alike have been lining up to call for a man’s right to take more than one wife.

The Western satans are missing the point as always. Polygamy is not "the next step" after same-sex "marriage". It's the opposite. Polygamy is part of Natural Law. The Old Testament clearly allows it but doesn't require it as the universal standard. This parallels other symmetrical provisions of sharia: giving the rich certain privileges in return for requiring the rich to use their wealth productively. A rich man with four official wives has great prestige and a heavy burden; and he's less likely to seek variety outside marriage.

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Semi-relevant.... I'm still listening to 'Strange as it seems' episodes at bedtime, and the show continues to provide counterweights to modern lunacy. The Web of Gold tells the story of the Sultan of Hyderabad, who was by some standards the richest man in the world. The writers understood the point of polygamy. After the dramatic vignette, narrator concludes:

"Strange as it seems, the Nizam of Hyderabad, the richest man in the world, who spent 1.2 million on brides for his two sons, who gave 50 million to Great Britain during the war, whose fortune is estimated at over two billion dollars, is a prisoner in his own country. Prohibited by law from crossing its boundaries,

[3 seconds silence]

AND he has 300 wives."

Labels: Natural law = Sharia law, Zero Problems, Гром победы

  ¶ 1:50 AM