False quote by Gustave Flaubert?

It is as you have reported it above a misquotation (which prolly has something to do with your lack of success at tracking it down), but it sorta is Flaubert, from his letters, not his novels, articles, talks, or essays.

"I demand in the name of humanity the destruction of the black stone,
to throw the bits to the wind, the destruction of Mecca, and the
desecration of the tomb of Mohammed. This is the way to demoralise
fanaticism." Flaubert, Correspondance, March 1, 1878.
Source

Thanks, Timberlandko. It is, however, not a misquotation (or maybe it is), but my translation of the Dutch translation of the original French. So it's a (poor) double translation.

Anyhoo, the words really did came from Flaubert, which surprises me. Thanks for making this clear...

Flaubert almost certainly did not write those actual words, if for no other reason than that he only wrote in French.

But he wrote these:-

Je demande, au nom de l'humanité, à ce qu'on broie la Pierre-Noire, pour en jeter les cendres au vent, à ce qu'on détruise La Mecque, et que l'on souille la tombe de Mahomet. Ce serait le moyen de démoraliser le Fanatisme."

(Gustave Flaubert / 1821-1880 / Lettre à Madame Roger des Genettes / 12 ou 19 janvier 1878)

This is my translation

I demand, in the name of humanity, that the Black Stone be crushed, so that its dust scatters in the wind, that Mecca be destroyed, and that the tomb of Mohammed be dishonored. This is the way to discourage fanaticism.

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)

Letter to Madame Roger des Genettes

12th or 19th January 1878

found at

http://atheisme.free.fr/Biographies/Flaubert.htm

Seems quite reasonable to me.

Yes, as stated, I knew Flaubert didn't write in Dutch, but thanks, I guess. At least it's clear to me now that Flaubert did write this about islam.

Thanks for the conformation, Contrex.




Makes me think though, what did fanatic muslims do in the 19th century to piss Flaubert off? Any suggestions? And if he, Flaubert, knew that muslims have a great potential of being fanatic, why don't we know this now? I mean, we have some clues, but we dare not say it. In my country, if you would write anything like Flaubert wrote, you would be persecuted.

Although the French had invaded Algeria in 1834, during the reign of Louis-Phillipe, the Algerians did not take it lying down. Abdu l-Qadir declared jihad (holy war) in 1839, and although it took eight years to run him to ground, the French finally accomplished the destruction of his movement, largely by the expedient of burning villages and executing any adult male found in arms (among a tribal people for whom it would be great shame to go around unarmed). Algeria was then turned into a colony on the mercantile model, with agriculture turned to cash crops for sale in France, and the peasant market be damned.

In 1870, at the same time as the German invasion of France, the son of Abdu l-Qadir lead an uprising in Algeria. The French saw this as a stab in the back. It was not until 1879 that the situation was stabilized again, and the northern, coastal portion of Algeria was annexed to France. Algerians were only allowed to apply for French citizenship if they publicly renounced Islam.

Given the date of the letter, it is possible that Flaubert was motivated by the bitter situation in North Africa. That is entirely conjecture, i have no other basis for saying so.

Very well expressed Set. Was going to say more but I know you detest sychophancy.

Something to do with Kouchuk Hanem and the ride up the Nile is my guess.

Before political correctness, many great people had the intelligence to understand and write about Islam, such as W. Churchill:
"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.…A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities ... but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome. [The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pp. 248-50.]"

You resurrected a 3 year old thread to quote that great racist, Winston Churchill, who had. elsewhere, quite a lot to say about the subject of non-white races. For Churchill, Negroes were “niggers” or “blackamoors,” Arabs were “worthless,” Chinese were “chinks” or “pigtails,” and other black races were “baboons” or “Hottentots.” His views on the Jews would look a bit dodgy these days too.