Denise Mina Quotes


If you went for a job interview in a Glasgow law firm, they used to ask you what school you went to. And that was a way of finding out what religion you were.


Citations

Forshaw, Barry. Tartan Noir: The Definitive Guide to Scottish Crime Fiction. Pocket Books, 2013.

Related Quotes

The traditional Hindu social structure established castes – levels of society with Brahmins at the top and untouchables at the bottom. When India gained independence, the caste system was made illegal. Nonetheless, it is still followed by hundreds of millions of Indians. Religiously the Buddhists and the Hindus have had different philosophies. Ilaiah is a Buddhist who opposes the traditional Brahmin social structure and is a supporter of “Dalitization” – a change in the Indian culture to make the Dalits (untouchables) equal de juro and de facto.


Toleration is a relative term. The Muslim Moors made Christians (and Jews) pay a special tax. At times they were forced to wear special clothing so that they could be readily identified. And they could not build churches larger or taller than the smallest mosque in the community. At times, their occupations were restricted but at other times Christians and Jews were appointed to the highest positions like Vizier. The Inquisition, in contrast, forced all Muslims (and Jews) to leave the country without any of their property or money or be tortured and killed—usually by burning at the stake unless of course that they converted to Christianity.


The most important documents and doctrine of most churches were created by men who also established the framework of the religion. The result has in almost all cases been a sexist structure with women having not only little power not typically females are banned from all church governance. See {640303} for her quote on religion in general vis a vis women.


Paz was the Ambassador to India. The caste system in India was outlawed by the Indian Constitution, and the government has made many effort at affirmative action to eliminate it put as Paz observed it is so ingrained in Indian tradition, culture and religion that it continues to persist.


This title of his essay shocked his fellow politicians and may churches that a Congressman would attack churches. Few abolitionists were that outspoken over the disgraceful role that most American Churches had in refraining to oppose slavery. At the time, most Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Jewish clerics either supported slavery or were reluctant to publicly criticize slavery. At the same time the Quakers and many other congregations and clergymen were among the most outspoken and fervent abolitionists. They were very much in the minority,


Porush was one of the Haradi--ultra-orthodox Jews. In the land of the Jewish people, he argued against religious freedom for Jews unless they were Orthodox Jews, while ironically, the majority of Jews in the world and even in Israel followed the Conservative or Reform branches of Judaism or were secular. At the time the Orthodox Jewish movement was the only one that was recognized officially by the government. Porush and some of the more fanatical Haradi were determined to keep the Conservative and Reform Jewish branches unrecognized and unsupported by the government. (Israel does not have separation of church and state and economically supports the Orthodox Jewish establishment but not the other majority branches of Judaism.) The "Women of the Wall" is one of the major groups in Israel advocating equal government treatment for all citizens o0f Israel. Orthodox Judaism, like many other orthodox religions are very sexist and women were actually banned from praying at the holiest of Jewish places, the Western or Wailing Wall. Women of the Wall had won a major decision of the Israeli Supreme court that women could not be denied the right to pray at the Wall. The orthodox rabbis who the government allowed to control access to the Wall, set aside a small area for women at the "Dung Gate" where the garbage was carried out. Women of the Wall were back in court and this prompted Porush's outburst. He was cebsured by the Ethics Committee of the Israeli Knesset (Parliament).


Denise Mina
Denise Mina
  • Born: August 21, 1966
  • Nationality: Scottish
  • Profession: Writer

Denise Mina is a Scottish crime writer and playwright. She has written the Garnethill trilogy and another three novels featuring the character Patricia "Paddy" Meehan, a Glasgow journalist. Described as an author of Tartan Noir, she has also dabbled in comic book writing, having written 13 issues of Hellblazer.