Comments on issues raised by BBC WHYS

Gadgets are still available only to a few people around the world. Many don’t have access to the new technology because of their low income. Computers are still a luxury. In many schools chalk and blackboard are still used as the principle tools for teaching while other schools have multimedia facilities.

New technology is likely to deepen the divide between the rich and the poor as good quality technology is still the monopoly of rich nations and rich people who can easily afford it.

It will take decades before modern technology gadgets become accessible to everyone. These gadgets are still a luxury in poor countries. These countries don’t have electricity all over to make it possible for everyone to use these gadgets.

Gadgets can be frustrating. The newly acquired gadgets become quickly outdated due to constant innovations. The questions is if these gadgets are intended to make life easier or just urge people to be mere consumers, dissatisfied with what they’ve already got.

Blasphemy is still considered as an offence in many parts of the world, especially in Islamic countries. Selman Rushdie is still under threat because of his book “The Satanic Verses” considered as blasphemous. The cartoons about Prophet Mohammed are still fresh in mind.

The recent example was in Morocco. A newspaper “Nichane” has been banned and its site on the Internet blocked because it published an issue of 10 pages on jokes the Moroccans make about religion, politics and sex. So religion is still a sensitive issue.

Da Vinci Code was a controversial film because it put in question many held ideas about Christ and Christianity. The controversy it raised showed that blasphemy still matters as long as there are believers who don’t want to be offended in their faith.

Many things were taboo including sex and blasphemy. But now due to the Internet it has become possible to publish anything including jokes about what used to be too sacred to talk about irreverently.

The danger is when blasphemy becomes so widespread, religion will become outdated forcing a new society whose members will have to find new ways to link for it not to break up totally.