Re: Temujin

[Alexander Kirillov <kirillov math sunysb edu>]

Let's wrap up the discussion of Temujin's role in history - or move it
to alt.polit.* Whether one feels that he was a particularly cruel
conqueror, or as bad as other leaders of that time, just more
successful,  it is clear (and could have been expected)  that his name,
justly or not,  is provoking strong emotions in many people - usually
negative.   It would probably be a good idea to try avoiding politically
charged names like this in GNOME releases - unless we do want to make a
political statement, in which case it better be discussed beforehand.
Having fun and naming releases for Pippi Longstockings' monkey (Mr.
Nielsen) is one thing; Temujin is in a different category.

Sasha

On Sat, 2003-09-13 at 09:56, Richard Stallman wrote: 
>     But I'm also not completely ignorant of history.
>     The same words -- "swift, precise, etc." can ne said
>     about Nazi troops.
> 
> Temujin (who ruled as Jinghiz Khan) was not an ordinary conqueror, and
> his conquests were not based only on the strength of his army.  They
> were based on cruel slaughter.  His policy was that if a city resisted
> his troops even briefly, he would kill the entire population when he
> eventually conquered it.  Hitler is an apt comparison.