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Comment by hnews_account_1 | Hacker News Reader

They disowned their one Nobel laureate and maybe one of the greatest minds of his generation because of his Islam being different from their Islam. That place is a failed nation. Thank fuck for the internet so the people aren’t insulated from the outside world.

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The Pakistani government even removed the word "Muslim" from his headstone. Sick backward country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abdus_Salam#Death

Same thing happened to James Watson.

If I'm reading about the correct James Watson, this is not a fair or accurate comparison.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watson#Comments_on_race

Edit: the psychology of creating an account to make that particular comment is fascinating to me.

>Latin lover.

Ah, yes, the "Latin" skin pigment. From black in the Caribbean, to nordic White/Ginger found in Spain and Chile/Argentina. Very accurate.

No, it didn't — neither Crick or Watson had any consequences for their speech anywhere near the level of being exiled or facing prosecution. An institution cutting ties after you spend years making racist claims is a disappointing tarnish to your career, but it's nothing like going to jail or potentially facing the execution (Pakistan has the death penalty for blasphemy).

Abdul Salam was neither exiled nor did he face prosecution. Let's not get sensationalist. He left Pakistan long before the official moves against Ahmadis, and the reasons for his leaving were mundane: Petty politics at the university in Pakistan.

The first paragraph of that Wikipedia page says this:

> At the very commencement of his accession, he found himself forced into exile from Pakistan in response to pressure from the Government of Pakistan.

Is that inaccurate?

Link? His Wikipedia page does not have this text, and it was last edited days ago.

Never mind: You are talking about Mirza. I'm talking about the Nobel Laureate. Two different people.

Right, that explains it - too much going on in this thread.

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