Margaret Atwood zresponds to big questions, after clarifying them philosophically with vigorous logic.

Some states in Malaysia make it a legal obligation for Muslim men to participate in prayer on Friday. Failure can be punished by a long prison term.

Being labeled a Muslim in Malaysia is not a matter of choice or belief. If your parents were Muslim, the national government designates you as a Muslim. Likewise if you are racially Malay. This is an offense against the human right, freedom of religion.

In general, countries that are generally considered "Muslim" have laws that deny people religious freedom. Typically these laws ban conversion of Muslims to any other religion or to Atheism, as well as other more specific injustices.

A good example is Egypt.

*Pentagon says every national guard [soldier] deployed in Washington DC "is now armed."

The hate-spreader is using an shooting attack on some national guard troops in Washington as an opportunity to make it easier for violence against civilians to occur. Such violence serves his purposes.

(satire) *[The bullshitter] Announces 5,000% Increase In All Numbers.*

*Entire Chain of Command [from Hegseth down to the soldiers who fired the shots] Could Be [prosecuted under actual US military law] for Killing Boat Strike Survivors, Sources Say,*

Thus, the statement that soldiers are allowed to refuse an order to commit a war crime is half the point. The other half is that those who receive an order to commit a crime must refuse, lest they make themselves criminals and later be prosecuted for those crimes. "I was obeying orders" is not a defense.

One unfortunate consequence of this situation is that their only remaining way to avoid such prosecution is to have a president who protects criminals. That could become a system that generates soldiers desperate to be pardoned by the president for crimes they committed for per.