Oriana Fallaci Dies

News comes in that Oriana Fallaci, a famed journalist and critic of Islam has died. Life is full of strange coincedences and this must be one of them. The main news of the day is of Pope Benedict's speech which refered to Islam that has not gone down to well in the muslim world. (out come the protests - Burning of home made flags using colouring pens and a pair of cousins bloomers, chanting, much punching of air, snarly faces etc etc.)

She was charged with denigrating Islam in Italy and was due to go to court despite her book 'The rage and the pride' selling over a million copies in her home country. Of all the days to die she chose the day the Pope is hounded for a speech on Islam. It is a bit like the perfect storm, which no doubt will mean whoever inherits royalties from her book will be in for a big fat pay cheque soon. This is the last paragraph from the Times obituary -


"Oriana Fallaci was short of stature and always elegantly, even severely dressed. She lived in spartan fashion, working slowly and rather obsessively, her only vice being cigarettes. Though an atheist, she was an admirer of the present Pope, who she liked to think shared her concerns about Islam. "

Full Obit