Letters to the Editor
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Sad and sadder
sadly, there is truth to the first layer of this cartoon. the secon layer reveals even more sadly, that there are far too many men of all or no religion who would love to posses such a woman.
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Newspapers withhelding this and next week's cartoon
What I find interesting is how afraid the Western world is of emitting opinion towards Islam... it's not a question of political correctness, it's not a question of respect, it's basically a question of fear. Would these cartoons be withheld before 9/11?
This opinion about the part women play in the Islamic world might be right or wrong, but it's not expressed in a distasteful manner, with the intention to offend - it's expressed in a funny, light way. The western world is stepping more and more into a position where any group (or part of a group...) can kill to fight perceived offense. Death as a response to words - and cartoons.
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What's sad is
that people will miss the point, proclaim their ignorance from the rooftops, and defend their misconceptions to the death.
Papers are afraid of this because it may be offensive? I can hardly see why. It isn't offensive to the followers of Islam, but to people who seek out the religion of the week. It's offensive to those who value the trappings of religion over the substance. It's offensive to those who wrap themselves in dogma while remaining ignorant of doctrine.
In short, it's offensive to people to stupid to read a newspaper, or know they were being insulted if they managed to. But the papers are probably right to be afraid, because there are plenty of other idiots who will take this opportunity to be offended.
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What the hell?
This wasn't even in the Washington Post. Not being in the South Alabama Podunk Express-News I could understand, but the frickin' POST?!
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It must be difficult
To have to bash all religions but also be required to praise Progressive Allah.
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I bet there is some controversy over this anyway
I bet there will be people of the Muslim faith, and people of the thought police faith who deride Breathed for this strip.
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You bring the lawnchairs I'll bring the smores
We'll watch the religion of peace burn something down.
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Not to rain on your outrage
But maybe the blatant sexual reference is why some papers are withholding it?
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Berkeley's "Islamic" strip
I'm thrilled to say that neither my hometown 'paper nor the larger city's 2 hrs away, censored this strip! Woo Hoo!
The "Washington Post" and other COWARDS that call themselves newspapers should be ashamed of themselves. Anyone know which other newspapers censored this strip today?
Hello - Mohammedans are not born with "Do not Offend" tattooed on their foreheads! They and their benighted beliefs get to undego scrutiny, criticism, and mockery JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE ON THE PLANET.
Thank You, Berkeley!
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Berkeley's Islamic strip
Uh, excuse me, "not to rain on your outrage," but it's a no-brainer that some cowardly papers declined to run the strip due to it's Islamic content, not the "sexual reference," as "sexual references" occur all the time in the comics. Let's see - it's a wonder they don't remove "Beetle Bailey" as many of the soldiers openly ogle Miss Buxley in her form-fitting dress - all the time.
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What's interesting is that
while the Washington Post may not have printed the comic, it is available via its website. Can we say "double standard"?
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People are so damn fickle
I just can't see what the big deal is about this strip, it's hardly shocking in any way. Whomever gets offended by this stuff ought to have real problems.
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Oh my
Guys, guys, let's keep our eyes on the ball here... when did Steve Dallas and Lola Granola start dating?
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This is not the comic I read in the
oh-so-liberal Boston Globe today. For shame.
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Fear of Islam
I marvel at the ignorance most in the western world have toward Islam (I once had an American Baptist tell me that "Muslims don't worship God - they worship Allah."). Yes, there are radicals who manipulate the message of the Qu'ran to their own means, just as there are radical evangelical Christians who manipulate the message of the Bible to their own means. I fear them both equally, and love and respect anyone of any religion who trully understands what it's all about. Too bad it's always the radicals who are mobilised and determined to impose their will on others.
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Raven
did you sort of miss the backhanded slap at fundamental Xtianity in the last two frames? Once again, Breathed is both simple and nuanced. Once again, genius.
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Islamic Content + S**ual Reference Is the Problem
Stephany, the problem is the Islamic content plus the sexual reference.
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"Blatant Sexual Reference"?
Sorry, Rionn-- the sexual reference you characterize as "blatant" is deliberately implicit, not explicit. The whole idea of double-entendre involves a superfically innocuous expression that is only "blatant" to recipients sophisticated enough to read between the lines.
Sure, the average literate adolescent would get the joke here, but the mere suggestion of sexuality is hardly prurient or explicit. Just consider that Al Capp's voluptuous and scantily clad "Daisy Mae Yokum" and other Dogpatch delights were a staple of G-rated Sunday funnies for decades!
But to use one of my late Sicilian grandmother's favorite translated idioms: I'm sure this reasonably funny comic will provoke outrage in anyone "looking for cats to comb".
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Am I the only one laughing???
Some of you need to lighten up... it was funny!
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There is no such thing as a Muhammedan
It's "Muslim", not "Muhammedan". Please stop calling Muslims Muhammedans. Unlike this cartoon, it is really offensive. The word is a part of the Orientalist discourse and shows a profound lack of understanding of Islam or worse, a deliberate resistance to understanding it. It is similar to calling Christians, "Biblicists" or something similar.
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the inuendo fly
On the first line its like a new fad ( an Islamic paris hilton)
The American youth and all its fads. Against the conservatives we all become as we age ( NOT Neo cons)....
second line last frame.... the glory days of days past (-1960s)
3rd line --- Steve remembers and smiles and is wanting of that past...
But what have we become ?????
Religion of itself is good and it teachings...
Organized Religion is of what makes the Bloodiest of Histories..
Great Comics...
Love that Bloom County!!!
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I blame the Jews
They own and operate all media.
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it was an innocent mistake, hobgoblin
proved by the fact you got the reason wrong. in the middle ages, the christian world called moslems, mohammadans, by analogy with christ and christians. but mohammad, while he was alive, was adamant about not being worshipped. unlike european monarchs, there were no coins with his likeness; he didn't even say where he was buried, lest moslems worship the site. of course, 1400 years later, he *is* worshipped, criticism has transmogrified to blasphemy, how else to explain riots over cartoons? but christians have the same primitivity, criticism of jesus, unlike christianity, is blasmatized. our first born again christian president, carter, said he had "lust in his heart" to giggles from the faithful. had he actually *read* the sermon on the mount he would have realized he had already sinned (jesus promulgated the first thought-crime), and would have been bound by scripture to pluck his eye out. he would have then been blind as well as dumb. i can't believe, in the twenty-first century, some still believe this is *real*. we should be beyond it.