Letters to the Editor
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The shoe apparently fits...
I find it rather ironic that when a newspaper prints a comic linking Islam to violence, the followers of Islam are so outraged that they are moved to threaten (and in some cases, carry out) acts of violence. Their actions only reinforce the point the comic was trying to make.
-Jeremy Friesner
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Hypocrisy
European societies have finally shown their true racist colors. It seems, all of the sudden, that the laws governing what you can and cannot say about Israel, Judaism, and the Holocaust are conveniently forgotten or do not apply in parallel to Muslims.
We have priests getting their sexual fill from little boys, yet we don't see or find it acceptable to caricature Jesus doing the same, neither in Europe or in Islamic countries, where prophets are all held in high esteem.
If I drew your mom's image in a Catherine-the-great style with a horse, you'd be very rightfully offended. Now imagine I did that for a person most Muslims hold more dear than their parents.
What the Europeans are doing is nothing short of hate speech, uncalled-for incitement, and stereotyping at its worst.
When you are that hypocritical, outlawing discussions of the Holocaust and punishing anyone who dares to speak against Israel on the one hand, while claiming that you have the right to offend the symbol of a whole faith in a very low manner, you deserve to be punished, if for nothing else, at least for your outright stupidity and irresponsibility.
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Salon has guts
Thank you Salon for having the guts to provide a link to the cartoons in question. I looked for them on the net for quite some time with no luck until I visited Salon.
The cartoons embody the clash between Western and Middle Eastern civilizations. I fear that this conflict will only continue to escalate as both sides further loose tolerance for the other.
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Cartoons Are Not The Problem
The fallout from the cartoons is interesting for two reasons: 1)It highlights the huge difference between liberal secular Western Europe and its Muslim citizens, 2)it shows that a lot of Muslims are worried about the wrong thing.
I was reading somewhere that a Muslim man had published an editorial basically saying that these cartoons aren't hurting the images of Muslims; the images of suicide bombers, journalist hostages, and bloodied people are hurting the images of Muslims. Truer words have never been spoken. Because now the fallout from the cartoons are hurting the images of Muslims. On the one hand they condemn a satirical cartoon depicting their prophet, but at that same time some of their Muslim brothers and sister, storm buildings at gun point and have no problem wiping their shoes on the Dutch flag.
I think it is time for Muslims to seriously think about which thing hurts their image more. And hint, hint it isn't the cartoons.
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It seems that most everyone is missing the real reason the cartoon is offensive
Allow me to provide a short summary of the problem: The Muslim faith prohibits any depictions of God or His Prophet Mohammed.
Think about that for a second: *Any depiction*
Depicting Mohammed with a bomb for a turban merely adds insult to injury. The original offense was the picture of the prophet. Islam (like Judaism) has this prohibition in place in order to prevent a repeat of the golden calf incident which, by the way, brought about God's wrath.
The Egyptian owner of the French Magazine (which republished the cartoon) fired the editor "as a powerful sign of respect for the intimate beliefs and convictions of every individual."
Maybe it is because, as an Egyptian, he could see past the 'obvious' reason to understand why Muslims found the cartoon so offensive.
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Cartoon Jihad
Islam is a sea of inconsistencies. A religion of “peace” at war with itself and everyone else. Muslim equal rights include everyone except women and non-Muslims. Muslims demand rights in western countries but won’t accept the simple principle of free speech. Muslims want to build mosques throughout western society but you can’t even bring a bible into Saudi Arabia. Islam is a sick society that needs criticism.
The one thing that may help unravel Islam’s cesspool of hate is criticism. Theo Van Gogh died for it. Criticism forces Muslims to think. Few free-thinking people ever choose Islam. Most Muslims are born into the religion and can’t criticize it, change it, or leave it without fear of death. Criticizing Islam gives hope to those who want to leave Islam. Criticize Islam as much as possible.
I love the cartoons.
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Islam offends me; I guess I should kill it
Here's a group of people who have no problem burning flags of foreign countries or hangings in effigy of Presidents and other leaders. But, evidently turnabout is NOT fair play to these people.
Here's a group of people who find nothing wrong with advocating the violent overthrow of governments which actually host them (perform a search on Abu Hamza al-Masri, Mohammed Ali Hassan al-Moayad, Ali Timimi, and Omar Bakri Mohammed); a group of people who seem to find nothing wrong with the persistent groups of protestors all over the Muslim world chanting "Death to America!" But, they can't handle a stupid cartoon?
Here's a group of people who get upset that their "Prophet" has been parodied. But, they don't seem to have much of a problem with strapping on some explosives, blowing themselves up, and taking a few innocent bystanders with them.
Freaks. But, I'm being redundant. What else can you expect of religious people? I mean, just look at their clothing. What's up with those pajamas (robes) and funny-looking hats? Why do those people refuse to get in step with the rest of the world and start wearing normal clothing? Clearly, they WANT to be laughed at.
And, they wonder why the world mocks Islam. Tsk, tsk. They're not using their brains. I can't blame them, though. They've been brainwashed. Islam, like all organized religions, actively seeks to suppress clear-headed thought. You need evidence? Exactly what was/is being taught by the Taliban? Nothing. Their book of mythology IS NOTHING. Great education! (In case you possess no sense of irony, that last comment was sarcasm.) And, they wonder why the West is prosperous and the land of Islam is destitute by comparison! In the U.S., observe the antics of Christians in Kansas, Georgia, and other states as they try to sneak "intelligent design" into the school SCIENCE curriculum. And, in Israel, their book teaches them that "God" GAVE them that hunk of earth! Gee, MY God gave me Manhattan. So, I guess that means anybody who owns property on Manhattan owes me a BUNCH of rent!
I say it's time for Muslims (as well as Christians and Jews) to shed the shackles of their intellectual and emotional prisons. Renounce those primitive thought patterns. Islam and religion are no place for rationality; Islam and religion are for irrationality and scared people. Renounce Islam. Renounce religion. Embrace rationality. Embrace intellectual freedom. Start a movement among the billions of intellectually impoverished religious tools (yes, that's T-O-O-L-S as in "being used like a tool"). As long as you remain loyal to those books of intellectual excrement (the Koran, the Bible, the Torah) you will continue to be used by the psycho nutjobs at the top of those associations of evil. So, you have a choice: the false security of a group of insecure and hateful dopes (reminds me of a gang of mobsters) ... OR ... the terrifying aloneness of intellectual freedom. Doesn't seem like much of a choice, does it? But, it is. Cowards choose false security. People with courage choose the freedom to stand tall and walk alone. Of course, in the wonderful land of Islam so-called "apostasy" is punishable by death. So, Muslims will have that to look forward to. Well, they'll just have to be extra courageous. And, ask yourself this: why would the so-called "leaders" of Islam be threatened by anybody renouncing their precious beliefs? The answer, of course, is that the TRUTH needs no such protection. Only garbage and lies need such protection.