January 31, 2006

Furor Over Cartoons Not Funny

Welcome Malkin readers!

Michelle Malkin has more on the extent of the Muslim outrage aimed at Denmark.

Zombietime has created the fantastic Mohammed Image Archive that displays many historical renderings of the prophet, by Westerners and Muslims alike. In the Middle Ages, Muslims avoided the prohibition of depicting their prophet by leaving his face or figure blank. Such iconoclasm, ostensibly for the purpose of avoiding idolatry, has occasionally extended to Christians, including many Protestants who destroyed Catholic symbols, relics, paintings, and sculptures during the Reformation.

This current prohibition, however, challenges Western notions of freedom of speech. According to the Muslims, this is a tolerance and sensitivity issue. They argue that since they images are offensive, they should immediately be taken down. That may work under Sharia, but not under freedom of speech guarantees that, if they are to be taken seriously, should apply to everyone, regardless of their material quality or ability to offend. Ward "Shitting Bull" Churchill (see, El Presidente couldn't say that if there were no freedom of speech!) offends every decent American with his pro-terrorist rhetoric; but, being free, any American can criticize his writings, sayings, and beliefs. The free exchange of ideas, beyond any legal arguments, is the cornerstone of Western freedoms. China suppresses freedom, and Google submits. Throughout the Islamic world, blogs are discouraged (except, of course, those labeled alqaeda.blogspot.com) and dissent limited. If the right to not be offended actually existed, no one could say anything about anyone at anytime, without fear of condemnation or persecution. This is the essence of totalitarian regimes or religions. Nothing contradictory, counterrevolutionary, or blasphemous (as defined by the authorities) may be said, published, or thought. This is slavery, pure and simple: slavery of the mind.

El Presidente's top pick:



In other words, if the shoe fits. . .

Martin Niemöller's statement of Nazi oppression, updated for today:

When they came for the cartoonists,
I remained silent;
I was not a cartoonist.

When they locked up the bloggers,
I remained silent;
I was not a blogger.

When they came for the free press,
I did not speak out;
I was not a journalist.

When they came for the infidels,
I did not speak out;
I was not religious.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.



Or try this for "outrage":


Andres Serrano's Piss Christ

Or. . .


Chris Ofili's The Holy Virgin Mary (covered with elephant dung!)

10 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

The interesting thing for me about "Piss Christ" is that, if you don't know the title, it is hauntingly beautiful. The crucifix is still an object of reverence to the Christian viewer, and the red-gold background (despite being, presumably, "piss")gives it a mystical glow. I suggest that some subjects keep their dignity despite the intentions of the author. Christians should not go bananas over impolite depictions of Jesus; they can't possibly hurt Him. The best way to deal with sniggering attacks on Christian believers is to ignore them. The more we ignore them, the less value we give to them. Meanwhile, it is the only way we can serve as a model to the Muslim street when it comes to these issues. And meanwhile, if we want to protect our freedom of religion, we must also protect freedom of speech. As a Christian, I don't like baiting any religious people, and I think the Danish cartoonists should have been more respectful. However, I am appalled by the threats of violence, the shredded Danish flags, and the increasing pressure on non-Islamic Europeans to observe Islamic laws. Buy Danish.

Thu Feb 02, 11:45:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Isn't it interesting how Muslims can call for the death of Westerners from the pulpit every Friday for centuries and no one notices. Some obscure papar in Denmark (Denmark????) prints a couple of cartoons and you'd think we shot their Phillipino maid or something.
The fact that this is their way of showing the world that their's is the religion of peace is sort of amusing.
P.S. I am an American working in Kabul. Rest of the world; we got your attention yet?

Sat Feb 04, 12:07:00 PM  
Blogger Adam Moses said...

hi jeff in Kabul,
i have to be anonymous in Male', Maldives for my own safety. I know what you are talking about. The peraching has to be stopped......if we want to get away from violence...

Mon Feb 06, 04:39:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Below are links to four new articles, from a traditional Muslim perspective, which address various issues which are being raised by the on-going Danish cartoon crisis. I hope that at least some of the self-righteous Islamophobes out there will have the courage to read these articles in detail--but especially the first one which is an exposé of the sloppy antics of Daniel Pipes:

Danish Cartoons, Double-Standards and Daniel Pipes

Hate-Mongers Beware...

Why Muslims Are Angry...

An Idiot's Guide to Offensive Cartoons

By the way, I find it both fascinating and disturbing how so many people uncritically accept whatever they read, see or hear from the media...and how seemingly ignorant they are of history as well.

Enjoy...

Mere Muslim
http://www.MereIslam.info/

Tue Feb 07, 09:12:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

if any of you actually read the quran instead of basing all of your information on media (which we all know is pretty much biased no matter what you are talking about) you would know know that violence is forbidden and that the reason muslim women cover up is to let them not be seen as objects but as a person with strong beliefs. i do not like how the muslims are acting in society today. what these people who "are following Islam" are doing/saying is wrong. it is their deluded minds, not Islam. i actually hate the way muslims are acting, it is putting shame to what Islam is really about.

Wed Feb 08, 02:00:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Express your rights to express your rights with the Prophetic T-Shirt.

Sat Feb 11, 02:53:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Who the hell really cares about some cartoon. We have cartoons mocking americans and religions all the time here. Get over it you bunch of crybabies. It just goes to show how evil the muslims really are. Just drop all the religious bullshit and go have a burger at McDonalds, watch DOGMA(or any other Kevin Smith movie except Jersey Girl), smoke a joint and giver everyone around you the middle finger.
LONG LIVE THE USA
--the Mad Masher

Tue Feb 14, 01:35:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am SOOOOO tired of all this crap. NO ONE has the right not to be offended. I think the world needs to stop kissing muslim ass and get over it. i am also amused by muslim's "religion of peace"..if this is peace, i think i'll take war. at least that is honest.

Tue Feb 14, 05:13:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Funny!!!
I am a Muslim, Well, actually one is born a Muslim and there is not much one can do abaout that. Yet I do not really practice it and I have surely suffered quite enough from an Islamic Regime.Even though, I do not think the Cartoon are a great Idea at all, specially the one which shows Muhammad with a Bomb (It is very wrong and irresponsible and the crazy reactions to these does not justify it). Also, the stupid violent protest are even much more wrong.
But please bear in Mind, that while the West was robbing out these parts of the world (oil, ...), supported Dictators (Still does),
Meddled with their affairs,..., it was continuously causing the people to become more and more ignorant, stupid, poor, and everything else that you are seeing.
while everybody is shedding tears for people killed in 911 and other unfortunate and sad Terrorist attacks (Since I do not count them as a Human, or for that matter even a "Being" and so every torture and punishment is just about them.), let us also shed a few tears for Hundreds of Thousands of Iraqis (most of them children) which died directly because of the US imposed sanctions
well 1,000,000(DEAD IRAQIS)/5,000 (AMERICANS KILLED IN 911 + US CASUALTIES IN WAR) = 2,000.
Even by American/Western Standards, if you consider each American Life to be Worth 20 Middle-Eastern Lives, then you can conclude that people in the Middle East are much more Victims of Terrorism that their CounterParts in West.
Disrespecting any Way-of-Life, any Way-of-Thinking (I do not mean Nazism, Bin-Ladenism, and such), be it Islam or Christianity or Semitism or Socialism ..., is not just. Mocking others Idealogy is not so different from humiliating their Personality, and I do not think that is so good.

Sat Feb 18, 12:17:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

i am going to start off with i agree with freedom of speech all the way. but just because i believe in it does not mean i agree with the cartoons. my mom always said if the shoe fits wear it unless a bomb is in it. i planned to spend my 2006 summer in the middle east in september cause i have a islamic friend who said the media was false advertsing the middle east. but i am not going that far from home to die cause somebody uses the koran for toilet paper just tring to be funny. To wrap all of this up
i agree with freedom of speech, but just as spider man said with great power comes great responsibility. who ever made the cartoons stop cause their is a $1,000,000 bounty on YOUR LIFE buddy.

Thu Feb 23, 11:59:00 AM  

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