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View Poll Results: Was the paper right to publicize censorship by militant Muslims in this way?
It was insulting - anti-faith media bias. They should be respectful of religious traditions.
0
0%
It isn’t about free speech - why provoke Muslims when you could avoid it, except to sell papers?
3
15.79%
Free speech is being threatened by zealots. The paper was right to force the issue into the open.
15
78.95%
This stuff would never happen in the US, so I don’t really care.
POD 11/14 - Religious values vs. Free Speech - the case of Islam - what to do about it?
Background:
It’s a mortal sin in the Islamic religion to physically depict the Prophet in any way, or criticize or question the Koran. Even seeing a picture of the Prophet would feel like a sin to many conservative Muslims. In at least some Islamic countries, insulting the prophet or Koran is punishable by death. (I’m sorry, these people are nuts.) Likewise, it is a sin for a good Muslim to let anyone get away with blasphemy or defiling Islam, Prophet, or Koran.
In 2004, award-winning Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was assassinated in Europe for an avant-garde short film which severely criticized the way fundamentalist Islam treats women. An unrepentent young fundamentalist Arab was convicted of the crime.
Last week, a Danish newspaper editor was subjected to threats of violence and protests, and 11 Arab Muslim nations sent formal protests to Denmark’s gov’t demanding the paper be ‘punished’ for publishing part of a children’s illustrated biography of Prophet Mohammed. The paper had its in-house cartoon illustrators do the work and published it in the paper, after they learned that private Danish cartoonists were too afraid for their lives to accept the job.
The Editor said it’s a democracy, and tolerance for disagreements and different viewpoints is part of life in a democracy. A European Imam said, “If this is democracy, we disagree with democracy. We will not tolerate this.” Some Danes supported the Muslims, saying the paper’s action was unnecessarily inflammatory in a time of already growing intolerance, and some Muslims supported the paper and the right to free speech without fear of reprisal.
Across Europe there’s growing concern that a climate of fearful self-censorship is developing, as art galleries, theaters, publishers, translators, authors, artists, shops, and others quietly cancel events or publications that someone might possibly see as ‘disrespectful’ to Islam.
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__________________ Hoping for Audacity
Well, in truth I'm actually not a total hawk, but I'm not a dove either -- I'm more like an angry pigeon flying over the political arena after a really big meal. -Abba Gav
Another reason why the Crusades will continue long after we all die. Christian and Muslims (Zeolots!!) have very little tolerance for each other or for those who think they are both NUTS!!!!
:goesanddrawsapictureofmuhammed:
__________________ All Hell is breakin loose!!!!!
An unarmed person is a subject. An armed person is a citizen.
Background:
It’s a mortal sin in the Islamic religion to physically depict the Prophet in any way, or criticize or question the Koran. Even seeing a picture of the Prophet would feel like a sin to many conservative Muslims. In at least some Islamic countries, insulting the prophet or Koran is punishable by death. (I’m sorry, these people are nuts.) Likewise, it is a sin for a good Muslim to let anyone get away with blasphemy or defiling Islam, Prophet, or Koran.
I think it is valid to note that what you have described is basic Islamic Law. In other words this is not just something that is followed by groups that would be considered fundamental extremists. This is mainstream Islamic doctrine.
There is a book; I don't recall either the book nor the author (I didn't read the book, just saw advertisements for it); which had basically "predicted" the events that are occurring in France (riots) and the Netherlands (physical attacks upon members of various media for producing work critical of Islam).
There is no such thing as free speech in an Islamic ruled entities. Islam is a religion of conquest and control. It always has been; it is an intregal segment of Islamic doctrine. This is a basic fact that too many in our politically correct environment refuse to acknowledge.
__________________
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please."
-Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Another reason why the Crusades will continue long after we all die. Christian and Muslims (Zeolots!!) have very little tolerance for each other or for those who think they are both NUTS!!!!
:goesanddrawsapictureofmuhammed:
Blasphemy against Christianity will get you admonished. Blasphemy against Islam will get you killed, or threatened with death at the least. Ask Salmon Rushdie!
I say that is a significant difference!
__________________
"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please."
-Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Blasphemy against Christianity will get you admonished. Blasphemy against Islam will get you killed, or threatened with death at the least. Ask Salmon Rushdie!
I say that is a significant difference!
I had to cover my bases. Christians have had those wonderful abortion clinic bombers! That is pretty nutso!!
__________________ All Hell is breakin loose!!!!!
An unarmed person is a subject. An armed person is a citizen.
My first reaction was definitely 'Nuke 'em !' - but the more I thought about it, I'm sure to a lot of Muslims, opening the morning paper paper and unexpectedly seeing an illustrated bio of Mohammed would be like a devout Christian opening the paper and being confronted with a graphic porn picture of Jesus - worse, because the Muslim may actually feel he or she has committed a sin just by seeing it. It's like when I hear Peter Gammons called the Dalai Lama of baseball - just curdles my blood.
I guess I don't blame them for feeling really pissed off. It was a very aggressively provocative thing to do. It's not like making Pope jokes in Italy. (However, I suggest no one start working on 'A priest, a Rabbi, and an Imam were talking one day...' type jokes.) It also seems pretty ignorant as I think about it more - OK, an illustrated children's bio of The Prophet - now who is that for? We are teaching non-Islamic kids to understand Muslims using a method that is absolutely sinful in Islam?
That said, the creeping self-censorship truly disturbs me. The EU or someone needs to be really clear and loud that Islamic intimidation won't be tolerated. And hmmm ... I just noticed my favorite goat cheese, which is imported from Israel, no longer lists any point of origin anywhere on the label. Importer's just being careful, I guess.
__________________ Hoping for Audacity
Well, in truth I'm actually not a total hawk, but I'm not a dove either -- I'm more like an angry pigeon flying over the political arena after a really big meal. -Abba Gav
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All Hell is breakin loose!!!!!
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