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Friday, February 10, 2006
Islamist Imams Are Playing Their People The opening salvos of the war began in September when the profane secularists published cartoons of Mohamed, in an attempt to goad the Moslems into action. Imagine someone who celebrates freedom of speech by shouting obscenities in your face. That's pretty much what Jyllands-Posten did on September 30, 2005. Except they didn't just shout their obscenities in anyone's face, they shouted them into the face of those who'd been demonstrating for years they were more than willing to use extreme violence for any offense, real or imagined. I disagree. The cartoons are not obscene, by any stretch of the imagination. They are actually quite tame. Four of the twelve did not even depict Mohammed, one skewered all major religions, one poked fun at Danish "hicks", one acerbically criticized the editors of Jyllands-Posten, and one would actually make a pretty cool product logo. Three lampooned a few on the more *ahem* well-known tenets of Islam - such as virgins in paradise for homicide bombers, women "under the thumb" of Islam, and the self-censorship of Islam (black bar over Mohammed’s eyes and women in head-to-toe burkas). In my opinion, these rudimentary sketches are not even tantamount to the foppish Victorian tradition of a slap of the glove. "Take that, good sir!" The cartoons were printed in September with only a few ripples of displeasure from Danish Muslim immigrants. They were reprinted in Egypt without much of a fuss, only a mild scolding for "bad taste". But there was no incitation to rage or violence. However, crafty imams saw an opportunity and ran with it. They published the cartoons in a booklet, along with many others - much more offensive than the Danish sketches - that they themselves created. The imams presented this booklet, along with claims of 120 such cartoons to Islamic religious and political leaders in November. It's taken a little time, but they've successfully revved up the Muslim street so that we're seeing full-blown riots and rampages two months later. [UPDATE: In addition to lying that the Jyllands-Posten had 120 cartoons, not 12, and that the paper was owned by the government (there are no state-run newspapers in Denmark), the imams reportedly claimed that the Danish government would censor the Koran, burn the Koran, and that Danes were planning to make a blasphemous movie about Mohammed.] This is truly a case of blowing something entirely out of proportion. The cartoons were not that bad, and certainly not worth the death and destruction and financial mayhem that has resulted. Let's remember that, by and large, the MSM/DP has believed in the moderation of the majority of Muslims. They have championed such a viewpoint for so long, that there's no doubt they believed their own delusions. I honestly don't think they had any idea how out of hand the situation would get - and that's because they couldn't predict the machinations of the wily imams. If the media is guilty of anything, it's guilty of being naive and of completely misunderstanding the character of radical Islam. Now they know how wrong they've been. Nevertheless it needs to be said that both sides are wrong. Obviously burning down buildings and killing people is not a legitimate recourse to offensive cartoon. At the same time trying your best to offend people is also not a legitimate use of the freedom of speech. Like I said, I hardly think the cartoons are representative of anyone's best efforts to offend Muslim sensibilities. Best efforts would be what we're seeing today in the backlash against over-reactive Muslim fury. Where I agree with the author is here:
We've criticized the lack of good taste, foresight, or awareness of many MSM/DP cartoons and editorials, usually when it pertains to insulting our troops. And it's usually a complete waste of time to decry any insult to Christianity - it's been done for so long, that it barely raises an eyebrow. But when people are given an inch, they'll take a mile. It's human nature to push the envelope - to risk public censure to make a point. Sure, it's better to take the high road of good manners - but that's only when we choose to - not because we have to. If self-restraint is rendered only upon pain of retribution, then it's no longer a free choice, it's submission. Let's be realistic here - the responsibilities of good taste, politeness, or moderation are usually absent from politics, which traditionally thrives on statements to the extreme. Initially, the Danish cartoons were most definitely a political issue of civil liberties, couched in the genre of a political cartoon. Caricatures are hardly ever moderate - in fact, by definition they are excessive, exaggerating features and characteristics to emphasize a point. But even by caricature standards, the Danish cartoons were relatively (and cautiously) mild. What we've seen since the disproportionate and violent Muslim response is a backlash from bloggers and artists worldwide. If the Muslims were pissed before, now they've really got something to crank their fury. Whereas the initial 12 cartoons were mild, there is now some really profane stuff out there. And you know what, I don't blame anyone. What we've seen happen is a subconscious collective determination of, "If we're gonna do the time, might as well do the crime." In other words, if Muslims want something to bitch about, we'll really give them something to bitch about. Is that taking the high road? It hardly matters - if Muslims are compelled to "punish" their hosts for freedoms they've always taken for granted, then people will feel compelled to actually commit the "crime" for which they've been "punished" - might as well make it worth it. The inescapable irony of the entire situation is that the Muslims have violently abused the very freedoms they are protesting against. The hypocrisy is staggering. UPDATE: Now that they have time to plan...what will happen when 100,000 Muslims converge on Trafalgar Square in London? Remember, the UK media did NOT publish the cartoons... ...this never really was about the cartoons, now was it? /sarcasm Heidi Thiess is a Senior Writer at Euphoric Reality, one of the top ranked milblogs on the internet. Blogger News Network is advertiser-supported, and your visits to our advertisers help BNN to meet its expenses. Help keep us afloat! posted by Redhead Infidel at 7:56 AM |
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1 Comments:
Not about cartoons, it's about putting the dhimmis back in line, back in their place. And many gleefully submit.
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