I cant help but scoffle at the so-called experts of religion who claim that they are being laughed at, at which I immediately thought this - if you provoke your people to resort to violent, bloody riots, setting embassies on fire and the likes and then accept no responsibility, it just makes us laugh at you; further more, when they CHOOSE which path, violent over non-violent, to retaliate because of their "hurt feelings", yes, then, we DO laugh at them. How about if they asked themselves - if we take to the streets peacefully (just as those in the book Im reading, countless examples in Naomi Klein's 'fences & windows'), we could get our point across, that we do not accept this insult.
Would they react the same way about Jesus, who is also a prophet like Mohammed? Favouritism perhaps?
A shocking retaliation was an iranian cartoon competition editor who said that the west would never accept cartoons on the holocaust, so why should we accept theirs.
Turns out the French were a step ahead, or the Danish newspaper, Im not sure. They were prepared to publish them and said ok listen so if we do it, you gotta let us as well, But the iranians didnt even get back to them; no holocaust no mohammed. I guess they just refused to budge.
Its scary actually, the world in which we live in - on one end, there are pressing matters for both the west and the east, regardless of creed, culture and religion. On the other end, people take such small matters and blow it out of propotion. Of course its a small issue, has someone murdered, took away their home/shelter, food and clothing, any dire urgent need to get out there and burn stuff. What rights have actually been violated? Its really simple, people can say what they want about what you believe, its in the end your choice to react or not and most times, reacting doesnt get your anywhere.
Im watching one person after another coming off as arrogant and believe it or not, insulting to the Danish journalist and it angers me. What gave them the right to say :
- 'which planet do you think you come from and you teach us' (the interivewer was just trying to find an active demonstrator and pressing this guy when he said he needed permission to get to one part of Iran)
- 'you take that back otherwise I walk away from the interview' (in reaction to the interviewer asking him if he feels responsible for the riots that took place)
Numerous other examples of this attitude.
MY favourite cartoon was mohammed standing up in the clouds looking down and telling his followers - dont send any more bombers, we're running out of virgins. LOL.
And its not just islam, its christanity too (though Im christian, Im leaning more and more towards being agnostic), watch 'Jesus camp' and tell me otherwise. Both religions are pushing kids on being religios militants, fighting for this god, for this salvation. Where will these people go at the end of time?
We are now not allowed to
- poke fun
- criticize
- challenge idealogies
Its not just a limitation for media, artisit, filmmakes, dramatists, its for all people - freedom of speech. That right there is to dampen true democracy. No one and nothing can restrict that freedom. Now, people are just scared, if we say or publish or enact something and we have another Danish riot replay, why bother. Lets just stick to political correctness, of course we still believe in freedom but with limits. Soon we wont be allowed to eat pork cause it will offend some. We might have to watch how we dress, walk, talk...Im not one to walk on egg shells, I dont know about you!
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