“Muslim Action Committee” calls for special privilege
Demands for Islam to be afforded special legal protection continue to grow, with the latest news that a group calling itself the “Muslim Action Committee” is calling for a change in the Race Relations Act and the Press Complaints Commission code to prohibit depictions of the prophet Mohammed.
They claim that this will give Muslims the same protection as Sikhs and Jews. But as neither Sikhism nor Judaism have any protection under the law, it’s hard to see what the hell they mean by that. Christianity is protected by the Blasphemy law – but that is completely toothless, and serves only as a cash-drain for idiotic zealots daft enough to try to get a prosecution under it.
Another question that needs to be raised more often: how on earth do you know that any particular picture of Mohammed is indeed a picture of Mohammed? Listen to Ophelia Benson at Butterflies and Wheels:
Really – why do all the offended people accept that the cartoons are of Mohammed? Because a bunch of non-Muslim Danish cartoonists say they are? But how would they know? And what are they, magic? They can transform a drawing of some generic bearded guy in a turban into a representation of a specific person who died fourteen centuries ago? How? By saying so, by writing his name underneath, by the context of the jokes. But that still doesn’t make the cartoons cartoons of the actual Mohammed – not for people who just don’t accept that that’s what they are. Why don’t all the infuriated Muslims just laugh and shrug and ignore the whole thing? Why don’t they just say ‘those goofy Danish cartoonists, pretending they’ve drawn pictures of Mohammed – like they have any idea what he looked like. I’m so sure’? Why don’t they just say ‘you guys don’t know what Mohammed looked like any more than we do, and probably less (because we have this like inner intuition, which is denied to non-Muslims), so dream on – draw your stupid little pictures if you want to, we don’t care, it’s nothing to do with us’?
Actually the whole taboo is empty, it’s a taboo without a referent. It’s like a taboo on walking on water, or a taboo on sleeping on the wing of a jet plane when it’s in flight. Nobody can make a representation of Mohammed, it’s quite, quite impossible – so why worry about it? Just making representations of a man and naming them Mohammed doesn’t make them Mohammed – so why on earth worry about it?
Answers on a postcard.
BTW, and Egyptian paper apparently published them back in October – and nobody batted an eyelid at the time.
(Hat tip PP)
I am a muslim and I agree one hundred percent with Ophelia Benson. still I find the whole episode distasteful.
Ophelia can be very waspish and entertaining at times. Worth looking in on Butterflies and Wheels now and again.
Not least to mention that Mohammed has been depicted *numerous* times throughout history, both by Muslims and non-Muslims alike:
http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/
The above link is currently down due to heavy traffic but has links to various mirrors – the Finland one worked for me.
Perhaps “Muslim Action Debate†is a better name. we could have Christians United National Talk Service as well.
The thing is that religion is a human weakness for those who believe in it. In wrong hands it can be quite dangerous. I don’t think most of the people who are protesting have even seen the cartoons. They were informed that somebody in Denmark has drawn their beloved Prophet with sacrilogious comments and that was enough to ignite the raw emotion of thousands of Muslims. The fact that the Cartoons don’t look anything like the Prophet is entirely another matter. I can say this with confidence because the Prophet never wore turban. He was Arab and Arabs don’t wear turbans. And he wasn’t fat and this kind of hairy from what I have read. Afghanis wear turbans, some Pakistani Pakhtoon and Sikhs do. Therefore, the cartoonists managed to draw a hairy face with turban with a bomb in it and called it Mohammed. I call it ignorance. And I would not validate or authenticate this ignorant attempt at depicting my Prophet by burning the flags or trashing and burning danish embassies. Maybe these protesters need anger management counseling and crash courses on peaceful and effective demonstration to put their point of view forward. Maybe education is the answer.
Egyptians largest new paper Al Fagr published the Mohammed cartoons back in October last year – the publication did remarkably not spark any reaction at all!
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/792
hmmm seems to me somebody is running a double standard – and one that really shows! Now Ayaan Hirsi Ali theres a real trooper:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4698528.stm
Just wanted to say that the Egyptian newspaper is CONDEMNING the Danish anti-muslim cartoon and you really shouldn’t post anything that you obviously have no clue of, it’s not just about the drawing that the muslims’ outrage is about, we-muslims-really don’t care if you want to post some extremely radical racist jokes about muslims but not the Prophet Muhammed since we do RESPECT other religions..and please do not give excuses behind the Freedom of Speech because I think Danish people have brains and can tell the difference between a joke and an insult.Otherwise it would be really sad!
I had the exact same idea – see my blog. Great minds think alike, I guess…
Hmmmm, considering the amount of anti-semetic jesting that the Iranians, for instance, get up too, this whole ‘You must respect Mohammed even if you’re not a Muslim’ stuff just don’t wash. As for some sort of protective legislation- Worst Idea Ever. If this happens I will personally wear a t-shirt with the most insulting image I can find on it, in public, all the time!
Seems to me that this is just a bunch of dudes getting all pissy because they have nowt better to do. This is typical of all religion. We’d be a lot better off if these lazy Imams would get off their fat arses and get proper jobs.
well, In my view, having survived holocaust which brings me to tears everytime I think about it, Jews should have learned compassion. Instead Israel is atrocious and unhuman when it comes to palestine. Every action has a reaction. We are not blind and Jews shouldn’t act surprised when they find out that they are not the flavour of the month in Islamic Nation.
Rana in Comment 8 says,
Hmm. Now why should I respect a religion? Tolerate it, maybe, but respect? Why? What I do respect is people’s right to belong to and respect any religion of their choice. I cannot respect a religion among whose tenets is to kill me, for instance, and were I in some Islamic countries I’d be dead or fleeing because I’m gay. I cannot respect a religion among whose tenets is that women are inferior, the chattels of their menfolk. I cannt respect a religion among whose tenets is the death of the infidel. And some of what I say here is as applicable to the Old Testament (particularly law-giving books such as Leviticus) as it is to Islam. But, if you wish to believe in these things, I respect that as a right, and hope you enjoy your association with a belief system – provided it doesn’t seek to impose its strictures on me, my culture, my country and my preference for post-Enlightenment attitudes towards speech and expression.
The publication of these cartoons was a test of Denmark’s freedom of expression, stemming from an author’s lament that he couldn’t get illustrations for a book that was a mere telling of Islam, because illustrators were scared stiff of being murdered. Jyllands-Posten is supposed to be a right-wing newspaper along the lines of our Sun. But, right-wing newspaper or no, any newspaper worth its salt ought to have carried out this test, given that one author’s need for illustrators. It’s a good news story, apart from anything else. We might have felt better about it had it been a liberal paper, but that’s conjecture. Newspapers that have since carried the cartoons are saying the same, and it amounts to this: if we let violence dictate freedom of expression, we’ll only encourage violence, because the violent now know that their violence can change things according to their own view of the world.
Andy A . well said! We all have the freedom to be religious – but also have the freedom to not being religious! And I for one will never subcome to some 1400 or 2000 year old books – keep it to your self and keep it well clear of me!
And how about you stop calling him THE prophet Muhammed?
He’s one prophet that is true to the muslim faith only. I don’t follow ANY prophet because I ain’t religious. I don’t respect him any more than I respect Jesus or Moses or any of them – because no one other than people of your belief demands that I do; and until belief is law I’ll thank you to keep quiet about it.
Call him OUR MUSLIM prophet. Call him The Muslim prophet. But not THE prophet – because (and here’s a shocker for you) we’re not all Muslims!
For all I know, just like Jesus, the guy is just a figment of a lot of tall stories.
[…] (via MediaWatchWatch) Posted by Paul in UK (February 12, 2006 at 6:29 pm) […]
Andy A..whatever you just said is an example of what exaclty the problem is,it’s that many people do not understand islam and try to judge/stereotype muslims based on what some radical terrorist muslims did. We-the majority of muslims- condemn the killing of innocents, and violence.We are angry at both the west and some radical muslims who used islam to defend their own political views. I am against some of the muslims reaction but also against what some european countries are refusing to do. Unfortunately, both sides do all these horrible things and then who do they want to blame? the Quran and Islam? I got a question for you, how do you know that women have no/less rights in islam as you said that and said ” I do not respech a religion among whose tenets is to kill me, for instance, and were I in some Islamic countries I’d be dead or fleeing because I’m gay. I cannot respect a religion among whose tenets is that women are inferior, the chattels of their menfolk. I cannt respect a religion among whose tenets is the death of the infidel” Dude where do you get this info from??? it makes me laugh sometimes,did you know that girls have equal if not more rights than men in EVERYTHING. also, i say our prophet since i said earlier that i’m a muslim, so our refers to the muslims’ prophet just to make it clear since some people are being sarcastic here, anyway our prophet mohammed said( do not kill a woman, child, an old man, an innocent, an animal or burn a tree even at war). From the way you talk, you seem like an educated person but sadly not educated at all concerning the subject you’re talking about. Even though i’m a 17 year old girl, i do read a lot about other people’s cultures, politics and religion so before i talk to anyone about islam, i ask them to go read atleast a little bit about it and examine the causes of things instead of watching the news or reading their local newspaper that unfortunately chooses whatever they want from the truth and show it to the people. Last and not least, we-muslims did not stereotype christians for what hitler did, or the jews for what the israeli government is doing. All we ask for is..i dont want to use the word respect since some people did not like it! hmm what should i use maybe criticize but not insult, since i am pro freedom of speech myself but also very careful to get my point accross without insulting anybody. I mean if you insist to insult people to get your point across then it’s your problem.
i just dont agree with with u lady….i just want to clarify any religon is not a joke….it is somereal issue….u say that we should just shut up and let them do whta they want to do ..juss tell me why didnt u guys shut up when the twin tower fell and thousands of people died …In America life of muslims was like going through hell…Blame was immediately put on all the muslims ..but when u do the act ,its just that we have to ignore…why dont u guys let muslims live in peace ..we just want peace…Why dont u ask them lady…why publish such type of cartoons which you know are bound to cause trouble…
whY?
Why do muslims just not shurg and laugh it off….
Scar my mother and i will laugh will i…
Take my child and i will smirk will i…
You have mistaken the muslims for clowns then..
we are no such thing…
Our soul is our religon mock it and we will not smile.
We will rise in anger as any human…
Any man who smiles when his religon is mocked with purpose is not a man of religon
He is a follower of weak mens words…
After so much you still say we should shrug and laugh…
Where is your humanity…
wake up…
Civilised Muslim demo in London
Another weekend, another Muslim demonstration in London regarding those wretched cartoons. What with rioting in Libya and now Nigeria and a KFC getting burned out in Pakistan, some people might not have expected a Muslim demonstration at which 10,000 p…
Very concerning post, that one Navid. Let me just get this straight: Non-aggression when being insulted is a sign of weakness? Rising in anger is preferred? And you either comply to this thinking or you will be completely alienated by the “true” believers? So if my “religion” is democracy and freedom of speech, or if I’m a Danish patroit, or if I’m a christian being pissed of by seeing the Danish flag (which contains a cross) being burned, then we’re all off to the the big one? Please don’t try to be the school bully, the only following you get is based on fear, and that tends to be very fragile once people get smart – which they eventually will. Making you are strong in your faith, good luck with that, but please don’t impose your religion on the world.
Quote from http://www.islamonline.com :
In the Qur’an Allah has described the Believers as:
“Those who avoid major sins and acts of indecencies and when they are angry they forgive.†Qur’an ( 42:37)
End quote.
Interesting, wouldn’t you say?