Should we order these here, because Taiwan is out of the Jihad scope?
I want one, but it’s gotta have my face in some ol’biddy’s shawl. Kinda like a Geordie Territtorialist Weegie Bampot! 
I’ve got a thought for a new T-shirt:
Have a picture of a smiling Jesus lighting a a bonfire under a tied-up Jew in a paper mitre with the quote “Set aflame with the Light of God”. Or one of smirking Jesus with one hand holding up a bag of food and and the other holding back the heads of skeletal Africans and Asians with a speech bubble saying, “Nah-ah-ah, not till you throw away your own beliefs and start worshipping me.”
Sound blasphemous and offensive to Christian values? Yeah, well so does encouraging people to draw a picture of Allah when Islamic beliefs forbid the creation of the image of Allah.
I do not agree with the Islamists and the people who threaten the artists and the people of Denmark over these drawings, but the pure ignorance being shown on both sides of this is very appalling. It is not a matter of free speech as much as a matter of respecting other people’s beliefs. What happened in Denmark was very disrespectful to the beliefs and tenets held by Muslims.
I am disgusted that there are forumosans who seem otherwise enlightened (and for some, religious) individuals supporting such blatant disrespect toward Islam under the guise that it’s just a matter of people wanted to put a cap on free speech. If what those artists did is free speech, then I’m ready to print off my tee-shirt ideas too.
Jihad, indeed… If the drawings had involved Jesus Christ in a blasphemous act, you bet your asses you would be singing a different tune.
Too many hippocras in the world, that
No, I don’t agree. Anti-clericalism and anti-Christianity are cherished traditions in the West that have been practiced since at least Voltaire. Christianity is constantly mocked (Church Lady, anyone? Monty Python sketches? etc.) in Western society. Wearing a Dead Kennedys T-Shirt has never been a crime in America.
Comparing Islamic and Christian fundamentalism as the same is asinine. While both are the same in character, there is a vast difference in degree. How many Christians have threatened a fatwa against Saturday Night Live for mocking them with Church Lady?
Next thing you know they’ll have poor Santa up on a cross.
I agree with ImanioU. Problems on both sides.
If a Christian society chooses to mock itself, then so be it, but that doesn’t give them license to mock other religions as well. Is it really that hard for people to accept a culture where people don’t treat their faith so cynically?
If a Christian society chooses to mock itself, then so be it, but that doesn’t give them license to mock other religions as well. Is it really that hard for people to accept a culture where people don’t treat their faith so cynically?[/quote]
You’re saying we don’t have the right to be cynical? To mock? I disagree. I think we DO have the right to mock ideas, philosophies, religions, and be cynical about them, whether they’re ours or not.
I’m a free man, and nobody’s going to tell me what I can or can’t ridicule.
As might be expected, I pretty much echo the sentiments expressed by Maoman.
And, by the way, the so-called ban on images of Mohammed was not in the original teachings of Islam.
The earlier writings and surra’s contain many images of Big Mo and the rest of the crew.
Just something added later with no basis in the original script.
Honestly no one really gives a crap about the images, as you can see here egyptiansandmonkey.blogspot.com/ … egypt.html the comics were printed in Egypt and no one cared!!
Now it’s become more West vs. Middle East. As more papers printed the comics just to say “yeah this is what we think of you and your religion la dee daaa” and a lot of people in the Muslim/Arab/Middle East world saying “The Danes ? no really the Danes ? now that’s a country we can pick on, hey Norway is next to them too yeah this is a good cause, the Iraq war nahh that’s been done already but Danes yeah I can get behind that.”
There is a small demographic on the left that loves to go after anything Christian/Western/American (which they should be allowed to do) but will defend any ignorant/backwards religious extremism
If they don’t allow images of Mohammed then how do they illustrate the Koran?
They usually show Muhammad as having no face, everything else is illustrated
If a Christian society chooses to mock itself, then so be it, but that doesn’t give them license to mock other religions as well. Is it really that hard for people to accept a culture where people don’t treat their faith so cynically?[/quote]
You’re saying we don’t have the right to be cynical? To mock? I disagree. I think we DO have the right to mock ideas, philosophies, religions, and be cynical about them, whether they’re ours or not.
I’m a free man, and nobody’s going to tell me what I can or can’t ridicule.[/quote]
I cherish my right to mock/laugh at anything I want.
Muslims don’t like Mohammed being portrayed in a cartoon? Then I suggest they stop acting Daffy Duck.
I think if you grew up having to smack your head into a mat all day with a certain religious view then it would be very difficult to change that view all of a sudden. Hopefully education and exposure to other ways will slowly broaden their horizons.
I thought one of the benefits of being expats was that we were broadening our horizons and would be more willing to look at how other people have grown up in their culture and have some understanding of cultural influences and the difficulty of overcoming them?
[quote=“ImaniOU”]
I am disgusted that there are forumosans who seem otherwise enlightened (and for some, religious) individuals supporting such blatant disrespect toward Islam under the guise that it’s just a matter of people wanted to put a cap on free speech.[/quote]
Why don’t you travel to Saudi Arabia and carry a Bible with you. Let us know how much respect you receive. You seem to forget (or are completely oblivious to the fact) that you enjoy free speech as well as your other rights because you were born in a society which developed with Western values and Christian beliefs.
Here is how an Islamic country deals with Buddhism.
Before:
After:
How many Muslims were beheaded by Buddhists after the destruction of the Bamian statues by Muslims?
Well said. It is appalling to me becuase this contest in Denmark was designed to provoke just such a reaction. It was meant to offend those who cherish the Prophet. Well, they got what they wanted (3 months after the fact, but still), although maybe not at the scale they expected.
Casting this as solely a free speech issue ignores the original problem. I find it hard to grasp how it is acceptable to mock others values and beliefs and then defend it as one’s right. To put another way: when you ridicule my beliefs, and I choose not to turn the other cheek, will it surprise you?
Unfortunately for those who have died to date, the issue seems to have been hijacked by 2 elements: extreme islamists and misguided free speechers.
EXACTLY. You have in your two posts, wrote exactly what I was going to.
Some people cherish Adof Hitler. As far as I’m concerned, there’s very little difference between the two other than Mohammed preferred 9 year old girls. And Nazis tended to be better educated than Muslims.
I mock Communists, Nazis and Muslims…they don’t like it, tough shit. BTW, “turning the other cheek” is a Christian idea…Mohammed carried a sword.
Perhaps you should reacquaint yourself with the notion of free speech as practiced in the Real World…not Forumosa.
EXACTLY. You have in your two posts, wrote exactly what I was going to.[/quote]
Respect freely given cheapens the virtue. Respect must be earned. I wouldn’t mock Mother Teresa, but the Catholic church is fair game. I feel the same way about Muslims/Islam. There are countless numbers of Muslims worthy of my respect. If I choose to write about them or their beliefs in a respectful way, that is my perogative. There are also countless numbers of Muslims who are not worthy of my respect. If I choose to write about them and their beliefs in a non-respectful way that is also my perogative. If they don’t like it, they can take it up with my lawyer. :upyours: