Not to be specific but I was just watching TVO's "Studio 2" with host Paula Todd this evening. Whereby she kept on pushing the argument that the Danish Papers had every right to publish those cartoons. Shortly after that I saw Steve Paikin so smoothly lay blame on Arab Media publishing hate filled cartoons.
I am certainly not pleased with my people. There is mention that Muslims are hypocrites and they allow cartoons to be published which demonize Israelis; yet they are offended by the Prophets Cartoons. Well Paula and Steve I have news for you. Israel doesn't necessarily publish love caricatures of Arabs either. Though it is funny I never seem to hear anything about that in the news. The problem with this world is its full of hypocrites. The West is full of it, so is the Islamic world. There is only one difference, the west meddled in the Middle East way before the first cartoon or bullet was fired. Since the start of the 20th century and Her Majesty's soldiers have stepped on many tombs. Well... it was his Majesty at the time ... Shortly there after it was the Zionists. Then shortly thereafter it was good Ole Uncle Sam.
So I hope you forgive us if we seem a little bitter [sarcasms] towards the west. Forgive us if we seem skeptical about your good democratic intentions and if we don't believe you when you declare it is Freedom of Speech.
Alas, I have a fail safe solution to this "Clash of Civilization", it even comes with two options:
A: To prove your true intentions that the west is FREE to speak. Then get those "Damn Muslims" to shut up ... Go ahead and insult the rest of the worlds nations. Practice what your preach. WAIT!!! I am not going to leave you with that ... I have figured it all out for you ....
- To offend the Catholics, lets have a cartoon of Pope John Paul II peaking in an all small boys school shower.
- To offend African Americans, lets have a cartoon of Martin Luther King Jr. wearing hip hop clothes while trying to break into a car ... Maybe even show some drugs in his pocket.
- To offend the Jews, lets have a cartoon of the Holocaust being fabricated in a Hollywood studio with Hitler as the main actor.
- To offend the Israelis lets have a cartoon of a Chassidic Rabbi in a synagogues firing range teaching his students how to aim at Palestinian children. Maybe even have a sign saying "Sniper riffle 101"
- To offend the evangelists, lets have a preacher "of your choice" sit in his back stage with a prostitutes legs in the air shouting "OH DEAR GOD I .... I ... I ... HAVE SINNNEEEEED!"
Then there is option B:
B: Just Apologize to the Muslims and outlaw Media outlets that incite hatred.
FINE PRINT: Of course I have utmost respect to Martin Luther King, and also Pope John Paul. I also sympathize with African Americans and their struggle with Racism, and I respect Jews and Christians as being "people of the book" and those who share the same main belief in the One God whom worshiping is what life is all about.
2 comments:
if it's okay for you to say that we should outlaw media outlets that incite hatred, is it okay for israel to call for Hezbollah T.V. to be outlawed?
First- I'd encourage all people everywhere to be aware of leaning towards totalitarianism. I'll lay it our right now- I'm pro Israel and you seem to be anti Israel. Still I think we owe it to each other to realize that I have my views, you have yours, and imposing sanctions based on either set of views is dangerous. these are the beauties of free speech and open conversation.
Now, for some comparisons one disturbing set of cartoons about muhammad is just as bad as one set of cartoons with Jews drinking al-naqba juice as an after dinner refreshment, but we deal with salvos of that EVERY day. It happens so much it isn't even covered in the media at all. Ironically It takes one incidence of anti Muhammad cartoons to make people aware of the huge amount of anti Israel and anti Jewish cartoons that occur in the periodicals of the interest group that's crying foul.
You'd think that Muslims, having felt the burn, would seek to eliminate mindlessly anti Israel cartoons in their own media outlets and demand an apology by those who "commited the crime". You seem to be moving towards that view, and I applaud that. I want to ask you- how many people in your community think like you?
Still, what you said worries me. Do you really think it's all right to "outlaw media outlets that incite hatred?" because if that is okay I declare, and challenge you to refute, that we should not discriminate in our mission. We should be fighting Hezbollah T.V., every Hamas periodical published, and all the other examples that I don't need to list. We should fight anti Muslim, and Jewish, anit anyone hatred in the media before, during, and after the Danish periodical is "dealt with".
I'm surprised you did not call for the publishers of anti Semitic cartoons to apologize to Jews, and hope that you are willing to also fight with just the same passion against the numerous anti Israel publications that blatantly cross the line from political analysis to hatred.
To sum up, if we're fighting for freedom of speech, fine. Even if we're fighting against hatred by banning stuff I'd see that as a goal that is totalitarian but at least its honest.
If we're exclusively fighting against hatred and mistreatment of Muslims and Arabs while condoning equally horrific anti Israel and anti Jewish materials in the press by saying "it's bad" but not demanding an apology or proposing that those outlets be banned as well, I think we are part of the problem and not part of the solution.
Dear Commenter,
First of all thanks for your comments. Please note that this blog is not supposed to discuss politics and is not meant for Non-Muslims. Feel free to read and comment but it is important to understand the target audience and the message. I started of by condemning the childish reaction with regards tot he cartoons. However, my post "Freedom of Speech" is a reaction to what I saw on Pro-Israeli Western Media.
Israel and the arabs are enemies. I would not expect Israel to publish love articles about Hamas. Nor should the Isralis complain about Arab news media and its Anti-Israeli context. Are any cartoons demonizing Hitler unheard of? No one expects Israel nor the allies to apologize for such cartoons.
I will not demand an apology for any Anti-Israeli content. If you think that that is part of the problem so be it. Israel is a powerful oppressive state. It has the power to halt its oppressions and evil practices. It has the power to declare fair peace with the Palestinians. Yet that doesn't happen.
I never said Anti-Israeli content was bad either. You don't find any love letters to Saddam Hussain in Western Media do you? I don't demand an apology for that either.
There is a difference between attacking a religion and attacking a Government. The Israeli Government is very powerful and abuses its powers to oppress helpless palestinians. You owe it to humanity as well to stand up for the oppressed and the weak.
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