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islam

Poseidon Akbar!

Wednesday 27 September 2006

Interesting juxtaposition in the Scotsman yesterday:

ONE of Germany’s leading opera houses has unleashed an angry debate over free speech by cancelling a production over security fears because a scene featured the severed heads of Buddha, Jesus and Mohammed. […]

After its premiere in 2003, the production by Hans Neuenfels drew widespread criticism over a scene in which King Idomeneo presents the severed heads not only of the Greek god of the sea, Poseidon, but also of Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed.

Now, who did they have in mind when they cancelled the production?

Christians?

Buddhists?

Ancient Greeks?

“We know the consequences of the conflict over the [Mohammed] caricatures,” the opera house said in a statement. “We believe that needs to be taken very seriously and hope for your support.” (Source)

Are we living in dhimmitude?

Blind Irony

Sunday 17 September 2006

I’m certainly not the first to comment on this, but it’s been rattling around in my head for a couple of days.

Action and reaction:

  • The pope makes comments that, when taken out of context, can be interpreted as implying that Islam is a violent religion.
  • Some Muslims react by shooting a nun and others by fire bombing a church.

I really feel like a wing-nut for saying this, but…

  • Why are we not hearing equal outrage in the Muslim world at these violent reactions?
  • Why, when Madonna used crucifixion imagery in her latest tour (BBC), did we not get riots and violent protests at the Vatican?
  • Why, when Jews are insulted, do we not see violent protests in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem?
  • Why can various Muslims (including the leader of Iran) call for the destruction of Israel while we non-Muslims are expected to tip-toe around troubling ideas found in the Muslim world?

Update: Just after posting this, I read in the newest The Week of a Dutch priest who, angered at Madonna’s depiction of the crucifixion, phoned “in a fake bomb threat to a Modonna concert. […] He was tracked down easily because he called from his home phone.” Google turns up a few stories about it.

Malkin Reconsidered

Sunday 5 February 2006

Thud pointed out an interesting piece via email by August Pollak regarding Malkin’s “selective memory.” Several points taken.

But…there’s always one of those…

Pollak writes,

Are the cartoons freedom of speech? Well, yeah. Of course you have the right to print shitty, racist cartoons that serve no purpose but to inflame Arab sentiment and make racist right-wingers feel good about themselves.

“Inflame Arab sentiment?” It’s done a great deal more than that.

Yet I can be extremely angry and yet keep my urge for violence in check.

If I piss someone off and get hit, even if I deliberately tried to piss the person off, he’s still responsible for his actions. No matter what I said.

Self-control.

Same applies here.

Pollak accuses Malkin of being a racist. I don’t really follow Malkin’s commentary — scratch that. I don’t follow it at all. Maybe she is a racist. Maybe she isn’t. The “right-wing” part of the epithet is true enough.

Still, does that somehow disqualify what the pictures (which she’s simply assembled from various web sites) tell us about the reaction of a fairly significant portion of Muslims? Sure, the tag, “No, you go to hell,” is a little silly — but I do think the pictures speak for themselves. Am I saying all Muslims are reacting irrationally violently? No — I am only privy to what the media presents to me.

Still, while purposely insulting someone is immoral, wanting to behead someone because of it is on quite another level.

Photo by Gage Skidmore

Conversion

Sunday 5 February 2006

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