In the West, we watch in sickened resignation the crowds massing outside the American Embassy in Benghazi, baying for blood (quite literally), tearing apart American flags and rejoicing in the death of the Mr. Stevens.
"Our Prophet is the best human ever! You cannot insult our Prophet! You cannot insult our religion!"
How hard did the evil, sh*t-stirring bastard who set in motion this whole train of events have to work to find the insignificant little film and then publicise it, I wonder. Sometimes you have to put in incredibly long hours to be insulted, it seems.
But that is not the point. The umma don't just believe in the superiority of the super-man, Muhammad and in his revelation being the actual words of God. No, they believe in the inherent, unquestionable superiority of a way of life that demands complete submission to their God (which of course is the only God) and the consequent complete submission of the whole of humanity to their belief system.
If this were an overtly political ideology then those who abhor totalitarianism could stand openly and resist. But Islam stands behind the assumption that it is a religion. Those who dare criticise it are in turn castigated for being insensitive or worse.
So please answer me this. If you are a Muslim and you believe that Allah intends for the whole of mankind to bow down (literally) and worship Him and more, that it is your duty to bring this day closer, where do you draw the line between political and religious action?
Pakistan: 14-9-12
Photos courtesy of Middle East in Photos
I would say the evil, sh*it-stirring bastard is the one who made the film and distributed it in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSeems a bit much to blame those who were offended.
Bit like accusing the poor devil lying at your feet for having the temerity to have pushed his face into your fist.
Good point, well made, Anon. And up to a point I agree.I should have made it clearer that I in no way support the publication of pointlessly offensive material.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, there does seem, does there not, to be a large element of masochism in the chest-beating of some (if not most)of the protesters. If the film was so offensive, why draw world-wide attention to it? Why not just ignore it and let it disappear?
Is this not, in some way, Islam flexing its political muscles?
No - it's Muslims getting justifiably upset, bro.
Delete"...and the consequent complete submission....to their belief system." I read somewhere that the meaning, or one meaning, of 'Islam' is 'submission'. If this is so, then all followers of Islam have no choice but to submit, just like Scientologists, Moonies, etc. Scary if this is so.
ReplyDeletePenseivat
Yes, Islam does mean submission to God. Our duty is to submit totally to God. Why should this be so "scary"?
DeleteWhat do you you worship? Money? Your work?
I prefer worshiping our creator.
UN human rights chief calls anti-Islam film 'malicious' and says it should be ignored.
ReplyDeleteWise words...
http://news.yahoo.com/un-human-rights-chief-calls-anti-islam-film-191623267.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Shif Ahmed, in Male, Maldives, emails: Today there were demonstrations outside the UN building in Male, in the Maldives. They called death to the Jews and burnt the American flag. Many young children with toy guns were made to take part.
ReplyDeleteAnon at 5.01pm, Who do I worship? No-one. I am an athiest,someone who does not believe in any form of 'higher' being who decrees that people should be killed because they had not heard of their name; who should be cast out and treated like vermin because they choose the right to live their lives the way they wish and not under the ultimate control of an unnamed creature who may, or may not, exist. I can't see God, Allah, Buddha or whatever you worship; He, or she, does not speak to me, does not give me signs or directions and certainly does not speak for me. There is nothing that I have heard, read or seen which makes me believe some munificent being is looking over me. This world is a poxy little insignificant blip, in a back street of a really shitty part of the universe, so why would any being cultivate a religion of hatred, ignorance and inconsideration? Go to your nearest beach, look at the number of grains of sand on that beach and decide which of those grains you will concentrate on, develop any life-forms which may be on that grain of sand and start a religion on that grain of sand. You then have your views, muliplied an unknowable number of times. Religion is an artificial concept derived by man to cater to their arrogance that they are anything other than a freak accident of evolving nature. Unfortunately, somewhere along that line, certain people discovered that they could accrue power and wealth by pushing one particular view. Then, you have religion. Islam is said to be about 1600 years old. The human race is said to have evolved a million or so years ago. How many religions have their been in that time? How many have survived? In 1000 years time, will your religion have survived? How will you know? If your God really is the God of Gods, then it may well be THE religion. But then, you won't know that, will you? In the meantime, you abide by the words of certain blokes (no women for some reason) who claim to speak the words of God, but they don't really know either. They only know what their fathers told them. Several words for this are indoctrination and brainwashing, amongst others. Scientologists do the same sort of thing, as do the Moonies. If I am wrong, then, as jesus is said to have died for all our sins, past, present and future, then I will still enter the Kingdom of heaven, if there is one. A win-win situation, don't you think? In the meantime, anon, give women the vote, stop killing people from other religions, stop having sex with children and start treating others with the respect that you demand.
ReplyDeletePenseivat
"extraordinary thin skinned paranoid reaction to something which is crap"
ReplyDeleteRushdie
Couldn't have put it better myself
Sorry, got carried away a bit. Had just heard that my trip to Egypt has been cancelled due to the ongoing propblems there - murder, arson, assaults, etc, by members of the religion of peace. To cap it all, insurance company won't reimburse the cost as no FCO warnings. Thin-skinned? Definitely. Paranoid? Perhaps they really are out to get me!
DeletePenseivat
relax Penseivat - I was referring to the reactions in the Muslim world which have now resulted in the pointless deaths of at least 7 people.
DeleteHow can anything be worth that? What sort of warped mindset thinks a deity is so thin skinned as to demand the deaths of innocent men and women to payback an "insult".
Oh!
DeletePenseivat
"Whoever comes across America's ambassadors or emissaries should follow the example of Omar al-Mukhtar's descendants (Libyans), who killed the American ambassador,"
ReplyDeleteYemen based branch of al-Qaeda 15-9-12 as reported by Reuters
http://news.yahoo.com/al-qaeda-yemen-urges-muslims-kill-u-diplomats-070834271.html
Nice to see the Yemenis trying to calm things down a bit.
Minty
Load of drama queens if you ask me. Someone should inform the Bush administration what a waste of time & money his predictable and bored campaign on Iraq was...
ReplyDelete....should have just spent £50 on a cartoonist. It's cheaper and more effective.
silly tw*t
Jasmine,
DeleteThe cartoonist would have had to have a home address somewhere in Mecca to avoid a fatwah. Come to think of that, perhaps that would be good idea for anyone else thinking of criticising the religion of peace and goodwill, with a couple of drawings thrown in for good measure. I now just need the zip code for that black block in the middle of a square.
penseivat
Quite right, Jasmine - drama queens- spot on!
ReplyDeleteMinty