Solidarity with the Danes
Another op-ed piece from the Boston Globe caught my eye recently. Unlike the article bashing a librarian for standing up to the Feds and their illegal, warrant-less search attempts, this article is one with which I (mostly) agree. It deals with the recent editorial cartoons featuring several different images of Islam’s prophet, Muhammad.
By reacting in violent protest and demanding the execution of those who create or publish cartoons depicting their prophet, Muhammad, they have managed to cement the status of their faith as the faith of the violent, the reactionary, and the terminally ignorant. Worst of all, it strikes me that they ignore the teachings of their own faith when they act in this way.
I’ve got a Jesus action figure sitting on my desk, which is something many people (probably including my parents) would find offensive, but I think it’s funny. I certainly don’t expect a fundamentalist Baptist to burn my building down or pop a few rounds into my head because of this “offensive image” of Jesus; rather I would fully expect a lecture and an attempt to save my soul. Hell, I was at a store today picking up some CDs and they were selling bobble-head Jesuses (as well as the action figure I already own). And that’s hardly the least offensive Christian-related item I possess!
I think it speaks volumes about the image of Islam, reinforced by the recent actions of Muslims worldwide, that I would fully expect to need to defend my life if I had a Mohammed action figure sitting on my desk and a Muslim found it offensive. I would expect no attempt to educate or save, and rather only an attempt to destroy that which offends. These are the kinds of people who want a world in which theirs is the only religion, the only law and the only way of life. Differing ideas are not welcome and will be met with violence. Freedom of expression is something that these Muslims want eradicated.
These guys make the idea of living under Bush’s desired police state seem appealing. It’s pathetic, and made all the moreso when you read excerpts from the Koran (Quran) that express ideas and suggest actions completely at odds with the actions of the protesters. Unfortunately, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
