AFP Photo
Security measures were bolstered outside the French embassy and near the ambassador’s official residence on Wednesday over fears of a backlash after the publication in France of cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammed. Lebanese armored personnel carriers deployed near the mission and outside the Pine Residence in Beirut, where the ambassador resides.[Naharnet]
Personally, I am against such movies/cartoons but I am also against calls to ban them, at least in countries where freedom of speech is sacred. I don’t understand how such a silly and lousy movie could spark such violent demonstrations and even lead to the murder of an American ambassador in Libya.
Those demonstrations and riots are only damaging Islam’s image and turning the movie maker into a popular figure.
Having said that, I agree with Mustapha that “we need more, not less cartoons and videos that “insult” Muslims. Muslims need once and for all to be desensitized & grow thick skins”.
The best way to fight the likes of Sam Bacile and Charlie Hebdo is by ignoring them.
I agree with you on all parts except on the part where you mentioned freedom of speech allows such cartoons. I am against any cartoon that insults any figure of any religion. It is not called freedom of speech when the purpose is to insult others.
Yes it is.
When it comes to Freedoms, There is such thing as Religious freedoms and one has the freedom to freely criticize any religion they chose… It may be done in bad taste and it may be insulting but should never be silenced.It is dangerous for religions/governments to oppress and scare its people by taking away their freedoms. What should be silenced is violent demonstrations and terrorism.
freedom of speech is bulll crap in the west. wait till you say something about the holocaust and see how defensive and crazy they get then they say thats not freedom of speech. hypocrites as always . from the beginig we just saw killing from the us/israel. see thier crimes in history nothing will be silenced.
You are comparing the Holocaust, 6 million people systematically murdered, with satirical cartoons and an offensive movie? Just wow.
If you want to make a comparison then compare it to the thousands of images and words that are printed every day in the West that attack and satirize other religions.
I can pretty much guarantee that you can insult the President or Prime Minister in any Western nation and not have your ass hauled off to jail and beaten up.
Freedom of speech is bull crap anywhere but in the West.
regardless, Islam nor Jews nor Christianity are privileged to non criticism.. That and should be freedom of speech throughout..
Well said.
It disappoints me to read that you agree to the notion that more cartoons and such films are needed, they are not criticism they are just ways to ignite Muslim anger and then publicize it as Islam’s way.
Criticism to any religion is welcome but it should not come in the way of mockery or outright false allegations towards it. It should come with constructive criticism and logical arguments to prove its concepts are flawed and they need to be acknowledged.
Logic and criticism are most certainly not welcome in any religion. Anything resembling either is branded “false allegations” or a “mockery” before any interaction is made, but followers’ reactions are what need to be criticized.
How does a logical argument proceed when one side says “prove God exists” and the other says “prove that He doesn’t”?
You cannot CONSTRUCTIVELY criticize any religion because of this major flaw.
When The Passion of the Christ came out, every Jew and every Christian denounced it as insulting to their religion – but crucially, no embassies were torched, no one died because of it, no one was threatened with death and no one chanted “death to everything we don’t agree with”.
So I’m afraid there is no moral high ground here except for the denouncement of such violence.
If religion hasn’t matured enough to deal with such criticism and insults, it is not reason enough to exhort all your followers to rampage.
” they are just ways to ignite Muslim anger and then publicize it as Islam’s way. ”
Exactly and the more this happens and Muslims realize they are only aimed at making them look bad, the more they’ ll ignore them and protest peacefully or resort to legal procedures instead of making Islam look bad.