West Coast Connection Forum

Lifestyle => Train of Thought => Topic started by: King Tech Quadafi on February 12, 2006, 11:40:30 AM

Title: Right to be Angry
Post by: King Tech Quadafi on February 12, 2006, 11:40:30 AM
'Freedom of speech' no justification for insulting Islam

By Eric Margolis

Satirical, racist cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed originally published by a sensation-seeking Danish newspaper have produced an international storm of hysteria and racism.

Mobs of enraged Muslims have rioted from Morocco to Indonesia and burned Danish and Norwegian embassies. Editors of other European newspapers that ran the offensive cartoons piously insist they were defending free speech.

This writer detests any form of censorship, including so-called "hate laws" that are really modern forms of heresy and blasphemy statutes.

But free speech does not include the right to scream "fire" in a crowded movie theatre. And that's just what the European newspapers did. They were trying to boost circulation and pander to anti-immigrant right wingers by attacking Islam.

This whole ugly business is really about anti-Islamism -- the modern version of 1930's anti-Semitism.

Promoting hatred and scorn for Islam and Muslims has become the only socially and legally acceptable modern prejudice.

Question the Holocaust in Germany or Austria and you go to jail, as Pat Buchanan just wrote. Doing the same in Canada gets you jailed or expelled. But slandering Islam is okay.

The Danish paper that ran the racist cartoons "to defend free speech" refused in 2003 to run satirical cartoons of Christ, saying "it would provoke an outrage."

America's four leading evangelical preachers, Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, and Marvin Olasky preached a "crusade" against Iraq.

Graham branded Islam "an evil and wicked religion."

Mohammed was called "a terrorist."

Among American evangelical Christians, one poll showed 87% supported invading Iraq and hoped to convert Iraq's Muslims to Christianity.

Italy's Oriana Fallaci churns out best sellers depicting Islam as a backwards creed of thugs.

In liberal Holland, it's cool to despise Muslims.

In America, historian Bernard Lewis pumps out screeds on the evils of Islam. Daniel Pipes rails against all things Islamic.

One Danish cartoon of Prophet Mohammed shows him with a long, hooked nose, thick lips, a sinister, malevolent glare on his ugly, semitic face and a curved dagger in his hand.

Change the caption "Prophet Mohammed" to "Jew swine" and you have the double of Nazi anti-Semitic hate cartoons of the 1930s from the pages of Die Sturmer.

That's what this is all about. Modern anti-Semitism, reborn.

What many Europeans are saying through these cartoons is, "we hate Muslims. Make Europe Muslimfrei!" They want Muslims out, just as they did Jews in the 1930s.

But while Muslims have been egregiously and gravely offended, far too many have reacted hysterically by rioting and burning embassies. The Prophet Mohammed and Islam don't need rioters and arsonists to defend them.

In an act of utter childishness, Iran's largest newspaper vows to run cartoons ridiculing the Holocaust, proving there is no sickness as contagious as stupidity.

Muslims suffered 150 years of the most brutal European imperialism and exploitation. Millions of Muslims were slaughtered by European and Russian colonialists, though we seldom hear about this holocaust. Many of Europe's 20 million Muslims are third-class citizens. Muslims have a right to be angry.

But where were all these angry Muslims when 250,000 Bosnians were being massacred, and thousands of Muslim girls and women gang raped while mosques were blown up?

Why no protests over Russia's genocide in Chechnya?

Or when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, and Australia annexed East Timor?

Mostly, there was only silence. Or governments in Muslim countries buying arms and goods from their oppressors.

So why now all the rage over some crass racist cartoons in a second-rate newspaper in an obscure country?

At least protesting through boycotts is sensible.

But rioting and burning are worthy only of drunken adolescents and simply reinforce racist claims by western anti-Islamic hate-mongers that Muslims are violent, irrational and backwards.

http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Margolis_Eric/2006/02/12/1437838.html
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: virtuoso on February 12, 2006, 12:24:38 PM

Great article
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: Real American on February 12, 2006, 12:27:06 PM

Mobs of enraged Muslims have rioted from Morocco to Indonesia and burned Danish and Norwegian embassies. Editors of other European newspapers that ran the offensive cartoons piously insist they were defending free speech.

But free speech does not include the right to scream "fire" in a crowded movie theatre. And that's just what the European newspapers did. They were trying to boost circulation and pander to anti-immigrant right wingers by attacking Islam.

It is a fucking cartoon. It doesn't whip up anti-Muslim hatred any more than cartoons mocking Christianity whip up anti-Christian hatred. Legitimate political criticism is nowhere near the same thing as screaming "fire" in a crowded theatre.

Obviously this guy doesn't understand the concept of freedom of speech. The whole point is not to protect speech that you like, but rather to protect speech you don't like. Otherwise who determines what is or isn't acceptable to be printed? The fact that a supposed journalist can't grasp that is a little sad.
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: virtuoso on February 12, 2006, 12:31:28 PM

Actually I both agree and disagree if what the writer is calling for is more respect towards muslims then yes i agree if he saying that the government should be empowered to provide yet more laws then god no. Scarily enough I agree partly with C Walker this is exactly what freedom of speech was created for, but we can't simply pull the freedom of speech card when it suits us, to think that denying the holocaust whether right or wrong is punishable by prison is sick.
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: TeeRaySix9Teen on February 12, 2006, 12:32:14 PM

Mobs of enraged Muslims have rioted from Morocco to Indonesia and burned Danish and Norwegian embassies. Editors of other European newspapers that ran the offensive cartoons piously insist they were defending free speech.

But free speech does not include the right to scream "fire" in a crowded movie theatre. And that's just what the European newspapers did. They were trying to boost circulation and pander to anti-immigrant right wingers by attacking Islam.

It is a fucking cartoon. It doesn't whip up anti-Muslim hatred any more than cartoons mocking Christianity whip up anti-Christian hatred. Legitimate political criticism is nowhere near the same thing as screaming "fire" in a crowded theatre.

Obviously this guy doesn't understand the concept of freedom of speech. The whole point is not to protect speech that you like, but rather to protect speech you don't like. Otherwise who determines what is or isn't acceptable to be printed? The fact that a supposed journalist can't grasp that is a little sad.

and ud be all over a cartoon by Muslims mocking Christianity. So whats your point?
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: J @ M @ L on February 12, 2006, 01:33:00 PM
Legitimate political criticism

Obviously this guy doesn't understand the concept of freedom of speech. The whole point is not to protect speech that you like, but rather to protect speech you don't like. Otherwise who determines what is or isn't acceptable to be printed? The fact that a supposed journalist can't grasp that is a little sad.

a. It's not legitimate political criticism. It's the same as making a drawing of Jesus fucking little kids because that's what priests do these days.

b. If the whole point is to protect the speech people don't like, then why does the Anti-Defamation League try to censor anything that might remotely make Jews look bad? Ex: The Passion of Christ... they had Mel Gibson take out certain scenes.

Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: Real American on February 12, 2006, 01:54:21 PM


and ud be all over a cartoon by Muslims mocking Christianity. So whats your point?

I am more concerned with the religious persecution of non-Muslims in the Middle East. Cartoons don't bother me, people are always taking shots at Christianity. And in the Arab press, they are well known to make vicious attacks at Jews, calling them pigs and monkeys, etc. That is what makes this so funny how all of a sudden Muslims are so concerned with religious tolerance. When the hell have they ever shown any tolerance towards others?
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: King Tech Quadafi on February 12, 2006, 03:08:40 PM

It is a fucking cartoon. It doesn't whip up anti-Muslim hatred any more than cartoons mocking Christianity whip up anti-Christian hatred. Legitimate political criticism is nowhere near the same thing as screaming "fire" in a crowded theatre.


no chimp, once again u dont get it. U know if u keep runnin around in the same circle, constantly not getting it, i dont see any potential of u gettin it. Hence, ur a faggot.
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: J Bananas on February 12, 2006, 03:09:38 PM

It is a fucking cartoon. It doesn't whip up anti-Muslim hatred any more than cartoons mocking Christianity whip up anti-Christian hatred. Legitimate political criticism is nowhere near the same thing as screaming "fire" in a crowded theatre.


no chimp, once again u dont get it. U know if u keep runnin around in the same circle, constantly not getting it, i dont see any potential of u gettin it. Hence, ur a faggot.

but u didnt acknowledge what he said about muslims showing no religious tolerance towarss others in their own countries. what do u gotta say for that?
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: King Tech Quadafi on February 12, 2006, 03:14:25 PM

It is a fucking cartoon. It doesn't whip up anti-Muslim hatred any more than cartoons mocking Christianity whip up anti-Christian hatred. Legitimate political criticism is nowhere near the same thing as screaming "fire" in a crowded theatre.


no chimp, once again u dont get it. U know if u keep runnin around in the same circle, constantly not getting it, i dont see any potential of u gettin it. Hence, ur a faggot.

but u didnt acknowledge what he said about muslims showing no religious tolerance towarss others in their own countries. what do u gotta say for that?

what do i have to say? it exists and its deplorable. but its a sympton of poverty and ignorance, which no doubt exists.

its not systemic, its not inherent in the faith. it occurs in the context of already existing legitimate hatred of the west, fueled by poverty ignorance no education and extreme interestss that manipulate for their own ends.

all this was allowed to occur because a- there is no stable structure in themuslim world, and b- any voice of moderation and reason was snuffed out a long time ago

now continue snoopin in this direction and the trail will lead to some white man.
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: virtuoso on February 12, 2006, 04:38:05 PM
Again the white man!, please stick to facts its the jews who control the media and the entertainment industry is it not? it is the jewish who are the international bankers primarily. Now correct me if i am wrong but people can have DNA tests carried out to find out if they are jewish, meaning they are a s eperate group of people to the "white man"
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: King Tech Quadafi on February 12, 2006, 10:25:03 PM
^ calm down u amputated stump...

white man= light skinned oppressor

be it jewish or not
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: TeeRaySix9Teen on February 12, 2006, 11:55:35 PM


and ud be all over a cartoon by Muslims mocking Christianity. So whats your point?

That is what makes this so funny how all of a sudden Muslims are so concerned with religious tolerance. When the hell have they ever shown any tolerance towards others?

when have u?
Title: Re: Right to be Angry
Post by: virtuoso on February 13, 2006, 09:49:15 AM


So you use a generalisation which is indiscriminate, give me a break, its that type of bs which gives rise to africans indians pakistanis etc seeing your typical workng class white person as living in a lap of luxury and as such they are the enemy. What an idiotic comment for you to make. This is just the bs that these jewish groups hide behind and you being a so called intelligent person only help to reinforce the myth.