You've Got To Be Kidding Me

I don't think I need to describe the uproar from a Danish newspaper publishing some editorial cartoons depicting Muhammad in an unflattering light. Needless to say, the Muslim world is in flames with calls for death and apologies (not necessarily in that order) in spite of the fact that the event took place months ago . I actually believe that the media (whether news or entertainment) should make an effort not to be offensive towards religious beliefs. Of course, I've gotten used to disparaging treatment of Christians and its beliefs in Western pop culture and the press. It's fine if you have a fuzzy New Age type of Christianity, but if you hold traditional Christian beliefs, you'll quickly be marginalized as an extremist member of the "Religious Right". It's not just hard news. It's become routine for sportswriters to ridicule the religious beliefs of athletes. Pop culture is even worse. I would have to think really hard to remember a character with traditional Christian beliefs who was not portrayed in a derogatory manner in a major motion picture. They are usually portrayed as a hate-monger or a hypocrite who espouses one thing while doing something else. On TV, NBC was going to have Britney Spears guest-star as a bible-thumping cook with a show called "Cruci-fixins", a concept that I find highly offensive considering what the Crucifixion means to Christianity. Fortunately, NBC did decide that maybe it wasn't such a good idea, but the fact that it was talked about enough in-house that it made it to a press release makes me believe it was going to happen before the backlash. I don't think I have to explain why Marilyn Manson may be slightly offensive to Christians, but now Kanye West just had his picture on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine looking like Jesus. This country has gotten to the point that if you make "art" that seems to have the intent to offend Christians, you'll get a government grant, but if you make art that has a hint of positive Christianity to it, it will be banned. Yet, somehow, Christians have managed to survive all of this without rioting and arson. Compare the protests to the Muhammad cartoons with the protests of the NBC show "Book of Daniel" which many Christians found offensive for having a pill-popping priest who talks to a morally ambiguous Christ. Muslim protesters rioted, got killed, burned down embassies and threatened to murder anyone involved with the printing of the cartoons. Did Christian activists burn down NBC affiliates or threaten to behead Aidan Quinn? Did they insist that the President apologize for NBC or pass laws to censor NBC's content? No. They wrote letters, and then didn't watch the show so it got canceled due to bad ratings.

Actually, the extreme reaction of Muslims isn't the worst part of this story. It's the sheer hypocrisy of Muslims, especially those in the Middle East, to complain of a lack of sensitivity towards Muslims. There is no place in the world that is more intolerant of other religions than Muslim countries. Which is more offensive: some tasteless (at worst) cartoons by a newspaper or official Palestinian television saying Jews are descended from monkeys and pigs? Cartoons or an official Egyptian government newspaper accusing Jews of using Arab blood to make Passover bread? Cartoons or the destruction of two ancient Buddha statues? Cartoons or forcing Nigerian Christians to live under Islamic law? Cartoons or the return of Dhimmi status for non-Muslims in Muslim countries? Cartoons or the beheading of Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia? Cartoons or the complete lack of religious freedom in Iran, Sudan or Saudi Arabia (a country where 15 schoolgirls died in a fire when the religious police would not let them escape because they weren't wearing their robes and headscarves)?

Do you see a pattern here? Muslim leaders are demanding the type of "tolerance" towards their religion from western countries that is completely absent in the Muslim world. And most likely will be absent in Europe when Muslims become the majority. Sadly, the world is capitulating. Editors have been fired for printing the cartoons. A newspaper website was shut down by the Swedish government for displaying the cartoons. Western political leaders are apologizing (for something they didn't do). The increasingly irrelevant UN wants to join the European Union in condemning the cartoons unlike the more serious issues mentioned in the last paragraph that the UN has made a career of ignoring. Think of how out of whack this has become. Cartoons are being condemned not the violence and death threats. It's a sad day when the concept of free expression must take a backseat to the sensibilities of the culture that glorifies suicide bombers.

I think my favorite reaction is that of the EU when they declared they are thinking of enforcing a "media code". It included this wonderful quote from one of their moronic commissioners - "The press will give the Muslim world the message: We are aware of the consequences of exercising the right of free expression. We can and are ready to self-regulate that right." I think the real message he is giving is "we are your bitch". Does this idiot realize what he is saying? He's giving a veto to Muslim activists over free speech and press because of hurt feelings. What's next? The implementation of Sharia because Muslims are offended by secular law? This isn't sensitivity to religion. This is surrender. Does anybody believe that this "media code" will be used to protect the sensitivities of non-Muslim religions? Of course not. Christians and Jews have a tendency not to riot over perceived slights. Plus, kowtowing to Muslims while showing indifference to other religions can be plainly seen already in England. Political correctness has run amok to the point that one council has banned pig related items (i.e. figures, calendars) in their office including Piglet from Winnie-the-Pooh. Why? Muslims think pigs are impure animals, so seeing a pig may offend them. Well, guess what? Devout Jews consider pigs to be impure also. Where was the concern for them? I think it's obvious that the Muslim world is different place from the western world. Unfortunately, they seem to be Hell-bent on making their world our world. Sadly, our gutless leaders are helping them as much as they can.