The Rants of Issachar

Ibn Warraq, a best-selling author and Muslim dissident has written in support of freedom of the press and argues that we must defend the Danish cartoonists from the totalitarian attacks coming out of the Muslim world.

Freedom of expression is our western heritage and we must defend it or it will die from totalitarian attacks. It is also much needed in the Islamic world.

Good for him. More Muslims need to publicly join him in this.
They also need to defend Muslims being arrested and attacked for standing up for freedom. Jordan has arrested two news editors for insulting Islam. (Jihad Momani and Hisham Khalidi).


Rex Murphy has weighed in on the subject as well. The full text of his article isn't freely available, but Damian Penny has some selections.

...Whole swathes - not all, be it noted - of the Muslim world believe that if their religious sensibilities are offended, they have both the right and the duty to threaten violence and death to the offenders...

Frankly it's good to see someone in the mainstream media say this. So far a disturbing number of western news sources have decided not to broadcast or print the cartoons saying that they want to be sensitive to Muslims. I don't buy it. Those same news sources have no qualms about broadcasting or publishing material that offends other religious people. I tend to agree with Michelle Malkin when she says that the media aren't motivated by respect for Islam, but rather by fear.

I find myself coming back to the same point. The bulk of the Muslim world has yet to adapt to a non-negotiable feature of the modern world: the temporal equality of beliefs. The modern world will not accept Dhimmi satus. If you're not familiar with that term, read the Wikipedia article. Like everything in Wikipedia, it's not perfect but it's a good introduction.

Free nations cannot have a special place for Islam.

Posted by:  Imam Grouik-Grouik

Wa salami

Try this :

http://grouik-grouik.blogspot.com/

Wa salami

Posted by:  Carla

just FYI, I'm not going to get involved in some long, comment back-and-forth.

I just wanted to point out that there's something perhaps you haven't considered.

"My point is basically forget about the cartoons. The atmosphere is tense because of what is happening in Iran, Iraq, Palestine and it is an excuse to express anger at those wider issues."
-Nadim Shehadi, expert on Middle Eastern affairs, Chatham House

Posted by:  issachar

Carla,

:( I'm disappointed you won't be having a back and forth on this subject. Frankly I value reading your opinion on things like this.

I was just checking my e-mail before church, so I'm not going to write much.

I had thought about the issues Mr. Shehadi talks about, but I just don't find the argument convincing. The Palestine/Israel thing has been going on since 1948 and likely won't end anytime soon.

I think the Muslim world is having trouble adapting to the modern world because they haven't figured out how Islam can coexist as one faith among temporal equals. I am convinced that some Muslims have figured this out, but they aren't the dominant influence. I don't think kowtowing to anti-modernist forces in Islam is helpful.

Anyway, I hope you change your mind because I'd love to chat about this with you.

Have a good one.

Posted by:  Carla

Mostly because I'm busy, so I apologise.

I'm not going to pick *sides*, because both sides have a point, and have a position which is their right to.

However, you seem to fail to see the similarity: both *societies* are requesting the same thing - that the other respect them and their beliefs.

Speaking of 'points':
>I had thought about the issues Mr. Shehadi talks about, but I just don't find the argument convincing. The Palestine/Israel thing has been going on since 1948 and likely won't end anytime soon.

You completely missed this point.

Posted by:  Katinka

I just heard an interesting parallel tonight...apparently a Tasmanian artist recently exhibited a painting of Christ surrounded by men engaged in homosexual acts. Of course there has been a huge outcry, and although the artist has complained that his artistic freedom is being curtailed, the painting has remained on display. No one has bombed the gallery or threatened the artist.

As a friend said, "It's strange that we can be hauled into court for making defamatory racial or religious comments; but offensive visual expression can be justified on the grounds of art or advertising!

Are some people more free than others?"