Islam And Western Freedoms
The two are at odds. Most recently, this played out in an ugly way, in a talk in Sweden at the University of Uppsala about free speech by Lars Vilks, who did one of the Mohammed cartoons. Christians just deal when there are jokey images of Jesus or photos like Piss Christ, Andre Serrano's Jesus suspended in urine. Muslims? Well, from a post on Salon.com about Vilks' talk:
When Vilks finally entered the hall, about twenty men and women started shouting at him. "Swine!" one man called out. Another yelled: "You are a failed artist!" Vilks proceeded to take photos of the demonstrators with his cell phone, provoking them even further.Around ten minutes into the presentation, which was broadcast live on a local TV station (you can watch the entire lecture and the resulting chaos HERE in Swedish), a man in the front row jumped up and charged at Vilks, butting him with his head and hurling him against the wall. Three more sprang up and charged at Vilks as well. Others rose to their feet, shouting "Allahu Akbar!" Police quickly subdued the attackers and hustled Vilks away to safety. The artist, whose glasses were crushed in the incident, told the Swedish press "I wasn't injured, but pretty shaken up." The police arrested three men in their twenties. The crowd finally broke up about a quarter of an hour later amid cries of "swine!," "idiot!," "Mohammed! Mohammed!" and "You must respect us!"
What was Vilks's presentation about? It concerned pushing back the boundaries of freedom of expression and featured images of Holocaust denier David Irving, the infamous "Piss Christ" photo (which outraged fundamentalist Christians when it was first displayed in 1987), a graphic Robert Mapplethorpe picture, and sexual images of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. The images that sent the attackers into action were from a short Iranian film depicting two gay men with Mohammed masks engaging in sexual intercourse. "That is pornography!" some of the Muslim men present cried out at the sight. "It insults the Prophet Mohammed! You can't show that here!"
You don't like it? Leave the lands of Western values and go back to Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries, where you'll find the oppressive environment that kowtows to Islam with the absence of so many freedoms, just starting with freedom of speech. (There, it's women who are treated like dogs, not Mohammed who's pictured as one.)
A video of the evening:
Note the shrieking Muslims shouting Allah Akbar to drown out Vilk's speech.
"You must respect us!"
In a sane world, Muslims who feel entitled to assault or kill another human being over a cartoon would not get any respect. Every one of them would be locked up in a padded cell in an insane asylum, with cartoons of Mohammed plastered all over the walls.
Martin at May 12, 2010 9:07 AM
Has there ever been a whinier, more petulant, insecure, perpetually adolescent group? I am so sick of otherwise sane countries being afraid of these infantile, tantrum-throwing imbeciles. Just kill them all and be done with it.
Pirate Jo at May 12, 2010 9:15 AM
I first realized in the 90's that eventually there will be nuclear war between Muslims and the rest of the world. I don't know the percentages, but there are just too many Muslims who can best be described as animals, who take Allah's work on themselves.
In the late 40's, when Israel was formed to give them a refuge from those who are determined to kill them, the nations around them announced they were not going to ever stop until they had killed every man, woman, and child. And, they haven't stopped, either.
Now, they are saying they are not going to stop until all Americans are dead.
A-bombs were invented for people like that.
irlandes at May 12, 2010 10:22 AM
When the time comes, irlandes, there won't be a square inch of livable land from the Jordan River to the Hindu Kush.
And Iran seems determined to ensure that outcome.
I live in fear of that day.
brian at May 12, 2010 1:07 PM
Just kill them all and be done with it.
I hope you're not serious about that, Pirate Jo.
Rainer at May 12, 2010 1:56 PM
Apparently people aren't as bad ass as they think they are when the pepper spray hits. Notice how the fellow in the red jacket gets it right in the eyes, stops for a few seconds, then comes back into frame wielding his jacket like a weapon. He is still holding his face with his other hand and he has his eyes closed, which doesn't make for a very effective fighting style.
JC at May 12, 2010 2:02 PM
Apart from that: This clash of the cultures can't go on forever, of course. They will either kill us or we will make at least some of them understand that hurting, maiming and killing people over religious issues is just plain wrong. (Shouldn't that be obvious? Apparently not...)
Rainer at May 12, 2010 2:09 PM
Amy, this might deserve a separate post from you. Wow.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fSvyv0urTE&feature=player_embedded
D at May 12, 2010 6:05 PM
Their beloved prophet was a fucking pedophile. Can we kill them all now? (And yes, that was rhetorical...for now.)
Reading into the thread, I can understand how Pirate Jo feels. These people are starting to PISS ME OFF!!!
mpetrie98 at May 12, 2010 6:30 PM
D -
Saw that one. I wish Horowitz asked her who she voted for in '08 and why...
This is fascism. I hope to hell this country wakes up in time.
Feebie at May 12, 2010 8:57 PM
What do these Muslims and non-Muslims in Ottawa (re Ann Coulter's speech) have in common? Both have absolutely no respect for the free speech of others.
Makes me wonder if that begins to explain why the latter consistently serve as apologists for the former.
Robert W. (Vancouver) at May 12, 2010 10:00 PM
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