It's NOT Letting "American Sniper" Play On Campus That "Infringes On Certain Freedoms"
Ashley Rae Goldenberg writes at The Daily Caller:
Muslim students at Virginia's largest public university launched a petition to ban the showing of "American Sniper" on campus because the film "perpetuates misleading and negative stereotypes" about Muslims and "romanticizes war" -- even though the offended students haven't even seen the film.According to the petition created by a group of Muslim organizations at George Mason University, playing "American Sniper" on campus infringes on certain freedoms.
Here, Muslim organizations, is how actual freedom works: You fight speech you dislike with more speech, not by trying to shut down speech.
Gotta love this, too, from their petition:
As thinking humans, we should recognize the issues of morality presented when such a film is shown on campus and sponsored by the Office of Student Involvement whose mission is to 'embrace diversity.'
Islam is about anything but "embracing diversity." You see this in Muslim majority countries, like in Egypt with Copts who cannot open churches and who are slaughtered for being non-Muslim.
Those for whom free speech is too uncomfortable might consider moving to Muslim-majority countries where there's none of that nasty sort of thing.
As a post-Jewish atheist, but one who was raised Jewish and went to temple and all, I supported the neo-Nazis' right to march in heavily Jewish Skokie way back when. And I still support the right of any hate group, no matter how ugly, to march and speak and show whatever ugly movies they want.
This is how freedom works. I'm all for it.
And guess what: It's ultimately better, and healthier, and more encouraging of the flourishing of people -- intellectually, emotionally, financially, and otherwise -- than the sort of state Islam calls for: Totalitarian. (The very translation of Islam is "submission.")
Using the Muslim students' reasoning, the Blues Brothers movie must be banned, too, because "I hate Illinois Nazis."
Wfjag at April 24, 2015 6:33 AM
A crucifix in a bottle of urine? art.
"The Last Temptation of Christ"? art.
"American Sniper"? vile, dirty propaganda and hate speech.
That's all you need to know about these people.
And following in Wfjag's steps, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in the opening scene Dr. Jones says something along the lines of "Nazis, I hate those guys".
I R A Darth Aggie at April 24, 2015 7:35 AM
Yes, it's a racket, with at least informal coordination between the administration and the protest groups. Here's how it works: Film X, which fails to sufficiently promote the leftist agenda, is to be screened on campus. Protest group threatens violence. Adminstration says "gee, we support the First Amendment and all, but for safety reasons we're going to have to prohibit this film from being shown." How conveeeeeenient.
Cousin Dave at April 24, 2015 8:03 AM
It's not just at that school U of Maryland and others are having the same fight.
Joe J at April 24, 2015 9:54 AM
In a bit of irony, same university was just awarded a green light by FIRE for free speech on campus. Let's see if the university behaves like it deserves that green light.
Shannon at April 24, 2015 10:39 AM
I don't suppose that those who are offended by the movie could simply not see it, and let everyone else make their own decision.
Patrick at April 24, 2015 11:09 AM
Islam is about anything but "embracing diversity."
Hey, not true! Islam embraces all kinds of people who are willing to convert to Islam.
JD at April 24, 2015 3:19 PM
@Darth - Indiana Jones is hardly comparable to Jake & Elwood. First, as Dr. Jones the elder explained "We named the dog 'Indiana'." But, more importantly to the theological theme of this thread, as Elwood declared "We're on a Mission from God." It was a God revealed at the Triple Rock Baptist Church by the Rev. Cleotis James with Elwood's last exclamation as he left the church "And God Bless the United States of America!" Dressed as they are, all in black, and given that Jake's ex-girlfriend was a small weapons expert, clearly The Blues Brothers are Jingoistic, militaristic, Islamophobes who should be banished from all college campuses. I'll bet you thought it was really about music and car wrecks.
Wfjag at April 24, 2015 7:13 PM
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