A word on religion
Feb. 6th, 2006 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sabremeisterNow, I know that some people are going to be offended by this, so if you are one of those idiots who takes umbrage at the fact that I speak my mind - then you're too late, 'cos you've already insulted me by existing. Nevertheless, I will be hiding my thoughts behind .
To all those Muslims who are offended by the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish paper: GROW UP!
It's a CARTOON! It's a JOKE! It's a joke about the biggest joke in the world - organised religion! You're supposed to laugh, not burn down the Danish embassy!
I know it's part of your religion that you shouldn't make an image of God or his Prophets, but - get this - Denmark is not a Muslim country! The cartoonist is not a Muslim, the state religion is not Islam, the newspaper editor is almost certainly not a Muslim, there is no reason at all why they should give a fuck about violating your laws.
If, on the other hand, the cartoonist was a Muslim, in Saudi Arabia (for example), working for a Saudi newspaper, and he drew the cartoons, then by all means cut his hand off or whatever the punishment is. Living and working in an Islamic state, practising the state religion, then breaking that Theocracy's laws, well fair enough, punish him. But since he's living and working in a country 2500 miles from the nearest Islamic state, and doesn't follow Islam (and in all probability doesn't know anyone who follows said religion) he can do whatever the shit he likes because of this little thing most civilised countries have called "Free Speech". I'm exercising it right now. So what if it's offensive? You don't have to read it. You don't have to click this link and see the cartoons.
The captions read (courtesy of Dictionary.com):
1. Good Star
2. Bore-blue explosive
3. Mahomet, angel or demon?
4. Mahomet goes on its way
5. Assured discretion
6. Mahomet, with the paradise, cannot accomodate kamikazes any more: "Stop, stop, we are with short of virgins!"
7. Minimalism: "Prophet! It is necessary to be idiotic and dumb to keep his wife under her domination"
8. Identification of the suspect: "Hum! I do not recognize it... "
9. The sprinkled sprinkler
10. Hot reaction: "Keep calm my friends, it's just the acts of a drawing made by a Dane non-believer..."
11. To hide to draw
12. Run of free expression: "The journalists of Jyllands-Posten are a heap of agitators reactionaries." Behind the arrow: Mohammed, raises Danish."
Note number 10 - "Keep calm, it's just a drawing by a Danish non-believer." See that? Non-believer. That means he doesn't believe in Islam. And why should he? Why should he even believe in Christianity? Organised religions are a complete sham - they promise everything, and provide no proof that they can deliver. Have you ever seen someone come back from the dead after three days? Has an angel visited you and said, "Don't eat fish on Fridays, for that is God's Will, and by following it you'll get into Heaven and be happy for eternity"? No, of course you haven't. Most people in Western civilisations no longer take religion seriously - it's a helping hand for the bleak times at most, it's not a way of life.
Of course, if you happen to believe (whatever religion), that is fine by me - just don't go inflicting your beliefs and any associated laws on me or anyone else who doesn't. And don't go breaking the laws of the country you happen to be living in - if you don't like those laws, sod off to a country with ones which better suit you - just because someone drew a funny picture of your Prophet.
That's right - I said "funny". It made me laugh (well, chuckle). That was the whole point of the exercise. Well, maybe not the whole point. Maybe some of the point was to show the world how some Danes perceive the militant right-wing of the Muslim religion. You know, if you don't want the entire Western media to tar the whole Islamic religion with one brush, perhaps you should do something about all the suicide bombers, all the dictatorial theocracies, all the stupid acts of violence against people who just happen to not believe the same things you do. Getting President Bush out of power is a noble goal, but you don't do it by blowing up the poor grunts who are carrying out his orders in a desert somewhere because otherwise they wouldn't be able afford to eat. You think the world sees you as they do in those cartoons? You want to change that view? You're not doing yourselves any favours by rioting and invading bits of Denmark!
Andy Weir has a few good points to add on the subject. Note especially paragraphs 3, 4 and 5.
You know what really bugs me, though? The fact that a Muslim had the gall to write into the paper and say how offended and insulted they and all Muslims were by the cartoons, and that everyone else in the world should feel offended that they were drawn in the first place. Well, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. My opinion is that you are a twat. For reasons, see above. And reality. And then fuck off back to your cave in the desert where there's nothing to offend you.
So in summary - get a sense of humour, stop taking things so bloody seriously, and stop whining that other people are different!
To all those Muslims who are offended by the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a Danish paper: GROW UP!
It's a CARTOON! It's a JOKE! It's a joke about the biggest joke in the world - organised religion! You're supposed to laugh, not burn down the Danish embassy!
I know it's part of your religion that you shouldn't make an image of God or his Prophets, but - get this - Denmark is not a Muslim country! The cartoonist is not a Muslim, the state religion is not Islam, the newspaper editor is almost certainly not a Muslim, there is no reason at all why they should give a fuck about violating your laws.
If, on the other hand, the cartoonist was a Muslim, in Saudi Arabia (for example), working for a Saudi newspaper, and he drew the cartoons, then by all means cut his hand off or whatever the punishment is. Living and working in an Islamic state, practising the state religion, then breaking that Theocracy's laws, well fair enough, punish him. But since he's living and working in a country 2500 miles from the nearest Islamic state, and doesn't follow Islam (and in all probability doesn't know anyone who follows said religion) he can do whatever the shit he likes because of this little thing most civilised countries have called "Free Speech". I'm exercising it right now. So what if it's offensive? You don't have to read it. You don't have to click this link and see the cartoons.
The captions read (courtesy of Dictionary.com):
1. Good Star
2. Bore-blue explosive
3. Mahomet, angel or demon?
4. Mahomet goes on its way
5. Assured discretion
6. Mahomet, with the paradise, cannot accomodate kamikazes any more: "Stop, stop, we are with short of virgins!"
7. Minimalism: "Prophet! It is necessary to be idiotic and dumb to keep his wife under her domination"
8. Identification of the suspect: "Hum! I do not recognize it... "
9. The sprinkled sprinkler
10. Hot reaction: "Keep calm my friends, it's just the acts of a drawing made by a Dane non-believer..."
11. To hide to draw
12. Run of free expression: "The journalists of Jyllands-Posten are a heap of agitators reactionaries." Behind the arrow: Mohammed, raises Danish."
Note number 10 - "Keep calm, it's just a drawing by a Danish non-believer." See that? Non-believer. That means he doesn't believe in Islam. And why should he? Why should he even believe in Christianity? Organised religions are a complete sham - they promise everything, and provide no proof that they can deliver. Have you ever seen someone come back from the dead after three days? Has an angel visited you and said, "Don't eat fish on Fridays, for that is God's Will, and by following it you'll get into Heaven and be happy for eternity"? No, of course you haven't. Most people in Western civilisations no longer take religion seriously - it's a helping hand for the bleak times at most, it's not a way of life.
Of course, if you happen to believe (whatever religion), that is fine by me - just don't go inflicting your beliefs and any associated laws on me or anyone else who doesn't. And don't go breaking the laws of the country you happen to be living in - if you don't like those laws, sod off to a country with ones which better suit you - just because someone drew a funny picture of your Prophet.
That's right - I said "funny". It made me laugh (well, chuckle). That was the whole point of the exercise. Well, maybe not the whole point. Maybe some of the point was to show the world how some Danes perceive the militant right-wing of the Muslim religion. You know, if you don't want the entire Western media to tar the whole Islamic religion with one brush, perhaps you should do something about all the suicide bombers, all the dictatorial theocracies, all the stupid acts of violence against people who just happen to not believe the same things you do. Getting President Bush out of power is a noble goal, but you don't do it by blowing up the poor grunts who are carrying out his orders in a desert somewhere because otherwise they wouldn't be able afford to eat. You think the world sees you as they do in those cartoons? You want to change that view? You're not doing yourselves any favours by rioting and invading bits of Denmark!
Andy Weir has a few good points to add on the subject. Note especially paragraphs 3, 4 and 5.
You know what really bugs me, though? The fact that a Muslim had the gall to write into the paper and say how offended and insulted they and all Muslims were by the cartoons, and that everyone else in the world should feel offended that they were drawn in the first place. Well, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. My opinion is that you are a twat. For reasons, see above. And reality. And then fuck off back to your cave in the desert where there's nothing to offend you.
So in summary - get a sense of humour, stop taking things so bloody seriously, and stop whining that other people are different!
