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Cartoon controversySpeaking of orchestrated demonstrations and the like (see next entry down), did anyone get that impression of the demonstrations against the Danish cartoons that were shown on the TV last night? I was planning a long post on the subject, but Safiyyah and Farah have said pretty much what I wanted to say. I have to say I’ve not received any text messages encouraging me to boycott Danish goods or send emails to the Danish government or the newspaper involved, but Farah reports that she’s been inundated with them, one of them claiming that the cartoonist has been killed and the Danish government is keeping it quiet. (More: Umar Lee, Svend White, Izzy Mo, UZ, Harry’s Place.) I did get a couple of emails from one brother through a source never before associated with letter-writing campaigns or action alerts. The brother told me that he had emailed the Danish foreign affairs minister telling him that he would not buy any Danish products until the newspaper apologised. I tried hard to think of any Danish products I consumed (the best known of their products is Danish bacon!), and came to the conclusion that my boycott of their products would make no difference to them whatsoever. So I didn’t join in. The gulf between the realities of the Muslim world and this country’s is shown by people thinking that polticians can be pressured into leaning on newspapers. Freedom of speech is considered sacred in most western countries although there are obvious exceptions and qualifications which differ from country to country (criminal libel, Holocaust denial, insulting foreign heads of state), but in this country at least, free speech is absolute other than where it threatens people or incites violence. (There is an important exception: the Treason Felony Act, criminalising the suggestion of abolishing the monarchy, which was passed during a time of revolution in Europe, but it has not been invoked against open calls for abolition in recent times.) Don’t they know that their campaigning did not succeed in getting The Satanic Verses banned? It is still in print and on sale more than a decade later. And I had huge difficulty explaining to a Bosnian visitor why we could not demand that a book which insulted our religion and our Prophet (sall’ Allahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) be banned. And what reaction did these people show when Muslims were actually being massacred in India in 2002? There was one well-known case, although I don’t imagine that it was unique, of Muslims (visitors from the UK in this case) being dragged from their cars and murdered in Gujarat, to say nothing of the organised “rioting” and murder which went on in the same state. I never got any messages telling me not to buy Indian goods until the murderers were brought to justice. I don’t know of any boycott of French goods in response to their discriminatory policies against Muslim women in the health and education systems. Why on earth are people talking about punishing all Danish companies for the actions of one newspaper? To say nothing of the workers in the factories making their goods under licence in the Middle East, who would no doubt be the biggest losers in this story. Possibly Related Posts:
56 comments to Cartoon controversy |
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Copyright © 2009 Matthew J Smith - All Rights Reserved |
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“For muslims Prophet Mohammad is next to Allah”
That is a dodgy statement, no one is next to the Almighty and you can not equate anybody to Allah.
Hypocrisy abounds…For years now, Arab/Islamic newspapers blaspheme Jews, Christians, and almost every country in the West. Yet I see no violent protests, mass destruction and the murder of innocent people. Clerics preach hatred of Western cultures and encourage a terrorists jahid. The West with its freedom of speech expects all countries and cultures to respect its right of openness, but fails to make the effort to understand and appreciate that not all peoples have reach that plateau. And for economic benefit, will even selectively forgo the principle of free speech take GOOGLE allowing China to censor its web access engine. The issue here is dignity and human respect, we all have a right to express views and the right to disagree, protest, demonstrate, and boycott. But noone has the right to destroy property and to take human life, and harm the innoncent.
SALAM TO ALL MUSLIMS! In ISLAM,ALLAH CONVEY HIS MESSAGE THROUGH BELOVED PROPHET MOHAMMAD(PBUH)TO ALL MUSLIMS “PROPHET MOHAMMAD(PBUH) MUST BE SUPERIOR AND U MUST LOVE AND RESPECT HIM MORE THEN UR FAMILY,PARENTS,CHILDREN……..” IN SHORT PROPHET MOHAMMAD(PBUH) IS OUR IDEAL,WE LOVED HIM TILL DEATH,so how can sumone imagine to disrespect HIM and muslims wuld only sit watching them to do dat…….those who did so must understand one’s feelings…..freedom of speech doesnt meant to hurt sumone feelings,beliefs,…and if they supports their so called freedom of expression then y they r upset about muslim’s reaction,its also our freedom of speech,to express our reaction. and in end it helps us to unite on one plateform thanks ans yup i agree PROPHET MOHAMMAD IS NEXT TO ALLAH KHUDA-HAFIZ
i want to see the photes of prophate
They are cartoons, not photos; but you can find them on many, many internet sites. I’m not linking them here.
WHAT HAPPENED IS REALY BAD AND THE VERY MISS USE WESTERN FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION, BUT IT SHOULD BE CONDEMNED IN A VERY ORGANISED NOBEL AND CUNSTRUCTIVE WAY. THE EASTERN CITIZENS ARE SPOILING THERE OWN PROPERTY AND NOTHING ELSE.
Aslam-o-alykum al muslims i’m all for boycott of dis idiotic stuff done by senseless danish.if they dont behave respectfully 2 islam religion then surely they r going 2 face eternal hell not only in hereafter but now onwards too.
But v muslim should raised our voice wid unity towards this senseless danish stuff.AFTER ALLAH OUR NEXT EVERYTHIN IS OUR PROPHET(PBUH) N IF ANY CLASSLESS GAAFILS(LIKE DANISH GROUP,WHO HAV PUBLISHED)DISRESPECT OUR PROPHET(PBUH)THEN SURELY EVERY TRUE MUSLIM’S ANGER WILL SPLASH OUT SO DEFINATELY MAKE DUA TAT ALLAH PUNISH THESE DANISH GROUP WITH HIS WRATH N PUT MAGGOTS IN THEIR BRAINS SO THEY FURTHER CANT THINK TO STEP WITH SUCH DIS RESPECTFUL MANNER TOWARDS HOLY N BEST RELIGION ISLAM…inshALAH AMEEN.