Re: Area Muslims React With Tempered Anger
Mama, how can you say that it isn't meant to be insulting? The "cartoons" depicted the Prophet (pbuh) with a turbin on his head which was really a bomb, another one with devil's horns over his head and another saying that he ran out of virgins. What does that make all us followers of Islam? Demons? Devils? Really, where is the satire and humour? How is that NOT offensive, rude and insulting? Maybe people of other faiths are quite used to their religions being mocked, but why should we be content with sitting back and allowing it to happen too? Obviously, they are going to think twice before they publish such trash again.
Just imagine similar cartoons were made about your loved ones, or your children. I am sure you would be offended and wouldn't just say, 'oh it was a joke'. It is extremely hard to not take offence to this and sit quietly, especially when it's open season on attacking Muslims which seems to have become acceptable pretty much everywhere.
Yesterday, the Vatican released a statement saying that, yes, there is "freedom of expression/speech" in the western world, but that doesn't mean you can deliberately start offending people. For God's sakes, be responsible and act responsibly. This was just such a stupid thing to do and extremely irresponsible.
This whole act was a deliberate 'dare'. The journalist was dared by others to print and publish these cartoons cause they knew it would offend Muslims and obviously weren't willing to accept the challenge themselves. Most of them flat out refused cause they didn't want to cause offence. Well, one journalist took the dare, being all brave, and now look what has happened. It's not as if he didn't know this would upset a lot of people.
Fact is, you will never see cartoons depicting any Jewish people or important figures in Jewish history so horribly cause that would be wrong and racist. You won’t see cartoons depicting blacks or Malcolm X/Martin Luther King as rapists and thieves since that is also racist. Yet, it is totally acceptable to depict Muslims and an extremely important Muslim figure in such a disgusting manner. If anything, it is being applauded as "freedom of expression".