The Moroccan-born mayor of the Dutch port city of Rotterdam said in a television appearance on Tuesday that Muslims like himself who choose to live in the West should adopt a more tolerant worldview or “pack your bags and fu.ck off.”
The Daily Mail reported that Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb was appearing live on Dutch TV when he made the remarks.
Aboutaleb moved with his family to the Netherlands when he was a teen. During the television program Nieuwsuur (News Hour), he spoke to Islamists living in the West, saying, “It is incomprehensible that you can turn against freedom.”
“But if you don’t like freedom,” he continued, “for heaven’s sake pack your bags and leave.”
“If you do not like it here because some humorists you don’t like are making a newspaper, may I then say you can f*ck off,” Aboutaleb said.
Agree with him, though he could have been politically correct and refer to all the religious fanatics instead of calling any faith by name, because now he appears as a border line racist (against the people of his own faith).
I understand that he is talking to a specific group in the context of one specific incident, but as a public servant, he should refrain from the direct messages. There are plenty of hardcore Muslims living in the west, who are otherwise very peaceful and law abiding. There must be many who got hurt by the cartoon of prophet Mohammed, but kept the feelings to themselves. For them, the freedom of speech went too far, but they did not react. Should they pack their bags also? You cannot put a barrier on people's feelings. Laws are there to control the actions, not the feelings. Mayor's talk is directly confronting the feelings of those who found those cartoons offensive.
Re: Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor to radical jihaids in West: ‘Pack your bags and f*** off
Agree with him, though he could have been politically correct and refer to all the religious fanatics instead of calling any faith by name, because now he appears as a border line racist (against the people of his own faith).
I understand that he is talking to a specific group in the context of one specific incident, but as a public servant, he should refrain from the direct messages. There are plenty of hardcore Muslims living in the west, who are otherwise very peaceful and law abiding. There must be many who got hurt by the cartoon of prophet Mohammed, but kept the feelings to themselves. For them, the freedom of speech went too far, but they did not react. Should they pack their bags also? You cannot put a barrier on people's feelings. Laws are there to control the actions, not the feelings. Mayor's talk is directly confronting the feelings of those who found those cartoons offensive.
Mayor was just trying to make his voters happy
Politically correct for a Non-Muslim mayor. For a Muslim Mayor, speaking to people who share his faith in a straight forward manner is imperative. If he had referred to extremists of ALL faiths, he would have come across as being dismissive of the reality of Muslim extremism which seems to be the central issue at the moment.
Asking people to pack their bags because they don't like something is stupid. If I post a cartoon of his parents, doing it - will he like it? No. But just because he did not appreciate my freedom of expression, should he leave the country? No.
This whole argument that if you don't like the freedom of expression, then go away - is against the freedom of expression to begin with
Re: Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor to radical jihaids in West: ‘Pack your bags and f*** off
Asking people to pack their bags because they don't like something is stupid. If I post a cartoon of his parents, doing it - will he like it? No. But just because he did not appreciate my freedom of expression, should he leave the country? No.
This whole argument that if you don't like the freedom of expression, then go away - is against the freedom of expression to begin with
^ I think what he is saying is Muslims like himself who choose to live in the West should adopt a more tolerant worldview **OR **leave. Leaving is not the only option.
Extending that argument further, you can choose to dislike something and even peacefully protest about it, as long as you don't go about shooting people and blowing up buildings.
Personally I think that applies to all of us who are living in an adopted country, irrespective of our religions. If you don't like what that country stands for, then there is always the option to leave.
^The operative word in his statement is 'like' and that is my whole argument**
“But if you don’t like freedom,” he continued, “for heaven’s sake pack your bags and leave.”
“If you do not like it here because some humorists you don’t like are making a newspaper, may I then say you can f*ck off,” Aboutaleb said.**
And I can't agree more with you about your second para
Re: Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor to radical jihaids in West: ‘Pack your bags and f*** off
yes i agree that if Muslims have problems with western societies then they can go back to their suffocated countries....please dont try to Islamize these societies and for god sake try to mix more with locals.
that being said, why in the world west is not understanding that freedom of expression is not equivalent to freedom to insult someone. If west knows that billions of muslims get insulted and feel pain when their prophet is being ridiculed then why cant they stop doing it. Just becuae Christians are ok with Jesus's insult or jews can tolerate Moses' jokes does not mean we have to do the same.
Yes we shd never ever kill anyone and yes that is why I oppose blasphemy laws but at the same time i reserve my right to protest if i feel insulted and when you insult my prophet, i feel personally insulted and it is very painful.
Re: Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor to radical jihaids in West: ‘Pack your bags and f*** off
yes i agree that if Muslims have problems with western societies then they can go back to their suffocated countries....please dont try to Islamize these societies and for god sake try to mix more with locals.
that being said, why in the world west is not understanding that freedom of expression is not equivalent to freedom to insult someone. If west knows that billions of muslims get insulted and feel pain when their prophet is being ridiculed then why cant they stop doing it. Just becuae Christians are ok with Jesus's insult or jews can tolerate Moses' jokes does not mean we have to do the same.
Yes we shd never ever kill anyone and yes that is why I oppose blasphemy laws but at the same time i reserve my right to protest if i feel insulted and when you insult my prophet, i feel personally insulted and it is very painful.
As they say, you dont have a right to not be insulted.
Who is to say what is insulting or not. There are people out there who are insulted by the thought of seeing women in a burqa.
The way people behave, i would think that if they are hell bent on insulting you, you might aswell let them get it out of their system. Words and images after all cant hurt you. What can hurt you is when you react and then they get even more stubborn, and it suddenly turns into a battle between "freedom and FASCISM!"
Bottom line is, the more you react, the worse it get. You know South Park showed the Prophet way back in 2000 or so on comedy central. And guess what the world didnt end. And after that, think there were 2 episodes, they didnt do any other depictions...
Re: Rotterdam’s Muslim mayor to radical jihaids in West: ‘Pack your bags and f*** off
yes i agree that if Muslims have problems with western societies then they can go back to their suffocated countries....please dont try to Islamize these societies and for god sake try to mix more with locals.
that being said, why in the world west is not understanding that freedom of expression is not equivalent to freedom to insult someone. If west knows that billions of muslims get insulted and feel pain when their prophet is being ridiculed then why cant they stop doing it. Just becuae Christians are ok with Jesus's insult or jews can tolerate Moses' jokes does not mean we have to do the same.
Yes we shd never ever kill anyone and yes that is why I oppose blasphemy laws but at the same time i reserve my right to protest if i feel insulted and when you insult my prophet, i feel personally insulted and it is very painful.
But there are like of Maher who would even fume that you are even insulted. I used to watch his show more, mostly for guests, but he keeps repeating the same stuff. Other than the kid who shot the store in ferguson, I have yet to see him condemn black-on-black violence.
I think that violence is bad but depending upon what it is, like putting quranic verses on naked women, then I think I'll be offended as well. Some people find that a problem as well but whoopdi doo, you won't find much favor with the rest of the world.
