Muton: Offensive cartoons

"The interesting thing is that there are regularly far more offensive and violently anti-semitic cartoons in the arab press. And racist and religiously offensive lies are viewed as entertainment in the muslim world. The hypocrisy is galling, and the threats of violence are an anathema to anyone who cares about freedom."


MUIS unhappy with caricatures of Prophet Mohammad in European papers

"MUIS says that in Singapore, no one is allowed to ridicule or cast aspersions on the faith of a person under the cloak of free expression."

Does that mean I can't mock the Flat Earth Society?

How about question the Church of Scientology?

Can I object to Creationism, since it is based on people's faith?

Who cares about critical thought? We can throw it out of the window!!!

"The JI is an exclusive group that mistakenly believed that they had found the path to salvation." - Dr Yaacob Ibrahim

Does casting aspersions on Jemaah Islamiah's, or indeed other fundamentalists' extremist and violent interpretations of their faith count? Oh wait. The last isn't "free expression", but "clearing the air" and "promoting religious tolerance and understanding".

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire. But then, if we're not allowed to question the absurdities, how do we prevent people from believing them?


[Addendum:

Dhimmi Watch has coverage of how the outrage is unfolding.

Interestingly: Jordan makes the leap

"Meanwhile, a Jordanian gossip tabloid on defiantly published three of the cartoons that have triggered outrage in the Arab and Muslim world.

"Muslims of the world, be reasonable," said the editor-in-chief of the weekly independent newspaper Al-Shihan in an editorial alongside the cartoons, including the one showing the Muslim religion's founder wearing a bomb-shaped turban.

"What brings more prejudice against Islam, these caricatures or pictures of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim in front of the cameras or a suicide bomber who blows himself up during a wedding ceremony in Amman?" wrote Jihad Momani.

He told the AFP news service he decided to publish the offending cartoons "so people know what they are protesting about... People are attacking drawings that they have not even seen.""

I remember Ayatollah Khomenei issued the fatwa against Rushdie without having even -read- the Satanic verses.]